As most of you know , I 'm a paid consultant for the police . I help out when they have a difficult case and not much to go on . They don 't know the truth that I can read minds , and I try to keep it that way by telling them I have psychic abilities - like premonitions and such . This works great when they are questioning suspects , mostly because I can pick it up pretty quick if the suspect is guilty . After that , it 's usually easy for me to ask the suspect leading questions that either trick them into admitting their guilt , or trick them into giving away important information that only they would know . This usually freaks them out so bad that they confess to the whole thing . In the process , it makes me look pretty awesome . I was at the precinct waiting for Dimples to arrive , when the chief got the call about a double homicide . Dimples is the only detective who knows the truth about me , and we 've become partners . But since he wasn 't there yet , the chief asked me to go with Detective Bates . Normally , Bates would have refused to take me with him , since he doesn 't like me much . But things have changed in the last couple of months , and he 's more accepting of my psychic abilities . He 's now a believer , since he 's seen first hand how good I am at finding the guilty party . But right then , I wished he still hated me , because I wasn 't sure how I could help at a crime scene . I couldn 't read dead people 's minds , and the killer was probably long gone . But what could I do ? As I stood there with indecision , Bates smiled encouragingly , thinking I hesitated because he hadn 't been very nice to me , but he was willing to let bygones be bygones . Great ! How could I tell him to go without me after that ? " Uh … I 'm not too good with blood . Maybe I 'd better stay here ? " At this point the chief noticed my hesitation and frowned at me , thinking that with my ability , I might pick up something his detectives would miss and they 'd get a jump start on the killer . So why was I hesitating ? Isn 't this what they paid me for ? I let out a relieved breath since Detective Harris is my partner , Dimples . I hoped he didn 't take took long since he could run interference for me if things got tricky . Plus , I didn 't like going out on a case without him . I knew Dimples had my back if something went wrong , and I couldn 't say that about Bates . Bates noticed my white face and thought I was a big wimp . He shook his head thinking it was a mistake to bring me . Sure , I 'd been right a few times , but I didn 't seem to have the mojo to be a real detective . The grudging respect he 'd held for me slipped a few notches . So I offered him a quick nod , and jumped out of the car . I even led the way to the door , but a police officer stopped me from entering , and Bates had to tell her it was okay to let me in . As obnoxious as that was , it restored Bates ' good mood , so I couldn 't be too upset . With misgiving , I took a deep breath and followed him in . The first thing I noticed were the rusty red blood spatters all over the living room wall . Then came the coppery smell of death and the sight of two women 's bodies sprawled out on the floor . I stopped in my tracks , then managed to cover my nose and avert my gaze until I found an out - of - the - way spot near the doorway to the kitchen . I swallowed a few times to keep from throwing up . I hadn 't expected the dead people to be women . Somehow , that made this whole thing worse . I glanced into the kitchen and noticed food on the table along with three place settings . So where was the other person ? Was that person still there ? Was that person the killer ? Letting out a breath of relief , my shoulders slumped and I closed my eyes . Then I heard a sound , like a woman singing . What the freak ? It came from the end of the hall where two doors stood open . I held my breath and peeked inside , letting it out to find the room empty . As I took a step inside the singing stopped , and I caught the scent of roses . Then a picture frame on the dresser toppled over . I inhaled sharply , then squealed with alarm as a hand clamped down on my shoulder . " Whoa ! It 's just me , " Bates said , catching my arms before I hit him . " Didn 't you hear me ? I called your name twice . " " You did ? " My breath came hard and fast . At his nod , I shook my head . " I didn 't hear a thing . But I think you 'd better take a look at whoever 's in that picture frame on the dresser . " His eyes narrowed . He was thinking that maybe my imagination was working overtime . He 'd seen that happen at homicides before , because of the shock of dead bodies and all that blood . But what if there was something to it ? Was it part of my powers at work ? I glanced over his shoulder into the photo of a smiling man wearing a suit and tie . " I don 't know who that is , " I said . " But I think he might be the killer . " I managed to keep my balance and continued toward the car , where I stopped to plant my hands on my knees and lean over to settle my stomach . Sheesh ! That was horrible ! On the other hand , at