drifted. She screamed Mallory’s name over and over, but Mallory was gone.
CHAPTER 21 A strong smell of ammonia attacked her nose, waking her up. Rachel felt a cool cloth on her forehead as she tried to sit up. A feeling of dizziness and nausea passed over her, forcing her to lie back down. “Take it easy.” Rachel looked up to see Michelle sitting beside her. “You had a bit of an episode. How are you feeling?” “A little shaky. What happened?” Rachel looked around and saw they were alone in the back office. Everyone had left. “I don’t know. You were calling out Mallory’s name, and then you fainted. Have you had anything to eat lately?” “I ate some pizza at the hotel before we came here for the tour. Where is everyone?” “After you fainted, Madame Verdene gave me some smelling salts. She ushered everyone out.” Rachel felt a little embarrassed as Verdene came back in the room. “Are you feeling better?” she asked Rachel. Rachel sat up, her head still swimming. “I think so. Just a little dizzy.” “That’s only happened one other time I’ve had a cleansing. It seems to affect a select few quite differently from others. Did you have a vision?” Rachel remembered Mallory sitting on the beach, smiling and playing in the sand. “My daughter Mallory. She was at the beach.” “Your daughter that is missing?” Madame Verdene asked. Rachel was surprised. “My daughter has been missing since she was three years old. She’s never been found. How did you know?” she asked. Madame Verdene was quiet for a moment. “I felt a presence while doing the ritual on you.” “You’re a medium?” Rachel asked. “If that’s what you want to call it. I communicate with the afterlife.” “Mallory is dead?” “No, she’s not. This was a spirit of an older woman. Does the name Queenie mean anything to you?” Rachel felt goose bumps on her arm. “Beatrice is the name of my grandmother. We called her Queenie.” “She was with you during the spiritual cleansing. That’s usually the time when the spirits come through the best.” “What did she say about Mallory?” “The woman indicated that you lost a child. She wanted me to tell you that your daughter is safe.” Rachel couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. But then again, Verdene could’ve read all about Rachel and Mallory on the Internet. It wasn’t too hard to get the story online. Especially with all the media surrounding the O’Malley case, Rachel and her team were in the news constantly. Still, how did she know about Queenie? “You don’t know what happened to your daughter?” Verdene asked. Rachel shook her head. “I’ve been working on leads for years, but I’ve found nothing but dead ends so far.” “When you feel better, I can do a reading for you. See if I can help you find your daughter,” Madame Verdene offered. Michelle helped Rachel stand up. Her head was starting to clear and she felt stronger. “Maybe,” Rachel said. She gathered her things. “Thank you for an interesting evening.” Verdene reached out for Rachel’s hand and put it in her own. “The visions only come to those who have an open mind and are willing to let the spirits guide them. You have a special gift and only need some guidance to learn to channel those visions properly. Let me know when you are ready.” Just as Rachel was about to walk out the door, she remembered what she was going to ask Verdene earlier. “About Erin. You mentioned that they would find Erin in the swamp?” Madame Verdene nodded. “They found her wedding ring, right?” Rachel thought about the picture of the swollen arm and the gold wedding ring still attached to the finger. “How did you know?” “I saw the vision before Erin even died. I knew she’d be found in the swamp.” “Why didn’t you warn her?” Rachel asked. “It wouldn’t have done any good. It was her destiny.”