Disclaimer: I do not own Human Target and intend no copyright infringement.
"You promised, Detective Winston, remember? You said if I found the boy you would let me take a look at your future." Dark green eyes sparkled at him.
"You didn't find the boy. The kidnapper thought you knew he was the perpetrator and tried to kill you, that led us to the boy."
Karen Hill wasn't going to let petty details deter her. "You can't deny I played a vital part in his rescue."
No, unfortunately he couldn't. "I'm all ears", he finally grumbled.
Karen laughed merrily. "Here in the car? Just like that, off the cuff? No, no dear detective, you definitely earned yourself the VIP treatment today. Tea leaves, tarot cards, a closer look at the planetary conjunction on the day of your birth… the whole nine yards." The corners of her mouth twitched. "And of course I can't do it in jeans and blood splattered t-shirt. Let's go up to my apartment, I need to change."
Karen Hill's apartment, which also served as her office, looked surprisingly normal. Winston had at least expected a black cat slinking around somewhere, but all he saw were goldfish in an aquarium. And not a single perfumed candle in sight.
She emerged from what apparently was her bedroom, given the edge of a queen size antique style bed with scroll design he could see through the half-open door. "Surprised?"
Actually he was. After seeing the apartment he hadn't really expected her to change into some gipsy style skirt and headscarf, but the long, flowing, emerald-colored silk dress she was wearing now had still taken him by surprise. It matched her eyes perfectly and presented her well-proportioned curves in a very becoming manner.
"Most people come here with the idea of some Sonny and Cher "Dark Lady of New Orleans"-style place in their mind and me dancing around with a cigarette holder in my mouth… Take a seat, please." She motioned him to a chair at a round oak table and walked over to a cabinet. Carefully she took something out of it and placed it between Winston and herself.
"What's that?"
"A TV set", she replied sarcastically.
"Very funny. I've never seen you use a crystal ball before."
"As I said, VIP treatment." From the slow, meticulous way she polished the glass thing with a soft cloth he could tell it really meant something to her. He wanted to make an ironic remark, but before he could utter a single word she silenced him with a wave of her hand, staring into the ball with deep concentration. Oh boy, and he had just started to think she was not as crazy as he had originally believed her to be.
"Major changes are lying close ahead of you", she began. "You're going to meet someone and you're going to grow very attached to him…"
"HIM?"
Karen had apparently entered some kind of trance. "You're going to form a strong bond, very unique, I see deep-running feelings… HIM?" End of trance. She squinted her eyes, looked at the ball, looked at Winston, looked back at the ball. "This seems a tiny bit unlikely..." She moved her face so close to the glass surface, it fogged up from her breath.
"I see a third party coming in that brings a lot of unrest. You perceive that new party as a threat… to the strong bond you've established. You're… ." She furrowed her brows in confusion and started shaking the ball vigorously.
"What? What am I?"
Karen put the ball down and just looked at him, totally puzzled. "You're jealous of …him…"
"Have you lost your mind?" Winston slammed his hands down and got up abruptly. "You're not only telling me I'll change my sexual orientation, according to you I'm also going to engage in a ménage à trois? I seriously suggest a visit to the optician in your near future." He turned and headed for the door.
"You… you could prove me wrong, you know…"
He turned back to her and saw her leaning in the doorway to her bedroom. That dress really showed a lot of décolleté.
"Tonight, I mean…" she said.
-the end-