Page 1 of The Psychic and the Vampire

Chapter One

“Your menacing definitely-not-friendly stalker is staring at you as if you were lunch,” Bridget whispered, nudging Ant’s shoulder.

“I know, but given that he’s a vampire, I’m not worrying about it. I’m not going to be worth more to him than a morning snack, and he looks like he prefers a full steak meal,” Ant murmured back, resting his hand on Able’s furry head. His German shepherd nudged up seeking a harder pat, barely missing the underneath of the table where he was sitting. “Besides, he’s probably watching you more than me. You two share a similar dress sense.”

Bridget snorted. A very unladylike sound coming from such an elegantly dressed person. Bridget was older than Ant by four years, and while they shared the same mom and dad, Ant often wondered if he was found under a hedge and adopted by his caring parents.

Where Bridget was tall, statuesque, with long dark hair always swept up in a tidy bun on the top of her head, Ant had never reached average height, and he kept his wavy blond hair short. His jeans weren’t ripped, but they were his one concession to his court appearance, oh, and his shirt had all it’s buttons. That was the extent of him caring about his looks. The vampire, on the other hand…

“Snappy dresser or not, he hasn’t taken his eyes off you since you walked into the courtroom.”

Bridget was right about that, too, although Ant didn’t say so. The man’s vibe had tingled his senses the day before when the large man had slipped into the courtroom midway through Ant’stestimony. That vibe was stronger today and Ant felt it wash over him before he’d taken his seat.

The stranger had to be at least six-and-a-half feet tall, and he gave the impression that his suit, which probably cost more than Ant spent on clothes in a year, was caging in a mound of barely restrained muscular strength. With his finely defined facial hair and long dark hair caught at the nape of his neck, he was Ant’s walking dream in other words. Not someone he would date, because Ant didn’t bother with that sort of behavior, but definitely someone he could have a few fun fantasies about when he was alone at night.

“I still don’t understand why the prosecution pulled you into this case in the first place.” Bridget had given up analyzing the stranger at the back of the room and was checking out the papers she had in front of her. “You told Hammond the guy was innocent the moment you saw that Duncan fella. You’d have thought Hammond wouldn’t want you within ten miles of his case if he wants a win under his belt.”

Bridget wasn’t the only one who wasn’t sure what was going on. “He’s paid me already. I was surprised when the court payment came through. And did you notice when Hammond was walking me through my testimony yesterday, it was like he was trying not to laugh. Was he trying not to laugh at me? Did I have food on my teeth or something?” Bridget understood nuance better than Ant did most days.

But Bridget was shaking her head. “I didn’t notice anything like that. It was almost as though he was acting for the defense. This whole case has been weird.”

Ant agreed. “I’m not making any sense of this either. It’s not like anyone’s approached me for a bribe, or asked me to changemy testimony…” He glanced at his sister. “No one has done that regarding this case, have they?”

He’d been approached with offers like that before, and while he always refused them, often the asking party wasn’t polite or kind in the face of his refusal.

It was one of the reasons why Bridget took care of all the legal and administrative side of his business, including acting as his personal legal representation when he had to make court appearances.

Able took care of any negative actions against him, usually with a well-placed bite. Ant was one of the few people in town who’s dog was both a security animal and a registered weapon.

Another headshake from Bridget. “We wouldn’t be here if anyone had tried anything like that.”

“Okay, so we’re agreed that none of this makes sense which means there’s something else going on. I have no idea what that is right now, but I’m sure if it concerns me at all at a later date, someone will let me know.” If Bridget agreed with him, then Ant could take comfort that he was on the right track.

“In the meantime I’m just doing my job – what the prosecution team has paid me to do. Who knows, perhaps the prosecution is trying to work out why Duncan confessed to the murder in the first place.” The defendant had been another one sending Ant death threats with his eyes when Ant testified the day before.

“Guess we’ll hear soon enough.” Bridget sighed, getting to her feet. Ant, realizing the judge had arrived, did the same thing, his hand down by his side, a sign Able recognized as him having to stay put.

“We’ll be out of here by lunchtime,” Ant promised as he sat back down again. “Fancy going to Barnaby’s for a meal?”

“You’re wacky. You know that, don’t you?” But Bridget was smiling. “They’ve scheduled your cross-examination for the whole day. That would give us barely thirty minutes to grab a bite to eat for lunch.”

“Make a reservation at Barnaby’s for one.” It was already well after ten o’clock, but Ant didn’t doubt they’d be out of the courtroom before then. He made sure his face was showing no expression as Colin Banks, the defendant’s lawyer, stood up, hooked his hands into his jacket pocket, and addressed him directly.

“Mr. Anthony Channon, I believe you testified yesterday that you’re a level two mage?”

“That’sDoctorAnthony Channon, thank you,” Ant corrected quietly. The microphone was right in front of his face, so he didn’t need to yell. “As I testified yesterday, I’m a leveltwelvemage with three master’s degrees and a doctorate in the evolution and measurement of psychic and medium abilities.”

“Level twelve? My apologies.” Banks let out a hearty laugh, looking for approval from the audience who packed the courtroom. Ant didn’t miss the twinge of nerves running through it, though. “I can’t imagine what you’re doing in the court if you’re a level twelve mage. I’d be winning the lottery once a month and living the high life if I had that sort of power.”

Oh, hardy ha-ha.“That’s a common misconception about a mage’s abilities among non-para beings,” Ant agreed calmly. “However, my specialty is on events that have already happened, which would be no help with your hypothetical lottery numbers. I have the ability to discern what has happened at a place where a traumatic event has occurred as if it was happening right in front of my eyes. I also have the ability to communicate with lingering spirits that are often tied to those areas or eventsbecause of what they’ve been through, helping them move on if needed. As I testified yesterday.”

“Exactly, Mr. Banks,” the judge intervened. “Doctor Channon’s expertise has already been verified and accepted by the court, both for this case and the dozens of others in which he’s been called as an expert witness. Move on.”

“Yes, Your Honor.” Banks sketched a quick nod in the judge’s direction, before turning back to Ant, who could see Banks was not pleased. “DoctorChannon, wouldn’t you agree, in your learned opinion, that a spirit’s recollection of any event might be distorted in some way due to the nature of the trauma during the event that caused their death?”

“No.” Ant didn’t even need to consider the question. “Indeed, after death many spirits have far more clarity about their situation and the reasons for it.

“Someone who has survived a traumatic event and is asked to speak about it is the one who might struggle with an accurate recollection, depending on the trauma they’ve lived through.

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