The Southern Psychic Sisters Mysteries: The Complete Season One Page 3

  “If this is about the bakery then just say so,” I responded.

  “It’s more than that, and you know it.”

  Yogi leaped up on all fours, and Orion looked from me to his mom.

  I knew coming home would present me with a list of new problems that I didn’t need on my plate at the moment. I was grateful that Stevie had gotten to the meat of her issues with me, but I was frustrated by the fact that she refused to put herself in my shoes. She had no idea what life was like outside of Misty Key, and she couldn’t blame me for leaving her to run the family business all by herself if she never asked for help.

  But still, a thought stirred in my chest. I couldn’t stand the way Stevie looked at me. It was as if she knew my secret. It was as if she knew why I really left Misty Key years ago. If she did, I would lose her too.

  Yogi’s sudden bark cut through the tension in the room.

  A noise tapped at the back of my head, and Yogi wasted no time trotting to the front door as another knock sounded through the hallway. Mom wiped her cheeks and forced a smile as she stood up. Stevie eyed her earnestly, as if she might faint at any minute. She held out her arms, offering a convenient crutch. “Not so fast,” Stevie said. “Let me get the door, Ma.”

  “No, I need to get up and walk around.” She glanced out the window at the darkening sky. “Though I don’t know who would be calling at this hour in the middle of a storm.”

  “Carol Ann,” Stevie confessed. Her gaze shifted in my direction as my lungs practically froze. Carol Ann worked as our regional representative for the Clairs. She’d been trying to get in touch with me ever since my Seer license had expired.

  “And how long did you wait to call her after you found out that I’d be visiting?” I tilted my head, expecting no less from her.

  “I submitted a request that the Clairs investigate Aqua’s disappearance,” Stevie corrected me.

  “Oh.” I placed a hand on my chest.

  “Well, we need all the help we can get.” Mom walked carefully to the front door.

  My eyes darted to various spots around the kitchen. I wasn’t sure what to do. Carol Ann would surely bombard me with questions. It’d been easy to ignore the letters, but I couldn’t ignore Carol Ann in person. I took a deep breath and ran through a list of excuses in my head—anything I could say to buy me some time before I was forced to comply or lose something I could never get back.

  “So many rules,” Orion muttered, finishing his last bite of sweet chicken salad. “That’s what Mom says. The only reason she follows them is because she gets to help people.”

  “There’s a lot more to it than that,” I added as I bit the corner of my lip.

  The sound of voices filled the hall as Stevie and my mom greeted their guest. My heart pounded, and I tried not to look toward the entrance to the kitchen.

  “Don’t the Clairs help people?” Orion asked, wrinkling his nose in confusion.

  “Yes, but—”

  “Then why don’t you want to help them anymore?” He scratched his head and squinted in my direction.

  I remembered my early impressions of the Clairs when I was a little girl. I was taught that anyone born with a special ability had a duty to help others, and I aspired to be just like Lady Deja one day. Orion was right. The Clairs were a psychic organization that had the heavy responsibility of keeping the peace between magical species. Humans weren’t the only ones who roamed the planet. And being born with a psychic gift meant that my intuition always led me to the heart of any conflict.

  My grandmother and my mother saw things through prophetic dreams, and Stevie could communicate with the dead. Aqua’s talents would be clearer once she had her crest reading with Lady Deja, and Orion’s gift, if he had one, wouldn’t show up until puberty.

  It had been a Greene family tradition to work for the Clairs as mediators and peacemakers. Once a contract was signed and a Seer license was issued, a psychic was given assignments on a case-by-case basis. There was only one way to break a contract, and that meant agreeing to give up the special piece of your soul that you were born with—your psychic chi.

  “I do.” I took a deep breath. “But sometimes when a person tries to help, they do more harm than good.”

  “Right through here,” Stevie said as she escorted a woman into the kitchen and offered her a seat at the table.

  I narrowed my eyes, remembering Carol Ann to be much older and brunette.

