Glass Eye: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective

Chapter 18

Zandra collects the mail from the dented box outside Sneak Peek and drags an ankle through the door. No bombs, but plenty of bills. She'd be wise to pay them off, the notices advise. It'd be tough to do. Zandra cancelled all her in-person appointments. The hit in the bank account will be more than worth it.

Were she more hip to the times she'd offer readings over the Internet. Too impersonal. Too hard to get the sense of a person. Manipulation requires the right conditions.

Zandra lights a candle and a cigarette. Leans back in her chair. Lets out a sharp sigh as she puts her bad ankle up and stares at the ceiling. That's when the front door opens. Zandra forgot to lock it behind her.

She watches a burly man who wouldn't look out of place in a lumberjack camp walk inside. He looks to be a little under 25 and more than drunk. Zandra can smell it on him. Probably one of the college kids. They're the only ones able and willing to get that hammered at this time of the day.

"This Sneak Peek?" the burly man says, his red face somehow managing not to puke.

Zandra wishes Charlie and her concealed pistol were still around. He's at least twice Zandra's size.

"Yes, this is Sneak Peek," Zandra says.

"So where's the peep show?" the man says.

"Do you want to see me naked?"

"No."

"Then get the hell out."

The man staggers back out the door and onto the street. Zandra hits a button under the desk to lock the door without having to get up.

A mishap like that normally wouldn't raise Zandra's suspicions. It's happened before, although she never considered changing Sneak Peek's name. But something felt off this time. The man's mannerisms looked like a parody of a lush in a high school play. It's like he spilled alcohol on his shirt and acted drunk.

But why? To check in on her? It could be in Zandra's head, but it's in her gut, too.

Zandra burns through a few more cigarettes, then heads back home. There's a file that needs updating.