I didn’t sense that he’d told anyone in the department about last night, so at least that was good. Now I just had to convince him I was doing some sleuthing of my own.
“I kept getting little flashes about the case, so I decided to reach out to some of my sources within the gang community last night. After talking with one of my informants, I got some impressions that I think will help us find the killer.”
I paused to make sure they were following along. Bates was a little shocked that I had an informant. But… he reasoned that I had my own consulting business, so maybe that had something to do with it. Grizzo was more than a little skeptical.
“Let’s start with what we know,” I began. “We know that the gray BMW was seen leaving the scene—”
“Gray? No one ever said it was gray,” Bates said.
“Huh… then I must have gotten it from my premonitions. I picked up a couple of other things as well. I think the person who killed the drug dealer is male, young, and his name has an X in it. He’s young enough to be in high school, and the school he attends is something with sky in it, like Skyline or Skyview. Not sure which one, though.”
I shrugged. “Based on that… this is what we need to look for: The person driving the BMW has a name with an X in it, he’s young and rich, and he goes to a high school that has sky in the name.”
I sat back and waited for Bates to nod. In his search for the BMW, he’d turned up a couple of traffic cam photos that had a partial license plate number. He thought if they could narrow it down to a particular area of residence, they’d have an easier time matching it.
Bates thought the X was interesting, but still too vague to help much. “Is the X part of his first name or last name?”
I closed my eyes and took a breath before answering, hoping they’d think I was using my psychic ability to find the answer. “I think it’s his first name. Something like Xavier or Xander. Other names have an X in them, like Jaxon, Max, and Alex, but, to be honest, I’d start with Xavier and Xander first.”
“Okay.” Bates nodded, completely fascinated and believing every word. “I’ll put it into the database and see what comes out.”
Grizzo thought I had to be making this up. Or I’d come by it because of my late-night excursion, and I was duping the police into thinking it came from my psychic abilities. Either way, he had to admit that I put on quite a show.
I ignored Grizzo and spoke directly to Bates. “If you get a hit, I’d like to help with the questioning.”
“Of course. And if you get any more information… or premonitions, give me a call.”
“I will.” I stood, hoping to get away before Grizzo asked me about last night. “I’ve got to go. I’m helping Harris and Willow with their case, and they’re waiting for me.”
“You’re helping them too?” Grizzo asked.
“Yeah, you guys keep me pretty busy. See ya.” With a little wave, I stepped out of the room and into the detectives’ bullpen. I weaved my way toward Dimples, grateful to have escaped Grizzo. How long would he keep quiet about last night? I wasn’t sure, but at least I got away from him this time.
A woman called my name, and I glanced over my shoulder. “Shelby. Do you have a minute?” Spotting Clue, I turned in her direction. She was wondering if I was still working on the Mack Haywood case. She glanced between Bates and Dimples, thinking that, from the looks of things, it seemed like everyone in the department wanted my help. Was I really that good?
I’d forgotten all about Clue and Williams, so it was a good thing she’d called to me. “Hey Clue. How’s it going? Find anything new on the case?”
“I was just going to ask you that.” She wanted me to go first, since they hadn’t found much.
“Why don’t you start?” Since I hadn’t decided what to tell her, I’d take every advantage I could get.
She flushed. “Well… that’s the problem. We’re still looking through his financial records. He had quite a nice retirement fund stashed away. I’m talking a couple of million. With him gone, it all goes to his son, Austin.”
“Oh wow… I didn’t know that. So are you thinking Austin did it?” At her nod, I continued. “Does Austin have an alibi?”
“Not really. I mean, he says he was at home, but he lives alone, and we haven’t found anyone who can actually verify that.”
“Interesting. But I don’t think it’s him.”
“Why?”
“He was too broken up about losing his father. Plus, he wanted me to look into it. Also, why would Mack put the dog in the other room if it was Austin? Austin and the dog had a good relationship, so that doesn’t make any sense. No, I think it has to be someone who doesn’t like dogs, or who is allergic to animals.”
“Oh… yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“When I spoke to the neighbor, I found out that his wife is allergic to animals. That neighbor, Reed Gardner, is the one who found Mack and called the police. He told me his wife had gone to bed with a migraine headache earlier, and he’d been downstairs watching TV for a couple of hours. She could have snuck out of the house while Reed was in the basement and killed Mack.”
Clue’s mouth dropped open. How did I find that out? Damn. I was good. “But why would she do that?”
“Your guess is as
