When she looked up to see who was there, a smile lit her features.

  «Mandy! So nice to see you!» she exclaimed, then a worried stare crossed her face «Did you sleep?»

  «Not much and not good. Did you see that in your cards?»

  «No, in your circled eyes.»

  Amanda smiled. «Lately I get up more tired than I was when I went to bed. Maybe it's the season.»

  «Quite weird, the season. Did you hear about yesterday night rain?»

  «Firsthand I'd say. I got home I was almost dripping.»

  «You? Really?»

  «Why?» she asked, not seeing what her friend meant by that «What's weird? Do you think I'm waterproof?»

  «Waterproof, no. Lazy, yes. What were you doing out so late at night? No... what where you doing out so early in the morning? Is there a man involved? Let me see...» she reached out to turn one of her cards

  «Hands off!» Amanda replied, almost laughing «Another time, maybe, I'll give you the details... today I'm here for business.»

  «Yours or mine?»

  «Yours.»

  «Fine then. I didn't do my homework.» She laughed. «Well then... sit down and tell me everything. What do you want to talk about? Love? Work? Money?» she winked «... sex?»

  «Death.»

  Kate's features dropped. «Are you sure you chose the right person?»

  «Do you know Trey Parker.»

  «Trey... Parker... who? No, wait, wait, you must have mentioned him... a colleague of yours?»

  «More or less. He's dead.»

  «Ah, sorry about that. How?»

  «That's the point. I believe he was killed, but I don't know much, and the police doesn't seem to care too much.»

  «I see... but I'm not sure I can help. It's not even something that concerns you directly...»

  «You're not going to chastise me now...»

  «No, really. I meant it's more difficult to see something for someone who is not involved. It would be easier if he were here... but then I wouldn't be, I'm not really eager to read cards to a corpse.»

  Amanda shrugged. «Whatever you're able to tell me, it will still be more than I know now.»

  «As you like», Kate replied as she shuffled the deck of cards and placed it on the table. «You know how it works.»

  Instinctively Amanda reached out with her right hand to cut the deck, then stopped in midair before even brushing it. She pulled her hand back and cut the deck with the left before Kate could say anything.

  The seer reassembled the deck and started putting some cards on the table. As usual, Amanda tried to decipher the expressions crossing her face as she looked at them. As usual, she failed.

  «It seems there is a man after all», Kate said suddenly.

  «Hey! Don't change the subject! That's not what I asked you to see!»

  «Indeed I didn't mean that. ... ah, is really one there?» she grinned

  «... may we go back to the cards?»

  «Yeah, yeah... I was saying there is a man... more than one actually. Any chance your colleague was somehow involved with magic? I mean directly.»

  «Parker? No... I don't think so, at least. It's not like I really knew him so well, but he didn't strike me like a magician.»

  «Strange. Still...»

  «What do you see?»

  «Someone who is dead or about to die. But it seems he's a magician. And someone in the shadows, a manipulator. I'm not really helping, am I?»

  «Still better than nothing.»

  «It's just that the reading isn't very clear, there's something hazy in these cards.»

  Amanda had no troubles believing her. That wasn't the first time she had Kate read cards for her, and usually she was anything but vague.

  «I think that your colleague knew something he shouldn't have» she said at once, as if struck by a sudden enlightenment.

  «Might he have been killed for this reason?»

  «Maybe. I can't be sure. But I am quite sure you're putting yourself in a very complicated situation.»

  «Did you need the cards to know that?» Amanda smiled like a kid caught red-handed stealing chocolate.

  «Having a confirmation never hurts. Really,» she changed subject without a pause, «if he had been a magician, these cards would make much more sense.»

  «I'm quite sure he wasn't... but let's pretend otherwise, what would they have meant?»

  «That he lost control of something... someone... and wasn't ready to face the consequences.»

  «Someone? Hypnosis? Mind control?»

  «I'd rather say summoning.»

  «Summonings are forbidden.»

  «Did this ever stop anyone?»

  «Might make sense.»

  «Did you just remember that your Parker used to summon students when they skipped lessons?»

  «He wasn't my Parker, and he had no lessons so I think that would have been useless... Thanks for all, I have to hurry?»

  «There's something you don't want to tell me...»

  «Maybe. Maybe not. I have to check. How much do I owe you?»

  «Are you joking? And... wait a second, don't move.»

  Leaving Amanda no time to reply, Kate stood up and disappeared into the closet-bathroom or bathroom-closet or whatever it was. Amanda was about to stand up in turn when she saw her come back. A flat round object, no more than ten centimeters wide, dangled from a string in her hand. It was a wooden circlet inside which many little strings where knitted in an elaborate pattern, almost like a web. From the outer brim some feathers and beads dangled. A true dream catcher. There weren't many around.

  «Take this.» said Kate handing it to her.

  «Should this help me to find the killer?»

  «No, to sleep better. A client of mine gave it to me as a gift long ago... for the time being I think you need it more than me.»

