Free Twist (Book 1): The Abnorm Chronicles-Twist by Kevin J. Anderson Page A

tracks led to and from the window but never to and from other parts of the apartment. This man hadn’t seen the murder by an accidental glance. Adam Lee didn’t just live his life watching other people, he lived his life through other people. Confined to his chair, trapped on the seventh floor, that was all he could do.
    He drew the obvious conclusion. “You have feelings for her, the woman who was murdered.”
    Adam turned his head, openly crying. “Chloe. Her name was Chloe.”
    Cooper paused to imagine what sort of effort Adam had made, what inferences he had drawn to acquire even that detail. Cooper doubted the two had ever interacted, but he must have heard conversations, picked up tiny threads. “And you can help me get justice for Chloe. We need to track down who killed her.”
    Adam’s face flushed. “ Justice? How can you say there’ll be justice for her? Are you going to cut the throat of the bastard who killed her? Are you going to torture him? Are you going to make him live with the agony that I have to now?”
    Cooper met Adam’s gaze, reading what he saw there. He treated Adam like an equal, pushed hard. “I can hunt him down and stop him from killing again. The police are on the case, but I can do more. Equitable Services doesn’t torture or kill people—we find them. And we are good at our jobs.”
    “ Why is the DAR involved at all?” Adam’s voice was level, but Cooper noticed his knuckles were still white, fingers splayed against the window. On some level this man sensed— experienced —what was happening beyond that window.
    “ For one, the victim was a Brilliant like you.”
    Adam’s surprise was obvious. “Chloe was a Brilliant?”
    “Tested and registered. Tier five, ability to capture and draw perfect images of what she observed.”
    Adam shuddered , and he fought back a sob. “I saw her drawings, through the window. They were perfect . . . .”
    Cooper continued. “And also, I suspect the killer may be a Brilliant as well. At the moment, I have no evidence of that . . . just a hunch. And I put a lot of credence in my hunches.” He paused a beat, considered, then said, “Because I’m a Brilliant, too. Sophisticated pattern recognition.” He let that sink in. “Chloe was the fourth Brilliant killed within a twelve-block radius in four weeks. Please help me before a fifth one dies.”
    Adams shoulders sagged , and he let his hand drop from the window. “I’ll help, but I didn’t really see much. I was away from the window.” He sobbed as if he had failed her. “For just a minute. And then she was dead.”
    Dr. Wolverton said, “He knows about your ability.”
    Adam looked at him. “Do you know what I can do, Agent Cooper? I doubt it. The detectives last night think I’m a crank, that I couldn’t possibly have seen anything.”
    Cooper said, “I know you’ve never submitted to formal testing, so I don’t know your exact tier level, but the military file lists you as having an aptitude for ‘microdetail analysis,’ that you supposedly have the ability to see around corners, through keyholes and cracks, long distances, like remote viewing.”
    “That’s simplistic,” Adam said. “Explain it with psychic powers so nobody takes it seriously. Look, I want to help catch the bastard who killed Chloe. I can see things. But when I call in reports, even the emergency dispatchers don’t take me seriously anymore.”
    Dr. Wolverton sounded encouraging. “Adam, even I’m not sure I have a full grasp of what you can do. I know you watch out the window, and I try to draw you out of yourself. It would be helpful if we had a better grasp.”
    Adam considered, obviously wrestling with how much he wanted to reveal. “All right, if you’re a Brilliant, too, maybe this will make sense.” He looked hard at Cooper, assessing him. “Go into my bathroom, face away, and look at me in the mirror.”
    Puzzled, Cooper obliged, while Dr. Wolverton watched, the curiosity plain on her