Chapter 6 #2
“He didn’t hurt Catherine, but he hits Fred?
Maybe Fred was more of a threat?” I rubbed my face.
I hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep last night.
Between the nightmares and the worry, I’d been up most of the night.
I had started another one of my mom’s journals.
I was learning more about her and my father.
And a lot about their life together here in New Orleans.
My grandfather who I’d never met, had started the empire with just one fortune telling shop.
And my grandmother was the reader for the shop.
They’d expanded as they’d found people with talent and by the time my father had stepped into the business, they owned most of the shops in the quarter.
Now, the fact we had real mediums in Nic’s business was putting everyone in danger.
“Are Uncle Arthur and Tamera still out of town?” I tried to remember what the last message the pair had sent me. They had gotten married a few months ago and had taken off on a several months long honeymoon. “We should make sure they know to stay away until this guy is caught.”
“I’m sure Nic has alerted Arthur. They talk once a week about the business. This isn’t something Nic would keep from him. Especially since it puts Tamera in the crosshairs if they come back.” He saw the look I gave him and dropped his focus back on his phone. “But I’ll double check with Nic.”
“Thanks,” I said as I leaned back and closed my eyes, drifting away into sleep. My new aunt had a bit of her own talent. Some voodoo, some creole magic, and a lot of psychic ability. And she loved my uncle who could be a bit of a grump.
Tamera’s face came into view. “Good morning sunshine. I hear you’re having some issues with a talent stealer.”
Even though I knew I was in a dream state, it was good to hear from her. “Yes, so stay away until we figure this out. Someone kidnapped one of my friends, then tried to kidnap me last night. Lilac’s home from her summer fun so I’m worried about her.”
“The girl will be fine. She’s a strong talent. She’s able to see a threat coming. Especially after that incident where she was tricked. That won’t happen again. It’s you I’m worried about. You need to stay safe,” Tamera warned me.
I felt her hand caress my hair. “This dream talking feels weird. Anyway, I’m not going to do anything stupid.”
Tamera smiled and nodded. “Oh, your uncle is waking up so I’ll be going. Take care Eddie and keep your friends close by. I have a feeling you’re going to need them.”
As she floated away, I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking me awake.
“Eddie, we’re here at the shop.” Bubba’s warmth poured in through his touch, and I took in a deep breath, then opened my eyes.
“Tamera and Arthur are staying away. I should have asked where they were. It felt warm.” I blinked and stretched. “Oh, we’re here. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Okay, we did. Several times. You couldn’t have been asleep for very long.” Lilac looked into my eyes. “You look okay. Wait, were you dream walking?”
“I think so. I was worried about Tamera, and there she was in my head. I think they are in Greece. I could see a bit of the room. It was lovely there. The wind was coming in from the open windows.” I started to reach for the door, but Bubba stilled my hand.
I pushed it away. “I’m fine, big guy. Just a little nap and a conversation with a friend. ”
“Sometimes you scare me, Ms. Cayce,” he said as he continued to stare at me.
Now, I knew I was in trouble, he was using the formal address he’d been taught when he started in security. “Come on, we need to make coffee before Nic and the crew get here.”
We didn’t have long to wait. I’d just finished getting an update from Mel on the shop and had sent Lilac to make a fresh pot of coffee when they strolled in the door. With a bodyguard. Nic wasn’t taking any chances.
Our shop security guy, Clark, Bubba, and this new guy nodded to each other. I guess there was an unspoken code about who was in charge when one or more of them gathered. I tried to keep the smile off my face. “Hey guys, can we chat for a minute before we go off on our quests?”
Nic frowned but nodded. “I haven’t reached Uncle Arthur yet.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve talked to Tamera.” I headed to the conference room. “You left Annamae at home?”
“I thought Lilac was staying home too?” He nodded to the girl he could see through the windowed conference room.
“I think I want her close by.” I frowned as I remembered our conversation last night. “I think it’s important.”
He nodded, then went to pour coffee for the two women who were following us. They were deep in a conversation that they were keeping at a low volume. As they sat down, I asked, “Is there a problem?”
Esmeralda shook her head. “No. Rory’s just concerned. She hasn’t reached Deek this morning. He’s probably sleeping in. He’s a bit of a night owl.”
“I’d just feel better if I knew he was safe.” Just then her phone beeped with a message and she grinned. “He’s fine. Apparently, my mother’s worry is interrupting his sleep. He wants me to knock it off and he’ll call or reach out every four hours or when he leaves a place.”
“You got through to him even though he was asleep. Does that work on everyone?” Lilac was staring at Rory, trying to figure out her talents.
“I’m sure that a ghost was close by and gave him my message. My spirits keep an eye out on him, especially when I’m out of town. They have since he was a baby.” She looked between Nic and I. “It’s not like you and Nic. I can’t step into his thoughts.”
“Do we need to talk about anything else?” Nic asked, avoiding Esmeralda’s stare.
“Oh, yes, I had an idea this morning. What if we ask each reader to keep a ghost on alert for her or him? That way, if something happens, the ghost can signal us and we can tell the physical security to go help. You wouldn’t have to close down the fortune telling then.
That affects their livelihood when it happens.
And if they’re in trouble, money wise, they might do something foolish, like take a private customer without any security. ”
“Ghost security,” Bubba said, “I’m going to be out of a job soon.”
“We’ll always need physical muscle,” I grinned at him. “At least until the ghost learn to become stronger.”
Rory shook her head. “If that ever happens, heaven help all of us. I think it’s a great idea. I already have someone watching Deek, but I’m going to go make that official. Is there a private room I can use for about a half hour or so?”
“You can use my office but take your security guy with you. That way we don’t have to worry about an ambush when you’re separated from us.” I met Nic’s gaze and he nodded. “So Nic? You’re good with the idea?”
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of it earlier,” he said and started typing orders on the phone.
“I’ll have Anne start calling all the readers and getting the spirit tree set up.
Then I’m sharing it with everyone just in case something happens.
This might just be the extra layer of protection we need.
Oh, and that shop manager has been let go.
She admitted that some guy asked her to put him on Mercy’s schedule without being vetted. She took money from him for the favor.”
My stomach dropped. Crystal might not have killed Mercy, but she was the reason she was dead. She’d let someone into the reader’s room without Mercy being able to verify her own safety from the guy.
Now, I felt less bad about getting her fired. She’d brought it on herself.
“Make sure you add the shop to the list and our three ghosts. We can use them to keep in touch with the others. Send the list to Mel and tell her she doesn’t have to do anything with it except keep it close.” No one else in New Orleans was going to die at this guy’s hands. Not if I could help it.