Page 6 of Into the Dark, We Go
"Yes, actually. That’s why we came here to talk to you in the first place." Mitchell raised his head as if he just remembered an important detail. "The police took Amanda’s belongings and laptop when the investigation started, and we only got them back a month ago. She had been corresponding with a psychic online and had made a few purchases from their online store. It’s here."
"A psychic?" I asked, incredulous.
"Yes, a medium or something," Mitchell replied. "It’s our only lead, so?—"
My head was spinning. A second ago, they were asking me about Lucas, and now there was a psychic.
"And this psychic is here? In Minneapolis?" I asked, utterly confused. "Did Amanda come here?"
June chimed in, clarifying, "We found the online shop in Duluth. But we figured it was close enough. Same state."
"Why don’t you go to this psychic then?"
"We will," replied Mitchell, "but we thought you might want to come with us."
I almost choked on a breath. "Why?"
"Just to check it out? We’re trying to understand if these two disappearances are connected."
"What if we find them there? Isn’t that something you’d want?" June interjected. She was trying to guilt trip me.
I paused, weighing the thought. Duluth was roughly a two-hour drive, a route I’d taken with Lucas many times for hiking or skiing. But none of that mattered now. It had been two long years, and he was gone. I was about to leave this city behind.There were no revelations in this conversation, and I’d been down this path too many times, especially in the first months after Lucas’s disappearance, when I was desperate to cling to every detail and memory, searching for hints that weren’t there. He didn’t leave a trail of breadcrumbs for me to find him. He just vanished. And he wasn’t coming back.
"Shouldn’t the police be handling this?" I asked, trying to deflect their expectations.
June smirked but remained silent. Mitchell shook his head and pursed his lips.
After a beat, I stood up. I couldn’t take any more of this. "I gotta get back to work."
Mitchell impulsively grabbed my hand, his grip brief but unexpected.
I hesitated, taken aback by the sudden touch. Mitchell quickly realized his mistake and released my hand, his face flushing with embarrassment.
"Sorry, I...I didn’t mean to."
I sat back down, still feeling the surprise of his gesture. "It’s okay," I said, trying to ease the tension.
"Whatever you tell us will stay between us. I promise. We’re in the same boat here."
I had serious doubts that the boat was truly the same unless they, too, were scapegoated by a mob thirsty for blood and drama, blamed for their sister’s disappearance.
Nonetheless, I asked, "What do you want to know?"
June handed me her phone again, the screen displaying notes:
Mary Flynn, 34 River Road, Duluth, Minnesota. Mystic Wonders
There was a website link below.
June pulled up a poor-quality image on her phone. I assumed it was a photo of a photo, grainy and soft, like a sketch rubbed by angry fingers. I examined the woman. She appeared to be in her forties, with black hair framing her pale skin and thin lips painted a deep red. She wasn’t beautiful, but something about her face —her hollow cheeks and eyes too big for her head —made her intriguing. I didn’t recognize her either.
"Is this the psychic?" I asked.
"Did Lucas ever see psychics?" Mitchell ignored my question. "Or talk to any on the Internet?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Doubt it. He was superstitious, but...I mean, who isn’t in football, right?"
June nodded. "So maybe he shopped online?"
