by Sonia Parin
Lexie looked around. “Maybe it was just the wind. Okay, let’s head back.” Without any leads, she had no idea how she’d find Mimi Hargreaves’ cat.
“Frederick has only been missing for a few hours,” Luna said, “Someone might be holding him for ransom and they are now waiting for the appropriate moment to send a ransom note. Also, you could look into her husband’s financials. Maybe the Hargreaves are experiencing difficulties and he decided to sell Frederick.” Luna shivered again and danced on the spot. “I can’t feel my paws. Pick me up.”
Lexie unbuttoned her overcoat. “Curl up inside and don’t show yourself. I’ll try and hail a cab.”
Lexie had to agree with Luna. A cat used to the comfort of a warm home wouldn’t stray. If someone hoped to extort money out of Mimi Hargreaves, they would probably wait another day to make contact. But what if someone had simply stolen Frederick? Or... left the door open for him to escape...
When they managed to hail a cab, they headed for O’Connor’s Bar. “Maybe Jonathan can help us out.”
“Are you prepared to hear him grumbling because you’re no longer bothering to turn up for work?”
“I’ll risk it,” Lexie murmured. Besides, she didn’t think Jonathan had much of a choice. As her guardian, his duties included being available to help her out... She hoped.
Lexie crinkled her nose.
“What is it?” Luna asked.
Something in the air, Lexie thought as she tried to define the sensation. Not a smell. More of a feeling. The same feeling she’d had in the park.
“The one you couldn’t define?” Luna asked taking full advantage of the fact she could talk to her heart’s content because only Lexie could hear her. “Have you been practicing your daily meditation?”
Not as often as she should. She’d become a lapsed practitioner...
Who had time to hum?
A breeze swept inside the cab and swirled around Lexie.
“Whoa! I felt that,” Luna said, peering out from within the comfort and warmth of Lexie’s coat. “Are you all right?”
The breeze continued to swirl around her, delivering a message. The soft whispers—
“Stop the cab.” Lexie paid the driver and jumped out.
Luna shivered. “Why did you do that? We’re not there yet.”
“Did you hear that?”
Luna’s head emerged. “I think I need ear muffs. Those would be a nice Christmas gift, but then, they wouldn’t be a surprise. And no, I didn’t hear anything. Not even with my superior feline hearing, which wouldn’t be affected by ear muffs.”
The breeze and the voice swept around Lexie one more time and then stopped only to tug her along.
“That felt odd,” Luna said.
“Something’s pulling me.”
“You mean, the breeze you said you felt and heard?”
“Yes. I think so.”
“Well, talk to it.”
“Huh?”
Luna burrowed inside her coat. “You are one with the elements. You can communicate with them.”
“What do you want?” Lexie asked.
Luna purred. “Did it answer?”
“Yes. It said to follow it.”
“Where? You know I’m not entirely comfortable blindly following you.”
“I’ll tell you as soon as I find out.” Lexie tried to resist the pull, but it was too strong. Crossing the street, she finally felt the invisible force ease up. “I guess I’m supposed to go into this building.” Inside the spacious lobby, she studied the business directory. “Oscar Hargreaves is listed.”
Luna’s little head popped out again. “For the record, I don’t like this at all. At least the Coven sends you written commands. How can you argue with the force of nature, especially if it’s possessed by an otherworldly force?”
They took the elevator to the twentieth floor and a set of double doors led them through to a resplendent office space.
Luna purred deeply. “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling slightly apprehensive. I wonder if that’s a sign of paranoia and the early onset of some dreadful disease?” Luna sniffed the air. “Hang on. False alarm. That’s a relief. I’m quite sane.”
“Huh?”
“There’s a dead body behind the desk.”
Chapter Two
“Explain to me again how you happened to be here?” Gunner O’Rourke asked.
Lexie blinked and tried to speak but no words came out. She’d met several detectives associated with the O’Rourke Group. Working undercover in plain sight and within all major police departments, both here and abroad, the detectives dealt with supernatural deaths.
