“I might. Joe may be on his way to see you. I thought I’d prepare you.”
“ ‘May’? You don’t know?”
“He said he’d found out something from the Medical Examiner’s Office that he had to check out. It could be the truth or at least part of the truth. It’s a rough case, and we may be personally involved. But I have a hunch that whatever he has to check out, he wants to do it with you.”
Silence. “You’re telling me that Joe Quinn is behaving . . . irrationally?”
“I’m telling you that for the first time since I’ve known him, Joe is doubting his—” She took a deep breath. “There’s no one more solid or confident than Joe. That’s not what I’m seeing right now. I don’t know if it has anything to do with you or not, but I tried to steer him in your direction. It was the only thing I could think to do.”
“You didn’t talk to him?”
“Dammit, he would have backed away from me. If he is having any kind of weird reaction, it’s not the kind of thing he would admit, much less discuss. He calls it all bullshit. I did my best. It has to come from him.” She paused. “I’m worried. I feel helpless. If he does come to you, help him, Megan. Please.”
“You don’t have to ask,” Megan said. “I’ll do what I can, though I don’t know what that will be. But I can tell you that it doesn’t always turn out badly.”
“You mentioned insanity and death. I’d say that’s pretty bad.”
“But it may have something to do with the strength of the individual character.”
“Well, Joe has plenty of that. And it may not have anything to do with you. I just had to hedge every bet.”
“I’ll let you know.” Megan hung up.
Eve gazed out at the lake. Had she done the right thing? She had guided Joe toward Megan even though she wasn’t sure that she believed that Megan’s talent was at the bottom of Joe’s problem. She had been afraid to do anything else.
She could only hope that there was a solution and that Megan would find it.
MEGAN TURNED TO HER UNCLE as she hung up the phone. “We may have a visitor, Carey. Better put on the coffee while I throw on some clothes.”
“At this hour? Who?”
“Joe Quinn.”
He frowned. “What the hell? After all the sarcastic bull he was throwing at you down at the swamp? I wanted to sock him.”
“So did I. But you can’t blame him for being cynical about me. Sometimes I don’t believe in this psychic crap either.” Her lips twisted. “Or wish I didn’t believe it. It would make life easier.” That was the understatement of the century. “And I don’t have any right to blame him for anything now.” She whispered, “I may have hurt him, Carey.”
“The facilitating thing?”
“Eve thinks he’s not behaving normally. And that would be hard for her to admit. She’s very protective of him.”
“I don’t remember him needing protection. You were the one being attacked.”
“And that cynicism would make it even more difficult for him . . . if something did happen.” Megan turned and headed for her bedroom. “Maybe Eve’s wrong. She wasn’t sure. Maybe it’s something else.”
Joe Quinn rang the doorbell forty minutes later.
His gaze raked her up and down as she opened the door. From the top of her dark hair to her feet. “You’re dressed. Were you expecting me?” His lips twisted. “Maybe some psychic premonition?”
“I don’t have premonitions. I have only two psychic talents of which I’m aware. That’s more than I want. Come in, Joe.” She stepped aside. “We might as well go into the kitchen and have a cup of coffee.”
“I don’t want to sit down and have a cozy chat. That’s not why I’m here.”
“No, there’s nothing cozy about you at the moment.” She doubted if that word would describe him at any time. He was all hard, lean strength and keen intelligence. “You’re angry, and you want to strike out at someone. Be my guest. I probably deserve it.” She turned toward the kitchen. “But we’d better pretend to be on good terms. My uncle is very defensive, and you’re not on his list of favorite people.”
“That doesn’t bother me.” He followed her into the kitchen. “I can handle him.”
“If you do, you’ll have me to deal with. He’s my only family, and I’m defensive too.” She sat down at the table and gestured for him to sit down across from her. “I tried to tell him you have a right to be angry, but he’s not buying it.”
He sat down but his posture was as stiff as his expression. “And why should I be angry with you?”
“Because I may have done you harm.” She poured coffee into their cups from the carafe on the table. “Have I?”
He didn’t speak for a moment. “I don’t believe all that stuff you told Eve. It’s something from a sci-fi movie.”
“More like a horror film.” Megan shrugged. “And not only for me.” She looked up to meet his eyes. “Is it, Joe?”
His lips lifted in a sardonic smile. “Are you reading my mind?”
“No, your body language.” She lifted her cup to her lips. “Tell me, can you read minds now? Did I do that to you?”
