A Sinister Sense by Allison Kingsley Page A

did a little nosedive. “That doesn’t mean anything.”
    “Then why did Rick say he’d never seen the man before?”
    Good question.
Clara shut out the voices. “He was probably somewhere else when the man came in.”
    “Maybe, but you have to admit, things are really pilingup against Rick. Are you sure you want to be associated with him right now?”
    Clara frowned. “I’m not
associated
with anyone. He’s my friend and I’m simply adopting his dog, that’s all. Even if I were interested in him, which I’m not, I wouldn’t be taking any notice of all the ugly rumors flying around that have absolutely no basis and are causing the poor man unnecessary worry and misery. People should be ashamed of themselves, spreading around such vicious idle gossip.”
    Jessie raised her eyebrows. “For someone who professes to have no personal interest in the man, you are making a great deal of fuss in his defense.”
    Clara let out her exasperation in an explosive grunt. “I’m going to bed. Good-night.” Stomping down the hallway to her bedroom, she tried to rationalize her ill-temper. Was she angry because Rick was being victimized without due cause? Or was she, perhaps, mad at her mother for suggesting that her interest in Rick went a little deeper than mere friendship?
    If it was the latter, then she was in trouble. Because the only way that would make her mad was if there were some truth to the insinuation. And that was something she didn’t want to explore.
    She awoke in the middle of the night, perspiration dampening her forehead. At first she thought she’d been dreaming, but now she was wide awake, and the vision was still clear in her mind.
    She saw the shadow of a man, backing away fromanother figure until he was stopped by the wall behind him. It was dark, but she could make out the two men, struggling for possession of something that glinted in the lights of a passing car. One of the men broke free and tried to run, but the other was on him, pounding him with the weapon in his hand until his victim fell to the ground.
    She sat up, struggling to see the faces, but it was too dark and blurry to make them out. One thing she was certain of—neither man was Rick. One was too short, the other too chubby. Then the vision vanished, leaving her shivering in the cool draft of the air-conditioning.
    The following morning she got up early and was ready to leave by the time her mother came down to breakfast. She was halfway out the door when Jessie called out to her, “If you bring that dog home, I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
    So did she, she told herself as she climbed into her car. She really hadn’t given the whole idea enough thought. It was one thing inviting a dog into her mother’s house. Quite another when that dog was the size of a small pony. She hoped Rick would have enough dog food to keep Tatters happy until she could get to the pet store, or wherever he bought the stuff. She couldn’t remember seeing a pet store in Finn’s Harbor.
    By the time she’d parked her car and walked up to Parson’s Hardware, she was having second thoughts about the whole situation. What if her powers weren’t strong enough to control the dog? What if they weren’t therewhen she needed them as had happened so often in the past? What if Tatters totally destroyed her mother’s home?
    Closing her eyes, she made an effort to dismiss her fears. Other people had control of their dogs without the benefit of the Quinn Sense. So could she. All she needed was a little time to work with Tatters.
    She reached the door of the hardware store just in time to see the big dog bounding across the shop floor, his tail sweeping a row of plastic flowerpots off the shelf. They rolled across the floor toward her as Tatters flew past her out the door.
    John Halloran stumbled over to her, bellowing something she couldn’t understand. She didn’t wait to find out. Spinning around, she lunged after the dog. He darted across the