The Cop and the Psychic

She's a fortune teller in a traveling carnival, reading futures for her survival. He's a homicide detective trying to find a serial killer. Will he believe her when she asks for help?

A/N: I love to read Fran's comments on this story, as she edits it.

Chapter Six:

EPOV:

Frozen at the door, I begin to ask her where Jake is, but she hasn't moved. Realizing Bella is still in a sleep state, I hesitate to call her name. When I do, she doesn't react to my voice.

I step a little closer, staring at her, as she tilts her head straining to listen.

"Bella?" I softly say.

"Hmm, you are here, Edward."

"Yes, I am." I walk a little closer.

"I thought I felt your presence." She smiles.

"But you don't see me?"

"No, I feel you." Her eyes close, but she remains seated.

"Where are you, Bella?"

"In between."

"I don't understand."

"No, of course, you wouldn't. My mind is on a different plane. Usually, adults are on a beta level of thought. The EEG (electroencephalogram) units run rapid. For one to read on a psychic level, you have to drop your mind into Alpha."

"I assume the EEG units slow down."

"Yes, they do."

"Are there more?" She fascinates me.

"Yes, there are." She broadly smiles. "And you fascinate me, too, Edward."

"I didn't say …"

"I heard your mind."

"Do you do that all the time?"

"No, I don't like to intrude on people." She takes a deep breath. "I'm tired, Edward."

She lies back down and curls into a fetal position and yawns. Her breath evens into a steady flow.

"Bella?"

No response.

Returning to my room, I sit on the edge of my bed and run my fingers through my hair. Scrubbing my face and rubbing my eyes, I shake my head, whispering, "What was that all about? Was she dreaming?"

I pace about my room, trying to fit all the pieces together. It's almost five, and I know I won't fall back to sleep. Heading into the bathroom, I turn on the shower and wait for the water to warm. Steam fills the room, and I walk into the open stall, allowing the heat to spread over my hair and across my face. Suddenly, I feel a tingling of fingers trailing over my back and up my arms. I quickly turn, but no one is there. Hastily, I scrub my body and hair, then rinse. Grabbing a towel from the side rack, I rub my body dry and wrap it around my waist.

Cleaning the moisture from the mirror, I prepare to shave. Once again, I feel fingers lightly tracing my back. Instead of turning, I close my eyes and indulge myself in her soft touch. The scent is Bella. She feathers warm kisses over my middle back, as her arms wrap around my waist. Bella's hands slowly, yet barely touch my skin as they rise to my chest. She runs her fingers through the spray of light chest hair, drawing circles over my pecs. Her hands lay flat, as her head leans against my back as her warm lips press against my skin. She whispers, "Edward." Then, she sighs, releasing her hands and stepping back. Through the mirror, I watch in amazement as she floats away into curling smoke.

"Jesus."

I sprint down the hallway to Bella's room. Standing in the doorway, I see she's in the same position I had left her earlier. Curled into a ball on her side, she deeply sleeps, clutching the pillows with her hands as she mumbles my name.

I stare in complete surprise.

Returning to my room, I dress and carefully walk down the stairs to the kitchen, to start the coffee maker. Leaning on the counter, I rethink what happened in the bathroom, and have no answers. This is beyond my knowledge. I have no explanation of what I experienced, yet I know I felt her touch. I know she called my name. "Then, I saw her disappear before my eyes." How did that happen?

Two cups later, I find myself wandering through the house, stopping to watch the sunrise from the living room windows. I lazily stare at the hazy golden orb as it peeks through the clouds.

Low on food, I decide to make a Dunkin' run, buying one of everything on the menu as well as a dozen doughnuts. I know that will appease Mike's sweet tooth. I'm not sure what Bella will eat, but I'll have a buffet waiting.

As I enter the kitchen, I find Bella walking down the stairs, dressed with her wet hair twisted into a large bun at the base of her neck. "Mornin'."

She smiles. "Good morning to you." She sits on a stool.

"Did you sleep well?" I ask with curiosity.

"Yes, thank you. And you?"

I hand her a cup of black coffee and point to the sugar and milk containers. "Somewhat."

She grabs hold of the cup, adding milk and a small amount of sugar.

"I bought breakfast."