  “It smells like a bakery in here,” the woman commented. She scanned the rest of the kitchen. “Are those cheddar croissants I smell?”

  “Why, yes,” my mother replied. She offered her the plate of them. “Please, have one.”

  “Thank you, Leila.” The woman studied each croissant before choosing one. When she finally did, she took a tiny bite before directing her attention at me.

  “You must be Ember,” the woman said. “I see you’re finally paying a visit to Misty Key. Tell me, is New York City all that you hoped it would be?”

  “I’m sorry, who are you?”

  “Don’t be so rude,” Stevie muttered.

  “My name is Nova, your new regional representative.” The woman held out her hand. Her auburn hair glistened a fierce red under the lights in the kitchen, and her face was smooth compared to the seasoned wrinkles I’d been used to seeing when Carol Ann came for a visit.

  “What happened to Carol Ann?” I asked.

  “She retired,” Nova responded. “Believe me, it was about time. She was way too lax with all of the psychics in this area.” Nova’s gaze fell to me and only me. “For one, she let you slip under the radar time and time again with an expired Seer license.” Nova reached into the dark leather messenger bag on her shoulder and pulled out a thick folder of papers. She handed them to me, and I cautiously accepted.

  “A simple renewal form?” I said with a hint of sarcasm.

  “It has been a while,” Nova explained. “Most everything in your file needs updating.” Her twisted half-smile made me uneasy. Nova was going to be a tricky one to deal with. And as she raised her eyebrows when I set the folder on the kitchen table, I realized that I’d taken Carol Ann for granted most of my life. At least Carol Ann had seen me as a person and not another number—an outlier that needed fixing so the data would line up just right.

  “Nevermind her,” Stevie interrupted, placing a hand on Mom’s shoulder. “What about the request I submitted? The police department has been no help.”

  “Yes, your request has been processed.” Nova paused and scratched the tip of her pointed nose. It was the sharpest feature on her otherwise full face. “Unfortunately, we’re short-staffed. None of the Seers that could help with this sort of thing are available.”

  “What?” Stevie rolled her eyes, out of patience and hospitality. She crossed her arms and bit the inside of her lip as she forced herself to take a deep breath. “My sister is missing. I think our case should be made a priority.”

  “Well—”

  “Ma, tell her about your dream,” Stevie insisted.

  “You had a vision, Leila?” Nova questioned her.

  “It’s true.” My mom cleared her throat as she squeezed the moonstone hanging from her neck. “My little girl is in trouble and her time is short. Action must be immediate, or she might not make it.”

  “I see,” Nova replied, glancing down at her sensible tennis shoes. “The only thing I can do is request that your case is given top priority.”

  “Can’t we just speak with Lady Deja?” Stevie’s eyes widened, as did Nova’s.

  “Lady Deja and her council have other things to worry about,. You don’t become Head Clair without having a tight schedule every waking moment. She is far too busy. No. I will see what I can do for you folks.” She tilted her head toward the folder on the table. “In the meantime, please fill those forms out, Ember.”

  Yogi barked as Nova took one last sniff of her cheddar croissant and then set it down on the table. Orion looked up at her with a wrinkled nose. He ope
ned his mouth to say something, but Stevie stopped him with one of her foreboding glares.

  “Do let us know the moment you hear anything,” Mom said as she escorted Nova out of the kitchen.

  “I absolutely will.”

  When the front door slammed shut, Mom sulked back into the kitchen.

  “Carol Ann always brought caramels,” Orion stated. “Why didn’t Nova bring me candy?”

  “Those were pralines,” Stevie corrected him, “and Nova is nothing like Carol Ann.” Stevie rolled her eyes. “For one, her pet Siamese follows her everywhere. That stupid thing practically gave me the evil eye the entire time she was here. Yogi even barked at it.”

  “I didn’t see a cat anywhere,” Mom said..

  “It’s dead.” Stevie’s nostrils flared as she clenched her jaw. “First that detective, and now the Clairs. Screw them all. I’m finding Aqua myself.”

