by Rose Pressey
“I would like the spaghetti bolognese,” I said.
The waiter took the menu without saying a word.
“I’d like the lobster ravioli,” Marc ordered.
Once the water left our table, I focused my attention on Doug and his dinner guest. I wasn’t sure if Doug had noticed us yet. He wasn’t looking our way, so I assumed he hadn’t. I inched my chair a little closer in the direction of their table just in case the restaurant got noisier.
“What are they saying?” Marc asked.
I listened for a moment. “They are talking about an arrangement. I don’t know what kind though. Doug mentioned his boss.”
“What is his boss’ name?” Marc asked.
I listened for a moment longer. When Doug said the name I knew I had to write it down.
“His name is Frank Powers,” I whispered. “Have you heard of him?”
Marc shook his head. “No, never heard the name.”
I scribbled the name down on my napkin and shoved it into my purse. At least I felt as if I had accomplished something.
Marc stared at me. “I’m impressed with your snooping abilities.”
I smiled at him. “Thank you.”
Marc took another drink of water and then said, “You are good at this.”
“It’s my job.” I wiggled my eyebrows.
“Is that a talent you were born with?” he asked.
“No, it has taken years of practice.”
“You know what they say, practice makes perfect.”
Maybe I was imagining things, but it seemed as if Marc was flirting with me. Not only that, I was flirting back. I’d lost track of the reason we were in the restaurant. I needed to focus and find out more. It would have to wait though because the waiter approached our table with the food.
The waiter placed the plates down in front of us. “Will there be anything else?”
Marc shook his head. “No, thanks.”
I wanted to tell the waiter to give us information on the table next to us, but figured he’d say no. The waiter walked away and Marc stood from his chair. When I looked back to see why he’d gotten up, I realized the table behind us was empty. Doug and his friend had disappeared while we were flirting with each other.
“They’re gone,” Marc said.
“How did they get out of here so quickly?” I said.
We left our food and headed for the door.
The waiter ran after us. “Hey, you didn’t pay.”
Marc pulled out his wallet and handed him several bills. “Keep the change.”
We rushed out onto the sidewalk, but the mem were nowhere in sight. It was pointless to look for Doug now. He would be long gone. We had failed at our snooping mission. The guy had disappeared right in front of us.
Marc ran his head through his hair. “Well, I guess it would be awkward if we went back in for our dinner, right?”
I laughed. “Yes, a little awkward. I know a deli around the corner that has great sandwiches.”
Marc smiled. “That sounds great.”
“I go there often,” I said.
We walked down the sidewalk toward the deli.
“I would ask if you enjoyed dinner, but since we didn’t get to taste the food, I guess I can ask if you enjoyed ordering from the menu?” He laughed.
“It was the most bizarre dinner I’ve ever had. Of course the food looked good, but the circumstances that led us here were strange.”
After taking our time moving along the sidewalk and enjoying the night air, we stepped inside the deli. Only a few people sat around at the small tables. A couple employees worked behind the counter. Marc and I mostly discussed the attractions of life in New Orleans. We kept the conversation easy, but I felt a spark between us. His smile made me happy.
Once we stepped back into the night air after finishing our sandwiches, Marc said, “I should walk you home.”
I nodded. “Thanks, I would like that.”
We headed out across the street for the other side of the road where he’d parked his car. A loud whoosh sounded as Marc pushed me back and I hit the hard pavement. Marc swooped down and helped me up.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I brushed off my jeans. “I’m fine. What happened?”
Marc looked down the street. “I thought for sure that car sped up and swerved toward us.”
“Did you get a good look at it?” I asked.
“It was a green sedan, but it moved fast.”
We headed across the street and this time we made it all the way to the other side. As we walked along the sidewalk, Marc was hyper-alert. I didn’t blame him because I felt the same way. We reached my building and he opened the entrance door for me. I pulled out my keys and he followed me to my door. Mrs. Perkins was peeking out her door.
Once I stepped inside my apartment I turned around to face Marc. This was awkward. Did I invite him in? It had been a crazy evening. He stood in front of me at the door, but I couldn’t read his expression.
“Sorry I couldn’t help more tonight.”
I waved my hand. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I will find out everything I can for you, but remember you have to tell me everything though.”
“I’ve told you everything that has happened so far,” I said. “I’m sorry if I got you involved in this. I understand if you don’t want to help me with this.”
“Not helping you isn’t an option. But if something is going on, then I have to know about it.”
I nodded. “I’ll call you if anything else happens.”
I couldn’t afford not to now. I hoped that he could help me, but I didn’t want to get him into trouble.
“Just be careful with your partner,” I said.
“I can’t work with him if there is something bad going on.”
I knew I would feel the same way. I would want to know what was going on too. How would Marc get any info out of his partner though?
Marc stared at me for a moment. “I guess I should get going.” He stared at me, then leaned down and kissed me on the cheek.
