Emily came bustling through another doorway and broke into a smile when she spotted me. “Oh, Ella, it’s just you. I thought you were the bad news.”
Vanessa cut her eyes at me and raised an eyebrow.
“Emily, this is Vanessa. Vanessa, this is Emily. Do you mind if I share?” I put emphasis on the word share, hoping that Emily would pick up the hint.
Emily gave Vanessa an exaggerated but not unfriendly once-over. “Is she trustworthy?”
Emily was living up to her no-dress-code rule. She had on a cinched-in fifties skirt covered in cherries that flared out from the stiff tulle underneath, a black leather tank top, and a black knit cardigan over it. Her shoes had a medium heel and a buckle in bright red. Her hair was twisted up in a roll that reminded me of the pin-up model on the noses of old warplanes. She looked ready for a sock hop or rockabilly concert.
She saw my look and spun around. “I made it myself.”
Vanessa smiled. “It’s lovely.”
I addressed the question of Vanessa’s trustworthiness. “There is no one in the world that knows more about me.”
Emily smiled. “Cool. Then go ahead and tell her. I’m going to grab something.”
“Emily can see the future. Not all of it, just little snips here and there. I mentioned before that I recommended her for this job. ”
“Sweet. So she must be rich from the gambling winnings?”
Emily breezed back into the room, carrying a letter envelope. “I wish. I never get anything too useful, at least not to me. Though so far, I have been helping Thomas a lot. I owe you huge. I’m making like three times over what I was. For once in my life, I don’t need to pinch pennies. Here. I know you came for this.” She handed me the envelope.
Inside were a key card and a slip of paper with a room number on it. “Thanks, Emily. If you ever quit this job, I bet Olivia Santini would love to have you work for her. She owns the Golden Pyramid Casino.”
I should have thought of that sooner. Olivia had not had a steady secretary since she had taken over running the casino. Auntie Ann had held the job but had to quit when she started training me full time. Since then, it had been a steady stream of people that only held the job for a short time. Apparently, Olivia was a tough boss and the job was incredibly stressful.
Plus, when Thomas found out that she had given me the key, he might fire her.
I swallowed my guilt and silently promised to fix anything that went wrong. Lives were at stake.
“Oh, Ella, you’re so good to me. I’ve always thought my abilities were the lamest on earth, but you have opened my eyes. I mean now, instead of getting six gin and tonics ready for a rush of customers, I am doing things like locating a florist that carries pussy willows and gardenias and getting you those cards. Though I still wish I knew what terrible thing was going to happen.” She shuddered.
I really hoped that whatever terrible thing that was about to happen didn’t involve us, but in the pit of my stomach, I was quite sure it did.
“Thanks so much for this.” I held the envelope aloft and starting backing toward the door. I was banned from the festival but thankfully not the casino itself, which was how I’d gotten in and how I planned to get to the room that Janie and Stacey had shared. “I’ll check you later, okay?”
A worried look crossed her face briefly, then she broke into a smile. “I know Thomas will be bummed he missed you.”
I figured that was a turn of phrase rather than a prediction since bummed was probably not what he was going to feel, especially if he was part of covering up the murders.
After we exited the office, we booked it to the nearest elevator. I could have sworn I heard Emily calling after me, but I didn’t check. Instead, I jammed my finger on the close-door button so hard that I snapped a fingernail.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
We ended up going up a floor then getting out so we could find the correct set of elevators. Like many hotels in Rambler, there were multiple elevators, each for a specific tower, so the foot traffic could be better controlled. Once we found the right elevators, we then were able to locate the room.
I paused at the door. “I have no idea what to expect. I want to get in and out as soon as I get the reading. Thomas might have been lying about the security notices on this door, but he might not have been. I’ll get the reading, you nose around as best you can, then we get out of here and go to any other floor in the building. And please keep an eye out in case someone comes in.”
During my readings, I was dead to the rest of the world. I would prefer not to end up dead for real.
