Illusion Town Read Free

old beds. She hated sleeping where others had slept. And motel room beds were the worst.
    She swung her feet to the floor, trying not to think about the bed.
    She grabbed the stilettos and slipped into them, squelching another wave of anxiety with an effort of will. Then she got to her feet.
    She suddenly remembered what the doppelgänger had said about the answer being in the evening bag. She hurried to the chair, picked up the clutch, and unfastened it. There was the usual paraphernalia inside—her cell phone, some spare navigational amber, a packet of tissues, and a lipstick. There was also a small, square piece of paper.
    But there was no necklace.
    â€œDamn,” she whispered. She was afraid she might actually burst into tears. “It can’t be lost. I just found the missing crystal a couple of weeks ago.”
    â€œIt’s okay,” Elias said. He came toward her and patted her somewhat awkwardly on her shoulder. “I’ll help you look for it.”
    She pulled herself together. She could have a nervous breakdown later, she told herself.
    She was about to close the bag when she noticed the slip of paper again. She took it out, thinking it was a receipt of some kind that might give them a clue about what had happened.
    It wasn’t a receipt.
    â€œWeird,” she said.
    â€œWhat is it?”
    â€œIt’s a fortune,” she said.
    â€œWhat the hell?”
    â€œYou know, the kind you get at a fortune-teller’s booth. You put in a few coins and out pops a fortune.”
    â€œI have never, in my entire life, bought a fortune at a fortune-teller’s booth.”
    â€œWell, evidently I did last night,” she said.
    â€œWhat does it say?”
    She read the words and winced. “Just the usual generic stuff.”
    â€œRead it to me. Maybe it will help point us in the right direction.”
    She braced herself.
“You will find true love soon.”
    He considered that briefly. “You’re right. Not very helpful.”
    She took a deep breath. “Well, it does indicate that we visited a fortune-teller last night.”
    â€œGood point.”
    She started toward the bathroom but paused as another thought occurred.
    â€œWhat day is it?” she asked.
    â€œTuesday,” Elias said. “We checked in here very early this morning—shortly after one a.m. I paid cash.”
    â€œWe get a lot of cash business here in Illusion Town. Some people don’t want to leave an electronic trail when they patronize places like this.”
    Elias shook his head. “I wasn’t trying to hide the room from a wife or a girlfriend. I’m sure of that much.”
    That news lifted her spirits somewhat.
    â€œAs soon as I woke up, I left Virgil here with you and took a look around,” Elias continued. “I had to find out just what we were dealing with. The night clerk is still on duty downstairs. He remembers checking us in. He also said no one showed up asking questions about us.”
    â€œWell, that sounds like good news. Sort of. I guess.”
    â€œYeah, that’s my take on it. Assuming he wasn’t lying, of course. But I’m inclined to believe him.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause we’re still here and there’s no indication that anyone has tried to get into this room.” Elias angled his head toward Virgil. “Also, your dust bunny pal doesn’t seem to be concerned.”
    Hannah looked at Virgil. He was fully fluffed. You could hardly see his ears or his six paws, and only his baby blue eyes were showing. When things got serious, his second set of eyes—the ones he used for hunting—popped open. He was in full cute mode at the moment. That was reassuring.
    â€œGood point,” she said. “But why are we dressed up? It looks like we went out on the town.”
    â€œA date, I think.”
    â€œI never date clients.”
    â€œFirst time for everything.”
    â€œLet’s