Deadly Cards Part 1

By

Kelly Batten

Duval Pritchard rolled over in bed and his arm rested around a body. It wasn't just anybody though. He opened his eyes and saw Paula there looking at him and she was smiling a smile of pure contentment.

She reached up with her hand and caressed his face and he said, "Paula how did we end up like this?"

She looked at him funny and said, "After last night, you actually need to ask that question?"

He laughed slightly and said, "I guess not."

"Duval, I came over to go over your statement about Beck."

"Yes, we were sitting on the couch and then you dropped the report and as we both reached for it, our hands touched and we looked at each other and then I leaned in and I kissed you."

She smiled some more and then said, "And then I said, is it really possible for two people to correct a very big mistake from years ago?"

"And then I said, anything's possible."

"And then we took each other in our arms and the rest is history."

"It was amazing."

"Yes, it was but, we better get out of bed before we're late for work."

Duval ran his hand through Paula's hair and said, "Don't worry I'm on very good terms with the boss." He then leaned in and kissed her. She kissed him back. He rolled over on top of Paula and started to do again what they had done the night before and she responded passionately.

As he kissed his way down her neck he whispered, "I love you Paula. I always have." Paula who was clearly enjoying being pleasured took his face in her hands smiled and looked like she was about to say it back when he heard another voice.

"Dad? Dad? You forgot to set your alarm. You're running late."

Duval opened his eyes and realized he was holding a pillow in his arms. He turned and saw his daughter Gracie standing by his bed.

"You don't normally get up this early Gracie."

"I know but, I heard you and I thought something might be wrong."

"You heard me?"

"Yeah, you were making noises and talking in your sleep Dad."

This alarmed Duval and he said, "What did I say Gracie?"

"I don't know. I couldn't make it out. I thought maybe you were having a nightmare but, when I got in here I realized it was a pleasant dream. You were smiling in your sleep." She laughed slightly out of embarrassment for both of them.

Duval then laughed and said, "Really? Well, I didn't realize I was doing all of that."

"It's OK Dad. I think we've all had those kinds of dreams."

"What kind of dreams would that be?"

"Oh Dad I think we both know what I'm talking about and this is an awkward subject to talk about with your father. Besides you're late."

"You're right. No stopping at Starbuck's today for me." With that Gracie walked out of the room and Duval headed for the shower which he realized he badly needed after a dream like that.

As he was walking out the front door, Gracie was making herself some toast for breakfast when she said, "Dad, is she…" Gracie appeared to be searching for the right adjective and then settled on the word, "…nice?" She smiled slightly as she finished the sentence.

Duval stopped abruptly and said, "Gracie, it was just a dream. I think the question should be… was she nice?"

"No, it's present tense. I think you were dreaming about someone you know."

Duval looked at her quizzically and said, "What makes you say that?"

Gracie hesitated and then said, "Mom's been gone two years now. It's OK to be interested in someone else. Nobody expects you to be a monk. Mom would want you to be happy."

Duval shrugged his shoulders and said, "Thank you for the support Gracie but I really don't think anything will come of it." He walked out.

Gracie looked very thoughtful as though she knew more than what she had let on to Duval.

At Mary Goodwin's house, Jimmy Pritchard looked through the refrigerator at the options for breakfast. He concluded that Special K cereal suited his needs the most. Mary came walking in and said, "Good Morning James." She leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Jimmy said, "Good Morning yourself." Even though they had not been intimate, he felt very connected to this woman. "Will Liza be joining us?"

"No, I've got Liza set up with her own kitchen in the cottage as I felt she needed her privacy which I know she appreciated. However to answer your question, she's currently not here. She went over to the University early this morning. As with all of her other duties here and as a grad student working on her doctorate, she has to teach two classes of undergrads so she'll only be available to us on a limited basis. However, I made her promise that if things start to get bad with you, she'll halt her studies temporarily and devote all time to you."

"You shouldn't have done that Mary. Liza's a bright girl with a bright future. I don't want to hinder that."

"She knew the rules going in. Besides, she's very passionate about making sure you can have a normal life."

"Well, I guess that will have to do for the time being."

"Duval goes back to work today doesn't he?"

"Yeah. Hey don't you have to speak to the board today?"

"Yes, but I'm hoping that you and Duval get a case. I have so missed working with you both."

"Mary, can I ask you a personal question?"

She smiled and said, "James, you should know by now, you can ask me anything."

"Mary, I know that you initially didn't want me regenerated. After Arthur was brought back online, I asked him to show me the recordings of me from when Otto first brought me in from the morgue. I saw your reaction and your initial command to Arthur to stop the process. Why did you stop the command at the last second?"

Mary hesitated initially and then she said, "Otto saw you as a lab rat to do with as he chose. That was further confirmed when I found out later that he did this with Albert Lin and Alexa and he just threw them away when he thought they couldn't help me. He never once thought about them as people.

I saw you in that tank and I just couldn't do it. You were a human being. Yes, you being here gave me a second chance at life but when I saw you in that tank, I didn't think about me. I thought about you. I thought you were someone's father, someone's grandfather and had been someone's husband and you deserved better than to be looked upon as a lab rat or as Otto might put it as a test subject. You had a name. You had a life. I thought Otto and I on the one hand were playing God by bringing you back but to then stop the process to me felt like a violation of the Hippocratic Oath. I just couldn't do it."

Jimmy smiled and said, "You put that much thought into me. I don't know that anyone ever put that much thought into me before."

"Oh come on James, you were loved and after seeing that you and Duval were able to make things better between the two of you, even if your blood hadn't helped me, I knew bringing you back was the right thing."

"Until you thought about the body count and Gracie getting kidnapped that made you think otherwise."

"No, you were right last night. We can't change anything. We can only go forward. Let's just hope there are no other bodies because of what Otto and Connor did. We still need to investigate to make sure nobody else is involved. Otto's final message to me scared me and we need to find out if there's more to it."

"I agree. On another subject though, Mary, what made you fall in love with me?"

Mary laughed slightly and said, "Oh, maybe it had something to do with you thinking I was a hooker when you first woke up."

Jimmy then laughed and said, "Hey, I woke up and I saw a beautiful woman in my room or what I thought was my room and I figured there was only one explanation for it. You know what I used to look like. I didn't exactly have women beating down my door for dates."

"James, before I met you, everyone I met knew who I was. You didn't know who I was initially. When you figured it out, you weren't star struck like most people are. You treated me like anyone else you'd meet. My life was ordered and I thought I knew what I wanted and needed. I thought uncomplicated sex and running a sterile corporation while I took care of my brother was the best way to do things and then you came along and I got a whole new perspective on what I could do. I could help you and Duval catch bad guys and…I liked it. I liked it a lot. As far as I'm concerned that's my calling. Lookinglass is a good cover story though….perhaps we could consider it my secret identity." She laughed slightly.

