by Lotta Smith
“Yes, I did?” It sounded more like a question than a statement, Mandy tilting her head to the side.
“I thought you were here on your own,” Julie said, trying her best to sound nonchalant and hoping Mandy was just bluffing about coming with someone else when she was really solo.
“Actually, I came here with Rick.” Mandy butchered Julie’s hopes with one sentence. Also, something like a happy glow appeared around Mandy when she said his name.
“Oh really?” Julie said casually, trying to conceal her shock. “I thought he was with Bella, one of his many girlfriends. She’s a dancer, socialite, and a model. She’s soooo pretty. You know, Rick’s a known playboy who changes his date more often than he replaces his socks.” She used a staged whisper, thinking that little piece of information was likely to rattle Mandy.
“Wow, I didn’t know he changed his dates that often. As far as I know, he seems to change his socks at least once a day.” Mandy chuckled lightheartedly. It wasn’t the reaction Julie was expecting. She didn’t seem to be shocked.
“Julie, you know a lot about Rick, don’t you?”
“Of course.” Julie lifted her chin. “I’ve known him since I was a baby. He’s my first-ever BFF.” As she said that, Mandy’s attention turned to the empty space beside her. Eyes widening, Mandy gasped like she saw something shocking. Julie took it as a delayed reaction to her previous comments about Rick’s wild dating habits, so she went for another strike. “You know what? He’s got soft spots for delicate, beautiful girls like models. Perhaps that has something to do with him having a ton of art expertise and—” Julie was going to imply how Mandy wasn’t Rick’s type, just to make her point, but her little speech was interrupted in midsentence.
“Well, well, well, you must be Amanda Meyer, the person who solved the McCambridge case.”
Julie looked back and her jaw dropped. Behind them stood Maleficent.
Okay, so, Snow White was a fictional character and so was her villain mother, but the woman looked as scary as the fairy-tale villain, or perhaps scarier. She was clad in a black lacy dress and black stilettos with red soles. Sporting lots of huge diamonds on her fingers and neck, the fairy-tale villain was carrying a small jeweled purse. Julie recognized Maleficent from somewhere, but she couldn’t come up with the name.
Julie glanced at Mandy, who was opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish. She looked truly uncomfortable—much more so compared to when Julie had previously made not-so-nice remarks. She didn’t turn her head, but her eyes flickered around like she wanted to run away from Maleficent.
“Is that you, Ms. Westwood?” Mandy mumbled, as if she were unsure, and Julie finally recognized Maleficent as Aurora Westwood, the celebrity psychic who had her own TV shows.
“I heard so much about you from Miranda. When I heard about how efficiently you handled and closed the case, I was impressed.” Aurora came closer to Mandy, who raised her left hand as if she were trying to protect herself.
The moment Julie spotted a beautiful ring of pink stones forming a four-leaf clover on Mandy’s ring finger, she found herself thinking about the worst-case scenario—the ring being a gift from Rick. Julie shook her head in an attempt to convince herself that she was being paranoid. Still, she could tell the ring wasn’t something a mere assistant could afford. Julie closed her eyes, silently begging God to please let it be a false alarm.
While she tormented herself with the grim prospects, Aurora stared into Mandy’s eyes with the same passion she displayed on Breaking Dawn with Aurora Westwood, one of her TV shows, in which she helped the troubled visitors using her power as a prophet and psychic medium. “I’m looking at everything you’re trying to hide!” was the key phrase the psychic used on that show. “How interesting! Look at your aura, it comes in so many unique colors.”
“What do my aura colors tell you about me?” Mandy asked, averting her eyes from the scary psychic.
“So many things, including something words cannot fully describe.” Aurora’s blood-red lips formed a wide grin, and then she suddenly turned to Julie. “Hello, sweetie. What’s your name?”
“I’m Julie. Julie Grey.”
“Oh, hello, Julie. By the way, you have a very beautiful aura.” Before Julie had a chance to turn away, the psychic caught the girl’s eyes. “I can see you’re so pure, innocent….”
