“We need to institute guards again,” I suggested. “I might be able to talk Nixie and Naida into drawing some wards to alert us if anyone trespasses over the tent boundaries, too.”
“That’s not a bad idea. Can you do that before we open?”
“We open in five minutes.”
“Then you’d better get on it.” Kade graced me with one more kiss – he seemingly couldn’t get enough of my lips, which made me feel warm and toasty inside. “I’ll swing by as often as I can tonight. Do me a favor and don’t wander around alone after dark.”
“Do you think our friend is going to move on me again? He took another child, so he’s probably busy.”
“I think that I want to make sure you’re safe,” Kade replied. “That’s my job, after all.”
“Because you’re the head of security or my … um … .”
Kade arched an eyebrow, amused. “Boyfriend? Is there a reason that word is tripping you up?”
“It seems kind of juvenile to refer to you as my boyfriend,” I admitted. “It also feels nice.”
“Then go with your gut.”
“How do you feel about being referred to as my gentleman caller?”
Kade chuckled. “I’ve been called worse.”
“We’ll pick out something later. It’s a decision that needs time to percolate. Right now I need to find Nixie and then get to work.”
“We both do. We have a lot going on tonight. We’d better get to it.”
MY TENT had barely opened for readings when a wan young woman with dishwater blond hair stepped through the opening. She looked rough – as if she’d been on a ten-day heroin bender rough – her eyes red rimmed and puffy. She searched the tent for a moment, her eyes unfocused and floating, before directing her attention to me.
“My name is Emily Danes. Um … are you the fortune teller?”
I risked a look at my outfit but managed to keep my expression neutral. “I am. Can I help you?” Emily Danes. The name should mean something to me. I was almost positive I’d heard it before, or at least a variation of it. I couldn’t quite grasp where, though. “You should sit down.” There was something about her demeanor that made me think she was about to fall over. She was so shaky she looked as if a stiff breeze could topple her.
The woman did as instructed, twisting her hands in her lap as she stared at the gazing globe on the table. “Can you see things in that? The future, I mean.”
Actually, the globe was strictly for looks. She didn’t need to know that, though. “Ms. Danes … .”
“Mrs. Danes,” she corrected. “I’m married.”
I didn’t see a wedding ring, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. I took the seat across the table and crossed my legs at the ankles as I regarded her. It took me a moment, but things slipped into place. “Danes,” I murmured. “The missing girl’s name is Sarah Danes. Are you her mother?”
Emily jolted at the question. “Did the spirits tell you that?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
I shook my head. “The police were by earlier. They mentioned your daughter’s name. I happened to remember it. I’m very sorry for your ordeal.”
“Oh.” Emily looked disappointed at the news. “I was hoping that you could psychically divine that. That would make things easier for me.”
“Because if I could do that I could find your daughter, too?”
Emily nodded, her lower lip quivering. She seemed embarrassed. “She’s seven. She’s just a baby. I … what if we never find her?”
I wasn’t a mother, but I understood her terror. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“Don’t you know?”
“I wasn’t around when Detective Ashburn gave the full story,” I supplied. “We have a saying around here, the show must go on. That’s probably not something you can understand right now, but we have a schedule to hit and it’s not negotiable.”
“I guess I didn’t consider that.” Emily rubbed her cheek and stared at an empty spot on the tent wall. “I mentioned coming here to my husband. He thought I was crazy. He actually accused me of losing my mind.”
“Yet you came anyway. May I ask why?”
Emily ignored my question. “I think I might be losing my mind. It’s not just lack of sleep,” she said. “I feel somehow displaced from my life, if that makes sense.”
I nodded, sympathetic. “Tell me what happened.”
“We realized Sarah was gone first thing this morning. Her window was open and the screen was missing. She’s usually up before me, so I thought it was nice she was still sleeping. I was looking forward to a little quiet time, which I never get. I made breakfast before checking, though. Breakfast! I wasted almost an hour when we could’ve been looking for her!”
My heart rolled at the news. Guilt is a powerful motivator, which explained Emily’s presence. She blamed herself even though the odds of her being able to stop the abduction were slim. “Just like Joshua.”
“Yes.” Emily bobbed her head. “You found Joshua. I read about it in the newspaper. Detective Ashburn told us he was unharmed when you found him. I need you to find Sarah.”
“I didn’t find Joshua,” I said, leaning forward in an attempt to make eye contact. “He found us.”
“But Detective Ashburn said you discovered a cabin in the woods and that he believes that’s where Joshua was held,” Emily pressed. “He said that’s the first place they looked for Sarah. But she’s not there. If you found the cabin, you can find wherever Sarah is now.”
From her perspective, that was probably solid deduction. From mine, it felt like a lot of pressure. “We knew where to start looking in Joshua’s case,” I replied, choosing my words carefully. “We knew where we first saw him and followed the trail back into the woods. We don’t have a starting point for Sarah.”
“She was here, though,” Emily argued. “You’re magic, right? You can see the future. Isn’t that what being a fortune teller means?”
