She swallowed the little taste of bitterness and played the game.
Janice led her to a room tastefully decorated with the best furniture money could buy. Carrot would have had an awesome time dangling from the fringes of the elaborate velvet curtains covering the large windows, while Red would have happily snoozed amongst the multiple cushions covering one of the sofas. Ginger would have sat his furry bum on the antique side table and disdainfully surveyed the seven people gathered near a side table loaded with plates of finger food.
They all turned as soon as Shea and Janice entered.
Shea’s gaze swept over them all assessingly. The man holding what looked to be a glass of whiskey was obviously Janice’s husband as he was identical to the younger man in the large wedding photo over the mantelpiece. Three more women, two men, and a teenage girl. Apart from the girl, the adults were middle-aged. One of the men eyed Shea up and down with a lecherous twist to his mouth.
The teenage girl was a surprise. Shea smiled at her, the girl answered with a cold expression.
Hello. And just what, my dear, is your problem?
As Shea was introduced to everyone, she got a fair idea of their varying beliefs in clairvoyancy. The lech, Bruce, was there to please his jealous wife, Kathy, who kept darting him glances of unbridled anger - oh ho, she wants to know if he’s a having an affair or something, maybe money issues, all is not well in paradise - the eager-looking man, William, was a believer, his wife, Patty, was a believer, and the single woman, Sally, was haughty, but she couldn’t hide the faint tremor of her sweaty hand as she shook Shea’s - anxious about something, wanting answers but not sure she’ll like them. Wearing a wedding ring but husband not here. Widow? Husband away? The teenager, Donna, was hiding something, a dead giveaway with her arms folded across her chest, her shoulders stiff, and going by the looks she was darting at Sally, she suspected her mother was here for something Shea might reveal. You’ve done something, Donna, your Mum suspects and you don’t want her to know. There was no missing the mix of hostility and uncertainty in Donna’s eyes as she shot Shea a defiant look.
Having been down this road a number of times, Shea simply maintained her calm demeanour and nodded graciously. If nothing else, this evening would be a success mostly because Cole, bless his disturbing snooping, had been correct in his assumption of who might attend. The only two wildcards were Sally and Donna.
“Going to tell our fortunes, are you, love?” Bruce leered at her breasts.
Sorry, mate, this neckline goes right up to my neck. No flash of the cleavage for you. Shea continued smiling slightly, adopting a slightly mysterious air. “Secrets have a way of coming through during readings, Bruce.”
He started, his wife looked viciously triumphant, and Patty tittered.
Bored, Dean took a sip of whiskey.
“Now, now, let’s not start this until we’re all settled.” Janice gestured to one of the large four-seater sofas. “I’m not sure how you like to do this, Stella? Do we just sit around and you talk randomly? Do you wish to use the sitting room and we come in one at a time?”
Lady, this works because I’m conning you and a teenage boy is feeding me information. “Spirit speaks to me anywhere as the messages come through.” Shea perched elegantly on the edge of the armchair, placing herself in a position of power seeing as two sofas faced each other across a long coffee table, while the armchair was between at the head of the table. This meant that everyone had to twist slightly to watch her, giving her the appearance of authority and making them just slightly uncomfortable in their poses. It also meant Shea could feed off the expressions on everyone’s faces as she made vague statements upon which she could build more statements.
“Would you mind turning the lighting down a little?” Shea asked. “Turning the overhead light off and just leaving a couple of lamps creates an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity.” And helps with suggestiveness.
Also one of slight spookiness, making shadows appear in corners.
“Of course.” Janice hurried to do as bidden before gesturing to her guests. “Come, sit, sit. Oh, this is so exciting.”
William and Patty came a lot faster than the others, sitting eagerly with expectant expressions. They’d be easy to dupe.
Bruce and Kathy followed, taking the sofa opposite, Bruce now looking a little warily at Shea while Kathy clasped her hands in her lap with false primness - there was no hiding the white knuckles. If Shea wasn’t careful this reading could turn into a full-on brawl between the married couple.
