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Death at First Sight (A Bay Island Psychic Mystery, Band 1) - Softcover

Buch 1 von 7: Bay Island Psychic Mysteries

Gregory, Lena

 
9780425282748: Death at First Sight (A Bay Island Psychic Mystery, Band 1)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0425282740 ISBN 13: 9780425282748
Verlag: Berkley, 2016

Inhaltsangabe

FIRST IN A VISIONARY NEW MYSTERY SERIES.
 
It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see that something’s not right on Bay Island...
 
Since she left her psychiatric practice in New York City to open up a psychic shop in her hometown on Bay Island, Cass Donovan has given her fair share of readings to conflicted customers. But what she sees in Ellie Callahan’s future doesn’t bode well.
 
When Ellie’s mother, Marge, publicly confronts Cass about the reading, the embarrassment makes her want to curl up and die. And when she later stumbles across Marge’s body—and is a suspect in her murder—Cass is suddenly the star of Bay Island’s rumor mill.
 
Cass is determined to prove her innocence and save Ellie from meeting the fate in her unfortunate vision. But even with the help of her friends Bee and Stephanie, Cass will have to channel some serious sleuthing instincts to find the real killer...

Die Inhaltsangabe kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Lena Gregory is the author of the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

1

Cass sucked in a breath, the gasp audible in the silence of the small room. Oh no . . . The walls pressed in on her, loomed over her, threatened to suffocate her. This can't be happening again.

"Is everything all right?"

"Umm . . . sure." Darkness encroached, tunneling her vision. She forced it back, counted to ten, took deep breaths-anything to fight back the blackness. She struggled against the urge to push the glass ball away from her. "Sorry. I must have zoned out for a minute." She averted her gaze, hoping the other woman wouldn't catch the lie.

The woman's eyebrows drew together, a frown creasing her forehead. "Are you sure you didn't see anything bad?"

Cass forced a laugh as she shoved her chair back, stood, and moved away from the table. "Of course not. I told you I would only allow good spirits to enter." Liar.

Ellie Callahan shrugged. "So, what's the verdict?" Though she feigned indifference, eagerness lit her eyes.

"You know I can't give you specifics, Ellie." Impatience shortened Cass's temper, and she worked to soften her tone. She sighed and started to clean up. "Everything will work out. It's just going to take time." She wanted to tell her the truth-that her husband was a no-good, two-timing cheat who would never amount to anything, but she bit her tongue. It wouldn't change the fact that Ellie was going to go back to him, but it would hurt her. The young girl had been hurt enough. Besides, if the shadow that had slipped across Cass's vision was any indication, Ellie had bigger problems headed her way. Should she warn her? Warn her about what? Cass shook off a chill.

"Thank you so much, Cass." Ellie stood as well, lifted her bag from the back of the chair, and tucked it beneath her arm. Relief had relaxed Ellie's rigid posture and softened the scowl she usually wore, leaving her with a vulnerable appearance that tugged at Cass.

"No problem. Just do me a favor and don't tell your mother you were here."

Ellie blushed. "I'm sorry about Mom. She's kind of old-fashioned, and she doesn't understand . . . well . . . you know." She lowered her gaze to the crystal ball in the center of the table.

Cass nodded. "I know. It's okay."

Ellie held a twenty out to Cass.

"Don't worry about it. This one's on the house."

Ellie smiled and met Cass's gaze. "You sure?" She pushed her mousy brown hair back out of her face.

"Sure."

"Thank you." Ellie turned to go.

As she crossed the room, Cass fought the urge to call her back. What could she say? Be careful? Of what? The woman already had enough on her mind, her fragile nerves strung taut. A wandering husband, an overbearing mother-she didn't need any more.

As the door fell shut behind Ellie, Cass finally yanked the sash off her head, tumbling her long blond hair down her back, and reached up to massage her pounding temples. The constant throbbing kept time with the frantic beating of her heart, reminding her once again of the shadow that had crossed her vision. She shivered and dismissed the thought. She couldn't deal with this now. She was going to be late. Again.

