by Lynn LaFleur
A gift was supposed to make you happy. Nothing about her premonitions made Kari happy.
She straightened her shoulders. She’d convince Slade Blackstone that Brenda was in trouble and they’d find his sister.
This time, she wouldn’t be too late.
Kari stopped inside the front door of The Tarot Café and looked around the rustic room. Thirty tables were dressed with forest green, cream and aubergine tablecloths. Vases of dried wildflowers sat beside glass hurricanes holding cream or aubergine pillar candles. Beaded curtains covered the windows, a rock fireplace filled one wall. The other walls were adorned with paintings of different Tarot cards. The scent of cinnamon and coffee filled the air.
She searched for a man sitting alone who could be Slade Blackstone. The only occupants in the café were three couples and a table of four women. Kari glanced at her watch. She was right on time, so he must be running late.
A lovely, petite woman with a halo of golden curly hair glided toward her, wearing a flowing blouse and calf-length skirt in shades of blue. A smile turned up the corners of her full lips. “Hello. Welcome to The Tarot Café. I’m Synda. Would you like a table?”
Kari returned Synda’s smile. “Yes, please. I’m supposed to meet someone here. He said he’s a friend of the owners.”
Synda tilted her head. “I’m one of the owners. What’s his name?”
“Slade Blackstone.”
Synda’s smile widened. “Yes, Slade is a very good friend of mine. He likes to sit next to the fireplace. Follow me.”
Kari followed Synda to the table in the corner, closest to the fireplace. She sat in the chair that faced the door so she could see Slade when he entered…even though she had no idea what he looked like. She’d ended the phone conversation before she realized she hadn’t asked him for a physical description.
“Would you like a menu?” Synda asked.
Kari shook her head. “I’ve already eaten lunch, but the coffee smells wonderful.”
“Today I have caramel drizzle, roasted hazelnut, or boring ol’ regular.”
“Boring ol’ regular will be fine. Lots of cream, please.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Kari hooked the handle of her purse over the back of the chair, then folded her hands together on the table. She released a shaky sigh. Okay, I’m here and about to meet Brenda Blackstone’s brother. Then what?
She knew convincing Slade that she only wanted to help wouldn’t be easy. His father’s hotel was proof of the family’s wealth. Slade would probably think she was a gold digger or a con artist. If he did, he wouldn’t be the first person to think that of her. She should keep her visions to herself and never open herself up to pain when a person doubted her.
The image of Brenda Blackstone’s dirty face flashed through her mind. I can’t ignore my visions. I have to try and help that young girl.
“Here you go.” Synda set a dark green mug filled with steaming coffee in front of Kari. “I also brought you a piece of my raspberry-chocolate cheesecake. My treat.”
She set the saucer of cheesecake next to the coffee. Kari’s mouth watered at the sight of the decadent dessert covered with chocolate drizzles and plump raspberries. “Oh, my.”
“Exactly the response I like from my customers.” She smiled. “Enjoy.”
Plucking a raspberry from the top of the cheesecake, Kari popped it in her mouth. The tart berry’s flavor exploded on her tongue. She moaned softly. A gal could quickly become addicted to something that tasted so wonderful.
Kari dug into the creamy concoction with her fork. She raised her gaze to the door as she lifted the fork to her mouth. A man entered the café. Her hand froze in midair, her mouth open. His black T-shirt stretched over broad shoulders and a wide chest. He stood straight and tall, an inch or two over six feet. Dark brown hair was pulled back from his tanned face. His posture combined with dark eyes, high cheekbones and a strong jaw made him not only handsome, but…regal.
Wow. What a hunk.
He scanned the room as if looking for someone. His gaze zeroed in on her. Eyes narrowed, he walked toward her table.
That gorgeous specimen is Slade Blackstone? Kari laid her fork back in her saucer. She couldn’t possibly swallow the bite of cheesecake now.
He slipped into the chair opposite her. “Ms. Winchester.”
He uttered a statement, not a question. Kari nodded.
Synda arrived with an empty mug and a full coffee pot. “Hi, Slade. Coffee?”
“Please.” He glanced at Kari’s dessert. “And a piece of that cheesecake.”
“Coming right up.”
Kari added cream to her coffee. She could feel Slade watching her every move. Warmth quickly climbed into her cheeks. She wasn’t used to a man looking at her so intently.
He rested his arms on the table. “You said you have information about my sister.”
“I do. Sort of.”
He frowned. “What do you mean, ‘sort of’?”
It was so hard for Kari to talk about her visions, especially to someone she didn’t know. “Mr. Blackstone, what I’m about to tell you is… You won’t believe it, but I swear it’s true.”
One dark eyebrow arched, but he said nothing.
“I’ve seen your sister…in a vision.”
Slade slowly sat back in his chair. “A vision.”
Kari nodded. “I didn’t want to talk about my visions over the phone. I needed to tell you in person, to make you believe me.” Pushing her saucer and mug aside, she clasped her hands and leaned closer to him. “I received an e-mail yesterday about the reopening of your father’s hotel. I printed it out and as soon as I touched the piece of paper, I saw Brenda in my mind. She was alone and dirty, her clothes torn. I saw a lot of trees and a brook flowing over rocks. She has to be in the foothills.”
