Page 18 of Dead O’Clock

“We’re not the police. We don’t run background checks or ask for character references when we book appointments.” Ten shrugged. “We respect our clients’ privacy. Some people don’t want it to get out that they visit psychics. Others are on vacation and looking for some harmless fun. Then there are people who are trying to find out if we’re the real deal. Those clients never give real information, so that we can’t out them in return. To be honest, I never really thought about it much before today.”

“Okay, so this client comes to see you,” Cisco urged Ten to keep talking.

“When he arrived, I couldn’t read him at all. I offered my hand to shake, but he refused. Again, not out of the ordinary with clients who are looking to prove I’m a fake. I asked why he’d come to see me and Rogers seemed surprised that I didn’t already know. He taunted me for a few seconds. I asked if there was a spirit he wanted to reconnect with. Usually when people come to see me, the spirits show up and introduce themselves to me. With Rogers, there was no one in the room but the two of us.”

“Is it possible a spirit was there and somehow kept out of sight?” Jude asked, taking a sip of his tea.

“Anything is possible, but at that moment, I didn’t sense any spirits. Like I said, I asked if there was someone he wanted to reconnect with and he said, ‘As a matter of fact there is someone I’d like to reconnect with, but your husband made that all but impossible.’ Rogers told me Ronan was responsible for his pain and asked how I could sleep next to a man that hurt innocent people. When I asked him which innocent person he was talking about, Rogers insisted I knew not only who he was, but who the spirit was as well. When he was talking to me, he called me Tenny, which is a name only Bertha Craig really ever calls me.”

“Do you know who this man was, Ten?” Ronan asked.

“I don’t and told Rogers as much. He insisted I did know and grabbed my hand to prove it. Rage slammed into me like a tidal wave. I’ve never felt that level of pain and hate before. Then I saw a series of images. They flashed by so fast that I’m sure I missed some.”

“What did you see?”

“I saw a headstone, handcuffs, a police officer kneeling beside a prone body, and an image of Ronan standing with his hands clenched into fists.” Ten held his hand up when Cisco looked like he was going to ask a follow up. “I couldn’t read the name on the headstone, and I only saw the cop from behind. I have no idea who he was, just that it was a man. As for Ronan, he looks like that a lot. I have no idea when or where that particular image came from.”

“Jesus,” Ronan muttered, sounding like he was praying.

“You’ve got security cameras inside the shop. I’ll get with Carson in the morning and see if we can get still images of the man so Ronan can identify him.”

“Carson went through the footage while we were in the conference room with Warden Jones. He showed the images to me. I didn’t recognize the man.” Ten tapped his phone and opened the photo app. “Here he is. There are three pics of him.” Ten pushed his phone toward Ronan.

Ronan picked up the phone. “I can’t tell you who this man is, but he looks familiar. I don’t know how or where I’ve seen him before.” He passed the phone to Jude.

“Huh,” Jude muttered. “I’ve seen him before too.”

Cisco leaned over Jude’s shoulder. “I’ve never seen him before. Send me the photo and I’ll run it through facial recognition first thing tomorrow morning. I’d do it now, but Luca hates it when I’m out this late at night.” Cisco stood up. “Try to get a good night’s sleep and we’ll come back at this in the morning. Jones’s autopsy is scheduled for eight. I made a note in the file that the ME needs to test for all manner of drugs that can stop the heart and vanish from the body quickly. The EMTs took a blood sample at the scene, so hopefully whatever killed Jones will still be in his blood.”

“Thanks for your help, Cisco,” Ten said, walking the chief toward the front door.

“You know why I asked about the kids,” Cisco said softly.

“I do. You’re worried about them if Ronan’s right and he’s next on the killer’s list.” Just saying the words made Ten feel like he was going to throw up.

Cisco nodded. “Pack go-bags for all four of you and Aurora. If things go sideways, we’ll get you all into a safe house for the night. I’ll let Cope know the same thing. Jude and Ronan have been working on cases together for the last seven years. Chances are if someone’s coming for Ronan, they’re coming for Jude too. Possibly Fitz.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Are you going to call him to let him know what’s happening here?”

“Not yet. When you send me the photos of Dan Rogers, send them to Fitz and ask if he knows who the man is. Don’t give him any other information. Send the pics to me now, but wait until the morning to send them to Fitz. I’ve put two cars on the street tonight to keep an eye on both houses. This prick only strikes after he sends his letter, but I imagine they scout the neighborhoods of potential victims.”

“Okay, I’ll take care of it.”

“I hate that you and the kids are being put through this. I know you can’t see who Rogers really is, but do you think Everly would? I hate to ask, but if she could provide a name or a connection with Ronan.” Cisco sighed.

“Everly’s going to know something is up with Ronan. To be honest, I’m surprised she’s not down here now insisting on being filled in. I’ll show the pics to her and see what she says. She understands so much more now, not only about her gift, but about Ronan’s job. She’ll never forgive me if something happens to Ronan when she could have prevented it. We’ve had discussions about not treating her like a child when it comes to her gift. I agreed to stop doing that. This will be the first time I put my money where my mouth is.”

“Make sure all the doors and windows are locked. Turn on the alarm system. Call me if you need anything and I do mean anything.”

Ten nodded. “You said that the killer was able to ring the doorbell remotely. Can our alarm system be disarmed the same way?”

“Can the alarm be controlled by an app on your phone?” Cisco asked, his frown deepening.

“Yes.”

“Then assume it can be hacked. Technology is a wonderful thing until people learn how to use it against us. You might want to go old school and get wooden poles to stick in the windows and sliding glass door so they can’t be opened from the outside.”

“I’ll do that first thing in the morning. We probably should have done that anyway after what happened with Autumn Miller throwing the brick through our window.”