Jimmy laughed and said, "I'm glad I can help." He smiled.

Mary then said, "James, I don't want to violate your privacy but I've always wondered about something and you've never said anything about it."

"About what?"

"James, did you see Kathleen when you died?"

"Who?" Jimmy looked very perplexed initially by the question and then said, "Oh, you're asking me about my wife?"

"Yes, I take it she went by Kathy maybe?"

Jimmy smiled and said, "No, she went by Rosie. I christened her that name and it stuck."

Mary was clearly intrigued. "Why did you call her Rosie?"

"When I met Kathleen Rose Shannon, she was known as Katy-Rose to her friends and family. She was very beautiful. She had long auburn red hair and green eyes. She was about as Irish Catholic as they came. She was really smart too. She was working as a court stenographer when I met her one day when I had to be in court to testify. Anyway, after about a month of dating, I brought her a red rose. I just knew she was the one. I brought her that rose and I said a red rose for my Irish Rose. I then said, I love you Rosie for the very first time.

I called her Rosie from that day forward and by the time we got married, she had told everyone to call her Rosie. She thought Rosie suited her better than Katy-Rose. She of course signed all legal documents Kathleen Pritchard but she was always Rosie…and to answer your initial question, yes, I did see her. I didn't remember any of it when I woke up but as time went on, it started to come back to me. I thought maybe it was a dream but I realized as I remembered more and more that it was what I experienced when I died."

"Was she glad to see you?"

"Yes, but she told me I had to go back. To make a long story short, she told me that I was needed by a lot of people especially Duval because they were going to kill him…I guess that explains why I was so obsessed with helping him when I realized what had happened to me. However, Rosie also told me to…make it better this time…so I've tried my best to make it better and to be better…there were other things she said but I'd like to keep them private for the time being."

"I understand James. I won't ask again. If you want to tell me, then you tell me but if you don't then I'm OK with that."

Mary took Jimmy's hand in hers and they looked at each other and Jimmy leaned in and they kissed and then Jimmy said, "Why don't we turn on the news? This is getting a little too deep for me right now."

Mary laughed and said, "As you wish." She told Arthur to turn on the morning news and Jimmy was taken aback by what he saw.

The newsman said, "Once again this is the third prostitute that's been found. The victim has been identified as Bettina Clark. Her body will be sent to the King County morgue for an autopsy." Jimmy told Arthur to turn it off.

Mary then said, "James, what is it?"

Jimmy was clearly shaken up. Mary even saw a tear forming in his eye. "I knew her. She was my friend…before I died and after I came back."

At the FBI shooting range, Paula McCaffrey took careful aim and began to shoot. She believed in practicing to make sure that she was still on. She emptied the entire clip and brought her target back to her. She was happy with the results. She then became aware that someone had arrived at the spot next to her. She turned and saw that it was Duval.

Duval had not yet realized she was there. She decided to see how long it would take him to see her. She saw him take aim and empty his clip. She looked at where his target was and she adjusted hers accordingly.

They both took aim and emptied their clips. Duval realized he had someone next to him who was shooting just as good as him.

He looked and there was Paula smiling at him. He was shocked and Paula said,

"Duval are you all right? You're looking at me like you're seeing a ghost. I thought we got past that last week."

"Are you stalking me?"

Paula got an innocent look on her face and said, "Duval I was here first. One could say you might be stalking me."

"I come here at this time each week."

"I didn't know that. I make a point of coming to the range every week to keep my skills sharp."

Suddenly an old urge came to him. He knew he probably shouldn't do this but he couldn't help himself as she looked just as good to him as she did when they first met…and he simply could not shake that dream and how good he felt in it.

Duval said, "Fine, do you want to wager like old times?"

Paula raised her eyebrows and said, "Oh I think we're a little beyond that don't you?"

"I see…you're afraid I'll beat you?"

He knew Paula was never one to turn down a challenge. She said to him, "You're on. What are we playing for?"

"Name it Paula," he said as he loaded a new clip in his gun.

"How about the best damn coffee ever?"

He smiled at the reference and said, "You're on."

They fired their guns and Duval beat her by one point. Duval casually said, "You know how I like it….as demonstrated on Friday."

Paula nodded and said, "Of course I do…same time next week….same wager?"

Duval looked at her quizzically and said, "I thought we were going to keep this professional."

"Bullets, coffee and cops have always gone hand in hand Duval." She smiled and then said, "Your coffee will be waiting for you on your desk."

Duval walked up to the office and there was his coffee on his desk, just the way he had always liked it. He grabbed the coffee and went into his counseling session.

Dr. Michael Krieg was there. Duval sat down and Dr. Krieg said, "It's been about a year since I saw you last Agent Pritchard."

"Yes, it has. I know I have to do this for forms sake because I killed my former boss but it was in self-defense."

"We know that Agent Pritchard. We still need to talk though. How do you feel about it?"

Duval took a deep breath and said, "Honestly, I don't feel that sorry for him. He was dirty. He gave the order to Strayburn to kill me and I have no doubt he knew about Strayburn and Kerning killing my father and he thought nothing of it. I'm sorry that I had to take him out but I had little choice in the matter. I also didn't know it was Beck shooting at me until I got to him before he died."

"You said in your report that he told you someone wants revenge on the Pritchard's. How do you feel about that?"

"It's disconcerting. Over the weekend, I took a look at some of my older and recent cases to see if anyone was out of prison and I couldn't find anything. I even looked to see where Strayburn and Kerning were and the records show that they're still in prison so whomever is gunning for us, I don't have a guess at the moment."

"What about your brother?"

"What about him?"

"Do you think this could have something more to do with him than you?"

"I couldn't say, considering that Beck was my former boss, my first inclination is to think about people I've interacted with but, I suppose it's a possibility. It will be something to discuss with him."

"I took a look at your history with Agent McCaffrey."

Duval raised his eyebrows, "Really? Why?"

"I saw that you and McCaffrey were at the FBI Academy together. She's four years younger than you. I saw that you both were partnered there. Does it bother you that she's now your boss?"

"With all due respect, what does this have to do with my shooting of Beck on Friday or of the threat made to me and possibly to my brother as well?"

"Agent Pritchard, when someone comes to see me, I like to do a full assessment. You've had a lot of changes in the past year and now changes just in the last few days. I saw that McCaffrey reinstated your brother as your CI on Friday. He left the Witness Protection Program. Did you know that he was there or were you surprised to see him back from the dead?"

