“This is the circus,” I reminded him. “We don’t pack up and take off for no good reason. That’s not how we roll.”
“But … you’re in danger.”
“I wasn’t in danger last night,” I countered. “She wanted to show me something, not kill me.”
“You’re only here because Max and Raven acted quickly.”
“She had no intention of keeping me.” I was positive that was true. “In fact, I think she was trying to show me what happened to her the night of the nightmare. I don’t think she realized what she was doing. She’s not trying to hurt me.”
“You don’t know that.”
“But I feel it.” I patted his hand. “I need you to chill. I understand this is new to you and it’s a struggle because of the interest the guy in the hat is showing you, but we have to take this one step at a time.
“I’m not finished,” I continued, holding up a hand to still him when his mouth moved to start what I was sure would be a righteous argument. “This is what we do. Hunting monsters is as much our purpose as entertaining the masses. I know it’s hard for you to grasp, but I really wasn’t in any danger last night. She was simply trying to communicate.”
“What if she’s only pretending to want that?” Kade wasn’t ready to let it go. “What if she’s trying to placate you so she can lure you away and … I don’t know … eat you?”
It took everything I had not to burst out laughing. I knew it would only compound his frustration if I did. “She says I’ll understand when I put everything together. I believe that. I wish you had faith in me to believe the same thing.”
Kade scowled. “Oh, that was low.”
“I know.”
“Fine.” Kade was resigned as he shook his head. “I can’t stop you. I don’t want to stop you because you know what you’re doing. I just … please be careful.”
“I’m always careful.”
Kade’s scowl was back. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that because I’ve watched you almost die several times since we’ve met.”
I kept my smile in place despite his annoyance. “I think that’s probably best.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
MELISSA STUCK CLOSE TO my tent after the circus opened. At first I thought it was because she was ready to get back to work – and she absolutely loved reading fortunes and interacting with the public – but eventually I realized she was hanging so close because someone had put her up to it.
During one of our coffee breaks, I nursed my mocha and fixed her with a serious look as she busily scanned the crowd and practically ignored my presence. “Was it Luke or Kade?”
The question clearly stymied her because she flicked her eyes to me, confusion evident. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Someone told you to watch me,” I pressed. “I’m guessing it was either Luke or Kade. If I were a betting woman I’d lean toward Kade.”
Melissa made a huffing sound as she looked away from me. She was clearly uncomfortable being called out directly. “Maybe I just want to get some work in. Have you considered that?”
“I did … for the first hour,” I conceded. “Then I saw the way you were watching me and realized something else was going on. It’s okay. I’m not going to melt down. Kade sent you, didn’t he?”
Melissa was sheepish. “He might have stopped by my trailer and suggested it was time to re-enter the work force,” she said. “I’ve been working behind the scenes but staying away from the customers. He told me to suck it up and take care of you because I’m alive thanks to what you did.”
The sentiment was both sweet and grating. “Well, I don’t think that’s exactly fair to you. What you went through was traumatic. I’m perfectly fine. If you feel more comfortable returning to your trailer, I’m okay with that.”
“Kade won’t be okay with that.”
“I can handle Kade.”
Melissa’s lips twitched at my cocksure attitude. “Yeah, well, I think I’ll stay. He wasn’t wrong about me needing to rejoin the real world.”
“I think you rejoining the real world is great,” I admitted, hoping I didn’t sound like an exuberant mother as I drained the rest of my coffee and tossed the empty cup in the nearby trash receptacle. “I also think you should do it on your own timetable. Don’t force yourself to live on someone else’s schedule.”
“You did save me.”
“I wasn’t working alone.”
“No, but you did the heavy lifting.” Melissa shifted from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable. “I’m here because of you. I understand that.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to force yourself to mingle before you’re ready.”
“I’m okay.” Melissa looked as surprised with the declaration as I felt. “I don’t feel great or anything, but I’m okay. I think anticipating having to rejoin society was actually worse than doing it. Now that it’s over, I feel … better.”
“But not good, right?”
“Definitely not good. I think that’s still to come.”
“Well, it’s a start. Who doesn’t love a good start?”
“I just want to put one foot in front of the other and keep marching.” Melissa squared her shoulders. “Before long, I won’t have to remind myself that it’s necessary.”
“That’s a very healthy attitude.”
“I certainly hope so. If I fall apart again, I think it will take forever to pick up the pieces.”
Sadly, I couldn’t help but agree.
THE AFTERNOON SHIFT seemed to take forever. I had annoying client after annoying client asking me to make sure they would achieve success or snag a rich man. One even demanded I make sure he married a Victoria’s Secret model. It took everything I had not to explode a few times.
Perhaps sensing my irritation, Melissa volunteered to take the last hour of readings. I thought it might be too much for her, but then realized it was better to let her try and fail than to not try at all.
I didn’t go far, planting myself outside the tent so I could pre-screen the people waiting in line. Most of them were the usual dregs who wanted something for nothing – as if Melissa could wave a wand and give them everything they desired without them ever lifting a finger – but there was one couple I couldn’t quite wrap my head around.