  «Well... thanks. I'll return it.»

  Kate shrugged. «I'll probably sleep well anyway.»

  Amanda took the dream catcher and examined it, losing herself for a second in its patterns. It was too fragile to put it into a pocket, but the string it was attached to made a loop, so she could wear it around her neck, letting it slide under her pullover.

  CHAPTER 6

  She wasn't yet in the street when she started rummaging into her bag, looking for the communication crystal. It took her some time to fish it out.

  It was a flat, oval stone, larger than the palm of her hand, in a stupid shade of pink. Even though she knew that latest versions were able to store the same power in a much smaller crystal, and even though she really hated that color, she had never made up her mind to change it. Although a new crystal would have been lighter and easier to carry around, it wouldn't have been as easy to single out among the many knick knacks she used to bring along, especially if she was in a hurry... nor as good when it came the need to use the bag as a blunt weapon.

  If some day a new one which could be activated without physical contact was made, for sure she would buy it. Too bad that, as poor as her understanding of magic was, she knew it was really unlikely.

  She was finally starting to understand, though vaguely, what was happening, and now she could no longer go on on her own, not without a little help at least.

  She held the crystal in her hand a little more than needed and focused her thought towards the person she wanted to reach, hoping he hadn't disabled his in spite of the situation. A detective should always be reachable, shouldn't he?

  "Shim, that's Amanda."

  Nothing.

  "Come on, Shim, answer!"

  "Manda, it's not a good moment", the dwarf's voice rang loud and clear in her head as if he were right next to her. "Whatever you are doing let go, barricade into your house and stay safe, everything is going for the worst."

  "Just a second, Shim..."

  "A second more? By the way, your rector, that Parker... heart stroke, no homicide."

  "Are you sure?" Amanda was quite certain that Parker had died in his office and brought outside afterwards. If his had been a natural death, who would bother dumping him in the courtyard instead of calling for help? "Can't it have been caused by someone?"

  "No. Autopsy revealed no traces of drugs, poisons or spells. Now I really have to..."

  "Wait, wait, wait... you have a list of weather controllers, don't you?"

  Silence. At least he hadn't broken the contact.

  "I guess you do. And I suppose you wouldn't give it to me."

  "Not for the life of me."

  "And for the life of a lot of other people?"

  "Manda..."

  "Listen, we need to keep them under surveillance, they are..."

  "What do you think my men have been doing ever since the first threat came in?"

  True. Shim for sure didn't need her advices when it came to police business. The problem was that he didn't know what he was looking for. Neither did she, frankly, but she was beginning to get there.

  "At least could you tell me if anyone of them is used to make summonings?"

  "Are you kidding? He would have been fired long ago!"

  "Then someone who was fired for that...?"

  Silence again. Amanda was about to push when Shim anticipated her.

  "One."

  Obviously he had checked somewhere before answering.

  "And you can tell me who he is." Hers wasn't a question.

  "I could, but what are you planning? Anyway he doesn't remember a thing, you know how it works."

  "I know how it should work. Come on, Shim, what does it matter?"

  "Go home Manda."

  "How do you know I'm not?"

  "I'm a detective, remember?"

  "Give me his name and address and I promise I will go."

  "You will go home."

  "Yes."

  "No, I want you to say it."

  "I promise that if you give me that name and address I will go home and lock myself in, OK now?"

  Even though sighs couldn't be broadcast telepathically, Amanda was sure Shim had sighed right before sending her the name and address he must have recovered from his archives.

  "Perfect, its along the way", she lied. "I will visit while I go back home. See you!" She absently throw the crystal back into the bag and set out.

  "Manda! Man..." «Damn it!» Shim slapped his desk with a hand, making it tremble.

  That girl was going to get herself in trouble. Again.

  He wasn't really worried about the fact that she was going to act like a lunatic at the home of a magician. One with a criminal record, sure, but basically harmless. That was nothing. The real problem was that if... when... the threats of the blackmailer where going to become true, she would have been in the middle of the street, and of the raging hurricane.

  He couldn't send someone from his squad to look for her, they were much too busy trying to save the day, or what could be saved of it. He had to go himself, or prepare to feel guilty for her death for the rest of his life. And even though he didn't know where she was, he knew well where she was going to be soon.

  Using the portal of the central was out of the question, there were too many explanations to give, and he didn't have any real justification. It would take too much time on foot. That left only one thing.

  «You're going to pay for this Manda. Dearly.»

  He jumped down the chair and left his office, telling his men he was going without even stopping by.

  He quickly reached the deposit and barked «Two-seater, and fast» to the agent in charge, who stood staring for a second, with an astonished look on his face.

  Shim Stonehand was a detective, had all permits needed to ask for a vehicle at any time. Of course this wasn't what troubled the keeper. The point was that, as far as anyone could remember, Shim had never, for any reason, asked for one.

  A scowl from the detective shook the agent from his torpor and urged him to give the dwarf a small light-blue roll, looking like a rolled-up gym mat. Shim took it, murmuring something unintelligible, then left and went to the roof.

