Free The Doppelgänger: A Psychological Thriller by P. Wish Page B

casually.
    “I wanted to know something.”
    “What?”
    “Some strange things that have been happening to me,” Darcy explained, vaguely.
    The psychic proceeded to shuffle the pack of tarot cards. She shuffled them like a professional gambler before handing them over to Darcy.
    “Shuffle them a few times. Your energy needs to soak into them.”
    Darcy’s clumsy fingers dropped a few cards in the process of shuffling. A minute later, she handed the deck back to the psychic. Jayne spread the cards out on the table.
    “Think of a question and pick three cards,” she instructed. Darcy closed her eyes. She picked three cards from the spread. The tarot reader flipped them over and laid them on the table.
    “Hmmmm….a strange combination. May I ask what your question was?” Jane said, scrunching her nose.
    “I want to know somebody’s identity.”
    “Is this a person?”
    “I don’t know.” Darcy said.
    “Is their identity a secret?”
    “Yes.”
    “The cards say a big secret will soon be revealed.”
    “A big secret? What kind of secret?”
    The psychic turned to Darcy and met her gaze. “Death is on the cards.” 
    Darcy’s eyes widened. She held onto the edge of the table, trying to breathe.
    “Could you pick another card?” Jayne requested. Darcy’s trembling fingers pulled out another card.
    The psychic turned it over and stared at it for a moment. “Your destiny is being revealed. A deception that has been blinding you will be exposed.”
    “Does that mean I will learn the identity of this person soon?”
    “A series of important events are underway,” the psychic said, off tangent.
    “They’ve begun?”
    “Yes. Expect big changes in the future.”
    Darcy walked out of the door thirty minutes later. She thanked the psychic and parted with a hundred quid, reluctantly. Another impulse purchase. She decided to consult Jayne after she heard Jillian talking about her. Jillian’s friend had consulted Jayne over the weekend. In her state of desperation that was all the bait Darcy needed.
    Darcy walked home. The familiar road lined with shops stretched before her eyes. She walked slowly, her mind marinating in the psychic’s words.
    “Expect the unexpected.” Those were her final words. Jayne had given Darcy a recording of the session to listen to. The CD rattled in Darcy’s bag.
    She passed by array of German shops that lined Lincoln Square. Darcy walked along the street until she reached the door of her apartment. Stony silence surrounded her. Her neighbor wasn’t in. The Victorian lamp outside the door greeted her with its dim glow. She walked to her apartment. Her keys lay in her left hand. They made a sharp, ringing noise.
    Darcy placed her hand on the door knob. It turned. It was open. Her apartment was open. Panic flushed her body. She was sure she locked it in the morning. Why was it open? Who had opened it?
    She reached into her bag instinctively. Her hand hit on a bottle of pepper spray. Her fingers curled around the bottle and pulled it out. With the keys in one hand and the spray in another, she kicked the door open.
    The loud thud was followed by silence. She took a small step toward the door and examined the apartment. There was nobody. She took another step. She stood at the door, peering into the house. The messy magazines and clothes remained. The smell of her breakfast still lingered in the air. The apartment was exactly like she left it in the morning. She stealthily walked on the green carpet.
    “Is anybody there?” she called out. No answer. She approached the closed bedroom door, kicking it door open. The door hit the wall and bounced back with a loud thud. Her bed lay in the centre of the room covered with beige bed covers. Her folded duvet and pillows were arranged over it. There were no creases on the bedsheet. Her eyes instantly hit the floor. Pieces of broken glass lay on the floor. She hurried to the drawers which stood near the pieces of broken glass.
    She touched