Into the Abyss: A Psychic Visions Novel (Psychic Visions Series Book 10)

by Dale Mayer

  Fern shook her head. “And I was trying not to let anybody know I’d returned,” she said dryly. “I’m actually looking for Reggie. Any idea where he is?”

  “No, today is my first shift in a couple of days. I haven’t seen him yet. I suppose you checked all the usual places?” Brittany asked with a big smile. “It’s early enough he won’t have skipped out for the day yet.”

  “Or so you’d assume,” Fern murmured. “In the months I’ve been gone, has he found any new hiding places?”

  Brittany shook her head. “I don’t think so, but then I’m only here a few hours a week now so anything’s possible.

  “Why only a few hours?” That wasn’t good.

  Brittany shrugged but her eyes were downcast. “I almost lost my job. Reggie said I could stay for four hours maximum. I know that the budget costs are overrun and with the murders and all, the donations and grants have almost dried up. I’m lucky to get even this much.”

  “Interesting. Last I heard the conservatory was doing well.”

  “Oh it is,” Brittany said earnestly. “But if you’ve been gone you may not have heard all the rumors.”

  “Rumors?” Fern shoved her hands in her pockets. It was easier to keep her fists hidden that way. Rumors were deadly. They had a habit of destroying anybody and everything in their vicinity. And they were often created with a grain of truth. “What the hell was that about murders?”

  “There were two deaths in the last couple of months. One was a maintenance man, the other a visitor. Apparently unrelated. Now people are saying the place is haunted.” Brittany said the last with avid horror.

  Fern’s eyes widened in shock. That couldn’t be good. “Haunted?”

  That was the last thing she’d expected Brittany to say. She knew there was a little too much fraternizing between the employees on staff, and she could have seen that being a cause of some trouble. Although it happened everywhere, when it came to grant money nobody could afford to have the faintest whisper of wrongdoing.

  “Yes.” Brittany leaned forward so none of the tour could hear. “And nobody knows what killed either of them.” She took a step back hurriedly, twisting around to look at her group as if to make sure they weren’t listening in.

  “Be careful.” She glanced back at the group shifting restlessly. “I have to go. Bye.”

  With a little finger wave Brittany walked back to the front of the group and said in a loud voice, “Okay everyone, let’s move on down to the cactus gardens.”

  With happy murmurs the group followed along behind.

  Fern watched for several moments. This was one of the largest conservatories in the world and it was split up into multiple themes. It had always been a favorite of the public. And there was even a special plant that only bloomed once every twenty years. At that time, the public flocked in to see it. Those events brought in a lot of extra funding.

  Like any grant run institute keeping the money flowing was always a difficult job. Any suspicious deaths would make this place dry up quickly. And that couldn’t be allowed to happen.

  With a frown she turned back toward the way she’d entered.

  As far as she knew there hadn’t been a death in the place in all the years since it was built. Why two now? Unless they were connected. But Brittany said they weren’t. Then Brittany was a student, not a detective.

  Surely somebody would have more information. That somebody should be Reggie. Something else to ask him. If she could find him…

  She hurried back over toward the office building, and pulling out her ID card, she swiped at the lock to gain entrance. Only it wouldn’t open. She swiped a second time and it still wouldn’t open.

  Through the double glass doors she could see someone inside walking toward the exit. She stepped back out of the way and waited until he opened the door. She flashed her card and he held the door open for her to enter.

  Inside she headed down the long hallway to the stairwell. She took the stairs over an elevator any day. She studied her card wondering if it had been damaged. Or had there been enough change that her rights and access had been revoked. And no one had told her.

  But then why would anyone do that? She was on the board. She was an active member and in good standing. Sure, she’d been gone for a few months. That was likely the cause of the problem. Maybe they’d been forced to upgrade the security system and as she hadn’t been around, her access was never sorted out.

  Feeling better for that explanation she picked up the pace and almost ran up the last set of stairs. A lot of research was done in this building. Although they were listed as office buildings, the main offices were at the back behind a separate key lock altogether. She’d phoned Reggie’s office this morning and left a message telling him she’d be coming in to see him. It was foolish in that she doubted he ever listened to the messages either.

  Finally reaching his office, she knocked gently on the door. The room behind the windows appeared dark, empty. When there was no answer she knocked harder then reached for the doorknob and turned it. It was unlocked. She pushed the door open.

  She could tell it was empty already. Exactly as she figured. Damn. She walked through the small office and into the smaller office in the back. If he was here, he’d be in the back corner. But it was empty. His desk cleaned off. Walking back out, she closed both office doors and headed to the little coffee room at the end of the hall.

  There she found two other people, both strangers in official looking business suits. She couldn’t see the second man, as he stood slightly behind the first, his face in shadow. Still, she could see his frown. She gave them a casual nod, then asked, “Have you seen Reggie?”