I hadn’t expected that and didn’t know how to react. My first instinct was to lean over and kiss him on the lips, but then I thought better of it.
“Bye,” I said and then closed the door.
Marc seemed like a great guy. It had been a long time since I’d met anyone as nice as him. What were my feelings? I had wanted to kiss him, but then damn Dangerfield had popped into my head. He just didn’t know when to stop. Somehow he was forcing me to think about him when he was nowhere around.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I made my way out to the sidewalk and headed toward work. I decided to skip the coffee and beignet and just get to the office. I had research to do and I wanted to sneak in without Oscar catching me. This was one project that I didn’t want him to know anything about.
I didn’t want my nosy coworkers to know what I was working on either. Most of my coworkers were tattletales anyway. They were always telling people what I was working on before I wanted them to know.
A car rode slowly beside me. I was too afraid to look over and see who was there. The car stayed beside me as I walked. It didn’t look as if this creep was going anywhere.
The jerk honked the horn and I almost jumped out of my skin. When I looked over to cuss the person out I realized that it was Dangerfield. He smiled and motioned for me to come over. I looked to my left and then to my right and finally eased over to his car.
“Get in,” he said.
“Why should I get in the car with you?” I asked.
“Because I want to take you with me.”
I snorted. “I bet you do.”
His lips twitched into a sensual smile.
I placed my hands on my hips. “What do you want?”
“I want you to get in my car,” he said.
I shook my head. “I don't think so.”
He flashed his best puppy-dog eyes and I released a deep sigh. “Fine, I’ll go with you. B
ut you’d better not get us into trouble.”
“When is the last time I got you into trouble?”
“Well, there was the other day.”
“Technically, you got yourself into that situation. I promise I won’t get you into trouble.”
I opened the door and slid into the front seat of his car. So much for getting to work early. Now I would be late. I would probably regret this decision very soon, like I always did with Dangerfield.
“Where are we going?” I asked, looking over at his handsome face.
He stared ahead at the road. “We’re going to visit someone.”
“That was a little too vague. I need to know who this someone is, or I will have to get out of the car now.”
“Okay, calm down. We are going to see a psychic.”
I stared at him without saying a word. Finally, I couldn’t handle it anymore and I laughed.
“Oh, you don’t believe in psychics?” he asked.
“I believe. I just find it funny that you do. You don’t seem like the type who would be open-minded.”
“I take offense to that,” he said.
I shrugged. “Sorry.”
“So you believe in psychics?” he asked.
“Sure. I don’t know if I believe in the tarot card stuff, but the Long Island Medium, sure, I think she receives messages from the other side. I don’t know about other supernatural powers though.”
“I don’t know what you just said, but I take it you are agreeing to go,” he said.
I chuckled. “Yes, I guess I did agree to go. But this better be worth it.”
He navigated down the street. “Oh, it will be worth it. Trust me.”
“You keep saying that, but yet I never do,” I said.
We pulled up in front of the old brick house. He placed the car into park.
“It looks like someone’s house. Who lives here?” I asked.
“Her name is Missy Maverick and she does tarot card and palm readings out of her home.”
“Are you serious?” I asked.
“Dead serious.”
“Why are you seeing a psychic?”
“On occasions I consult a psychic for advice on a case.”
I studied his handsome face. “How does that work out for you?”
“I’m still making a decision on that.”
I shook my head. “Well, let’s see what she has to say.”
I opened the car door and climbed out. I looked over at the house. A neon sign flashed in the window inviting us for a reading.
Dangerfield opened the little black iron gate and motioned for me to go first.
“Oh, sure, let me be the one who gets attacked.”
“You’re not going to get attacked. Do you think I would let something like that happen to you?”
I glanced over at him. “I’m not sure.”
“Oh, come on, Charley, I am a nice guy.” He winked at me and flashed a smile.
How could I resist that smile? And he knew it too, that was why he did it.
“There’s probably spirits hanging around here that will attack us. Psychics have spirits hanging around, right?”
“I wouldn’t worry,” he said.
When we reached the front door, Dangerfield rang the bell. I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I would soon find out. The door opened and a young girl ushered us inside.
Dangerfield and I stepped inside the dimly lit room. A couple candles glowed in the far corner of the room. The shades were drawn. At the back of the room by the hallway was a round table covered with a red tablecloth and four chairs surrounding it. I was looking around for the crystal ball but so far I hadn’t seen it.
The kitchen was just at the end of the hallway. The doorway had a set of those beaded curtains. She had posters of tarots cards on the walls. On the other side of the room was a sofa, chairs and a TV. A young girl sat on the sofa, but didn’t even look over at us. The glow from the television lit her face. She giggled at the cartoons.
