Page 2 of A Touch of Murder
He took another good look at the officer. Hidden Falls wasn't very big. With a population of around eight thousand people, they were better known for their outdoor recreation than anything else. The police force in Hidden Falls wasn't much bigger. He'd heard there were six officers on during the day and four at night, but he wasn't sure how true that was. The Fish and Game were also deputized and were often seen around town. The officer in front of him wore well fit jeans over his cowboy boots and a collared pullover with the Hidden Falls Police department logo on one side of the officer's chest and what he assumed was the officer's last name on the other. "Whitestone. Any relation to Becky across the street?" Adam asked.
The officer smiled for the first time since coming in. "Beck's my little sister."
"Lucky you. My mouth waters just looking across the street at her bakery. I can't walk past her place without going in for at least a cinnamon roll." Adam got all his bakery items from the store across the street. After trying her homemade bread, he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to eat store-bought again.
"Tell me about it. I'm her guinea pig. I have to spend hours working off all the new stuff she brings me to try. The guys at the station love it when she drops by because she's always bringingus something to eat." The officer finally offered his hand. "I'm Barret Whitestone."
"Adam Wrecker." He stood, then took the officer's hand in his own gloved hand and gave it a tight shake.
"You always wear gloves?" Barret asked.
"Unless I'm doing a reading. It's for your protection as well as mine. Most people don't want me seeing into their lives with a simple handshake, and honestly, I don't want to know everything about everybody. Some things are better left private." Adam smoothed the neck of the glove that went halfway up his arms.
"You've thought of everything with this gimmick, haven't you?" Barret shook his head. "Guess if it pays the bills…."
Adam smiled. "It does, and it's no gimmick." Again, he wondered why the officers were here. If Mrs. Anderson wasn't standing with them, he'd come out and ask, but he was sure that whatever had brought them here wasn't something they'd want to discuss with an audience around.
The older officer walked back through the front door. "You won't believe what I've found. Howard Steerson has been arrested five times for domestic violence and is currently wanted for not checking in with his probation officer the last two months. He served six months after putting his ex-girlfriend in the hospital with a fractured skull."
"My God," Mrs. Anderson gasped. "I was right."
"Ma'am, do you know the whereabouts of this man right now?" Barret asked.
"Probably at my daughter's apartment. He claims he's looking for his own place, but he's been staying with her for a few weeks now. He's been working with Lift Towing, but he only goes out when there's a call." She pulled out her phone. "I need to call and tell Stephanie not to go home after work."
"Please, Ma'am, wait. I have a better idea. Mr. Steerson has a warrant. Why don't you give us your daughter's address, and we'll head over there and arrest him? That way you can explain to your daughter what you found out without him around. We don't want to put her in danger." Barret looked at his partner. "If you'll just give my partner your daughter's address while I speak to Mr. Wrecker for a moment, we'll head over there as soon as we leave here."
"Please hurry. I don't want her with him a second longer than she needs to be." Mrs. Anderson looked as if she was ready to cry.
Adam felt for the woman. He'd felt the anger and violence Howard had inside him through the glove he'd held. The man was dangerous. "I'm here until five, then I'll be home all night. It's the upstairs apartment. Stairs are on the side of the building. Perhaps we could talk later?" He couldn't imagine that whatever they'd come here to discuss with him was anything serious. If it had been, they'd have insisted on talking to him before he saw Mrs. Anderson.
"That will work." Barret nodded. "It will probably be a few hours if we have to run this guy to the jail."
"Not a problem. I'll be home." Adam glanced at the clock, seeing it was just after three. "Good luck with your problem, Mrs. Anderson. I hope your daughter and you stay safe."
"Thank you." Mrs. Anderson came at him so quickly he didn't have time to react as she threw her arms around him in a hug.
Adam braced himself as visions of the woman's life started to rush into his mind. Had he worn long sleeves, he'd be fine, but he was in short sleeves today, and though his gloves went nearly to his elbow, that still left bare skin for several inches between the glove and the shirt sleeve. Of course, Mrs. Anderson managed to touch right there. Visions flew at him. An olderman on oxygen, a garden, a large zucchini, the scent of cookies baking, a baby crying in a crib. He gently forced her to release him and stepped back, trying hard to stay focused on her and not the visions. "You're welcome." He smiled, but a wave of exhaustion went through him, and he gripped the desk's edge to steady himself.
Barret gave him a concerned look.
Adam gave his head a small shake and reached for his water bottle. "Go save her daughter. We'll talk later."
Barret looked as if he wanted to say something, then gave Adam a small nod. "We'll be back." He turned and calmly walked Mrs. Anderson outside where the two officers and older women talked for a moment before going to separate cars parked along the curb.
Adam stood and headed into his back office. He grabbed a Hershey Bar and tore the wrapping off before taking a huge bite of the chocolate. He chased it with more water, then finished off the candy bar. Feeling a bit better, he grabbed another bottle of water out of the small fridge he kept behind his desk, opened another chocolate bar, and headed back out front.
As he took a seat at Jacey's desk, he wondered again what the officers could want to talk to him about. He didn't have any tickets, hadn't been in trouble with the law. No, this had to do something with his work. Someone complained. It wasn't as if he was overrun with customers, but he had a couple of people come in each day. For some it was something fun to do. They'd give him something to hold just to see what he got from it. Those people treated him like a carnival side show. Then there were the others, who thankfully didn't come in as often. The ones who really were seeking out information. They wanted him to try and find a lost item or worse, a lost family member. He'd tried to help families locate runaway children, sometimes a lost dog, and his least favorite, they would come to seek help finding out whokilled their loved ones. He hated those cases, but he did his job just like he would any other time, telling the family what he saw even if it wasn't what they wanted to hear.
One of his cases brought the police to his door, and he had a good idea which one. With a sigh, he finished off the candy bar. It was going to be a long afternoon until the police returned, because even if he knew what he saw and felt were real, they wouldn't believe him.
CHAPTER TWO
It was just after six and Adam had dinner almost ready when the knock came at his door. He set the tray of biscuits that he'd just taken out of the oven onto the stove and headed to answer the door.
His apartment above the shop wasn't huge, but it wasn't tiny either. It had two bedrooms; one he used as a mix of an office and weight room. The large living room had a nice view of the town below him, and the kitchen, which was where he spent most of his time, was large enough for a full-sized kitchen table and all the modern conveniences. He'd updated most of them when he'd bought the place several years before.
He pulled open the door, smiling when he saw the two officers standing on his small entry. "Evening. Come on in." He stepped aside to allow them in. "I was just about to sit down to some chicken soup. Would you two like to join me? You probably haven't had time to eat."