  There he unrolled the mat, which lazily fell to the floor, and sit on it, struggling to find a position he deemed fit. Finally, he knelt, bent forward and put the palms of his hands on the mat as well.

  «There, go old trap!» Nothing happened.

  He sighed again. He knew that was not how it worked, but that would have been more satisfying.

  Without saying a word, he focused on the latex rectangle under him, which suddenly seemed to stiffen and then started floating at a few centimeters from the rooftop.

  Shim swallowed hard, then directed the carpet towards the sky.

  Even though he knew there was no way he could fall, he felt the need of something to grip.

  He sincerely hoped that all that was going to help preventing Amanda from getting herself killed. So he could kill her himself later for forcing him to fly to her rescue. He had always thought that if gods had wanted dwarfs to fly, they would have been born with wings.

  The address Shim had given her wasn't very far from Kate's, even though it was in the opposite direction than her home. However she was sure that Shim wasn't really expecting her to keep a promise he had forced her to make in such a way. Or did he? No, he knew her too well to believe such a thing.

  Once she was there, she found herself in front of a building which had seen better times. It didn't look like someone could really live in there. Did Shim gave her false information?

  She walked anyway into the narrow path, leading to an abandoned-looking courtyard and towards the front of a short and stocky building, which scraped walls looked like they could crumble down at any moment. No, Shim didn't lie to her. If he had wanted to send her looking for nothing, he would have made sure not to chose such a bad place.

  The doorway of the building seemed to be a slab of rust kept together by good will. In spite of this, it was closed.

  Amanda tried to open it and it shrieked like a badly slaughtered beast. Then it gave way all at once, turning around a few degrees in a rain of brittle red chips. Amanda pushed once again, to no avail. It seemed it wasn't going to move any more. She had to crawl between the door and the frame, trying to press herself as much as she could to the latter. Her pullover got stuck several times, getting unthreaded and rust-covered in places. After that, it was going straight to the garbage can.

  Finally she succeeded and was able to see that the inside of the building wasn't any better than the outside. An almost nauseating smell of mold owned the small atrium. A mix of water and plaster fell at regular times from the ceiling, and the walls where patched with an odd white hairy thing creating weird patterns.

  On one side there was the shaft of a lift. The crystal which made it work was in place. Unlit. She didn't even try to make it work, the last thing she needed was trying to go upstairs and finding out too late that there was power enough only to go halfway, seeing the disc disappear from under her feet and going back to the bottom floor in the fastest and less healthy of ways.

  So she accepted the fact that she had to use stairs, and soon she was at the door of the flat she was trying to reach.

  No one answered when she knocked. No kind of noise was coming from inside. She hadn't gotten there just to give up at the first sign of trouble, though. She knocked again and again with no better result, then she bent to examine the lock. She wasn't a professional at lock picking, but she knew some things to be used in case of need, and she didn't really think that such an old and decadent place could have worthy locks. Actually, she didn't even have to try anything: as soon as she leaned on the door for a closer look, it clicked with a metallic noise and opened, almost making her fall face first inside.

  «Mr. Marsten?» she heard herself calling, not sure why. If that man was hiding somewhere with all but good intentions, for sure he wasn't going to mellow up just because she was calling him, neither he was going to wait if he was trying to slope off.

  The inside of the flat was barely better than all the rest. Maybe a little cleaner, for sure a little tidier. The smell wasn't any better though. A mixture of less-than-pleasant fragrances impregnated it. It was the smell of a house that didn't intake fresh air very often, but not just that. There was a nauseating sweet smell, that only partly covered not less disgusting stinks, and a background aroma that she could only identify as "smell of sex".

  The main room was a small dinette, containing a table with a single chair, some suspended cupboards and a small stove. A closet was almost completely opened, at its feet a small heap of rotten food, piled as if someone had forcibly pushed it out. The crystal of the closet hadn't been reloaded in a while, obviously, and it had expelled its contents. If there had been more things inside, there would have been food all over the room. Then again, someone who kept a lot of food in store was usually not so careless with reloading.

  Amanda went through the room more carefully than she really needed to. No one could have been hiding in there, unless he was extremely small or invisible, in which case no amount of care could help her anyway.

  She opened the door dividing that room from the rest of the house, and entered a small, smelling bedroom. Her attention was inevitably drawn by the owner of the house, lying naked on something that, with a good dose of optimism, could have been called a bed. Even at that distance she could see his lost gaze, which left her no doubt about the fact that he wasn't really sleeping.

  There was Kate's dead magician.

  She quickly looked around. The room was almost empty. Two doors on opposite sides lead to a little bathroom and a wardrobe respectively. They were both ajar and it was quite unlikely that someone was hiding inside, unless they were right behind one of the doors themselves. In that case, anyway, they wouldn't have been able to get out without closing the door and then opening it again, which would have left her plenty of time to react as needed. Her mind simply refused the idea that someone could be hidden under the bed.