Elizabeth Basque - Medium Mysteries 02 - Silver Lake (7 page)

My apprehension increased as I tried to decide whether to tell Garrett Mackenzie that his fiancée was cheating on him. I didn’t like that woman. She gave me a cold feeling.

A dead, cold feeling.

Chapter Twelve

The park was not far from Garrett’s home. It wasn’t one of those new “kid-designed” parks one saw all over, with the plastic contraptions that children climbed through. There were some older swings, but mainly the place consisted of soft, sweet-scented grass and picnic tables shaded by old pine and maple trees.

And, as I made my way to one of the tables, spring flowers. I loved the spring almost as much as I loved the fall, and daffodils were in bloom, offsetting the lush lawns with their bright yellow blossoms. It was a peaceful place.

I wasn’t as early as I thought I would be, due to the unpredictable traffic, and I still hadn’t really made up my mind what to say to Garrett. I was sweating despite the shade, which made me feel self-conscious. I took a napkin from my bag and wiped my forehead and tried a few explanations. “Believe it or not, Garrett, I met your father after he died.” That wouldn’t do. “I’m a Medium…” Never start with that, I’d learned. “Your girlfriend’s a cheating hussy,” I said, and chuckled.

A fancy black BMW sports car pulled up and Garrett got out. He was dressed in dark slacks and his shirt looked freshly pressed, no tie. He walked toward me with a combination of ease and purpose. I wiped my forehead one last time and smiled as he reached the table.

“
Miss Ocean,” he said, seating himself across from me and holding out a hand.

“
Pauline, please,” I said shaking his hand.

Garrett smiled, his eyes twinkling just like his father’s. Mack must have been a real looker in his time.

“You have your father’s eyes,” I told him. “And his smile. Anyone tell you that you look like him?”

“
I don’t know many of the people he knew,” Garrett answered, his smile fading somewhat.

“
But surely, since you followed in his footsteps, you come in contact with others he came in contact with?”

“
I tried not to,” he said simply. “You mentioned you wanted to share something with me. Can I ask how you knew him?”

“
I don’t remember exactly when we met, but we didn’t do business together. Mack has always been a good friend to me. I’m sorry you lost him at such a young age. I just recently learned…of his death.”

“
Thank you,” he said politely. “So, you weren’t in contact with him when he died?”

“
No, not really,” I stammered. “But he would be awfully proud of you, I just know it.”

Garrett’s smile had all but disappeared. “You still haven’t answered my question. How did you know my father? How did you meet him? Cut the b.s.” He said that last part in a voice just like Mack’s.

I looked past Garrett at the trees and the beauty of the park. “It’s complicated,” I began. “I’m not sure you would understand, or believe me.”

“
Try me,” Garrett said. “Were you one of his old flings?”

“
No, no. Nothing like that.”

“
You’re stalling. Are you a cop? A private investigator?”

“
I’m not a cop,” I said with a chuckle. “And I’m not really a P.I.”

“
Not really? What does that mean?”

Garrett was becoming skeptical, if not downright suspicious.

“I’m not a professional P.I., although I do have some information I think you would be interested in.”

“
This is about money, isn’t it?” he asked, his voice cold now. “I can tell you right now that I won’t be pushed around. I earned every penny I’ve made. I have nothing left from my father. In fact, Pauline, if that’s your real name, I don’t think I want to continue this discussion.”

Garrett put on his sunglasses and started to get up from the picnic table.

“Wait,” I said, and grabbed his hand. “I have your father’s best interest at heart, I promise you that.”

“
Then start talking,” he said, looking at his watch. “You’ve got two minutes to convince me this is worth my time.”

I couldn’t help it, I needed a cigarette. I took one out and lit it. Big inhale.
What the hell
, I thought. “What would you say if I told you I was a Medium?”

Garrett was puzzled. His eyes moved to my clothes, my body. I could tell he was thinking I probably wore a size large. I laughed out loud, and he actually blushed a little. “A Medium is a psychic. I connect with spirits. And I know your father
now
.”

It was his turn to laugh. “Well, that’s one I haven’t heard before,” he said sarcastically. “But I don’t have time for this.”

“You said two minutes,” I pleaded.

“
True, and I’m a man of my word. Ninety seconds now.”

“
I help people connect with the spirit world,” I explained quickly. “Your father has been haunting me for the last couple of years.”

“
Oh, yes? What’s he like?”

“
He looks like you, you look like him. He was a hard worker, and a business tycoon.”

“
Many people know that,” he countered.

“
He told me about how your mother died shortly after your birth. She was the love of his life. Her name was Rose.”

“
You’ve got a lot of nerve,” he growled. “That’s not private information either.”

“
Ask me about him,” I said. “I’m telling you, I know him.”

“
Is he here right now?” Garrett quipped, glancing dramatically around.

“
No,” I said. “He doesn’t know I’ve made contact with you. But ask me something, something not everyone would know about him.”

Garrett gave a bitter smile. “What did he buy me for my tenth birthday?”

Crap.
“I don’t know,” I said miserably. “But ask me about Mack. Your father.”

Garrett thought for a moment. “What do you know about his family?”

“I know he was one of six children,” I said, triumphant. “He lived in Massachusetts, near Cape Cod. But he wasn’t rich. He worked for tourists, a boat-rental business.”

Garrett drew his fingers through his hair. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation. That information could have been researched.”

