Page 1 of It takes a Psychic

Chapter One

The dust bunny chortled fromunderneath a nearby display stand.

Leona Griffin paused her examination of the curiously shaped crystal object she had just removed from one of the glass cases and looked around the heavily shadowed gallery.

It had been a long evening and the annual reception of the exclusive Antiquarian Society was far from over. In a desperate attempt to stave off boredom, she had left the crowded ballroom to check out the organization’s impressive collection of paranormal antiquities. The realization that a dust bunny had found its way into the private museum was a lot more interesting than the small sculpture she had just plucked from the case.

She did not see any movement in the shadows, but the dust bunny chortled again, more insistently this time.

She put the crystal artifact back into the case. The label claimed itwas Old World, circa the nineteenth century. The dating was accurate, in her professional opinion. She was never wrong when it came to authenticating artifacts and antiquities. It was one of her talents, the one she used to make a living as a para-archaeologist. There was a vibe of paranormal energy in the crystal. That was what had qualified it to be displayed in the gallery. Only artifacts of power were acquired by the Society’s museum. Every object in the dimly lit space had a paranormal provenance. The result was that the atmosphere in the room was infused with a buzz of energy that lifted the hair on the back of her neck.

She was sure the object had been stolen, most likely from a private collector who had not reported the theft for fear of drawing attention to other objects of questionable provenance in their collection. The trade in illegal artifacts was a booming business, and it was accompanied by the equally profitable side hustle of collector-on-collector crime.

The dust bunny chortled again. Not a cheerful chortle, she decided. It sounded more like a plea. Maybe a cry for help.

“Where are you?” she asked. “I can hear you but I can’t see you.”

Sensing that she was paying attention, the dust bunny fluttered out from under a glass case.

“There you are,” Leona whispered.

The dust bunny came to a stop directly in front of her and rose to its full height on its hind paws. She was not a tall woman but she was wearing very high heels tonight. The top of the dust bunny’s head, with the tips of two ears poking through the gray fur, did not even reach her knee.

Dust bunnies were cute. Until they were not. As the saying went,By the time you see the teeth, it’s too late. They were small, but they were omnivores—not vegetarians.

The good news was that the one in front of her was in what she thought of as adorable mode—fully fluffed with only its bright blue eyes open. It was not sleeked out, and the other two eyes—the ones used for hunting—were closed. If it weren’t for the blue eyes and the six littlepaws peeping through its gray fur, it could have been mistaken for a large wad of dryer lint.

It chortled again. Leona whisked up the skirts of her ankle-length evening gown and crouched in front of the dust bunny. It was not an easy maneuver, given the four-inch heels. For some reason—there was no obvious physical evidence because of all the fur—she decided she was dealing with a female.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You don’t look like you’re injured or sick. Are you trapped in here? I’ll bet you want me to find a door and open it so you can leave. No problem. I wish I could go with you. Rarely have I been so bored.”

Aiding and abetting the dust bunny’s escape would be a trifle easier said than done, because the entire mansion was a fortress protected by sophisticated quartz-tech security and cameras. But she was good when it came to that sort of stuff. She had a talent for picking locks.

She stood and checked the time on her low-tech, amber-powered watch. Her work as a para-archaeologist took her into the Underworld, where high-tech devices, such as quartz-powered watches, did not function. The sturdy timepiece was not a stylish look with the formal evening gown, upswept hair, and heels, but she had refused to buy a more fashionable one for the evening.

The rest of her accessories were equally functional—amber earrings, a small amber-trimmed evening bag, and an amber-studded bracelet. All of the amber was tuned and could be used in an emergency to navigate the psi-heavy atmosphere of the Underworld. When your work took you down into the tunnels on a regular basis, you got into the habit of carrying plenty of nav amber.

The only other piece of jewelry was the small yellow crystal pendant she wore around her neck. But it was tucked out of sight beneath the draped bodice of the gown.

“I’ve got time,” she said to the dust bunny. “I’m not due onstage foranother fifteen minutes. I’m the entertainment, you see. That’s because I’m temporarily famous.”

The dust bunny did not appear interested in her status as the star attraction of the evening.

Leona glanced at the closed door of the gallery. The muffled rumble of voices and laughter infused with alcohol and the egos of a couple of hundred wealthy, obsessive, highly competitive collectors reverberated through it. The reception was in full swing. No one would miss her, not until it was time for her to go onstage. She was not a member of the Society. She was a lowly assistant professor in the Department of Para-Archaeology at Hollister University. In the eyes of the reception guests, she ranked a notch or two above the caterers and the valet parking staff but well below the elite people gathered in the mansion tonight.

She turned and started toward a hallway on the far side of the gallery. “Follow me. There’s an emergency exit at the end of that corridor. Don’t worry, I can override the alarm system.”

The dust bunny growled. Startled, she looked back. The creature chortled approvingly and hustled off toward another darkened hallway.

The message was clear.Follow me.

She hesitated and then hurried after the dust bunny.

“Okay, I’m coming.”

With one last glance over her shoulder, she followed the dust bunny into the shadowed hallway. There was a door at the far end. It proved to be secured with a high-tech psi-lock. There was also a sign emblazoned with the wordsUnauthorized Entry Prohibited. Alarm Will Sound. Violators Will Be Prosecuted.

The dust bunny stopped and chortled, pleading this time.

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