“What? No. Not a thing. Just normal stuff. I mean… sure, there’s plenty of work to do, but we’re okay without you for now. I mean… after everything that happened to you in New York, I’m sure you could use a break, right? So you should take your time. There’s no need to hurry back.”
Now I knew something was up. “Okay. Cut the crap. What’s happened?”
Dimples let out a big sigh. “Fine. I guess you were bound to find out sooner or later.”
“Find out what?” My heart skipped a beat. This sounded bad, and I worried that I’d start twitching uncontrollably if he didn’t spit it out. “Do I have to come down there?”
“No. No… sorry. Let me explain. A few weeks ago, a child wandered off from a playground up near the woods. Searchers did everything they could to find her, but came up empty. Daylight was running out, so the little girl’s grandmother brought in an outside expert to help. Within a few hours, the expert told them where to look, and the child was found, safe and sound.”
“Okay… so what does that have to do with anything?”
“Well… that’s the weird part. This expert person… well… she claims to be a psychic, and that’s how she found the little girl. So… since you’ve been gone… and you need to be cleared to work again, she’s uh… kind of taken your place.”
My mind went blank. Of all the things I’d thought he’d say… that was not one of them.
“Shelby? You there?”
“What the hell? Are you serious? Is this some kind of a joke?”
Dimples sighed. “I wish it were. But now that you know, maybe it’s a good thing. You can come in and tell me if she’s the real deal. I have my suspicions about her… but… after knowing you, I guess it’s easier for everyone in the precinct to believe her. I mean… I’m not sold, but she’s got something going on.”
Dimples knew my secret that I could actually read minds. I’d told everyone else in the department that I had premonitions… a psychic ability. Now he was telling me there was another psychic helping the police?
“Okay… but… I don’t get it. First you don’t want me to come in, then you do. So which is it? Is she there now… like on a daily basis?”
“Uh… well… kind of. We got a phone call this morning from a bus driver who stopped for a woman sitting on a bench. When she didn’t move, he realized that she had blood all over her. He thought she was dead, so he called nine-one-one.
“It turned out she wasn’t hurt, but she also wasn’t talking. They took her to the hospital, and she’s been there ever since. The verdict is that she has amnesia. The doctors think it was brought on by whatever she witnessed. The chief called Willow in to see if she could get a reading on the woman. So she’s here helping with the case.”
“Willow? Her name’s Willow?” I shook my head. “Is she some kind of flower child or something?”
“Uh… I don’t know. But if you came in, you’d figure it out pretty fast, right? It’s been kind of strange with her here doing all the stuff you normally do. I have to say, I don’t relate to her very well. She’s nothing like you.”
“So she seems suspicious?” Was that what he meant? Now I couldn’t wait to go in and find out what the heck was going on. Then what he’d said clicked. “Wait a minute… you’re working with her? Like… she’s your partner?” Pain tightened my chest. Had I been replaced?
“Oh… no. Well… not exactly. No one’s been assigned to work with her, but I’m the one who caught the case, so… in a way, I’m working with her. But it’s not at all how you and I work together.”
“Uh-huh.” Now there was no question about it. If she was messing with my partner, she was dead meat. “Listen, I’ll call Leslie Gilman and see if she’s got my counseling approved. If she does, I’ll set up a time and come down. I can meet this Willow person while I’m there.”
“That sounds great.” From the relief in his voice, I knew he meant it. After the shock, it warmed my heart. I told him I’d let him know when I was coming in, and we disconnected.
In a daze, I shook my head and let out a heavy sigh. What the hell? Another psychic? How could this be happening?
I found Leslie’s card and put the call through. She sounded happy to hear from me and even happier that I was ready to meet with a professional. “Our counselor is here today. Let me give you his number.” I jotted it down and called him. His name was Bob Spicer, and he had an opening at two-thirty this afternoon, so I told him I’d be there.
Now that the appointment was set, relief washed over me. I’d taken that first hard step to getting some help. I didn’t know how it would work out exactly, since I’d know what he thought of me. And there was no way I’d divulge my secret, but it couldn’t hurt to talk to a professional. Whatever happened, I’d been through a lot worse. I could take it, and it might actually help.
My worry now centered on this other psychic person and what she was doing at the department. Was she for real? Did she have some sort of scheme going? Maybe she had some psychic ability, but seriously, this was just odd.
On top of that, I felt betrayed. It was like they’d replaced me. Me—the only real mind reader around, and ten times more valuable than some psychic. I’m gone for a couple of weeks, and this happens? Sheesh! This was the worst.
“Mom,” Savannah called, coming down the