The coin belt jangled as she slid it off and dropped it onto the table. She quickly discarded the flowing robe, hanging it over the velvet chair she'd just vacated, and pulled an oversized sweatshirt over her leggings and camisole.

After tossing the empty foam cups in the garbage, Cass pushed the remaining three chairs into place, returned the crystal ball to the shelf on the side wall, and ran a rag over the scarred wood table. That would have to be good enough for now.

The huge back window framed a perfect view of the bay, as well as the lighthouse that stood at the tip of the island, not far from her shop. A young couple crossed the beach, hand in hand, and climbed the two steps to Cass's back porch. Not local. She knew most of the locals by sight, if not personally. These two were tourists, for sure.

The wind chimes above the door tinkled as they entered the shop. Great. Just what she needed.

A quick glance at the clock above the door confirmed her fears. Three thirty. Ellie's reading had taken half an hour longer than expected. She'd have to hurry if she was going to make it to the theater on time. "May I help you?" She moved behind the counter and tossed the rag into a basket beneath the register.

"Hi." The man smiled and used his free hand to gesture toward the lighthouse while his companion looked on dreamily. "We were just over at the lighthouse, but there's no one around."

A blush stole over the young woman's cheeks as she giggled. When she lifted a hand to her mouth, her engagement ring caught the reflection of the late-afternoon sun.

"Nope. After Labor Day, the lighthouse is only open on weekends."

"Oh." Disappointment emanated from him.

"They have beautiful ceremonies, though. Well worth coming back out over the weekend if you want to book one."

The woman gasped. "How did you know we wanted to get married?"

Cass tapped the sign beside the register: psychic readings. "Sunset is the best time. Sometimes I sit out on the back porch and watch if I'm not too busy. Gorgeous."

"Wow. Are you really psychic?"

Not exactly. "That's what the sign says."

The woman's hand fluttered to her chest. "That is so cool. I've always wanted to go to a psychic."

Cass grinned. "I'll tell you what. I'm closing right now, but if you come back to talk to someone at the lighthouse over the weekend, come on in. I'll even give you a discount as an early wedding present."

"That'd be great. Thanks." They turned to go, but the woman stopped and turned back. "Do you do parties?"

"I do group readings."

She chewed her thumbnail. "We can't get back out this weekend, but if I come back next weekend with my bridesmaids, could you do a group reading for all of us together?"

"Sure." Cass rounded the counter and handed the woman a business card. "Just give me a call and we'll set something up. While you're out here, if you haven't already chosen a dress, Dreamweaver Designs is only a few doors down and has a beautiful line of beach wedding dresses." Maybe Bee would cut her some slack for being late if she sent him a customer. Another quick look at the clock. And then again, maybe not.

After locking the back door behind the couple, Cass grabbed her keys from the shelf behind the counter, slung her big leather tote bag over her shoulder, and headed for the front door. She turned the key in the lock of Mystical Musings and ran for the small, gravel parking lot. Crap. She stood frozen, staring at the empty lot. Great. How could she have forgotten she walked to the shop this morning? It had been such a beautiful fall day, and the walk along the beach from her house to the shop always relaxed her.

She heaved a sigh of resignation and started walking down the boardwalk. Bee would just have to start rehearsal without her.

She passed Dreamweaver Designs, only three doors down from Mystical Musings, and hesitated. Bee must have worked all night redesigning the front window display, which was typical for him. A black evening gown she'd never seen before was prominently displayed. Stunning. He'd really outdone himself this time. Maybe he'd let her wear that for the fashion show.

Of course, she'd have to lay off all the late-night fast food if she was going to wear the completely open back reflected in the mirror behind the display. As it was, she managed to stay slim only because she walked along the beach so often.

A shadow fell over her as someone rode past on a bike. Ellie. That disturbing darkness during her reading would undoubtedly haunt Cass all day. What was she going to do about warning Ellie? Doing nothing didn't sit right in her gut, and yet . . . What could she really...

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Verlag
Berkley
Erscheinungsdatum
2016
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0425282740
ISBN 13 
9780425282748
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
304
Kontakt zum Hersteller
BERKLEY
https://www.penguin.com/?s=BERKLEY

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