“Money,” she says, almost as if in a trance. “It was thick. I couldn’t see the cash, but I know that’s what it was.”
“What else?” I press, knowing the sooner we get this all out, the more accurate the details will be.
“She stood to leave, but a man sitting next to her asked to buy her a drink. He was tall, thin.” Her eyebrows tilt inward. “He had a full-sleeve tattoo. Red flowers intertwined with an octopus.” Her eyes catch on something past me, and she gets caught in a near trance. I’m about to speak when she goes on. “She finds him attractive, so she says yes.” Her eyes meet mine, and I can tell she’s shaken. “Somehow, I can feel her inner thoughts, Nick. She had reservations. She knew she should leave. She’s thinking about how they wouldn’t like her sticking around.”
My eyes narrow. “Who’s they?”
She shakes her head, shrugging both shoulders. “I don’t know,” she admits. “She just refers to them asthey, but I can tell you it refers to multiple people, not a pronoun preference.”
I nod, not bothering to question how she knows that. Her abilities are morphing into something more. Something that even Alyssa doesn’t understand.
“At some point, her vision becomes fuzzy. She’s feeling off and begins to panic. While the guy is in the restroom, she leaves. She’s walking quickly toward a black car when someone grabs her from behind.” Alyssa takes a seat on the edge of the bed, putting her head in her hands. “I feel her fear. Hear her thoughts. She knew she was going to die.” She looks up at me, eyes filled with tears. “Then the vision ended.”
I have questions, but I’m struggling to ask them. I don’t want to push Alyssa when she’s this upset.
“The car,” she says, as if reading my mind and answering the questions I have. “It’s hard to tell in the dark from this far away, but I’m pretty sure it’s a black Toyota Camry. When we were buying a car for Ava, it was between the Camry and Corolla. I looked at a lot of those cars.”
I grab my phone, queuing up my Notes app and recording the most important details.
Noting that Alyssa seems calmer, I take a chance and ask a lingering question.
“Did you get the feeling thattheywere whoever grabbed her?”
I don’t have to elaborate on my use ofthey. Alyssa knows I’m referring to whoever the girl was thinking wouldn’t want her to stick around.
Alyssa’s quiet in thought for several moments. A range of emotions crosses her features, from confusion to curiosity, and finally landing on certainty.
“I don’t think it was the same people. I’m getting the feeling that she was working for the people who would’ve wanted her to drop the cash and leave.” She blows out a breath. “But I also think she knew who grabbed her.” Her head tilts to the side. “Not the actual person, but the group the killer is tied to.”
My mouth slams into a thin line as I take in everything she’s just said.
Even if I asked how she knows this, she wouldn’t be able to put it in words. It’s a gut feeling. An intuition. A new ability that has me downright speechless.
“We need to act fast,” Alyssa declares, her tone resolute. “We need to reach out to the spirit of this girl. To see if she’s dead.”
“You think there’s a chance she’s still alive?”
She bites her tongue, eyes squinting. “I’m…not sure.” She grabs her phone from the nightstand. “I need to reach out to Corinne for help. A séance typically requires more people.”
“I’ll check in with Chief Skiver in Falls Haven. He needs to know I’m chasing a lead here in Knox Harbor. It should buy me a day.”
Let’s just hope he doesn’t press for information. I can’t exactly tell him my sources are dreams and dead people.
“Darling Nick, yousimply must sit next to me,” Natalia purrs. Corinne’s eccentric mother pats the spot beside her with a dramatic flourish.
When Alyssa reached out to Corinne, she was informed that they’d need more help, and since Lanie and Nina are still in New Orleans, Corinne called in her mother.
Alyssa warned me that the woman was next level, but I am now finding that depiction to be a colossal understatement.
I take a seat, and Natalia leans over toward me, placing herhand on my thigh. “I’ll keep you safe.” She squeezes my leg, and I cough, squirming in place.
My eyes dart to Alyssa, who meets my gaze with an amused twinkle in her eye. She mouths the wordsgood luck.
I grit my teeth, suppressing the urge to beg her to intervene. This entire situation is odd enough, but I’m not sure I’m prepared to be felt up while dealing with the dead.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
“Scoot closer. We’ll need to share energy,” Natalia coos, and Alyssa coughs, trying to smother her laughter.
