The Medusa Deception

Chapter 8

MANDY RUBBED HER tired eyes. It was late afternoon and the workday was drawing to a close. She'd been scanning books for hours to no avail. It was no big surprise to come up empty.

The bell over the door jingled. Ryan entered, looking bright-eyed and self-assured, like he'd had a good day. "Hey there, make any progress today?"

"No, nothing terribly useful. Nice to see you again."

"You didn't think I'd bolt did you?" Ryan teased.

"I wouldn't exactly blame you if you did. I mean, with me being a freak of nature and all."

"Ha! That's funny! You're not a freak of nature. You're just experiencing a very strange phenomenon. It doesn't change who you are."

"Thanks for the reassurance."

"Hey, I said I'd help and I meant it. I've been busy all day, trying to find leads. I've taken the liberty to schedule a couple of appointments for this evening, assuming you're up for it?"

"Really? That's great. There's no one else I can even talk to about this. No one that wouldn't put me in a straitjacket anyway."

Ryan chuckled. "Yeah. I think a person would need to see to believe in this case. And even then..."

"No kidding. I hardly believe it myself."

"Good thing the store is closed tomorrow. I have a feeling we could be in for a long and interesting night. Our first appointment is not too far from here. Would you like to walk?" Ryan asked.

"Sure, I could use a stretch," Mandy said.

* * *

MANDY STROLLED BESIDE Ryan down the sidewalk in the early evening bustle while he relayed every detail about his meeting with the professor. Mandy grinned inwardly, still not believing he'd returned, let alone with contacts that could help.

Ryan stopped in front of a quaint little tea shop advertising psychic readings. "This is our first appointment. Are you open to the idea?"

"Do you think a psychic reading will provide answers?"

"It couldn't hurt." Ryan raised his eyebrows.

"Sure. I'll give it a shot."

Ryan held the door open for her. "There's one more thing you should know. She's my mom."

Mandy looked at him but didn't have time to respond before a trim, middle-aged woman with wispy strands of platinum silver hair poking out from under a colorful scarf emerged from the back and beelined straight toward them. This was so NOT how she thought she'd ever meet his mother.

"So good to see you, Son. This must be the young lady you mentioned." She beamed.

"Yes, Mom, this is Mandy. Mandy, this is my mom, Crystal."

"Very pleased to meet you, Mandy." Crystal smiled warmly, her denim blue eyes looked just like Ryan's. She reached out to shake Mandy's hand, but as soon as they touched, her smile faded. Awkwardly, she pulled away and cleared her throat. "Please, follow me."

Crystal turned and headed to the back of the store. Her deep purple, gypsy-style dress swished on the floor behind her. Mandy glanced back at Ryan. He smiled reassuringly and motioned for her to follow.

"OK then, let's do this."

Crystal was seated at a table for two in the center of a small, windowless room. Like a sultan's tent, the ceiling and walls were draped in fabric of red, yellow, orange, and purple, the setting warm and intimate. Two lamps with fringed scarves draped over their shades provided dim lighting supplemented by numerous candles set about the room. The air was exotic but not overpowering, with hints of incense and candle wax. A dark wood shelf along the wall was crowded with an assortment of psychic paraphernalia: a crystal ball, jars of loose tea, books and decks of cards. On the matching wood table in front of Crystal sat an oversize deck of cards, a pot of tea and two cups.