Sally and Donna sat beside William and Kathy, Sally smiling tightly, Donna with her lips pressed.
Janice and Dean sat beside Bruce and Kathy, Janice as expectant as the other two, Dean sipping at his whiskey with a resigned expression on his face.
“I know you don’t believe,” Shea said to him, “but it’s lovely that you would be included in this time for your wife.”
Janice clasped her hands together in delight. “He did do it for me. How did you know?”
Pretty damned obvious, actually.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” Dean drawled. “I’d say that was a big tip off.”
Bruce laughed.
“Ready?” Cole’s voice came through the ear bud.
Shea tipped her head slightly to one side as she observed Dean through half closed eyes.
He swirled the whiskey around in the glass.
“My, yes,” Shea breathed. “Dean.”
William, Kathy and Janice all held their breath.
Shea didn’t remove her gaze from Dean, who simply stared back in ill-concealed disdain.
“Mmm.” She rested her palm atop her opposite hand, sitting with back straight, knees together, perched on the edge of the chair. “I’m being shown a big building. A bank.”
“No secret that’s where I work,” Dean replied.
“Something’s going on in that bank, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“You suspect something.”
Every eye swung to Dean, who had stiffened, his fingers around the heavy glass whitening. “What…?”
Chapter 6
Closing her eyes, Shea took a deep breath. “Money. No…amounts, but not cash.”
Dean stared at her.
Lifting one hand, Shea made a pretence of feeling something, rolling a nothingness in her hand before turning her hand palm up and opening it. Gazing at her empty palm, she said softly, “I see jewellery. Gold jewellery. A stone. Blue…no, not dark blue but pale blue. Diamonds, too.” Lifted her gaze to him. “Does worry regarding jewellery mean anything to you?”
For several seconds he stared at her before giving a very unconvincing snort and swallowing the last of the whiskey in one gulp. “No idea what you mean.”
Shea gave him a gentle smile of understanding that would undoubtedly grate on him. “I can only tell you what Spirit reveals to me.”
“Then tell him to reveal something useful,” Dean growled.
“Let him have it, sis,” Cole advised through the ear bud. “Or you’ll have lost before you start.”
True, so very true.
“I’m being shown a woman with grey hair. A brown handbag with gold beading.”
Dean paled.
“Spirit says…” Sitting perfectly still, Shea contemplated her hands.
Everyone waited with hushed breath, some intrigued, others just wanting gossip.
Play carefully, Shea. After a drawn out five seconds, she looked Dean right in the eyes. “You’re getting a visit very soon.”
“From…who?”
“Someone important.” Being a bank manager, he was bound to have important visitors but he’d wonder if what she’d said about the missing jewellery had anything to do with the visitor. “Spirit says you’ll know what to do when the time comes.”
That left him staring at her, his jaw clenched a little, his expression wary. He didn’t believe in her hocus-pocus, but he had no idea how she’d known about the jewellery or
the brown bag.
Getting up abruptly, Dean crossed to the side table to pour himself another whiskey.
Leaving him to sweat it out, Shea turned her attention to the others. All were sitting a little tensely, no doubt wondering what she’d reveal about them, possibly worried about their sordid secrets. Bruce had a right to look worried.
Zeroing in on him, Shea took a deep breath, placed her palms lightly on the armrests. “Spirit is telling me that home is where the fires burn brighter.”
Bruce, the dumb bastard, asked, “What does that even mean?”
“Home is where life should be tranquil, it is your haven.”
Going by his expression, he didn’t believe it, and going by the way his gaze kept dropping to her breasts and thighs - eew, she had to prevent herself placing her hands protectively over her crotch - Shea decided the drongo needed a little wake-me-up.
Un-focussing her eyes, she gazed over his shoulder.
