The night air felt uncommonly sweet as we exited the precinct, like the first breath after nearly drowning. The fluorescent harshness of the police station gave way to the softer glow of streetlights, painting the sidewalk in pools of amber. I walked in silence, half-expecting Johnson to call us back, to say there had been a mistake. Freedom felt fragile, like a bubble that might burst if examined too closely.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaccGsiIUxN
Jason and I walked half a block before either of us dared to speak, as though the precinct might have ears that stretched into the night.
“I can’t believe they let us go,” he finally said, his voice tight with lingering tension. A shiver ran through him that had nothing to do with the February chill. “I was sure we were looking at serious charges.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHPh5FGjD9
“Someone made a call,” I replied, glancing back at the hulking building we’d left behind. “Johnson said your family declined to press charges.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrU79SXMfV
Jason stopped abruptly, his face caught between confusion and disbelief. “That’s impossible. Aurelia would never—” Understanding dawned in his eyes. “Unless she doesn’t know yet.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LrG8SuYXH
“Exactly.” I nodded, resuming our walk. “The security company probably called the police without contacting her first. Standard protocol for a break-in.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgJf0xJWX9
“And Johnson assumed it was family intervention.” Jason laughed, a short, humorless sound that hung in the cold air between us. “Convenient mistake.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8E9rMqeCvU
“One that works in our favor,” I pointed out. “For now.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvYAnpFCSc
We turned onto a busier avenue, the late-night energy of Manhattan enveloping us. Even at this hour, taxis crawled the streets, late-shift workers hurried toward subway entrances, and the occasional group of revelers spilled from bars in bursts of laughter and clumsy footsteps. The city’s perpetual motion felt comforting after the stagnant air of the interrogation room.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcee9xHFu6N
Jason lifted his shirt slightly, revealing the edge of the red leather book still secured against his abdomen. The gesture was quick, furtive.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpioFEXuxu
“I can’t believe they didn’t find this,” he murmured, letting his coat fall back into place.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdD5F1O6xj6
“The search was cursory,” I observed. “They were looking for weapons, not books.” And Johnson had been distracted by recognition, by the strange coincidence of finding me at another scene that defied conventional explanation.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9h8SPHElC
“So we got what we came for.” Jason’s expression brightened with cautious optimism, his eyes clearer than I’d seen them in days. “What’s our next move?”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXm66LzWr9
I checked my watch—nearly midnight. The witching hour, as my grandmother would have called it. The time when the veil between worlds grew thinnest.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VcTalQvsD
“Let’s find somewhere quiet to look through the book properly,” I suggested. “Make sure we have the right information.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBIlyHVa34
We located a 24-hour diner several blocks from the precinct, one of those places that seemed frozen in the 1970s—vinyl booths, laminated menus, waitresses who called everyone “hon” regardless of age or gender. We slid into a booth far from the few other late-night patrons, a scattered collection of night shift workers and insomniacs nursing cups of coffee that had been refilled too many times.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOujhYx0d4a
After ordering coffee from a waitress whose eyes held the thousand-yard stare of someone who had seen too many midnights, Jason carefully extracted the book and placed it on the table between us.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3T3oI03GQN
“Grandfather’s personal directory,” he said softly, a hint of reverence in his voice as he opened it. His fingers traced the neat handwriting with gentle care. “He kept everything in here. Old school to the end.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiaK5t16Kc
I flipped to the M section, finger tracing down the page until I found it again: “Markus, Reiki and Tarot” followed by a Manhattan phone number. Unlike most other entries, this one lacked a formal title or business name, suggesting a more personal connection.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBXVx6FKIe
“This has to be him,” I said, already entering the number into my phone’s contacts. “The spiritual advisor Summer mentioned.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0JMyL7XHa
“Should we call now?” Jason asked, glancing at his watch.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01cJZD9jdI
“Too late,” I shook my head. “First thing tomorrow morning.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Q6asC74Ab
Jason nodded, continuing to page through the book. His fingers trembled slightly, but I couldn’t tell if it was from emotion or withdrawal. Perhaps both.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVNK2VEArm
“It’s strange seeing his handwriting,” he said softly. “Perfectly neat, even at his age. He was so precise about everything.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuQ5nb2I5Z
I watched him, noticing the complex emotions playing across his features—grief, nostalgia, determination. Despite his struggles with addiction, Jason’s genuine affection for his grandfather was evident in the gentle way he handled the old man’s possessions, the reverence with which he spoke of him.
“We should go through the entire book,” I suggested. “There might be other relevant contacts.”
