(Psychic Visions 01) Tuesday's Child by Dale Mayer

on the question of psychics, well Brandt had no idea where he stood.
     
    It was hard being an outsider. He was here to do a job, allowed to join the team in order to complete a job, yet not quite a member of the team. Obviously some of them thought differently about him. But going behind Brandt's back was never acceptable.
     
    Dillon half-laughed and shifted his position, his hands sliding into his pants pockets. "Are you sure? It sounded juicy when I went to walk past. Couldn't help but stop and ask."
     
    He grinned in a way that pissed Brandt off. He needed to talk with the captain now. He needed to find out what the hell was going on. Brandt spun on his heels, slopping coffee on the floor and headed for the captain's office.
     

***
    11:00 am
     
    The door to the captain's office was closed when he arrived. He knocked hard.
     
    "Come in."
     
    Brandt strode in and stopped short. Kevin was seated on the left. The captain sat behind his huge mahogany desk. There was a sense of expectation. They'd been waiting for him.
     
    His defenses went up.
     
    "Come in, Brandt. Take a seat."
     
    "I'd rather stand." He struggled with it, but his voice actually sounded normal. Tight but calm.
     
    "Fine. Whatever you're comfortable with. But you also need to be comfortable with the fact that Kevin is entitled to speak with any witnesses he sees fit. That includes this Samantha Blair." The captain's beetled brow met in the middle as he peered over his glasses at Brandt. "That is why you're here. Isn't it?"
     
    Brandt choked back the words clogging his throat. He had to remember he was a guest here. "Correct. And it's possible that detectives at this station work differently than they would in most other stations – but that would surprise me."
     
    Normally detectives built a rapport with their witnesses. They might ask another detective to go and talk to someone, to see what shook loose. Most detectives, as a basic courtesy, would mention to the other detective that they needed to talk to one of his connections before they interviewed someone involved in his case.
     
    Captain Johansen cleared his throat. "Yes, we do things a little differently here."
     
    Brandt's gaze cut to the captain. "That different?"
     
    Once again, Captain Johansen exchanged glances with Kevin.
     
    "We deal in good old-fashioned police work here. Not black magic." Kevin couldn't stay quiet any longer.
     
    "That's what this is all about? Because she's a psychic?" At Kevin's nod, Brandt snorted. "Then you could have had the decency to talk to me, couldn't you? I've worked with Stefan Kronos for over a decade."
     
    "I'm not sure that I believe his work either. However, many of my friends do, given his success record. This woman is a flake, pure and simple. I don't want her involved in my cases." Kevin's sarcasm underscored his point of view.
     
    Interesting that Kevin had heard of Stefan. "You haven't given her a chance, have you?" Brandt turned to confront him. "I believe in her. She's given valuable information and I think she can help."
     
    "I interviewed her. She doesn't have anything to offer." Kevin stood up. "I don't have time for this. As long as you have something reasonable to offer to my cases, feel free. But if you're going to bring in a psychic, use her for your cases, not mine. She can hang you, not us. You're only visiting here. And you won't destroy our reputation with your fucked up ideas."
     
    Kevin strode out, leaving an uncomfortable silence behind.
     
    Brandt looked back at Captain Johansen, who stared back. "Is that the official stand?"
     
    He pursed his lips, thinking. "For the moment. I'm certainly not a fan of using psychics. But I do know Stefan's work. So I can't discount them either. Let me know if she comes up with anything we can use. Other than that, don't confuse the issue between hard work and easy answers."
     

***
    11:20 am
     
    Kevin walked through the commons, staring straight ahead. Most of the office knew what