Free The Fatal Fortune by Jayne Castle Page A

happened?"
    Sally burst into tears and handed Guinevere a sheet of crumpled paper.
    "Well, hell," Guinevere said as she read the message. "Looks like Zoltana is back in action."
    The message was simple and to the point:
    THE PRICE FOR KEEPING YOUR PAST FROM HAUNTING YOU HAS JUST GONE UP. IF YOU WANT MY CONTINUED PROTECTION YOU MUST LEAVE
ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS IN CASH AT A PLACE
WHICH WILL BE MADE KNOWN TO YOU IN THE NEAR FUTURE. DO NOT HESITATE WHEN YOU GET MY NEXT MESSAGE. ALREADY I HEAR THE CHILD CRYING.
    Guinevere's mouth tightened at the sheer cruelty of the words. With unsteady hands she refolded the piece of paper. "Did Ruth get one of these, too?"
    "I don't know." Sally sniffed. "I haven't talked to her. I haven't talked to anyone but you."
    Guinevere sat down beside her and took her hand. "Sally, you know what this is, don't you? It's blackmail."
    "But Miss Jones, she was going to protect me."
    "She has no power to protect you from the past. Only you can do that, by handling that past in a mature, adult fashion. Zoltana can't do anything except take your money."
    "Oh, Miss Jones, I don't have a thousand dollars. I'll have to get a loan, and who would loan me money to pay Madame Zoltana?"
    "Even if you did come up with the cash, you couldn't give it to a blackmailer. You know that, don't you, Sally? You must understand that it wouldn't stop with the first thousand. It would just keep going on forever."
    Sally drew a deep breath. "I knew when I got that note that I had to do something, Miss Jones. At first I was just paying for her psychic services. But it's gone beyond that now. I'm frightened."
    "That's the only hold she has on you, Sally. As long as she thinks she can frighten you, she'll assume she can manipulate you. I'll bet she's not sending these notes to people like Mary and me, people who don't believe in her powers."
    "It's different for you, Miss Jones," Sally said sounding defeated. "You're strong."
    "So are you, Sally. Not many young women could have pulled themselves together the way you have after all you went through. You're one of the strong ones too. All you have to do is believe in yourself."
    Sally looked up at her with a faint glimmer of hope. "Do you really think so, Miss Jones?"
    "I really think so, Sally."
    There was a short pause while Sally turned that over in her mind. "But what do I do now?"
    "You will ignore this message, for one thing. For another, you and I are going to get some professional assistance in this matter. Madame Zoltana has gone too far this time. We amateur sleuths are going to call in the big guns."
    "Guns?" Sally looked alarmed.
    "A figure of speech," Guinevere assured her. She looked up at Trina. "Get Zac on the phone for me."
    Sally looked startled. "Oh, please, I don't want anyone else to know about this!"
    "Don't worry, Sally," Trina said gently. "Mr. Justis is very discreet. It's his business to be discreet. He's a confidential security consultant. He helps people who are being taken advantage of the way you are."
    Sally didn't look convinced, but she waited in tense silence while Trina dialed Zac's number. Guinevere took the phone as soon as Zac came on the line. Quickly she spelled out what had happened to Sally.
    "Tell her to call the Better Business Bureau and the cops," Zac said bluntly.
    Guinevere smiled at Sally. "He says he'll help."
    "Gwen!" Zac's protest came through the line with enough force to hurt her ear. "I did not say that. Don't you dare drag me into this. I've got enough on my hands as it is."
    Confident that Sally couldn't overhear, Guinevere kept her smile firmly in place as she talked to Zac in soothing tones. "That's wonderful, Zac. Now, I figure the first thing we have to do is take a look around the premises."
    "What premises?"
    "Madame Zoltana's."
    "Are you nuts?"
    "I'll be glad to go by myself if you'd rather not accompany me," she said aloofly.
    "Guinevere Jones," he began menacingly, "one of these days I swear, I'm going to . . ."
    "Going to