least it was Bates and not Dimples who 'd been there . Bates wouldn 't question my ability , but Dimples would have had questions that I didn 't want to answer . How could I tell him that sometimes I heard dead people … Of course , since he knew I could read minds , did it really matter ? Helping the police has always been a little nerve - wracking , mostly because the local mob - boss , Uncle Joey , doesn 't like it much . So I try to keep a low profile when I 'm helping my partner , Dimples , or I should say , Detective Harris , solve a difficult case . Since Dimples knows my secret that I can read minds , we make a good team . I also feel like it eases my conscience to help out the good guys once in a while , since I 'm sort of obligated to help the bad guys out the rest of the time . This can sometimes be a little tricky , but I do my best to keep things on the low - down . Even so , things can get complicated . Like today . We were the first to arrive , and Dimples told me to stay in the car , while he jumped out to run inside and save the day . Naturally , I couldn 't let him run into danger like that if I could help . So , much to his consternation , I quickly followed . Since there wasn 't time to argue , he just swore a blue streak in his mind , and continued up the steps with me right behind him . Then I caught that he wished I wasn 't there , since he 'd have to worry about my safety , and it kind of hurt my feelings . I mean , seriously , I can read minds … that 's a huge help , and it can also keep me safe since I 'll know what 's coming ahead of time , right ? His underlying desperation hit me first , but his thoughts didn 't make a lot of sense . The harder I listened , the more I realized I could hear three distinct voices all trying to talk at the same time . They were arguing about doing whatever it took to get what he needed . One was pushing him to put the gun down , but another was arguing to use it to get them to listen to him . It scared me so bad , I jerked out of his head . " He 's crazy . " At Dimples ' raised brows , I continued . " I mean , literally … he needs his medication . Wait … that 's what this is all about . He has no insurance and can 't pay so he came here to get help . At least that 's what it sounds like . " " I don 't know … " I listened to the different voices and thought I just might go crazy . Then I caught it . " I don 't think the gun 's loaded . " Knowing I didn 't have much time , I caught Dimples ' gaze , then took a deep breath and walked around the corner . " Hey Benny , it 's Shelby . I 've got your meds for you . " He turned around , pinning me with his startled gaze , and raising his gun in my direction . " Uh … Jerry wants you to put the gun down now . He says everything 's going to be all right . But you have to put the gun down first . You should listen to Jerry and not Cindy . Jerry 's got the right idea . He doesn 't want anyone to get hurt , and I don 't think you do either . " Dimples rushed in and kicked the gun away before pulling Benny 's arms behind his back and cuffing him . All at once , police officers came out of the woodwork and surrounded us . They had Benny subdued before I could blink . That 's when I realized that with Benny 's focus on me , all the hostages had taken off . I let out a breath , grateful it was over , and a little wigged out by the whole thing . And now I had to worry about the unwanted attention that was sure to come my way . " You did this , not me , " I whispered . " I 'll meet you at the car . " I turned around to get out of there before someone stopped me . Luckily , I made it to the car before I heard my name . Cringing , I turned to find Billie Jo rushing my way , and knew it was time to lie my head off . " Oh hey Billie , Dimples saved the day in there . You should go talk to him . " After asking me a couple of questions , she high - tailed it up the steps and I breathed a sigh of relief . That was close , and I thanked my lucky stars that the hostages and the police didn 't witness my conversation with Benny . At least I sure hoped not . The drill goes like this : We start out by getting updates on what everyone 's doing in their lives . This is accomplished by going around the table so everyone gets a chance to talk about themselves . That 's when we get to hear about the cruises , trips , new cars , houses , and what activities the children are involved in , and how smart they are . Then we usually end with the latest gossip about other people we know . Pretty standard , right ? Anyway , it just so happened that I was free on the night of the scheduled dinner . And in a moment of weakness , I told them I 'd be there . That 's how I ended up in the restaurant , surrounded by six other women whom I 'd known since grade school , but hadn 't talked to in almost a year . When it got to me , I decided to tell them about my consulting agency . I picked up curiosity , and a lot of astonishment , that I had the guts to do something like that . They had a ton of questions for me about what kinds of cases I 'd worked on . Mostly because they didn 't quite