Dream Eyes

“Don’t want to get personal, but people are saying that Oxley gave you a hard time because of what happened to Evelyn.”
    “I think it’s safe to say that Chief Oxley would prefer that I leave town as soon as possible,” Gwen said. “And he’s not the only one. But it’s going to take a while to decide what to do with Evelyn’s house and her old lab.”
    Buddy’s bushy brows bounced up and down a couple of times. “Also heard that the television guy Evelyn used to do some work for is back. Any idea why he’s hanging around?”
    “He’s looking for more ideas for his show,” Gwen said, deliberately vague. “He left town a short time ago.” She collected the sack of cat litter, food and eggs. “Thanks, Buddy.”
    “You bet.” Buddy exhaled. “Just so damn sad about Evelyn. Really gonna miss her.”
    “So will I,” Gwen said.

Seven
    E velyn’s small house was huddled in the trees at the end of the road. The windows were dark, just as they had been that morning when Gwen arrived. She felt the hair lift again on the nape of her neck. A shiver went through her.
    Judson eased the SUV to a stop in the drive. He sat quietly for a moment, studying the house. Energy shifted in the atmosphere. The stone in his ring heated a little.
    “You feel it, too, don’t you?” she said.
    He did not ask her for an explanation.
    “Like a shadow over the house,” he said. “You just know something bad happened inside.”
    “I knew this morning when I got here, before I even opened the door,” Gwen said.
    “Yeah, it usually hits me that way, too.” He paused. “But only if serious violence was involved.”
    “Same with me.” She did not take her eyes off the house. “But at least in your business you get to do something constructive. You find justice for the victims.”
    “I hate to disillusion you, but most of my consulting work is—was—done for an intelligence agency. Justice wasn’t the objective.”
    “What was the objective?”
    “Information. I’m good at gathering that.”
    She turned her head and gave him a disturbingly insightful look. “But you don’t find it very satisfying, do you?”
    He hesitated. “Sometimes I think Mom was right. I should have joined the FBI.”
    “So that you could hunt bad guys? But you don’t like to take orders or work as a member of a team. You and the FBI would not have been a good fit.”
    “No.” He paused, frowning. “Did Sam tell you about my preference for working alone?”
    “No.”
    Judson’s irritation was palpable. “You can read that kind of personality trait in an aura?”
    “I didn’t get that information from your aura.” She unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door. “Five minutes in your company was more than enough to reveal that aspect of your character, believe me.”
    She jumped down and slammed the car door a little harder than was necessary.
    * * *
    J UDSON CRACKED OPEN the driver’s-side door and got out. Together they went up the steps, crossed the porch and stopped at the door.
    He watched her take the key out of her tote. When she got the door open, he moved into the front hall ahead of her. Energy whispered in the atmosphere, cold and intense. She knew that he had heightened his talent.
    “The electricity is still on,” she said. She stepped into the hall behind him and flipped a switch, illuminating the small space. “No need to work in the dark.”
    “Which way?”
    “Down the hall to your right.”
    Judson moved along the hallway. “What happened to the Ballinger study?”
    “Evelyn stopped it after the second member of the study group was found dead. She realized that something awful was happening, and she sensed that it was connected to her research.”
    “I’m going to want to hear about the three people who died two years ago,” he said. “Especially how you came to find the bodies.”
    She had known this was coming, she reminded herself. She was prepared.
    “I assumed you would want the details,” she said.
    He looked back over his shoulder. “Show me where you found Ballinger’s body.”
    “All right, but I think I should show you this picture first.” She took a photo out of her tote and handed it to him. “I found this on the floor beside her this morning. I’m not sure what to make of it but I think it might be important.”
    Judson studied the photo. “I recognize you. Who are the others?”
    “It’s a group shot of the members of Evelyn’s research study. She kept it