Chapter 24
Frode rushed up the stairs to the homicide department ahead of Nikolai. He headed directly toward Medlin's office, gave the open door a cursory knock before walking in.
"Maiden." Medlin didn't look up from his papers.
"How did you know it was me?"
"No one else runs in here this early in the morning."
Oh. "Huh."
Medlin looked up from what he was reading. "What can I do for you?"
"I need to touch rug number three."
Medlin frowned. "I believed I gave you free rein."
"Yeah, but Nesterova will protest."
Nikolai walked into the office right then. Medlin looked at him. "Will you protest?"
"I think we can get him without Frode having to touch another rug, and I think it's an unnecessary risk to take."
Medlin looked between the two, his eyes narrowing. "I don't want to be put in the middle of a lover's spat."
"It could kill him." Nikolai's voice was growly.
Frode rolled his eyes. "This is what I do for a living, and I think I'm missing something. I'm sure you can get Altman without me, but I think there is a piece missing."
Medlin looked between them. "Agent Ramirez and Agent Green will arrive sometime after lunch for a handover. If you want to do anything more with this case, you need to do it now."
Nikolai cursed, and Frode nodded and walked closer to Nikolai and slapped his arm. "Let's go. It's now or never."
"I'm voting for never."
Frode shook his head. "No, we're missing something."
There was a silent conversation between Nikolai and Medlin. It ended with Nikolai slumping his shoulders and grumbling about not liking this. It was fine. Frode only needed to touch one more rug. One more, and hopefully, he'd be able to figure out what it was that was bothering him.
"No orgasms." Nikolai's growly whisper near his ear sent a tingle over him, and he grinned.
"It might not be too bad. Dubose said it looked better than the last one."
"Yeah, but she isn't the one who's worked on the rugs."
"True." But could they trust the one who had worked on the rugs? "Is it normal to only have one person working on an item? Are there no second opinions? Controls?"
Nikolai stared at him. "I'm not sure how they work, but I think it's normal procedure."
"It's a lot of trust to put in one person."
Nikolai's gaze swept over his face, expression unreadable, but then he nodded.
"Okay. Let's do this, then we can hand the case over, and...
if there is something...then we're not the ones pointing fingers at colleagues, the agents are.
Which would be for the best since we'll have to keep working with the forensic team in the future. "
Something rearranged itself in Frode's chest. "You think it's what's making this feel wrong?"
"I don't have a clue, kitten. It's the little hints you drop that makes me think you don't trust Saylor--"
"I never said--"
"Because you don't want to believe it. It's a person you know."
"I wouldn't say I know him." But he'd seen Saylor's face many times. They'd had lunch together.
Elmore walked in, a messenger bag slung over his shoulder. "Morning."
"Morning. Can you get rug number three for me."
Elmore blinked. "Eh..."
Nikolai sighed. "Frode wants to touch the rug from case number three, and two agents are coming after lunch to take over."
"Right." Elmore looked between them and sighed. "Okay, let me call down to evidence. They'll be quick. I talked to them yesterday. Suspected we'd end up here." He grimaced but headed for his desk.
* * * *
Nikolai didn't like this. He watched as Frode placed a box of raisins to the side on the table in one of the interview rooms. He'd placed a trashcan next to his chair to have something to throw up in.
"Should we call Hjalmar?" Nikolai wanted Hjalmar here. He'd know what to do.
"No. He's missing way too much time at work for my sake, and Givens isn't pleased."
"I don't like this."
Frode gave him a soft smile, but Nikolai could tell he was nervous.
"Frode, honey." Nikolai put his hands on his shoulders and rested his chin on the top of Frode's head. "You don't have to do this. The feds have more resources than we do. They'll catch him."
"Them."
"Right, them." How sure was he?
"I know you're worried, but I'll be fine."
"There are no guarantees." Ice curled around his bones. What if he wasn't okay at all? What if Nikolai had to call an ambulance and then explain to Hjalmar how he'd allowed this?
"I promise not to touch the final one. I'll do this one and then no more."
He blew out a breath. "Fine."
A couple of minutes later, Isaac strolled into the room with a plastic-covered rolled-up rug. "I'm no expert, but this looks newer than the first one you touched. I didn't see the one you touched yesterday, so I can't compare it to this."
Nikolai tried to let Isaac's words soothe him, but he'd said he was no expert.
"Okay." Frode bit at the fingertips on his glove and pulled it off.
"If I pass out, please don't let me hit my head on the table.