Duval took a deep breath and took a drink of his coffee. "Look, I admit it, I knew Jimmy wasn't dead. We both agreed that for the time being until the dust settled, it was for the best that he disappear. I didn't want him subjected to Adair's scrutiny given everything that had happened and what was later uncovered."

"Yes, Deputy Director Fielding and Agent Adair were ordered to redact most of the report by the higher ups."

"That's correct. I'm not supposed to discuss it…ever."

"All right fair enough. What about McCaffrey?"

"What about her? We were partnered at the academy. She's clearly worked hard to get into a position of command."

"Do you want to be in command?"

"Are you asking me if I have a problem reporting to my former cadet partner who happens to be a woman?"

"Yes. Will this affect your work?"

"I didn't have a problem reporting to Adair and as for Paula McCaffrey, she's earned this. She was very driven at the academy. As for me, I enjoy being a field agent. While I've been assigned team leader many times, I've never sought the big job."

"Why?"

"Because I feel like I make a difference in the field and when you get to be in McCaffrey's position, you become a paper pusher in many respects and I don't want that."

"I read that the two of you and four other cadets stopped a takeover robbery at a bar that the cadets used to frequent."

"That's correct. We all got letters of commendation for that as well. What's your point?"

"I'm just assessing Agent Pritchard. Some people are alleging that you and McCaffrey were more than partners at the academy."

"How is that relevant at this point? Who's making these allegations anyway?"

"Agent Pritchard, the FBI is in many respects a very big fraternity. People talk…a few people witnessed your initial reaction to McCaffrey last week."

Duval was a little taken aback by this information but said, "Look, 1998 was a long time ago. I don't see that anything that happened then is relevant to today."

"As you wish Agent Pritchard."

"Well, what's the verdict because I'd like to get back to work."

"My verdict is that you're good to go."

"Thank you." With that, Duval got up and took his coffee and he walked out.

In Deputy Director Fielding's office sat an African American man in his late fifties and Paula McCaffrey walked in. "You wanted to see me Sir?"

"Yes, McCaffrey. Seattle PD and the King County Sheriff's department has asked for our assistance on this. They're afraid we have another Green River Killer on our hands."

Paula's eyes got wide and she said, "What have we got?"

"It's all here." He handed her the file. "There are three victims at the moment. We're purposely not releasing certain details to the press. We don't want a higher body count like what happened in the early eighties."

Paula looked through it and said, "I'll have my people start looking at this."

Duval emerged from the counselor's office as Paula was walking down the hallway. She called out "Duval, we've got a case. Will you grab the rest of the group and meet me at the board?"

"Sure, what's happening?"

"They think we might have another Green River Killer in the area. We've got three dead prostitutes."

Duval stopped in his tracks. He remembered the Green River Killer case very well. His father helped work it back in the eighties.

Paula stopped and turned and said, "Are you all right? Can you work this?"

"Yes. I just remembered that my father was part of the sheriff's department back then when all of that happened."

"Well, let's see if we can cut the body count down significantly. We've got a lot more resources available than they did back then. Oh by the way, how was your session? Did Krieg say you were OK for duty?"

"Yes, but I think you should know, he brought you up in the session."

"Me? Why me?"

"He wanted to know about how I felt about reporting to you. Evidently people have talked about us."

Paula's eyes got wide and she said, "Why would anyone be talking about us?"

"People witnessed my reaction to you last week."

"This seems a bit of an overreaction though. I'm going to get to the bottom of it but for right now we compartmentalize and we concentrate on the case."

"Agreed." Duval walked out to the bull pen and rallied the troops as Jimmy walked in.

Duval saw him and said, "Jimmy, what are you doing here?"

"Duval, we have a potential Green River Killer around again."

"I know Jimmy, it's what we're about to talk about. They've reached out for our help."

Duval was starting to walk into the main area when Jimmy grabbed his shirt and said, "Duval wait."

Duval stopped looking very perplexed and said, "What is it?"

"One of the victims is Bettina."

Duval looked confused and the as if reaching into far reaches of his memory, he said very quietly, "Are you talking about Bettina who Gracie and I saw at your apartment?"

"Yes, Duval I need to be part of this. She was my friend and she didn't deserve to die like this."

"Nobody does."

At that point, Paula walked in and said, "Jimmy, what brings you here?"

"I want to help. I knew Bettina Clark."

Paula raised her eyebrows and said "When was the last time you saw her."

"I haven't seen her in over a year but I considered her a friend."

"Well we can use all the help we can get. Sitting in with us is not normally something a CI does. I'll make an exception today but, play your cards right and I might just have to make you a full consultant." She walked toward the board.

Duval motioned for him to follow.

She put the three pictures on the board. "OK people, listen up. We have three dead prostitutes here. The names are Hallie Maples, Cassie Jenkins and Bettina Clark. Here's what we know so far. These are not street hookers. None of them worked any strip. They all worked for escort services but, they are three different services. It's going to take time as those places are not too willing to give up their client lists so subpoenas will need to be drawn up. Malcolm and Tucci, get to work on that. Ames and Kramer, pull their financials. I want to know if these three ladies have frequented the same places."

She then turned to Duval and said, "Pritchard, since your CI is here, both of you go to the morgue and talk to the person who did the autopsies. I want to know exactly what killed these ladies. Johnson and Michaelson, get all of the evidence from SPD and KCSD. I want us to be able to see what was found on their clothing if any. Let's work this people. We don't want another body count like the Green River Killer thirty plus years ago."

Duval turned and saw Jimmy wince a little at the mention of that name. They walked out and Duval said, "Dad, can you be objective here?"

"Probably not, but I owe it to Bettina to see that justice is done."

As they walked out of the building, Duval stopped and said, "Dad, can you be content with letting us arrest the culprit?"

"I know what you're thinking Duval. I know I was ready to throw Strayburn off of the bridge like he threw me off. I was wrong. You were right to take him into custody. If I had succeeded in killing him, you might not have been able to nail Beck. I promise, I won't interfere with any arrests but I need to help you with this."

Duval smiled and said, "Fair enough, let's get to the morgue. By the way, it's possible we may see Helen there."

Jimmy stopped suddenly and said, "Say what?"

Duval stopped and said, "I'll explain on the drive over."

They walked into the morgue and Jimmy said, "I can't believe what I have missed in the last year. When do I get to see Gracie and Helen together?"

"Soon, I promise. I just wanted them to get used to the idea that you were still here."

