in even more danger than she was already in.”
“I don’t think anyone would have blamed you if you had,” Ben said. His tone was softer than it had been before. He was trying hard to reassure her. “You don’t need to worry about it. You didn’t come off at all the way Sergeant Perez is. There are very few people who actually treat psychics with the same level of respect as other professionals.”
“She isn’t a psychic!” Rilynne exclaimed, dropping down hard on the sofa. “If she had been, we would have had a very different encounter. And you are right about that. It’s one of the main reasons I will never out myself.”
Ben sat down on the sofa next to her and wrapped his arm around her. “Don’t think for a second that anyone in our station would treat you that way. There isn’t a single person who doesn’t respect you. If you can out and told everyone what you could do, that wouldn’t go away.”
“You have a much higher faith in people than I do,” she responded. “Did I ever tell you about the dream I had shortly after moving to Addison Valley. They had me displayed in front of the entire town like a side show attraction. They then assured the people of Addison Valley that I would never work there again. I’d rather live with my secret than risk being chased out of town by an angry mob with pitch forks.”
“No more horror movies for you,” Ben chuckled as he stood up. “Why don’t you just sit here and I’ll go get us something to eat. No more thinking about angry hordes, though. I don’t want to have to fight back a crowd carrying fire and sharp objects, but I would if it ever came to that.”
Ben walked toward the kitchen, leaving Rilynne sitting in thought on the sofa. She feared allowing people to know what she could do more than almost anything else. It didn’t matter how close she was to the people she worked with, Rilynne didn’t think any of them would accept her for what she was. Even if there was a possibility they would, it wasn’t a chance she was ever going to be willing to take. Her fellow homicide detectives were her family. She was going to protect them from the consequences that would inevitable arise, as well as herself.
She was still deep in thought when Ben walked back in ten minutes later to tell her dinner was ready.
“Having to wear this is going to drive me crazy,” she said, trying to pull her chair back with her left hand. She cringed as pain shot up her arm and she reached out with the other.
“We’re actually pretty lucky,” Ben said.
Rilynne wanted to pop him when she turned back toward him. “I’m sorry. What part of this is lucky? This really hurts. And I don’t even want to think about all of the questions I’m going to face when I go back to work with this next week.”
“We’re lucky he had an x-ray machine,” Ben explained. “I’m actually really surprised he does. I thought we were going to be on the first boat out to get your wrist examined in Hawaii.”
Rilynne let out a quick laugh. “You know I wouldn’t have gone,” she stated firmly. “I would have just let you wrap it until our trip was over. I know I haven’t been using the last few days of our honeymoon the way we should have, but there’s no way I would spend a full day of it going to a hospital to get my wrist looked at. You couldn’t have dragged me onto that boat.”
Ben looked like he wanted to argue, but he knew she was right.
After they finished eating, Rilynne grabbed a couple beers from the refrigerator and retreated to the front porch. The temperature cooled after the sun went down, but only slightly. There was a sweetness in the breeze that moved past them. It smelled like fresh fruit and salt water.
“It really is beautiful here,” she said when Ben walked out behind her. She tried to open her bottle before giving up and handing it to him for help. “It’s the kind
“I don’t think anyone would have blamed you if you had,” Ben said. His tone was softer than it had been before. He was trying hard to reassure her. “You don’t need to worry about it. You didn’t come off at all the way Sergeant Perez is. There are very few people who actually treat psychics with the same level of respect as other professionals.”
“She isn’t a psychic!” Rilynne exclaimed, dropping down hard on the sofa. “If she had been, we would have had a very different encounter. And you are right about that. It’s one of the main reasons I will never out myself.”
Ben sat down on the sofa next to her and wrapped his arm around her. “Don’t think for a second that anyone in our station would treat you that way. There isn’t a single person who doesn’t respect you. If you can out and told everyone what you could do, that wouldn’t go away.”
“You have a much higher faith in people than I do,” she responded. “Did I ever tell you about the dream I had shortly after moving to Addison Valley. They had me displayed in front of the entire town like a side show attraction. They then assured the people of Addison Valley that I would never work there again. I’d rather live with my secret than risk being chased out of town by an angry mob with pitch forks.”
“No more horror movies for you,” Ben chuckled as he stood up. “Why don’t you just sit here and I’ll go get us something to eat. No more thinking about angry hordes, though. I don’t want to have to fight back a crowd carrying fire and sharp objects, but I would if it ever came to that.”
Ben walked toward the kitchen, leaving Rilynne sitting in thought on the sofa. She feared allowing people to know what she could do more than almost anything else. It didn’t matter how close she was to the people she worked with, Rilynne didn’t think any of them would accept her for what she was. Even if there was a possibility they would, it wasn’t a chance she was ever going to be willing to take. Her fellow homicide detectives were her family. She was going to protect them from the consequences that would inevitable arise, as well as herself.
She was still deep in thought when Ben walked back in ten minutes later to tell her dinner was ready.
“Having to wear this is going to drive me crazy,” she said, trying to pull her chair back with her left hand. She cringed as pain shot up her arm and she reached out with the other.
“We’re actually pretty lucky,” Ben said.
Rilynne wanted to pop him when she turned back toward him. “I’m sorry. What part of this is lucky? This really hurts. And I don’t even want to think about all of the questions I’m going to face when I go back to work with this next week.”
“We’re lucky he had an x-ray machine,” Ben explained. “I’m actually really surprised he does. I thought we were going to be on the first boat out to get your wrist examined in Hawaii.”
Rilynne let out a quick laugh. “You know I wouldn’t have gone,” she stated firmly. “I would have just let you wrap it until our trip was over. I know I haven’t been using the last few days of our honeymoon the way we should have, but there’s no way I would spend a full day of it going to a hospital to get my wrist looked at. You couldn’t have dragged me onto that boat.”
Ben looked like he wanted to argue, but he knew she was right.
After they finished eating, Rilynne grabbed a couple beers from the refrigerator and retreated to the front porch. The temperature cooled after the sun went down, but only slightly. There was a sweetness in the breeze that moved past them. It smelled like fresh fruit and salt water.
“It really is beautiful here,” she said when Ben walked out behind her. She tried to open her bottle before giving up and handing it to him for help. “It’s the kind
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