I don’t like him, Lexie thought.
“Neither do I,” Luna agreed.
“Where’s Whip O’Rourke? I want to speak with Whip.” Lexie had recently met the O’Rourke detective and had become quite familiar with his way of doing things. Gunner looked exactly like him... yet different, and not in a good way. Annoyingly, Lexie couldn’t put her finger on it.
Luna had curled up on her lap and now tried to climb back inside Lexie’s coat.
“What’s wrong with your cat?” Gunner asked.
“My feline companion doesn’t care to be referred to as a cat. Where’s Whip?”
Giving his gold cufflinks a twist, Gunner said, “He’s busy.”
“I thought this was his precinct.”
“He’s the same but different,” Luna murmured. “He looks like a stockbroker or a lawyer, and he appears to be looking down his nose at us.”
Lexie recalled the other O’Rourke detectives she’d met. They’d all been replicas of each other but they’d each had their own individual personalities and styles. None had dressed like Gunner. Who wore vests? His three-piece dark blue suit and pristine white shirt with a navy blue tie and caramel colored brogues definitely set him apart.
When he folded his arms, Lexie caught sight of his watch.
Elegant. Sleek. Expensive.
“I called for Whip O’Rourke,” Lexie insisted, “Why did we get you?”
He gave a casual shrug. “I drew the short straw.”
“Huh?”
“I think he’s trying to push your buttons.” Luna made another attempt to climb inside her coat but Lexie held her down. If she had to deal with Gunner O’Rourke, she wouldn’t do it alone. “In answer to your question, we were guided here.”
Gunner drew out a small leather bound notebook and fancy pen. “By whom.”
“A breeze.”
“How do you spell that?” he asked.
Lexie exchanged a look with Luna who said, “I think you need to speak slower. He might have a hearing impairment.”
“A breeze, as in a gentle gust of wind,” Lexie explained.
“And how do you know the victim?” he asked.
“His wife engaged our services. I’m a P.I.” Lexie handed him one of her business cards. “Crafty Investigations.”
He surprised her by accepting the card and putting it in his pocket.
“Why do you think a breeze brought you to see Oscar Hargreaves?” Gunner O’Rourke asked.
“I’m not sure. The words sounded garbled.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “The breeze spoke to you?”
“Yes,” Lexie shrugged. “Anyway, we were at the corner of a busy intersection. I couldn’t concentrate properly.” Her attention strayed to a bookcase and the snow globes taking up all the top shelf space.
“Perhaps you should try meditation,” Luna suggested. “The message might come back to you. Your brain is a sponge, storing information. It’s all in there. You only need to tap into it.”
Gunner put his notebook down and, a moment later, said, “Yes, that’s a very good idea. You could meditate now.”
“Huh?”
“He can’t possibly have heard me,” Luna said, “I blocked him from my mind.”
Lexie searched for a reaction. Some sort of sign he’d heard Luna.
“I heard you.” He shrugged.
“You can try to block me, but you’re too intimidated by me for it to work.”
“He’s insufferable.” Luna hissed. “I really don’t like him.”
Seconds later, Gunner said, “You’ll get used to me.”
“Argh!” Luna screeched. “This has never happened to me before. If I’d known this could happen, I would have devised a secret language. How are we going to communicate with him eavesdropping on everything we think?”
Gunner leaned against a massive oak desk and crossed his feet at the ankles. “What do you think triggered that gust of wind? What were you doing or thinking before it happened?”
“I can’t remember,” Lexie said and tried to clear her mind of all thoughts.
“Well then, let’s get to it.”
“Huh?”
“Meditate,” he said, “Clear your mind. Everything you heard is still stored in your mind. Sift through and you’ll find it.”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
I can’t function properly under these conditions, Lexie thought.
A few seconds later, Gunner said, “Try.”
Luna complained. “You don’t need to take orders from him. You’re the incoming High Chair. Put him in his place.”
