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  I went nowhere. I might as well have been trying mentally to jump out of quicksand. There were no vibrant, glittering overlays of the Path.

  Was I so far out of practice that I had lost my abilities? Like Mom, had I pushed them away?

  "Cassie, dear."

  I blinked out of reverie. "Yeah, sorry. I'm ready to go."

  ***

  Once Mom was satisfied with a decorating plan, she hastened away, content in the knowledge that she and I would be spending the weekend going through every furniture store in town. She even threatened me with the prospect of going to the city to the larger showrooms. I had a feeling it was going to be a long two days.

  Jumping in front of a bus might have been an easier experience than my evening. I love my mother, and for the most part, we got along fine. At least we had since I left school the first time, but I needed time on my own to think about the day.

  Not to mention, think about my life.

  There was still some nagging worry about Gran, so I called to make sure that she and Dwayne were getting along. She assured me all was well. It didn't really ease my concern, but that worry no longer lived in the forefront of my mind.

  Featuring center stage in my thoughts was the fact that Gran was disappointed in me. She didn't say those exact words, but she wanted the old Cassie back, which was almost the same thing.

  Part of me wanted to rationalize this away. People grow up, change, and mature. It's a part of life.

  Was that what had happened to me? She said that Zander had frightened me, and she wasn't wrong. He proposed and I knew I couldn't plan a wedding until he knew the truth about me, so I told him. I explained what a Reader was and I explained to him about the Path that overlaid our world.

  Lesson learned. Never tell someone studying to be a psychiatrist that you see things that other people can't, even if they are ready to commit themselves to you for life.

  After that, I shut down. I had let someone convince me that I was crazy, and it was obvious I wasn't making the best choices in my life, so I put myself on cruise control and let my mother steer the way. She hadn't moved me in a bad direction, but it wasn't my direction. At least not the one I had wanted.

  What do I want now?

  There was a knock at my door. Deep in contemplation, I hadn't been aware of the noise at first. At the second knock, I brought myself back to reality and answered the door.

  "Hello?" I hadn't meant it to be a question, but seeing two men, one looking casual and the other in a crisp suit, threw me off. Despite it being late in the day the man's suit looked as though he had come straight from the dry cleaner. Both were tall, but everything from the clothes to the looks on their faces screamed contrast.

  "Are you Miss Cassandra Heidrich, license plate number FNK 006?" The suited man sounded stuffy and self-important.

  "I don't know my license plate number," I said, not confirming my name. "Who are you?"

  "Agents Peterson and Seale, Treasury Department." Agent Peterson displayed an ID, and sure enough, it had his name on it, but it had been a long day and his pompous ‘I'm better than you’ tone immediately brought out my bad side.

  "That's nice," I said.

  "May we come in?" Agent Peterson tried to take a step inside as he said the words, but I stood my ground and didn't open the door any farther.

  "No," I said.

  Agent Seale grinned and it was hard not return the look.

  Agent Peterson looked confused for a moment, but rallied. "We would like to ask you a few questions."

  "Since I pay my taxes," I said, "and no federal auditor in his right mind would show up at someone's house unannounced, especially at this time of the evening, I'm afraid I'm going to need a bit more information first."

  "We're not here about taxes," Agent Peterson snapped.

  "I'm pretty sure I just said that," I said. Oddly, I felt a bit of a thrill. "I'm also aware that you're not Secret Service since they're under Homeland Security, and besides, no respectable politician would show up in a crappy apartment complex like this." I smiled politely at Agent Peterson to antagonize him that little step further.

  Peterson didn't look amused. "Listen-"

  "Respectable politician," Agent Seale interrupted. "That's an oxymoron, isn’t it?"

  Agent Seale looked much more agreeable, so I turned to him and tried to ignore his partner.

  "I've always thought so," I said.

  "Sorry to interrupt your evening like this," Seale continued. "We work for one of those little departments that no one's ever heard of, so when everyone moved to Homeland Security, we were left behind. Not that I mind. It's much quieter this way."

  I nodded and tried to think of something to say. Agent Seale didn't seem too bad, but if I were overly friendly to one, I’d have to stop aggravating the other. And aggravating agent Peterson was too much fun to let go.

  If I could have read the Path this would have been a perfect time. I'd be able to learn exactly how far I could push Peterson's patience. Gran was right once again. It was time for me to practice Reading.

  "I'm still not sure what you do," I said.

  "We're here to question you," Peterson snapped.

  "You're really not a people person, are you?" Once again, I plastered on a smile, trying to make it look innocent, but I'm not sure I succeeded.

  "Agent Peterson," Seale said. “Can I have a word?"

  Peterson looked torn between calling me out or going with his partner. In the end, he begrudgingly went down the hall.

  Well, that was fun. It had been a long time since I'd stood up to an obvious bully.

  The conversation the partners had was animated. When Peterson looked my way and gestured, I gave him a winning smile and a small wave.

  With Seale facing me, I could see when he lost his jovial look. That was when I actually started to worry. Why had the federal government shown up on my doorstep in the evening? Maybe it hadn't been the smartest move to antagonize the guy. They didn't look like they were going anywhere anytime soon, so I caught Seale's eye, nodded, and then went back inside.

