The Remains Of The Dead Part 8

The psychic cafe had a storefront that sold everything from crystal b.a.l.l.s to tarot cards and also had a counter where you could sit and nosh on nibblies while sipping herbal tea. The stools at the counter were full, but a young woman with multiple piercings in her nose, ears, and eyebrows told them that Madame Maeva would be with them shortly and encouraged them to browse.

"What a scam," Sadie muttered under her breath. "They want us to drop a wad of cash while we wait for an appointment that costs an arm and a leg."

"Technically the appointment cost us diddly-squat," Dawn pointed out. "It was a gift, remember? And n.o.body's forcing you to buy a thing. Oooh, look at these," she exclaimed holding up a pair of beaded earrings.

Sadie picked up a brochure from the counter.

"Oh, look, Madame Maeva Morrison will also do parties. How about instead of an engagement party we throw you a psychic party?"

Before Dawn could respond, the decorated clerk advised them, "Madame Maeva will see you now."

She motioned for them to follow her behind the counter.

They walked down a short hall with three brightly colored closed doors. The clerk opened the middle door, which was fire-engine red.

"Enjoy yourself," she said.

"Come inside and have a seat," a woman with a gravelly smoker's voice called out.

The room was dark except for the soft glow of half a dozen black and red pillar candles on a squat table. Around the table were huge matching black and red cushions meant as seating, and their host was sitting on one at the far end of the table. She had shoulder-length, curly black hair, a sharp pointed face that looked fortyish, and so many chains around her neck that Sadie wondered if the woman would be able to stand without help.

"h.e.l.lo. I'm Maeva Morrison. Your friend Chloe gave you a half-hour session as a gift, and you've brought your sister. How nice."

"Wow. She knows I'm your sister," Sadie said, elbowing Dawn. She sneered at the psychic. "Did you look into your crystal ball for that information?"

"Sadie," Dawn admonished. "Just sit down."

Dawn sank into a black cushion next to Madame Maeva and folded her legs into the lotus position. She nodded for Sadie to sit on the other side.

"That's all right." Madame chuckled. "I see believers and nonbelievers alike, and I can get a reading on just about anyone. As long as they pay my fee, disbelief doesn't affect me in the least."

"So you admit this is just a money grab?" Sadie asked in an acid tone. She eased around the corner of the table and took a seat across from Dawn, on Madame Maeva's left.

"You'd feel better if I did my work for free?" Maeva asked. "Do you think people would trust you more at your job if you did it for free?"

Because Dawn looked like she was ready to spit nails, Sadie retracted her comment.

"That was rude." Sadie cleared her throat. "And I apologize."

"No need for apologies, but we should get right down to work so we don't use up your entire session. Who wants to go first?"

"Oh, me!" Dawn squealed.

"All right then." Maeva smiled. "For an additional ten dollars I can tape your session for you."

"That would be great," Dawn gushed.

Maeva took the cellophane wrap off a new ca.s.sette tape and placed it in a recorder on the table. After pressing RECORD, she said, "In order to give you a proper reading, I need to hold both of your hands in mine. If you have a specific question or area of your life you'd like me to read, simply concentrate on that subject. I'll be glad to answer any questions later, but please try not to interrupt until I'm done."

Dawn eagerly placed her hands in Maeva's.

"You know, most people don't know this, but Sadie here has a similar talent-"

"Dawn," Sadie warned.

"Let's focus on you," Maeva said. "I need you to be perfectly quiet. Simply concentrate. I'll try and zero in on the questions that concern you, but I should warn you that the answers I see may relate to other matters entirely. I can't control the order in which things come."

The medium closed her eyes and began to hum a song softly under her breath. The tune sounded an awful lot like "We're Off to See the Wizard."

"You like The Wizard of Oz?" Sadie asked.

Maeva opened one eye and peeked at Sadie. "My humming a.s.sists me in summoning even the most reluctant spirits."

"And the song? Are we summoning Munchkins?"

"Personal choice. It's my favorite movie. Now, stop talking."

Sadie rolled her eyes and folded her arms tightly across her chest.

Maeva hummed for almost a full minute before she began to speak.

"This is an exciting time for you," Maeva murmured. "Congratulations on your engagement."

"Wow, you can tell that already?" Dawn gasped.

"Yes, because your engagement ring is pinching me." Maeva laughed and repositioned her hand in Dawn's. "Now back to work." Her humming grew louder. "You work in a doctor's office, right? A clinic. You've been hoping for a raise. Unfortunately, I see no promotion in your future, at least not there. You'll start another job soon, though, very close to where you're currently working. You'll love it there. Better pay, more holidays, and"-she paused and winked-"there are some great fringe benefits." More humming. "You've been worried about your mother. You think she doesn't get out much now that your dad's retired. I don't get a reading about your mom, but your dad should have a checkup. He hasn't been to a doctor in a while. It would be good for him to go."

There was more humming and more advice given over a period that lasted far longer than Sadie would've liked. At one point Maeva actually directed Dawn in the color to paint her kitchen, insisting that yellow would be much better than the off-white she'd selected.

Sadie's own thoughts drifted, and she thought about work and then Trudy. Then Maeva said something to Dawn that snapped Sadie's attention back.

"You should cancel the hold you put on that wedding dress. Unfortunately, you won't get your deposit back."

"But it looks perfect on me," Dawn protested.