Lexie wished she could.
Could she?
Several seconds later, Gunner gave her another raised eyebrow look that appeared to challenge her. “Your cat is not being very helpful.”
“Is nothing sacred?” Luna leaped out of Lexie’s arms and, taking a giant leap, grabbed hold of his lapels. “Get out of my head,” she screeched.
Gunner yelped. “What is wrong with your cat?”
Lexie sprung to her feet and tried to pull Luna off him but she’d dug her claws into his lapels.
“Get out of my head,” Luna shrieked.
“Get her off me,” Gunner growled.
Luna, feel free to bite him, Lexie thought. Regretting it, she rushed to erase the thought from her mind.
“Interesting,” Luna said as she withdrew her claws.
“What?” Lexie settled back down on the chair and cradled Luna in her arms.
“Try thinking a thought and quickly erasing it.”
I’m going to wipe the smugness of his face by turning him into a frog, Lexie thought and quickly erased the thought. She studied him closely and looked for a reaction.
Nothing.
“Think and erase,” Luna purred, “There’s a time delay between us thinking and him hearing us. We’re bonded and hear each other on real time. So, think and erase. Oh, and I had a close look at his watch. Erase. It’s a Patek Phillipe. Erase.”
Gunner gave his sleeves a tug and said, “Whatever you two are doing is not going to work. You don’t have the discipline for it.” He looked at Lexie. “Your reputation for landing in closets precedes you.”
“For your information, I land in closets by choice.” Having the power to travel from one place to another by merely thinking about it, Lexie knew she should be able to hold an image in her mind of where she wanted to be and go there. For some reason, she always landed in closets. Although, recently she’d had a few successes...
“I’ve liked all the O’Rourke detectives we’ve met. Erase,” Luna said, “This one is dreadful. You should do something. Erase.”
What do you suggest I do? Erase, Lexie thought.
Luna purred deeply and then sprung up. “I got it. Erase. Recently, you changed the color of your outfit with nothing but your thoughts. Erase. Can you do it to him too? Erase.”
Gunner frowned. His eyes bounced between Lexie and Luna.
Lexie smiled. “I can do one better than that.” Looking at his suit, she pictured a purple tuxedo with velvet trim. His suit changed instantly.
Seeing it, Luna rolled onto her back and laughed.
“What’s going on between you two?” Gunner asked.
“Nothing.” Lexie tried to hold back her smile but failed.
Luna looked up at Lexie and said, “Do something about his fancy watch. Erase.”
Mickey Mouse watch coming right up. Erase. Lexie leaned forward. Yep. It worked.
“What worked?” Gunner asked.
“You forgot to erase the thought. Erase,” Luna said.
“I remembered something the breeze said.”
“About time.” Gunner checked his watch. His eyes widened. Then he noticed his sleeve... and the rest of his suit. Looking up, he said, “You did this.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Change it back. Right now,” he growled.
“You need to get your priorities straight.” Lexie lifted her chin. “You’re supposed to be here investigating a suspicious death. By the way, how did Oscar Hargreaves die?”
Frowning at his purple suit, Gunner snapped, “Blow to the head.”
Lexie asked, “The front? The back?”
“The back of his head.”
“So someone caught him by surprise. Do you have the security footage for his office?”
“Are you going to turn my clothes and watch back to normal?”
“He seems to be rather cross with you. Erase,” Luna purred. “Keep up the good work. Erase.”
“What about his office staff?” Lexie asked.
“They were all out to lunch,” Gunner said through gritted teeth. “One of the staff is going on maternity leave. Oscar Hargreaves stayed behind to deal with a business call and had planned on joining them later. Now, change my suit and watch back.”
Lexie looked around. “Is there a rest room I can use? I feel an emergency coming on.”
Gunner frowned and pointed her in the right direction.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
“Are we making a getaway? Erase.” Luna asked.