  “Me too,” I added. My mind reflected back on the thing I’d said to my little sister right before I took a job in New York. I told her that I would always be there for her since my father no longer could. It was a promise I hadn’t kept, and it killed me inside.

  “You?” Stevie smirked. “When was the last time you even used your gift?”

  “It shows up every once in a while,” I confessed.

  “Fine.” Stevie patted Orion on the head as he stood up. “Meet me at the bakery in one hour.”

  “Oh, I want to come too,” Orion whined.

  “No, you’re off to bed.”

  “Rats,” Orion muttered.

  “Now, honey, this isn’t the time to push your sister away.” Mom looked from Stevie and then to me. “You two need to figure out how to get along, for Aqua’s sake.”

  “Oh, I have a plan.” Stevie lifted her chin matter-of-factly. “Revenge is something I’ve put aside for the time being.”

  “Lucky me,” I commented.

  “For Aqua’s sake,” Stevie added.

  Chapter 4

  Entering the Lunar Bakery was for me like stepping into a time capsule. The café was dark, but it didn’t matter. The same familiar smell of fresh bread and pastries hit me when I walked through the door. The counter at the front housed the same register and display case of Stevie’s latest cake creations. The wood floors and peach-colored walls reminded me of every other sweet little tourist shop on Main Street, minus the star constellations painted on the ceiling. My mother had done those back when the bakery first opened. The gold paint was subtle but still edgy enough to give the place a unique twist.

  “I see nothing has changed,” I said. Stevie turned the lights on in the kitchen, and I rolled up my sleeves, grateful that I’d changed into yoga pants but regretting I’d grabbed a long-sleeved T-shirt to match. Even though the sun had gone down and most of the shops were closed, it was still hotter than I was used to.

  “Don’t you own anything with color anymore?” Stevie remained in her shorts and tank top as she scanned everything in the fridge and pantry.

  “These pants are comfortable,” I argued, glancing down at my black and gray attire. “And they were expensive.”

  “I normally prep for the next day after Orion goes to bed.” Stevie continued with her work. “There was an incident last year involving Yogi, pounds of flour, and a wedding cake gone horribly wrong. I’ll never let this place lose that much business ever again.”

  “I see you’re still inventing new flavors,” I said, remembering the sign I’d seen when driving through Misty Key. “Good vibes vanilla cake?”

  “Customers love a good theme,” Stevie admitted. “We’re not called Lunar Bakery for no reason.” She pulled out a clipboard and reviewed each item on her list. “Shooting stars, I forgot that I have two specialty cupcake orders tomorrow.”

  “So business is steady then?”

  “It’s steady even without Pops here to handle the books.” She avoided eye contact, and I knew why. Handling the numbers was supposed to be my job. “I make it work. Despite what you may think, I’m much smarter than I look.”

  I sighed. Stevie’s underhanded comments weren’t something I had time for.

  “It’s late.” I glanced at my watch. “Let’s talk about Aqua.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but the only reason I asked you here was to keep Ma from having a heart attack.” Stevie continued to busy herself with random tasks. Anything to keep herself from having to look at me.

  “I can’t force you to like me, Stevie, but we’re still related. I’m going to do whatever I can to find Aqua, whether you like it or not. It would make your life easier if you just filled me in on everything that’s been going on.” Something buzzed in my pocket. I pulled out my cell phone to see that I had a new email from my boss. The subject line read Weekend meeting notice. Attached was an agenda.

  “Missing your shiny office in NYC?” Stevie murmured, chuckling to herself.

  I bit the corner of my cheeks and took a deep breath. Family was the only thing I continuously failed at. Getting on a plane bound for Mobile, Alabama, had taken a lot of courage. Renting a car and driving to Misty Key had been even more nerve-wracking. The only thing keeping me going were my memories of Aqua and the times she’d come to me for advice. I’d promised her I’d always be there for her.

  Now was my chance to keep that promise despite the mistakes I’d made in the past.

