ah, The Inner Eye, may be relocating to the Richmond area and that you and your employees might be interested in leasing several apartments?” His deep-set eyes gleamed.
Instead of accepting the man’s pudgy hand, Cooper placed both palms over her heart. “Our futures shall be determined by destiny.” She bowed a little. “My employees and I are all very sensitive about our spaces. In order to serve our clients, we have to obtain a state of complete peace in our home environment, so it may take me some time to determine if the chi in these apartments is well balanced. I hope you’re open to this approach.”
“Of course, of course.” The manager nodded rapidly and Cooper was superbly relieved that he hadn’t asked her to define chi. “Now, I’ve never visited a psychic before—no need—but my wife has. ’Course that was back before she met me. Ever since she snagged herself a hard-workin’ man, she doesn’t need to peer into a crystal ball anymore.” He grinned smugly.
“The Inner Eye doesn’t use crystal balls. Those are props for carnival acts,” Cooper replied stonily and Phil nearly tripped over his tongue apologizing.
“Please, Mr. Burgess,” Trish interceded in a clipped, professional tone. “Could we see the apartment now?”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Phil grabbed a set of keys and pasted on a slick smile. “After you, ladies.”
The threesome walked around the clubhouse, where they passed by a sheeted, rectangular pool, a row of empty bike racks, and a putting green. These public areas were landscaped with neatly pruned evergreen shrubs and clusters of purple and yellow pansies. There were no signs of litter and the grass aligning the sidewalks looked as though it had been hand-trimmed with a pair of sharp scissors.
As they headed toward Building B, Phil chattered about the complex’s amenities, the quality of its residents, the awards it had garnered over the past year, and how unique Short Pump Commons was for being the first complex in the area to own a state-of-the art tanning bed.
“Costs a pretty penny, too,” he added proudly. “The sign-up list is full every evening.”
Murmuring their approval, Cooper and Trish followed Phil up a few flights of stairs to the third floor. He unlocked the first door on the left and stepped inside. Before he finished switching on the lights, Cooper pushed her way past Phil, walked resolutely to the center of the living room, raised her hands to her forehead, and closed her eyes.
“She’s gauging the aura of this unit. We should be quiet,” Trish whispered to the leasing manager in a conspiratorial fashion and then made a big show of dabbing her forehead with a tissue.
“Oh?” Phil seemed flustered by the idea that he should remain silent instead of proceeding with his sales pitch.
Acting completely relaxed, as though she were accustomed to such bizarre behavior from her clients, Trish strolled around the living room assessing the peach-colored walls, a grouping of oil paintings featuring sickly-looking sunflowers, an overabundance of brass torchiere lamps, and the kind of sofa that uncomfortably encases one’s body in overly deep polyfill cushions.
“Do all the units have security systems?” Trish asked softly, indicating the device attached to the wall next to the front door.
“Ye-es!” Phil answered enthusiastically. The man was clearly unable to speak in a volume lower than that used by a circus ringleader.
Trish approached her client and touched her on the arm. “How does this place feel?”
“I need to be a level lower,” Cooper pronounced after opening her eyes. “The vibes are almost balanced here and I’m sure most of my employees would be perfectly happy with this apartment, but I must be one floor lower.”
“We have some lovely units on the second floor in Building C,” Phil replied.
Cooper shook her head. “That won’t do. You see, I have to be facing north and I must have my rear windows positioned over a natural area. Also, I’ve got to have an even number in my address. Odd numbers conduct negative energy.”
Phil’s mouth hung slack in befuddlement.
“Is the apartment on the second floor available?” Trish inquired innocently.
Phil fidgeted with his tie, obviously stalling for time as he tried to think of a way to dissuade the women from focusing on the apartment below. “It will be soon, but at the moment it’s not in showing condition. The, ah, current resident’s possessions have not yet been removed.”
Cooper brightened. “That’s excellent! I’d rather get a sense of the presence of the person who inhabited the space I’ll be living in before I