Staring at the mutilations listed on each report, I wasn’t sure I could have held it together if he had taken his time with her like he had with the rest. My hand shook as I pulled my notebook closer and began to make notes.

Based on locations, it seemed Ellery had been making the rounds of the west

coast. When Jeff hadn’t reported back to base in San Diego after weekend leave,

one of his buddies went to the Marina to check his boat. He found the savaged

remains of Liza and Jeff instead. According to the coroner’s report, Liza’s eyes

had been gouged out with a small blade. She then endured another day or two of

torture before succumbing to her injuries. Jeff was just as bad. His body was a

patchwork of third degree burns and various cuts.

Nate was found early in the morning, nailed to the side of a building in a seedier section of Coronado. Death arrived in a slit throat, but his body was riddled with various sharp objects, presumably pulled from a nearby trash bin.

Pipes, nails, pens, glass—whatever could double as knife.

When Michael’s abandoned fishing boat was found stalled in the middle of

San Francisco Bay, the Coast Guard called out a search. It took four days to recover his body. Even though the aquatic life used him as a buffet, it was determined his fingers had been removed prior to death. Additional burns and cuts were identified, leading to the conclusion that he, too, was tortured before death claimed him.

Finished with the reports, I reviewed my notes. Nothing much jumped out at

me. Very little was found by way of trace evidence, which probably explained why, until he’d hooked up with me, Kayden hadn’t been certain it really was Ellery. As for me, I didn’t have any doubts. Every death in this file made it very

clear Ellery was out for payback.

The guys had left me alone. Kayden keeping a low conversation with Tag as

they sprawled on the couch. Whatever they were talking about didn’t slow Tag’s

fingers as they flew over the laptop balanced on his legs. Needing more details than what was in the file, I cleared my throat to get their attention. Their conversation stopped and they both looked at me. “What were their abilities?”

Kayden answered first. “Liza was a pre-cog.” Catching my puzzlement, he

clarified, “She was able to see possible future events. Mike healed by touch.”

“Nathan?”

“He could move small objects.”

“Telekinetic.” Nice to be able to name one psychic ability. Propping my arm

on the table, I rested my chin in my hand, trying to wrap my head around a world where fortunetellers and healers were your next-door neighbors. “And

Jeff?”

This time it was Tag who answered. “He didn’t have an ability.”

“He was collateral damage,” Kayden added, a grimness settling over his

face.

My stomach sank. “Like Kelsey, then, an opportunity kill. Somebody to use

to get what he wants.”

Trying to understand Ellery’s mind would require more information than

what I currently had access to, so I really hoped Delacourt came prepared with

some answers. In the meantime, I studied the impromptu timeline in front of me.

Ellery escaped five months ago but killed Mike only a couple months back.

“Why did Ellery wait so long?” I wondered aloud.

Kayden heard and asked, “For what?”

“To go after Mike.” I got up and started pacing between the table and the couch, doing my best to burn off some of my restlessness. On the couch, Tag continued working on his laptop, but Kayden shifted to watch me. I rubbed the

back of my neck as I moved. “What was Ellery doing for three months?”

“Retrieving the missing information?” Kayden suggested.

It almost felt right. “Three months to pull it out from wherever he hid it?

That seems a bit long.”

“Maybe, but remember, the investigators are pretty sure one of the guards managed to shoot him, so if he was injured, he’d have to hole up.”

“Okay, but if he was injured, wouldn’t he go after Mike first, then retrieve

the information? If Ellery sucks up psychic abilities and Mike was a healer, wouldn’t Ellery be inclined to fix himself before moving on?”

“If Ellery was injured, there’s no way in hell he’d risk taking on Mike.” Tag

didn’t bother looking up from his laptop. “Hand to hand, Mike could take almost

anyone down.”

Shit, Tag was right. Besides fishing, Mike enjoyed moonlighting in bouts of mixed martial arts. Nixing that line of logic, I forged ahead. “Fine, let’s say it took Ellery a month to get his hands on the information. What’s his next move?”

“Selling it.” Kayden leaned back, tucked his hands behind his head and

narrowed his gaze at the ceiling. “Chances are his initial buyers pulled out after