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I bristled with indignation on Globe’s behalf, although I knew I had far bigger things to worry about than Eugene Dershowitz impugning my adopted hometown’s reputation. Maybe I wasn’t exactly familiar with how cold-blooded killers operated, but every instinct was telling me that he was lying, and that he and Violet had absolutely no intention of allowing me to keep breathing after I’d given them what they wanted.
And actually, I didn’t need instincts, not when I could see the flicker of murderous blood-red points all through Eugene’s murky aura. Violet’s wasn’t much better, although the odd little yellow and orange surges through her aura seemed to indicate more amusement at watching me squirm than simple bloodlust. Nice of that particular gift to make an appearance now, although it would have been a lot more helpful when Violet first appeared at my apartment.
“So, we’re going back down to the river?” I asked. That notion didn’t sit very well with me, mostly because Eugene had already proved that he thought it was a great place for a quiet little murder.
“No,” he replied, and relief flooded through me. “I don’t want to give anyone a chance to interfere. You’ve got a crystal ball, right?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll use that to contact him. Go get it.”
I wanted to tell him he couldn’t order me around like one of his brother’s GLANG lackeys, but I realized I didn’t have much say in the matter, thanks to my current situation. Without replying, I got up from the easy chair and headed into the office. Eugene followed, probably to make sure I wouldn’t try to call for help.
The image of my phone lying on the table next to my bed passed through my mind, but I knew there was no way I could slip into the bedroom to grab it, not with Eugene like an evil shadow on my trail. I turned on the light in the office, murmuring a silent apology to Archie for barging in like this, although I didn’t see him in his bed. Well, he also liked to curl up on the rug in front of the stacking washer/dryer in the laundry room, so maybe that was where he’d headed.
I hoped so. This night might be my last on earth, but I didn’t want poor Archie sucked into the whole sorry mess. He already had enough to worry about.
Silently, I went over to the altar and lifted the crystal ball and its stand from the table. I hated letting Eugene see that sacred space — altars tended to be private, although I hadn’t had a problem with Calvin getting a look — but I doubted he would have heeded any requests to stay in the hallway.
“Back to the living room,” Eugene commanded, and I stalked past him, head held high. Maybe he planned to kill me in some gruesome magical way after I’d given him what he wanted — ritual sacrifice or something — but I wasn’t about to let him see how shaken I was.
When we got back, I noticed that Violet had changed out of the oversized T-shirt I’d lent her and back into the black dress she’d been wearing when she first turned up on my doorstep. If only the universe had sent me a sign that she was up to no good — a tingle down my back, or even something as simple as the call dropping so she couldn’t ask to come over.
Not that she would have given up so easily.
I set the crystal ball down on the coffee table. Eugene didn’t sit, but remained hovering near my elbow. I was just about to tell him to back off, that I couldn’t focus with someone so obviously invading my space, but then a flicker of an idea passed through my mind.
No way of knowing whether it would work, but I had to try.
I closed my eyes and placed my hands on the crystal ball, doing my best to put on a good show. Actually, the last thing I wanted to do was contact Lucien’s ghost. My crystal ball had now resonated with my Grandma Ellen’s spirit for so many years, I honestly didn’t even know whether it would allow me to communicate with anyone else. Even if it did, though, I didn’t want Lucien’s presence entering it, fouling it. My cleansing rituals were usually very effective, but I somehow doubted they were up to the task of scrubbing Lucien Dumond out of the crystal’s intricate lattices.
And you know, that crystal ball had been very expensive. I really didn’t want to be forced into buying a new one.
If I survived all of this, of course.
“Lucien,” I breathed, trying my best to sound sepulchral. I always spoke to Grandma Ellen in normal tones, but obviously, Eugene didn’t know that. And even though I couldn’t see her with my eyes shut, I sensed that Violet had moved toward the edge of the sofa, was perched there as she watched the scene with avid eyes.
Well, obviously, she’d be eager. Who knew how many millions of dollars were on the line?
What I heard next wasn’t Lucien’s reedy baritone, though, but my grandmother’s no-nonsense tones.
Get him, sweetie!
I didn’t even stop to think. My hands tightened on the crystal ball, and I lifted it from its stand and swung it right at Eugene’s head.
The ten-pound crystal connected with his skull with acrackthat made me wince. He let out anoof!and staggered backward before tripping over the edge of the rug. Balance lost, he went down like a ton of bricks, head hitting the hardwood floor with another loudcrack.
“You bit — ” Violet began, lunging up from the couch so she could grab my arm.
Before she could even finish the epithet, a blur of gray fur landed on her head, hissing and biting and scratching. She let out an unholy howl, hands flashing up to protect her face. Blinded, she tripped over the coffee table and went flying, landing with a clatter on the fireplace tools I had sitting by the hearth, right before her head smacked into the glass doors that protected the fireplace. Her body went slack, and then the front door to the apartment flew open.
Calvin’s voice echoed down the hall. “Selena! Are you okay?”
Hands shaking, I put the crystal ball back in its stand. I glanced over at the cat, who was now sitting on the sofa, looking very satisfied with himself. “Thanks for the assist, Archie.”
“You’re welcome,” he said primly. “I hope you’ll remember this the next time you’re buying me treats.”
About all I could do was shake my head. Then I raised my voice and said, “I’m okay, Calvin. But I think we’ve got a bit of a clean-up on Aisle Four.”