At that moment, they saw Helen turn the corner and Helen looked at Jimmy with beaming eyes and she ran to him. "Jimmy, I don't care how unprofessional this looks, I'm going to hug you." She hugged him and he hugged her back.

Duval said, "This wasn't how I pictured the reunion but maybe this is for the best."

Helen said, "What do you think of me working in the coroner's office?"

"I always knew you could do it Helen. All you needed to do was put your mind to it and focus."

Helen looked at him funny and said, "How did you always know I could do it?"

Jimmy looked a little uneasy and said, "Dad told me that you always wanted to join law enforcement from the forensic side but you seemed to have a short attention span."

"Yeah well, I guess he was right. Maybe Wally going to jail was what I needed to help me focus."

"Oh yeah, how are you and Wally getting along?"

Helen looked at Duval and then said, "I guess Duval didn't tell you but we broke up."

"Helen I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, why don't we talk about why the two of you are here. In fact, I'll take you into the exam room. I just finished the preliminary exam on Bettina Clark. The main ME has let me take point on these exams and then he checks to see if I've done everything right. I'm happy to report that he likes my work."

Jimmy couldn't help but beam with pride and said, "Good for you Helen."

Duval then said, "OK Helen what can you tell us so far about these ladies."

"Well, unfortunately I can't tell you very much. We haven't been able to find any DNA on these women. None of them were sexually assaulted when they were killed and it's evident none of them had had sex for at least a day or two. They were killed very quickly. They received puncture wounds right under the heart. I did find markings on their wrists and ankles to show that they were bound at some point."

Jimmy was clearly bothered by what he was hearing. He said, "Helen can I see Bettina and the photos from the other victims?"

"Are you sure about this Jimmy?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Helen walked over to the drawer and pulled out Bettina's body. Jimmy walked over and looked at her. She was still so beautiful. Death couldn't take away her loveliness. He looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Duval then said, "Helen can we see the wound that Ms. Clark suffered?"

"Sure Duval." She lifted up the sheet. It was a small puncture wound.

Jimmy then said, "This wound was made by a stiletto knife. Can I see the pictures from the other victims?"

Helen grabbed the file and handed the pictures to them. Jimmy then said, "This has to be a stiletto. These women didn't even know what hit them until it was too late."

Duval then said, "Helen, have you got a file made up for the FBI?"

"Yeah, here it is. We sent it over initially to SPD but when I was told the FBI would be making a visit, I updated it with everything from Ms. Clark. I'm glad it was the two of you who came in. I'm sure Dad is very happy where he is seeing his three kids working a case together." She smiled with pride.

Jimmy said, "I know he is Helen."

Duval then said, "Thanks Helen. We'll let you know if we need anything else. Listen sometime this week, you should come over and Jimmy will be there and we can all get reacquainted again as a family."

"I'd like that Duval. What do you say Jimmy?"

Jimmy smiled as best as he could under the circumstances and said, "I want that more than anything." He hugged her and they walked out.

As they walked outside, Duval said, "Dad, are you sure you're OK? I need you at full capacity here."

"I'll be all right Duval. Look I never got a chance to explain to you about Bettina."

"Dad, you don't owe me an explanation. Besides Bettina came to your funeral and she took me aside and told me a few things."

Jimmy shook his head and said, "What kind of things."

"Well, things that I wish I had known before you died."

"Tell me."

FLASHBACK

At the cemetery, the final words were spoken and it was time to leave. Duval, Helen and Gracie all got up and proceeded to the car when Bettina came up to Duval and said, "Mr. Pritchard, I'm very sorry about Jimmy."

Gracie said, "I remember you. You were at Grandpa's apartment a couple of days before he died."

Duval then said, "Yes, she was Gracie. Why don't you go to the car with Aunt Helen and I'll talk to this lady in private." Gracie and Helen left.

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning to attend the wake. I know my place in circumstances like this."

"Why are you here? There's no money to be had here."

"I guess you would just think that. Look Mr. Pritchard, yes, I know what I am. I sleep with men for money. Sometimes though, I get a client who keeps asking for me. Jimmy was one of them. You come to visit someone once a week for over a year and while the money is nice, you also get to like them a little bit."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you need to know that your father was very lonely. I told you that he mainly watched me because things didn't work so well for him. What I didn't tell you was that sometimes when the weather was nice, we'd just take a walk and he'd ask me how my week was since I had seen him last. Sometimes he'd buy me lunch. Most of the time we stayed in his apartment but he called me his friend.

I'll let you in on a little secret of his. The reason he used to blast his music was because it was the only way he could get you to come over and visit him. He could hear the music just fine. He wanted to see you. Helen went to see him as often as she could but he knew she was making yet another attempt at getting her degree and Gracie came over on the bus periodically but she was pretty busy with her teenage activities.

You on the other hand never came over unless there was a complaint. He felt like you wrote him off. I'm not trying to say you're the reason he committed suicide but the man was lonely. A lot of his friends were dead. His wife died and believe it or not he really did love her."

Duval rolled his eyes and said, "The man you speak of is not the one that I knew."

"I know. It's a pity too. He really did love you. I wish I could give you a recording of how he used to talk about you."

"Well, I guess there's nothing to be done about it now. Good-bye Bettina. Be well and thanks I guess for bringing a little happiness into Dad's life."

Back in the present, Jimmy said, "You see why I liked Bettina? She may have been a hooker but she was a hooker who was a friend. Why didn't you tell me that you knew I turned the music up just to get you to come over?"

"I didn't think it was important. Since we're on the subject why didn't you just call me and ask me to come over?"

"Duval, after I let you down on that murder investigation where you asked for my help, you didn't seem ever to want to talk to me again."

"So your answer to that was to turn up the music and bother your neighbors?"

"I only did it during the day. As for the day you came over when Bettina was there, I didn't bank on you being so close to the apartment. I thought Bettina would be gone by the time you got there. I was hoping you and Gracie would stay but I hadn't realized you were on your way out of town. Perhaps if we had spoken more, I would have known not to bother you that day."

"Well, I guess there was room for improvement on both sides of the aisle for our relationship. Let's get back to the office and see what else they have."

At the University of Washington campus, Liza Elliott was in her office, working out lesson plans when a face peered around the corner and said, "Hello, are you Liza Elliott?"

Liza looked up and saw a young woman with dark brown hair and she replied, "Yes, I'm Liza. How can I help you?"

She walked in and said, "My name is Gracie Pritchard and I'm in your biology class."

Liza smiled and held out her hand to shake Gracie's and said, "Well, I'm glad to know you. What brings you to campus this early?"

"I came to check out where my classes are as this is a big place. I looked online for a course syllabus that gave the course readings and I didn't see them listed. I was hoping to purchase them early."

