Authors: Jennifer Ryan
She didn’t care what they asked, whether for themselves or someone else. She made sure they had a good experience in her shop and they left satisfied. On rare occasions, she even told them she just didn’t know. When that happened, they sometimes were upset, but most of the time they were content with her honesty. Better that than insincere, vague answers.
On this particular night, the customer wouldn’t be satisfied with
the universe has left your answer clouded in mystery
. He wanted an answer to his question. And for him, this was serious business. She hoped she said the right thing. Because the guy looked like he held onto his patience and sanity by a thread.
“Madam Sarina is in contact with the spirit world. They want you to be more specific. Who do you want to know about?”
“Morgan. Does she know who I am? Is she going to cause trouble for me? She gave me the information about the job, didn’t she?”
The guy leaned so far forward on his chair she thought he might topple it and the table. Intent on her, she got caught up in those eyes. Usually, she’d drag out the reading and give the customer a good show. Not tonight. Tonight, she wanted this guy gone.
“She gave you the answer you needed.”
“She did. She was right. She’s always right. It’s the other. Will she tell?”
She didn’t know what the ‘other’ was, and she didn’t want to know. This guy wanted to keep his secret. Better to tell him what he wanted to hear. Maybe then he’d be satisfied and leave.
“She told you what you needed to know. The spirits assure me she doesn’t have anything else to tell. She won’t cause you any problems.”
“You said she doesn’t have anything else to tell. That’s because she already knows. She knows. Do you know too? Can you see what I did?”
She had no idea what he meant and shook her head no, leaning back to put some distance between them and the dangerous vibe that made her want to run.
He leaped across the table and grabbed her around the throat and they both fell to the floor. The chair and table toppled, and the crystal ball clattered across the floor. She gasped for air, choking, and desperately tried to call out for help.
“Can you see what I did?” He squeezed harder and slammed her head against the wood floor. Her feet kicked and scuffed behind him. “Can you?”
She stared into his dark eyes, saw the madness and her own death. She didn’t know what he’d done before; it didn’t matter, he was going to kill her now.
She’d worked more than fifteen years in the psychic-reading business without seeing anything. She hadn’t seen her own death coming. Maybe this was her due for cheating all those people into believing she saw something they didn’t.
The world around her turned black as her killer’s eyes.
Now she can’t tell.
He’d rid himself of the psychic, Madam Sarina. He’d get rid of all the psychics. A clear purpose took hold inside of him. He’d kill all the psychics. He’d eliminate Morgan. Then, none of them would see. There’d be no one left to tell.
He slipped out the back door and into the acrid-smelling alley behind the shop. Garbage cans overflowed. Foggy, the eerie smoke-like mist swirled around him as he quickly made his way down the dark alley. The streets weren’t very busy in this part of town at this time of night. More homeless people than tourists or residents. This part of town catered to the keep-to-yourself-crowd rather than to people who were likely to notice him leaving an alley in a hurry and report a suspicious person in the neighborhood.
He made his way to his small, cramped apartment above a bank of storefronts. Old and musty, most nights it smelled of fried duck and ginger from the Chinese restaurant downstairs.
Quiet, no one bothered him. That’s what appealed to him.
He tore off his jacket just inside the door and sat on his old faded brown plaid couch. Sagging in the middle, worn fabric, but it was his. He could sleep on it, eat on it, and do whatever he pleased without anyone telling him to keep his feet off the furniture.
His mother had ruled his world and nagged and fretted over every little thing he did until he couldn’t take it. He’d taken care of her during her illness. She’d suffered and made him suffer for it. Every ache and pain caused by the cancer had worn away what little happiness and love she’d had for him, until she’d become even more temperamental and accusing. She’d blamed him for ruining her body, her life, and leaving her in writhing pain. Of course, before the cancer she’d blamed him for every man who’d ever left her. She’d blamed him for not being strong enough, smart enough, or enough of anything and everything.
He leaned his head back against the couch and gazed up at the dingy ceiling and thought about how powerful he’d felt with his hands around Madam Sarina’s throat. He’d been enough then. Enough of a man to take her life. He’d silenced her. She’d never tell his secret.
