AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER TWELVE
“You’re sure this is the right place?”Amber asked as they pulled up.
Simon nodded. “This is the address,although I’ll admit, it looks a little… different than I imagined.”
“A little?”
The Inner Eye AstrologicalConsultancy wasn’t at all what Amber had expected it would be. There hadn’tbeen an image of it on the place’s website, but her imagination had conjuredimages of some run down storefront, obscured by tattered drapes and with thefew visible sections of the windows filled with crystals and new age statuary.
Instead, it looked like theexterior of the kind of office that might belong to an accountant or a lawyer,in a modern building whose design seemed to aim to let in as much light aspossible, with just a small brass plaque by the door to declare that thebusiness even existed. The door was open, so Amber and Simon went inside,heading up a flight of stairs to a white-painted reception area with pottedplants dotted around the edges and a sleek glass reception desk at the front,with a young woman behind it who flashed Amber and Simon a smile as they camein. She was perhaps twenty, blonde haired and blue eyed, wearing a professionallooking dark pantsuit and working behind a sleek looking computer screen. Theonly hint of anything astrological in the room was a collection of paintings onthe walls with stylized depictions of the main astrological signs.
“Hi,” the young woman said. “I’mMindy. Do you have an appointment to see Dr. Star?”
“Doctor Star?” Simon said.
“Of course,” Mindy said. “He’s oneof the most qualified astrological consultants in the entire country. It’s whyhe has so many important clients.”
“Well, we need to talk to him, ifthat’s possible,” Amber said. She showed her badge to the receptionist. “We’vecome across some astrological elements in our current case, and we were hopingthat he might be able to understand them better.”
“Oh, I’m sure he can,” Mindy said.She actually sounded proud that her boss was going to get a chance to help outthe FBI. “He’s not with anyone now, so why don’t I show you both through.”
She led the way to an office,knocking on the door once before opening it and showing Amber and Simon inside.The office looked more like the kind of place a highly paid therapist mighthave had, with a large leather couch on one side of the room, a comfortablelooking armchair opposite it, another glass desk with another sleek computer atthe back of the room. A man was sitting behind it. He was a Latino man in hisforties, with dark hair slicked back. He was wearing a suit and an open-neckedcream shirt. Amber saw the gleam of silver cufflinks at his wrists and realizedthat they were in the shape of zodiac signs.
His eyes locked onto Amber andSimon as they came in, and instantly, it seemed that there was a note ofsuspicion in his expression, as if he knew who they were. What did it say abouthim that he’d made them as law enforcement so easily?
“Mindy, who are these people,” heasked, in a rich, baritone voice. “I don’t believe I have any appointments foranother hour or so.”
“They’re with the FBI, Dr. Star,”Mindy said. “They’re here to ask for your help with a case of theirs. An FBI consultant.”
Amber hadn’t actually said thatpart, but it was obvious that was how all of this was playing out in the youngreceptionist’s mind. To her, of course, the FBI would want the help of such animportant expert in the field.
And Amber might, except thatsomething felt slightly off about this whole setup. Even the way Star reactedto the announcement that they were FBI seemed wrong, glancing around with asudden guilty look as if to check that there was nothing incriminating insight.
Amber and Simon moved forward tothe desk, showing the astrologer their badges as they sat down.
“I’m Agent Young, this is AgentPhelps,” Amber said.
“What’s all of this about?” heasked.
Amber took out a copy of theastrological birth chart that the killer had left. Just the chart, because shedidn’t want to risk showing the whole message to some random member of thepublic.
“We were hoping that you might helpus with this,” Amber said. “Do you recognize it?”
“It’s a birth chart,” Alonzo said.
“Do you make charts like this?”Simon asked.
“Occasionally.” There was adefensive note in the astrologer’s tone now, although they hadn’t asked himanything that really warranted it.
“So would you be able to interpretthis one?” Amber asked.
“I could tell you the kind ofqualities that it implies, certainly,” Alonzo replied. “Although since that isin my professional capacity, I would of course require payment.”
“Of course,” Amber said. “But wouldyou be able to work backwards from one? Would you be able to tell someone’sdate of birth from it? Maybe where they were born?”
Alonzo gave her a suspicious look.Again, Amber wasn’t quite sure why, but the fact that he did so was starting tomake her wonder if there was more going on here than she’d initially thought.Alonzo looked nervous, his fingers knotting together as he sat there at thedesk. Amber thought she saw a bead of sweat on his brow.
“Yes, I guess that might bepossible. Why do you ask?”
