Caterpillar, a Paranormal Romance With a Touch of Horror (13 page)

I had been holding my breath and when I sucked in a lungful of air, I got choked.  As I sputtered and wheezed, I withdrew my hand and reached for my water.  I took a couple of sips and tried to compose myself before turning back to the perfect pair.

“Are you alright?” Tegan asked.  He eyed me knowingly.  Not only did he know I was not alright, he knew
why
.

“I’m fine, thanks.”  I knew I was gaining more control over my gift the more I used it since I didn’t practically pass out this time.  I also seemed to be able to make much more sense out of what I was seeing. 

“Catherine Deen?”  I watched Megan’s pretty green eyes sparkle with the light of opportunity as the pieces of the puzzle fit together with an almost audible click.  “As in the Catherine Deen who discovered those two bodies?”

“Yes, unfortunately one and the same.”

“How would you like to do an exclusive with me?”

“Um, no thank you,” I politely declined. 

“Come on, it’ll be fun.  We can do a girl’s night and you can tell me your story over drinks.”

“I’d rather not, but thank you.” 

“Oh, come on.  Us working girls have to stick together.”

“No thanks,” I repeated. 

“Come on.  It’s your duty.”

She just wasn’t going to give up.

“All due respect,
Ms.
Bounty, but I said ‘no’.”  My tone clearly indicated that my patience was at an end.

That got her attention.  Unfortunately, she obviously didn’t take rejection well.  “Is this about your scar?” I gasped as her barb hit its mark.  A gleam of malicious satisfaction flickered in the depths of her jewel-tone eyes.  “My makeup people can fix that.”   

“Megan,” Tegan started, his low voice holding a silent warning.

“No, it’s not— I just—”

“You’re a Realtor, correct?” 

“Yes.  Why?”  My antennae twitched uncomfortably.

“Well, let’s just say your broker might have some interest in your…cooperation.”  She issued the blatant threat like an invitation to a tea party.

“You can ask anyone you’d like,
Ms
. Bounty, but rest assured I won’t be doing any interviews.”  My face felt tight with barely controlled anger and indignation.  I wasn’t prone to fits of temper, but I was already in the throes of a bad day.  Add to that a mixture of Tegan and Bounty and trouble was sure to follow.

“We’ll see,” she said lightly, her smile brightening as she looked to Tegan.  “Shall we?”

Tegan’s eyes met mine for an instant, but in that brief contact there was shocking intensity.  I felt like I’d stepped into mental quicksand, as if something was gently sucking away my toxic emotions, pulling them out through my toes.  And then the sensation was gone.   “Ladies,” he said with a nod and a polite twitch of his lips.  Then he turned and walked away, Megan hanging delicately on his arm.

I watched as they wove their way between the tables.  For the life of me, I couldn’t drudge up the embarrassment I’d felt or my irritation with Bounty, nor could I remember why Tegan’s mental hiding place had bothered me so.  It was like I’d left it all in the quicksand.  Before I could delve too deeply into what had happened, Rainn spoke.

“Girl!”  Rainn’s eyes were the size of saucers, a stunned smile stretched across her pouty, red-stained lips.  “I didn’t know you had it in you.  I’m so proud.  Let me buy you a drink.”

Even though I didn’t drink, I let her.  I needed one.  That was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.  I’d had more than a few bad days and I figured I was entitled to a little chemical relaxation.

“Bounty comes over here, thinking she’s all that.  All I can say is bangs.  She needs something to cover up that forehead.”  Rainn was babbling on.  “Actually, that thing was more like a fivehead.  Did you notice it?”

“Mmm,” was all the response I could formulate.  I was concentrating hard, willing my drink to carry my troubles away so I no longer had to think about Tegan
or
Megan Bounty.

An uncharacteristic moment of silence fell across our table.  I sipped from my pina colada and Rainn toyed with her straw.  Finally, as if she’d come to some sort of silent conclusion, Rainn broke her brief silence asked what I knew she was dying to know. 

“So, are you going to tell me what you saw in
her
head?” 

“In a nutshell, she has a very, very dark side and zero scruples.”

“That’s it?  You went all catatonic for
that? 
What does that even mean, ‘zero scruples’?”

“I don’t know, Rainn.  It’s hard to explain.  I don’t even really understand it myself.  All I can tell you is what it seems like to me.  It might not even be right.  Maybe I’m having seizures or something,” I offered, hoping to throw her off the scent.  “Can we please just drop it and enjoy our lunch?  I didn’t come out with you to be grilled.”

While Rainn didn’t like that option, she accepted it out of deference to me.  Not one to let much get her down, though, she was back to her talkative, entertaining self in no time.  I spent the remainder of our lunch break listening to her fashion critique of the other patrons at the restaurant.  Between her and my second mixed drink, I was in good spirits by the time we were ready for our check.

We paid our bill then made our way through the restaurant toward the door.  I kept my eyes trained on the back of Rainn’s head, willing myself not to look for Tegan and his companion.  I was more than a little dismayed at how difficult a task that was.

Chapter Twelve

Back at the office, I rounded the corner into my office and saw Audrey sitting in the chair behind my desk.  That sight
never
boded well.