" Nikolai moved closer again and held onto his shoulders.
"And if I throw up, try to get me to do it in the trashcan.
Makes cleanup easier." He smiled at Nikolai, but it was all wrong.
No matter how flippant he tried to sound, this scared him.
"I've got you."
Frode's gaze softened, then he took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's go."
He reached out and touched the rug. There was a hitch in his breathing, and Nikolai tightened his hold on his shoulders. Frode's teeth snapped closed, sweat pearled on his forehead, and the trembles rocking him transferred into Nikolai. Fuck.
A drop of perspiration trickled down his temple, then he sucked in a choppy breath, and Nikolai glanced at the trashcan. Was it throwing-up time?
Frode slumped in the chair with a groan, then he leaned forward.
Nikolai didn't let go of his shoulders, but he allowed him to slump over the table.
He must be aware enough to know what he was doing because he placed the back of his bare hand facing up on his left arm, nowhere near touching anything.
"Frode?"
A grunt.
"Are you with us?"
"Mmm."
Nikolai stroked his back. "Anything I can do?"
"No. Give me a minute."
Nikolai glanced at the clock on the wall. It took eight minutes before Frode turned his face to the side and opened his eyes. "Raisins."
Nikolai reached for the red box and shook out some raisins on the table. Frode picked them up with his left hand, ate them one by one, and breathed in deep, calm breaths. "Fuck."
"How are you feeling?" Isaac was hovering some distance away.
"I'm fine. It was the best one yet."
Nikolai met Isaac's gaze. Saylor couldn't know for sure which rug had been through the most, Nikolai understood that, but...
"I need to lay down." Frode reached for him with his left.
"Put on your glove and I'll take you to the couch."
Frode did as told, and Nikolai more or less dragged him to the conference room with the couch. He removed Frode's shoes and helped him curl up. He was shaking.
"Cold?"
He gave him a nod. "A hot shower would be nice."
Nikolai got his jacket and draped it over Frode. "Rest."
Isaac returned the rug to evidence, and Nikolai went to Medlin's office.
"Did it go well?"
Nikolai nodded and met his gaze, then he stepped back and closed the door behind him. Medlin's eyebrows traveled his forehead. They didn't do closed doors often. "What did he see?"
"He hasn't talked yet. He's resting on the couch in the conference room."
Medlin nodded. "But?"
"I have no proof, and I'm not sure...but Frode keeps hinting...and some things don't add up."
"Spit it out, Nesterova."
"We asked for the most pristine rug to touch, and Saylor gave him the worst. There is one he hasn't touched yet, but the first one he touched was the worst of the three. The second, from the fourth case, was the second worst, and this, judging by Frode's reaction, was the easiest."
"Could he have made a mistake?"
"He could. Or he's testing Frode."
Medlin's eyes narrowed. "But it could be a mistake?"
"Yes." Nikolai nodded because it could. "But Frode thinks Altman has an accomplice, or he thinks Altman is the accomplice. He said yesterday he doesn't think Altman is the one who slits their throats."
"Based on?"
Nikolai shook his head. "That's the problem. It's just a feeling. But Saylor is acting weird."
"Does Frode think Saylor is involved?"
"He hasn't said it outright, but he drops little hints.
Then yesterday, he asked me if I'd looked into the other psychics in the vicinity.
Saylor approached Frode in the grocery store, and at first, Frode didn't think much of it since he knew what Saylor looked like from all the items he'd touched for the police, but later, he realized, they'd never been introduced, so how did Saylor know what he looked like?
It led to us asking Saylor, and Saylor admitted he was a fan and had looked Frode up online. "
Medlin's frown deepened the longer Nikolai talked, and he wondered if he was being stupid bringing this to his attention. Too late now.
"Frode got a little panicky since he does what he can to stay away from everything to do with the internet.
He doesn't have a website, he doesn't have any social media accounts, he doesn't agree to have his picture anywhere.
So we asked, and Saylor told us about groups online who take and posts photos of psychics and said there are photos of Frode on there. "
"And this is relevant why?"
"Well, for one it's a breach of privacy, but Frode was wondering if there is a psychic able to hide his touch from him."
"Someone invisible."
Nikolai shrugged. "Someone whose touch doesn't register. Someone who could be working with Altman, who could kill women and trample all over the rugs without it registering."
"Is there a way for a normal person to hide their touch from Frode?"
Nikolai considered it. "I don't think so, he sees touches through protective gear, layers, and so on, which is why his mind went to a psychic."