Page 70 of It takes a Psychic

She looked at him. “The Vance letter is a forgery.”

“I know,” he said. “So is the Bluestone document.”

“There’s something else,” Leona said. “When I got to the kitchen, the first couple buttons of Harp’s shirt were unbuttoned. When she saw me, she fastened the shirt right away.”

“So?”

“She was wearing one of those Vance return cult pendants.”

“I think that from now on we should assume everyone in town is involved in the cult until proven otherwise.”

Leona fell silent for a moment.

“Thacker said he has a journal written by someone named Willard,” she said.

“I heard. It might be another forgery.”

“Maybe, but I need to see it.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Leona watched the narrow graveledroad through the windshield. The gathering sense of dread that had been lurking at the edge of her awareness since arriving in Lost Creek was growing heavier.

“What is going on around here?” she whispered.

“Good question,” Oliver said. “But I’ve got another one.”

“What?”

“Everyone seems certain that the bridge washed out last night. We’re going to take a look.”

“Do you think people are lying about the bridge? Why would they do that?”

“Let’s just say I’m curious.”

They reached the end of the drive, but instead of turning left in the direction that would take them into town, Oliver turned right.

They drove the quarter mile to the creek and stopped. The water was running high and very swiftly. The bridge was gone.

Another chill zapped across the back of Leona’s neck.

“Looks like everyone was telling us the truth,” she said. “We really are stuck here.”

Oliver unfastened his seat belt and opened the car door. “I’m going to take a closer look.”

“At what?” she asked.

“I’ll let you know when I get back,” he said.

Sensing adventure, Roxy vaulted neatly onto his shoulder. Oliver walked down to the creek’s edge. She watched the two of them examine the scene for a couple of minutes.

“Well?” she said when they returned to the car.

Oliver rezzed the car engine. “The bridge is gone.”

“I noticed. I assume there’s a punch line here?”

“Oh, yeah.” He did a perfect three-point turn and drove back toward town. “The bridge was not swept away by the river. It was removed neatly and cleanly by someone with a very impressive set of tools. Probably a couple of someones.”

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