Page 42 of The Aura Answer
“Mr. Satterwhite?” she whispered, opening her third eye. “If you’re here, could you make yourself known? We’re awfully worried about Mrs. S.”
Was that a thread of gray near the floor-length floral drapery? Clenching her hands, Evie pulled together her usually scattered thoughts and focused all her considerable energy on that thread of gray. “What are you trying to tell your wife?”
It could be wishful thinking, but the gray appeared to widen. The room became chillier. Evie left her third eye open so she could hold her focus.
“Don’t sell.” The words resonated in her head more than her ears. “Protect her. Danger.”
The wisp of gray dissipated like smoke, leaving Evie to wonder if she had imagined it all. Really, dog walking was so much simpler.
Now what did she do?Protect Mrs. S? How?
From whom?
Someone had shot Arthur Black, killed Sammy Walker in broad daylight, and possibly drugged Bertie. They’d burned a man’s livelihood.
Was Mrs. Satterwhite next? Sammy had died on her land. Evie tried not to choke on fear.
Sixteen
With a client sittingacross his desk, Jax held his phone close to his ear as Reuben on the other end read off information hacked from the sheriff’s computer. Jax had given up telling Evie’s team that hacking was illegal. The computer whizzes had probably been born with processor umbilical cords and had backdoor portals into so many servers they could access the Kremlin.
He supposed it was a blessing that Evie offered R&R opportunities to use their expertise for justice instead of going rogue.
“No one saw any cars at the Barn except Evie’s,” Reuben reported. “Didn’t mean there wasn’t one, just that no one looked, and the victim had no security cameras. Time of death is based on Nick’s report and that of the customer who came in before noon and found the body. The coroner confirmed a slightly wider range, but we know ten to twelve is the widest time frame. Bullet is for a .38, same as used on Block, but that’s a common weapon and meaningless. Can’t even tell if it’s the same gun until they find it. The Barn hasn’t been cleaned in months. Fingerprints everywhere. They have zero leads. Motive is our only hope.”
“And we have none except for wild speculation,” Jax concluded gloomily.
“And Evie’s ghosts, exactly. And I can’t see a gazillionaire like Layman crawling around in attics and doing his own dirty work. One more thing...”
It sounded as if he were reading from a different page. “Prelim tox report on Bertie shows opioids and fentanyl. He died of an overdose several days before his corpse flattened Block. Weird part—no paraphernalia or traces found elsewhere with the body.” Without further speculation, he hung up.
Damn, what had Evie got herself mixed up in this time? If there were no needles or traces of drugs in the attic...Triple damn hell.
Jax clicked his pen in irritation before regarding his privileged client on the other side of the desk. “Evie says you’re in danger and may need to relocate for the time being. Is that feasible?”
“Evie said that?” Tobias Block asked in amusement, obviously unaware that death could touch him as it had his father and Bertie. “She’s worried about my worthless hide?”
“Not particularly.” Jax’s irritation escalated for no good reason, except Evie had dated the former mayor’s golden boy in high school. “She’s just passing on information from her mother. What do you know about the Satterwhite property?”
Toby straightened and became wary. Finally. “Why?”
Just for fun, Jax gave him a mixture of truth and speculation. “Because Kenneth Satterwhite’s ghost is concerned for his wife, who is receiving offers on that land that she wants to refuse.”
Tobias shook his long blond ponytail, in confusion or rejection, it was hard to say. “And you buy that ghost crap?”
Well, no one had said Tobias was more than book smart. But Jax needed all the information he could gather before he confronted Judge Satterwhite about thoseoffers. Could hesound Toby out about drugs? But Evie would have told him if Toby did drugs, so he stayed focused on the property.
“Then let me lay it out in terms you might understand,” Jax suggested. “Your father’s computers show that early this spring he was showing a client called FL properties on the east side of town. Do you know anything about that?”
Toby shrugged. “Dad’s a Realtor. That’s his job.”
Jax didn’t see his space cadet client as a killer, but he trod carefully. “After your dad went to jail, did he have his lawyer showing the properties?”
Toby looked puzzled. “Dad’s office has been essentially closed since last spring. I suppose Mr. Turlock could have done him a favor in hopes of getting paid.”
That’s what Jax suspected anyway. Carefully, he led his client down the garden path. “It appears Bertie Walker may have been following the Turlocks around to the various properties this FL looked at.”
Toby’s reaction remained neutral. “Unless Bertie uncovered gold to pay the bills, how does this concern me?”