“Catherine,” Audrey purred.  She insisted on calling me Catherine, said it sounded more professional. 

She rose and made her way around the desk, stopping in front of me to lean one hip against the corner of my desk.  She crossed her arms over her chest, her body language screaming that I was in trouble for something.  She never quit smiling, though, and I took that as a good sign.

“How are things?”  Small talk was torture in times like this. 

“Alright,” I responded noncommittally, my suspicion growing by the minute.

Audrey had short, sassy, perfectly coiffed strawberry blonde hair and a suspiciously smooth, creamy complexion for someone in her late forties.  Her sharp brown eyes missed nothing.  Many had made the mistake of being fooled by her feminine looks, but I’m no fool.  I never let myself forget that, beneath her two hundred dollar blouse, she is not just a shrewd businesswoman in fine attire.  She’s a shark.

I waited for her to speak.  She didn’t.  She simply stared at me, smile still in place, for two incredibly long minutes.  I nearly collapsed in relief when she finally spoke.

“I have been contacted by the police for an inventory of all your listings.  I thought it appropriate that I inform you, as I will be sending that list over first thing in the morning.  Also, I wanted to congratulate you on selling the McKinnley home so quickly.  Nice work.  I heard all about the broker’s open you hosted. 

“Now,” she said, her smile fading somewhat, “there’s one more thing I’d like to discuss with you.  Pinnacle has always welcomed publicity for our group, and I’m sure you realize that certain
kinds
of publicity are more desirable than others.  We need to spin these…
incidences
you’ve stumbled upon to our advantage.”  She walked back around and stood behind the desk.  “What I’d like for you to do is to let Megan Bounty interview you.  We can go over the things you should say.”

“Audrey, I—”

“This is non-negotiable, Catherine.  We don’t want this agency to appear culpable or involved in any way.  Only by letting the public see our full cooperation can we hope to come out of this in a positive light.  You understand.”

“I do, but I’ve already told the police all that I know.”

“And you can tell the public the same thing.”

“Are the police ok with this?”

“They’ve arranged for you to receive some assistance, some coaching, from a Detective Tegan.  He’ll be in touch with you about what is permissible for you to mention on air and what they’d rather keep confidential at this point.”

“Audrey, I—”

“I assure you that your support for the agency in this will be directly reflected in
our
support of
you
and your future here.  After all, you are one of our most profitable agents.  We could have a very promising alliance.  But that’s all up to you, of course.”

And there it was—the ultimatum.  I was officially on notice.  I’d been backed into a corner of the shark tank, staring out from between a rock and an embarrassing place.  I couldn’t help but think of Bounty and how she would enjoy watching me eat crow.  I was already dreading it. 

“I’m nothing if not a team player, Audrey.  I’ll do the interview if that’s what you think is best.” 

Bleck!

“Good.  Your coach should be in touch sometime tomorrow around lunch,” Audrey explained. 

With that, she came back around the desk and headed for the door.  Her smile was back in place.  She stopped beside me and patted me patronizingly on the shoulder, an action meant to assure me that I was being a good little girl.  “You’re making the right choice.”

Audrey walked regally out of my office.  I went around behind my desk and dropped into the chair, dejected. 

My life was feeling less and less like my own as the days went by.  I thought about my former life, what Rainn referred to as something befitting of Mary Tyler Moore.  I was a fairly attractive “good girl” with a life that bordered on the hum drum.  And, believe it or not, I liked it that way.  I was a moderately successful Realtor slowly working her way up in the world.  I had a handsome boyfriend slash companion that was a rising star in Atlanta politics.  I had a family that was far from perfect, but not one that had an overabundance of skeletons in the closet—perfectly normal in its dysfunction, I believed.  I went to church on Sundays, did my own grocery shopping, cleaning and laundry.  The most violence I had ever witnessed was a lunchtime fight outside the cafeteria my senior year between Billy Holmes and Derek Jenkins.  All in all, my life was a quiet, well-ordered, glamour-free, drama-free existence.

And look at me now,
I thought bitterly.  
How am I supposed to survive this
nine times?

Although my life was in ruin, I put it out of my head for the rest of the day, keeping busy with building my career.  By the time I was ready to go home, I was
really
ready.  I’d decided that I’d give myself a full-on spa treatment to prepare for my interview with Bounty the following day. 

As the bathtub filled, I picked out a deep red double-breasted fitted jacket and matching skirt.  I wondered what Tegan’s reaction to the outfit would be then I had to remind myself that I didn’t care
what
he thought. 

I seethed at his continuous invasion of my thoughts.  Although the fear I’d felt upon “seeing” into him had curiously vanished after our chance meeting at the restaurant, I was still mildly irritated and liberally confused.  But mostly, despite my resistance, I just felt a yearning for him that I didn’t understand.  I mean I barely know him and our few encounters had been more like horror stories than fairytales.  Regardless, he was in my head and I was suspicious that he might be working his way into my heart.

Refusing to think any more about him, I picked out shoes to match my outfit and headed for the tub.

Over an hour later, when my fingertips were sufficiently pruned and I was feeling a tiny bit more relaxed, I pushed the lever to drain the water and got out to towel off.