"I apologize. I've been busy with so many things that I haven't gotten them posted yet. However, I can print them off for you right now if you wish."

"That would be great."

Liza went into her laptop and pulled up the folder with the information and hit the print button. Gracie walked over to her side of the desk and her eye caught a photograph of Liza and a man. Liza grabbed the paper off of the printer and noticed Gracie staring intently at the picture and she said, "That's my dad. He was handsome wasn't he?"

Gracie took the paper from Liza and said, "Yes, he is or was? Did something happen to him?"

"He died almost two years ago from liver cancer."

"I'm sorry. I know how you feel. I lost my mother two years ago in a car accident."

"Oh so you've got it in reverse. Well, I'm sorry for your loss."

"I'm sorry for yours too. Well, thanks for giving me the information early."

"You're welcome. Since you stopped by, I'm sure it means others are looking. I guess I better get it posted. Thanks for giving me a reminder." She smiled.

"You're welcome. I guess I'll see you in class." Gracie smiled and walked out.

The last name didn't escape Liza. She realized very fast that she had just spoken with Jimmy's granddaughter but concluded it was for the best at this time that Gracie stay in the dark as much as possible. She knew that Gracie had not seen Jimmy yet and given what Gracie had been through, she didn't want Gracie upset by any revelations at this time.

Back at the office, Paula was compiling all of the information. She saw Duval and Jimmy come walking in. "How did it go at the morgue?"

"COD was a knife wound directly below the heart. Jimmy thinks the most likely type of knife is a stiletto knife. Death was very sudden for all of these ladies. It's possible they weren't even sure what hit them."

"As a profiler Duval, what's your best guess on motive so far?"

"I don't believe these crimes were motivated by sex."

"Why not?"

"Death was too sudden. There was no sign of sexual assault on any of them."

"OK, I can accept that. If the motive isn't sex then what could it be? These are prostitutes, they get paid to put out. So I find it hard to believe that they got killed because they were failing to perform."

Jimmy then said, "What if the men wanted something for nothing?"

Duval raised his eyebrows and said, "It's an interesting theory but on the other hand, these weren't street prostitutes. They worked for escort services so I would think payment would have been taken care of ahead of time."

"Oh yeah, that's right, they do take credit and debit cards and a down payment is required." Jimmy all of a sudden got an embarrassed look on his face.

Paula looked perplexed and said, "It's OK Jimmy. I don't judge in these circumstances but, you hardly seem like a guy who needs to pay a woman to be interested in him…Sorry, I said I wouldn't judge."

"It's OK Paula. Sometimes we all do things that we can't fully explain."

"OK I can accept that. Nuff said on the subject." She then turned to Duval and said, "Duval, if sex wasn't the motive here, we need to find out what was."

She walked back to the white board and said, "OK people, we've got cause of death. Knife wound directly under the heart. No sign of sexual assault on any of these ladies. What happened on the financials?"

Ames said, "Nothing in common on the financials. We couldn't find any place where they all three frequented."

"What about what was found on their clothing?"

Johnson said, "There was one anomaly. Each lady was found with the Tarot Card of death on them."

Everyone raised their eyebrows and Paula said, "We have a Tarot Card killer?"

"It appears so."

"Malcolm?"

"Their last client in each case was different."

"OK, I'm going out on a limb and I'm going to say that the johns are not our killers so…find out who they are and find out what they all three have in common. If these ladies don't have a commonality maybe it's who they were with that do. Also, I want to find out how easy it is to obtain a stiletto knife in Seattle. Is this something that anyone can buy in any store that sells knives or is it something that's only in a specialty store or does one have to go online to get one."

Duval walked up to Paula and said, "Can I get the names of the johns? I think my CI might be able to help me out on finding a commonality sooner than anyone else can."

Paula looked puzzled but said, "All right." She handed him the file. "The names are Mark Strickland, David Oliver and Carl Henshaw. They had to use actual credit cards with the services to pay for the ladies. They should be rather easy to track down."

"We'll get on it."

He exited with Jimmy and Jimmy said, "I'm one step ahead of you. I texted Mary and she's waiting for us."

As they walked out Jimmy couldn't help but say, "Paula's a pretty good leader. Then again, I always knew…." His voice trailed off as he was starting to remember out loud something he shouldn't. It didn't go unnoticed by Duval.

"What did you always know Dad?"

"I was speaking figuratively Son. It's not important."

"She is good though…at leading. I was thinking the same thing she was. The key is with the johns. If these weren't sex crimes, what were they about?"

"That's what we're going to find out."

Back at Mary's house, Mary was waiting for them and was looking happy. She walked up to Duval and hugged him and said, "Hello Duval. I'm glad James and you are together again."

"Me too." He couldn't help but smile back. "Mary have you been able to assess anything so far?"

"As a matter of fact, I have. First on the johns, I don't think these men are involved. I ran their credit card information and in each of the three cases, their credit cards have been reported with fraudulent activity on those charges to the escort services."

Jimmy said, "Were there any other charges that had any kind of hint of activity like this."

"No, in fact one was even a corporate credit card so whomever hired these ladies did it with stolen credit cards."

Duval said, "So are we at a dead end?"

Mary smiled and said, "No, I've been running the financial history on the ladies and I've found something."

Duval and Jimmy both looked at each other and Jimmy said, "What have you found? The FBI ran their financials and couldn't find a common thread with them."

"The FBI ran their credit card activity and their banking activity. They're right they had no common charges on anything and they all banked with different banks. However, I decided to take it a little further on tracking their movements. I had Arthur find out their cash machine withdrawals for the two months leading up to their deaths."

Jimmy said, "Intriguing idea what did Arthur find out?"

"Well, let me ask you a question Duval. When you need money from a cash machine what machine do you typically use?"

"I'll usually go to the branch closest to me or I'll go to my local grocery store and use the one there."

"Precisely and I'll bet you hardly ever venture from that."

"Correct. I guess we're all creatures of habit in that regard."

"That's what I was counting on. I looked at their movements on where they got their money. Arthur display for each lady her machine withdrawals sixty days prior to their deaths. Please also show the addresses for where they lived."

"As you wish Mary." The withdrawals all displayed for each woman.

Jimmy looked at it and said, "It shows all of the women making withdrawals from the same machine in their neighborhood…except the final withdrawal."

Duval looked closely and said, "Their final withdrawal in each case was made at the same machine in…Pioneer Square…That's not exactly the safest place in town."

"No it's not. Mary can Arthur tell us how much money was taken out?"

"In each case all three of them took out the maximum amount that you can get from a machine in one day."