A part of Julie wanted to run away because the old woman in front of her had some mystic air, and Julie was afraid to have her jealousy over Mandy pointed out. As she looked into Aurora’s icy blue eyes, shivers crawled down her spine, and then she felt numb… until a deep, strong voice boomed in her ears.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t you, Aurora.” A large man in a glossy black Italian suit and a top hat in matching fabric walked toward them.
“It’s you, Brian. What a nice surprise to bump into you!” Aurora switched her gaze from Julie to Brian Powers, a budding exorcist. “I didn’t know you’re a ballet aficionado.” She raised the corners of her red lips into a courteous smile, but her eyes weren’t smiling.
Julie scurried to his side. She was familiar with Brian Powers, who covered her from Aurora’s view by protectively standing in front of her. Brian was another friend of her parents.
“Actually, I happen to greatly enjoy the ballet,” Brian said lightheartedly, displaying his own courteous smile, but just like Aurora, his eyes weren’t smiling. “I suppose someone within the company needs your spiritual guidance, am I correct?”
“Oh no. No one in our business talks about the clients. Besides, I’m here solely for pleasure, so let’s not talk about work.”
“Really? Then why do I see your assistant when it has nothing to do with your work?” Brian raised one of his eyebrows, looking at a middle-aged woman accompanying the psychic like a lady-in-waiting.
“Because it’s Ms. Seymour here, my secretary, who is a true ballet connoisseur.” Indicating the woman with one hand, Aurora said, “Sometimes, you have to entertain your help.” Following Aurora’s words, the woman’s mouth twitched. Julie saw two moles lined up on one corner of her lips. For some unknown reason, Julie thought they looked like eyes—not smiling eyes but sad ones trying their best to keep from wailing.
The woman called Ms. Seymour was like the shadow of her employer. Clad in a drab black suit without makeup or accessory, she looked pale, rail thin, and ghostly.
“Excuse me, but have we met before?” Mandy abruptly asked the secretary.
“I’m afraid not,” Ms. Seymour replied in a small voice, not meeting Mandy’s eyes.
“So, Mandy, since when have you been friends with the most celebrated psychic?” Brian glared at Mandy.
“Oh no, it’s my first time meeting her, you know.”
“I had heard so much about your friend with the FBI, so I couldn’t help talking to her the moment I spotted her,” Aurora said breezily.
“Hmm, so what’s your take on her?” Brian asked, frowning.
“She’s incredible. She has an aura coming in colors I’ve never seen. I’m utterly impressed.” Aurora gave Mandy a sideways glance, prompting her to shiver.
“Excuse me, Ms. Westwood, but the show will begin shortly,” Ms. Seymour whispered to Aurora in a hesitant tone.
“Oh, what a shame. We’ve got to go.” Aurora shrugged and took a small black card out of her jeweled purse. “Amanda, you have to come to my place so we can have a nice chat over tea.”
“Um… well….” While Mandy babbled in apparent panic, Aurora forced the card into her hand, turned on her heels, and started walking toward the theater.
Brian crossed his arms as he watched the TV psychic and her secretary walking away. When the two women were out of earshot, he muttered, “I don’t like this. Did you see the way that monstrous woman looked at you? It was as if she was putting a curse on you. You’ve got to be careful. That bitch is famous for her evilness.”
“Will you stop using bad words, Brian?” Mandy shushed him, stuffing the card in her purse.
“We have young ears with us.”
“Are you talking about me?” Julie chimed in, coming out of her hiding place behind Brian. “For your information, the B-word is not enough to shock me. I’m not that naïve. Fred Michaelson at school is even bragging about knowing the meaning of the F-bomb.”
“Oh really?” Brian flashed an amused smile. “That’s interesting.”
“Julie Harper Grey! Don’t even think about telling what you were thinking about telling. You’ve already shared too much information with my friends,” Meredith Grey, Julie’s mother, scolded her daughter as she trotted toward Julie in her Manolos. “By the way, sneaking out of the powder room and leaving your mommy behind wasn’t nice, young lady.”
“Sometimes, a woman’s got to have alone time,” Julie protested, pouting. “And I didn’t wanna miss the beginning of the show. We’re here to watch the gala, not to spend two hours at the powder room listening to the conversation between you and an acquaintance of yours, remember?”
