Chapter 14

The next morning, when Catlyn woke up, the strange lethargy and heaviness had completely left her body. After another huge breakfast, she hurried down the stairs from her apartment.

The stench of Smoker Dude’s cigarettes smothered any emotions she might have picked up from him. That was fine; she didn’t want to be subjected to his evil anymore than she had to. Her unease vanished when Dilan stepped to the stairs.

“Hey, Dilan. Are you my bodyguard again today?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he tipped an imaginary hat at her.

Catlyn laid a hand on Dilan’s arm. “Thanks for watching out for me. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.” They both turned to glare at the black sedan holding Smoker Dude.

“It’s my pleasure to thwart evil.” Dilan tucked her hand over the crook of his elbow and escorted her to her car.

Catlyn’s mood lifted. She’d initially hated the idea of having Jade’s bodyguards tailing her. Her irritation had died the first time she glanced in her rearview mirror and saw the big silver truck rather than the snarling black sedan. On a whim, she took the exit that would take her to the Jupiter Moon on the way to work. Maybe that cute police detective would be there.

She hurried to Dilan’s truck before he could get out. “I’m grabbing an iced chai. Do you want anything?” She didn’t want him to ruin any chances she might have with the guy if he were in the coffee shop.

He eyed her, then the trendy shop. “Sure, a mocha frappuccino.”

Later, Catlyn strolled out of the coffee shop, although she wanted to skip. The dreamy police detective, Sean McLarkin, had been in line and they’d talked. Even the sight of the hateful Smoker Dude’s sedan couldn’t put a damper on her spirits. After handing Dilan his drink, she slipped into her car and turned the music up. Dancing in her seat, she drove the few miles to Mystical Enchantments.

When she arrived at the store, she lifted an eyebrow in surprise to see the parking lot of the strip mall nearly full on a Monday afternoon. Catlyn hoped the store would be busy. She was scheduled to be the on-call tarot reader and could use the extra money from the readings. October and the hype about Halloween always increased the number of people coming to the metaphysical store for a tarot reading.

She found a spot in the rear corner of the parking lot. If Dilan hadn’t parked beside her, she’d have felt vulnerable having to walk so far to the shop. Somehow, her stalker had arrived before them and snagged a parking spot where he could watch the store.

Catlyn pulled on her floppy hat to shade her fair skin from the warm sunny day and strolled to the back door of the store. A breeze twisted her skirt around her ankles, bringing with it the salty-fishy aroma of the ocean. Breathing deeply, she caught the scents of joy, playfulness, and contentment of the people on the beach.

She rubbed her nose to clear the unusual smells from it, then reached for the door handle, jerking her hand back from Lorgandy’s heat. She hadn’t seen the salamander for days.

“Are you going to let me in, Lorgandy?”

The salamander blinked, then raised her head. She crawled to the edge of the handle and stretched her twitching nose toward Catlyn.

“Oh, you must sense my new friend, Maak.” Catlyn reached out her hand to let Lorgandy smell it. As she did, a huge, transparent white paw appeared above her hand. The salamander pulled back slightly, turning her head to look into Catlyn’s eyes. After a few moments, Lorgandy flicked her tail, slithered off the door, and into the pot Catlyn surmised was her home.

The shop bustled with customers when Catlyn entered the main area after putting away her purse.

Michelle gave her a frazzled smile. “Oh, great, you’re here. We have several people waiting for readings.” She leaned forward and whispered, “Any news of Amelia?”

Catlyn shook her head. “The police still haven’t found her, or at least they haven’t told me if they have or not.”

“I’ll keep praying for her. She was a good customer.”

“Thanks.” Catlyn quickly set up the table in the reading room assigned to her with her things and called in the first client. The woman came in, bringing with her the strident scents of frustration and anger. She sat stiffly on the chair across the table from Catlyn. Breathing shallowly through her mouth, Catlyn shuffled the cards, clearing her mind. This wasn’t going to be a happy session. An hour later, the woman left, and Catlyn sagged back in her chair. The woman’s life was a mess, and she’d argued with Catlyn’s interpretation of every card. Catlyn wondered why she’d even bothered to go to someone for a reading if she wasn’t prepared to listen to the guidance shared. She sighed, remembering October also brought out the crazies who received readings on a dare.

Her next client was an excited young girl. The scent of budding love filled the small room. The girl’s question about a boy and if he was interested in her didn’t surprise Catlyn.

As the day progressed, Catlyn grew more proficient in correctly identifying the emotions she smelled. They aided her in understanding her client’s deeper desires, allowing her to discern beyond the words they spoke. She glanced at her overflowing tip jar. Her increased awareness had thrilled most of her clients, and they’d showed their appreciation more freely than usual. Her eyebrows furrowed. Is this your doing? She mentally asked her new totem animal.

Indignation thumped her chest painfully.

Sorry! Trust her to tick off her guide. She fingered her mother’s necklace, asking for guidance on how to handle the prickly Maak. Before she received any answers, a gentleman sank into her guest chair. Worry and guilt flowed from him, so sharp it made her eyes water.

She cleared her mind and reached for her tarot deck.