Duval said, "Is it possible that this is just a case of robberies of opportunity?"

Jimmy said, "No, that's too simple. These women were bound and they were taken somewhere else for a time and then killed. There's got to be more than just money involved here?"

"Mary, can Arthur access footage from the cameras and tell us where these ladies went."

"Arthur can you access what Agent Pritchard just requested?"

"I can only access the movements of Bettina Clark as she is the most recent one."

"Do it."

They watched as they saw Bettina go to the cash machine and take out the money. She then walked two blocks up and turned the corner.

"Where did she go Arthur?" Jimmy demanded.

"I'm not sure Jimmy. That is where the feed ends."

Duval then said, "Arthur can you show us what's on that street that Bettina turned on?"

"The only things that are on that street are industrial warehouses and further up is a manufacturing plant. However, when you first turn on the street, there is a business that is open to the public."

Mary said, "What kind of business Arthur?"

"A tarot card reading business."

Duval's and Jimmy's eyes got very wide as they looked at each other.

Mary said, "What is it?"

Jimmy replied, "All of the women were found with the tarot card of death on them."

"Arthur, bring up that business, let's find out everything we can about it."

"Of course Mary. It's called Simple Tarot Readings and the owner is a woman who calls herself Madame Silvestri."

Jimmy looked a little uneasy at the name. Duval said, "We need to get this information back to Paula."

They sat in Paula's office and waited for her to return. As they sat there, Jimmy said, "Duval, I know you want to question this tarot card reader but whatever you do, don't let her do a reading for you."

Duval looked perplexed and said, "What do you know about this?"

"Back in the late eighties when the Green River Killer case had gone relatively cold and things were not going well between your mother and myself, I started looking for card games…the high stake poker games that you know I started to play in."

"OK, what does that have to do with a tarot card reader?"

"The first high stakes game I ever got into were at Madame Silvestri's place. If my hunch is correct, she's still running high stakes poker games. It would explain why Bettina and the others went to the cash machine before turning the corner."

"Did Bettina even know how to play poker?"

"Yeah, you could say that….we may have played a few games of strip poker." Jimmy looked embarrassed.

Duval was even more embarrassed. "Oh God, this is way too much information Dad."

"She was a really good card player. When we played strip poker, she always let me win. That's why she was so good at her job but, when we played regular poker, she could hold her own as well as anyone."

"OK so the game was most likely the draw for these ladies. What about not letting Madame Silvestri do a reading of me?"

"Duval maybe it's just a coincidence but I had her do three readings for me on three separate occasions using different cards and different layouts and they all ended the same way."

Duval looked confused and said, "What way was that?"

"The second to the last card that I picked up was always the death card. Now typically the death card doesn't necessarily mean physical death but there were a lot of very negative dark cards that preceded it. She told me that I'd be alone and it would be violent but here's the kicker, the last card showed rebirth."

"Dad maybe she was messing with you."

"Three times? I don't think so. She liked me. Even she was freaked out by the readings. Come on Duval, I died violently and then I was reborn. This woman knows her cards and she clearly knows other things as well…and it's scary."

"OK I get it. We won't let her read us. Is there anything else you need to tell me about her?"

"Yes. One other small detail is that we also slept together."

Duval rolled his eyes and said, "Seriously? How many other women were there when you were married? Let's see so far, I've tallied, the waitress at Coco's…what was her name? Oh yeah, that was Linda wasn't it?" Jimmy nodded affirmatively. "So then we have Joan Soladar and now Madame Silvestri. How many were there Dad?"

Before he could answer the door opened and it was Paula. She could see they were having a serious conversation and she said, "Sorry to barge in but it's my office last time I checked." She smiled at them and it diffused the situation. "What have you got guys?"

Duval started and said, "We uncovered where the ladies were last seen getting cash. It was right around the corner from a tarot card reading place."

"I see, and a tarot card was found on all of the three ladies. OK, I think you two need to pay a visit to the person who owns that place."

She looked at the two of them and neither said anything. "Is something wrong with you two?"

Duval said, "Maybe someone else should go with me. My brother would prefer not to go."

"I never said that Duval."

Paula was not amused and said, "So what do you mean Jimmy?"

"Well, it's just that I'm a little…."

"Superstitious?"

"I was going to say apprehensive."

"I think it's close to the same thing. Look, you two do know that tarot card reading has been debunked and is thought of as pseudo-science."

Duval said, "Of course we do Paula."

"So what's the problem guys?"

Jimmy said, "It's just that I had a reading done once for fun and it was weird and some of the things came true."

Paula stood up and said, "Look, my father's best friend from the army became a really good sleight of hand illusionist and he was a really good mentalist as well. He made his living for years doing opening acts for bigger name magicians in Las Vegas. He told me people who do readings have a lot of tricks to get you to give them subtle information that you don't even realize you're giving. He did it many times in his act. He also taught me and my brother how to spot these types of people and he taught us a lot of sleight of hand and card tricks to boot. So what do you say I come along with the two you? I'll even hold your hands through it."

Jimmy then said, "Look Paula, I know you are a complete skeptic but our father had a reading done by this woman Madame Silvestri and she freaked him out."

Paula raised her eyebrows and said, "Well, if Sherriff Jimmy got freaked out then all I can say is that she must be good at her job…but you know what? We're good at our job too. Come on let's go shake down a tarot card reader. After all, she is at this point a person of interest."

She grabbed her coat and all three of them went to the elevator. In the elevator, Duval was looking perplexed and he leaned into Paula and said, "Paula why did you refer to my father as Sherriff Jimmy? That's what everyone who worked with him called him."

Jimmy looked over at Paula and she had a complete poker face on as she said, "Really? That's what they called your father huh? Well, that's interesting."

The door opened and she walked out. Duval looked at Jimmy and said, "Do you have anything to add to that?"

Jimmy giving an equally good poker face said, "No Duval, I got nothing." He walked toward the waiting car.

They arrived at the tarot card reading place and when they walked in they were met by Madame Silvestri. She was clearly a woman in her late seventies possibly early eighties and she said in a very Eastern European accent, "Hello and Velcome! Vhat is it you seek today?"

Duval and Paula immediately pulled out their ID's and Paula said, "You weren't what I was expecting."

"Ah FBI, you vere all expecting to zee ah Jane Zemour from the James Bond movie Live and Let Die veren't you?"

"No…OK maybe."

"Everyone expects beautiful Jane Zemour. If it's any consolation, I vas once young and beautiful. Zo how can I help the FBI today?"

Duval couldn't help himself and said, "Is your accent real or is this just made up to enhance your act? What is your real name by the way?"

