“Don’t tell me you picked up the term revenue stream in the food-and-beverage business?”
She ignored that. “You said yourself that the Governing Council or whatever it is that runs the Arcane Society is starting to whine about the costs of the recent operations against that Nightshade conspiracy you’re chasing. It would be sound policy for J&J to find other sources of income in case our budget gets cut by the Council.”
“The Council can grumble all it wants. Zack is the Master of the Society and he understands what’s at stake. He’ll see to it that I get the funding I need.”
“Fine.” Isabella gave him another radiant smile. “Then I’ll take Norma Spaulding’s payment as a commission for my work. I could use the money, given the lousy salary you’re paying me.”
He felt like a deer in the headlights when she used that smile on him. It was more dangerous than the crystal gun that had turned up in the Hawaii case. His finely tuned brain seemed to short-circuit when she glowed the way she was glowing now.
“You’re the one who told me how much to pay you,” he said, grasping at straws. “If you wanted more money, why didn’t you ask for it?”
“Because I needed the job,” she said smoothly. “I didn’t want to scare you by asking for what I’m really worth.”
“I don’t scare that easily.”
“Are you kidding?” She chuckled. “You should have seen the look on your face when the new desk and chair arrived.”
“If I flinched, it wasn’t because of the price of the damn furniture,” he said.
“I know.” Her tone gentled. “It was the shock of realizing that you were going to be sharing your working space with me. I understand.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re accustomed to being alone,” she said. “By now you’ve probably convinced yourself that you need solitude in order to do your work. And it’s true, up to a point. But you don’t require as much of it as you think you do. You’ve built a fortress around yourself. That’s not good.”
“Now you’re analyzing me? I sure as hell didn’t hire you to do that.”
“You’re right. You don’t pay me nearly enough for that kind of work. Do you have any idea how much a psychologist charges per hour these days? And good luck even finding one who understands those of us who are psychic. Most respectable shrinks would take one look at you and conclude that you’re crazy.”
He went cold and still.
“Oh, for pity’s sake,” Isabella said. She made a face. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re not crazy. Not even close. I wouldn’t work for you if I thought you were. Now let’s get back to the Zander house case.”
He exhaled slowly. “Fine. Your case, your commission. But don’t spend too much time on it. Like I said, I’m not paying you to chase ghosts.”
“Right.” She got to her feet and plucked her yellow raincoat off the Victorian wrought iron coatrack. “Norma told me that there is a key box on the Zander house. She gave me the code to open it. I’ll drive out to the mansion now, check it out and pronounce it a ghost-free zone.”
“Have fun.”
Isabella flew out the door, taking all the light and energy that had illuminated the office with her.
He contemplated the closed door for a long time.
I need you here at the office. I need you.
He listened to her light footsteps on the stairs. After a moment he got up and went to the window. Isabella appeared on the street. She paused long enough to hoist her umbrella against the rain and then hurried along Scargill Cove’s twisted little main street to Toomey’s Treasures. Toomey’s window was filled with a lot of New Agey, so-called metaphysical tools, chimes, tarot cards, crystals and exotic oils.
Instead of going up the outside stairs to the rooms she had rented above the shop, Isabella disappeared around back. A short time later she emerged behind the wheel of a little yellow and white Mini Cooper. She had bought the car from Bud Yeager, who operated the Cove’s sole gas station and garage. No one knew where Yeager had obtained the vehicle. In the Cove you did not ask those kinds of questions. Fallon braced one hand against the windowsill and watched Isabella drive out of town toward the road that would take her to the old highway.
She had not arrived in Scargill Cove in a car. She had appeared, as if by magic, late