Back at the office, Sean debated if he should call his grandmother. She’d be a perfect excuse to see Catlyn again. His phone buzzed. He glanced at the caller ID. “What do you have for me, Brian?”

“The medical examiner’s office identified your victim.”

“Already?”

“That … that fucking bastard!” Brian exploded. “You have to catch him, Sean. This was awful. The worst yet. We found the woman’s identification in her uterus.”

Sean’s mind stuttered, trying to process what he’d heard. “How could the victim’s driver’s license end up there, of all places?”

“The creep used a pear of anguish in her vagina to open it wide enough to deposit it.” Brian paused, choking. It took him awhile to recompose himself, and when he continued, he sounded like he read from a report, “One Amelia Caldwell, age twenty-four. She went missing…”

Sean clenched his teeth. Don’t say a week ago, don’t say seven…

“Seven days ago.”

Sean’s hope came crashing down, and he slumped back in his chair.

“Her work filed a missing persons report,” Brian continued. “Get this she works for Thomas Drogger—”

Sean sat straight up and switched his phone to his other ear. “The Thomas Drogger? As in our prime suspect’s father?”

“That’s the one.”

Sean heard the rifling of papers on the other end.

“Ah,” Brian said, “there’s another report filed by a Miss Catlyn Hennessey, a friend. She filed it after Amelia missed her … healing appointment?”

“Yeah, a healing appointment. Get me Catlyn’s work address.” Sean pulled out his notepad as his heart sank. The old saying, ‘Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it,’ rolled through his mind. He wished now he could see Catlyn again under more pleasant circumstances. He wrote the information in his notebook as Brian read it off. The tech would send it to his phone, but Sean like to handwrite things. It helped him remember better.

It seemed odd that Catlyn’s name would come up in connection to the Iron Maiden case, as well as one of the weird crimes. The DA had finally relented and only filed battery charges against the unlucky tourist. There’d been too many other cases of people seeing creatures before an outbreak of violence and death. Carol Holcomb was still in a coma from her infected injuries.

Sean logged into the police database and did a background check on Amelia. The photo showed a beautiful, curvaceous blond with blue eyes and a sultry smile. She looked nothing like the ruined body he’d viewed a few days ago. But he’d seen her before. He pulled up the files of the pictures he’d taken of Drogger last weekend at the restaurant. A thrill raced through him when he found the only clear photo—of Amelia Caldwell and Drogger’s limousine. Michael may have made his first mistake!

He read the preliminary report and learned that Amelia had moved to Southern California from Iowa to be an actress. She looked like every other pretty blond who hoped to make it into the movies. After a few years of chasing the dream, she’d relocated to Orange County, where she worked in various office jobs. She’d only been with Drogger International for a few months. The poor girl seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sean flexed his fingers, then broke down and checked on Catlyn. He had an official excuse now that she may be a material witness in his murder case. He lifted his eyebrow in surprise when she turned up in the system. After the murder of her single mom in San Francisco, she’d been raised by her aunt and uncle in Anaheim. The murder case still languished in the cold-case files and had little hope of being solved after twenty-three years. The file had a picture of Catlyn at age five, right after her mother’s death. She looked way too frightened for such a little girl. Did she always move through life, scared, lost, and alone? Other than that, her police record was clean. Not even a traffic ticket marred it.

He stood up to leave, saw the clock, and groaned. This time of day, it would take him a good hour to drive the ten miles from Anaheim to Costa Mesa.

A purple neon sign blinked in the window of the Mystical Enchantments metaphysical store. When he opened the door, a bell tinkled, alerting the woman in her early forties behind the cash register.

“Oh, hello.” She brushed her long, light-brown hair back from her face. Her smile warmed her pale blue eyes. “Is there anything I can help you find?”

“Is Catlyn Hennessey here?” Sean looked around the bright shop with interest. To the left of the entryway, a tall glass cabinet showcased some nice crystal specimens. The register sat on top of a glass counter, revealing an artful display of jewelry. He thought he detected several pieces of Catlyn’s work. In the center of the store stood rows of shelves filled with books, candles, and other ritual paraphernalia he recognized from his grandmother’s house. Soft music, featuring drums and flutes, played in the background.

The woman glanced at a clock. “She should be done with her reading in a few minutes. She’ll have time to do one for you afterward. So what’s your name? I’ll get you booked.” She held a pen poised over an appointment book.

“Sorry, I’m not here for a reading.” He showed her his badge. “Police business.”

“Oh, my! She isn’t in trouble, is she?” The woman’s eyes darted toward the room with the closed door and back to him.

“No, I just have some questions for her.” He turned around, shutting off any further comments from the woman. With his hands in his trouser pockets, he wandered through the store, picking up an item here and there, examining it, then replacing it. There were some nice things here. His grandmother would love the place if she didn’t know about it already. He was paging through a book when the reading room door opened. He shut the book and put it back on the shelf.

Catlyn stood on the threshold, her mouth open, her eyes wide, the color drained from her face. She swallowed hard. “Detective McLarkin?”

She gripped her necklace with one hand, her knuckles white. “She’s dead, isn’t she?”