She nodded, a bit wide-eyed. Her phone rang, and she practically crushed it turning off the ringer. “Sorry. Vin has been calling all afternoon. I’ve got the plan. Go in, watch your back, look for clues, and get out of here before anyone else shows up.”
I slid the key card into the lock and pulled it out. A light on the handle flashed red. I flipped it over and tried again, only to have the red flash again. Blowing out a sigh, I checked the card to make sure I had it turned correctly. “Come on. Come on,” I chanted. With the tips of my fingers, I tried, and third time was the charm.
I cracked open the door, and we slid inside, making sure the door didn’t slam shut behind us, as hotel doors were wont to do. The hallways had been empty, but we didn’t want to wake any neighbors that might be suffering a hangover and might call to complain or stop by personally.
Patagonia came running out from the kitchen to join me. She had been missing for the past hour, probably upset about missing her nap, but she could sense my mental preparation to do a reading. I didn’t even bother to drop my purse but took a deep breath, and the second Patagonia pressed to my side, I started searching for the vision.
It came to me instantly, being only a few days old, and it was unusually strong, which I attributed to the fact that two people had died at the same time. Twice the magic, twice the imprint, I assumed. It was the first time that I had experienced two deaths. I had worried briefly if I would see those holograms overlaid on each other, like watching two similar movies playing on the same screen, but I needn’t have worried. It was more as though the two deaths had made everything twice as bright and clear.
The beginning faded in, reminding me of one time when my father and I had been on vacation and we saw a movie on a projector. The warbled voices and images had come into focus as the film sped up. What had been indecipherable voices had become words. So did Janie and Stacey’s voices as they entered the room. I had never learned which was which, so I thought of them as the blond one and the brunette.
The blonde slammed the door behind her, throwing her jacket over a chair. “So he hit on you again?”
The brunette smiled broadly. “Of course. I mean, wouldn’t you?” She gestured down at her body. “He’s so desperate.”
The blonde laughed, and they exchanged a high five. “The guys want to date us. The girls want to be us. We are living the good life. You want a shot of vodka?” She pulled a bottle of vodka from the freezer and waggled it.
“Actually, I have something better.” She pulled out a little baggie from her pocket, the distinctive white pill inside. “Legacy!”
“Where did you get that? Isn’t it like crazy expensive? And I thought employees couldn’t get any.” She ran over and caressed the baggie.
“Nickel gave it to me, probably hoping it would be enough for me to go on a date with him. Did I tell you that he asked me to call him Nickel? So lame, but I did. I’ll keep leading him on if he gets me more of this.”
The blonde jumped up and down. “There’s two in there. Please tell me that one is for me. I’ll be your bestest friend forever.”
“Whatever, slut. No one else could stand you. Did you see the look Natasha gave you tonight when you screwed up your cues?”
She rolled her eyes. “She’s such a cow. I hate working with her. I wish Janice had gotten the job. She knows how to party. I bet Natasha is sleeping with someone. I mean, how else could
she have gotten the position?”
The brunette made a rude gesture, and they collapsed in a fit of giggles. “Who would want to sleep with her? She’s hardly bang-worthy. You ready for this?” She pulled out the pill and dropped one into her palm and the other in the blonde’s palm.
“Oh, it makes me tingle. I hear this is like the best high ever. You ready?”
A look of worry briefly crossed over the brunette’s face, but then it was gone. “Let’s do it.” She threw back the pill.
The blonde followed suit, and things played out like every other time: the surge of good emotions, though with two of them, the intensity was such that I dimly felt myself topple over and land hard on my knees as I experienced their emotions through the vision. The blonde and brunette also fell to the ground in the vision. Nothing broke their fall. Blood started trickling from the blonde’s nose where she had hit the floor.
I threw up my shields, but it was a bit too late. I rode on the tsunami of feelings then felt the hard surge of magic. Hair tickled around my face, lifted by the memories of the magic. When the vision ended, the girls staring straight ahead with dead, unblinking eyes, I discovered that I was weeping for them.
