was sending my way, I
was afraid my reluctance was all too apparent.
Savannah chatted for a few moments about the
séance, what she would be doing, along with our role in the
proceedings.
“It sounds pretty straightforward. Does your
group do many séances?” A thought struck me. I glanced at my
watch.
“Only when we have a truly promising
location, like this wonderful house.”
“Ah. Um… what happened to your group?”
She blinked at me. “I beg your pardon?”
“Your group, the PMSers. You said they were
due here at eleven, yes? It’s a quarter to midnight. They must have
discovered by now that they can’t get into the house, and are
probably worried sick about your safety.”
“Oh!” She beamed a happy smile at me.
“You’re sweet to worry, but there’s absolutely no need. I called
Mac—he’s the vice president—a little bit ago and told him the event
was canceled.”
“Ah. You must have a cell phone?”
She made a little face. “Goddess, no! I am a
complete technophobe. No cell phone or computer for me. I prefer to
do things the old-fashioned way. I used Adam’s phone to call Mac.”
She leaned toward me, lowering her voice. “I didn’t think it was
wise to tell them everything that’s happened here.”
“I’m sure that’s for the best. Things are
confusing enough.” I met Adam’s gaze. He raised both eyebrows,
indicating he’d caught Savannah’s lie. The sealing he had enacted
affected the structure of the house—including the landline. A cell
phone could get out, but not a phone with lines physically inside
the house.
She clearly didn’t know that, but her
ignorance highlighted the question of why on earth she had lied
about phoning someone. Evidently Adam didn’t think it was a big
deal. I wondered if her group could be quite as enthusiastic as she
was. Perhaps no one had shown up, and she decided to cover up that
fact by making it seem she’d sent them away.
Then again, maybe she had an ulterior motive
for making us think she was a member of a psychic group when she
wasn’t… I shook my head at such unfounded suspicions. I’d been
around my father too long and was obviously seeing mysteries where
there were none.
8
After a desultory bit of conversation
dropped off entirely, Savannah tsked at her watch and frowned at
the door. “Where can they be? You said they couldn’t get out?”
“No. The house is sealed,” Adam said. “No
one will get in or out until Spider agrees to go to a mediator
about the house.”
“I hope you have plenty of food stocked up,
because that could be a very long time,” I warned.
“I’m working on it. I’ve got a call in to my
lawyer.”
“Well, just so long as this sealing is
finished by morning, I’m fine with it,” Savannah said, blithely
unaware of the glances Adam and I were exchanging. Clearly she had
no concept of just what Adam had done.
“Do you want to tell her, or should I?” I
asked him.
“Tell me what?” she asked, looking from me
to Adam.
“This ought to be good,” Pixie told my
father as he returned from the bathroom. He just smiled happily at
her.
Adam cleared his throat. “You’ll probably do
it better than me. I’m not good with explanations.”
“That’s a cop-out if I ever heard one,” my
father said.
Unable to sit next to Savannah while I
worked out a way to tell her what was going on, I got out of the
chair and went over to the fireplace, then fiddled with the
porcelain figurines on the mantelpiece.
“What are you talking about?” Savannah
asked. “What do you need to tell me? Why is Karma so nervous?”
“I’m not nervous, I’m just… oh, never mind.
The sealing that Adam has conducted won’t be over in a few hours,”
I said, moving on to the window. “Adam is a member of a powerful
group of people in the Otherworld.”
“Otherworld?” She frowned.
I tidied up a collection of postcards in a
bowl on the sideboard. “It’s a collective name for those people who
aren’t
was afraid my reluctance was all too apparent.
Savannah chatted for a few moments about the
séance, what she would be doing, along with our role in the
proceedings.
“It sounds pretty straightforward. Does your
group do many séances?” A thought struck me. I glanced at my
watch.
“Only when we have a truly promising
location, like this wonderful house.”
“Ah. Um… what happened to your group?”
She blinked at me. “I beg your pardon?”
“Your group, the PMSers. You said they were
due here at eleven, yes? It’s a quarter to midnight. They must have
discovered by now that they can’t get into the house, and are
probably worried sick about your safety.”
“Oh!” She beamed a happy smile at me.
“You’re sweet to worry, but there’s absolutely no need. I called
Mac—he’s the vice president—a little bit ago and told him the event
was canceled.”
“Ah. You must have a cell phone?”
She made a little face. “Goddess, no! I am a
complete technophobe. No cell phone or computer for me. I prefer to
do things the old-fashioned way. I used Adam’s phone to call Mac.”
She leaned toward me, lowering her voice. “I didn’t think it was
wise to tell them everything that’s happened here.”
“I’m sure that’s for the best. Things are
confusing enough.” I met Adam’s gaze. He raised both eyebrows,
indicating he’d caught Savannah’s lie. The sealing he had enacted
affected the structure of the house—including the landline. A cell
phone could get out, but not a phone with lines physically inside
the house.
She clearly didn’t know that, but her
ignorance highlighted the question of why on earth she had lied
about phoning someone. Evidently Adam didn’t think it was a big
deal. I wondered if her group could be quite as enthusiastic as she
was. Perhaps no one had shown up, and she decided to cover up that
fact by making it seem she’d sent them away.
Then again, maybe she had an ulterior motive
for making us think she was a member of a psychic group when she
wasn’t… I shook my head at such unfounded suspicions. I’d been
around my father too long and was obviously seeing mysteries where
there were none.
8
After a desultory bit of conversation
dropped off entirely, Savannah tsked at her watch and frowned at
the door. “Where can they be? You said they couldn’t get out?”
“No. The house is sealed,” Adam said. “No
one will get in or out until Spider agrees to go to a mediator
about the house.”
“I hope you have plenty of food stocked up,
because that could be a very long time,” I warned.
“I’m working on it. I’ve got a call in to my
lawyer.”
“Well, just so long as this sealing is
finished by morning, I’m fine with it,” Savannah said, blithely
unaware of the glances Adam and I were exchanging. Clearly she had
no concept of just what Adam had done.
“Do you want to tell her, or should I?” I
asked him.
“Tell me what?” she asked, looking from me
to Adam.
“This ought to be good,” Pixie told my
father as he returned from the bathroom. He just smiled happily at
her.
Adam cleared his throat. “You’ll probably do
it better than me. I’m not good with explanations.”
“That’s a cop-out if I ever heard one,” my
father said.
Unable to sit next to Savannah while I
worked out a way to tell her what was going on, I got out of the
chair and went over to the fireplace, then fiddled with the
porcelain figurines on the mantelpiece.
“What are you talking about?” Savannah
asked. “What do you need to tell me? Why is Karma so nervous?”
“I’m not nervous, I’m just… oh, never mind.
The sealing that Adam has conducted won’t be over in a few hours,”
I said, moving on to the window. “Adam is a member of a powerful
group of people in the Otherworld.”
“Otherworld?” She frowned.
I tidied up a collection of postcards in a
bowl on the sideboard. “It’s a collective name for those people who
aren’t
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