"I zee, ve have skeptics. My real name used to be Olga Pulaski. I changed it to Natasha Silvestri vhen I come to the USA."

Paula not believing a word of it said, "Let me guess, you came here from Poland after the Second World War?"

"Yes, I did."

Duval surveyed her arms and wrists as she was only wearing sleeves at elbow length and said, "OK, if you are a refugee from Europe after the War, where's your number on your arm? I'm guessing you're going to tell us you survived the holocaust."

"I never said I vas Jewish but I am a survivor of the Nazis. You think life was easy for anyone under Nazi Occupation? My mother hailed from gypsies. Vhat saved our lives from going into one of those terrible places that so many Jews and others ended up in, vas that she married a non gypsy and didn't live among them. My father was an accountant in Warsaw. We lived a normal life and had a house. However, he vas very Slavic looking and one day when he was on his way to work, he vas shot dead in the street by two SS soldiers. They'd do that in the Slavic part of the city. After all, if you didn't look Aryan, you veren't fit to live.

After the Nazis vere defeated and our country vas in ruin the Russians came and ve thought life would get better. It didn't really so my mother and I escaped in 1947 and ve made our way to New York and eventually Seattle. I became an American citizen in 1955."

Paula then said, "That's a touching story. It fits with your get up here."

Madame Silvestri then started to become angry and said, "Vhat does the FBI vant with me? I have a legitimate business here and I have the gift!"

Duval raised his eyebrows and said, "The gift?"

"Yes, my mother had it and I have it. I can read people's fortunes and I can also read their auras."

Paula clearly unconvinced said, "Their auras? And what does that mean?"

"It means that you two have a very strong connection and vhen you are together your auras shine brightly."

Duval and Paula both looked at each other and then Duval said, "This is ridiculous. Just because Paula and I knew each other in Quantico, it means nothing at this point."

Paula looked disgusted and said, "Duval, you just gave her information that she can use."

Duval then looked embarrassed as he realized she was right. Madame Silvestri then said, "Somehow this man over here fits into this scenario." She pointed to Jimmy who was looking very unsure of everything.

Paula then said, "That's impossible I just met the man last week for the first time…and now I just did it. I gave her information."

Madame Silvestri smirked slightly and said, "Young man, who are you? You have been very quiet. Are you FBI as well?"

"Not exactly. I'm Jimmy Pritchard…Duval's brother." Duval and Paula looked at him funny and Jimmy said, "I know I shouldn't have said anything but you two have revealed things so I might as well too."

Madam Silvestri then said, "Vait a minute, I knew there was something familiar about you two. You're not related to the late Sherriff Jimmy Pritchard are you?"

Duval shrugged his shoulders and said, "Guilty as charged. We're his sons."

"You know, I have done many readings over my life but, Sherriff Pritchard's readings vere the most scary."

Paula looked perplexed and said, "Why were they scary?"

"Sherriff Pritchard vas the only person who's death I predicted. I read him three times on three different days and it came out the zame every time. Here's the kicker though, death vasn't the final card. The next card revealed rebirth. Vhat the hell vas that about?"

Paula could see that Duval and Jimmy were clearly affected by that revelation. She then said, "Well, you're the tarot card reader, if you don't know, then maybe you don't know your stuff."

Madame Silvestri then looked Paula squarely in the eyes and said, "I know my stuff. I look into people's eyes and they are the vindow to their souls. For example, I look in your eyes and I see a good FBI agent. I see someone who works hard but…I also see pain and…secrets."

Paula looked at Duval and Jimmy and they clearly were waiting for a response and Paula said, "Guys, she's talking generalities. She's saying things that apply to everyone and she's looking for my response. Well, here's my response. What can you tell me about these three ladies?"

She threw the pictures on the table. "Let me give you facts. They were all last seen in this vicinity and they were later found dead with death tarot cards on them…and by the way they were murdered. Did you predict their deaths as well? Did you help with the process?"

Madam Silvestri looked at the pictures and then got up and took some papers out of a desk drawer in the back. She came back and said, "Here is my business license granted by the state of Washington. Here is my visa and my green card that I was given in 1947 vhen I came here. Here is my certificate of naturalization to show that I truly became an American citizen in 1955. I proudly voted for Dwight Eisenhower in 1956."

Duval then said, "What's your point here?"

"My point is that I have endured much to be vhere I am. In Poland after the Nazis came ve all had to show papers everyvhere ve vent and it did not get any better after the Communists took over after the war. You vreally think that two FBI agents can come in here and give me a shakedown and intimidate me into giving you information? I am not stupid. You did all of that to make me unsure of myself and to trip me up and all that happened is that I got information out of the three of you instead." She smiled a smile of satisfaction.

Paula then said, "Would you prefer to go downtown to do this?"

"You take me downtown and I vill request a lawyer. I've been a citizen long enough to know my rights."

Duval then said, "You know, we can hold you for 24 hours at least under suspicion and obstruction. If you just tell us what we want to know we'll be out of here."

"Yes, you could hold me and you vill get nothing…or I could do a vreading for one of you and then I vill tell you anything you vish to know about the ladies…I vill have you know that many people pay me a good amount of money to get vhat I will give you for free. So which one of you will it be?"

Paula rolled her eyes and said, "This is ridiculous. We don't have time for this, just tell us what we want to know. Pretend that's the reading."

"Don't patronize me…my offer stands. Let me read one of you and then I vill tell you vhat you vant to know."

Paula then looked at Duval and Jimmy and they both shook their heads negatively and Paula said, "Are you kidding me? All right fine. Madame Silvestri, read my fortune."

"Vhat do you wish to know?"

"Will we find the killer?"

"No, I will not do a reading on someone else. You must ask me something about yourself."

"Fine, tell me my future."

"You need to be more specific."

Paula sighed one of disgust and then said, "All right, will I live happily ever after?"

Madame Silvestri raised her eyebrows and said, "You wish to know if things vill vork out with the good Agent Pritchard then?" Duval looked off balance by that question.

"What?! I did NOT ask that."

"You're aura says it all….however, since you and the good agent are in denial, I vill tell you if you live happily ever after."

Madame Silvestri walked to a box and opened it. She said, "Pick your deck of cards."

Paula was surprised that they were all unopened. She grabbed the first one on top.

"Now Agent McCaffrey, unwrap them and hold them for a minute in your hands and then shuffle them."

Paula was further perplexed and said, "Don't you shuffle them?"

"You're getting the reading…not me. It should be your energy that fills those cards…not mine."

"How many times should I shuffle?"

"As many times as you vish."