Lexie waited until they were out of sight to nod. They couldn’t use the elevator because he’d see them. She’d have to blink them out of there.
There’s nowhere like home, Lexie thought, and clicked her heels.
“If Mirabelle hears you, she’ll growl. Your powers are not to be taken lightly.” Luna leaped off Lexie and pressed her paw against the closet door. “Home sweet home.”
“Do you think it’s safe to talk?” Lexie asked as she crawled out of her closet and straightened.
“I doubt Gunner O’Rourke can hear us all the way from the Upper East Side.”
Lexie followed Luna into the living room and slumped down on the couch. “This is odd.”
“What?”
“I feel dreadful about taking such an instant dislike to Gunner O’Rourke. I can’t make sense of it. He looks exactly like all the other O’Rourke detectives we’ve met and yet, I just don’t like him. When did I become that type of person? I’ve never been so quick to judge someone.”
“I’m comfortable with my feline instincts,” Luna said, “You can’t go against nature.”
“Yes, but... It’s never happened before. I always give people the benefit of the doubt and assume they’re going to be, if not nice, then decent. It’s not as if Gunner did or said anything wrong.”
“He might be hiding something and you picked up on it. Don’t beat yourself up about it. I’m sure there are people who take an instant dislike to you.”
“Ditto.”
Luna curled up on her lap. Lexie automatically gave her a scratch behind the ears. “I suppose we now have to combine our search and look for a killer.”
Luna looked up. “Mimi Hargreaves only engaged your services to find Frederick.”
“She must be beside herself. Two loses in one day.” Lexie sat up.
“Ouch. Can you give me some warning before you do that? I curled up on your lap assuming I’d get some peace and quiet.”
“Sorry, I’m still feeling guilty about Gunner. I should change his clothes back.” She closed her eyes and pictured his pristine gray suit. Or had it been blue?
“And don’t forget the watch,” Luna said.
“Done. Come on. Let’s go.”
“Where? We’ve only just returned?”
“To O’Connor’s. Jonathan might be able to help us. I have no idea where to start looking for Frederick.”
“What are you talking about? You haven’t even scratched the surface.”
“I’m trying a new tactic,” Lexie said. “Let someone else do the thinking for me. It might save us some time.”
“Do you know what else will save us time and spare me the ordeal of walking on a cold pavement?” Luna asked.
“Are you suggesting I buy you kitty boots?”
“I’m suggesting you do everything in your power to ensure I don’t come down with a cold. I’d rather not spend Christmas nursing a cold.”
“Fine. But you know how I feel about excessive use of my powers.”
“Actually, no I don’t. How do you feel about it?”
Undecided...
Lexie closed her eyes and pictured the inside of O’Connor’s Bar. She mentally strolled to the back room and focused on getting them there.
She sensed them shifting. Lexie had never bothered to delve into the inner workings of whisking herself from place to place. She probably didn’t even need to close her eyes, but at this point, the less she knew, the better.
When she opened her eyes, Jonathan stood in front of her, glaring and growling at her. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Lexie smiled at him. “I’m employing my skills.” She looked around her.
Oops. She’d landed right in the middle of the bar during its busy time. “Sorry, I actually aimed for the storeroom.”
Jonathan swept his hand in front of him. Everyone around them stilled for a moment and then snapped out of whatever had compelled them into silence.
Lexie’s mouth gaped open. “Did you... Did you just use...” She leaned in and whispered, “Magical powers?” She’d had no idea he had any.
“In case anyone is the slightest bit concerned about me, I’m fine,” Luna said. “Why is Jonathan scowling at you?”
“I nearly exposed us to the wider world, or at least, to the patrons at the bar. I think Jonathan wiped everyone’s memory.”
Jonathan leaned in and growled, “Do you realize how dangerous that is? I could have erased something important.”
“Such as?”
“Someone could have been thinking about an appointment they needed to keep. Or a birthday they had to remember. I only wiped that split second you appeared away, but who knows what thoughts they were entertaining.”
