Page 82 of Power of the Mind

If we didn’t find anything worthwhile this evening, I’d pull the plug and admit defeat on this nonsense case.

Memphis: Tell me one thing, and if you lie, I’ll know. How long have you been boning your stalker?

I stared at the question. Did I admit Diem and I had been fucking around for months? Did I admit that I wanted to date the guy? After what Diem had revealed the previous night, I wasn’t sure it would happen. Besides, Memphis wouldn’t understand.

Tallus: So what if I was?

No response.

I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

My eyelids drooped, and still, my best friend remained petulantly silent.

Sometime later, the distant sound of a car door slamming jolted me upright. Fuck. I’d fallen asleep. I glanced at my phone and saw Memphis had finally texted back, but before I could read the message, movement caught my eye.

Someone was parked outside the doctor’s building.

Someone—a familiar woman—got out of an older model Caprice and headed to the front door of Hilty’s office building, purse slung over a shoulder as she marched like someone on a mission.

“Fuck.” I fumbled, almost dropped my phone, and located Diem’s number, hitting Call since I had no time to type a warning.

He answered with a typical grunt.

“Get out!” I hissed as the woman shuffled through her keys while standing at the main door. “It’s the receptionist. Soap Opera Sally or whatever the fuck her name was. She’s here. She’s on her way inside.”

Diem made a strangled noise in his throat and barked, “Fucking stall her,” before hanging up.

I hopped from the Jeep and ran before figuring out what to say. This would all be over if she recognized me. My sluggish brain struggled to switch over to acting mode, but I found a fake Scottish accent, the only suitable disguise I could muster in less than ten seconds. “Ma’am… Ma’am. Excuse me, Ma’am.” I waved, frantic for her to notice.

Hilty’s receptionist whipped around, eyes wide and haunted as I dodged traffic on Pape Avenue and crossed the street. The woman hugged her purse to her chest, and I didn’t miss how she fixed her keys between her fingers so she could use them as a weapon. Perfect. Who was I but a strange man approaching her in an empty parking lot at night. Great. I risked a knife to the kidneys at this rate.

Sticking to the shadows to keep my face hidden, I held my hands aloft, placating her so she would see someone harmless. Scrambling for something to say, drawing on all my high school and college improv classes, I pointed at her rusted-out vehicle.

“I’m so sorry to bother you, I just… When you pulled into the lot, I noticed that you had… a shimmy in your back tire. Maybe it’s a flat or something. There was definitely a wobble.” I chuckled to break the tension. “I don’t speak cars. It didn’t look good.”

The woman glanced behind me at the parking lot with a worried expression, but her shoulders came away from her ears, so she was buying it. So far, she didn’t seem to recognize me.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was across the street.” I pointed at the Jeep. “Waiting for my girlfriend to finish her shift at the restaurant. It looked concerning. The tire.”

The woman relaxed another few degrees as a frown formed. “Figures. It’s my kid’s car. He never takes care of it. I didn’t notice a shimmy while driving. Are you sure?”

“As sure as I can be. I mean, it’s dark, so maybe I’m wrong.” I kept my distance, ensuring she stayed calm while also keeping an eye out for any signs of Diem. “Just being a Good Samaritan. Maybe you should have it checked out.”

“I will. Thank you.”

“No problem.” I gave her my award-winning smile, then thumbed over my shoulder. “Did you want me to have a peek? If it’s flat, I have an air pump. It could at least get you as far as the next shop.”

I had no such thing, but I doubted she would take me up on it. Any smart woman would know better.

She hesitated, smiled, and shook her head. “It’s all right. I don’t live far, but thank you.”

“No problem.”

That was it. That was all the time I could squeak out of the moment. I hoped Diem had vacated the premises.

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