forced to drop out of school. She had to complete high school through a GED program. Her parents disowned her, and she was left destitute. It's a sad story. Suffice it to say that she's gradually pulled herself back together. A few months ago she came to work for me, and she's shown remarkable improvement on the job. She's starting to come into her own at last."
"Guinevere, the social worker," Zac commented dryly.
"I'm serious, Zac. That young woman really started to get her act together during the past few months. For the first time since she was seventeen, she's beginning to see a future for herself. But she's still very fragile, Zac. Now along comes this screwy Madame Zoltana and warns her that her whole world is about to fall apart again."
"How?"
Guinevere drew a deep breath. "She told Sally that unless Sally kept coming to her on a regular basis, the baby she gave away when she was seventeen would someday learn who its natural mother is, come looking for her, and ruin Sally's life. For the right price, Madame Zoltana says, she can prevent that from happening with her psychic powers. Poor little Sally is absolutely terrified."
Zac whistled softly. "I'll be damned. That's pretty grim, all right. What a racket."
"That's exactly what it sounds like to me, a sleazy sort of protection racket. Madame Zoltana finds some useful secret in a person's past and then offers 'protection'—for a price."
"And the price is continued visits to Madame Zoltana at very high fees."
"Exactly." Guinevere lifted her chin determinedly. "I can't allow that sort of thing to happen to one of my employees on the job, Zac. I'm going to find out what's going on and expose the whole sordid mess. That Madame Zoltana deserves to be hung."
Zac sighed. "Gwen, if people are stupid enough to believe in psychics and dumb enough to pay them, there's just not much you can do about it. About all you can do is explain to Sally what's going on, and hope she'll be smart enough to believe you."
"Poor Sally is too distraught to know what to believe. I've got to prove Zoltana is a fraud."
"Be reasonable, Gwen. How are you going to do that?"
"The way I figure it," Guinevere said thoughtfully, "Zoltana must have some inside help at Gage and Watson. Sally's not the only G and W employee who's seeing her, and from what I can gather, a couple of the others have been getting the same treatment. Somehow, Zoltana spots the gullible ones and then finds out something she can use against them."
Zac lifted one eyebrow. "Inside help?"
"Yeah. You know, someone who works at Gage and Watson, someone who potential victims might confide in. Whoever it is then passes the information along to Zoltana. From what Sally told me today, that would seem to be the way things work."
"Gwen, do you mind if I pont out that you've got a company to run? You can't make a career out of ex posing fraudulent psychics, believe me. Houdini tried, and it didn't do much good. There are always going to be some people who want to believe in charlatans like Zoltana. As long as there are believers, there will be frauds."
"All I want is a little advice from you, Zac. I thought you could give me some pointers on how to go about exposing a fraud."
"As usual," Zac said with a long-suffering sigh, "my advice to you is to stay out of it. But, as usual, I suppose you won't pay any attention."
Guinevere smiled contentedly. "I knew you'd help me."
"Wait a minute. I never said I'd help."
"Now, Zac, I'm approaching you in a professional capacity here."
"The hell you are. You're just trying to get some free assistance," he shot back.
"Well, you owe me something for all the help I'm giving you planning your reception," Guinevere informed him as they reached the entrance of a trendy delicatessen-restaurant on
Western Avenue
. "Here we are. We can discuss my case later. Now, remember what I told you about dealing with this caterer, Zac. I don't want you making a fuss every time I mention French champagne or
"Guinevere, the social worker," Zac commented dryly.
"I'm serious, Zac. That young woman really started to get her act together during the past few months. For the first time since she was seventeen, she's beginning to see a future for herself. But she's still very fragile, Zac. Now along comes this screwy Madame Zoltana and warns her that her whole world is about to fall apart again."
"How?"
Guinevere drew a deep breath. "She told Sally that unless Sally kept coming to her on a regular basis, the baby she gave away when she was seventeen would someday learn who its natural mother is, come looking for her, and ruin Sally's life. For the right price, Madame Zoltana says, she can prevent that from happening with her psychic powers. Poor little Sally is absolutely terrified."
Zac whistled softly. "I'll be damned. That's pretty grim, all right. What a racket."
"That's exactly what it sounds like to me, a sleazy sort of protection racket. Madame Zoltana finds some useful secret in a person's past and then offers 'protection'—for a price."
"And the price is continued visits to Madame Zoltana at very high fees."
"Exactly." Guinevere lifted her chin determinedly. "I can't allow that sort of thing to happen to one of my employees on the job, Zac. I'm going to find out what's going on and expose the whole sordid mess. That Madame Zoltana deserves to be hung."
Zac sighed. "Gwen, if people are stupid enough to believe in psychics and dumb enough to pay them, there's just not much you can do about it. About all you can do is explain to Sally what's going on, and hope she'll be smart enough to believe you."
"Poor Sally is too distraught to know what to believe. I've got to prove Zoltana is a fraud."
"Be reasonable, Gwen. How are you going to do that?"
"The way I figure it," Guinevere said thoughtfully, "Zoltana must have some inside help at Gage and Watson. Sally's not the only G and W employee who's seeing her, and from what I can gather, a couple of the others have been getting the same treatment. Somehow, Zoltana spots the gullible ones and then finds out something she can use against them."
Zac lifted one eyebrow. "Inside help?"
"Yeah. You know, someone who works at Gage and Watson, someone who potential victims might confide in. Whoever it is then passes the information along to Zoltana. From what Sally told me today, that would seem to be the way things work."
"Gwen, do you mind if I pont out that you've got a company to run? You can't make a career out of ex posing fraudulent psychics, believe me. Houdini tried, and it didn't do much good. There are always going to be some people who want to believe in charlatans like Zoltana. As long as there are believers, there will be frauds."
"All I want is a little advice from you, Zac. I thought you could give me some pointers on how to go about exposing a fraud."
"As usual," Zac said with a long-suffering sigh, "my advice to you is to stay out of it. But, as usual, I suppose you won't pay any attention."
Guinevere smiled contentedly. "I knew you'd help me."
"Wait a minute. I never said I'd help."
"Now, Zac, I'm approaching you in a professional capacity here."
"The hell you are. You're just trying to get some free assistance," he shot back.
"Well, you owe me something for all the help I'm giving you planning your reception," Guinevere informed him as they reached the entrance of a trendy delicatessen-restaurant on
Western Avenue
. "Here we are. We can discuss my case later. Now, remember what I told you about dealing with this caterer, Zac. I don't want you making a fuss every time I mention French champagne or
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