Maeva shrugged and resumed her humming once more. "The style doesn't suit you. It's too poufy. You'd look better in something with straight lines. Besides, you won't need the dress, since you won't be marrying Billy."

Dawn gasped and yanked her hands from Maeva's grasp.

"That's all right. We're done," Maeva replied, calmly.

Dawn stared at the psychic with her mouth open and her eyes blinking back tears.

"You can't just end it like that," Sadie objected tersely. "You need to leave things on a more positive note."

"I'm not a motivational speaker," Maeva drawled. "I just call 'em as I see 'em."

Sadie gave Maeva a lethal gaze, then turned to Dawn. "Don't get yourself all worked up. It's all a load of hooey. She didn't even get your fiance's name right."

"Billy's my pet name for Noel," Dawn whispered. "I call him Billy because he likes Billy Joel. He's always singing that song 'Just the Way You Are.' It's our song."

Sadie hated the smug look on Maeva's face and would've loved to slap it off her face. Instead she just laughed it off.

"Don't you see? Chloe probably told this woman all this information when she made the appointment," Sadie said. "Let's go back to Fado's and grab a bite to eat."

Sadie got to her feet.

"No." Dawn shook her head. "You should get your reading too. It's a two-for-one, remember?"

"And that sale is for this week only," Maeva added.

"Do it," Dawn said firmly. "Maybe she'll tell you that you're going to meet someone tall, dark, and handsome."

"Fine." Sadie plunked her b.u.t.t back down on a large pillow.

"So if there is a dark stranger in my future, can you make him rich, too?" She asked, winking at Dawn. "Oh, and can we make this quick?"

"I don't offer drive-thru service," Maeva remarked coolly. "Concentrate on what you'd like to know." She positioned her cushion closer to Sadie's.

Sadie thrust her hands across the table and Maeva wrapped her cool fingers around them. The medium began her humming, and just when Sadie felt like she would be ruined from ever watching The Wizard of Oz again, the sound abruptly stopped.

Suddenly Maeva was on her feet and racing across the room. She grabbed a small garbage can and vomited violently and repeatedly while muttering angry curses between retches.

Sadie and Dawn faced each other with matched looks of disgust and revulsion and got to their feet.

Great. The woman has a stomach virus and she just touched me, Sadie thought. She couldn't wait to wash her hands.

They were headed for the door when Maeva swore loudly and muttered the name "Trudy" under her breath.

Sadie's mouth went dry and she felt the hair on the back of her neck p.r.i.c.k up.

"Let's go," she whispered to Dawn.

"You should've warned me," Maeva said.

She turned to face them as she wiped her mouth with a crumpled tissue.

"Warned you about what?" Sadie asked warily.

Maeva narrowed her eyes and shook her finger at Sadie. "That you walk with the dead."

7.

The bizarre visit to the Psychic Cafe pretty much killed Sadie's desire to confront Dawn about her relationship with Noel. Instead she decided to go straight home, where Pam was waiting to offer friendship, support, and a gla.s.s of California Pinot Gris.

"I don't get it," Pam said after listening to Sadie's complaints about the evening. "Which part bothers you most, that this psychic told your sister not to marry Noel before you could or that you're not the only person in the world with supernatural powers?"

"You're enjoying this a little too much," Sadie said dryly.

"Sorry," Pam replied through a smile that did not look the least bit apologetic.

"I'm not the bad one here. I only want Dawn to see the mistake she's making with Noel." Sadie put her feet up on the coffee table between them. "I don't want to see her get hurt. When Brian died she was a wreck."

"Not you, though. You were a rock. h.e.l.l, you held up your entire family. Although that wasn't necessarily a good thing. As I recall, you could have benefited quite a bit from a little psychological help. You still could."

Sadie scowled at her.

"I'm just saying the truth," Pam stated, her palms up in surrender.

"Remember the first time a spirit talked to me on a job? It was that old lady who got shot by a burglar."

Pam stifled a giggle. "You thought you'd flipped your lid. You were afraid to go back inside the house unless I went with you."

"Yeah, well, I went to see a therapist then, remember? He told me it was all a stress-induced hallucination because of Brian."

"And now you've had years of stressed-induced hallucinations. How does it feel?" Pam smiled.

"Now it feels great. I'm helping people. Sure they're already dead, but I'm still helping." She rubbed the back of her neck. "But in the beginning it wasn't great. It was awful, and I believed him that it was all caused by stress."

"But now you're fine. So what's your point?"

"Dawn's not fine. Maybe Noel is her stress-induced hallucination. If Dawn is looking to replace Brian with Noel and if I can get her to see that, then maybe I'll save her some heartache in the end. I want her to be happy, and I'm glad she's found someone, but a marriage based on her need to replace Brian can't be good."

"You've given all of this far too much thought." Pam leaned back in her chair. "And you do realize that no one else sees the resemblance to Brian except you?"

Sadie flicked that away with a wave of her hand, but Pam kept talking.

"Then I guess the good news is that, according to Madame Maeva, you won't have to worry, since Dawn and Noel won't be getting married after all."

"I'm not exactly ready to join the Madame Maeva fan club."

"You think she's a fraud?"

"I'm hanging on to some healthy skepticism."

"Um, isn't that a little like the pot calling the kettle black?"

"The first time I told you that I talk to dead people, you were freaked out, too," Sadie pointed out.

"Sure. It took some time to adjust to, that's all."