Free Vibrations by Lorena Wood

sometimes
regresses back to his childhood. And the hands…they’re small for a man. It
could be a young man or even a large woman. I can’t tell yet. I hear a man’s
voice, but it could be just how I perceive it. I need more time.”
    “I have to get over to my
nephew’s friend’s house this morning. You gonna be okay here?”
    “Actually, I would prefer to
come along. I can buy you that breakfast after we go there. Have you eaten
yet?”
    “Nope, haven’t eaten. Sorry, I
forgot about the fuel issue. Let’s go. He lives over in Guadalupe, so it’s not
far.”
    Whitney could sense his anger
was part fear for her and part frustration about the case. She knew it was her
fault but couldn’t think of anything to do to change the situation.
    Ten minutes later Nick and
Whitney pulled up to an older home badly in need of repairs. A small woman was
in the front yard gathering the toys that were strewn about the sandy area. She
saw Nick get out and yelled to her son in the house. “Miho, there’s someone
here to see you. It’s Steven’s uncle.”
    A little boy about seven years
old came flying out of the house in a batman costume.
    “Hey Carlos, what’s up?”
    “I’m not Carlos. I’m Batman.
Batman Beyond, not the old guy.” He ran around with the black cape flapping.
    Nick chased him. “Yeah, well
I’m the Joker and I’m gonna get ya!” The little boy squealed in delight and ran
around the back of the house. Nick came back carrying him on his shoulders. “So
Batman, you seen any bad guys around here lately?”
    “Yup, but I killed ‘em
already.”
    “Oh, well make sure they’re
really bad before you kill ‘em, right buddy? So how is the soccer playing
sport? Your team been winning?”
    “Nah, we don’t have any fast
enough runners. The other teams have kids that could run a million miles a
second. I been thinking about quitting. They make you practice too hard on my
team. I’d rather stay home and ride my bike or skateboard with the big kid next
door. He has a ramp! He even lets me ride his board ‘cause mine’s kinda old.”
    Nick ruffled his hair and sent
him inside while he talked with the mother. When they were both back in the car
Nick relaxed a little. “He got involved through a friend in school that doesn’t
play anymore. She says she heard about the kids and, since her son isn’t that
interested, she stopped taking him. She’s still worried, so she won’t go to any
more games.
    After breakfast Nick wanted to
go back to the station. Whitney wasn’t up to going back there with all the
energy and chaos. She needed alone time to finish her report.
    “I think I need to sleep a
little more. Would you mind dropping me home before you go into work? I mean
your house. That’s where my laptop is.”
    Nick knew she’d be putting
herself into that trance again, or whatever it was called when she used her
abilities. He called Teddy and let him know he was heading back home. Teddy
reassured him he could handle things at the station for now and promised to
keep him updated. Nick spent the day walking in and out of the sunroom to make
sure Whitney was still breathing. She slept first, then worked and slept again.
By evening she had finished her report and e-mailed it to Hollerman.
    She was disappointed she hadn’t
come up with anything that identified the killer. She still wasn’t sure if it
was a man or a woman. Nick couldn’t understand why she would put herself
through the pain of watching and experiencing the murders if she only got
confusing messages and very little new information.
    Whitney packed her things and
got ready to go back to the motel. Nick kept thinking about asking Whitney to
stay with him longer, but he was afraid of what might happen. Whitney of course
knew what he was thinking and agreed. She would love to pursue a relationship
with him, or even a fling, but she just never let it get that far. She couldn’t
risk bringing another person into her nightmare.
    Nick