“Do you have any idea how vast the foothills are?”
“Of course I do. But it’s a start. Perhaps there’s a place she liked to go, a place where she didn’t believe anyone would look for her.”
Slade rubbed his upper lip. “Where’s your proof of this…premonition?”
“I don’t have any proof—”
“I didn’t think so.”
She continued as if he hadn’t interrupted her. “But I saw her as clearly as I’m seeing you right now. She was all alone. There were trees, like I said, and a brook and…” She stopped and tried to recreate the vision in her mind. “There were rocks all over the ground.”
“Well, you’ve just described several hundred square miles of this area.”
He’s gorgeous, but also incredibly stubborn. “I know this sounds weird. You aren’t the first person who’s looked at me like I don’t have all my crayons in the box. But I assure you on my life that my visions are real.”
“So you conjure up these visions whenever you want to?”
“No, it doesn’t work that way. I have no control over them. They simply…happen.”
“How convenient.”
Kari sighed to herself. She should be used to this type of reaction, but she wasn’t. It still hurt when someone didn’t believe her. “Won’t you at least help me try to find her? She’s your sister.”
His eyes narrowed to slits, his lips turned down in a fierce scowl. “And you’re a con, trying to make a buck on someone’s misfortune.”
Kari swallowed hard, not surprised at his accusation. Still, she wouldn’t give up. She had to make him believe her, to help her find Brenda. “I never asked you for a dime!”
“Not me, no. But you’re staying at my father’s hotel. How soon do you plan to hit him up with this premonition theory? He’s loaded. Of course, I’m sure you’ve done your homework and already know that.”
Her chest tightened at Slade’s implication that she would try to con anyone out of money. “I only want to help Brenda before it’s too late. I don’t want any money from you or your father.”
“That’s good, because it isn’t going to happen.” He pushed back
his chair and stood. Placing his hands flat on the table, he leaned toward her. “Let me assure you, Ms. Winchester,” he growled, “you won’t get within fifty feet of my father. I promise you that.”
Synda arrived with Slade’s treat. “You’re leaving? You haven’t eaten your cheesecake.”
“Put it on my tab and give it to someone who’ll enjoy it.” He dropped a kiss on her cheek. “I’m outta here.”
Kari watched him storm across the floor and out the front door. Tears pricked her eyes. She understood why Slade would be skeptical of her visions, but he could at least go along with her if it meant finding his sister.
“He’s a proud man,” Synda said softly, “and very protective of his family.”
“Then why won’t he listen to me? I want to help find Brenda.”
“Slade hasn’t had an easy life, despite his family’s wealth. He was a policeman in Reno for ten years. He gave it up to start his own private investigation firm. His office is two blocks from here.” She slipped into the chair Slade had vacated. “Maybe I can help you.”
“How?”
“Perhaps the cards can help find Brenda. Let me do a reading for you.”
“A…reading?”
Synda nodded. “My partner Leandra and I do Tarot readings for our customers. I’d like to do one for you.”
Kari knew nothing about the Tarot. Since visions were a large part of her life, she would never say she didn’t believe in something simply because she knew nothing about it. “Okay.”
Slipping her hand into the pocket of her skirt, Synda drew out a beaded velvet pouch. She removed a colorful but obviously well-used deck of cards with ornate artwork on the back and placed them in the center of the table. “Shuffle them for me, as much or as little as you’d like.”
Kari picked up the cards and held them in both hands before shuffling them four times. She returned them to the table.
“Cut them into three piles, then combine the piles into one and turn over the top card.”
Kari did as instructed and turned the top card face up. The Seven of Cups.
“Ah, the Daydreams card,” Synda said, smiling.
“Is that good?”
“Upright, the way you see it, the card indicates a lack of focus or a sense of confusion. But reversed, the way I as the reader see it, means the fog is lifted and persistence is rewarded.” She smiled again. “Your quest will be successful.”
She’d take anything positive she could get right now. “Thank you, Synda. I hope you’re right.” She lifted her purse from the chair and took out her wallet. “Let me pay you for my coffee.”
Synda shook her head. “You owe me nothing. I hope to see you again soon.”
“That would be nice.”
Armed with a new confidence, Kari left the café to drive back to the Tahoe Towers. Despite Slade’s promise that she’d never get near his father, she would find a way to convince Leon Blackstone to talk to her.
Synda picked up the deck from the table and shuffled it once. She cut the deck three times, then combined the piles into one, as she had instructed Kari to do. Taking a slow breath, she turned over the top card.
The Lovers.
Synda smiled. “You’ve finally met your match, Slade Blackstone.”
Chapter Three
Slade’s long strides quickly ate up the distance between the Café and his office. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so angry. Imagine that little slip of a woman trying to blackmail his father. Kari Winchester could claim she was only trying to help find his sister. Slade knew better. She was a total con, trying to get money from his father while he’d do anything to get his daughter back.
Slade hated that Kari turned out to be a crook. She had the most incredible blue eyes he’d ever seen…as blue as the Pacific and surrounded by long brown lashes. A man could lose himself in those eyes while he kissed those full lips and slowly thrust into her body.