Bruce just watched her lasciviously, while his wife waited with tense anger.
“I see a home-”
“We all live in one, love.” Bruce chortled.
Kathy shot him a murderous look.
Obviously Brucie-baby wasn’t getting the message.
“Geez,” Cole said in her ear. “You’re going to have to be a bit blunter with this dick. Give him a bit of the old ‘seeing two together etc’.”
“I see two people together. They seem happy.” Shea slid her gaze back to Bruce. “Secret meetings. For some reason I’m getting the word ‘secret’ and ‘Courtan’. Does that mean anything to you?”
The leer was gone, his brow a little damp. “No.”
“Courtan,” William said cheerfully. “Isn’t that the little hotel you go to on your business trips away?”
Bruce glared at him. “No.”
“Sure it is.” William nodded. “I remember Patty’s friend saying she’d seen you there.”
It was either argue that or - “Sure.” Bruce nodded. “Now I remember.”
Sally’s eyebrows rose a little but she didn’t say anything, while Donna was starting to look a little perturbed.
Kathy looked like she was going to fly into Bruce then and there. Time to nip this rising tide of nastiness in the bud.
Shea switched her attention to Kathy. “I’m being shown dancing.”
That had Kathy bamboozled. “Dancing?”
“It’s a tango.”
Cole snorted in her ear.
Ignoring him, Shea continued, “Two to tango. I’m getting the message of ‘two to tango’.”
Everyone’s interest was now on Kathy.
“Home fires.” Shea smoothed her palms across the rich fabric of the armchair’s armrests. “There’s something troubling you, isn’t there, Kathy?”
“Yes.”
“Your worries are close to you.”
“Yes.”
Shea nodded sympathetically. “Life can be hard. I’m getting the feeling of peace.” She leaned forward a little. “Spirit says you need to find peace.”
Tears unexpectedly filled Kathy’s eyes.
“You will find peace, Kathy.” Exuding calm certainty, Shea nodded again. “Spirit says you need to find the pathway. Peace comes only from dealing with your problems.”
Kathy shot Bruce a tearful glance.
Let’s not go there right now, lady. If Bruce and Kathy ended up in a screaming match that would be the end of the session and would certainly leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. Not good for business. Plus she’d never forgive herself if she was the cause of a divorce.
“Wait.” Shea raised her hand.
All eyes turned back to her.
Playing the listening game, she nodded understanding. “I’m being shown a phone book.”
Kathy’s expression was blank.
“The letter ‘C’. I’m being told you need to look in the phonebook under the letter ‘C’. Does that make sense?”
“Your cousin, Celia?” Bruce asked.
“No, you idiot!” Kathy snapped. “Counsellor!”
“Whoa, sis!” Cole crowed in delight. “She actually got it before you could nudge her further along that track!”
“Spirit tells me that counsellors are a way of finding peace.” Shea resettled her long skirt, the rustle of the black rose against the lace drawing every eye back to her including the hapless Bruce’s and the bitter Kathy’s. But there was a look of faint gratitude in Kathy’s eyes.
Thank God for that.
“Now, Spirit is saying there’s something for someone else here.”
“William bought his wife a diamond necklace for her birthday,” Cole said. “Cost a lotta dough but apparently he’s nuts about her, always buying gifts.”
Shea laughed gently. “William, you are so sweet.”
That startled him.
“You know what you did.” She winked. “You’ll bring much happiness.”
“I will?” He was both pleased and perplexed.
Shea lightly traced her finger from her collarbone to the edge of the tunic bodice. “All that glitters, William, all that glitters.”
His grin was wide. “You know!”
“Spirit knows,” she corrected.
“What does she know?” Patty leaned forward, her hand clutching William’s tightening.
Good hint right there.
“Fires burn warm. I’m being shown gardens, cushions. Someone very dear to you.”
Patty beamed. “My mother makes cushions for us all the time.”
