Brett drove away from Paige's house, not exactly sure where he was going to go. It was nearly midnight and there wasn't really anyone else he wanted to see.

The person he wanted to be with was back in the house probably wondering if he was driving away forever. Brett scrubbed a hand across his face. He had to admit he was also wondering if he was driving away forever.

He slammed his hand against the steering wheel. The dichotomy of his feelings were tearing him apart. And it all came down to the question, could he believe that Paige really drew that picture in her sleep. 

He could call Chief Pickett and ask him his opinion. The chief was his friend, had known Brett all his life, but Brett didn't want to do that. For one, he didn't want to run to the chief every time he had a problem. And for another, Brett wasn't sure exactly how to explain all this.

It was crazy to him and he'd seen it actually happening. How could he explain it to someone else?

And once the chief was involved there was no going back. Friend or no friend, the chief would not be able to just turn a blind eye to this once he was aware of the full scope of Paige’s involvement.

Brett turned on his hands-free phone system and called Alex. He cringed just slightly as the phone rang for the first time. He didn't really know much about his new partner. Alex might not be the type to want to discuss case related matters outside of office hours.

He may not want to talk to Brett at all.

"Wagner, you in trouble?" Alex answered the phone without any greeting.

"Nah, man." This was a bad idea, Brett shouldn't have called. “Never mind. I was just thinking about the Teresa Cavasos case."

"Important enough that it couldn't wait until tomorrow? Unless you're like everyone else and just can't stand to go a few hours without hearing my voice." Alex's chuckle broke the tension. “It’s a real problem, believe me.”

Brett at least smiled. “So I’ve heard. I just had some thoughts about the case that were a little unorthodox. They were sort of consuming me so I was gonna see if you wanted to grab a beer real quick and talk this out."

"Why didn't you just start with that? I’m always up for a beer." Alex gave him the name and address of the local sports bar that a lot of the guys from the station hung out at. "I'll meet you there in fifteen.”

Brett hung up and drove the rest of the way. He would try to run some of this past Alex without giving him the full details. His new partner had already proved to be level-headed, maybe he would be able to help Brett see the truth.

Because God knew he couldn’t see it on his own.

Alex already had a booth near the back and a beer for himself when Brett arrived. Brett grabbed a beer from the bar and made his way over.

But now that he was sitting here across from his partner the idea of explaining this seemed more complicated than ever. He decided to keep Paige's name out of it for as long as possible. He didn't want to do anything that might implicate her and didn't want to put Alex in a position where he felt like he had information about the case but that Brett didn't want him to use it.

Not to mention that the entire thing sounded so impossible that even the thought of explaining it was giving him a headache.

Alex nodded at him. "So this is about the Teresa Cavasos murder? Did something new happen that I haven't heard about? Or maybe it has something to do with the lovely Ms. Jeffries?"

So much for keeping Paige out of it.

"You ever believe in using unorthodox methods to solve cases?" Brett finally asked after taking a sip of his beer.

“Like what? Psychics and stuff?”

“Yeah. Like that. Techniques outside what would be considered customary.”

Alex shrugged. "I basically believe in using any legal method available to solve cases. Particularly when it involves a violent crime and murder. Is this about the picture Paige Jeffries drew?"

“Nah.” Brett leaned back in the booth as casually as he could. “I’m just talking hypotheticals. Nothing to do with Paige.”

Alex raised an eyebrow and leaned forward on the table with his elbows. "I will say that I've been on the force long enough to know that cases are not necessarily always solved in a linear fashion. I don't necessarily think that all information needs to be shared with every single party at the moment we get it.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Since something was obviously bugging you enough to get me out of bed in the middle of the night, but you haven’t already shared it, then why don’t we come to an agreement. As long as we are working towards the same goal, finding and arresting Teresa Cavasos’ killer, then as far as I'm concerned anything said here tonight doesn't need to be official record."

Brett knew that didn't mean anything officially. Just meant that Alex wanted to be a good partner and give Brett the sounding board he needed.

But he had said the most important thing: that they were both trying to catch Teresa Cavasos' killer.

"It is about the picture Paige Jeffries drew."

Alex rolled his eyes. ”Uh, duh."

Brett smirked a little. "Yeah, it's a little weird."

"Yeah, that amount of detail. I guess it's the fact that she's an artist or whatever but it was pretty amazing."

Brett shifted back against the booth. "And suspicious. That's what you mean, isn't it?"

Alex shrugged. "As far as airtight alibis go, hers is one of the tightest I've ever seen. She's not the killer." He looked a little harder at Brett. "Is that what you're worried about? That you were in bed with a killer?"