He pulled his head away from the couch and looked down at the coffee table and the phonebook open to the listing of San Francisco psychics. He’d start with them. He’d rid himself of the seers. Then he’d be safe. He’d find Morgan too. Once he found her, he’d make her pay. His mother always accused him of never seeing anything through. He’d see this through.
Morgan started this. He’d finished it.
He picked up the pen next to the phonebook and scratched out Madam Sarina’s shop. The Psychic Eye wouldn’t be open for business tomorrow.
For the first time in his life, he felt calm, almost happy. He tossed a frozen dinner into the ancient microwave and set the timer. He’d eat and he’d plan. His mother had always told him, if he only made a plan and followed it through, he could accomplish anything. Maybe, just maybe, she’d been right on that one point. He knew what he had to do. He had a purpose.
A
WEEK AFTER
the press conference, Tyler realized he hadn’t accomplished anything at work. At first he found himself waiting for that sultry voice in his mind. When he didn’t hear it, he got angry. His head wasn’t in the game, and Sam had to cover for him more times than Tyler wanted to admit. Sam finally had enough and told him to take a few days off, get his head clear, and get back on the job. Tyler would have normally told Sam to take a hike off a cliff and mind his own damn business. But in this case, he found the vacation idea tempting. More so when he factored in Maria and a trip to Hawaii.
A few days turned into ten, but he’d needed the time off and to prove to himself he could make a relationship with a woman work.
He and Maria hadn’t bickered in all of those ten days. They would talk over dinner, or spend a quiet evening enjoying the food with few words between them. If she preferred he kept the conversation away from the topic of his job and the many horrors he saw on a daily basis, he couldn’t blame her. His type of work didn’t fascinate everyone. Frankly, he was tired of talking about it himself. He lived it every day. He could keep work and his personal life separate.
Sam called him several times the last couple days of his vacation. He ignored every call and message. Whatever had been going on at work, he didn’t want to know. Sam had told him to clear his head, and just when Tyler took his advice, Sam tried to suck him back into work.
When they returned late Thursday night, Tyler asked Maria to stay with him at his apartment. Afraid of breaking the spell, sending his life back to the way it had been, he didn’t want to go home to an empty apartment and an empty bed. It wasn’t even the sex. The island vacation proved they didn’t need to make love every night. Just being together was enough.
At least that’s what he thought, until his first day back at the office when he walked down the aisle to his cubicle and caught Sam kissing Elizabeth. They clung together so tightly that every inch of her pressed to him. The intimacy of the embrace struck Tyler in the heart. Nothing else around them mattered. Caught up in their love for each other and their desire to express that love blocked everything else out.
He hadn’t realized he’d stopped outside his cubicle and stood staring until a high-pitched voice brought him back to his senses.
“Up. Up. Up.”
Little Grace held her arms up to him and waited to be picked up. He obliged the angel and kissed her soundly on the cheek. She patted his shoulder and laid her head on his chest for a rest while she sucked her thumb. She smelled of baby powder, soap, and just sweet baby.
“Hi, Gracie. Did you miss Uncle Tyler?”
She didn’t answer, and based on the weight of her head on his shoulder, she was pretty well on her way to a nap. He snuggled her closer and held her tight as Sam and Elizabeth broke their embrace. A soft blush colored Elizabeth’s cheeks. Beautiful as always, the swell of her belly reminded him the second addition to their family was on his way. He felt the familiar pang of jealousy. He almost wished he’d been the one shot and drugged in front of her house. Maybe then she’d be kissing him and the baby girl in his arms and the one on the way would be his. Sam’s happy life would be his. It wasn’t, though. Elizabeth belonged to Sam in a way that transcended their simply being married. They were connected to each other. You could see it, feel it.
He glanced at Sam and ignored the disgusted glare. “You got her. Can I keep this one?” He indicated the sleeping Grace in his arms.
“You can’t have either of them. If you weren’t holding my daughter, I’d deck you.”
Sam turned to his wife and kissed her again. Long and soft and so full of love that his heart ached. He hadn’t seen her in three days and he missed her. “I’ll see you tonight. I hope.”
