Corinda reached across and took her hands. “I’m your friend, sweetheart. I always will be. I care enough about you that I can deal with you being mad and even hating me at the moment. It won’t change how I feel, and it won’t drive me away.”
Dana was too confused by the rush of conflicting emotions in her heart and head to say anything. Corinda patted her hands and then went off to fetch tea and a muffin for her.
She set them down and then had to go off to ring someone up.
Dana stared at the little carrier of tea bags, and as she did so her fear and anger returned. Quieter now, though. She picked up one of the kind that she usually drank. The small paper label read SOOTHE. She sniffed it, then glanced around to make sure no one was looking as she quickly stuffed it into her backpack. There were three other Soothe tea bags, and she took a second one, stripped off the little paper tag, stashed the bag with the other one she’d taken, then took a plain tea bag of a common commercial brand, removed the tag, crumpled the SOOTHE tag around the string, then dunked the bag into her cup. She pushed the tea carrier away.
CHAPTER 77
Beyond Beyond
10:04 A.M.
Dana was about to get up to leave when she saw Sunlight come out of his Chrysalis Room. He wore baggy black pants like a modern dancer might wear, and a blue velour shirt embroidered with spinning planets and suns. He spotted her and came over quickly and slid onto the opposite bench seat. His handsome face was creased with concern.
“I hate to crib a line from the movies,” he said, “but I sense a disturbance in your Force.”
“You could say that.”
“Is it because of the news story?”
“Kind of. How come you let Corinda take all the credit? I wanted you to talk to the sheriff.”
Sunlight smiled. “She feeds on attention, Dana. I don’t.”
“But—”
“Give her some credit. She kept you out of it.”
“Oh, yeah, I’m so out of it.” She told him about the blood test and being suspended.
His smile did not waver. “Don’t worry about it, little sister,” he said. “I have every confidence that this is all going to work out. You’ll be fine. I still intend to have my conversation with the sheriff, and I know Mr. Sternholtz as well. I can have a quiet word with him.”
“You know him?”
“It’s a small town, Dana, and I pay a lot of taxes. That gives me a forum for—shall we say—frank discussions.”
“Oh. Well … that’s…”
He shook his head. “Be calm, Dana. This terrible matter is coming to a close and you’ll be fine.”
“But what about Angelo?”
“Ah, poor Angelo.” Sunlight shook his head. “I am seldom wrong about a person, but I was wrong about him. We all were.”
“How?” she asked. “If you and Corinda have all these super psychic powers, how did you not know it was him?”
“Remember I told you that the angel had powerful qualities, too? This is what I meant. He clearly possesses the ability to block psychic perception. That’s a great gift, and it’s so sad that he used it for the wrong purposes.”
She shook her head slowly. “I know that he’s the angel, but I still can’t believe it.”
“That is the nature of charismatic personalities, Dana. They can convince you that they are angels or saints or people who can and should be trusted. Cult leaders and politicians have used the power of charisma for thousands of years. A psychic with control over his own charisma is to be greatly feared. I can only imagine what will happen during his trial. He is no doubt powerful enough to influence the minds of the prosecutor, the jury, and even the judge. Our legal system is not structured to cope with a person like him.”
“What are you saying? That he’ll get released?”
“It’s possible. Which is why you need to continue developing your own qualities. I can teach you techniques of psychic defense.”
She sipped her tea but didn’t answer.
“This must all hurt you very badly,” Sunlight said gently. “I don’t need to be psychic to see the pain in your eyes. You liked Angelo, abrasive as he was.”
“I liked a killer, great. At least until he chased me down the street. That says so much about me.”
“You showed compassion and kindness to someone who had lived a hard life. Take that part of it and own it. It speaks to your character, Dana. Being fooled and lied to speaks to his.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
“I expect I won’t be seeing you for a while,” said Sunlight.
“You’re right, because I got suspended.”
“But a suspension won’t last forever, and even your father won’t actually keep you grounded until you’re old enough to retire.”
“He’ll try.”
“He won’t,” Sunlight assured her. “Now … listen to me. I am going to help you figure this out. You’re one of mine now. You belong to my spirit family, and we protect our own. I may not be as dangerous as Angelo Luz, but I have my moments. I have my qualities. And there is nothing I won’t do to protect my family.”