before, so I can’t define it.”

“An awful lot of vagueness here,” Richard said.

Stefan gave him a beautiful smile and said, “In energy work, nothing’s definite.” Stefan added more cryptic layers to the conversation. “They would have been attracted to the bright energy she’s putting out.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Richard said in confusion.

Stefan continued, “She’s looking for the same energy she had with Elena, so she’s asking the world around her for that same energy. From people who are close to or very compatible, loving, and caring. She’s bringing them into her world so she can find one, two, three, or more models she can work with. I think, at this point, she doesn’t want to rely on just one.”

“Well, that makes sense, having just lost the one,” Richard said, “but that doesn’t explain why this other energy would be attracted.”

“Because it’s seeking something. Most dark energy is emptiness. Evil is empty inside. They try to fill it. Because they can’t reach and access the good energy, even though they try really hard, they generally fill it with the negative energy, because that’s easy. That’s what they’re used to. It’s readily accessible. It’s much easier to go rob, rape, murder, to refill their well, than it is to turn around and do an about-face of their basic character and reach for these good energy feelings, like doing something good for others. You know? Helping people, really sending love out to the world instead of hate.”

“So, by the extension of her requesting this good loving energy, she’s attracting negative energy?” Richard wanted to be clear because this was freaky stuff.

Stefan nodded. “That’s exactly it.”

“So again, it’s not her fault.”

“You need to stop thinking guilt, blame, fault, responsibility,” he said. “She does enough of that.”

He leaned against the car and studied Stefan. “What is that supposed to help me with?”

“It means, you need to look at the people around her,” he said, “and those who come into her world in the next week or two because they’re coming for a reason. She has a void in her life now with the loss of Elena. Cayce’s trying to fill it, and all these people want to be that person. And it won’t matter what means to an end they use to get there.”

“Right,” Richard said. “You know what? On that note, I think I’ll head back inside and keep an eye on her.”

Stefan straightened and said, “I’ll do a little more digging into old cases, see if I can figure out that connection.”

“You do that,” Richard said. He turned and walked away.

“Don’t forget,” Stefan called behind him.

Richard spun and looked at him. “Forget what?”

“To look at the energy,” he said in a low tone. “And that means, your gut needs to come into play. Your instincts need to be sharp. Something’s going on.”

“Right,” Richard said. “Got it.”

*

Who the hell were those guys, he wondered. He studied the two powerful men, leaning against the car. They were the kind he hated. They were the kind who knew what they could do. They were pros and had that arrogance that made his back go up. They always thought that they were better than him, even though he was the one making his world happen, and they were just taking paychecks and doing whatever life dictated to them.

Not him. No, not him. He was making his world happen. He smiled and turned, walked out of the building and away from them. They wouldn’t notice him. Chances are, they weren’t even looking in his direction anyway.

He darted through the moving vehicles and headed across the road. He picked up a coffee and a hot dog from a vendor and kept on going. He’d be back in a little bit. He had a right to be back, after all. But more than that, he needed to be back. There was just something magical about watching her work, and he couldn’t let that go. No way he could let go of anything to do with her. It was an interesting problem, and one he was fully prepared to work on. He needed to touch that light, to have that light, to make it his, so that his art could be that—all of that.

He took a bite of his hot dog, smiled down at it, and mumbled, “You might be cheap, but you’re definitely what I want right now.”

And everyone needed comfort food now and then.

Chapter 13

It was another long heart-curling day. Was that because Cayce was trying desperately to get her emotions under control? Still, she managed to get the bulk of the Arctic Ice installation done.

As she stared at it, a proud smile on her face, Frankie came up behind her and said, “This one is extraordinary.”

She laughed at him. “The last one with the kids was extraordinary,” she said, “but this one is definitely classy.”

“It’s a tie with the other one,” he admitted. “It’s really stunning.”

She smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

“What about the models?”

She frowned. “I want to let this dry, have another day, two maybe, and then I’ve got to pick a model.”

“So definitely not Naomi?”

She shook her head. “No. Definitely not. Tomorrow morning I’m taking a look at some models in person.”

He hesitated.

She looked at him. “I never did get the pictures from you.”

He looked at her in surprise, quickly pulled out his phone, then grimaced. “Sorry. It’s in my Drafts folder.” He hit a couple buttons, then said, “Okay. I’ve sent them.”

“It might be too late for this one,” she warned.

He nodded. “I know. Just if you could think about it.”

“Will do.” She took off her smock, set it aside to dry, and said, “Remind me when we are back in the office that it might be time to order another half-dozen smocks.”

He chuckled. “How about if we don’t? If you would wash them in between …”

“But, by the time they have the paint on them, and they have all the other mix of paints on them,” she said, “they don’t really

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