  The second man straightened and glared at her but stayed silent. The first man took a step toward her and asked, “No, why do you want to see him?”

  So not the question she’d been expecting. She gave him a startled look followed by a noncommittal answer. “I was hoping to talk with him this morning.” She shrugged. “Only he’s not in his office.”

  She turned to leave but the first man called back, “Why would you expect him to be in his office?”

  She froze. Then very slowly she turned around to stare at the two men studying her. But she still couldn’t see the second man’s face clearly.

  “Why wouldn’t I? It’s his office.”

  The first man’s lips tilted in a sneer.

  She studied both men then said, “Who are you? And just what the hell is going on here?”

  “Maybe we should be asking you that question. Dr. Death, isn’t it?”

  Her heart froze. That name. Dear God. When could she leave it behind? She kept her face blank as her spine stiffened and her blood pumped through her veins at triple the normal rate. If she could just get one breath out…

  The second man stepped forward and pulled out a badge that he held up for her to see. FBI. She stared at the badge with a horrible sense of déjà vu. Ripples snaked down her spine, but her chest started to move properly.

  Like hell she wanted anything to do with these two.

  She shook her head and took a step back. “Why are you here? Why are the FBI at the conservatory?”

  “We’d like to see your ID first,” the first man said with a smile. “A nickname is not the same as proper identification. If you don’t mind…”

  “And if I do mind, particularly as you seem to think you know who I am,” she snapped. “What then?”

  The first man took a step towards her, conveniently in front of the second man. “Then we’ll have to insist.”

  She snorted in disgust. “Of course you will. After all that’s how you deal with people, isn’t it? Manhandle your way into places where you’re not welcome and manhandle your way through situations without any finesse or care for someone else. Especially not for the truth. Typical,” she said in a waspish tone.

  She was sorry for the wrath spouting out, but she had no love for the FBI – or any law enforcement. The FBI just topped the list. It was hard to
forgive the treatment she’d received at their hands. At least Derek wasn’t here. Her old lover who’d betrayed her in the worst way. That would just be icing on the cake. She’d be running like hell back to England and the proffered second contract at Alnwick Garden.

  Still, antagonizing these men right off the bat wasn’t the smartest move. “Look, I’m just trying to find Reggie. Do you know where he is?” She pulled her card out of her pocket and handed it over. The second man took it from her and read her name. Instantly a frown whispered across his face. And she knew he’d heard her name before. At least the family name. Damn, she didn’t need this.

  “So where is he?” she asked quietly.

  “Actually, we can’t tell you that. He’s gone missing.”

  She threw up her hands. “Why not just say that from the beginning. He loves to go missing. That’s what he does. We spend half our day looking for him just so we can get a few problems solved around this place.” She turned back to the door. “Thanks for nothing but wasting more of my time.”

  Just as she walked through the door the first man called out, “We mean he’s gone missing missing. Not just unavailable for a few hours or a day.”

  She froze.

  “That is of course one of the reasons we wanted to speak with you.”

  She bowed her head. Of course it was.

  She turned back to face the men, her features carefully blank. “And why would there be an ‘of course’ in there?” She waited a long moment for one of the two to speak. When they stayed silent she gave a gentle sniff. “I thought so.”

  With a hard spin she headed out the door once again.

  And heard the first man say in a low tone, “Did you kill him?”

  The pain ricocheted inside, through her gut and bounced off her bones before shooting a rod up her spine. “No. I didn’t.”

  And she took another step, the ache deep inside almost too much to bear.

  “How can we believe you? You killed the old head of the department.”

  She stood stock-still and closed her eyes. This was never going to go away. It didn’t matter how many times she denied it or held the acquittal up for all to see, as far as anyone else was concerned, she’d killed Ben Kimball.

  It didn’t matter to anyone that he needed killing in the worst way.

  And although she might not have killed him, she certainly didn’t stop it from happening.

  The second man strode forward until he stood in front of her.

  Her eyelashes lifted. No it wasn’t Derek – it was someone much worse.

  It was London, Derek’s brother.

  Shit.

  Seeds of Malice

  Eye of the Falcon

  Book 12 of Psychic Visions Series

  Buy this book at Amazon.

  As a young girl, Issa, bonded with her pet falcon was the lookout for her father’s smuggling operation in Ireland. After everything blew up one night and her father and brothers were killed, her mother brought her to America to start over.

  Immigrating was hard, but eventually she grew up and pursued a career in environmental sciences and continued to follow her passion for falconry. But she doesn’t find the same special bond with another falcon. Until one fateful day when her world explodes again…

  Eagle, a former military pilot, has retired to his small ranch outside of Denver, Colorado where he runs a rescue center for raptors in need. One falcon is acting irrationally. Eagle’s only recourse is to euthanize him, but the falcon rips free. Although injured so badly he shouldn’t be able to fly, the falcon disappears into the skies.