I watched them a long time, my curiosity propelling me closer. The man didn’t have a care in this world. His mind was a blank slate. He stared forward without speaking. The woman next to him kept up a steady stream of inane chatter. She said a lot, but nothing of substance. I figured out quickly that she was talking to cover for his lack of verbal skills.
Just because he didn’t have anything on his mind didn’t necessarily mean something was wrong. Through all my years of mind reading and psychic invasion, the one thing I learned was that the female mind was often much busier than the male counterpart. That’s not sexist. I once scanned a man for an entire football game and the only time he registered thoughts were when his team scored, made an error, the cheerleaders came on or a beer commercial hit the screen. That’s not to say men don’t think. For some reason, though, it’s easier for them to zone out.
What I was seeing now was nothing like that.
“What’s going on?” Nellie appeared at my side. I sensed him a second before he showed up, so I wasn’t surprised.
“What makes you think anything is going on?” I asked, not bothering to look at him. I couldn’t drag my eyes from the man. He looked to be in his late forties, nicely dressed, his hair combed and kept. He stared into nothing, and didn’t register the movements of anyone around him. If I didn’t know better I’d think he was in some sort of walking coma.
“I’ve been watching you for twenty minutes,” Nellie replied, matter of fact. “You haven’t moved a muscle. All you’ve done is watch the people in line. I’ve known you long enough to recognize that means something is going on.”
“Something is definitely going on,” I agreed, puckering my lips as I deb
ated the possibilities. “That guy isn’t there.”
Whatever he was expecting, that wasn’t it. Nellie slid me a sidelong look and tilted his head. “Who isn’t there?”
“That guy with the blond hair.” I inclined my chin, making sure not to point and draw attention. “His head is completely empty.”
“Oh, is that all?” Nellie chuckled, genuinely amused. “I hate to speak ill of my gender, but that’s a man thing. Look at the woman with him. She’s chattering away nonstop. The blanking out is probably just a defense mechanism so he doesn’t have to comprehend whatever she’s saying. I’ve seen it before.”
“You’re not psychic.”
“No, but I am a man.”
“Yeah, well … .” I narrowed my eyes as I studied the woman. She was perfectly coiffed, her manicure pristine, and she seemed to be having a good time. The only problem was, she kept talking about things that had little to no substance. “I need to figure out what’s going on with her.”
I pushed away from the tent and inched closer to the couple, careful to make myself as unobtrusive as possible. The woman didn’t even glance in my direction and yet somehow I recognized the moment she picked up on my presence. She didn’t stiffen. She didn’t jerk her head to meet my steely gaze. She simply continued talking.
“I think we should definitely switch to decaf, Stanley,” she blathered. “We’re getting older and all that caffeine isn’t good for us.”
I stood still, delicately unraveling my powers so I could slip inside her head. It wasn’t difficult – I’d done it numerous times before – but I wanted to make sure she didn’t notice the invasion and cause a scene. That wouldn’t end well for anybody.
“I’m so sick of television today,” she prattled on. “All the violence and sex. It’s unseemly.”
I thought I would stumble across a name at first entry, but I couldn’t find anything remotely resembling a moniker. That’s one of the first things I learn about most people. That was a piece of information very few individuals cared about hiding. This woman was different.
“I wish they had wholesome shows on, like when I was younger,” the woman continued, her eyes trained forward as the line moved. “Things like The Brady Bunch and Bewitched. Who doesn’t love Bewitched?”
That was a very good question. I pressed harder into her psyche, my stomach quivering when I realized I was about to smack into a wall. I tried another avenue of attack but came up with the same outcome. “Son of a … !”
Nellie remained at my side. He was always looking for a fight and I was his best option considering the doldrums of the day. “What is it?”
“She’s closed off her mind.”
“What does that mean?”
“I can’t get in.”
“I know that, but … I thought you could invade anyone’s mind.”
“Usually that’s the case,” I offered. “There are a few people who can fight the process – Max, Raven, Naida – but this is different. This woman is … strong.”
Nellie glanced back at the woman, this time looking at her with fresh eyes. “Look at her hand. She’s leading the man forward and talking, but he doesn’t engage with her at all.”
“That’s because there’s nothing in his head.” My alarm ratcheted up a notch as I glanced around, fervently hoping Kade would make one of his hourly stops to make sure I was okay. He tried to play the visits off, as though they were part of his job, but I knew better. “We need to talk to her.”
Nellie didn’t bother hiding his surprise. “How are you going to do that? You can’t just walk up to her and say, ‘Are you a crazy hell beast who is hollowing out your husband’s brain? If so, I think we should have some coffee.’ She’ll make a scene.”
I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they might twist into the back of my head. “I’m not going to ask her that.”
“Then what are you going to ask her?”
I had no idea. I simply knew I needed to get her away from the crowd. “I don’t know. You need to come with me, though. I might need backup.”
