The Last of the Red Hot Vampires - By Katie MacAlister Page 0,77
are some things that seem to escape logical explanation..." That was pretty much a given now that my life had become something outside of logic. "...but most people don't even try to look for a reason that things happen. If they see a light in the sky, it must be an alien."
"Exactly," Milo agreed, watching the group as they sat in a circle for a group meditation. "Logic, that's the key to it. You seem like a very logical person."
I smiled. "It goes with the territory. I'm a physicist, you see. Logic is more or less my forte."
"Really?" He turned an interested face on me. "You don't happen to like puzzles, do you? The brain teasers? I am mad for them, but seldom have anyone to share them with, since the wife doesn't like that sort of thing."
"Logic puzzles, you mean? Car A leaving Los Angeles at thirty miles an hour, and a train leaving Chicago at sixty, that sort of thing?"
"Well...somewhat. I used to belong to a logic puzzle group in university, but have lost touch with most of the members."
"Ah. I'm not much of a puzzler, but those things seem to me to be set up to be easily solved if you just take the proper steps."
"That they are." He looked thoughtful for a moment, then a smile spread across his face as he nodded toward the group in front of us. "Would you like to try one out?"
"A puzzle?"
"Yes. One to do with this group?"
I looked at the six people in front of us. "You're kidding. Logical ghost hunters?"
"Something like that," he said, laughing. "Look, there are five members there, plus your friend Sarah. That's the makings of a logic puzzle."
"I'll take your word for that." I sat back on the table, pleased there was something else to do other than watch ghost hunters communing with spirits. "I don't know if I can match someone who used to make puzzles, but I'll give it a shot."
"That's the ticket! Let's see...you know their names, don't you?"
"Actually, I don't. I missed the introductions because I was in the restroom when everyone met at the local restaurant."
"Perfect. I've known these folks for the last eight years, and I can tell you that each of them - this is excepting your friend, of course - live in different towns. Now, let me see, we need a third element, something you can't tell by looking at them...hmm. Ah, got it. Each one of these teams has members with a different supposed psychic specialty."
I raised my eyebrows, looking them over again. With my newfound knowledge of things paranormal, I didn't see any signs in them that they were also "in the know," so to speak. "OK. So I'm supposed to guess who has what psychic ability?"
"Supposed psychic ability," he said with a wink. "Name, psychic ability, and town, how's that sound?"
"Better than being bored," I laughed. "Let's do it."
"Right, then. The psychometrist and Mr. Brand both like their tea without milk. The telepathist from Newberry and Mrs. Floring, the medium, don't get along well. The mind reader comes from St. Bartleby."
"Wait, wait, wait," I said, scrabbling around in my purse. "I need some paper to write this all down. Telepathist and Floring, medium, don't get along...St. Bartleby...OK, go on."
"Now then, Susannah, Mr. Bitters, Michael, the Ouijist, and the person from Learing-on-Bent all usually arrive together. Mrs. Lee and Timothy are always late. Daniel the channeler and Carol sing in a local choir."
"Oh man, this is getting good," I said, writing it all down. "It's just like a logic class I had eons ago in college."
"Daniel Richings doesn't live in Bartleby. Carol doesn't live in Leewardstone."
"England has the best town names...got it. Any more?"
"Just one. If you asked Mrs. Lee if she had been with the club longest, she'd say no, that was her friend from Edmonds, with whom she'd grown up in her town of Newberry."
"Hmm. OK. Let me see here..." I eyeballed the info I'd written down, decided it was nothing more than mathematics disguised as words, and assigned each bit of information a numerical value, then began to arrange them in equations that made sense.
"Take as long as you need, although it looks like the meditation is about up," Milo said, one eye on the group.
"I almost have it...no, wait, that won't work...hmm...she can't be there and there at the same time...aaaaah." I looked up with a smile.
"Figured it out, did you?" Milo asked, a twinkle in his eye.