Page 118 of Power of the Mind

I glanced at the sign above Janek’s store. JP Supplements. Same leafy design. If I held my head the right way, they could almost pass for a bunch of pot leaves, not likely what the naturopath was going for.

Then something Janek said earlier came back to me, and I stood there dumbfounded as several pieces clicked into place.

“Sir? Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I gotta go. Call me, kid. I’m serious.”

I raced back into the store. I needed to ask Janek one more thing.

27

Tallus

“You’re sure I’m okay to leave?”

“Sweetheart, I’ve been running this department since before you were born. Probably since before your mother was born. I’m fine.”

“You’re an angel, Kitty Kat. I apologize for all those times I called you a conniving witch. I owe you.”

“Mm-hmm. Don’t forget the chicken alfredo I made for you. It’s in the fridge in the breakroom.”

“Trust me, I’ve been dreaming about it all day. I can’t wait for dinner.” I tidied the remaining spread of pens strewn across the counter and shoved the files I’d been working on back into a banker box.

Phone. Keys. Dinner. Check, check, and check.

The office phone rang, and since I was closest and Kitty was indulged in a crossword puzzle, I snapped it up. “Toronto Police Records Department, Tallus speaking, how can I help you on this fine day?”

“Get Kitty.”

I pulled the phone from my ear and gave it a huff before replacing it and cooing, “Guuuuns, is that you?”

“Of course it’s fucking me. Get Kitty.”

“That’s not how you should talk to your nonboyfriend.”

“I’m not your nonboyfriend. Stop calling me that.”

“Oh? Are you my real boyfriend now? I didn’t get the memo.”

“I… That’s not… You can’t…” He growled something unsavory under his breath. “Get. Kitty.”

I chuckled. “In a minute. How’d it go with Janek?”

“Terrible. She gave me a card for the suicide prevention hotline, but only because she would rather believe I wanted to kill myself than admit I could be a homicidal maniac.”

I laughed. “Ah, first impressions with the infamous Diem Krause. We really need to work on your people skills.”

“We don’t. That visit cost me eighty-seven dollars and thirty-eight cents. Be glad I’m not charging you as a fucking client, or you’d be sleeping in a cardboard box for the rest of the year.”

“We both know you wouldn’t let that happen. Did the cost of bribes go up with inflation?”

“No, the cost of fucking tea went up, and I swear to god, if it doesn’t work, I’m going to put my boot through that woman’s front window.”

“D, babe, are you having a bad day?”

“Darcy and me both. Now, please get Kitty.”

“Who’s Darcy?”

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