She looks at the three bags and a box of doughnuts on the counter. "I see. Who are you feeding?"

"I wasn't sure what you'd liked."

She shyly smiles. "Thank you."

"Help yourself."

She looks in the bags and pulls out a bagel with cream cheese. Unwrapping the paper, she takes a bite. "I always eat Claus' bagels."

I watch her chew.

"Edward, is something wrong?"

"Why?"

"Um, you're staring at me."

I blow out, "Sorry." I bow my head, scratching my fingers through my hair and searching for the right words. How do I explain to her what happened?

She smirks. "You're burning a hole in your head."

"I'm that obvious?"

"Well, your demeanor is a bit off this morning."

I clear my throat and take another gulp of my third cup. "I don't know how to tell you what happened last night."

She frowns. "What's wrong?"

"I was in my room and heard you call my name. Well, actually, you were talking with your dad … in your sleep."

"What did I say?" She looks worried. "Apparently, I upset you."

"You said you knew where Jake was."

She searches her mind with her eyes staring straight ahead. "Oh, my God, yes. Dad told me to look in the back of the carnival garage area; that we'll find Jake there. We have to go." She stands.

"Wait, Bella, there's more. Something … happened."

She sits back down. "What?"

I tell her about her dream state, and what she explained to me. She nods. Timidly, I tell her about her touching and kissing me. Her face flares red and closes her eyes.

"Did I do anything else?" She anxiously looks up at me.

"No. You disappeared like what we saw at the cemetery."

"Wow, that must have taken you back."

I rub my neck. "It was alarming."

"I'm really embarrassed."

"Why? You didn't do anything. It was some kind of apparition."

"Edward, I dreamed the same thing, but you were kissing me, and you faded away."

"What's going on here? Do you have any idea?"

She bows her head, steepling her fingers to her mouth. "I can explain the dream state visions, but I don't have any idea about what happened to you."

"Hell, I was wide awake, Bella, and you came to me."

"It could have been projection, creating the images in your head."

"Again, I was awake."

"Then, I did it in my dream state." She blushes.

"Bella, I could feel your hands, lips, and your breath on me."

"I don't have any answers for that."

"Look, I'm going to wake Mike, and we'll head over to the carnival's garage. Should we find Jake, we'll take him down the station for questioning."

Once all three of us are ready, Mike grabs the box of goodies and leads us to his car.

~TCATP~

When we reach the carnival grounds, I step out of the car, grabbing the back door handle and allowing Bella to exit. Mike and I follow her to the garage area. I insist that I go in alone with Mike staying outside with Bella. My instincts tell me I'm not sure what I'll find. If there's a scuffle, Mike can keep her safe.

Searching throughout the garage without touching anything, there is no sign of Jake. Then, I recall Bella saying he was in the back. It's then I notice there's a door behind a large sign. Grabbing a rag, I try the doorknob. Once it's opened, the stagnant heat hits my face along with the stale stench of decaying flesh. There's a cot against the far wall, and when I approach it, I find a motionless form with long, dark hair wrapped around his face.

As I walk from the garage, Mike calls to me and grabs my arm, pulling me down a side walkway with Bella. "Look, Chewy told us he found Jake's body a little while ago. The Chief is on his way. Since we're not supposed to be involved, I thought …"

"Yeah, good thinking, Mike. What did you say to him?"

"I told him Bella needed a few things from her place."

"That's good. We don't want to be questioned as to why we were here." I tighten my grip on the rag, as Mike stares at it. "It spared my prints.

Mike nods. "What did you find?"

"Jake's body on a cot with his hair wrapped around his face."

Bella mumbles, "Just like the girls."

"Jesus, it's so bizarre," Mike complains. "What's with this guy?"

Bella answers, "I don't know, but we need to find out soon."

We sneak around the side in order to get to Mike's car and head back to my place.

~TC&TP~

Mike receives a call from Jessica and retreats to his room upstairs with his phone to his ear, moaning in his responses.

I watch him disappear to the second landing and turn to look at Bella. She examines my face and comments, "You look tired."

"More like frustrated."

It's after ten and my stomach growls. I walk to the counter and grab a doughnut.

"You didn't eat anything." She sits on a stool.

I nod and chew as I sit next to her offering a doughnut.

