okay.”
Her
anger melted away. “I’m fine. It’s like a ten-minute drive.”
“I
know, but you didn’t seem right tonight.”
“Nothing
sleep won’t cure.”
“You
sure?”
“Positive.”
“Then
I’ll let you go.”
“Thank
you, Carey.”
“Any
time, Vannah Banana.”
He
hung up before she could scold him, and she smiled.
“Carey?”
Clark asked.
“Yeah.
He wanted to make sure I got home okay.”
“How
nice of him.”
There
was an edge to his words. “Clark?”
“I
have to go—” He disappeared before she could say more.
“Fuck.”
She placed her head in her hands. Carey saved her from making a horrible
mistake. A few seconds longer and I would be making out with a ghost. What
the hell was I thinking? There was no future for them. No silver lining,
or happily-ever-after. This whole thing was a mind-screw. I have to stay
composed. She removed the rest of her clothes, slipped on an oversized
shirt, and sank n to the edge of her bed, unable to sleep yet. Thoughts chased each
other. The emotional overload endangered all the hard work she’d put in over
the years. She had a system that worked. Her heart was protected, and her life
ran smoothly. Clark threatened her life like a wrecking ball. Frustrated, she
turned to the solace she could always count on, work.
So
much for an early night. With sleep no longer an option, she
got to her feet and zombie-shuffled to her desk. Taking out a sheet of loose-leaf
and a pencil, she began an old-school bubble map of thoughts. She put main
points in circles and branched out with lines and more encircled thoughts. The
page began to fill with random threads of concepts. None felt right.
“You
are slippery sons of bitches, aren’t you?” she mumbled. They were smart. She
had to give them that. It made her apprehensive. People like this always had a
trick up their sleeves, booby traps, or diversions. It wasn’t your average
case.
She
didn’t want any more people hurt. The devil’s in the details. The phrase
always helped her dig deep beneath the obvious. The Tarot was the key, but she
only had one card to work with. They’d tracked down the specific set of cards,
scanned each one for differences, and came up empty-handed. A search for bodies
found with carvings etched into them had been started. But they were still
sifting through the piles. To make matters worse she knew the killers
were watching, circling the area like buzzards waiting for an animal to drop.
She
pushed the ages aside, and pulled out the Tarot Cards she’d purchased to study
at home. It was breaking her rules, bringing her work home, never coming up for
air. Yet, there was a sense of urgency she couldn’t ignore. As she studied The
Lover’s card, the morgue report rushed back. The interlocked female and male
symbols were the key. They were on the Tarot.
Excited,
she snatched up the card. The symbols were in direct correlation. It would
still take some time to go over the cards, pick out key symbols, one by one,
but it had narrowed the choices significantly. It felt good to make progress on
this case. The fact that it distracted her from the mess with Clark was an
added bonus.
***
That
was stupid. Clark blew out a breath as he paced the
length of Carey’s apartment. What had he hoped to accomplish? He thought
knowing how she felt would make him feel better in some way, give him closure.
He
was wrong. Now he was jealous of Carey over nothing. The lock sounded in the
door. He tensed. Speak of the devil, or think in this case. The door swung
open and Carey paused.
“Hi.
You look upset,” Carey said.
“I
am.”
“Okay.”
Carey stepped in, shut the door and locked it behind him. “What’s up?” He let
his bag fall to the door and shed his utility belt, carrying it with him to the
couch. He set it on the cushion beside him. “I’m all ears.”
“I
went to see Vannah.”
Carey
cringed. “Didn’t go well?”
“No.
Sort of.” He shook
Her
anger melted away. “I’m fine. It’s like a ten-minute drive.”
“I
know, but you didn’t seem right tonight.”
“Nothing
sleep won’t cure.”
“You
sure?”
“Positive.”
“Then
I’ll let you go.”
“Thank
you, Carey.”
“Any
time, Vannah Banana.”
He
hung up before she could scold him, and she smiled.
“Carey?”
Clark asked.
“Yeah.
He wanted to make sure I got home okay.”
“How
nice of him.”
There
was an edge to his words. “Clark?”
“I
have to go—” He disappeared before she could say more.
“Fuck.”
She placed her head in her hands. Carey saved her from making a horrible
mistake. A few seconds longer and I would be making out with a ghost. What
the hell was I thinking? There was no future for them. No silver lining,
or happily-ever-after. This whole thing was a mind-screw. I have to stay
composed. She removed the rest of her clothes, slipped on an oversized
shirt, and sank n to the edge of her bed, unable to sleep yet. Thoughts chased each
other. The emotional overload endangered all the hard work she’d put in over
the years. She had a system that worked. Her heart was protected, and her life
ran smoothly. Clark threatened her life like a wrecking ball. Frustrated, she
turned to the solace she could always count on, work.
So
much for an early night. With sleep no longer an option, she
got to her feet and zombie-shuffled to her desk. Taking out a sheet of loose-leaf
and a pencil, she began an old-school bubble map of thoughts. She put main
points in circles and branched out with lines and more encircled thoughts. The
page began to fill with random threads of concepts. None felt right.
“You
are slippery sons of bitches, aren’t you?” she mumbled. They were smart. She
had to give them that. It made her apprehensive. People like this always had a
trick up their sleeves, booby traps, or diversions. It wasn’t your average
case.
She
didn’t want any more people hurt. The devil’s in the details. The phrase
always helped her dig deep beneath the obvious. The Tarot was the key, but she
only had one card to work with. They’d tracked down the specific set of cards,
scanned each one for differences, and came up empty-handed. A search for bodies
found with carvings etched into them had been started. But they were still
sifting through the piles. To make matters worse she knew the killers
were watching, circling the area like buzzards waiting for an animal to drop.
She
pushed the ages aside, and pulled out the Tarot Cards she’d purchased to study
at home. It was breaking her rules, bringing her work home, never coming up for
air. Yet, there was a sense of urgency she couldn’t ignore. As she studied The
Lover’s card, the morgue report rushed back. The interlocked female and male
symbols were the key. They were on the Tarot.
Excited,
she snatched up the card. The symbols were in direct correlation. It would
still take some time to go over the cards, pick out key symbols, one by one,
but it had narrowed the choices significantly. It felt good to make progress on
this case. The fact that it distracted her from the mess with Clark was an
added bonus.
***
That
was stupid. Clark blew out a breath as he paced the
length of Carey’s apartment. What had he hoped to accomplish? He thought
knowing how she felt would make him feel better in some way, give him closure.
He
was wrong. Now he was jealous of Carey over nothing. The lock sounded in the
door. He tensed. Speak of the devil, or think in this case. The door swung
open and Carey paused.
“Hi.
You look upset,” Carey said.
“I
am.”
“Okay.”
Carey stepped in, shut the door and locked it behind him. “What’s up?” He let
his bag fall to the door and shed his utility belt, carrying it with him to the
couch. He set it on the cushion beside him. “I’m all ears.”
“I
went to see Vannah.”
Carey
cringed. “Didn’t go well?”
“No.
Sort of.” He shook
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