believe I was telling the truth , or that I was totally legitimate . So naturally , I took the bait , and told them about the case where I 'd helped a young woman find her mother who 'd been missing for ten years , but whom I found out had actually been killed by a serial killer . That got their attention , and they listened with astonishment to the whole story , amazed that I got out alive . And who was this Ramos person ? ( I 'd sort of glossed over that part , since I couldn 't exactly tell the truth . But I had to say something about him . I mean , how could I leave him out when he 'd saved my life ? ) By the end of our dinner , I had their grudging respect , but they also didn 't want me to think I was too high and mighty for them . So they took what I said with a grain of salt , not quite believing all of it . ( Mostly the Ramos part . ) Still , as we left , I had a strong desire for Ramos to show up on his motorcycle and take me for a ride , just to prove it was all real . That would show them , right ? Plus , they 'd probably all die of jealousy . Dang . I hoped that didn 't make me a bad person . It might also mean that I 'd better keep my mouth shut next time . With as much trouble as I seem to get into , it 's probably a good idea . As most of you know , I began my consulting agency nearly a year ago . So much has happened in that time that it kind of blows my mind . To say the least , it has been one adventure after another ! I always seem to have my hands full , and right now is no exception . I 'm helping a police detective , whom I call Dimples , with a murder investigation . He found out my secret that I can read minds a few months ago , but he is the only one on the police force who knows the truth . Naturally , he wants my help when he 's assigned a hard case . I usually don 't have too many problems finding the guilty party , since all I have to do is talk to the major suspects and listen to their thoughts . The guilty person always thinks about how they did it , and I can usually wrap it up pretty quick . So far , every single suspect I 've talked to is innocent , and my ability isn 't as helpful as I 'd like . The police chief is even getting a little upset with me and wondering what happened to my ' premonitions . ' ( This is what I call my ability to keep my secret safe ) . So now Dimples and I are scrambling to find the guilty party , and I 'm finally learning what it 's like to do real detective work . But after this morning , I 'm ready to quit . Some evidence Dimples gathered yesterday makes it look like organized crime might be involved . Dimples actually had the gall to ask me to spy on Uncle Joey . He knows I used to work for Uncle Joey , but what he doesn 't know is that Uncle Joey knows my secret and I still work for him . I can 't very well spy on Uncle Joey for the police , can I ? So what am I supposed to do ? If Uncle Joey is involved , does that mean I should warn him about the investigation ? Maybe if I did , he could do something to cover up his involvement . But isn 't that aiding and abetting ? I could go to jail for something like that . On the other hand , if I find he 's not involved , that would be a good thing , too . My only way out , is to find the real killer and hope he 's not tied to Uncle Joey . Still , I think I might mention the investigation to Uncle Joey , just in passing , so it 's not like I 'm actually warning him about anything . Then he 'd be prepared , right ? Besides , I think if Uncle Joey had the guy killed , the body wouldn 't have been at the crime scene . From what I 've picked up about how he does things , there probably wouldn 't have been a body to find in the first place . So in that respect , it couldn 't have been Uncle Joey , and all my worry is for nothing . Ugh ! See what I mean about quitting ? As much as I enjoy having my own consulting agency , it 's not an easy thing to work on both sides of the law . In fact , it 's downright stressful . If I don 't quit the agency altogether , I should probably make a decision to either help the police , or work for Uncle Joey . Of course , that 's not always true either . I 've had a few of my own cases that nearly got me killed anyway . See my dilemma ? If I had to choose between Uncle Joey and Dimples , I don 't think I could do it . I owe Uncle Joey too much to ever break ties with him , and Dimples is my friend and knows my secret . So … I guess I 'll just keep going with what I 'm doing and hope for the best . As long as I have plenty of Mylanta handy , I should be able to handle it , right ? Especially if Ramos is around to save my bacon … and maybe take me on a motorcycle ride or two . But see what I mean about being between a rock and a hard place ? I got a phone call recently from someone I thought was out of my life for good . It really threw me to hear Kate 's voice saying hello and asking me how I was doing . I have to admit I wasn 't very friendly . That 's when she told me she was in town on business , and wanted to know if I 'd go out to lunch with her . Seriously ? ? She thought I 'd do that ? To set the record