Dimples surveyed the room for a threat. Finding none, he grabbed Dex’s chair and pulled it toward the kneeling man. Dex could barely get his legs under him, and gratefully sat, still out of breath, with his fists clenched and his wrists bruised and bleeding.
His dark eyes were filled with terror and panic. All of his previous cockiness was gone, replaced by shock and fear. His gaze landed on Dimples, and a surge of anticipation filled him. “I’ll do it,” Dex said. “I’ll confess. I did it all. Just like you said. I’ll even put it in writing. Just. Get. Me. The Hell. Out of here.”
Dimples glanced my way, wondering if this was for real. I nodded, and he stepped toward our chairs, bringing them both back to the desk. I didn’t want to get too close to Dex, so I stayed in the back corner, closer to the door.
Dimples stooped to gather the scattered paperwork off the floor and slid a piece of paper toward Dex. Reaching into his suit coat, he pulled out a pen and set it on the paper. “Go ahead. Write it down, and sign it.”
Exhaling with relief, Dex eagerly grabbed the pen and began to write. I wasn’t sure how legible it would be, since his hand shook so badly.
“And be sure to include what your friend, Randy, did as well,” Dimples said. “Since he put the drugs in the drinks.”
Dex didn’t look up, but gave a slight nod and kept writing. Every so often, his body jerked like he’d been slapped, and his eyes darted to look around the room or at the ceiling. At one point, he glanced into the corner where I stood, and I lurched back to my chair.
With shaking legs, I pulled the chair a little behind Dimples and sat down. Every time Dex jerked, I did too. I even followed his gaze to the corners, but I couldn’t see a thing. That didn’t mean something wasn’t there, especially from what I picked up from Dex’s mind. I’d never felt such fear coming from anyone in my life.
Finally reaching the bottom of the page, Dex signed his name. He sat hunched over the table, and his gaze kept darting around the room. “There. It’s done.” To the ceiling, he said, “Now leave me alone.”
Dimples’ brow scrunched together. “I didn’t make you—”
Dex slammed his fists on the table. “Just get me out of here! Get me the hell out!”
I jerked to my feet and stepped back to my corner, not sure who scared me the most, Dex or the ghost.
Dimples stood. “Take it easy man.” He stepped to the door and cracked it open. An officer stood outside, and Dimples motioned to him, pulling the door completely open. “We’re done here. Take this guy back to his cell.”
The officer came in and unlocked the chain, then took Dex by the arm and led him out. Dex could barely stand, but he shuffled out of the room faster than I could imagine, no longer the confident jerk he was when he entered.
After he left, Dimples turned to me, his eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar. “What just happened?”
Before I could answer, a detective poked his head inside. “Are you guys okay?” Dimples and I exchanged glances before we both nodded. “That was some earthquake. It must have been close. I’ve never felt anything like it.”
“Oh…” Dimples said. “Yeah… crazy.” He caught my gaze, thinking there was a lot more going on than that, right?
I nodded. Before I could speak, the scent of Armani drifted through the air. Wafting through the room, like a purifying cleanse. Then it was gone. Dimples caught the scent, and his eyes widened. “That was him?” At my nod, he continued. “When Dex was saying to leave him alone, he wasn’t talking about us, was he?”
“Nope.”
“But the shaking… that was an earthquake, right?”
“I guess so… but it’s kind of strange that the earthquake came right at that precise moment, you know?”
Dimples huffed out a breath and nodded, thinking that experience was way beyond his pay grade, and he hoped nothing like that ever happened to him again. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
It didn’t take much to convince me to step from my corner and follow him out of the room. “That was intense.”
“No kidding. I’m going to file the report, but I’m putting you down as the driving force behind his arrest. I don’t care what Willow or the chief has to say about it.”
“Sure, that’s fine.” I was still a little shaky after the ordeal, and it was hard not to grab his arm, but I managed, and followed closely behind him back into the bullpen. The chief was busy inspecting the building for damage, while everyone else looked a little shocked.
The room didn’t seem any worse for wear. No cracks on the ceiling or fallen artwork with broken glass on the floor. The only damage of significance seemed to be a few paper files lying on the floor, which people quickly picked up.
Willow stood by the chief. Catching sight of us, she hurried in our direction. As Dimples continued on to his desk, Willow stopped beside me, placing her hand on my arm. She drew me toward the filing cases where no one could hear us.
Dropping her hand, she leaned toward me like she was sharing a secret. “Wasn’t that earthquake insane? I was in the chief’s office when it hit. It shook everything up for a few seconds before it quit.” She shook her head, thinking it was a sign. One of the clearest signs she’d ever received.
I picked up an image of tarot cards, and my eyes widened. “Were you giving the chief a card reading?” Her face slackened with shock, but she gave me a slight nod. “What did they say?”
She shook her head. “That’s just for him, but
