Sacred Sins

out of it. Be here at four.”
    Ben started to open his mouth then caught Ed's warning glance. Without a word they strode out. “Maybe we should call in a psychic,” Ben muttered.
    “Close-minded.”
    “Realistic.”
    “The human psyche is a fascinating mystery.”
    “You've been reading again.”
    “And those trained to understand it can open doors laymen only knock against.”
    Ben sighed and flicked his cigarette into the parking lot as they stepped outside. “Shit.”

    “S HIT ,” Tess muttered as she glanced out her office window. There were two things she had no desire to do at that moment. The first was battling traffic in the cold, nasty rain that had begun to fall. The second was to become involved with the homicides plaguing the city. She was going to have to do the first because the mayor, and her grandfather, had pressured her to do the second.

    Her caseload was already too heavy. She might have refused the mayor, politely, even apologetically. Her grandfather was a different matter. She never felt like Dr. Teresa Court when she dealt with him. After five minutes she wasn't five feet four with a woman's body and a black-framed degree behind her. She was again a skinny twelve-year-old, overpowered by the personality of the man she loved most in the world.
    He'd seen to it that she'd gotten that black-framed degree, hadn't he? With his confidence, she thought, his support, his unstinting belief in her. How could she say no when he asked her to use her skill? Because handling her current caseload took her ten hours a day. Perhaps it was time she stopped being stubborn and took on a partner.
    Tess looked around her pastel office with its carefully selected antiques and watercolors. Hers, she thought. Every bit of it. And she glanced at the tall, oak file cabinet, circa 1920. It was loaded with case files. Those were hers too. No, she wouldn't be taking on a partner. In a year she'd be thirty. She had her own practice, her own office, her own problems. That's just the way she wanted to keep it.
    Taking the mink-lined raincoat from the closet, she shrugged into it. And maybe, just maybe, she could help the police find the man who was splashed across the headlines day after day. She could help them find him, stop him, so that he in turn could get the help he needed.
    She picked up her purse and the briefcase, which was fat with files to be sorted through that evening. “Kate.” Stepping into her outer office, Tess turned up her collar. “I'm on my way to Captain Harris's office. Don't pass anything through unless it's urgent.”
    “You should have a hat,” the receptionist answered.

    “I've got one in the car. See you tomorrow.”
    “Drive carefully.”
    Already thinking ahead, she walked through the door while digging for her car keys. Maybe she could grab some take-out Chinese on the way home and have a quiet dinner before—
    “Tess!”
    One more step and she would have been in the elevator. Swearing under her breath, Tess turned and managed a smile. “Frank.” And she'd been so successful at avoiding him for nearly ten days.
    “You're a hard lady to pin down.”
    He strode toward her. Impeccable. That was the word that always leaped to Tess's mind when she saw Dr. F. R. Fuller. Right before boring. His suit was pearl-gray Brooks Brothers, and his striped tie had hints of that shade and the baby pink in his Arrow shirt. His hair was perfectly and conservatively groomed. She tried hard to keep her smile from fading. It wasn't Frank's fault she couldn't warm to perfection.
    “I've been busy.”
    “You know what they say about all work, Tess.”
    She gritted her teeth to keep herself from saying no, what did they say? He'd simply laugh and give her the rest of the cliché. “I'll just have to risk it.” She pressed the button for down and hoped the car came quickly.
    “But you're leaving early today.”
    “Outside appointment.” Deliberately she checked her watch. She had time to spare. “Running a bit late,” she lied without qualm.
    “I've been trying to get in touch with you.” Pressing his palm against the wall, he leaned over her. Another of his habits Tess found herself detesting. “You'd think it wouldn't be a problem since our offices are right next door.”

    Where the hell was an elevator when you needed it? “You know what schedules are like, Frank.”
    “Indeed I do.” He flashed his toothpaste smile and she wondered if he thought his cologne was driving her