Page 37 of It takes a Psychic

“Yes, there was a small pile of them, she said. I’m sure the FBPI confiscated them as evidence when they investigated the scene. They found the kidnapper, Nigel Willard, but he was dead. That’s about all I can tell you. Remember, Molly and I were just little girls at the time.”

No need to mention that Eugenie and Charlotte had found Willard’s journal when they rescued Molly. They had taken possession of it without bothering to mention it to the Bureau. The journal containing the Griffin Family Secret was stored in a concealed safe in the Underworld. It did not answer all the questions that she and Molly had about their past, but it answered more than enough to convince them that the contents had to be kept secret.

Oliver looked thoughtful. “I’ll check the FBPI files and see if there’s a record of the crystals being taken into evidence.”

“You can do that? Check the FBPI files? Doesn’t that require some sort of special clearance or something?”

“It requires connections. I’ve got a few.”

“How convenient.”

“Sometimes,” Oliver said. Sunlight glinted ominously on his dark glasses. “Let’s see what we’ve got. First, we have agreed it probably wasn’t a coincidence that the pyramid crystal showed up inside Pandora’s box last night.”

“Agreed,” she said reluctantly.

“Second, I assume you noticed that the news reports about the raid did not mention that the dead woman was wearing a pendant indicating she was a member of a Vance return cult.”

“Yes, but one of my moms reminded me that law enforcement often holds back an important piece of evidence, something only the real killer might know about.”

“That’s true,” Oliver said. “But that is not what happened in this case.”

She swallowed hard. “You’re sure?”

“I told you, I have connections. There was no Vance cult pendant on the body when it was found.”

She tried to process that information but came up with nothing. “What do you think happened to it?”

“I think the killer went back after we left and grabbed it.”

“Why take the risk of getting caught at the scene? There was a raid in progress. The FBPI was swarming through the mansion.”

“There’s only one reason why the killer would have taken the chance,” Oliver said.

“The pendant was evidence that might have provided law enforcement with a lead.”

“Yes. And speaking of coincidences, I did a quick background check on the dead woman after she was ID’d by the authorities this morning. Her name is Astrid Todd. Turns out that before she moved to Illusion Town a few weeks ago, she lived in a little community in the Mirage Mountains called Lost Creek.”

“Never heard of it.”

“I’m headed there today.”

“Why?”

“That’s where the coincidence thing comes in again,” Oliver said. “I already had plans to drive to Lost Creek today. I made those arrangements before the reception. Before I knew Astrid Todd existed. Before she was murdered. Before the pyramid crystal popped up inside Pandora’s box.”

Leona got a frisson of knowing. “I think I see where you’re going here.”

“I’m going to Lost Creek. Want to come with me?” he asked, as if he had read her mind.

She stared at him. “You’reinvitingme?”

He smiled a slow, satisfied smile. “Don’t tell me you weren’t already thinking of heading there yourself.”

“Why would I want to drive all the way to Lost Creek?” she asked, working very hard to sound innocent.

“You’re as curious about the coincidences piling up around us as I am.”

“Well, yes,” she allowed.

---