The Death Series: A Dark Dystopian Fantasy Box Set: (Books 1-3) by Tamara Rose Blodgett Read Free Book Online Page B

‘energy’ around you.”
    My mouth fell open.
    “The witness is an aura reader,” Garcia explained.
    I'm screwed. Aura readers identified paranormals. I was sure I had my panic face on, and John was as pale as a ghost.
    “You know, Sergeant Garcia,” Mom said in a sugar-sweet voice, “Caleb is a minor (that word came out sounding vaguely like lawsuit , I noted with grim satisfaction), and he hasn't committed any crime, so I'm not sure that this line of questioning is justified.”
    I heard: Stop bugging my kid, or I'll make you sorry.
    Garcia looked at Mom thoughtfully. She tilted her head to the side, and a large gold hoop swung forward, peeking out of her thick hair and twinkling in the late sunlight streaming through the window. I had a sudden stab of love for Mom.
    Then, I decided to man up, I wasn't a little kid anymore. “I have Affinity for the Dead.”
    It sounded like a disease, as if I’d said, I have cancer. I have two weeks to live. I wasn't going to die. I was going to start living and stop being scared. The Js looked at me as if they thought I was insane.
    Garcia appeared startled.
    “Caleb!” Mom said sharply, her mouth in a thin line.
    “It's okay, Mom. I know he won't tell anyone.”
    Garcia needed to feel the burden of my trust, roll it around and taste it like candy in his mouth. I was hoping that Garcia believed in what he was, a policeman meant to serve and protect.
    “Caleb's right,” Garcia said, looking at me with kinder eyes. “I don't have to tell this part. You're right, too, Mrs. Hart. He is a minor, and he hasn't committed a crime.
    I felt a but coming.
    “But there were witnesses. A young woman noticed what Caleb did. She is under no such restrictions. There is no law that will keep her from sharing what she saw.”
    Garcia leaned back and crossed his legs, his ankle resting on his opposite knee. His black uniform looked crisp, the sharp creases in his pant legs bisecting the center. His tie tack glinted in the sun as he shifted. He turned to me. “Why do you want to hide it, Caleb? There are other AFTDs.”
    Because it threatens my freedom. I thought of Gramps, who always told me freedom was more precious than money. I was beginning to believe him.
    “I don't want to end up like Jeffrey Parker,” I said.
    Garcia was thoughtful, the whole room held its collective breath.
    Garcia nodded. “Yes, that would be enough to give anyone pause.”
    Dad walked through the door to the garage. His hair was mussed, and he carried his briefcase.
    “What's going on here?” He tossed his coat on the hook by the door.
    I sighed. It was gonna be a long night.
    Mom and Garcia started to speak at the same time, then they both laughed nervously. Jonesy looked from my mom to my dad then back to Garcia as if watching a tennis match gone wrong. Then, he shrugged and grabbed another cookie. John folded his arms across his skinny chest.
    “You go ahead,” Mom told Garcia.
    Garcia gave her a brief nod. “Mr. Hart”—he stood and held out his hand—“I'm Sergeant Garcia with the King County Police.”
    Dad took the offered hand and gave it a few hard pumps.
    He was such a huge contrast to the Hispanic-looking Garcia. Dad loomed over the cop, standing a couple inches taller. “Kyle Hart.” Dad smiled and took a seat on the piano bench facing us..
    Garcia sat back on the couch and went over the whole story. He ended with “... and now you see, Mr. Hart, we are at an impasse.”
    I deliberated... a standstill! Gotcha.
    Dad's face had been thoughtful, then had become somber at the end. He nodded. “We thought that we had some time to devise a plan that would garner Caleb some options so he could come to terms with his new skills. But his skill set is accelerating on course with other puberty manifestations.
    He is apparently gaining abilities that I cannot predict, and they are popping up at extremely inconvenient and public locations.”
    I did a mental face-palm when Jonesy stopped mid-chew.