That’s when she gave the laser a goose with a foot pedal we’d wedged under the rug. The laser, a little two-hundred-watt deal with an output that was no bigger in diameter than a filament of spider web, was mounted in the bedroom. I’d fixed it to do a skittering scan across the area of the chair, a tiny dot of light moving so fast it was virtually invisible. Except when it hit the ball. When it hit the ball, the crystal fluoresced, and the veil lit up with some of the pulsing reaction of the northern lights. I knew when the laser hit because Dessusdelit suddenly caught her breath.

“It

did something,” she said.

“I thought it might,” LuEllen said. “I thought you had the power when I saw you in the restaurant. Were you able to pick out any particular colors?”

“Well

” Dessusdelit was rolling the ball in her hands. “There was green.”

“Opportunity, that’s wonderful. Maybe it means the opportunity to explore your psychic self,” LuEllen gushed.

“Is that what it usually means?” Dessusdelit asked, looking up. She was hooked.

“It can mean any kind of opportunity - often money, frankly - but in this case

unless you’re expecting some money?”

“No, no, nothing special. In fact, there have been some problems in town

“

“Then it may simply be the opportunity to explore yourself,” LuEllen said, brushing away the hint at the burglaries. She touched the laser again.

“There it is,” Dessusdelit said, brought back to the ball. “There’s a lot of red, and my God

I can feel the power. And I thought I saw

“

“Yes?” LuEllen prompted.

“My mother’s face. She’s been gone now for ten years

Is this possible?”

“Anything’s possible if you have the power and the right crystal,” LuEllen said.

I broke in. “This is not my style, I’m afraid. I’ll leave you alone. I’ll be on top.”

“I think that would be best,” LuEllen said, her voice now dreamier than ever. “I think Chenille and I have some work to do

Red, you say? Red sometimes means danger

“

They were at it for an hour. I was deep into the painting again, sucking on a Dos Equis and cursing the asshole who invented Hooker’s green, when the door popped open. LuEllen stuck her head out and called, “Chenille’s got a favor to ask. She wonders if you could do a quick spread.”

“Oh, boy,” I said. I didn’t want to read for her without notice. I wanted the deck ready, so it’d read my way. “That would be

my head’s just not right for it.”

“That’s all right,” Dessusdelit said from inside the cabin, but I could hear the disappointment in her voice.

“How about if we cut the deck just for a taste?” I asked.

“Would that work?”

“Sure, just for a taste,” I said.