Page 65 of Power of the Mind

He was right, and nothing else in the vicinity drew my eyes except Madame Rowena’s. I glanced down the street again at the flashing sign on the front lawn. She operated from her house, which may or may not be legal, depending on if she’d obtained permits. The cop in me was always active, no matter how much I hated the association.

“Why not park on Park Home?” I motioned to the empty street.

Tallus gestured to a nearby sign half covered by a tree’s dense foliage. “No parking zone.”

He was right. And Beecroft was a quick jaunt away if you cut through the cemetery.

“I’m right, aren’t I? Allan came to see herdaysbefore he died. He might have seen her several times in the interim. Winnie said he was going out at night. That’s two, Guns. Two suspicious deaths attached to this woman. When are you going to admit I have something here?”

“Twosuicides,” I reminded him.

Sure, it was a curious coincidence, but nothing more. Allan being in the neighborhood before he died and Amber using the psychic’s services was not enough to raise suspicion. Not with me. It was still a stupid case based on nonsense superstitions.Mind control, brainwashing, or fucking skilled manipulation was not responsible for these two peoples’ deaths. Madame Rowena was not Jim Jones or David Koresh. At best, she was a dime-a-dozen scam artist long past her prime who used her well-honed skills to make a few extra bucks.

“You’re still not convinced.” The defeat in Tallus’s tone stung. His shoulders sagged, and he looked for all the world like a kicked puppy.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Didn’t have to. I can read your mind.” He waved his fingers near my face.

I deadpanned.

Tallus chuckled. “Okay, I can’t, but it’s written all over your face. You think I’m stupid.”

“You’renot stupid,” I snapped.

“You think my theory is stupid.”

I held my tongue and stared from the blinking sign down the road, back into the cemetery from where we’d come, then to Tallus, who waited with bated breath for me to confirm or deny.

He was so eager about this case. His excitement was invigorating, so again, I mumbled a response to avoid bursting his bubble.

Tallus cupped an ear. “Say what? I didn’t catch that.”

“It’s not stupid. Let’s go check it out.” I didn’t know what we were looking for, but my insides quivered when a brilliant smile shone from Tallus’s eyes. No matter how I felt about his convoluted theory, it didn’t matter. I’d made the right decision.

Two cars occupied the driveway of the two-story house. A late-model tan Escort and a newer model BMW in a sleek black. A second sign was propped inside the front bay window, indicating Madame Rowena’s business hours. According to it, she was closed nightly at six o’clock.

That didn’t jibe with when Allan got his parking ticket, but I stayed quiet and let Tallus have fun. Never mind Mulder and Scully or Sherlock and Watson, Tallus was the rangy kid from Scooby-Doo. What was his name? I couldn’t remember. Either way, Tallus had a warped idea of investigative work.

He tugged me to crouch behind a red mailbox across the street so we couldscope the joint—his words, not mine—then he proceeded to surreptitiously peek around the corner for several minutes to ensure the coast was clear.

I couldn’t give a fuck about staying inconspicuous and refused toduck downno matter how many times he insisted.

A heavy curtain hung over Rowena’s front window. It was dark beyond. In fact, every window visible from the street gave the impression no one was home. If it wasn’t for the two cars, I’d have made the remark out loud. Tallus must have reached the same conclusion, deciding it was safe, and took to the shadows as he followed the driveway past the two vehicles toward a backyard gate.

I scanned the empty street before chasing after him.

We hadn’t rounded the corner when muffled voices pierced the quiet night. Tallus froze, held up a staying hand, and cocked an ear to listen. The voices were coming from inside, raised in argument. It didn’t sound like a guest in the middle of a session with the psychic.

It was the tone of a man and a woman.

Dramatically peeking around the corner, Tallus surveyed the scene before gesturing the all clear. He opened the gate and entered the backyard. Less worried about discovery—maybe I wasn’t taking this seriously enough—I followed, refusing to crouch and proudly sauntering at my full six-and-a-half feet of height.

Tallus squatted low beneath a window emitting a strange reddish-orange glow across the yard. It cast a pool of crimsonon the uneven stone path leading from the side gate to the rear door.

“Do you want to be seen?” he hissed, motioning for me to make myself less conspicuous.

I stood abreast of the window, body pressed to the decorative shutter stuck to the siding. Tallus must have decided it was a better spot and joined me, stealthily stealing long glances inside.

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