Face Off Read Online Free Page A

over and took Jessie’s hands in her own. “I promised your father I would take good care of you, and that includes your mental health. You have got to understand that this might not turn out the way you want it to. Even if we find Amy, the odds that we’ll find her alive aren’t good.”
    â€œThe odds weren’t good that I would make it all the way from Pueblo to Kansas City and find a lady I had only read about in a book, who had no address or telephone number listed. But here I am sitting on her couch! And I don’t believe in preparing for the worst. If that’s what you expect, that’s probably what you’ll get. Me, I always expect the best. Haven’t you ever heard about the power of positive thinking?”
    Suzanne snorted loudly. “Jessie, my girl, I am about the most negative person on this planet. We might just as well clear that up right now. I don’t have much faith in anything anymore, including myself. If you want a Pollyanna, you came to the wrong place.”
    Jessie brushed long strands of damp, frizzled red hair from her face and grinned at Suzanne. “That’s okay. I’m enough of a Pollyanna for the both of us. And who knows, maybe some of it will rub off on you. Now, how are we going to get you into the jail to see Randal Clark?”
    â€œJessie, I can’t possibly do that. Do you want to take a chance on Clark going free because I interfered?”
    â€œWell, no, but—”
    â€œNo buts! It’s out of the question. Understand?”
    Jessie jumped to her feet, swinging her arms up in a dramatic gesture. “Aren’t you even going to listen to me? I’m not stupid, you know! All the way here, I worked on a plan. I knew you couldn’t just go in there and see him, because of what happened with Underwood. But…” Jessie stopped, then finished in a rush. “What if you dressed up like a nun and went to see him?”
    â€œWhat?” The words exploded out of Suzanne’s mouth. “Are you nuts?”
    â€œNow wait a minute,” Jessie said reasonably. “Don’t get excited. Let’s think about this. When the police called Mom and Dad they said Clark’s apartment had several rosaries and statues of saints in it. They were checking to see if Amy was Catholic, to see if they could get any kind of a pattern established with the women he has killed, but as near as I can tell, they drew a blank and that means Clark must be the one who is Catholic and since you lived in a convent for a while when you were young, I figured you should be able to pull this off.” Jessie took a deep breath. “Well, what do you say?”
    Suzanne arched her eyebrows. “What do I say? I say it is a little hard to follow your conversation. Have you ever heard of a run-on sentence?”
    â€œIs that anything like running off at the mouth?” Jessie asked, an impish grin playing across her face.
    Suzanne nodded. “Exactly!”
    â€œOkay, then.” Jessie’s face lost the grin and turned serious. “This is the way it is. Amy is alive. I’ve lived with this psychic stuff enough to know I can’t be mistaken about that.”
    â€œHow do you see it?” Suzanne asked quietly. “Death, I mean. Is it horrible for you?”
    Jessie gazed down at her hands, remembering the visions she had of her aunt Vera’s death. For hours she had watched as the mental picture of her favorite aunt got darker and darker. She was somewhere in the Bahamas, scuba diving with a group of school teachers on vacation. Amy had tried to reach her by phone—to warn her—but had been unsuccessful. She had confided in her mother then, and told her of her concerns. Her mother had nodded, accepting what this youngest daughter of hers was saying without question, then contacted the tour group and left word for Vera to call as soon as she returned to her motel. Unfortunately, perhaps