Conspiracies and Stuff: A Dreamland Junction Mystery by Kendra Ashe Page B

didn’t already know, though apparently this fact was totally lost on Derek.
    “Oh … it’s just that my phone gets bad reception sometimes, and I need to make sure I get this call.”
    It was a total lie, and Jacob knew it.
    Thankfully he was graceful enough to change the subject. “How’s your uncle getting along? I haven’t seen him in here for awhile.”
    “He’s as grouchy as usual.”
    Glancing at the digital clock on the wall, I noticed that I only had a few minutes left until the appointed time. “Well I better get out there now or I’ll miss my call.”
    “Take care.” Jacob waved as I was going out the door.
    I sure did hope that he wasn’t some kind of government operative. All this waiting around for phone calls was sure to tip anyone off. It was time I had a talk with Derek about this contacting each other problem.
    Right at fifteen minutes after five the phone rang.
    “Hello,” I said, picking it up.
    “Kat?”
    “That’s me.”
    “No sign of the kid underground,” he said, and then there was a click. The sucker had already hung up.
    Damn Derek and his spy games!
    Sighing, I glanced across the parking lot to the giant sign with a spaceship and alien on it.
    If the boy wasn’t at 51, I hadn’t the slightest idea where to begin looking for him. Of course I’d been working with Derek long enough to understand that just because his contacts didn’t know about something, didn’t necessarily mean that it wasn’t true.
    Something told me that this time, they were right. The boy wasn’t at 51.
    I was so lost in thought, that when I felt the tap on my shoulder I nearly jumped out of my skin.
    When I spun around to see who was intruding on my private thoughts, my heart literally skipped a beat.
    I found myself staring into the hollow eye sockets of Johnny Reyes, or at least something that looked like Johnny.
    A scream lodged in my throat. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t get it to come out.
    He was trying to say something, but he had no tongue.
    Grabbing my shoulder, he shook me. That’s when I finally managed to scream.
    “Are you okay?” Jacob asked.
    Blinking rapidly, my vision cleared.
    I wasn’t looking at Johnny at all, but Jacob. It had been a hallucination.
    “Yeah … I think so. You just startled me. What were you saying?”
    “I was telling you that I’m getting ready to leave. It’s getting late. You don’t want to be out here alone.”
    He didn’t have to tell me twice. I was more than willing to get the hell out of there.
    Johnny had been trying to tell me something, but what?
    If only there was a way to amp up my psychic antenna.
    * * *
    Two days off and I was starting to get worried. If Rafe didn’t put me back to work soon, I wouldn’t be able to make my rent.
    The vision, or hallucination I’d had at the museum was still bothering me. I didn’t usually have hallucinations. Part of me figured it was caused by some kind of guilt I was feeling over having words with Johnny just before he died, but that didn’t make a lot of sense. I sure didn’t feel guilty.
    Dead or not, he’d had it coming.
    I’d just shot off an email to the fertility clinic concerning Molly Peterson’s treatment six years before, and was drinking the last of the milk from my cereal bowl when the doorbell rang.
    Who the heck would be so inconsiderate to show up at my front door at 7:00 in the morning, on my day off even?
    Without waiting for me to answer, Lavern opened the door and rushed in. Even for someone as dramatic as Lavern, she looked distraught.
    “Thank God you’re here!” she gasped.
    “Where else would I be at this time of the morning?”
    “You’ll never guess what happened,” she said, still trying to catch her breath.
    “You got married again.” It was a low blow, but I couldn’t help it. I hadn’t yet had my second cup of coffee.
    “No,’ she said, her ruby lips dipping into a frown. “That’s not very nice of you.”
    “Sorry,” I apologized. “So tell me