He ran his fingers lightly over Elizabeth’s cheek, down her neck, and over her shoulder and down her arm. He hated to leave her. He’d only gotten to see her and Grace for a few minutes in between meetings, and now he had to leave. They had to come all the way to his office so they could see him. He felt badly that Elizabeth had finally given in and come after him.
She never complained about his job. Pregnant and feeling needy, she wanted him to take care of her. Sure she could take care of herself, but hormonal and tired, she deserved a little pampering when she was carrying his child. Not so much to ask. At least normally it wasn’t. This case involved someone he knew. He couldn’t ignore it, but unfortunately that meant he’d ignored his wife and daughter.
Elizabeth had enough this morning and came to get her man and a little loving for her and their daughter. He’d already kissed his daughter. His wife held his attention and made him want to go home and crawl into bed with her. He might just have enough energy to make love to her before he slept more than the three or four hours he’d gotten every other night of the last week.
He kissed sleeping Grace on the head and rubbed his hand softly over her back.
He’d been happy Tyler had finally taken a vacation. He’d been mildly irritated when Tyler ignored his first few calls. That mild irritation had a good week to build to an all-out fury when Tyler hadn’t returned a single message all weekend, especially since Sam knew Tyler returned home last Thursday.
Almost ten o’clock on Monday morning and Tyler had finally come into the office. Sam had been at work for hours. Yeah, he wanted to deck Tyler. It wouldn’t do any good, but he’d feel a hell of a lot better. He’d settle for leaving him in his dust and in the dark.
“Was it something I said?” Tyler joked.
“More like something you didn’t say,” Elizabeth scolded. “Like hello when Sam called you the first, the fifth, or the tenth time.” She couldn’t help the anger in her voice. She’d missed Sam over the last few days, and Tyler had shown up and ruined Sam’s mood.
“I was on vacation. Can’t a guy even take a few days off without his partner calling him every day? Sam’s good at his job. He didn’t need me for anything.”
“Is that what you think? He’d call you on your vacation about something as trivial as needing your advice on a case.” She rubbed a hand over her growing belly and took a breath. She didn’t need this agitation in her condition. Her daughter was also sound asleep and bound to wake up if she heard her mother yelling.
“What’s the matter then? Is it Jack or Jenna? One of the kids? What’s the emergency?”
“Morgan is the emergency. At least, she is to Sam. Have you forgotten about her? More than five years of her helping you and you turn your back on her just when she needs you. She saved your sister. After everything she’s done for you, you can’t even pick up the damn phone when Sam calls to find out if there’s a problem.”
His heart jolted. Worries and questions filled his mind. “Wait a minute. What’s wrong with Morgan? Has Sam heard from her?”
“No. He hasn’t. He’s been trying to find her. She covers her tracks better than anyone Sam’s come up against. Every time he thinks he’s close, he hits another brick wall.
“I don’t know all the details,” Elizabeth went on. “Sam is reluctant to talk about what’s happened. What I do know is this case is really getting to him. He needed you. And you were too busy sunning and funning in Hawaii to pick up your phone and give Sam five minutes of your time.”
“I’m sorry, Elizabeth. I am. I’m here now. I’ll help Sam with whatever case he’s working.”
“This isn’t just a case. It’s about Morgan. This is about the Psychic Slayer.”
That got his attention. Every instinct in him went on high alert. The instinct to protect Morgan flared. Vacation or not, his mind just shifted into full FBI mode. “Excuse me? The Psychic Slayer. What the hell is that?”
“Keep your voice down. Grace is sleeping.”
He stroked his hand down the back of the little bundle in his arms. Completely at ease, she softly breathed as her mouth worked on her thumb.
“The Psychic Slayer is the name the press gave the maniac going around San Francisco killing all the psychics. I don’t know all the details, but I know he started the night of the press conference when Stewart gave Morgan’s name to the reporters. Since then, he’s committed four more murders. All of the women were psychics. At least, they claim to be. They work in various shops around the city giving readings and such. The newspapers are vague about the details.