She picks a glazed one and breaks it apart on a napkin. "I don't like the filled ones."

I smile. "Me, either."

"I'm going to book a flight to New York for this afternoon," she nonchalantly admits.

"You can't go alone."

"Edward, I'll be fine."

"But I won't. I don't know what's happening between us, but I need to talk with these ladies, too. Bella, I need to understand."

She nods. "I get it."

"I have frequent flyer miles and a friend with a loft in the Village."

Bella argues, "I can pay my own way."

"Well, I have discounts and free rooms," I state.

~TC&TP~

BPOV

We secure a four p.m. Pacific time flight out of Sea-Tac and arrive at JFK after one, Eastern time. The Uber drive to the Village takes a little over an hour with crazy traffic even at this time of day. They're right, it's a city that doesn't sleep.

The driver stops in front of a six-floor building. The worn, gray, brick façade almost seems to fade into the streetlight. The rounded glass top of the entrance showcases the double paned glass doors.

Edward grabs our backpacks, and we enter.

Luckily, we didn't have to walk far as the elevator is right by the door. A quick lift to the second floor and the apartment is on the right; the third one down.

Edward fiddles with the keys and then allows me to walk in first. As he flips on the lights, I manage to maneuver myself through the entryway and then into the open area without tripping over anything.

There's a small kitchenette between a closet and the bathroom on the right. In front of the sink, a dark wood dinette with two, red chairs takes little space. A light wood dresser with a flat-screen TV sits across from a black leather futon with a matching chair and a black and red coffee table. His friend lives, minimally.

I use the bathroom first, and after changing into a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt, I wash my face and brush my teeth.

When Edward takes his turn, I prepare the futon to sleep, pulling down the back. There are blankets and pillows on the table that I spread over the sofa. I crawl onto the left side and feel the exhaustion seep through me.

A few minutes later, Edward exits the bathroom wearing green plaid, sleep pants, and a dark green T-shirt. He asks, "Are you agreeable sharing the futon?"

I half-whine, "It's okay, just get in, Edward. There's no other place for you to sleep."

"I could take the floor."

"Don't be ridiculous."

There's a moment of silence, as he falls into bed.

"This would have been interesting if Mike came with us."

He huffs, "Yeah. He was very upset for Jessica. I'm glad he's going to Waco. She needs him there."

I say, "It's good that he went." I yawn. "Yeah, we don't have to get up that early, the store doesn't open until noon."

Edward adds, "And it's less than two miles away."

We fall asleep.

~TC&TP~

When I awake, I feel Edward's breath on my neck with his head resting on my shoulder, one arm wrapped around my waist, and a leg in between mine. My arms are holding him tightly. I draw in a deep yawn. Edward stretches and untangles himself from me, yawning. "Best sleep I've had in years."

Turning, I look at the clock over the stove. "We slept eight hours."

As Edward gets out of bed, he states, "I can take a quick shower and give you all the time you need to get ready."

I nod. "Sure."

When I exit the bathroom, I'm alone in the loft. Within a minute, Edward returns with a deli bag and holding two cups.

"I saw we passed a deli when we drove in this morning. Got us some bagels, cream cheese, and coffee."

"You're a lifesaver."

He smirks. "I'm trying." He places the bag on the table and hands me a cup.

We both sit. I take a bite of my bagel and moan, "Now, that's a bagel. Nothing like it."

Edward chews his and nods. "Good."

"We could walk to the store since it's only a mile or so away. They don't open for thirty minutes. We have the time."

Edward agrees.

Being tall and long-legged, Edward has lengthy strides to his walk. I'm able to keep up with my two steps to his one. We turn a corner seeing an oversized, red and white striped awning with two, purple crescent moon-shaped arms on both sides of the store-front. Written on the awning's rim in bright red Old English lettering is the name 'Abracadabra.'

Edward smiles at me. "It does stand out from all the others."

The large paned windows show books, candles, figurines, and many decks of Tarot cards. The door flings open, and Amy wraps her arms around my shoulders. "It's so good you are here." She stands back, looks me square in the eyes, and happily smiles. "Francesca is waiting to see you …" She looks at Edward. "And Edward, as well."

A/N: Hmmm, did Bella mention Edward? I know some of you are a bit leery of the paranormal. But honestly, the techniques are authentic.