“Of course, I remember.” Meredith winked and turned to Brian and Mandy. “Thanks, guys, for babysitting my little princess.”
“Meredith, you might seriously want to watch her back. Aurora Westwood was looking at Jules like some high-end dessert,” Brian warned.
“Are you talking about the TV psychic?” Meredith perked up. “Seriously? Did I just miss her? I wish I’d have gotten here sooner.”
“No! You’re lucky to miss her.” Mandy did a full-body shiver. “She was so scary.”
“Right. That witch is evil,” Brian agreed.
“If only I could unsee her!” When Mandy swiped her left hand from side to side, like she was trying to erase the memory of her encounter with the psychic, Meredith took her hand.
“Hey, look at your ring. It’s an antique Bvlgari, isn’t it?” she exclaimed, looking at the beautiful pink stones forming a four-leaf clover. “This is sooo beautiful. I love it!”
“Thanks.”
Mandy blushed, prompting Meredith to gasp and say, “Oh my God, it’s from Rick, isn’t it?”
Julie willed Mandy to say no. At the same time, she promised God that she’d consider eating Brussels sprouts if only he’d have Mandy deny her mom’s question, but obviously, God wasn’t listening to Julie’s request.
“Yes. It was Christmas gift from him. Talk about a surprise gift!”
Meredith shrieked, high-fiving with Brian, who apparently tried to keep a straight face and failed to do so.
Julie was beyond devastated. For a split second, she contemplated breaking down, curling up in the corner, and crying like a baby. But instead, she raised her chin and stomped her little feet, declaring, “I will never, ever eat Brussels sprouts! I’m not going to even touch that evil vegetable!” just to make her point to the heavens—and to keep her dignity, of course.
“You have a point, Jules. Brussels sprouts are evil,” Brian agreed, gently patting his little friend on the head.
Meredith looked at her daughter, raising an eyebrow. “Fine, but then you’re better off eating kale anyway.”
“That’s not the point!” Shrieking, Julie clung to Brian. She knew he wasn’t much of a hugger, but she was in desperate need for someone to cuddle.
CHAPTER 2
On Tuesday afternoon, I was at my desk in the office located in the furthest corner from the one occupied by the head of the FBI’s New York City field office.
It was a slow day with no new cases, and Rick Rowling, my boss and only colleague in the Paranormal Cases Division, was participating in one of those mandatory physical training sessions. I was on my own in the office, killing time. While I was adding some finishing touches to the latest case report, the ring on my left hand jumped into my sight, prompting me to smile like a total idiot. I knew it was lame, but I couldn’t help it.
“Hey, girlfriend, what’s up?” Jackie popped up from out of nowhere and got in my face, hanging upside down like a pet parakeet who got bored with its regular position.
“Yow!” I shrieked in half surprise and half horror.
“Come on, Mandy, will you stop reacting like you’ve just seen a ghost?” She pouted.
I took a deep breath, then said, “Okay, here’s the thing. First of all, I’d appreciate it very much if you’d give me some warning, or a knock at least, before sneaking up on me à la Spider Man, or some creepy villain in a horror flick with your otherwise beautiful hair totally covering your face. And secondly, you are a ghost.”
Yes, you heard me right. Jackie, the drag queen, clad in a revealing outfit in neon colors, happened to be a ghost, and I wasn’t hallucinating.
I’m Amanda Meyer, but most people call me Mandy. I used to be a medical student, but following wicked twists of fate, I landed a job working as a special assistant to Rick Rowling at the FBI’s Paranormal Cases Division. I happen to communicate with dead people, and in my opinion, my reaction to being ambushed by Jackie was totally justifiable. Considering she’d appointed herself as my guardian angel, the ghost had a tendency to spook me.
“You know what?” Jackie continued nonchalantly. “According to Carina Christien, trying on new things sprinkled with the element of surprise is what makes your life exciting,” she said, mentioning a certain bestselling author Rick and I had previously encountered, then flipped herself up into the normal position like an astronaut repositioning herself in weightlessness and grinning triumphantly. As she did, the shiny, long blonde hair bounced back onto her shoulders and her necklace screaming ‘FESTIVE’ gleamed.
