Murders & Romance: A Psychic Detective Romantic Mystery (Isaac Taylor Mysteries Book 5) by Lashell Collins (ready player one ebook .TXT) 📗

Isaac’s gaze darted around his car. He spotted the pen he’d just used sitting in the cup holder of the center console where he’d dropped it. Repositioning in his seat, he stared at the pen, and thought about his grandad’s words once more.

“You simply do it. Don’t think about how.”

Don’t think about how.

He concentrated on the pen and pictured it moving.

Nothing happened.

He reached out his right hand toward the pen, glancing around outside the car to make sure no one was around. Then he licked his lips and concentrated on the pen once more.

His right hand began to tingle.

He pictured the pen moving.

The pen spun around the rim of the cup holder as if he’d given it a push with his finger.

“Hah!”

Astonishment kicked him in the stomach.

Isaac practically leapt backward into the driver’s side door, as if trying to get away from it.

He’d made the pen move.

Had he made that pen move?

Did that just happen?

“Holy shit.”

This was ridiculous. Telekinesis wasn’t real. People couldn’t make things move with the power of their minds.

Except he could. And he did.

He’d done it four times so far, and his grandfather claimed all the hypersensitive psychics in their family had the ability too.

He turned his right hand palm up and studied it. Why had it tingled like that?

He didn’t remember it tingling when he’d made those cement blocks fly through the air. He didn’t remember it tingling when he made that gun turn on Jeffery Schiffer either.

This was insane. He couldn’t think about it right now.

He left his car and headed back inside the building.

Back on the fourth floor, he got to his desk surprised to see Pete already there. He was even more surprised to see the white paper bag waiting for him.

“What’s this?”

Pete looked up at him.

“Well, usually when you say you have something to do at lunchtime, it involves some psychic shit, and it means that you don’t have time to grab an actual lunch. So, I brought you a taco.”

Isaac stared at him, fighting hard not to smile. He sat down and unwrapped the unexpected treat, examining it closely.

“I didn’t spit in it, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

Isaac grinned. He couldn’t stop it.

“Thanks, partner.”

“No problem. Hey, you and Sidney are still coming over for dinner tonight, right?”

“Oh, is that what this little show of kindness is? A bribe?”

“Just an insurance policy.” Pete smiled and Isaac laughed.

“Yes, we’re coming.”

“Cool.”

“As long as you agree to do something for me.”

Pete rolled his eyes. “Now who’s bribing who?”

“It’s not a bribe. Call it a favor. I scratch your back…”

“…you stab mine,” Pete finished, cutting him off.

Isaac grinned and took a bite of his taco.

“What do you want?”

“I want you to join me on a stake out tonight after dinner.”

“A stake out?”

“Yep.”

“Who we after?”

“You remember the janitor that accidentally touched me the other day?”

“Aww, shit!” Pete flopped back in his chair and then stared at him. “Psychic Batman?”

Isaac responded with a look, and then took another bite of his taco.

Pete sighed and leaned forward again.

“What’ve you got?”

Isaac popped the last of his surprise lunch into his mouth and then proceeded to talk Pete through everything he’d seen in his flash, and learned from Milton George about Burle Savage.

“Jesus,” Pete whispered. “What is wrong with people anymore?”

“I don’t know. I feel like I’m asking myself that question every single day lately. So, are you in?”

“I’m in.”

“Good. I was thinking…”

Isaac’s cellphone rang and he was surprised when he looked at the caller ID.

“Hang on, Pete.” He leaned back in his chair and hit the button. “Fox?”

“Taylor. Hello.”

“Hey. What can I do for you?”

He heard Special Agent Emmett Fox take a deep breath on the other end of the line, and he immediately regretted taking the call.

“Well, I was just calling to, um…”

“Yes?”

“Well, I was wondering if maybe, there might be… uh…”

“Might be what?”

There was a pause, and Isaac rolled his eyes, finally understanding where this awkward conversation was going.

“Look, Emmett…”

“I was wondering if there might be another family game night coming up that I could invite myself to?”

The agent finally spit the words out in a rush, like they wouldn’t come out at all if he didn’t give them a shove.

Isaac sighed and then chuckled to himself.

“Next one’s not for another couple of weeks, and it’s at my brother’s house. But you know, in the meantime, you could just man up and call my sister to reschedule your date.”

There was a deflated sigh from Emmett.

“You heard about that, huh?”

“I heard more than I ever wanted to. She thinks you ghosted her.”

“Damn. I was afraid of that.”

Isaac wanted to be a good friend and ask what happened, but he really didn’t want the details. He’d already been through this twice this week — once with Pete, then with Hiroshi. He did not want to become known as the go-to guy for his friend’s relationship problems.

“We’ve been busy as hell around here putting together a RICO case against a suspected trafficking ring.”

Emmett provided the details without Isaac asking. But now, he was intrigued and couldn’t help himself.

“Drug trafficking?”

“Drug and human. Our guy on the inside has gathered evidence that Martelli is heavily entrenched in both.”

“You have a man on the inside of Boston Martelli’s organization?”

Boston Martelli was a wealthy businessman who had his hands in several different pots around the Cleveland area. Everything from real estate to import/export to finance. And it had long been rumored that he was tangled in deep with organized crime.

“We have two, actually.”

“Wow. I wasn’t aware the FBI was currently investigating Martelli. Not seriously anyway.”

“Good. We’ve tried to keep it completely under wraps. I’m only telling you because I want you to know that I did not intentionally set out to hurt your sister. When I met her, I had no idea that this case would heat up so fast. I’ve been swamped.”

“I understand, Emmett. And I’m sure Emily would understand too. Just call her and explain. She’s a reasonable sort.”

“Was she very angry?”

“She