Chapter 33
Chapter thirty-three
My mouth fell open.
"You mean… that she, as a witch, could not see it coming, but somehow her powers were preparing to shift?"
"Yes. And don’t ask me how that works. It doesn’t come with a manual. I just know how it is."
Again, he bristled.
"Okay, I’ll try to remember."
"Do it," he said. "It might be the best way to narrow down the when, the why, and the who."
"Okay."
I caught a glimpse of the clock and jumped up. "I’ve got to run."
"I’m coming along," he said.
"How would I explain your presence?"
"I’m your emotional support. An energy healer will accept that.”
"That could work.” I paused. “Do you think I’m in danger?"
"I think if something in the air is strong enough to give me a headache, I don’t want to take a risk. I’ve already lost a human."
“It’s not the thunderstorm?”
“No. Please, Bex.”
With Cosmo safely in his stroller—to protect him from the still-pouring rain—we made our way to the downtown practice of the Reiki practitioner.
I’d expected there to be a receptionist. Instead, I entered an empty waiting area, complete with bamboo furniture, a few Japanese prints on the wall, and a fake phrenology skull.
Brad certainly had interesting taste.
There was an old-fashioned silver bell on the desk. A printed note instructed patient to ring it.
A small kitchen, the practice room, and a bathroom were all clearly labeled.
A door with a glass panel led to a staircase.
It had Private in gold lettering on the glass, so I assumed it led up to an apartment.
That might also explain why Pamela had seen the mystery woman leaving through the practice door.
I waited until two minutes after my appointment time before pressing the bell.
Brad peeked through the door.
A charming smile crinkled his eyes. Up close, he was even more handsome than I remembered from that night at the Blue Moon. "Come on in," he said. "Let’s have a chat."
"Do you mind if I bring my cat along?"
He paused. "I’m really sorry, but I don’t treat animals."
"No," I said. "I know."
His smile deepened. "Ah. Emotional support?"
"My aunt’s passing away was really unsettling." My lip wobbled.
"I understand." He bent down to wave at Cosmo, who still sat in his stroller. I wheeled him in with me.
The practice room was divided into two sections—one set out like a doctor’s office, with a laptop, notepads, and comfortable chairs. The other, I assumed, was where the energy healing took place, hidden behind a screen on wheels.
Brad pulled out a chair for me to sit down. His manners were impeccable.
"May I open the stroller? I promise you, Cosmo won’t cause any damage." I peered at him.
"Sure," he said. "I love animals."
He shifted toward a large fish tank that I hadn’t noticed before. "There’s something soothing about having an animal or two around, don’t you think?"
"Absolutely," I agreed. "Now, where do we start?”
“How much do you know about Reiki?"
"Only that you can fix a lot of things that normal medical practitioners can’t. And everyone in town says you’re the best."
"I wouldn’t go that far. I always tell my patients that my services are an additional way to improve their health and restore balance.
But I would never, ever suggest you give up on your normal medical care.
The best of the East and the West together—that's how I see modern medicine.
Ancient practices, too. There was a lot of wisdom in the old ages that we ignore to our detriment. "
Either he was sincere or a great actor. I glanced around discreetly, to check for anything he could use to cast a little magic. I couldn’t see anything suspicious, although that could have been because I lacked the experience. “How long have you been working in Willowmere?" I asked.
"A bit over nine months," he said. "I decided the big city life was a little too hectic for my taste.” He leaned back, clearly at ease.
I let Cosmo out. He threw himself at my feet and busied himself being absolutely adorable. I hoped he had a built-in mood detector because I could not read Brad.
Brad smiled at me. "Now, Bex, do you have any underlying health issues that I should know about? Like I said, Reiki is not a silver bullet solution. It can absolutely change your life, but only if it's used wisely."
I'd done a little bit of research before I came here, so I tried to look deflated. "Apart from my perimenopausal issues, there’s nothing wrong with me. Only all the stress I’ve been through lately is getting to me. I have trouble sleeping. I have trouble relaxing for more than a few minutes."
I didn’t want to overdo it—he’d seen me having fun with my friends before.