I did a mental forehead slap. “What? Have you been sneaking up on my Kindle device?”
“I need entertainment when you’re not available,” Jackie said matter-of-factly.
“Brian said you’re always welcome.”
“Oh yes, except he’s a little scary. Can you believe he made me learn his aura by heart on Saturday? If I describe yours as soft, fluffy, and somewhat sweet, his aura is sharp, hard, and well… spicy! Yeah, spicy is the word. Anyway, he makes me feel uneasy.”
“You know what, Jackie? You’re sounding like you have a crush on Brian,” I teased, prompting the ghost to do a full-body shiver.
“By the way, you have to set your screen timeout at the max,” Jackie went on. “It’s totally frustrating when the screen dies on me when I’m in the middle of reading. Oh, don’t forget to turn on automatic page-turner. Hey, don’t look at me like a stalker. I need entertainment while you and Rick are in the bedroom. You’d hate it if I interrupted you in the middle of a hot, steamy, X-rated—”
“Ooookay, so you can read anything you’d like using my Kindle!” I snapped before the flamboyant ghost went into too much detail.
“Ooh, Mandy, you’re sooo cute when you blush like that.” Jackie chuckled lightheartedly, moving her hand as if she were patting my shoulder. “By the way, I totally love the four-leaf clover. I’d be grinning nonstop if I had such a beautiful ring on my ring finger. It’s totally swoon-worthy. Not to mention it’s from Rick.” She whistled.
“Thanks,” I said, trying to keep a straight face, only to fail. As I touched the ring I couldn’t help grinning. Not only did I absolutely love this Christmas gift from Rick, but it was something that signified the blossoming relationship between the two of us.
When I met him for the first time, I was detained at Chapel Hill Police Department, being falsely accused of a triple murder—for some unknown reason, three people who’d previously committed violent crimes, but slipped out of the justice system unpunished, dropped dead just minutes after touching me—and Rick came in and cleared my name. Under normal circumstances, I would have fallen in love with him. After all, the devilishly hot and devastatingly sexy FBI agent had practically saved my behind. Except, while proving my innocence, he also gave me the unpleasant nickname of “Grim Reaper,” resulting in my expulsion from medical school. So, when I started working with the FBI as his assistant, I couldn’t have been more unenthusiastic.
At that time, he was my least favorite person, and I
couldn’t even imagine befriending him, much less dating and living with him. But following a freak accident in which he broke an ankle, we’d been living together and now he introduced me as his girlfriend. The ring he gave me was tailored to fit the fourth digit of my left hand and… okay, sometimes I spent hours trying to decipher the meaning of his action without success. I knew that the easiest and perhaps the most dependable method of disentangling the mystery of the ring size was to simply ask him, but a part of me was too scared to do so because his answer may not be something I’d want to hear. Anyway, the old saying about life being full of surprises was so true.
Jackie started to giggle abruptly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
“Hey, Mandy. I think I’ve just developed a skill to give you a prediction. Wanna hear?” she said, still giggling.
“What prediction?”
“Be solemn and listen carefully, for I’m telling this only once.”
“Jackie, why are you sounding like a fortune teller in Coney Island?” I chuckled, but the ghost of a drag queen kept a straight face and made tsk-tsk sounds.
“Listen carefully.” She stuck out her index finger. “I have a hunch that the love of your life will pop the question pretty soon.”
“The question? What’s the question?” I said nonchalantly, but of course, I knew what she meant.
“Are you playing dumb or what?” She snorted, pointing at my ring. “Seriously, he gave you this. No guy gives you this unless he has serious thoughts about you including marriage, and I’m positive Rick’s totally serious about you.”
“You think so?” I whispered, even though we were alone in the office.
“I am,” she replied, also in sotto voce. “Remember when Dan visited you guys for dinner a few weeks ago? When you went to the kitchen to fetch dessert and wine, Dan suggested to Rick that it’s about time to leave the feds and join the family business, and Rick didn’t reject that proposition.”