Glass Eye: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective

Chapter 51

It's called "remote viewing." The CIA admitted to exploring the concept in the Cold War. Even the world's foremost spy agency was fooled by the clever cons the study subjects pulled. Anything for a paycheck, especially when the CIA seemed willing to believe it had an advantage over its Soviet counterparts.

If it worked back then, it might as well work now. Zandra spent years researching the technique. It's like a glorified game of Pictionary with a dash of Ouija mixed in.

Zandra gauges how primed her audience is in the interrogation room. Herman, of course, is on board. Fred, not so much. But Charlie, she's too relaxed for her own good. Too confident Zandra is about to fuck up.

"So what's this test about?" Fred says after he brings in a single sheet of paper and a pencil as requested.

"This is a test of our truthfulness," Zandra says to Fred. She picks up the pencil and draws a circle. She does it slow so she can feel each flake of graphite shred against the grains of the paper. All for effect. "I will draw Elle's location using a process called remote viewing. You'll obtain whatever paperwork you need, then send officers there to investigate. If Elle isn't there, then I'm damned to the other evidence against me. If she is, then, well, I'm obviously telling the truth. And depending on where Elle's located, you'll know which one of us did it."

Zandra can only guess where Elle is being kept, meaning she'll have to draw a picture vague enough to "interpret" as she did with the I Ching matchsticks. Charlie will tell her everything she needs to know, whether she's aware of it or not.

"How does that test anything? I don't get it," Charlie says. She looks to Fred. "You're not seriously going along with this are you?"

Zandra re-learns the contours of Charlie's face while she argues with Fred. They read like a map, one that traces Charlie's current stoic disguise. The moment Charlie's façade cracks during the remote viewing, Zandra will know she hit on something. The trick is to watch for the cues. They'll be tiny and brief, hidden better than any Sneak Peek client. Even for a police officer, Charlie's stoicism is an art form unto itself.

Of course, Zandra could still be wrong. Charlie might still have nothing to do with Elle's abduction. All those dots Zandra connected might be as desperate for a pattern as constellations in the night sky. If that's the case, Zandra might as well start planning how she'll tell fortunes for inmates. Throwing herself on the mercy of the courts in Stevens Point is a losing bet. This is it. Nowhere left for Zandra to turn but a bullshit remote viewing session and her wits.

"In my years in police work, I've never relied on a psychic," Fred says. He paces the small room. "But this time was different, Charlie. You requested Zandra. I'm having a hard time understanding why you'd turn down something like this when you were open to it before."

"Because it became obvious this third eye nonsense is just that. It's a glass eye. She's full of it. I don't know why we can't just call this is a day based on what we already have. Give it to the county prosecutors, let them sort it out," Charlie says. She points at Zandra. Her raised hand separates her mouth from Zandra's view. A classic tell. "You've got Elle hidden somewhere. You kidnapped her for ransom to get back at the Carey family for what he did to your husband at Soma Falls. And for all we know, you dumped her body in the same place just to rub it in. End of story."

"For what he did to your husband at Soma Falls." What an interesting thing to say.

Zandra shelves the thought for now. She doesn't need to hear anything more. There isn't a doubt in her mind that she knows what happened to Elle.