Archer held the bowl under her nose and she managed, with great effort, to pick up only one candy.
“Have more,” Archer said. “Wish I had a sandwich or something.”
Looking at him, she smiled and took a handful of Tootsie Rolls.
Fisher sputtered and she looked at her hand. The bowl had been withdrawn and she was left with a fist crammed so full that some candies stuck out between her knuckles.
Marley laughed at herself. “Overkill,” she said. She got up and dropped the extra candies back into the bowl. “Thank you,” she said and stuffed several pieces into a pocket. This was not a time or a place for fainting. She unwrapped two candies and put them in her mouth, packing one in each cheek. Her energy was fading again.
“By the time the big car stopped, I was frantic.” She shifted to the front of her chair, chewing and gulping as fast as she could. “I threw money at the cab driver and raced after Liza and whoever was with her. I was so agitated and it was so dark, I rushed behind them—being careful to stay out of sight behind, er, bushes, and managed to sneak through the same door they used to go into the building.”
“What building?” Fisher said.
Damn him. “I don’t know. Not the faintest idea. That’s where the cops come in. They’re good at that stuff. Now let me finish. I’ve got to get Winnie out for a run.”
Neither man commented. Good, off-the-wall comments could be used to shut them up.
“As I was saying, I slipped in behind them when they weren’t looking.” And? “They got ahead of me and I thought I’d lost them. It was pretty scary in there. Just concrete walls and floor—dirty and damp. Then the locker—big locker—opened in the corner and a woman in red—I mean, black, with black fishnet hose and very high shoes—came out. She was frightened, I could see it.”
“This was another woman?” Archer squinched up his eyes. “I thought you meant—”
“Liza Soaper? I did. Only I didn’t know it was her then. I didn’t know until I saw the picture of her on the TV today. I saw the mole above her mouth, too.
“She looked terrified and when she saw me, she reached out. But that voice came. Just like black molasses dripping into a puddle on a shiny floor.”
“You have a way with words,” Fisher said.
“Please just let me get through this, Mr. Fisher.” She should only have put one Tootsie Roll into her mouth.
“Gray,” he said shortly and bowed his head. He bowed his head but looked behind him at the same time.
Marley heard a familiar slithering sound and soon Winnie came into view. Flattened (as flattened as a solid little Boston terrier could get) to the floor, she pulled herself forward, inch by inch to join the party.
“No,” Marley said, but wished she could gather up her faithful friend and hold her close. “Back you go, please, Winnie. I’m having an important conversation and you do have a tendency to distract me. Do go and sit where you were before and wait until I’m finished.”
Another strangled sound came from Mr. Fisher.
“What now?” she snapped.
“Nothing. I was surprised by his level of comprehension, is all.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Her. Just as I don’t believe in baby talk for children, I don’t like it for animals, either. Back, Winnie. Now, can we continue?”
Fisher wore jeans that rode below his waist, and a black T-shirt. The T-shirt shouldn’t have to be so tight. Surely he could find one big enough for all those muscles. Men could be like that. They liked showing off what studs they were.
“Liza had a mark on her neck,” Marley said and her eyes widened. She hadn’t remembered that until now. “A round, red mark right in the front. I thought it was blood, but I don’t know for sure.”
Fisher snickered. Complete with bone, Winnie had dragged herself beside him and rolled onto her back. She lay there with all four feet in the air, displaying her pink tummy.
Absently, Marley pulled another candy from her pocket. Her dog was a floozie, letting a strange man scratch her belly.
“Can we stay with the program?” Detective Archer said.
“Happily.” She was amused at how easy it was to ward off Fisher’s attempts to read her thoughts. “As soon as I got closer to Liza, the voice got more intense.”
“What was he saying to her?”
Marley concentrated on the detective. “Honestly, just like I said before, I couldn’t see him and I couldn’t make out everything he said, except he wanted her to come to him. That was obvious. I think he was hiding in the locker.”
“So, you just heard sounds really?”
“More than sounds.” She frowned at Fisher. He petted the dog, but his motions were jerky. Twice he stopped to rub his hands together. Marley looked at her own hands. They remained cold. The nail beds were blue.
“And?” Fisher said.
Archer shrugged and grinned at Marley. “I told you he keeps forgetting he’s not a cop anymore.”
“And?” Fisher repeated. He had an unforgettable voice himself. She didn’t doubt it could be mesmerizing in the right circumstances.
“You think this guy was mesmerizing Liza?” Fisher said.
Stunned, Marley barely stopped herself from shooting to her feet. He had heard her think about a voice being mesmerizing. At least, he’d picked up that idea and twisted it a little, even if he didn’t realize it. “He could have been,” she said tightly. She had never encountered anything like this before.
“I’ve never believed in that,” Archer said.
“Well, you ought to,” Marley said. “There’s a great deal more in this world than meets the eye.” She had to stop getting goaded into careless statements.
“Liza backed into the freezer or locker or whatever it was and the door shut.”
“Did you try to get her out?”
She looked back at Archer with a horrified feeling. “Yes, but I couldn’t. I had to leave.”
“You were frightened?” Fisher said. “More frightened than ever. That’s understandable.”
“No,” she cried. “That’s not it. She stayed in that place and she must be dead. I know she is. I felt her die.”
The office door opened and Marley slumped in her chair, relieved by the interruption.
A uniformed officer entered, handed a folded piece of paper to Archer and left again.
But Archer didn’t take his eyes off Marley. “What do you mean, you felt her die? You’re sure she’s dead, aren’t you? How about Amber Lee?”
“I don’t know.” She swallowed. “I don’t really know what’s happened to either of them. If I try to explain, will you promise not to disregard everything I’ve told you?”
“Your report will be checked out,” he said. In other words, there was no commitment.
“There wasn’t a car or a cab. I made that up because I was afraid you wouldn’t believe the truth.”
He raised his brows, but didn’t interrupt.
“I traveled there.”
Still he listened without speaking, but he did look at the paper in his hands. Probably trying not to let her see his impatience.
“You see, I…Well, I’m psychic, but I also have out-of-body experiences. I saw each of them, Liza and Amber, when I was away from my body.”
Chapter 5
“Give me a minute here, please,” Archer said, buying time while he decided what to say next.
He unfolded the piece of paper that had been delivered earlier.
Most medical examiners would have picked up the phone. Not Blades. He preferred using other methods so that he didn’t have to answer questions until he was ready.
Archer, Blades’s fax started.
Get over to the morgue in the morning. Make it 8:30. Still got a lot to do.
Preliminary:
Shirley Cooper.
White female.
Age: 28.
No water in lungs. (This means victim was dead when she was put in the water.)