As we carefully examined the entries, my phone vibrated with an incoming text. I glanced at the screen, surprised to see Officer Johnson’s name. The message was brief and cryptic:57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHoOCVnJnn
*Green case. Autopsy report noted unusual cerebral anomalies. Dismissed as age-related. Might interest you.*57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpAk8pALnW
I stared at the screen, pulse quickening. Johnson had gone into the system, checked Seamus’s autopsy findings, and then texted me—an action that probably violated several departmental regulations. The message represented more than information; it was an acknowledgment, however reluctant, that my concerns might have merit.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb55ojvcj69
“What is it?” Jason asked, noting my expression.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUKKFbWeHh
“Possible confirmation,” I replied, showing him the text. “Johnson may be more of an ally than he lets on.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjTAabnzD9
Jason read the message, brow furrowing. “Cerebral anomalies? What does that mean?”
“It means,” I said slowly, choosing my words carefully, “that something affected your grandfather’s brain before he died. Something doctors wrote off as normal for someone his age.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgX7Aa0oSJ
“But you think it wasn’t normal.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XV9G0Nczg
“Not if what I’ve learned about Aurelia is accurate,” Rahel said carefully, keeping the details of the footage to herself for now. She wasn’t ready to reveal everything she’d seen on Summer’s USB drive.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8dnv0tDR6
“Certain types of black magic specifically target the mind first,” she explained. “They create confusion, break down mental barriers, make the victim susceptible to suggestion.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNgd8CClHK
Jason paled slightly, the reality of what we were investigating clearly hitting home. The thin veneer of city lights caught in his eyes, making them glitter with unshed tears.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7k83SjgyD
“This is real, isn’t it? Not just inheritance drama or family dysfunction. My aunt actually… did something to him.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXdf7Wdrb7
The pain in his voice made me reach across the table, my fingers brushing his wrist briefly—a point of human contact in a conversation that had veered into the inhuman.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Z6uCDGoBn
“That’s what we need to confirm,” I said, returning my attention to the red leather book. “And Markus might be the key to understanding exactly what happened.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKQPQrKqBK
We finished our coffee in focused silence, carefully photographing relevant pages from the book. Though we’d escaped legal consequences tonight, both understood the narrow margin of our victory—and the likely reaction if Aurelia discovered our activities.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm07DPpZTPc
As we prepared to leave, Jason carefully tucked the book back under his shirt. “I’ll keep this safe,” he promised. “It’s evidence now.”
Outside the diner, we paused under the harsh glow of a streetlight. The night felt heavier somehow, weighted with the knowledge we’d gained and the path stretching before us.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKZF4u4AOJ
“I’ll call Markus first thing tomorrow,” I said. “Set up a meeting.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTiZxvslh2n
Jason nodded. “Should I come with you?”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEig0E5NVvB
I considered this. “Maybe not initially. If he was close to your grandfather, he might be more forthcoming with me alone—less family complications.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQaSPyrwSR
“Fair point.” Jason hesitated, his breath making ghosts in the cold air. “Rahel… thank you. For believing me. For doing this.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgK9iNCvr4
“We’re just getting started,” I reminded him. “And what we’re dealing with—what Aurelia is involved in—is dangerous. More dangerous than conventional threats.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTuDZXbpy3
“Because it’s not conventional,” Jason said quietly. “It’s something most people wouldn’t even believe exists.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWtD7XarFb
“Exactly.” I glanced back toward the precinct, thinking of Johnson’s reluctant text message. “Even those who might suspect the truth struggle to accept it.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivY6fc0g0m
We parted ways with plans to speak the following day after my contact with Markus. I watched Jason’s cab disappear into the flow of late-night traffic, the yellow vehicle swallowed by the city’s perpetual motion. A weight settled more firmly on my shoulders—the responsibility of validating his trust, of finding justice for a man I’d never met.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuSEBVgy6g
We now had a path forward—a name, a number, potential evidence of foul play. But we also had powerful forces aligned against us: Aurelia’s wealth and influence, the inherent skepticism toward supernatural causation, and most concerning, whatever dark powers she had accessed through her rituals.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNxep0Uop2
Mister B. materialized beside me as I hailed my own taxi, his form shimmering slightly under the streetlights. To others, the space beside me would appear empty, but I felt his presence as clearly as the cold air on my skin.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBH6gxUsXB
“Johnson knows more than he’s letting on,” he observed.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiI7a8d1yYJ
“Or suspects more,” I corrected, keeping my voice low as a taxi pulled toward the curb. “He’s caught between his training and his instincts.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVf7XZliIr
“A common human dilemma,” Mister B. noted, his form flickering like an old television signal. “But potentially useful for our purposes.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsllGm6MSXT
As my taxi arrived, I found myself wondering about the path ahead—and whether justice for Seamus Green would come through conventional means or require intervention from powers just as ancient and potent as those Aurelia had invoked beneath her father’s living room rug.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GTgvobndF
Either way, the next step was clear: find Markus, and uncover exactly what he had sensed in Seamus Green’s final days. The book had given us the key—now we needed to find the door it would unlock.
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Thank you for reading! If you enjoy this story, you can download full volumes on www.empowering-spirit.com/the-tarot-dimes
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