But she wanted it to be a vision. She wanted to know what was going to happen to Nate. Just feeling this shadow of death and not knowing what it meant - it was horrible. Almost unbearable. She didn't want to do it anymore.
She said nothing, shrugging off what he had said and pretending that she was simply feeling awkward about it. That way, he didn't have to know that it was his touch that had silenced her. He didn't have to know what she was hiding from him.
Hiding from him, like she always had to hide from everyone else. How long would it be before her relationship with Nate went sour as well?
“We’re here,” Laura said, as much to distract herself as to move the conversation on. She pulled up outside a house that was considerably smaller than the one they had come from, a narrow, terraced building with properties close by on either side. It was squeezed into the street, like the whole row of houses had been pushed up against each other until they rose higher and thinner.
The neighborhood was quiet, almost silent, and none of the lights were on in the house. But that didn't stop them from walking up to the door and knocking on it loudly, tilting their heads back as one to look for any sign of life. A light flickered on in the room in the top left window, and they waited patiently for the homeowner to make his way down to the front door.
He opened it wearing pajamas and a robe over them, looking bleary at them and rubbing his eyes. “Hello?” he said, clearly wanting some kind of answer as to why they had interrupted his sleep.
“Joe Barnes?” Laura said, taking him in. He was ruffled from sleep and the open robe showed he was slightly overweight, but he wasn’t bad looking. Sandy-colored hair and blue eyes contrasted against tanned skin, like he spent a lot of time outdoors.
“Yeah?”
Laura flipped open her badge. “FBI Special Agent Laura Frost,” she said. “This is my partner, Special Agent Nathaniel Lavoie. We’d like to ask you some questions. Can we come inside?”
Joe blinked at them, then nodded. “Um, yeah,” he said, glancing up and down the street as though he was worried about them being seen. “Come in.”
They entered the house as he closed the door behind them, then hurriedly turned on a light and ushered them to a living room. It was comfortably decorated in soft and modern furniture, which surprised Laura. She had been expecting some kind of bachelor pad, but this wasn’t it.
“Who is it?” someone – a female someone – called from upstairs.
“Sorry, I’ll just go – I’ll go let her know,” Joe said, casting about himself as though he didn’t quite know what he was doing before turning to the stairs. “I’ll get dressed, too.”
Laura and Nate took a seat on the sofa while they waited for him to return. Looking around, Laura spotted a framed photograph of Joe with a woman. She pointed towards it, and Nate nodded. The reason for the comfortable furnishings was clear. He wasn't a bachelor any longer. He must have moved on fairly quickly if he was already living with someone, after breaking up with Gypsy only a few months ago.
Eventually, Joe came back down the stairs in a pair of faded jeans and a baggy sweater, slightly creased. Clearly, they were things he had just picked up from the floor and thrown on. He was still combing a hand through his hair as he reached them again and took the armchair facing them. It was the only chair left in the room, so it wasn't as though he had much choice.
“What is this about?” he asked, finally stopping fiddling with his hair and resting his hands on his knees.
“Joe, are you familiar with a woman by the name of Gypsy Sparks?” Laura asked. The full confirmed identity had come through from Captain Mills while they were on the way.
“Gypsy?” Joe said. “Yes, of course. We dated for a while. Why? What has she done?”
“You assume that she has done something?” Laura said. “You're not concerned about her?”
“No,” Joe said. “I mean, yes, of course. It's just, she's always had a bit of a wild streak.”
“How so?” Laura asked, pulling out her notebook ready to write down anything that might be relevant.
“Just, living on the edge, I guess,” Joe said. “To be honest, she’s calmed down a lot, I think. She always used to tell me about things she got in trouble for when she was younger, though. Like pretending to be someone else to get into a party, or underage drinking, or stuff like that.”
“That’s interesting,” Laura said. “But, no, she’s not in trouble. In fact, I’m afraid we have to tell you that we’re here because Gypsy Sparks is dead.”
She watched his face carefully. She saw shock written all over it. After a long moment, he covered his mouth as if he was going to be sick. It took him a moment to be more composed, wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve. “I… I can’t believe it,” he said. “What happened?”
“That’s what we’re trying to ascertain,” Laura said. “If you could sit down again, Joe.”
“It gets worse?” he said, blanching. He did as he was told, taking his seat much more tentatively this time. “How could it be worse?”
“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this,” Nate said. “But we’re investigating Gypsy’s death as a murder.”
“Oh, God,” Joe said, covering his mouth again. This time, he didn’t run off. He just closed his eyes for a moment. “Who would do something like that?”
“We were hoping you might be able to shed some light on that,” Laura said. “Do you remember anyone who Gypsy had a problem with? An ex, a student, anyone like that?”
“A student?” Joe said, frowning. “What do you mean?”