Once I was alone again, I pondered my unilateral decision to speak directly to Ethel Reagan as I sipped on cold coffee. A discussion with my cohorts was in order but screw it; I had no stomach for a lengthy discussion tainted with bickering. Let them all be pissed off at me; perhaps that would bring them closer together against a common enemy.
Impatience prompted me to telephone Ethel Reagan before the allotted hour was up. She must have cleared my call with the switchboard as I was put through directly, absent any underlings. She didn't chide me for calling early. Her tone was cautious but respectful.
"How do you know it was the same person who killed the others who killed that poor woman in Omaha?" she asked. "Are you telling me this psychic person saw a vision of it?" I pictured her sitting at a desk, perhaps someone else listening in. Was she tracing my call? No fear there; the line was secure.
"No. Too much time elapsed before the killing was known and made public," I answered.
"Are you telling me the tipster operates in a precise time frame?"
I considered my answer. "I don't mean to tell you anything."
"Why did you call?"
"To warn you. I'm serious. This guy is a brutal murderer and very savvy. He successfully hunted down Brenda Washington, no easy chore. I truly believe he may be interested in doing the same to you."
"What could I tell him? I'm a consolidator of the information. I collect facts that are out there in the public domain. Do you read what I write? It hasn't done a thing to track down this person. Aside from speculation, I haven't developed one crumb of information on this psychic, at least until maybe, now. Are you for real?"
"Yes." I couldn't think of anything else to add. I considered hanging up but for some reason delayed.
"Consider I've been duly warned and, yes, I will take precautions. What do you want from me? I don't suppose you're going to come out of the closet and give me an exclusive."
I laughed. "No, but perhaps I can help. There are a lot of misconceptions out there. How about it if I give you a chance to put your public straight?"
"On what authority? How could I convince my reading public I heard it from the horse's mouth? By the way; is the psychic a she or was that just bull shit?"
I ignored her question rather than lie. "This ought to help the credibility issue; there's more to some tips than the police know, but haven't made public because it would enforce credence in a psychic connection for the tip. That's something the law enforcement people don't want to do. They are pleased as a kid with a new toy just to get our tips. Why would they admit the tips come from the nether world? That kind of thinking screws up successful prosecution and doesn't help getting search warrants. It also inhibits investigations and makes for an early Christmas present for defense attorneys."