“I can … at times.” I felt helpless. “I don’t see anything now, though.” I tried wading into the woman’s frazzled mind, but it was too muddled to find a path to follow. She was one meltdown away from falling apart and being unable to recover until she got her child back – if that even happened.
“Does that mean Sarah is dead?”
“No. That means I can’t read her because she’s not here.”
“You can read me, though.”
“Your mind is too … cloudy,” I said. “I’m sorry. That doesn’t mean Sarah isn’t out there waiting for you. It simply means I can’t see her.”
“But you have to.” Emily dissolved in tears as she grabbed my hand, causing my heart to roll. “She’s my baby. I won’t survive without her. I have to know if she’s okay. I have to know if she’s cold … or hurt … or crying for me. That’s what I keep picturing when I shut my eyes. Is my baby screaming for me? Please! You have to help me!”
I opened my mouth to argue and then snapped it shut, heaving a resigned sigh. “Okay. I’ll give it my best shot. You have to remain as calm as possible, though. I can’t guarantee what I’ll see, but I’ll do my best to find her. I promise you that.”
“Thank you.” Emily was so thankful that she couldn’t stop the tears. She took me by surprise when she began digging in her purse. “How much money do you need to see things clearly? I’m not sure how much I have. I can get more.”
I stilled her with a hand on her forearm and shook my head. “You don’t need to pay me.”
“But … isn’t this your livelihood?”
“There are some things more important than money,” I answered. “I don’t want your money.”
“Okay. What do I need to do?”
I extended my hands and gestured for Emily to take them. “I need you to close your eyes and calm yourself. I know it’s difficult, but I need you to make your mind as quiet as possible. Focus on your breathing. Focus on the back of your eyelids and force all other thoughts from your head. It’s important.”
&
nbsp; “Okay.” Emily followed my lead and exhaled heavily as she gripped my fingers.
“Breathe in,” I whispered. “Breathe out.”
I repeated the words until I felt Emily’s heartbeat slow, lulling her into a bit of a trance before poking around in her head. There were so many potential future branches to choose from I couldn’t follow all of them without losing myself. Instead I looked for something specific to Sarah, not stopping until I found the girl.
She stood in the middle of a dark room in her mother’s head, studying me with dispassionate eyes. “Who are you?”
“My name is Poet Parker. We’re looking for you. Do you know where you are?”
“I want my mother.” Sarah gritted out the words with a splash of tears. She was doing her best to be brave … but failing miserably. “I want to go home!”
“But … what are you doing here?” I glanced around. We were in a nonexistent room with nothing but black surrounding us. We could see each other despite the fact that there didn’t seem to be a specific source of light.
“I’m waiting for my mother to find me,” Sarah replied. “She needs to hurry. I think he’s coming back soon! If I’m here when he comes back … .” She trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging.
“Do you know who has you?”
“No. I can’t see him. I never saw him. I was taken from a dream, I think.”
“Then how do you know it’s a man?” I asked.
“I … don’t know. I guess it’s just a feeling. I didn’t wake up until I was already away from my house. I thought I was dreaming at first, but … I wasn’t.”
“Do you know where he took you? Can you describe your surroundings?”
“It’s dark. All I know is that it’s dark.” Sarah looked fearful as she snapped her head to the left. “I hear something outside.”
“Is it him?”
“I don’t know what it is … I want to go home!” Sarah wailed her misery as she slapped her fingers over her eyes. “Get me out of here!”
“Sarah, stay calm,” I ordered. “I need you to give me something to go on. I need a place to start looking.”
“I can’t stay,” Sarah said, flapping her hands. “He’s here! I … I want my mommy!”
I fought back tears as Sarah disappeared, snapping my eyes open and finding Emily staring at me. I had no idea what she’d seen or heard, but I had to tell her something. My conscience wouldn’t allow me to let her leave without offering some form of solace.
“Sarah is still alive,” I said finally, sitting back in my chair. “She’s in danger, though. She doesn’t know where she is.”
Emily blinked rapidly. “How do I find her?”
That was a really good question. “I honestly have no idea.”
23
Twenty-Three
I couldn’t get Emily’s sad face from my mind, or shove Sarah’s fearful countenance to the back of my brain. I struggled through five readings before giving up and calling Melissa to help. She seemed surprised.
“You want me to do what?” Melissa was understandably confused.
“I want you to take over readings for the next few hours,” I answered, posting her by the tent opening so she could act as sentry as I changed out of my costume skirt and shirt, trading the ensemble for cargo pants and a tank top. “Here. Put these on.”
Melissa took the shirt and skirt, dubious. “But … you said I had to learn the ropes before I could read fortunes … even though I’m good at reading fortunes. Why did you change your mind?”
“Because I have something to do.” I slipped on a pair of sneakers and tugged my long hair back in a ponytail. “Just tell them good things, and if you come across anyone who is evil and prone to murder jot down his name and call for Kade.”
“I thought you were going to be with Kade.” Melissa wrinkled her nose as she stepped into the skirt. It bothered me that she was so thin she almost disappeared in the fabric. She had absolutely no hips, which made me wonder if my hips were too large and … we have a missing child here. I need to focus.
