“I saw what Justin McCabe was going to do a few seconds before he did it, and I was able to react,” Katherine said. “Megan saw the gun, knew she needed to get it away from him, and she did. And you felt something from him, and you were able to calm him down with a single command.”
Toni’s face was frozen.
“I’m not saying you have to trust us completely, but at least tell us what you felt from him. How did you know he was dangerous? What was his state of mind?”
After a few long moments of silence, Toni asked, “Are you done?”
Katherine sat back, feeling defeated. Toni Dusi didn’t look any more receptive to them than she had when they walked into the garage. If anything, she looked even less friendly now.
“Yes. I’m done.”
Toni stood, grabbed the rag, and started toward the door. “Have a great day. Good luck in life. I’m sure you can figure out how to get out of here.”
* * *
Megan drove them back to the Beach Street Café. Katherine stared out the window, feeling defeated. She felt like she’d let her friends in Glimmer Lake down, but she also felt like she’d let Megan down. Why? She had no idea.
Katherine had spent most of her life feeling like she was letting someone down. No matter what she did as a child, her exacting father didn’t find it good enough. Her sister, a brilliant mathematician, had satisfied him. Her mother wasn’t subject to his eagle-eyed inspections.
How ridiculous can you be? She berated herself silently. Forty-seven and you’re friendless, still trying to live up to the standards of a man who’s been dead for fifteen years.
She’d just reached a level of success in her career when her father had died of a massive heart attack. Her sister, who’d been a working mathematician at a national foundation for five years, had always been his favorite child. Katherine had been an afterthought.
Visions, Katherine? Really?
Every doubtful voice in her mind sounded like Dr. Edward Bassi.
Why does it matter now? What does it matter? You’re trying to please ghosts.
“I don’t know what’s goin’ on in your mind” —Megan’s voice broke into her thoughts— “but try giving yourself a break, hon.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re scowling at the dashboard like it slapped your mama.” Megan raised an eyebrow. “You knew she was gonna be a hard sell. You’re giving yourself a hard time because you half believe she’s right.”
“I know she isn’t,” Katherine said. “That’s what’s so frustrating.”
“But if you hadn’t had that vision,” Megan said, “and I told you that boy’s gun jumped into my hand, you’d be thinking I was a head case, wouldn’t you?”
“Probably.”
Megan shrugged. “Of all the weird things that happened to us, hers is the most normal-like. She’s bound to be skeptical.”
“You were way more judgmental than me about Toni. Why are you so relaxed about her now?”
“See, here’s a difference between you and me.” Megan smiled as she turned off State Street and headed for the ocean. “You’re a supersmart college professor who’s always been the smartest gal in the room. You’re used to people listening to you and thinking, ‘Man, that lady knows what she’s talking about.’ Me, on the other hand” —she shot a look at Katherine from the corner of her eye— “I’m used to people underestimating me. Comes with being blond and blue-eyed. Men trip over themselves to hold the door for me, but most of ’em think I’m dumb as rocks.”
“I think you’re very perceptive.”
“Thanks. I am. Part of what made me so good at sales. I know what people want too.”
“You’re ahead of me on that,” Katherine said. “I usually have no idea.”
“Toni Dusi, she’s hard as nails. She’s probably had to be. She works in a boy’s club. Did you see a single other woman in that place? Nope. And she works for her daddy, so she’s got all that family stuff to deal with too.”
Katherine could relate to the former problem, but the latter only existed in her nightmares. “Dusi Brothers. Maybe her father and her uncle?”
“And she’s running the place now, which means she’s like three times as good as any of her brothers or cousins.”
“What does that have to do with—”
“You think she wants to talk about her emotions?” Megan shook her head. “Not in a million years. You telling her she’s a supernatural feelings wizard is probably her worst kind of nightmare.”
Katherine just decided to sit with the phrase “supernatural feelings wizard” in her head for a few moments.
“Wouldn’t it be witch?” she asked. “A supernatural feelings witch?”
“No, in fact.” Megan pulled into the near-empty parking lot of Beach Street Café. “I’ve been doing some research and— Where’s your car?”
“I walked here.” Katherine gathered her purse and unbuckled her seat belt.
“Oh, that’s right. I keep forgetting you’re a walker. You want me to drive you home? I can tell you’re sore.”
Katherine was sore. She was also wary of letting Megan know where she lived. Why?
“You don’t think I’m going to stalk you, do you? I already told you all about me. I don’t have anything to hide.”
It wasn’t fear—it was instinctive privacy and habit.
You’re a forty-seven-year-old woman with no friends, Katherine.
She took a deep breath and turned to Megan. “Would you like to come over to my house and have a glass of wine on the deck?”
Megan’s eyes lit up. “I’d love to!”
“Excellent.” She rebuckled her seat belt. “Just go north on Beach Street for a few blocks. I’ll point out the house.”
“Holy shit, you actually live right on the beach, don’t you?”
“The boardwalk runs right in front our house, and the back deck overlooks the ocean.”
“I am so insanely jealous right now.” She turned left and headed up North Beach Avenue.
“Why wouldn’t you call Toni a witch?” Katherine said. “Isn’t that how
