Blood Dreams

'Because somebody told me. Come in, Marc. There are people here you need to meet.'

Feds. But why come like this? Why so… unofficially? He didn't budge. 'So you said. What people?'

Dani didn't seem surprised or put out by his stubbornness, and answered readily. 'John Garrett, for one. You've probably heard of him.'

'I've heard he's a very wealthy man and a very powerful one. I don't know what the hell he'd be doing in Venture.'

'He's also a good man, trying to make a difference. He and his wife, Maggie, run the… company Paris and I work for. You know about Haven?'

'I know it's not federal.'

'No. Privately run.'

'I don't know much more than that. I knew Paris traveled some for work, but far as I can recall she never said much about her job, other than mentioning the name one day in passing. She did seem to have very flexible hours and workdays.'

'I guess people have noticed that,' Dani murmured.

'When you're gone for a week and then don't seem to work again for a month or more, yeah, people do notice. Honestly, though, most assumed, at least this last year or so, that Paris was still being supported by her ex.'

'Damn. She'll hate that if she finds out.'

'I'd be real surprised if she didn't already know. The gossip in Venture is hardly a furtive thing; it's a recreational activity. Want me to tell you how many cities Dan's job has taken him to in the last year? I understand there was some betting as to whether he and Paris met up at least twice for reconciliation attempts.'

'I hope you bet against that.'

'As a matter of fact, I did.' Quite deliberately, he added, 'I'm a bit better than the average Venture citizen at reading the Justice twins.'

For an instant he thought she would challenge him on that point, but in the end Dani pushed it aside with a gesture. 'But the town doesn't know much about Haven. Do you know any more than that?'

'I admit I got curious. Asked around. Police scuttlebutt says it's a civilian organization of mavericks, supposedly psychics, people just barely this side of the lunatic fringe.'

'Thanks a lot.'

'I'm just telling you what I've heard.'

Despite her words, Dani didn't appear to be offended, and just nodded. 'Okay. What else have you heard?'

'That the services Haven offers run the gamut from advising on police cases and running independent investigations of things like insurance fraud to going undercover in big companies to find evidence of industrial and corporate espionage. And that you guys will investigate just about anything-for a price.'

Half under her breath, Dani said, 'John was right. We need to work on our image.'

'Does the scuttlebutt have it wrong?'

'The bare bones of it, no. We are mostly psychic, varying abilities and degrees of strength and control. A lot of us are… a bit out of the norm even among psychics, with abilities you won't find named in any of the reference books. We have extremely flexible hours because each of us has an ability that may be useful to a particular case or investigation but certainly not all of them. Paris and me… well, you of all people must know that what we can do wouldn't be all that handy in investigating anything under ordinary circumstances.'

'Considering you're precognitive only when dreaming, and Paris's abilities barely register unless you two team up, yeah, I can see how that could be a drawback in using the abilities as tools.'

'Exactly.'

'And yet you get work.'

She nodded. 'You'd be surprised how many extraordinary circumstances there are. Or maybe you wouldn't be. I was.'

Instead of asking about particulars, Marc said, 'Was the gossip right about what Haven offers?'

'We do advise and investigate. Work with police as well as private companies and individuals. We do go undercover, if the situation calls for it.'

'Services for sale to the highest bidder?'

She shook her head. 'No, that part's wrong. Really wrong. Look, do you know about the FBI's Special Crimes Unit?'

The presence of the federal vehicle in Paris 's driveway now began to make sense-though he was still suspicious of and very much worried about the timing.

'I've heard of it,' Marc replied. 'Gained a rep in the last few years for solid police work and a very high solved-case percentage. Also considered by local law enforcement wherever they've worked to be trustworthy, because they do what they say they do-advise and aid, not take over. And they don't want the credit, not publicly. In fact, they stay as far out of the spotlight as they can get.'

'Haven is basically a civilian offshoot of the SCU. John Garrett has a good friend in the unit, and there was an investigation he became a part of-and one thing led to another. The idea for a civilian organization made sense, if only to make use of talent going to waste. In putting together the unit, its chief had located any number of strong psychics who just weren't suited to be cops, federal or any other kind.'

'Mavericks?'

Dani began to shake her head, then shrugged. 'Some, sure. People who don't like rules, who don't… play well with others. Emotional baggage is probably the norm rather than the exception, and that can get in the way, more for some than others. I mean, using psychic abilities can look a lot like conning somebody, and plenty of us have had bad experiences with the police. Plus, just being psychic seems to make some of us… fragile. Difficult to work with, or at least unable to work within certain rigid structures such as law enforcement.'

'So you work outside the law.'

'We're not crooks or con artists, Marc.'

'No?'

'No.' She let out a little breath, and added, 'I didn't think I'd have to convince you. Not you.'

'Convince me of what, Dani? That psychic ability is real? We both know I'm in the believer's camp on that one. That doesn't mean I can automatically agree that mixing unstable psychics with a killer who has to be the poster boy for unstable is a good idea.'

She flinched visibly. 'Miranda said it was bad, but-'

'Who's Miranda? A fed or part of Haven?'

'She's SCU. Her husband, Noah Bishop, created the Special Crimes Unit, fought for it, recruited the right people. He's officially the unit chief, but they run it together. They share… a unique connection. Come inside, Marc. Listen to what we have to tell you.'

He still didn't budge. 'I don't recall asking for help.'

Dani hesitated, then said steadily, 'I think most sheriffs in your position would wait. Investigate this one murder as a single murder. And then the next one. And maybe, before the third one or just after, he'd realize he had a serial killer on his hands. That's when he'd ask for help. And by then it would be too late.'

'Most sheriffs.'

'Yes. But not you.'

'Because?'

'Because it's not about ego with you, it's about justice. Because you have a better sense than most that there are dark forces all around us-all the time. And because what you saw today was only the tip of the iceberg, and that's something you feel. Something you know deep inside yourself.'

'Dani-'

'It's evil, Marc. What's underneath the surface you saw today is pure, raw evil. Something no amount of conventional police work can even begin to handle.'

She drew a breath and added, 'And you know it.'