Twice Bitten, Once Shy: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective #5

Chapter 4

"Let me go," Zandra says through the cigarette between her lips that somehow hung on. Her heart pounds in her ears.

"You're alive. We spent days looking for you when we heard you were in the hospital," a familiar man's voice says from behind her in the van.

Oh. This again.

"Is it possible for you to communicate in a way that doesn't involve fucking abducting people off the street?" Zandra says. "Have you heard of phones before? Text? Fucking email?"

The man's voice remains steady. "Zandra, you don't have a phone. Or internet. This must be the way for now, as it was the last time we spoke. Remember? You were waiting outside the courthouse for a hearing. This was after Gene had his accident."

Getting blindfolded and pushed into a van isn't something I'd forget.

"I took care of Gene. You gave me those lawyers. There's nothing else for us to talk about," Zandra says.

"Gene is indeed done. Have you had a chance to admire the fallout? That video you gave me proved quite effective," the man says. "You'd be surprised—or maybe you wouldn't—to know just how valuable such a video can be when presented to the right people."

"Congratulations on finding your calling in extortion," Zandra says.

She keeps track of the speed and direction the van travels.

The downtown speed limit is ridiculously slow, and so is this vehicle. The driver made two right turns, and the speed didn't increase. We're circling the block.

And that means they aren't planning on taking me somewhere. Not yet, anyway.

This is mostly good news.

The bad news is now my wrists fucking hurt.

"Gene is out of the way, and what's left of his empire is crumbling. People are desperate. Jobs are leaving the state. It's time for someone else to step in," the man says.

"Someone like you," Zandra says.

"See? You get it."

"And I should care about this why?"

"Because you're a great investment. That's why we had to find you when we heard you were in the hospital. You've been hiding out at that apartment for some time. Just had to wait for the right moment to chat," the man says.

If this is him stepping in, I'd like to step out. The anti-Gene is just another Gene.

"There's an opportunity for you, Zandra, in what comes next. An important role," the man says. "I don't know the first thing about psychic powers, but you're a special person. It's time to see what you can do with some real resources behind you."

And how did that work out for Vince and Jo, the political operatives you hired? Or Zeena, that other "psychic?"

"I'm not taking on new clients right now," Zandra says. She lets the cigarette drop from her lips to the floor.

"And I'm not offering you a job right now," the man says. "Consider this a warm lead, and a bit of advice. Don't leave town. You want to be here when opportunity knocks. I guarantee it."

Before Zandra can respond, the van stops. The blindfold rips away, and the light of the day spears Zandra's eyes. She finds herself back on the sidewalk, outside Ivy and Jade's apartment, watching a van pull away. Her eyes can't adjust to the light fast enough to catch the license plate.

After Zandra rubs her eyes back into focus, she spots Ivy walking toward her from Polito's. Ivy balances a stack of large pizza boxes in her arms. Each box contains a single slice.