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said he didn’t know what came over him and had been so drunk he didn’t even remember it happening. It was the first time he’d ever drank and he obviously didn’t know his limit. The next morning, he’d woken on the couch in Tiffany’s basement, and she’d filled him in on the details. He said he’d never cheated before and it would never happen again. He regretted it, blah, blah, blah. But it happened, and I considered it unforgivable.
    After we broke up, Justin followed me all over school, full of apologies and overtures, trying to win me back. After a month, he got the picture, but still tried now and then, mostly by phone or email. When I’d first seen him standing in the reading room, I’d assumed this was a last-ditch effort.
    Now I realized this wasn’t a social call. Mostly, I was relieved, but a tiny, stupid, irrational part of me was … disappointed. Despite the venom with which I spoke to himand the verbal daggers I hurled in my constant attempts to hurt him as much as he’d hurt me … I didn’t want Justin to disappear from my life. I wanted to witness his guilt and his groveling … because they were the evidence that what we had was real. We had loved each other. I wished my feelings for him were as clear-cut as I outwardly presented them. But they weren’t.
    “Will you help?” Justin asked, bringing me back to the present.
    “I don’t see how I can.”
    He grabbed my hand. I wanted to recoil, but didn’t. “Your gift.”
    “You want to use me and my ability to catch you a killer? ”
    “You were born special, Clare. I’ve always appreciated that.”
    I knew he did. Justin had always believed in me, and my being different didn’t scare him, it enthralled him.
    Justin looked around the room. “Day to day, this is nice. Using your gift to entertain people. But, Clare, did you ever wonder if you were made for something more?”
    I jerked my hand away. “I’m not going to let you use me to help your father get re-elected.”
    He blanched. “You really think that’s my top priority here? I want the killer caught quickly to make Dad look good? This isn’t about my father. It’s about this town and the people in it.”
    I shrugged, regretting what I’d said. Despite his less than faithful past, I knew Justin would never put me in danger.And he and his father loved this town. Though I would never admit it out loud, Justin was a good guy, with a good heart. He’d just made an unforgivable mistake.
    “The police are doing all they can,” he said. “But with your help, I think the case will be solved faster.” He gently took my chin in his hand, forcing me to look into his eyes. “You could save lives, Clare.”
    I pulled away from his familiar touch. I had to admit, I was curious about the case. And feelings of obligation and duty swelled up in me as I thought about Victoria. If my gift could in any way help find a girl’s killer, I should at least try. “Okay. What do you need me to do?”
    He sighed with relief. “Obviously you can’t work in any formal way with the police. The new detective doesn’t believe in any of this psychic stuff and didn’t even want to work with you on the sidelines, but my father insisted. So they compromised. You’re going to work with a summer part-timer.”
    My ears pricked up. “Who?”
    “The new detective’s son. His name’s Gabriel Toscano.”
    I felt my spirits lifting. “When do I start?”
    “Come by my father’s office tomorrow morning at nine.” Justin opened the door to leave, then stopped. “Just one thing. Be careful. I hear this Toscano kid’s a bit on the tough side.”
    I smiled. “I’m a big girl.”

SIX
    PERRY WAS LOUNGING ON THE COUCH WITH A novel open on his chest. I snatched the book away and knocked him in the head with it.
    “Ouch!”
    “Be glad you’re reading a paperback.”
    “What was that for?” he asked, sitting up.
    “Why didn’t you warn me that the client waiting for me was Justin?”
    He