  Gran would have a fit if she knew I wasn't being a gracious hostess. At the same time, I don't think she would have treated Peterson any differently. Although, she would probably have been more subtle about it. She'd had more practice.

  My tiny kitchen didn't see regular use, but I poked around for something to serve in case I decided to let the pair into the apartment. Unless Peterson's attitude changed, though, there was no way I was going to invite him in.

  There was a knock on the door again and I sighed. This time I checked the peephole before opening the door. Seale stood in the hall alone.

  Chapter 4

  Opening the door halfway, I smiled. "Hello again."

  "Good evening. My partner wanted to apologize, but I told him it might be best if I pass on the message for him," Seale said.

  Agent Seale lost some points for telling tall tales. "I'll bet he did." I crossed my arms. "You're not a great liar, are you?"

  Seale laughed. The sound was fascinating, almost musical, and I couldn't help but loosen up.

  "Sometimes a lie is too big to hide," Seale said. "What he wanted to do was arrest you."

  Crap. "Really? I didn't do anything."

  "Then I reminded him that arresting you for obstruction would mean a lot of paperwork, which I wouldn't be helping him with."

  "I'm surprised that stopped him," I said.

  "I might also have hinted that arresting such a lovely young woman for obstruction would, quite frankly, make him look bad, especially since he didn't ask you anything."

  My stomach was twisting, but I tried not to show it. "If it makes him look bad, I'm all for helping out."

  Seale chuckled again. "Sorry for taking up so much of your time, but would you mind answering a few questions?"

  I gave Seale a long look. It would be so much easier if I could reach into the Path and find a hint of what emotions he might be having. Was he anxious to grill me
, or was he eager to get home for dinner? It was possible his Path could tell me. He was a head taller than I was and wiry thin, but when I saw the look he had in the hall, while he spoke to his partner, it seemed like he wasn't someone to mess with.

  "If I can." I hesitated for a minute, debating on asking him inside. In the end, it might earn me some brownie points with Seale and possibly even cause more agitation with Peterson. "Would you like to come in?"

  He looked startled by the question, but nodded. "I'd love to, thank you."

  My kitchen was too small to make anyone comfortable, so I led Seale into the living room and excused myself to the kitchen. The cookies Gran had sent home with me were the only things I could really offer to a guest other than sweet tea. I hated to give up Gran's cookies, but it was my own fault for having nothing else in the house.

  When I returned to the living room, Seale was singing I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady. The few lines that I heard were sung beautifully and it lifted the atmosphere in the room, but he stopped when he noticed my return.

  "I wasn’t sure if you drink sweet tea," I said, setting his glass and a small plate of cookies on the coffee table in front of him. "But please, help yourself."

  "Thank you," Seale said. "I hope you didn't go to any trouble."

  "What can I do for you, Agent Seale?"

  He pushed blond strands of hair out of his face and I noticed that the top of his ear was thicker and misshapen. It stirred up an almost deja-vu feeling and I stared at him, trying to catch the memory that tried to shake free.

  Seale cleared his throat.

  "Sorry," I said. "I think I was lost in thought. Have we met before?"

  "Not that I recall." Seale looked as if he was sizing me up and we had a moment of awkward silence.

  Awkward for me anyway. "How can I help you?"

  "It's a long shot, but there was a disturbance today outside of town, and your car was seen in the area."

  I tried to keep my face normal while my mind jumped through mental gymnastics. What did they know? How did they know it?

  "We were wondering if you had seen anything odd in the area," Seale said.

  Like a man made out of rock perhaps? "Odd as in, what?" I asked.

  "Anything out of the ordinary. Something you wouldn't expect."

  "You know, I did see something," I said, wanting to misdirect. "There was this military-looking vehicle with lights and sirens, followed by several other cars with lights and sirens. Is that what you're talking about? I think I could describe the vehicles if you need. At least the first one."

  "I don't think we'll need that," Seale said, smiling.

  I'll bet you don't.

  "Before those vehicles went by, did you see anything else?" Seale asked.

  "Nothing but farms and cows," I said. "At least that I noticed. If I had more to go on, I might be able to help."

  Seale shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "Likely you would know if you'd seen something. A person out of place, or animal maybe."

  These men were looking for Dwayne. What the heck did Gran drag us into?

  "I'm afraid I can't think of anything out of the ordinary," I said.

  "These cookies are amazing. Did you cook these?" Seale asked.

  "Um, no, they’re from my grandmother."

  Seale nodded. "What about your passenger today? Is it possible they saw something?"

  My mouth almost dropped open, but I managed to stop myself from looking too surprised. "I didn't say anything about having a passenger. How did you know someone was with me?"

  "Someone in one of the cars you mentioned happened to notice." Seale's face didn't betray anything.

  Was he trying to catch me up in something? Did he think I wasn't truthful?

  I wasn't, of course, but did he know that? Why did I invite him in?

  "No," I said, "I mean, I can ask her, but I have a feeling if she saw whatever it is you're looking for, she would have pointed it out to me."

  "That is usually the case," Seale said. "Maybe if you give me the name, we can swing around and have a chat with her."

