That was a little harder to answer. “We care very much. We love her beyond words. We didn’t call the police because…”
“I’m a psychic, and I told them not to,” Birdie said.
I jumped on board that train immediately. “That’s right. She’s our family psychic. She led us here, too.” In for a penny, in for a pound.
Gabi actually seemed to be considering that information. Wasn’t that surprising, really. Lots of people, not just in this town, were superstitious and prone to suggestions. It was one of the reasons hypnotist shows were so popular and had no shortage of willing participants.
Gabi gave Birdie a more thorough stare-down. I think the blue hair and the bedazzled T-shirt helped sell the psychic angle even more. But then Gabi had lived in Vegas a long time. Her skepticism of such things had to be pretty high.
Birdie seemed to sense that and apparently decided to lean into the role a little more. “The people who are most open to being helped by my gifts can see my psychic ability in my eyes.”
“Is that so?” Now Gabi’s skepticism was coming through loud and clear. “I don’t see anything.”
Birdie pushed her glasses up on top of her head. “Look again.”
The faintest wolfy glow lit Birdie’s gaze.
Tony jerked back as he let out a soft curse, clearly amazed.
Gabi’s mouth was open and her eyes rounded, but she didn’t say anything. Just stared. She lowered the gun slightly. Finally, she gave Birdie a nod. “If you’re so psychic, tell me something no one else would know.”
Birdie closed her eyes and held her hand out toward Gabi. A second later, she opened her eyes. The wolfy glow was in full effect. “You’ve already killed someone. A man close to you.” She glanced at Tony. “A man close to both of you.”
Gabi’s gaze went wide.
“Lou?” Tony whispered. He stared at his wife. “You killed Lou?”
“I didn’t mean to,” Gabi said. She looked a little panicked now. She stared at Birdie again. “All right, psychic. How does this end?”
Birdie, now fully absorbed by the idea that she could predict the future, stretched her arms out and tipped her head back a little. Maybe she was feeling for the spirits? I wasn’t sure. But her showmanship was working. Light glittered off her T-shirt’s embellishments. After a moment, she shook her head. “Not well, I’m afraid.”
“What do you mean?” Gabi asked. The gun dropped a few inches more.
Birdie put her fingers to her temples. “If Tony dies…you end up in prison for the rest of your life. If Tony lives…” She sighed and waved one hand at the gun. “There is too much uncertainty for me to predict clearly what becomes of you with all that metal interfering with the cosmic frequencies.”
Gabi’s eyes narrowed, and she brought the gun back up sharply. “You’re lying. I don’t know how you did the eye trick, but my soon-to-be-dead husband makes people believe all kinds of magic are possible.”
Birdie protested. “That was no trick. That was—”
“For the last time, shut up.” Gabi cocked the weapon. “Looks like I’m just going to have to kill all of you.”
Chapter Thirty
Jayne
I ran straight back to the last place I’d seen Anson. The barn. I pulled the door open and immediately found him. No sign of Lila, however. “Hey, we need your help at the house. Gabi’s got—”
He wasn’t looking at me but behind me. I turned to see an older man in jeans and a work shirt pointing a rifle at us. He had the lean, rangy look of a ranch hand.
“Jayne,” Anson began. “This is Buck Murphy.”
Or a stagehand. Snowballs. I had a strong feeling he hadn’t won that deposited money gambling so much as he’d gotten it from Gabrielle for his help. That also explained how Gabrielle had known the show’s timing and when to nab Lila. Maybe he’d even been the one to tip Lou off about Lila’s disappearance.
Buck gestured with the rifle. “Get over there with Crowe.”
I moved closer to Anson, putting my hands up. “Hey, we’re not armed. We’re not going to hurt you.”
He sneered at me. “Think you’re pretty smart, don’t you? Figured out the money, huh?”
“No, actually,” I said. “Well, we found out about the money. But we thought you’d won that at the blackjack table. It was Gabrielle who gave it all away. She killed Lou Scholtz with a big dose of ketamine. And she was the only one connected to this whole thing with easy access to the drug.”
“That stupid…” Buck shook his head.
I needed to know more. “Was Lou going to spill the beans? Is that why she killed him?”
“She didn’t mean to kill him. Just knock him out until she could wrap things up.” Buck nodded. “He came out to the ranch and saw her moving Lila into the small barn.”
Beside me, Anson tensed. “Is that where Lila is?”
Buck scoffed, his grip on the rifle tightening. “Not anymore.”
I did my best to distract him. “Lou must have told her what? That he was going to tell Tony? That she had to make things right?”
“He told her she had until the next afternoon to get Lila home and everything smoothed out or he’d tell Tony. Lou’s problem was he always had a soft spot for Gabrielle. Anyone else would have called the police right away. But she cried and made eyes at him and told him she just wanted Tony to appreciate her or some crap like that.”
I nodded. “You could still get out of this unscathed, you know. Anson and I would be totally willing to look the other way if you’d just let us go.” I nudged him. “Wouldn’t we?”
Anson nodded quickly. “I’d even let you keep your job.”
Buck frowned. “You would?”
“Sure. If you’re willing to be a team player, why shouldn’t I reward that?” Anson was inching closer to me for some reason. I figured I’d know soon enough. “Let us go, help us find Lila, and this will all be forgotten.”
Buck seemed to be considering that, which probably meant he was dumber than he looked.
Anson pressed his arm into my elbow and whispered, “Don’t freak out.”
A second later I felt like I was falling through some kind of space-time vortex. Everything whirled around me in streaks of light and movement.
In a flash, it was over. Anson and I were standing outside of the barn. About where we’d been earlier. He’d conjured us away.
Inside, Buck was shouting. Mostly about where had we gone and he was going to get us.
“Can you seal the doors shut with ice?” Anson asked. “Keep him in there?”
“Heck, yes.” There were wide doors on both sides, I imagined so tractors or trucks could be driven inside. I lifted my hands and sealed the one on our side with a thick coating of ice all around the seams. “Oof. This is taking more work than usual. Not much water in the air around here.”
“Will you be able to do the other side?”
“Yes.” Whatever it took, I’d get it done. “Let’s go.”
We ran around to the other set of doors. Buck was just sliding them back. Anson shoved them shut again, which caused Buck to do more yelling.