Patagonia was on my lap, licking the tears off my face as Vanessa kneeled next to me, gripping my left arm.
Her eyes were wide. “Don’t ever do that again. You just tipped over. I barely kept you from doing a face-plant.”
I looked in front of me at where I had seen the blonde fall in my vision, and a lighter spot on the carpeting was present where someone had scrubbed the blood from the floor. I shuddered at the thought. These death scenes were not getting any easier, even if these girls hadn’t been the nicest of people. My head pounded, and the tears continued to flow.
Vanessa grabbed a box of tissues off the counter and struggled to pull me to my feet. “I didn’t find anything. I think we should go.”
“What? Go?” I mumbled. I was on my feet, but my knees were knocking together badly, as were my teeth. I was cold right down into my bones.
She tugged me toward the door. “We need to leave. I’m getting a bad feeling.”
I took some wobbly steps behind her. I knew I had learned something valuable, but I wasn’t sure what. For now, all I could do was listen to her instruction. I was glad I had someone to take care of me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
When we got into the elevator, I pressed the button for the top floor, but nothing happened. I grabbed the card from my back pocket, stuck it in the slot, and hit the button again.
“Where are we going?” Vanessa was still supporting me under my elbow, but my strength was returning.
I dug around in my purse, thankful for the expansive size that was able to carry everything I needed. I pulled out a sealed sleeve of mini doughnuts. I tore them open and stuffed an entire chocolate-frosted one in my mouth.
The sugar hit my bloodstream like a fire hose, but instantly, I started feeling better. I warmed up, and my legs straightened. By the time the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, I wasn’t one hundred percent, but I was no longer a complete mess. I dragged Vanessa into the hallway.
“Where are we going?”
I danced around Patagonia, who was insisting on walking directly in my path while meowing. She wanted me to stop and pet her, but I couldn’t.
“I don’t know. I need someplace private. Ah!” I pulled open a door and yanked her inside. It was a small, plain room with an ice machine and a vending machine inside. I yanked out some money and starting buying chocolate candy and fruit-flavored gummy candies.
“Is this some kind of penthouse-candy emergency?”
I stuffed another doughnut in my mouth and talked around it. “I wanted to talk to you someplace where I knew no one could sneak up on us. The candy machine is just a bonus. I figured the top floor would have the best selection.” I leaned over and wiped a fleck of chocolate off her shirt. I had spit a little while talking.
“What did you see in the vision?”
“Do you know someone by the name of Nickel? Worked at the Golden Pyramid six years ago. Works at the Magia now?” I had a gut feeling but hoped Vanessa could confirm it.
She stared at me blankly for a minute, but sudden awareness came to her eyes. “Nick El?” She broke the word into two parts. “DJ Wiz used to go by Nickel because his real name is Nick El-something or other. I forgot all about that because I was too young to go to the club back then, but I remember.”
I nodded along. The pieces were coming together. “Nick Elazegui.”
“How did you know that?”
“Because his name was on the report I read earlier. It was a few months before Michael’s overdose. In the report at the Golden Pyramid Casino, it said that Harriet Marble was his estranged girlfriend. And in the vision, the girl said Nickel had been after her for weeks and gave her the pills that killed her and her roommate. Bert the bartender also mentioned that Nickel was part of the same group as him, Tony, Michael, and Beth. And you mentioned that he was flirting with Britney. I bet the other two girls snubbed him as well.”
Vanessa blew out a breath and stole the last doughnut. “I’ve never been so glad to be blown off before. That could have been me.”
“You never would have taken the Legacy, would you?”
“No, of course not.” Though she avoided my eyes.
If the casino had suspected or known that DJ Wiz was the person behind the overdoses, it wasn’t surprising he was being protected by them. But how did he fit into the overall Legacy structure? Was he also a dealer, or did he just buy some Legacy and pass it on? Maybe he was higher up in the structure, the contact for people below him, like Bert. And how did he make sure that Legacy would kill them?
Vanessa swallowed the doughnut and turned to me. “I know where he lives.”