He reached out but stopped a few inches from touching my hand. "No wonder. You've been through a lot. And our society, our pace of life, isn't exactly easy on most of us."
"Thank you," I said.
"I heard you’re recently divorced."
“News travels fast.” I bit my tongue.
"It's a small town, and people care. That's what I love about Willowmere. We care about our neighbors, about the environment. You never have to be lonely. And believe me, I have been pretty lonesome in the city."
"Now that I find hard to believe," I said with a slight chuckle.
"It's true," he insisted. "It's one thing to have company or to have people being interested in you—as a man, or in your case, a woman—and another to have them interested in you as a human, you know?"
That was surprisingly astute. Not many men I’d met made the distinction between physical attraction and deep human connection.
"Enough about me," he said. "I’m sure that I will be able to help you relax. Now, there are two ways to do Reiki. Some people prefer the physical touch to balance their energies and restore the free flow of their life force. Others prefer it a little more hands-off."
"Oh," I said. "I had no idea. What is your experience? What works best?"
"To be honest, a little light touch is an excellent conduit of energy. But to be clear, it’s only that – a light touch."
"Of course," I said. "I wouldn't have—I mean, you're not a massage therapist."
"Exactly," he said. "I’m so glad you understand. I wouldn't have expected anything less from an empathetic, educated woman like you."
I basked a little in his words until I reminded myself that they might as well be a well-practiced spiel to suck me in.
"Shall we start?" he asked.
Cosmo nodded his head.
"By all means," I said.
His treatment couch would have done justice to any shrink's office. It was so comfortable, it would be hard not to nod off, I thought as I lay down.
Brad switched on a soothing light, aimed at “restoring my natural harmony”.
"It’s calibrated to copy the most soothing stage of sunlight," he said.
He started waving his hands a few inches above my body, gently, making circles with them. Soft music played in the background. There were no discernible tunes—just a feeling of harmony.
I felt my body grow heavy. Then Brad touched my arms with a barely-there touch. He moved on to my forehead. His skin was warm on mine, yet I felt nothing but calm.
I forced myself to keep my eyes open. I'd almost drifted off to sleep.
"We’re done," he said.
"Already?"
"How was it for you?"
I rolled my shoulders. All the tension I'd felt was gone. "That was incredible."
"It's a great start," he said. "You're very receptive to energy sources and to alternative ways of thinking."
"I'm coming around to them," I had to admit.
"Shall we make another appointment?" he asked. "Same time next week?"
"That’d be great," I said.
Cosmo went into his stroller without being asked.
"I just need to quickly freshen up," I said.
"By all means."
He handed me a handwritten appointment card.
I dashed towards the bathroom. "I'm sorry, not that one," he said. "It's currently out of order. I forgot to put up a sign."
"Oh."
"You can use mine upstairs, if you don't mind."
"Not at all. Thank you." I picked up the stroller, so Cosmo could sniff around upstairs too, although I’d already decided that Brad was not up to something shady. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let a stranger into his own private apartment.
Soft footsteps startled me. He’d followed me. "Let me show you." He pointed towards a door, unfazed by me carrying up my emotional support cat for a trip to the bathroom.
It was spacious and well-equipped, as soothing as his reception area with calming shades of silver and jade green, and a jacuzzi.
It was also used to having female visitors.
I recognized a candle, or rather, its scent, on a shelf.
The last time I’d smelled it had been on myself, after Linda had clasped my hands.
I remembered what Ange had said, about Linda copying Mimi.
There might be more who’d follow in their footsteps and invest in a luxury scented candle. I sniffed it.
It triggered an olfactory memory. If I was right, the scent was the same that had clung to the small perfume bottle Jake had kept in his box.
While a candle might be affordable for several people, a perfume that had a four figure price tag was limited to two ladies I knew.
If my aunt had come up here, she might have stumbled upon a secret affair.
What did Linda say? “He strays, he pays.”
The perfume bottle had been found in the cabin. Was that why Jake had to die, and then Brad and his lover had remembered my aunt’s visit to this very bathroom?
I had come up here having crossed Brad of my list of suspects.
Now, I changed my mind. He was involved in this, up to his handsome head.