“But it wasn’t,” I said. I tried to think of something personal about Mack. “He calls me Bazo,” I said, and then Garrett did look back at me. “It’s slang for…”

“
For a drunk. You’re a psychic and a drunk. Great. Nice try, Miss Ocean. You’re a good one. But I’m not giving you any money, not for a reading to ‘connect’ with my father, or for anything else.”

He got up and started to walk away.

Think, Pauline, think!
“He loved you,” I called out in desperation. “He still does.”

“
Yeah, yeah,” he called back.

I got up and ran to catch up with him. “Please, listen to me.”

“You haven’t told me anything important,” Garrett said without glancing at me or breaking his stride.

“
Well, that’s because it’s rather delicate.”

“
Right. Find someone else to scam, yah crazy loon.”

I stopped short, shocked, while Garrett kept walking toward his beemer.

That got me good. Especially since he sounded exactly like his father. Screw trying to spare Garrett’s feelings.

“
I know about Bella!” I cried.

Garrett stopped.

“I know she murdered your father.”

Finally, Garrett turned around and faced me.

Chapter Thirteen

I took a breath of relief, but it was short-lived. It took only a moment to realize that Garrett wasn’t looking at me, he was looking past me. The hair on my neck rose, and I turned around.

Lana was standing in back of me. She took no notice of me, or she appeared not to. She only had eyes for Garrett, and she smiled radiantly at him.

“Lana,” he said, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

That’s what I wanted to know, too. She probably had that cell phone-tracking thing on his phone. I didn’t know how to use mine, but I knew it was easy to do.

“I was on my way home to change, my love,” she said sweetly, “and I noticed your car.” Lana did look at me then. “Aren’t you one of the women from the restaurant yesterday?” she asked point blank.

“
Uh, yes,” I answered. “Sorry about your dress.”

Lana waved a hand, dismissing my apology. “And how do you know my fiancé?”

“We just met…purely coincidence.” I had to lie sometimes. I hoped Garrett wouldn’t call me on it. I quickly changed the subject. “This is a beautiful park, isn’t it?”

But Lana dismissed me again, like an old bag blowing in the wind. “Darling, have you forgotten that we have golf today?”

“I remember,” Garrett said. I could tell he, too, was puzzled by Lana’s unexpected arrival.

Lana laughed playfully. “Well, you’d better change, too.”

Garrett looked from Lana to me, trying to decide what to do. He nodded. “You’re right. We don’t want to be late.”

“
I’ll be right there,” she said as he turned to go again. “Right behind you.”

I watched Garrett make his way to his car, his gait more uncertain than it had been when he’d first approached me.

Then I felt a tap on my shoulder.

Lana’s smile was gone. She regarded me as if I were an insect, something to be squashed into the grass.

“Leave him alone,” she ordered. “Leave us alone. I don’t know who you are, but I intend to find out. And I will decide whether you need to be dealt with, and
how
.”

She didn’t give me a chance to respond, but wheeled abruptly around and headed for her own car.

“Well!” I humphed. I wouldn’t be intimidated by her. Not when it came to Mack’s son. Her veiled threat only increased my suspicions of her character, or lack thereof.

The park was beautiful, peaceful. I told myself I really should get out more. Perhaps I would come back. But I was more determined than ever to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. I left the daffodils and the pine trees and got into my car.

Back at home, I looked up Lana Costa again on the Internet. None of the information I found helped. I got a beer from the fridge, opened the patio door and lit a cigarette.

Back at my computer once again, I thought there had to be something else. I tried to trace that gut feeling I had back to its root. When did I first get that feeling? I closed my eyes, and brought Garrett’s and Lana’s faces into my mind.

Garrett was already wise to the tougher sides of being a wealthy businessman. He was skeptical, but he seemed like a nice enough young man to me. He was obviously in love with Lana.

Lana Costa seemed savvy enough, too. She knew exactly who she was, and wasn’t intimidated easily. But she was deceitful. I got the feeling she was dangerous.

I realized I’d had that feeling, that intuition, before I even learned that she was cheating on Mack’s son. It had come to me the moment I’d seen the photo of the two in the paper.

I opened my eyes, and brought that photo up on my laptop. There they were, looking as though they were on top of the world. To all outward appearances, they were.

Garrett and Lana were dressed to the nines and posing for the picture. He held her left hand with his right, so that her engagement ring shined brightly for all to see.

A heavy thump sounded behind me, and I jumped. I coughed out the cigarette smoke I had just inhaled. Damned cigarettes.

“Could you please stop scaring me?” I said, once I had caught my breath.

“
Nevah,” Mack said. “It’s too much fun.”

I minimized the photo on my computer screen in hopes that Mack wouldn’t see it.

Too late. “What ah you up to, Bazo?” Mack was now hovering behind me, and his tone implied he wasn’t too happy.

“
Just a little news-surfing,” I tried to sound innocent.

“
You’ve been meddling. You’ve gone to see Garrett.”

“
Would you please stop reading my mind? It’s an invasion of privacy,” I snapped.

“
How can I help it? Yah thoughts ah awfully loud. I told you before, this is none of yah affair.”

Affair.
I tried to think of something else, anything else besides the image of Lana kissing that other man.

“
Now you’re hiding something from me,” Mack accused.

I shifted around in my seat and looked up at the old ghost. “I’m just trying to help, Mack. This hole in my stomach won’t go away.”