He wondered if her nipples were pale pink or deep rose.
You have no business thinking of her nipples or anything else about her.
He pushed the erotic image from his mind and unlocked the door to his office. He had to call his father first and tell him about the gold digger.
Leon answered after one ring. “What did you find out about Kari Winchester?”
“That she’s a con.”
“A con? She isn’t behind the kidnapping?”
“No. At least, I don’t believe she is. I’ve worked with kidnappers when I was on the force. She isn’t the…type to kidnap someone.”
“You have the experience, son. I trust your judgment. So if she didn’t kidnap Brenda, why did she want to talk to me?”
Slade dropped into the chair behind his old metal desk. “She claimed she saw Brenda in a vision and wanted to help find her.”
“She’s psychic?”
“No, Dad, she isn’t. She was vague about Brenda. She couldn’t give me one piece of proof that she knew anything.”
“Sometimes proof isn’t possible. You know that better than most people.” Leon sighed softly. “Slade, you’re a Native American. I know you’re proud of your heritage.”
“Yes, I am. Very proud.”
“Your mother was a Seer. You believed in her visions.”
“That’s completely different—“
“Why? Isn’t it possible this Kari Winchester could possess the same Gift as your mother?”
His parents came from the Maidu tribe. Slade had grown up with tales of his ancestors and the Native American people. A deep love of the land and the spiritual had been instilled in him from the time he was a young boy. His mother had seen to that. He believed in psychics and Seers for he’d seen proof of them. Kari Winchester hadn’t shown him any proof.
Slade pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s possible, but I don’t believe it.”
“Don’t you think you should follow up on whatever Kari Winchester tells you, in case it is true?”
Even though he didn’t believe a follow-up with Kari would produce anything positive, Slade didn’t want to disappoint his father. “Tell you what. If she comes up with anything, anything that might lead to Brenda, I’ll check it out. How’s that?”
“Keep me posted, even if you don’t think it’s important.”
“Will do.”
Slade hung up the phone. Leaning back in his chair, he propped one ankle on the opposite knee while he thought about what he should do next. He’d had Kari meet him at the Café because it was neutral ground. He could’ve had her meet him here, in his office, but he hadn’t wanted her to know where he worked. He didn’t trust her. If she’d stoop so low as to use his sister’s disappearance to blackmail his father, there was no telling what else she might do.
He had Kari’s cell phone number. He had to call her, offer to meet her again. He could even grovel a bit and apologize.
That thought left a bad taste in his mouth.
Footsteps on the wooden floor in the foyer grew louder, as if someone were heading his way. Slade straightened in his chair. The steps stopped a moment, then continued toward his office. Kari Winchester stepped through his door.
“I had another vision,” she said.
So much for her not knowing where I work. He motioned to the chair in front of his desk. “Sit down, please.”
She perched on the edge of the vinyl chair, her gaze sweeping the room. Slade knew exactly how his office looked. Several of the other tenants had modernized their offices in the old building. He hadn’t bothered with more than a fresh coat of paint for he didn’t need a lot of room. He’d bought the desk, chairs and file cabinets at a government auction. The few furnishings in the office were outdated, other than his computer. Slade had never needed top-of-the-line. Everything in his small office suited him fine. “Not what you imagined, huh?”
Her attention swung back to him. “I have no idea what a private investigator’s office should look like.”
“Depends on how much money he has. You k
now my family has a lot of money.”
She frowned. “Mr. Blackstone, you don’t have to keep reminding me of your family’s wealth. I don’t care. The only thing I care about is finding your sister.”
“I can’t help wondering why. You don’t know my sister. Why do you care what happens to her?”
“Because I don’t want another—”
She stopped and looked away again. Slade waited for her to continue. She blew out a breath that ruffled her dark bangs. “Look, I know you don’t believe me. I can understand that. But please, help me help her.”
He’d promised his father he’d listen to Kari if he saw her again. He’d keep that promise, despite any misgivings he still felt. “You said you had another vision.”
Kari nodded. “I was driving back to your father’s hotel. About five miles out of Truckee, a sharp pain flashed through my right ankle. It was so bad, it brought tears to my eyes. I pulled over to the side of the road. I sat there for a minute or so, then decided to get back on the road. That’s when I saw trees again, and rocks. Then I saw Brenda lying on the ground next to those rocks. I think she was unconscious.” She leaned forward and gripped the edge of his desk. “I saw her. She’s in trouble. You have to help me find her.”
“Even if I wanted to help you, there are thousands of acres of wilderness around here. Where would we look?”
Kari rubbed her head, as if she were trying to bring back the vision she’d seen in her mind. “There was a rock wall nearby, about seven feet tall. Part of it looked like…some kind of wild animal. A wolf? Or maybe a coyote.” She looked back at him. “Does that help any?”
Slade’s eyes widened before he could stop his reaction. She’d described a place where he’d gone hiking many times. Of course, so did hundreds of other people, and he imagined many of them took pictures that they posted on websites or photo programs over the Internet. Kari worked for a newspaper. With her connections, she could have easily researched the area and found out about that rock formation.