“I don’t have my ax.”
“You can’t chop off heads in front of people anyway.”
“That’s why I think most people are stupid,” Nellie sniffed. “Who doesn’t like a good head chopping?”
“Just … come on.” I didn’t mean to be short with him, but my psychic senses were on overload. Something was very wrong here. I approached the woman from the rear, hoping to catch her off guard. She was staring at the exact spot I landed in before I could open my mouth. “Hello, ma’am.” It was a struggle to say anything that made sense. “I’m with Mystic Caravan. I’m making my rounds to ensure everyone is having a good time.”
“I’m having a terrific time,” the woman offered. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Oh, I’m here for more than that,” I enthused. “I’m here to tell you that you and your husband have been randomly selected for free midway tickets. All you have to do is come with me to the administration trailer and we’ll make sure they’re in your possession in just a few minutes.”
The woman didn’t blink. She simply stared. “I’m not much of a midway fan.”
“I am,” the man in front of her in the line offered, grinning. “I’ll take the tickets.”
“Yes,” the woman said. “Give them to him.”
“Unfortunately they’re non-transferrable.”
“Well, that is a shame.” The woman’s tone was clipped as she urged her husband forward. “We’re just here for a reading and then we’re leaving.”
Instinctively I grabbed her husband’s arm and poured everything I had into his head. He didn’t so much as shift his eyes in my direction. He was completely vacant. If thoughts could echo, mine would do that within his cavernous head. “Sir, you don’t look so well. Would you like to go to the emergency tent and sit down, maybe have some juice?”
He didn’t speak. He didn’t look at me. He just … stared. It was eerie.
“He’s fine.” The woman narrowed her eyes to slits. “He’s not much of a talker. He always says I make up for it and talk for both of us.”
I could see that. The woman’s mind was empty, too. No matter how I pushed and prodded, I couldn’t make headway past the barrier she created. She recognized what I was doing, and her smile was sly as it spread across her face.
“You don’t need to stick so close.” She raised her voice so everyone in the line could hear her. “We’re happy as we are. I’m sure you have other guests to attend to.”
“Listen … .”
She didn’t give me a chance to finish. “We don’t need anyone hovering. We’re perfectly fine.”
She’d put me in a difficult position. We both knew it. If I remained it would look as if I was harassing her. Even worse, if I tried to force the situation and drag her away it would cause a scene that no one wanted. I couldn’t allow either of those things.
So, instead of pushing forward, I drew back. “Enjoy your day at Mystic Caravan Circus.”
The woman beamed, although her eyes were alive with mayhem rather than mirth. “I intend to.”
20
Twenty
I had no idea what to do about the woman. She remained in line with her husband, who was essentially nothing more than a functioning zombie that didn’t crave brains for dinner. He stared at nothing. She chattered away. I watched them with keen eyes and a heavy heart while internally freaking out about exactly what was happening.
Nellie lost interest in my obsession not long after we started watching and disappeared. I figured he had better things to do but I realized that was not the case when Kade rounded the corner and headed in my direction.
“What’s going on?” Kade kept his voice low as he moved in close, giving the appearance that we were having a romantic interlude despite the fact that he was clearly disturbed by whatever Nellie had told him.
“Nellie whipped you into a frenzy, didn’t he?” I was now agitated by more than one thing. “He
shouldn’t have done that.”
“Nellie wisely tracked me down to spread the word that you’re ready to go to battle with a woman,” Kade clarified. “He thought I might want to be part of that.”
“You just want to see two women fight in case clothes start flying.”
Kade arched an eyebrow. “I want to make sure you don’t do anything to expose us. Even more important than that, I want to make sure you’re safe. That’s the most important thing to me.”
I heaved out a sigh, frustrated. “I’m sorry. I just … there’s something wrong with that woman.”
“What woman?”
I pointed out the woman in question, biting back a coarse laugh when he slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me in for a hug while he stared. He was a smooth operator when it came to things like this and his actions today actually managed to calm me.
“So this is about equal parts spying and copping a feel, right?”
Kade’s lips curved against my forehead. “Something like that. What’s up with that woman?”
“She can shutter.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning she’s either psychic or a witch. I guess she could be some other variation, but she’s definitely paranormal. What’s worse is that she knows I was trying to get into her mind and failed.”
“Did she say anything?”
“No, and I couldn’t call her on it with so many people hanging around. She’s made a big show about staying in line and refusing to leave. I couldn’t very well grab her by the hair and drag her away.”
“No, you couldn’t do that,” Kade agreed, his gaze intense as he eyed the woman. She was closer to the front of the line now, so we were staring at the back of her head. “Nellie said something about the husband, too.”
“Oh, his mind is blank.”
“Like he’s thinking about being someplace else?”
“He’s not thinking at all. There’s nothing in there. He’s a hollowed-out shell.”
Kade worked his jaw as he gazed into my eyes. “I don’t know what that means,” he said finally. “How does something like that happen?”
Freaky Rites (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 6) Page 18
