Glass Eye: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective

Chapter 15

Back at the police department, Charlie files paperwork at her desk while Zandra chews a nail and fantasizes about her next bath. Ankle's killing her. Not used to walking this much in one day. It's usually home to Sneak Peek and back again. Not more than a few thousand steps a day.

Mostly, though, Zandra's trying to ignore the look on Charlie's face on display since leaving Elliot's apartment.

"I can't tell if you're full of shit or not, but I will tell you this," Charlie says and closes a drawer. "If we hit a dead end tomorrow with the owner of that land, I'm not sure this is a good idea anymore."

Zandra's not surprised by the sentiment. She turns her head and blows a chunk of fingernail onto the floor. "And why's that?"

"To be frank, I'm getting the feeling this isn't a good use of police resources. We didn't get anywhere today," Charlie says.

Zandra huffs in response. It causes her to hack into her sleeve.

"We got plenty done today. You'll see," Zandra says. She rises from her seat.

Zandra weighs her own doubts on the long shuffle back to her apartment. What if Charlie is right about seeing what Zandra wants to see? Human brains excel at creating patterns and predictability out of chaos. It's how the species managed to survive. Could that same primal survival instinct be blurring her perception? Could her raw will to eliminate the one threat in this town that still gives her nightmares, the Carey family, be bullshitting the bullshitter?

Stick with it. Don't stop now.

She'll investigate the owner of that hunting land with Charlie. If it doesn't work out, fuck it, she'll keep going on her own without the police. Little Elle Carey will only be found once, be it dead or alive. And if they're so desperate that they'd ask Zandra for help, she might just beat them to her.