Lisa turned to Ronan. “I appreciate you having the Salem Police Department assign me a security detail. After the deaths of my dearest friends…” Lisa paused. Unshed tears caused her eyes to glisten under the bright lights of the ballroom.
Her tears weren’t the only things glittering. Lisa’s entire dress sparkled, making her noticeable from every angle. There was sincerity in her voice. Ten might not like Lisa, but she was genuine in her thanks.
“I knew Heidi was sick, poor dear, but I’ve been hearing the most awful rumors.” She sidled closer to Ronan, with a conspiratorial look on her face.
“What rumors would those be?” Ronan offered Lisa his million-watt smile.
Christ, they were all pouring it on thick. Ten was going to need a stiff drink after Ronan and Fitzgibbon finished fawning over Lisa, who may or may not be the killer. When he tried to read her, Ten was getting a jumble of emotions speeding past him all at once, like an out-of-control locomotive.
“I’ve heard Heidi was murdered.” A delicate hand fluttered to Lisa’s chest. It was adorned with a ruby bracelet.
“As a deputized member of the Salem Police Department, I’m not at liberty to say if that’s true or not.” Ronan’s chest puffed out a bit further. He was using every ounce of his charm to get Lisa to trust him.
Lisa pouted. She reminded Tennyson of Everly when he told her it was time for bed. Next would come foot stomping or an outraged shriek. Ten was curious to see which toddler tactic Lisa would opt for.
“I understand, of course, Captain O’Mara.” Lisa’s blue eyes danced as she smiled at Ronan, taking his arm. “Why don’t I introduce you to the mayor?” Without giving Ronan a chance to object, she led him away.
“Is anyone going to go rescue him?” Jude asked on a laugh.
“Ronan’s a big boy. He knows how to handle himself with slick women.” Kevin turned to Ten, Carson, and Cope in turn. “Anything?”
All three psychics shook their heads. “I was getting a rollercoaster of emotions from her,” Carson said.
“So was I,” Cope confirmed.
“She’s on drugs.” It had taken Tennyson a few minutes to figure out why her thoughts and emotions were on fast forward. “Adderall and cocaine unless I miss my guess.”
“Why the hell would she do that?” Jude looked stunned. “This night is the height of her social existence. Why would she risk her standing by being stoned out of her mind?”
“Uppers drop inhibitions and make people more social. Like Jude said, this night is the pinnacle of the Salem social scene. She knew she’d need to be on all night and thought she needed a little pick-me-up.” Kevin turned to Tennyson. “Were you getting any indication that she’s a self-conscious person?”
Ten shook his head. “It was a jumble with a host of thoughts zinging through her mind. She wasn’t holding any one thought for more than a second or two at the most.”
“Someone’s going to have to go rescue Ronan,” Jude grinned at Fitzgibbon. “You’re the one used to schmoozing with the governor and the mayor of Boston.”
“My schmoozing days are over.” Fitzgibbon glanced over in Ronan’s direction. “I’ll flip you for it.” He dug into his pants, presumably looking for a coin.
Low self-esteem or confidence wasn’t the only reason people took drugs. Some people took them to dull the memories of awful things they’d done or had been done to them. Lisa McRoy had obviously done her homework on their merry band of brothers. It wasn’t a huge leap to think she would have done a little research on Ten’s gift and what slowed it down or stopped it entirely.
Over the years, Ten had met with a lot of people who would try to trick his gifts. Some people had things they wanted kept hidden, while others were out to prove he was a fraud. The most popular way of tricking his gift was to sing a song over and over. It never worked. No one was capable of keeping up that defense, especially if he were speaking to them. One skeptic had a tack in his sneaker and would press down on it whenever he was answering a question. It didn’t work either. The one trick that never failed to obscure his gift was hardcore drugs. He’d been able to read through pot or booze, but cocaine was a gamechanger.
What Tennyson didn’t know was if Lisa had taken it to fly high tonight in her first solo gig as a socialite hostess, or if she’d used it to block him from sensing the truth about Skye Washington’s, Jennifer Blake’s, and Heidi Lucas’s murders.
33
Ronan
Ronan owed Fitzgibbon big. After rescuing him from the clutches of Lisa McRoy, Kevin was a fucking hero. He was going to need to buy his former boss a better Christmas present than the personalized T-shirt he’d ordered online.
Tennyson had filled him in on what he and the other psychics had learned from Lisa while they’d all been chatting, the last of which being that she was on drugs. Ronan had known that from the moment she’d yanked him away from the others. Up close, he could see her pupils were dilated and her eyes were bloodshot. It could have been from her rising tears, but he knew the signs of drug abuse when he saw it.
“What’s our next move?” Ten asked.
Ronan was afraid Ten was going to ask that question. He brushed a kiss against his husband’s temple. “I don’t know, babe. I really don’t know.” Talking to Lisa again tonight would be fruitless. There were hundreds of people in the ballroom who would want a minute with her to express their condolences on the loss of Jennifer and to congratulate her on taking over the gala on such short notice. Not to mention the fact that Lisa was stoned. “Obviously, we’ll have to regroup in the morning and figure out our next step.”
“Attention, ladies and gentlemen,” a male voice came over the PA system.
After spending fifteen minutes speaking with him, Ronan knew it was Preston Villaneux, Salem’s mayor.
“It’s my honor to introduce our charming hostess for the evening. I know you’ll all stand with me as I applaud the devotion Lisa has shown to this cause on behalf of her lifelong friend, Jennifer Blake, who was taken from us days ago. Ladies and gentlemen, Lisa McRoy.” The mayor stepped away from the microphone as he began to applaud.
Lisa ascended the stairs to the stage as if she was walking on water, waving to the crowd like she’d been crowned Miss America. “Hello!” More waving. “Thank you all for coming,” Lisa began, motioning to the crowd for silence. “I’ve served on the advisory board for Jennifer’s Place from day one. I can’t tell you what a pleasure it’s been, all of these years, watching my lifelong friend turn her dreams into reality. Thanks to fundraising efforts, Jennifer’s Place will be able to donate nearly a million dollars to Massachusetts-area women’s shelters.”
The crowd began to applaud.
“But our work isn’t done. I’d love to see the amount donated top the million dollar mark for Jennifer!” Lisa yelled over the applause. “Let’s keep her dream alive!”
“Christ, you’d think she was running for mayor.” Fitzgibbon rolled his eyes.
Ronan nodded before turning to Ten. “When this speech is over, we’re going home. I’ve had enough of this monkey suit for one night.”