  The next night the falcon returns with a beautiful but seriously injured young woman in tow… carrying a message of death and destruction for the both of them…

  Psychic Vision Series

  Tuesday’s Child – FREE

  Hide’n Go Seek

  Maddy’s Floor

  Garden of Sorrow

  Knock, Knock…

  Rare Find

  Eyes to the Soul

  Now You See Her

  Shattered

  Into the Abyss

  Seeds of Malice

  Eye of the Falcon

  Psychic Visions Books 1–3

  Psychic Visions Books 4–6

  Psychic Visions Books 7–9

  Your Free Book Awaits!

  KILL OR BE KILLED

  Part of an elite SEAL team, Mason takes on the dangerous jobs no one else wants to do – or can do. When he’s on a mission, he’s focused and dedicated. When he’s not, he plays as hard as he fights.

  Until he meets a woman he can’t have but can’t forget. Software developer, Tesla lost her brother in combat and has no intention of getting close to someone else in the military. Determined to save other US soldiers from a similar fate, she’s created a program that could save lives. But other countries know about the program, and they won’t stop until they get it – and get her.

  Time is running out … For her … For him … For them …

  DOWNLOAD a complimentary copy of MASON? Just tell me where to send it!

  Second Chances

  Go ahead. Take Charge of your life. Move forward…if you can…

  Changing her future means letting go of her past. Karina heads to a weekend seminar and discovers the speaker is the person she needs to move on from. But she soon realizes bigger issues are facing her…

  Brian has moved on, at least he’d believed he had… until he sees Karina in his audience…and realizes he’s been lying to himself.

  Passion pulls them together, love binds them together, but a revengeful enemy determines to keep the two apart…and destroy them both.

  Touched by Death

  adult RS/thriller

  Death had touched anthropologist Jade Hansen in Haiti once before, costing her an unborn child and perhaps her very sanity.

  A year later, determined to face her own issues, she returns to Haiti with a mortuary team to recover the bodies of an American family from a mass grave. Visiting his brother after the quake, independent contractor Dane Carter puts his life on hold to help the sleepy town of Jacmel rebuild. But he finds it hard to like his brother’s pregnant wife or her family. He wants to go home, until he meets Jade – and realizes what’s missing in his own life. When the mortuary team begins work, it’s as if malevolence has been released from the earth. Instead of laying her ghosts to rest, Jade finds herself confronting death and terror again.

  And the man who unexpectedly awakens her heart – is right in the middle of it all.

  About the Author

  Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties series. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It’s a Dog’s Life and Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series).

  She honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!

  To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format.

  Connect with Dale Mayer Online

  Dale’s Website – www.dalemayer.com

  Twitter – @DaleMayer

  Facebook – facebook.com/DaleMayer.author

  Also by Dale Mayer

  Published Adult Books:

  Psychic Vision Series

  Tuesday’s Child – FREE

  Hide’n Go Seek

  Maddy’s Floor

  Garden of Sorrow

  Knock, Knock…

  Rare Find

  Eyes to the Soul

  Now You See Her

  Shattered

  Into the Abyss

  Seeds of Malice

  Eye of the Falcon

  Psychic Visions Book
s 1–3

  Psychic Visions Books 4–6

  Psychic Visions Books 7–9

  By Death Series

  Touched by Death – Part 1 – FREE

  Touched by Death – Part 2

  Touched by Death – Parts 1&2

  Haunted by Death

  Chilled by Death

  By Death Books 1–3

  Second Chances…at Love Series

  Second Chances – Part 1 – FREE

  Second Chances – Part 2

  Second Chances – complete book (Parts 1 & 2)

  Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy Series

  Broken Protocols

  Broken Protocols 2

  Broken Protocols 3

  Broken Protocols 3.5

  Broken Protocols 1-3

  Broken and… Mending

  Skin

  Scars

  Scales (of Justice)

  Broken but… Mending 1-3

  Glory

  Genesis

  Tori

  Celeste

  Glory Trilogy

  Biker Blues

  Biker Blues: Morgan, Part 1

  Biker Blues: Morgan, Part 2

  Biker Blues: Morgan, Part 3

  Biker Baby Blues: Morgan, Part 4

  Biker Blues: Morgan, Full Set

  Biker Blues: Salvation, Part 1

  Biker Blues: Salvation, Part 2

  Biker Blues: Salvation, Part 3

  Biker Blues: Salvation, Full Set

  SEALs of Honor

  Mason: SEALs of Honor, Book 1

  Hawk: SEALs of Honor, Book 2

  Dane: SEALs of Honor, Book 3

  Swede: SEALs of Honor, Book 4

  Shadow: SEALs of Honor, Book 5