A woman emerged from behind the beaded curtain. It was as if she had seen every movie that depicted psychics and copied their set design. She had shoulder-length dark hair and she wore a red blouse with a black floor-length skirt. She closed the distance between us, but stopped when she reached the table. She waved her hand, inviting us over. Dangerfield motioned for me to go first. I reluctantly walked across the room to the table.
“Please have a seat.” She motioned toward the metal folding chairs.
Dangerfield pulled out a chair for me and I sat down. He took the chair next to me, and the woman sat down across from us.
“What can I do for you today?” she asked, looking from me to Dangerfield.
“We’re here for a tarot card reading. Well, I suppose I am the only one getting the reading,” he said.
She stared at me for a moment, and then grabbed her cards. She shuffled the cards around the table and began placing them one by one in front of her. I stared down at the cards, but had no idea what any of them meant. Nothing bad, I hoped. She stared at the cards for a moment without saying anything and I was beginning to get nervous.
She tapped her finger against one of the cards. “This card means that you have been under a lot of stress.”
Well, that was a safe assumption. She looked at the cards and her expression darkened. The woman didn’t look at Dangerfield though. She turned her attention to me.
“This reading is for you,” she said.
“Excuse me?” I said.
She tapped the card. “Someone is trying to bring harm to you. Are you aware of voodoo?”
I chuckled nervously, but I knew exactly what she meant. “I know of it.”
She stared at me with her dark eyes. “You should be careful.”
I pushed to my feet. “Okay, I guess we should go now.”
Dangerfield blocked me before I could get away. “We’re not finished.” He guided me back to the chair.
“I’m sorry if I upset you,” she said.
I waved off her comment. “I’m fine. I just thought you were finished.”
“Thank you,” I said as I placed my hand on the doorknob.
Maybe I seemed a little too eager to leave. But what she had said creeped me out a little. Dangerfield hadn’t said anything about what the woman had said, so I wasn’t sure what he was thinking.
A phone rang in the back room. “If you’ll please excuse me for a moment.” The woman stood from the table and disappeared behind the curtain.
“So what do you think?” Dangerfield asked, looking at me.
“I don’t think she’s told us anything really. It’s all been vague.” I waved my hand.
Dangerfield leaned back in the chair, placing his hands behind his head. He stared at me for a moment and then looked around the room. “She has a lot of strange stuff, huh?”
“You can say that again,” I said, looking at the skull on the shelf in the corner of the room.
After staring at him for a moment, I remembered that we weren’t alone. I glanced over at the girl. She was still in front of the television. She didn’t seem concerned with what we were doing. She was probably used to her mother working. She must have sensed me looking at her because she looked up, but then went back to the cartoons.
I focused my attention on my surroundings. The woman had a lot of bric-a-brac. My attention immediately went to a table across the room. A framed photo looked familiar, but I would have to check it out closer before I knew for sure. It looked exactly like the voodoo expert Courtney and I had gone to see.
I glanced over at the young girl again. She was still focused on the television. I eased up from my chair.
“Where are you going?” Dangerfield asked.
I pressed my finger against my lips. “Ssh. I don’t want anyone to notice me.”
He shrugged. “What are you looking at?”
I glared at him again. I pulled out my cell phone and waited for it to focus on the framed photo. I snapped a shot and then took a couple mo
re just to make sure I got a good picture. I could have taken the framed photo, but that wouldn’t have been right. This would be just the same. Well, all most just the same.
“What do you think you’re doing?” the woman yelled from over my shoulder.
I jumped, almost dropping my phone. I wished Dangerfield had warned me that she had returned.
“Well, are you going to answer me or just stare at me like a dummy?” She propped her hand on her hip.
I quirked an eyebrow at her calling me a dummy, but I let it go. My tongue was tied and I really had no explanation for what she’d caught me doing. I had better think of something quickly though, because she appeared to be furious with me. I couldn’t say that I was admiring her belongings, because she would never believe that. I was torn on how to explain what she’d seen me doing.
Her turned-down lips and narrowed eyes made me realize that she was about to punch me. I had to say something to calm her down. It looked as if anything I said would only make matters worse though. To say that she was angry would definitely have been an understatement.
“I’m sorry if I offended you,” I said. “I just have a question, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t want to answer any of your questions. It looks as if you already know enough.”
I pointed at the photo. “How do you know the woman in the photo?”
She narrowed her eyes and looked over at the table with all the photos. She glared at me and I wondered if she was going to answer.
“I shouldn’t even answer your question, but she’s a relative.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “And that is all that you need to know.”
I needed to know much more actually. “Is she a sister? Or maybe she is your aunt?” I asked.
“Are you deaf?”
“There was a photo at her home where she’s pictured with a man. Do you know who that man would be?” I asked.
“It is hard to say without seeing him, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “Yes, yes, it is hard. But maybe she has a son? Or a nephew that she would have a photo of?”
“I don’t like the way you handle things,” she said with a frown.
It did seem as if I was pushing my luck with her. I had done little to calm her down.