Chapter 3My Fake Prophecies Solved Homicides

Thirty minutes later, I was sitting in a quiet, minimalist coffee shop downtown. The ice in my americano had completely melted, but my throat still felt as dry as dust.

Two people sat across from me.

One was Detective Zach—young, sharp-eyed, wearing a dark utility jacket, with a gaze that felt like a laser cutting through my defenses.

The other was a stern, middle-aged woman with sharp features and an aura that screamed authority. Zach introduced her as Captain Rhonda Cooper. She hadn't looked at me once since we sat down, her fingers tapping a slow, impatient rhythm on the wooden table.

"Gina, we appreciate you taking the time to meet us," Zach began, breaking the tense silence.

"Of course. Just trying to be a helpful citizen," I replied, my voice sounding thin.

"We spoke with Diana this morning," Zach said, watching my face closely. "She claims you were able to point to her brother's exact location in a matter of minutes."

"That was a complete misunderstanding!" I waved my hands frantically, nearly knocking over my watery coffee. "I was just trying to comfort her! It was a complete, million-to-one coincidence! I'm not a psychic, I swear!"

Please, just let me go. I'm a fraud. Lock me up for lying, just don't involve me in this!

Zach didn't react. He just kept studying my expression with an unsettling intensity.

Captain Cooper finally let out a cold, quiet laugh, leaning forward. "A coincidence? Gina, your little 'coincidence' did more in five minutes than thirty of my best detectives did in three days of looking through traffic cameras."

Her words made me squirm in my seat. "I really don't know what to tell you..."

Before she could reply, the coffee shop door swung open and Diana rushed in. She had changed her clothes, but her eyes were still swollen and red.

She ran straight to our table and practically threw herself at my feet.

"Thank you! Thank you for finding my brother!" She grabbed my hand, tears spilling over her cheeks. "Even though he's... at least the people who did this are behind bars. You're our guardian angel."

The few other patrons in the cafe turned to look at us.

I panicked, trying to pull her back up to a chair. "Please, stand up! I really didn't do anything!"

Cooper watched the scene unfold, her brow furrowing deeply.

Zach gently escorted Diana to a nearby table to give her some space. When he returned, he slid a glossy crime scene photo across the table toward me.

"Gina, let's put the supernatural aside for a second and focus on the facts," Zach said.

The photograph showed a wealthy-looking middle-aged woman slumped on a velvet sofa. Her skin had a sickly, bluish tint, and her face was frozen in a mask of pain.

"The victim is Beverly, fifty-two, a prominent real estate developer. She was found dead in her locked study. No signs of forced entry. The medical examiner says it was acute poisoning, but we haven't found the source of the poison or how it was administered." Zach kept his eyes locked on mine. "We've been on this for forty-eight hours and have nothing."

He tapped the photo.

"We want to see if you can have another 'coincidence'."

Cooper leaned back, crossing her arms with a skeptical sneer. "You think taking a rideshare driver to a crime scene is going to solve a high-profile homicide, Zach? This is absurd."