Motion for Malice Read Online Free
Author: Kelly Rey
"She's not very successful, is she?"
"I told you, she's a crackpot." I glanced down the hall to our left. Dimly lit, with threadbare carpet and dirty white walls. I couldn't imagine coming to work here every day. No wonder Dorcas's crystal ball was giving her dark readings. It was probably depressed.
"Are you sure she's here?" Maizy cupped her hand against the frosted glass and peered inside. "Looks awfully dark."
"She must be on a break." Although Maizy was right, it did look dark. I wondered why Dorcas would turn off the lights when leaving for a break.
Fifteen minutes later, I was still wondering. There'd been no movement inside the office, and, except for us, no movement outside, either. We were alone in the hallway with the eerie silence.
"I'm tired of standing here." Maizy tried the knob, and it turned easily. "Should we just go in? Maybe she has a waiting room."
"Maybe we should hold off—" I began, but she was already inside. With a sigh, I followed her, careful to shut the door behind us although I resisted the impulse to lock it. It was as if we were stepping into a creepy alternate universe where all the senses had been sucked away. I felt along the wall for a light switch, found it not far from the door, and switched it on. It didn't improve things. This space was as shoddy as the rest of the building. Same dirty white walls and worn carpet. A rickety card table draped in black remnant fabric stood off to the right, a tarot deck fanned across its surface. A nondescript wooden desk stood to the left, its high-backed executive chair facing the windows. No phone, no coffee maker, no signs of warmth or welcome. Dorcas had a lot of nerve, charging those rates for all this luxury.
"She's not here." Disappointment was evident in Maizy's voice. "Maybe she left early and forgot to lock the door."
I didn't think so. Something felt off. I took another look around. No crystal ball. Why would Dorcas come to work without her crystal ball when it took center stage in her readings?
My skin prickled as I approached the desk. Maybe Dorcas had left a note. But while there were plenty of papers there, in surprisingly organized piles, nothing explained her absence. I took a closer look at a check made payable to Dorcas, careful not to touch it since that would just be nosy. It was for $8,000. I did some quick math in my head, and came to the conclusion that I couldn't do quick math in my head. Even with my nonexistent math skills, I knew that was an awful lot of readings at $125 per half hour. I might not know exactly how many, but I did know that if someone gave me a check for $8,000, I'd be at the bank before the ink was dry. Something urgent must have called Dorcas away.
I turned to leave, and that's when I noticed the stain on the rug to the left of the chair. It was dark and wet, and it sort of looked like grape juice. I tried to keep my voice even and calm. "Why don't you go back out to the hallway, Maizy? I'll be right there."
"What's wrong?"
I glanced over at her. She was frozen in place, her fingers twisted together in front of her, her eyes wide, her face pale.
"Maybe nothing," I said, trying to sound reassuring. I moved closer to the executive chair, careful to avoid looking at the stain on the floor, and leaned forward to take a peek at the seat, my heart thumping.
Dorcas was slumped over with a crystal ball-sized dent in her head, and even I could tell she wouldn't be doing any more readings.
CHAPTER FOUR
A few hours later, after Maizy and I had given statements to the police and had our fingerprints taken for what we'd been told was elimination purposes, I was back at Curt's place, wrapped in a blanket but still cold, staring at the television that wasn't on, sipping hot chocolate that I couldn't taste. Maizy was home where she belonged. Before she'd gotten there, I'd managed to keep her away from the desk and Dorcas, but Maizy wasn't stupid. Leaving the studio, she'd had a haunted expression
"I told you, she's a crackpot." I glanced down the hall to our left. Dimly lit, with threadbare carpet and dirty white walls. I couldn't imagine coming to work here every day. No wonder Dorcas's crystal ball was giving her dark readings. It was probably depressed.
"Are you sure she's here?" Maizy cupped her hand against the frosted glass and peered inside. "Looks awfully dark."
"She must be on a break." Although Maizy was right, it did look dark. I wondered why Dorcas would turn off the lights when leaving for a break.
Fifteen minutes later, I was still wondering. There'd been no movement inside the office, and, except for us, no movement outside, either. We were alone in the hallway with the eerie silence.
"I'm tired of standing here." Maizy tried the knob, and it turned easily. "Should we just go in? Maybe she has a waiting room."
"Maybe we should hold off—" I began, but she was already inside. With a sigh, I followed her, careful to shut the door behind us although I resisted the impulse to lock it. It was as if we were stepping into a creepy alternate universe where all the senses had been sucked away. I felt along the wall for a light switch, found it not far from the door, and switched it on. It didn't improve things. This space was as shoddy as the rest of the building. Same dirty white walls and worn carpet. A rickety card table draped in black remnant fabric stood off to the right, a tarot deck fanned across its surface. A nondescript wooden desk stood to the left, its high-backed executive chair facing the windows. No phone, no coffee maker, no signs of warmth or welcome. Dorcas had a lot of nerve, charging those rates for all this luxury.
"She's not here." Disappointment was evident in Maizy's voice. "Maybe she left early and forgot to lock the door."
I didn't think so. Something felt off. I took another look around. No crystal ball. Why would Dorcas come to work without her crystal ball when it took center stage in her readings?
My skin prickled as I approached the desk. Maybe Dorcas had left a note. But while there were plenty of papers there, in surprisingly organized piles, nothing explained her absence. I took a closer look at a check made payable to Dorcas, careful not to touch it since that would just be nosy. It was for $8,000. I did some quick math in my head, and came to the conclusion that I couldn't do quick math in my head. Even with my nonexistent math skills, I knew that was an awful lot of readings at $125 per half hour. I might not know exactly how many, but I did know that if someone gave me a check for $8,000, I'd be at the bank before the ink was dry. Something urgent must have called Dorcas away.
I turned to leave, and that's when I noticed the stain on the rug to the left of the chair. It was dark and wet, and it sort of looked like grape juice. I tried to keep my voice even and calm. "Why don't you go back out to the hallway, Maizy? I'll be right there."
"What's wrong?"
I glanced over at her. She was frozen in place, her fingers twisted together in front of her, her eyes wide, her face pale.
"Maybe nothing," I said, trying to sound reassuring. I moved closer to the executive chair, careful to avoid looking at the stain on the floor, and leaned forward to take a peek at the seat, my heart thumping.
Dorcas was slumped over with a crystal ball-sized dent in her head, and even I could tell she wouldn't be doing any more readings.
CHAPTER FOUR
A few hours later, after Maizy and I had given statements to the police and had our fingerprints taken for what we'd been told was elimination purposes, I was back at Curt's place, wrapped in a blanket but still cold, staring at the television that wasn't on, sipping hot chocolate that I couldn't taste. Maizy was home where she belonged. Before she'd gotten there, I'd managed to keep her away from the desk and Dorcas, but Maizy wasn't stupid. Leaving the studio, she'd had a haunted expression
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