Shea had been about to hazard a guess that Patty bought cushions, a safe guess as most people had spare cushions on their furniture, but sure, she’d run with the mother bit. “She’s a woman who likes nice things.”
“Always,” Patty ensured her earnestly.
William nodded.
It was easy to lighten the mood, bring it back from the bitter edge that Bruce and Kathy’s demeanours had taken it, and Shea concentrated on imparting vague messages, nothing too serious but enough to convince the listeners that they were hearing important things.
It was easy to see that Sally wanted to know something about Donna, just as easy to see that Donna was scared that Shea would reveal something she was keeping a secret.
Boyfriend? Bad school grades? Law trouble? Shea pondered as she prepared to relay a message from the totally fake Spirit, catching the pleading in Donna’s eyes right before that defiant expression slammed firmly in place.
Not for anything would Shea cause problems between mother and daughter, so she settled for the usual vagueness, throwing out shotgun statements and building on whatever Sally or Donna said, but steering clear of hazarding too much in regards to private things.
Plus she had an inkling of exactly what Donna was keeping secret, there was no missing the way she brushed her stomach, laid her palm flat against it when she thought no one was noticing. There was a very good chance Donna was pregnant but calling that out would be criminal. That was very much between mother and daughter, not for Shea to bring into the open amongst other people - if at all.
The evening progressed and by ten thirty wound up.
It was with relief that Shea collected her substantial fee from a delighted Janice, who promised to call on her services again at another gathering in the near future.
Settling into the driver’s seat, she started the car. “Thanks, Cole. All done.”
“Goodo.”
“Listen, I’m going to fuel up the car, get a drink and just sit for a few minutes, okay?”
Understanding his sister’s habit of needing some downtime after a group meeting, Cole replied, “Sure. I’m heading to bed with a book. Not that there’s much room on my bed. Red has sprawled out from side to side on it, and Ginger has taken the pillow.”
“I’m sure you boys will figure it out. If you need me, ring. I won’t be long.”
“Same.” Cole clicked off.
Leaving the elegant house, she drove to a twenty four hour self servo, pulled in and
fuelled up, parking on the side before entering. Several people filled the servo but she didn’t look at them, more focussed now on getting something to eat and drink and spend some alone time.
At the counter she ordered a Diet Coke and a cup of hot chips, paid for the food and fuel, and made her way back to the car. As she turned the corner of the building, she was startled to see a black SUV parked right beside her car. This black SUV, however, had a ‘roo bar, looked a little dusty, and had a broad-shouldered man wearing navy blue cargo pants and a navy blue polo shirt with the heels of his black boots hooked onto the bottom of the ‘roo bar upon which he easily sat. Sipping from a steaming takeaway cup, he watched her approach. The street lights cast his face in shadows but the bright lights from the servo sent a golden light through his hair making it appear lighter on the top, darker towards the ends. The pale blue of his eyes were hidden in the shadows so one would be forgiven for thinking his eyes were dark.
Aaron Wells, blending into the background.
A little tingle went through her. “Hi.” Oh boy, that sounded a little off-handed in comparison to the way she felt. This man had kissed her socks off and all she could manage was ‘Hi’? Yep, apparently so.
“Shea,” he greeted.
Anyway, what did one say to a man who’s expression and greeting gave away nothing of his thoughts or feelings? She was used to picking up signs from people, not facing a man who could keep every thought hidden. But hell, there was no denying she was pleased to see him.
Drawing closer, she debated whether to stop or keep walking.
The decision was made for her.
“We need to talk.”
Her heart leapt. “We do?” Was he going to ask her on a date?
Sliding effortlessly off the ‘roo bar, he moved to the wooden table and two bench seats facing each other just to the side. “Take a seat.”
She looked from it to her dress. “Yeah, maybe not.”
“I’ve already wiped it down.”
“You knew I was here?”
“I saw you come in.”
The Wells Brothers: Aaron Page 14