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“You’re searching for someone, and I’m very good at finding people.”
“Don’t be uncivilized,” Nana Pratt said behind me. “Invite her in. She might be able to find my Ashley.”
I exhaled. “You’re welcome to come in.”
“Not yet,” Camryn said. “The shamans need to go in first.”
I cut a glance at the man to her right. “You brought your own shamans?”
“I always bring them for smudging when it’s a new building to me.” She pressed the pads of her fingers to her cheeks. “Negative energy irritates my skin.”
The shamans brushed past me, dried sage in hand.
Ray observed them from the corner of the porch. “Can they hurt us?”
I shook my head silently so as not to draw Camryn’s attention. She clearly wasn’t willing to take any chances, and I had a feeling she’d draw the line at ghosts, even ones as harmless as Ray and Nana Pratt.
“Downstairs only,” I called over my shoulder. Camryn wouldn’t be venturing upstairs, and I didn’t like the idea of strange shamans crawling around my bedroom.
“Are your smoke detectors sensitive?” Camryn asked. “If so, you might want to switch them off until they’re done.”
“It’ll be fine.” I didn’t even have working smoke detectors yet.
After a few minutes, the shamans emerged from the house and gave Camryn the green light. Only then did she cross the threshold, dismissing the shamans.
Standing in the foyer, she inhaled deeply. “I love the scent of sage, don’t you?”
“Not particularly. Can I offer you anything to eat or drink?” Given the shaman show, my instincts told me the answer would be a hard pass.
“That won’t be necessary. I always carry snacks with me.” Camryn opened her bag and produced a small box in bright colors.
“Are those Nerds?”
“Yep.” She tipped back her head and tapped the bottom of the box. “I started eating them as a reward to stop smoking, and now I can’t stop.”
I had fond memories of conning my grandfather into buying me Nerds as rewards for good grades. I didn’t have much growing up, but at least I had the occasional treat.
“Let’s get down to business,” Camryn continued. “You’re looking for a young lady. I have certain skills that might help you find her.”
I had to admit, that sounded promising, especially in light of recent dead ends. “I don’t have a lot of furniture yet. Why don’t we sit in the kitchen?”
I noticed that Camryn ogled the interior less than others who’d been admitted. She sat at the table and removed a pack of tarot cards from her Chanel purse.
My mind immediately conjured up a memory of Gunther Saxon in the cemetery. “You’re an assassin?”
Her eyebrows squished together without forming any creases on her forehead. The magic of Botox, or maybe just plain magic. “Who did you meet?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.” I wasn’t sure why I felt compelled to protect Gunther. He didn’t seem particularly shy about his personal details.
“It was Gunther, wasn’t it?” She clucked her tongue. “It’s always Gun. I don’t know how he’s managed to live this long; I swear.”
“You know Gunther?”
She shuffled the cards. “Yes, of course. We’re cousins.”
I motioned to the deck. “And you’re a mage who works with tarot cards, like Gunther.”
She shot me a prim look. “I’m a member of La Fortuna, a society of mages that channels our magic through the cards.”