straight , Kate is one of my least favorite people , and that is putting it mildly . At one time , she was after my husband , and nearly got me killed . Why she thought I 'd like to go out to lunch with her boggled my mind . Until she mentioned we wouldn 't be alone . Then it kind of clicked . She had a new associate , and was hoping to get my opinion on his trustworthiness . As in , she wanted me to read his mind . Without hesitation , she quickly agreed , and now I was committed to spending a whole hour with my former nemesis . I didn 't know if I 'd done the right thing , but I had to admit , I was certainly curious to find out what kind of trouble she was in , and the money didn 't hurt either . I arrived at the restaurant to find her seated with a tall , gorgeous , blond guy , who loaded on the charm , and greeted me as Kate 's old college buddy . Since she was about six years younger than me , I took that as a complement . I picked up enough from her thoughts to answer his questions about our college days together , and then started asking questions of my own . By the time lunch was over , I knew lots more about their relationship than I wished . After lunch , he had an appointment and had to leave , which suited Kate 's plans perfectly , giving her a chance to ask me what I 'd found out . It was tempting not to tell her everything , but since she was paying me , I had to give it to her straight . " You 're right , " I began . " He 's hiding something from you . " Her face paled , but she motioned for me to continue . " First of all , he works for your rival … Wayne ? … and the plan was to make you fall for him , because of his considerable amount of charm and good looks , and then undermine your organization so that Wayne can take a big cut of your profits . But now he 's having second thoughts because … he 's fallen in love with you . He doesn 't want to go through with the plan , but now he 's worried that his boss will kill him . He 'd tell you , but he thinks once you find out he was going to double - cross you that you 'll kill him too . So basically , he 's decided he 's pretty much toast . " " Thank you Shelby . " She handed me five one hundred dollar bills and stood . She was thinking that was the best news she 'd heard in weeks and it was worth every penny . We said our goodbyes , and I smiled at this turn of events . Kate was in love , and I 'd helped her . She was going to do everything she could to save her man . Who would have thought ? And what a mess ! Phew ! It made me realize that even with all the trouble I get into , I 'm still glad I don 't have her life . When I was a kid , the best part of my trip to Disneyland wasn 't the park , the rides , or the entertainment . It was the swimming pool at my cousin 's house where we stayed . I loved going to their house after a long hot day , and gazing into the pool 's clear blue water . With the pool light turned on , there was just something about that water that made me want to jump in . With the dark starry night overhead , it was soothing and magical . That 's why , on the last day of our vacation to Orlando , I found myself sitting beside the pool . It was late , and most everyone had gone to bed , so I was there by myself . If I could have gone swimming , I would have , but the pool had just closed for the night . So I sat back in a chair and gazed into the water , smelling the slight odor of chlorine , and feeling the tension ease out of my body . It felt so good to have my thoughts to myself that I almost cried . Hearing people 's thoughts in all the crowds these last two weeks had been murder on my poor brain . I had put up my shields as much as I could , but it left a constant tension between my eyes , and worse , I was sure I had new wrinkles to show for it . I had no idea there were so many different theme parks and attractions in Orlando . We had visited at least five parks , with several other attractions thrown in . Although we 'd taken a couple of days off in - between to recover , mostly for my benefit , the constant barrage of thoughts had gotten on my nerves , making me irritable and short - tempered . I 'd done my best , but I knew that Chris and the kids were happy to leave me at the pool and go inside for bed . Chris tried to understand , but I knew it bothered him . It bothered me too , but for different reasons . Sure , I had the ' super - power ' of reading people 's minds , but this vacation had proven that even I had my limits . I might have handled one week , but two was over - kill . Today had proven that . I cringed to remember how I 'd yelled at the father who was only ' thinking ' his cute daughter was a pain in the butt , and today was one of those days he wished she 'd never been born . I 'd told him to quit being so selfish and enjoy this time with her . That she 'd grow up before he knew it , and he 'd be sorry and full of regret for his poor attitude . The problem was , she was just a baby , and had thrown up all over him . So I had probably over - reacted . His first thought in reaction was guilt that I was right . But his second impulse