“No,” Brett said immediately. At least he honestly knew he wasn’t worried about that. Brett had no doubt that Paige was not involved with these crimes. "I don't think she has anything to do with it."

Alex nodded. "Good. That's the first step. We couldn't even go any further if you weren't sure about that."

"But the drawings are freaky. I know that. Hell, she knows that."

"Drawings plural? As in, more than one?"

"She had another drawing that she showed me a few minutes ago. One of Teresa Cavasos, but dead this time. An exact replica of one of the crime scene photos. The one Schliesman showed her.”

Alex put his beer down mid sip. "The exact same? With all that detail and everything?"

Brett nodded. "Yes."

"She was able to draw it after only having seen it for a few seconds? The same photo that made her throw up in the trashcan?"

"It seems like the photo made her throw up in the trashcan because she had already drawn it. Before she ever came to the station. Like months ago.”

Alex twirled his beer glass with his fingers. Brett appreciated that he didn't laugh or scoff outright. 

"If memory serves, that's what she said she did with the photo from her own attack, correct?"

Brett grimaced. "Yeah. Of course, no one wants to believe her because that sort of stuff is as weird as shit isn't it? I mean, if someone could draw crime scenes before they happen?"

Alex stopped twirling his beer glass. "Yeah, definitely eerie.”

"So that's where I stand," Brett said. “When I got to her place tonight she showed me this other picture of Teresa Cavasos. Logic says she's just an artist who's desperate for attention.

Alex took another sip of beer. “Yeah.”

“Like Paige has found a way into the Portland PD computers, draws these pictures, say they happened much earlier, and is just trying to get someone to pay attention to her."

"I've seen the file for her case," Alex said. “That assault she underwent? If she camped out at the police station demanding everyone listen to her and pay attention to her case, nobody would blame her." 

Brett rubbed his forehead. "Believe me, I've thought of that."

"And what does your gut tell you? Do you think that's what this is? Because legit, nobody could blame her for needing serious help. Psychiatric help. Doesn’t make her crazy or anything. It would sort of make sense.”

Brett took a long time to gather his thoughts. It came back to the internal argument he'd had with himself at Paige's house. Logic versus crazy.

He thought of Paige's pretty face, blue eyes, soft smile. Those hadn’t changed since high school. She’d never wanted attention. Not then, not now.

"Honestly, man, I don't think this is about attention for her. As a matter fact, she goes out of her way not to be the center of anyone's focus. Hell, she almost never leaves her house at all. She's almost agoraphobic."

"But even someone who doesn't like to leave her house might still want someone to be paying attention to her case. To find the person who did that to her. It would certainly be understandable."

"I know. Trust me, I have thought those very things myself."

Alex leaned back in the booth. "But you don't think that's what’s happening now. You think Paige is telling the truth, no matter how illogical it is.”

Brett realized the other man was right. "Yeah. But hell, man, I wouldn't be the first person who's been snowed by a beautiful woman."

"You know her better than I do. I don't have a personal relationship with her so I can't say what type of person she is. But I do trust you. I trust your judgment. I trusted Chief Pickett when he chose to bring you in here for a reason. So if you say that's not what’s going on, then I think we should work under that assumption until we're given any different information."

Brett scrubbed a hand across his face. “So to recap: believing that Paige had some sort of premonition and drew both her own attack and Teresa’s murder long before either event happened.” Mentioning the sleep part would just muddy the waters.

“Yep.” Alex saluted him with his glass.

“You know that means going against everything I've learned in nearly twelve years in law enforcement. I'm not into hocus pocus type stuff. It goes against logic."

"Hey, I'm not suggesting we take up casting spells or voodoo dolls. But maybe your gal has some sort of sixth sense or something."

Like her sister did with the FBI.

Brett didn't bring that up because this conversation was already one of the weirdest of his life. Brett needed to put in a call to the San Francisco FBI field office. Just to get an understanding of what Paige's sister could do.

"Yeah, sixth sense. I guess it's not unheard of."

Alex shrugged. "If you don't think she's crazy, and you don't think she's a killer, then your only option is to believe what she's saying. And use it. Because what if the next person she draws is still alive and we can use that to help save someone's life? If that's the case, then I don't care when or how she draws it, or if she does it with her toes."

Brett nodded. Alex was right. Who cared how it was happening, it was happening. Hell, he'd seen it himself. Seen her draw in her sleep. Seen the toll it had taken on her. She hadn't been making that up.

Brett raised his glass and a small salute to Alex. "To using whatever methods we can to catch a killer."

They clinked glasses. "Even the zany ones.”