  "No, no, it's no trouble." The words came out almost as fast as I managed to stand and grab my phone. My hands were almost shaking when I clicked Gran's name to dial. "It'll only take a minute."

  Gran picked up the phone on the second ring. "This is Margaret."

  There was a sound of grating stone against stone in the background. "Gran, I'm so glad I reached you."

  "Cassie, I'm glad it's you. This thing-"

  "Sorry to call so late. There is a gentleman here from the government." I tried not to emphasize the phrase, but I'm not sure I managed it. "They saw us when we went for our drive, and he wanted to know if we noticed anything odd."

  Gran cackled and I smiled, but surreptitiously turned down the volume on my phone so the sound wouldn’t travel. The grating noise stopped at least.

  "Did he say what type of odd he was lookin’ for?" Gran asked.

  I looked at Seale. "You said anything that looked out of place, like a person or animal?"

  He nodded, but his laid-back expression appeared more rigid than it had been. "Sounds about right."

  "He said if we saw anything, we'd know," I said.

  "It was a lovely ride and I appreciated it. I saw what you saw," Gran said.

  "She said she saw what I did," I said to Seale. "Did you want to ask her anything else?"

  "I think that covers it," Seale said.

  "Thanks, Gran," I said. "I hope everything is going okay this evening. Let me know if you need anything."

  "I'll do that," Gran said. "Now mind your manners and get back to your guest."

  I grinned. "I'll do that. Night, Gran."

  After I had hung up the phone, I turned back to Seale. "Sorry we couldn't help you further."

  "It was a long shot," Seale said.

  "There were some other cars on the road, but I didn't pay much attention to them, except for the ones I already mentioned."

  "Those do stand out," Seale said, standing up.

  "Yeah, I'm sure it's the paint job." It probably wasn't the best time for sarcasm, but I was nervous.

  Luckily, Seale took it well and chuckled. "We have a few more people to chat with this evening. Thank you for your help, Miss Heidrich." Seale moved towards the door.

  I thought of Gran, knowing full well that she'd grill me about this visit. "Wait a moment and I'll see you out." I dashed into the kitchen and picked up the plastic bag that held the last few remaining cookies and hurried back to Agent Seale.

  "Sorry I couldn't help more," I said, handing over the baked goods. “But take these to go."

  "I couldn't do that," Seale said.

  "Maybe one will boost your partner's mood. I'm pretty sure I didn't make his evening any easier."

  "I don't know what's gotten into him lately, but a cookie couldn't hurt. Thank you."

  When he was out the door, I had expected to relax a little. If anything, I was tenser, because I didn't know where the agents were going next. Would they go to Gran's? I didn't tell them her name or where she lived, but they'd have that information available to them. Would they come back here?

  Our government knew this stone person had arrived. My realization of that fact was slow, but I was catching up now that I didn't have to hide my fear and panic. There was an area of the government, our government, that worked on weird things like this.

  Does that mean Dwayne is an alien? Do we have an X-Files department?

  Had Gran and I done something wrong?

  That's what it came down to. I'm pretty sure lying to a federal agent was frowned upon, but do they send you to jail for something like that? If Agent Peterson had his way, I'd probably see bars for that small transgression. At least if I was caught.

  As far as I knew, the lie was the only thing I did that was technically wrong. Gran hadn't even lied.

  So far, I didn't think I was in serious trouble. If nothing else, I could claim I was irrational due to
an alien invasion.

  I'm not sure if the government knowing about the rock man made me feel better or not. Were the agents good guys? If so, then why was it so important that Gran and I got to the man first?

  My brain ran round and round in circles, but I didn't get anywhere. There were no answers, only more questions.

  Sleep was hard to obtain and even harder to keep that night. The next morning I trudged into work ten minutes late and felt like I had been on a bender. A few people peered up from their cubicles as I passed by, but no one said anything about my tardiness.

  When I first woke up, I had been determined to forget that the previous day ever happened. Now that I was at work, clicking my mouse repeatedly in my impatience to wake up my computer, I realized that sticking my head in the sand was all I had done for over a year.

  It would be easy to continue that pattern, but that led me straight to the life my mother was creating for me. It wouldn't be a bad life, but as I clicked in the first string of numbers for the day, I realized that this wasn't where I wanted to be.

  My phone rang and I glanced at the time. Three hours of my life had been sucked away by strings of numbers.

  "This is Cassandra Heidrich, with Simpson, Stone, and-"

  "Sorry to interrupt, dear, but I checked the Google and I think I found someone who can help us out."

  "Help us out with Dwayne?" I asked, confused. "Do we even know what type of help we need?"

  "That's a silly question, of course we do, but there's a catch."

  Of course there was. "What kind of catch?"

  "The woman who can help needs to be picked up before noon and has to be back home by three."

  "Today?"

  "Yes, Cassandra, today. Now hurry on up and go get her."

  "Can't Dee Dee drive you over?”

  "With those folks you had over last night, I'd rather not drag her into it. Besides, she is tolerant of many things, but I'd never hear the end of it if Dwayne wore out the shocks on her car. He's not exactly a light fellow."