  “Here.” To prove a point, I slid my phone across the counter. “If this is what it’ll take to show you I’m serious, here. Take it.”

  Stevie paused, glancing at the phone as the screen lit up again notifying me of another email. Stevie took a deep breath and looked me square in the eyes for the second time that evening. Her eyes never softened, but her permanent scowl disappeared as she slid the phone back to me.

  “Fine.” She cleared her throat and tilted her head toward a pair of stools in the corner. I followed her as she sat down. “I’ll tell you what you want to know. But first, you have to promise me something.”

  “Name it.”

  “Once we start digging, you can’t leave until we’ve found some answers,” Stevie replied. “You have no idea how hard it was for Ma around here after Pops died. She got even worse when you took that job up north and left me to run the bakery by myself.”

  “Listen, I—”

  “I don’t want any explanations,” Stevie continued, holding up a hand. “I just want your word that you won’t give Mom another reason to lie awake crying at night.”

  I put my phone back in my pocket as it buzzed again. I would have to respond to my emails while Stevie was asleep. I could manage both. I mean, Stevie had to sleep sometime, and I was used to running on little shut-eye and liters of coffee.

  “I’m also much smarter than I look.” I stuck my hand out in agreement. Stevie shook it with a suspicious look on her face. “What’s your plan?”

  “The police aren’t doing much,” Stevie explained. “They say Aqua most likely ran away and will contact someone when she’s ready, but Ma and I both know that is completely ludicrous. I think whatever happened to her has to do with the Crystal Grande Hotel. I’ve been getting a funny vibe from that place lately.”

  “So, you want to ask questions and do some investigating of our own?”

  “I already have to take over Aqua’s usual deliveries.” Stevie shook her head. “I know she was friends with one of the maids there. I think her name is Dara something.” She shrugged. “Although I don’t know how much information I’ll be able to squeeze out of the living since they all know me there. I was planning on looking for lurkers and asking them what they know.”

  “Lurkers?” I raised my eyebrows.

  “Spirits that don’t have much of a purpose,” Stevie explained. “They end up lurking around instead of moving on. There are more of those than you would think.”

  “I could take Aqua’s place.” I scanned the kitchen. Stevie already had too much on her plate. She would have to multitask, and in my experience that made an employee less efficient.
The best thing for me to do would be to step in.

  “You? Deliver bread?”

  “You said yourself that you hardly recognize me anymore,” I went on. “Why not use that to our advantage? Nobody will recognize me, and maybe I can get straight answers from someone.”

  “I guess that could work.” Stevie rubbed the side of her cheek as she considered the suggestion. “I do have a busy day tomorrow, and closing the bakery for a few days sure won’t do me any favors.”

  “Don’t you bring in enough money to hire employees or even a general manager?”

  “I don’t have time to figure that stuff out, Ember. I’m only one person.”

  “I could take a look—”

  “One step at a time,” Stevie cut in. “Just because we’re talking again doesn’t mean we’re besties all of a sudden.” Her semi-friendly expression was instantly wiped clean. “This is happening because I want Aqua back. I thought I made that clear.”

  “Your loss,” I responded, trying hard to keep my emotions out of it. It would only please Stevie to know that her words stung.

  And they did.

  “Tomorrow morning. Six o’clock.”

  “I’ll be ready,” I said.

  “Do you remember how to get to the Crystal Grande?” Her lips twisted with snark as she stood up and resumed her nightly chores.

  “I think I can manage it,” I answered, seeing the image of the hotel in my mind. It stood overlooking Misty Key, and it had the best beach views from miles around. The hotel was hard not to miss.

  “Then you’d better get some sleep.”

  I nodded and headed for the exit located in the back of the kitchen. I had to pass my dad’s old office to get to it—an office that had stayed frozen in time. A glance through the open door showed that the pictures on the walls hadn’t changed.

  “Do you see him much?” I gulped. It was a question I thought about every day but never knew I would have the guts to ask.

  “What?” Stevie paused again. Her eyes darted from me to Dad’s old office.