Free Fear the Dark by Kay Hooper

or giving interviews to the media.”
    Jonah nodded. “I asked around, and that’s what I heard. Your unit has investigated all over the southeast, but especially in the Blue Ridge mountains. You’ve earned a lot of respect. Cops I know are too hardnosed to believe in the supernatural talk about your abilities like they’re just useful skills.”
    â€œThey are,” Luke said. “And that is the point. We have abilities that are completely natural to us. And when we can, we use them as investigative tools. Sometimes they help; sometimes they just make a situation more difficult.”
    â€œI have questions,” Jonah admitted. “But I expect I’ll have plenty of chances to ask them.”
    â€œProbably. We aren’t shy, so don’t hesitate. But it might be easier to absorb if you get the information in smaller-to-digest pieces rather than all at once.”
    â€œNoted.”
    Jonah pulled his Jeep onto the wide shoulder of the road and stopped it. He and Luke got out, and Jonah waited until the black SUV pulled in behind him and the other three feds got out before he said, “Simon Church’s car was parked on the shoulder about twenty yards straight ahead. I’ve still got the car in the police garage, so you can see that later. I should warn you that just after we found the car and moved it into the garage, we had a hell of a storm withinches of rain. Whatever footprints or other signs there might have been were certainly washed away.”
    Sam shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket and frowned at him. “There were photos in the file, when the car was still here. Presumably taken before the rain. No sign of any footprints, and no mention of them.”
    â€œTrue,” Jonah said. And that was all he said. He didn’t exactly look stubborn, but it was clear he had nothing else to say for the moment.
    To his people, Luke said, “Let’s just walk the area, okay? Keep an open mind, see if we notice anything helpful.”
    Jonah waited at the Jeep, leaning back against the front, not showing much expression except weariness.
    As soon as they were a few feet away, Sam said, “We being tested?” She was still more than a bit touchy about that sort of thing, especially given her background as a carnival “seer.” *
    â€œNo,” her husband and partner replied. “He’s not asking us to jump through hoops, Sam. He hasn’t offered details, but it’s clear Bishop was right about there being things Jonah didn’t put in his reports. There’s something odd about every one of these scenes, something connecting them. Whatever it is, he couldn’t explain it, and he wants to know if we find the same thing.”
    â€œWithout prejudice.”
    Luke nodded. “Without prejudice. Are you sensing anything yet?” Samantha was a touch clairvoyant, which meant that she generally only had to shield when she was touching something connected to a crime or other violent event. She had, however, been working withother SCU clairvoyants as well as Luke in teaching herself to sense more intangible things—such as the mood of a small town.
    â€œI feel that the whole damned town’s on edge, but it’s a general sort of uneasiness and bafflement. Plus a lot of fear. But faint. What about you? Sensing anything from the missing?”
    â€œYou know my shields are up.”
    She did. “Yeah, but you’ve gotten better at picking up on fear or pain even with them up.”
    â€œI didn’t want to try until we got to the scenes.”
    â€œWell,” Sam said, “here we—” She stopped so abruptly that Lucas stopped as well, half turning to look at her.
    â€œSam?”
    After a long moment, she said in a distant-sounding voice, “What?”
    Luke glanced at the other two agents, who had stopped just behind them. Both looked curious—and guarded. Typical for new agents. He