quickly over - rode the first , and hot anger turned his face red . How dare I chastise him in front of all these people when he hadn 't done anything wrong ? Acting fast , Chris wisely pulled me away and apologized over his shoulder , telling the guy I had forgotten to take my medication . My outrage at Chris quickly changed to embarrassment and then self - loathing . Chris couldn 't believe I could be so callous and mean . What was wrong with me ? Where were my shields ? My behavior was totally unacceptable . Not only that , but he was so embarrassed he could hardly stand it . But he only thought all of those things , so I couldn 't be too angry . Especially when he also thought being privy to everyone 's thoughts had to be rough on me , so he needed to cut me some slack . Still … Shame and regret flowed over me , so I shoved the memory away and glanced up at the stars . Our flight tomorrow didn 't leave until three o ' clock in the afternoon , so we still had some time in the morning to relax . Or at least Chris and the kids did . I had an errand to run for Uncle Joey . He was the mob - boss I had to work for since he knew my secret . Although he compensated me for my time , we had a tenuous relationship . It had evolved over the last few months , and I liked to think it was now based on mutual respect rather than fear that he would kill me . Still , it was a balancing act to work for him on my terms rather than his . When he found out I was coming to Orlando , he 'd asked me to deliver a letter for him . Not a big deal , right ? So I 'd saved his errand until the last moment , hoping it wouldn 't ruin my vacation . That was a big mistake , since thinking about delivering the letter everyday had done exactly that . I should have just delivered it the first day we 'd gotten here instead of dragging out the torment . That was just plain stupid . First thing in the morning , I 'd take care of it . Then we could go home . Our vacation was over . With the exception of that embarrassing incident today , we 'd had a fun time here , and I was grateful we 'd come , but now I was eager to go home and get back to normal . Plus the extra space from all the people wouldn 't hurt . Ha ! Who was I kidding ? I could hardly wait to be alone in my own house . Just thinking about it brought such a profound sense of relief that I was a bit giddy . Did that mean I was losing it ? Had the stress finally gotten to me ? Maybe I did need some kind of medication . What I 'd done today was … I shook my head and sighed . A cool breeze brushed my skin , making me shiver . It was time to put a stop to these gloomy thoughts and go to bed . Chris checked the address one more time . " Are you sure you 'll be all right delivering this by yourself ? " He was thinking how worried he was about me , and wishing I hadn 't waited until the last moment to do this . He could have come with me if I 'd gone earlier . What was I thinking ? " Yeah . It 's no big deal . I 'll be fine . " I gave Chris a reassuring hug and kiss , wanting to ease his worry and escape his censure . " See you at the airport . Bye kids . " Engrossed in their packing , they absently waved . I took the elevator to the lobby and hurried out the door . A cab was waiting for me , and I got in , giving the driver the address . " How long will it take to get there ? " I asked . " Okay , " I answered . It was a little before ten a . m . and I didn 't have to be to the airport until one , so I had plenty of time . I would probably get to the airport long before Chris and the kids , but I wanted to play it safe and not miss my flight . " How far is it from this address to the airport ? " I asked the driver . I probably should have checked a map since I was basically clueless as to where I was going . " Oh , okay . Thanks . " Maybe I shouldn 't have left so early , but with my luck it was probably better to plan for extra time . I spent the drive making sure I had everything in my carry - on bag that I needed for the flight . Chris was in charge of my luggage , so I didn 't have to drag it around with me , but I still felt loaded down with both my carry - on and my purse . Luckily , my carry - on was just a big bag so I could carry it over my shoulder . In fact , if I moved things around , there was probably enough room to stuff my purse inside as well . It was addressed to Warren Peace , which I knew had to be a fake name , or maybe even a code of some sort , and held it gingerly . Getting rid of this couldn 't come fast enough for me . I 'd tried to tell Uncle Joey to mail it , but he wouldn 't , saying he needed my ' special touch ' so I could tell him what Warren was thinking . That worked fine as long as Warren didn 't take it out on me . Especially since I had a feeling that the message it contained couldn 't be good . The cab pulled to the curb and came to a stop . I glanced up at an apartment complex , and realized I was in trouble if he wasn 't home . What was I going to do then ? I didn 't even have a phone number . " No problem , as long as you know the meter 's still running . " He sent me a friendly smile and