Dark Perception: The Corde Noire Series by Alexandrea Weis Page A

proposal.”
    “ He’s interested, but he
didn’t want to appear too eager. That whole macho act in the office
was merely for show. On the inside, he’s a savvy businessman with a
lot of confidence, and from what I can see, a lot of
cash.”
    Nathan chuckled as he looked ahead to
the street. “I’m impressed. You got all that in what … half an hour
with the guy?”
    Melinda shrugged, nonplussed by his
skeptical tone. “Some people I can read pretty easily. Others can
take me a while.”
    “ Why is that?”
    Melinda sighed, wishing she had an
answer. “I have no idea. It’s not like I can control any of this
stuff. I can focus my thoughts on a person or situation and get
impressions or visions. Then there are times when I get nothing at
all.”
    “ I hope that doesn’t happen
too often. I’m counting on your ability to help me, especially in
meetings like the one we just left.”
    Melinda browsed the passing buildings.
“I have to admit I was pretty nervous this morning, and that does
interfere with my impressions. But once we got started, I settled
down and got quite a bit from Bud Moore.”
    “ What do you see when you
read a person?” Nathan asked, glancing over at her. “I know you
said you get visions, but what kind of visions? Is it like a movie
or looking at a snapshot?”
    “ They’re just pictures,
really. Like photographs flashing across my brain. Sometimes I get
a lot of detail about a person, and then sometimes just shadows.
Like with your ghost on the fifth floor. I can’t see any detail
about the woman’s looks, I just get feelings from her.”
    “ What kind of
feelings?”
    Melinda rubbed her hands together,
overcome by a chill. “She’s frightened, very
frightened.”
    Nathan pulled his Jaguar in front of a
slow-moving Lexus. “I stayed in that apartment for several weeks. I
never felt anything.”
    “ She sticks to that small
room with the metal door,” Melinda divulged. “What did you use that
room for?”
    “ An office.”
    “ Kind of small for an
office,” Melinda commented.
    “ It originally housed the
air conditioning units for the building. I had the units moved to
the attic and had the area enclosed when I bought the
building.”
    “ Odd you never saw or felt
anything in there. She seems very insistent.”
    “ But I’m not psychic.” He
became distracted by a sign on the sidewalk. “Hey, are you
hungry?”
    “ It’s kind of early for
lunch.”
    “ But not for breakfast,”
Nathan cheerily affirmed. “I know the best place in the world for
breakfast.”
    * * *
    Mother’s Restaurant was a landmark for
food aficionados in the city. The skinny red-bricked building on
the corner of Poydras and Tchoupitoulas Streets always had a long
line out front during the breakfast and lunch rush, but today the
front dining room was only half-full.
    Nathan escorted Melinda to a short
line of people standing before a metal food prep counter. Melinda
gleaned the menu board posted behind the counter as the smell of
savory caramelized ham lingered in the air.
    “ Do you know what you
want?” Nathan questioned while they waited in line.
    “ Biscuits, scrambled eggs,
and coffee.”
    Nathan viewed the assortment of meats
and dressings housed behind the counter while they slowly moved
closer to the cashier at the end of the line.
    “ This is one of my favorite
restaurants. It’s down-home cooking served without pretense or
fancy china. I even love the luncheonette decor.” He waved his hand
over the assortment of black and chrome tables set against a wall
covered with photos of patrons and fans.
    Melinda eyed the tray of ham and eggs
a passing waiter was carrying. “When I first came to New Orleans, I
used to come here and buy biscuits for Josh by the
dozen.”
    “ Josh?” Nathan arched one
eyebrow. “Was that the man Jack mentioned?”
    “ Yes. We met at Ole Miss. I
studied music and he was in pre-med.”
    He rested his hip against the metal
counter next to them. “So what