Jimmy and Duval stood back looking mesmerized by what they were seeing. Paula then began to shuffle the cards. She shuffled them several times and cut the deck many times. Madam Silvestri then said, "Are you done?"

"Yes, what do I do now?"

"Come to the table over here and look at the diagrams. Pick the diagram you wish to use and then put the cards down accordingly."

Paula saw the ten card Celtic Cross formation and she put down the first ten cards in the formation. She looked up and said, "Now what?"

"Sit down across from me and lightly touch them.

Paula complied and Madame Silvestri said, "I vill now tell you what the cards mean as you turn each one over."

"Don't you turn them over?"

"Some readers do. However, I prefer the querant turn them over. That way no one can say I have manipulated the cards. It's all you. I will point to which card to turn over though as there is an order to it." She pointed to the first card.

Paula turned it over and it was The Five of Cups. "This first card represents the present and the influences affecting you and your general surroundings. This Five of Cups, it represents loss but something is left over. It is also a card of inheritance. You took over the lead on questioning me. You are the one in charge here. You inherited this position recently. Why else would you accompany the Pritchard's. You feel you need to prove yourself as you vere both at Quantico, same class so you vere equals in the past. You are successful though."

Paula and Duval looked at each other. "Vhat's wrong Agent McCaffrey? Am I off the mark completely or am I closer than you like after just one card?"

"Maybe we should get back to the case."

"Maybe ve should finish the reading. You agreed to a reading and then I tell you everything I know. Trust me, you vill vant to know vhat I know."

"All right, read me."

"Pick up the second card." She pointed to it and Paula lifted the card. It was the Nine of Swords. "The second card represents obstacles. The Nine of Swords means many negative things. It means, death, failure, delay, deception, despair. There is deception with you Agent McCaffrey. You have suffered great loss in your life and deception has contributed to it." Paula continued to look forward and did not turn to look at Duval or Jimmy.

"Pick up the third card." Paula picked up The High Priestess. "The third card represents your aim or your ideal. This card the High Priestess notes secrets and mystery, the future as yet unrevealed. You are a woman of mystery Agent McCaffrey."

"I don't think I want to know anything else."

"Oh come now Agent, ve are just getting started. There are seven more cards and I have much to tell you after I'm done reading you."

Paula was clearly uncomfortable with this but turned over the fourth card that Madame Silvestri pointed at. She picked up the Three of Swords. "The fourth card represents the basis of the matter that which has happened. I vill also mention that this card the Three of Swords is reversed which alters the meaning slightly. There is mental alienation, error, loss, confusion…also it signifies the flight of a lover."

Duval clearly reacted to this statement. Jimmy was trying to stay in the shadows as much as possible and Paula was starting to look like she was approaching tears and yet she was only half way through. "Which card do I turn over next? I want this over."

Madame Silvestri nodded and pointed to card five. Paula turned over The Moon. Madame Silvestri said, "The fifth card represents that which has happened or is happening now. You have picked The Moon. There are hidden enemies, danger, and deception."

Paula had to ask, "What do you mean happened or is happening now? Are you saying there are enemies from the past and are now in the present?"

"It could be. Only you know for sure because only you know who your enemy is and who is your friend. Note there is still deception Agent McCaffrey. "

Paula very irritated now said, "Yes, I know. All right point to the sixth card." She complied and Paula turned it over. It was Death. Paula's eyes got very wide as did Duval's and Jimmy's. Paula started to move her chair backward to exit.

Madam Silvestri said, "Do not be afraid Agent McCaffrey. This is not the final card. This is not your physical death. The sixth card represents a future that is about to happen. This means the end of something is going to happen in the future. Think Agent McCaffrey, vhat have ve seen so far? There is much deception and secrets shall ve say? The death is perhaps that the deception ends."

Duval was initially thinking that the deception that she was saying must be referring to Paula's not revealing to him that she was married when they met in Quantico but in studying her reactions to all of this, he couldn't help but wonder if there was more to this. He looked at Jimmy who was looking very guilty about something.

Madame Silvestri pointed to the seventh card and Paula picked it up. It was the Page of Swords. "The seventh card represents your attitude in circumstances. You are authoritative, you oversee and you are vigilant but beware as someone may try to pry into your secrets."

She pointed to card eight. Paula picked up The Tower. "This is card eight and it represents the environment and influences. This card signifies, misery, distress….unforeseen catastrophe."

She looked up at Paula and she could see fear on Paula's face. "What kind of unforeseen catastrophe?"

"Only you will know that. Come Agent McCaffrey, we are almost to the end. Pick up the ninth card." Pointed to it and Paula complied. It was the Six of Swords but reversed.

Madame Silvestri smiled and said, "Card nine represents your hopes and fears and the Six of Swords is the card of a journey and there will be a declaration and a proposal of love."

Duval raised his eyebrows at this and looked at Jimmy who gave him a knowing look.

Paula looked at the last card with trepidation and Jimmy couldn't help himself and said, "Paula don't leave us in suspense, turn over the last one."

Madam Silvestri said, "This tenth card is the final outcome of the matter and the final result. You've come this far, you might as well see it through."

Paula was clearly holding it all in when she turned over the tenth card. It was the Four of Wands reversed. Madame Silvestri smiled and said, "Fear not Agent McCaffrey. The Four of Wands is a good card. There is a haven, a refuge of domestic harvest home, harmony, prosperity, if you are married, you will have beautiful children."

Paula's eyes got wide and Jimmy nudged Duval who was just as shocked by the last sentence. Madame Silvestri was not yet done. She then said, "Zo to put it all together Agent McCaffrey here is vhat I conclude. Your reading shows you to be someone who suffered great loss in the past but something is still there. You are very competent as you got this important position. You have obstacles. Your obstacles are clearly your deceptions. You are not quite what you seem. You are a woman of great mystery. Because of the mystery, it has led to alienation and the flight of a lover." She gave a quick glance over to Duval who looked very unsteady and surprisingly so did Jimmy.

"Your deception has led to hidden enemies and possible danger. All of this deception will have to die. It must die or you can't face the obstacles or the hidden catastrophe that will come. All of this will lead ultimately to a place of tranquility and love and ultimately marriage with children."

Paula was stunned by what she just heard. She wasn't sure how to react. Duval and Jimmy stood in the back and were just as stunned in silence. After a few seconds, Jimmy leaned into Duval and said, "She didn't just read Paula. She read all three of us." Duval gave him a look that said he agreed.

Madame Silvestri stood up clearly happy with what she just accomplished and said, "So do you vant to know vhat I know about these three ladies or vhat?"

TO BE CONTINUED…