settled back in his seat to wait . He hoped I 'd take my time and pulled out a book to read . I got out , taking my bag with me , and scanned the apartment numbers . I found the one I was looking for on the bottom level , which was basically in the basement . The outside light was on , and for some reason that made me nervous . Did that mean he wasn 't home ? What would I do then ? Taking a deep breath and letting it out , I started down the stairs and rang the bell . I heard some rustling inside before the curtain parted and someone glanced out at me . I caught sight of a bearded face and glasses , before the door opened a crack . " Wait , " I said , pushing against the door to keep it open . " Are you Warren Peace ? I have a letter for you . Then I 'll go . Here … " I held it out , " Just take it . " He hesitated , then his thoughts filled with about every swear word imaginable repeated several times . I would have held my hands to my ears if it had done any good . " All right , " he finally said , still not taking the letter . " You 'd better come in . " This time he cursed out loud . " You 've got to get rid of him ! A yellow cab like that will draw attention . Quick , before someone notices . " " I can 't , " I said , alarmed that he was freaking out . " He 's taking me to the airport . Just read the damn letter and tell me your answer ! " I tried to shove the letter into his hands , but he held them up . " I don 't have to read it . I know what he wants , and I just can 't do it . " He sent a searching glance at me , desperation filling his eyes . " You 'll have to do it for me , or I 'm a dead man . Please … I just need you to take what Manetto wants back with you . You can give it to him for me . If you don 't , I swear I 'll be dead by morning . " He grabbed a wad of bills from his pocket . " Pay off the cabbie and I 'll take you to the airport . It 's not safe for you or me with him sitting out there like a yellow beacon . Manetto has no idea what he 's gotten you into here … Hurry ! Go ! " I took the cash and hurried out the door . He wasn 't lying about my safety , or anything else he 'd said , and that scared me . I paid the cabbie , giving him an extra twenty for a tip , and hustled back to the apartment . Warren waited at the top of the stairs , watching up and down the street until I came back . He ushered me into the apartment , locking and bolting the door behind us . " Hopefully , we have a little time , " he said . " At least I 've prepared for this moment . I just didn 't know Manetto would make his move so soon . " He was thinking about everything he needed to get before we left . He had stashed all his cash along with his passport and ID in the freezer . " Wait , " I interrupted . " Read the letter first , and then tell me what 's going on . " I shoved the letter into his hands , and planted my feet in front of the doorway to the kitchen . Warren … I need the information you 've obtained for me . I know it might put you in danger , but I 've discovered through my sources that it 's time you moved on anyway . Bring it to me without delay , and I 'll help you disappear . The lovely woman delivering this letter is Shelby Nichols . Tell her you 'll bring the item to me , and then send her on her way . If anything happens to her because of you , you 're A Dead Man . Don 't keep me waiting . Yours … etc … Joe E . Manetto . Warren glanced at me and licked his lips . Maybe he 'd been too hasty in sending the cab driver off and enlisting my help . Manetto didn 't make threats he wasn 't ready to keep . " What time does your flight leave ? " he asked . " Oh good , " he said , checking his watch . " We 've got plenty of time . Should be a piece of cake . " He was thinking it would be close , but it could still work . As long as I hadn 't been spotted by Carson 's goons . " I 'll get my stuff , and we can leave in a few minutes . " I have a friend who helps me out sometimes . Mostly when I get in trouble . In my line of work , I 've decided it 's a good thing to have someone around who 's willing to watch my back now and again . Not too long ago , this friend and I needed to talk to some people without revealing our identities . As part of the disguise , we had to ride his motorcycle . I 've never been riding on a motorcycle before . I couldn 't even tell you what kind of motorcycle it was , except it was black and all shiny and nice . My friend was looking pretty bad - ass , so he fit the motorcycle to a tee . Me , not so much . In fact , I was wearing a skirt , of all things . But somehow we made it work , and I was clutching his middle pretty hard when we roared out of the parking garage . Woohoo ! I have to tell you it was pretty exciting , and I enjoyed myself immensely . Me , a muscled hot dude , and a motorcycle … yup … fun times . The only problem ? Well , besides my skirt flapping in the breeze ( you should never wear a skirt on a motorcycle ) , the helmet he gave me was too big . I could hardly see a thing . It kind of ruined my experience . So next time , ( and I hope there is a next time ) I 'm finding a smaller helmet . And I 'm wearing pants . As a youngster , I went prospecting with my Grandpa up into the mountains to look for gold . He had plenty of ideas about where the gold was , and we always found lots of pretty rocks , but never any gold . Just the same , I 've always thought it would be cool to find some buried treasure . Now I was actually looking for a lost treasure , although technically speaking , it was stolen money , and it wasn 't really lost . The bank robber who stole it knew where it was , and he had been willing to kill his partner to keep it all to himself . Lucky for me , I had a clue as to where it might be . Even better , the bank from which it was stolen was willing to pay me to find it . Since I didn 't want anyone to know I could read minds , saying I had ' premonitions ' seemed like a safer way to go . Especially after what had happened with Uncle Joey , the local crime boss . His ' niece ' Kate , had been after my husband , and with my talent , I found out about Uncle Joey . I threatened to expose her if she didn 't leave my husband alone . Uncle Joey 's hit - man , Ramos , had orders to take me to the big boss , and I had to tell Uncle Joey I could read minds to keep him from killing me . After that , he used my special ability for his own purposes , until I had enough leverage to bargain my way out . We now had a precarious alliance . I still had to work for Uncle Joey , but now it was on my terms . So far , so good , but it put a terrible strain on me , knowing how easy it would be for him to change his mind . Besides Uncle Joey , my husband , Chris , was the only other person who knew the truth about me . Unless I counted Ramos . Even though he thought he knew the truth , I had never confirmed his suspicion , and I intended to keep it that way . The less people that knew I could read their minds , the better . It was hard enough to work things out with Chris . Knowing I could hear his thoughts was rough on him . He was mostly resigned to his fate , but there were times it really got on his nerves . Like now … he was thinking that I was crazy to take on the job of finding the stolen money , especially based on the only clue I had . " Yeah , like the money is hidden inside a box of underwear , " he shot back . " What kind of a clue is that ? What underwear box ? Where is it ? In a store ? In a closet ? It could mean anything ! See … you really don 't have much to go on . " I sighed . He was probably right , but with my new consulting agency on the line , I had to give it a shot . Maybe I just needed more information . " I still have to try . I already told the bank manager I would . I just wish I had a better clue . " Chris shook his head . He was thinking that me getting in over my head was nothing new . He just wished I would learn when to stop . There was a point where most people knew to back off , but not me . What would it take ? Even nearly getting killed wouldn 't stop me . Why was I so different ? What was it in my make - up that made me so darn stubborn ? He glanced at me , realizing I had probably heard everything he was thinking . Again . Which made having this conversation that much more difficult for both of us , but mostly him . " I don 't think it 's more difficult , " I said , needing to squelch his frustration with me . " I mean , it might be okay if you actually said what you were thinking , but since you don 't , I think it 's helpful for me to know . Now that I know you think I 'm stubborn , I can try to be more open to what you say . " " Right , " he huffed . " So , are you going to back off ? Because really , I don 't think you have much to go on . " Now it was my turn to squirm . " Probably not , " I said . Chris ' eyes gleamed in triumph , so I rushed on to explain . " I want to look into it , and if I don 't find anything , then I 'll admit defeat . " " Okay , fine . " He was thinking ' whatever ' but I 'm glad he didn 't say that . It would have hurt my feelings . " So what are you going to do ? " I had a few ideas up my sleeve , but decided not to let Chris in on it . Since he thought I was crazy to take this job , I didn 't feel like explaining myself . I 'd wait until I got some more leads before I did that . Since I already had an appointment with the bank manager for the next morning , I spent most of the evening on the Internet reading up on bank heists , and money laundering . I found the best information on howstuffworks . com . Their podcasts are great . I went to bed feeling hopeful that I had some good questions to ask , plus I wouldn 't make a fool of myself . Chris came to bed feeling a bit sheepish for being so hard on me . So I cut him some slack . " Hey , remember how Uncle Joey wants to send us to Seattle ? Maybe we should start thinking about when would be a good time to go . " " True , " I agreed . I had special feelings for Kate . Feelings of revenge and intense dislike , that is . She had been after my husband , even though he was a happily married man . So she wasn 't on my list of people I wanted to run into . She was also the person responsible for all my troubles with Uncle Joey . He was actually Kate 's Uncle Joey , even though he wasn 't really her uncle . It was because he didn 't like being called Uncle Joey , that I called him that . Now it was a habit I couldn 't break . Especially since I knew it bothered him . Kate had found out that Uncle Joey was the man responsible for her father 's death , and was trying to put him away for good when her accomplice , Walter , got in the way . To avoid Uncle Joey 's wrath , Kate escaped with Hodges , taking a few million dollars ' worth of jewels and money Hodges had stolen from Uncle Joey . Now Uncle Joey wanted it back , and was willing to send my husband and me to find them , paid for by him , of course . But did I really want to get involved with Kate again ? Not so much . Maybe Chris was right , and I was in over my head , and not thinking things through . But I wasn 't a ' normal ' person anymore , and I was trying to embrace that . I really wanted to do some good with my mind - reading skills . If only it didn 't have to involve Uncle Joey . But I didn 't have a choice . I had to make some concessions with Uncle Joey , or he 'd take away what little control I had . " You 're right about me , " I admitted . " I am in over my head . Especially with Uncle Joey . What am I going to do ? " Chris gathered me in his arms . " We 're going to take care of this together , " he said . " Don 't worry about everything at once . Just worry about the bank for now . We 'll figure it out as we go . " " What would I do without you ? " I asked , snuggling against him . He was thinking that I 'd probably be in worse trouble , and hoping I had learned my lesson about trying to take care of everything on my own . Plus , I should listen to him more . But he couldn 't ask for a miracle . I knew I wasn 't supposed to ' hear ' any of this , so I had to act like it didn 't bother me . I tightened my hold on him and sighed , wishing it was easier to shield my mind from his thoughts . He was probably right about everything he 'd thought , including the fact that I didn 't like to use my shields around him . I had to face it . I wanted to know what he was thinking more than I wanted to block his thoughts , even if it wasn 't always what I wanted to hear . How crazy was that ? I leaned up and kissed Chris smack on the lips . Right now all I wanted to think about was how much I loved him . It surprised him , and he was thinking how glad he was that I hadn 't heard his thoughts just now . Especially about the miracle part . I chuckled , and soon all thoughts of our disagreements went out the window . Which was just what I had hoped for . After that , sleep came easily . Not long ago , the police department gave me an honorary badge to wear so that it would be easier for me to be admitted to a crime scene . I was working on a case , and needed to find out if my client 's husband had a record , or any outstanding warrants . So I went to the police department , showed them my badge , and got into the records room and pulled his file . While I was looking over the file , the Police Chief walked in . This wasn 't exactly police work I was doing , so naturally , he startled me . Especially when he said . " What are you doing in here ? " As my heart was racing , I responded as truthfully as possible , and hoped I wouldn 't get into too much trouble . " Working on a case . I needed to see if this person had any outstanding warrants before I went to see him . " He hesitated , knowing asking for my help to use my " premonitions " might seem weird , or make him look silly . But he really wanted to know what his wife was giving him for his birthday . I took a deep breath , relieved to know I was off the hook for being in the records room . I smiled . " Sure , let me concentrate for a minute . " Of course , since I don 't really have " premonitions " I couldn 't tell him . So I listened to his thoughts to see what he wanted . He was hoping for a new fishing pole , and all the stuff that goes with it , but he didn 't think his wife would give him that since she didn 't like to go fishing . Maybe I could call her later , and tell her what he wanted . " Okay , " I said . Since today was Thursday , I had plenty of time to tell her . " Sorry , but all I 'm getting is fish . That doesn 't make any sense , unless that 's what you 're having for dinner . Sorry . " I 'm so excited to announce the opening of my consulting agency . As a consultant , I hope to help you find solutions to your problems . Plus , for a limited time , I will waive the fee for your first visit . Do you feel someone is cheating or lying to you ? I can help . Do you need to find out what your children are involved in ? I can help with that too . Are you in a relationship and having problems communicating ? I think you will be amazed at how helpful I can be to resolve any issues you may face . Is there someone at work you need help with ? I can mediate any type of challenges you may have with great results . So , next time you are in a bind and don 't know what to do , give me a call or leave a comment on this blog and I will be happy to respond .