I ripped open a chocolate bar, bit into it, and moaned. In addition to the chocolate, there were pretzels, caramel, peanuts, and peanut butter. This needed to be my new favorite treat. The mix of salty crunch and sweet was irresistible.
Then what Vanessa said sank in. “Where?”
“Pretty sure it’s across the hall. He said all the employees live in the same tower, which must be this one. He has an apartment on the top floor, facing the Avenue.”
I pressed my face against the window of the door and examined the hallway. There were several doors but significantly spread out. It wouldn’t take that long to find his, even if we had to knock on every door. “No, Vanessa. We should leave right now and talk to Bear.”
“And say what? ‘Hey, we noticed a couple of coincidences’? He won’t believe us.”
“Bear will.”
“Okay, fine. Even if he does, what about everyone else? We need proof. We can go talk to DJ Wiz and get some info about his partying.”
“So he can kill us?”
“He kills using Legacy. Don’t take any Legacy—problem solved. And we won’t take—again?” She dug her phone out of her pocket and turned off the ringer then shut off the whole phone. “Please? He works late. I bet he’s in there. He invited me to stop by anytime.”
“Was that before or after he blew you off for Britney? Oh, Britney! She can confirm that she got the pill from DJ Wiz, though she is still in a coma.”
“I really want her to pull through, but what if she doesn’t?”
I hesitated. Would it hurt anything? “Okay, five minutes tops. Just say we came to work early and we wanted to see the view or something. I’ll ask about his week, and we leave. If he gets even a little suspicious, we’re out of there. And after that, we go report to Bear. You’ll really like him.”
It took us only a few minutes to find his room. First, we interrupted a Middle Eastern couple on their honeymoon and having a leisurely lunch. We wished them a wonderful marriage and apologized for interrupting. Then we woke up a British socialite whose makeup was smeared all the way to her hairline. We didn’t even have time to apologize before she slammed the door in our faces and the sound of r
etching carried through the door.
The third time was the charm as Nickel, or DJ Wiz, as I had always thought of him, answered the door. At first, he was confused, until he recognized Vanessa. “Hey, you took me up on my offer. Come in.”
“Yeah, thanks. Uh, my friend is Ella, and she said she wanted to see the view, and I thought, uh, you know, your view.” For all her insistence that we come talk to him, Vanessa was a total bundle of nerves.
I cut in, hoping to cover up her awkwardness. “I’ve seen the view from the Golden Pyramid, but this is the other end of the Avenue.”
He looked between us but turned and walked to a bank of windows. “Come on.”
Behind his back, I mouthed, “Chill,” to Vanessa, and she nodded back. Even though I couldn’t read her emotions as clearly as I could strangers, her nerves were apparent.
As we walked, DJ Wiz kept sneaking glances back at her. His suspicion was escalating. Either he was excellent at reading her body language, or he could sense emotions too. It wasn’t a super-rare talent. Plus, it could be learned or even replicated through a spell. He was a DJ, and understanding a crowd was part of his job.
Suddenly, the really quick visit was looking like a worse and worse idea.
We got to the window, and I looked outside, making all the appropriate noises, but I was only focused on an escape plan. “Wow, it is so gorgeous.”
Vanessa rambled on. “Wow, look at the people. So small. Like ants.” She giggled, but it came out hysterical.
DJ Wiz was staring at her.
I made a big show of looking at my watch. “Oh, wow, Vanessa, did you notice the time? We are supposed to meet Natasha. Thank you so much, DJ Wiz. I didn’t mean to barge in and leave.”
“Why did you come?”
I swallowed and tried to ease up my shields as my unease increased. If he could read emotions, I didn’t need to give everything away. I put on my best fake smile, one that I hoped I had perfected. “What?”
His face screwed up in anger. “I know when women don’t want to be around me.” Then his face smoothed over. It was eerie how quickly and completely it had happened. “Hey, you girls like to party. Let me give you something.”
There's No Business Like Mage Business Page 16