Raintree: Sanctuary (Raintree 3)

“The saxophone player?”

“Yeah, that’s him. Anyway, Gideon knows where I am. As a matter of fact he sort of sent me here. You see…well…somebody killed my roommate, Sherry, last night and…well…you know how Gideon can talk to spirits and all—”

“Do you need to come to the sanctuary?” Mercy asked.

“God, no! I’m fine right here. Honest. It’s just there’s a possibility that whoever killed Sherry killed her by mistake. You see, she’d dyed her hair blond and pink, just like mine, and—”

“Have you had any visions recently about being in danger?”

Echo laughed nervously. “Gideon asked me the same question.”

“Well?”

“Heck, I don’t know. You know what it’s like with me. I’m always getting these weird visions.”

“Come home,” Mercy said.

“Nah, I’ll stay here for a few days, then we’ll see.”

“Echo, be careful. Just in case.”

“Sure thing.”

Lost in thought, Mercy held the phone for a bit too long after Echo hung up, long enough so that she heard the recorded message asking her to hang up and dial again. She placed the receiver on the base and sat on the edge of the bed. Echo was such a free spirit, so independent. Mercy worried about her because her parents didn’t. They were too busy jet setting around the world.

Who would want to kill a sweet girl like Echo? Okay, so she had some really flaky friends, like Dewey the saxophone player, and she did play in a band. Musicians were notorious for taking drugs. Was it possible that Echo had heard or seen something she shouldn’t have? Or could it be even more ominous? Maybe she’d had a vision that threatened someone.

Mercy didn’t like the idea that three Raintree psychics—

“Mommy!”

Mercy’s heart stopped when she heard Eve’s terrified scream. She jumped up, yanked open her bedroom door and raced across the hall to her daughter’s room. When she flung open the door and rushed into the semidarkness, she saw Sidonia trying to calm Eve, but Eve was fighting Sidonia not only with all her physical strength but with a little magical power kicking in, too. Books and dolls and stuffed animals flew around the room, whirling and spinning as if hanging from invisible wires and being propelled by a storm-force wind.

“Mommy!”

Mercy concentrated on breaking the energy that kept the objects levitated. Eve didn’t fight her, so within seconds all the objects dropped to the floor, a book hitting Mercy on the arm and two stuffed animals grazing Sidonia’s head. Sidonia moved aside as Mercy sat down on the side of the bed and took Eve into her arms.

“It’s all right, sweetheart. Mommy’s here. Mommy’s here.”

Eve clung to Mercy, her small body trembling uncontrollably.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Mercy asked.

“It wasn’t a nightmare.” Eve’s voice quivered.

When Mercy smoothed Eve’s long, blond curls out of her face, she realized her daughter was sweating profusely, her hair and face damp with perspiration.

“My daddy’s in trouble,” Eve said. “We have to help him.”

Mercy exchanged a quick, concerned glance with Sidonia, then concentrated fully on her child. “It must have been a nightmare. I’m sure your father is all right.”

“He wants to kill my daddy.”

“Who wants to kill your father?”

“That evil man. He hates my daddy and wants to kill him.”

“What?”