“Kade is working,” I said, tamping down my irritation. “Why would I be with him?”
“Because you guys are all over each other and seem to be focused on cleaning the cobwebs with the womb broom,” Melissa replied, not missing a beat.
My mouth dropped open. “I … where did you hear that?”
Melissa shrugged. “I’ve heard no end of them since I joined you guys.”
“Yes, well, stop spending so much time with Luke,” I grumbled, shaking my head. “He’s a bad influence on people.”
“So you’re not going to be with Kade?” Melissa was back to being confused. “It’s not like you to take off from work if you don’t have a good reason.”
“I have a good reason.” I told her about Emily’s visit. “I need to see if I can find Sarah. I won’t be able to concentrate otherwise.”
“But … where are you going to look?”
That was a very good question. “I’m starting in the woods,” I answered after a moment’s contemplation. “The shack might be off limits because of the police, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing else out there. If this area is known to the person … or creature … who took Sarah and Joshua, he might be compulsive and have no choice but to return.”
“Are you taking Kade with you?”
“No. He needs to stay here and monitor things.”
“What about Luke?”
“The cops are crawling all over this place,” I reminded her. “Luke needs to stay close in case someone wants to see the wolf and he needs to shift.”
“So … what … you’re going out into the woods alone?” Melissa didn’t look thrilled with the suggestion. “That’s a terrible idea.”
I didn’t blame her. I wasn’t keen on it either. “I … need to look, and I can’t risk taking Kade because someone needs to be here in case the cops decide they’re going to do something.”
“Then take me,” Melissa suggested.
“You want to run around in the woods? You’ve been bugging me for two weeks to do some readings. I’m giving you a chance and now you’ve changed your mind? What’s up with that?”
“I haven’t changed my mind,” Melissa corrected. “I simply don’t think it’s a good idea for you to take off into the woods, especially since this thing tried to munch on you once before.”
She had a point. Still … . “I’ll take Nixie and Naida,” I said after a beat. “They’re both powerful, and together we might be able to work a locater spell to find Sarah. We can have other people monitor Nixie and Naida’s booths for a few hours. It’s not as if the voodoo dolls are exactly flying off the shelves in this town.”
“That’s for sure,” Melissa muttered. “Everyone here seems addicted to clean living and dead set against debauchery. How is anyone supposed to have a good time?”
I fixed her with a pointed look. “You need to keep your eyes open when reading people,” I ordered. “Look in their heads. A surface scan should be enough to figure out what they’re thinking. If you run across anyone evil or someone who might have information about what’s going on with the kidnapped children, write down their names and find a way to get them to Kade so he can ask the appropriate questions.”
“Won’t he think it odd that I’m coming to him?” Melissa pressed. “I mean … I barely talk to him. He always gives me that ‘you’re a teenager’ look and dismisses me. I don’t think he likes me.”
“He was angry at me and kept a distance from you because I brought you in,” I countered. “He’ll be better going forward.”
“Really?” Melissa seemed intrigued. “He’s extremely hot.”
“He is.”
“How does he look without his clothes on?”
I shot her a dark look. “I’m not answering that. You’re practically a child.”
“I’m an adult and I know all about doing the dipsy doodle.”
I made a face. “I don’t even want to know where you h
eard that one, although it sounds like something Luke would come up with while drinking,” I grumbled, resting my hands on my hips. “I’m still not sharing details. You’re too young. You should be focusing on putting ribbons in your hair and dressing dolls for tea parties.”
Melissa made a disgusted face. “I’m not a child!”
“Yes, well, you’re not quite an adult either,” I hedged. “I need to be able to trust that you can handle doing the readings in my absence. Do you think you can do that?”
Melissa nodded. “If I do a good job, can I have a prize? I mean … children are rewarded for good behavior, right? I don’t think it’s too much to ask.”
I narrowed my eyes, suspicious. “What did you have in mind?”
“I want to see Kade with his shirt off.”
I should’ve been surprised by the request, but I vaguely remember being that age. “Just see? No touch?”
Melissa nodded. “I’m not into going after your boyfriend. You don’t have to worry about that.”
I blew out a sigh, resigned. “Fine. If you do a good job, I’ll make sure he takes off his shirt in front of you.”
“Deal.” Melissa extended her hand and excitedly pumped mine as we shook on it. “This is going to be the best day. I just know it.”
I wish I had her enthusiasm.
“WHERE DO you want to start?”
Naida and Nixie were strangely excited about being tapped for a search and rescue operation in the woods. They didn’t even take a moment to consider the request before readily agreeing.
“I think we should head back to the cabin and work our way out from there,” I replied, leading the pixie twins through the trees. “I want to get your take on the cabin anyway. The dirt surrounding it is salted … and there might be some sulfur thrown in to boot.”
Naida arched an eyebrow. “Salted? How do you know?”
“I touched the dirt. It’s fairly easy to scent when you’re in the area,” I explained. “It will only take us about ten minutes to get there. Once we’re sure we’re alone – and the cops aren’t watching the place – I figured we might be able to cast a locator spell.”
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