Free Southern Bound - A Paranormal-Mystery (Max Porter Mysteries Book 1) by Stuart Jaffe Page A

doctor, but in a different capacity?"
    "That's right," Max said, shading his eyes with one free hand. "I want to discuss an old friend of your grandmother."
    "Just wait, please. We'll get to it all."
    Dr. Connor opened a door Max had not noticed earlier and escorted him through a brightly lit passage to a round room covered in items. Max squinted, trying to see what the things hanging on the walls and stacked on the floor might be, but everything was a blurry confusion. Dr. Connor placed him by a stool, asked him to sit, and settled on another stool just far enough away that he only saw the fuzzy outline of her shape.
    "This is about Marshall Drummond," she said.
    "How did you know that?" Max asked. "And how did you know I was going to be here today?"
    Dr. Connor leaned forward and whispered, "Because I'm the real thing, Mr. Porter."
    "Then I guess I don't need to bother telling you the problem, and you can just give me whatever I need to help Drummond get free."
    Though Max could not make out the doctor's face, he had no doubt she wore a broad smirk. She said, "You don't really think this would be that easy, do you? I'm a witch, after all. I don't just give things away. You have to pay for them."
    "Something tells me we're not talking about money."
    "Now you're starting to think. I make plenty of money as an eye doctor, and it keeps the IRS off my back. But the witch business — there never seems to be an end to people calling for these talents."
    "So, what exactly —"
    With a swift stroke, Dr. Connor cut the back of Max's hand. Before he had time to do more than jump a little, she scraped something across the wound and settled back as if nothing had happened. "That will do for a start," she said.
    "What did you do to me?"
    "Nothing bad. Not yet. Just a little insurance. After all, your kind have a long history of poorly treating my kind. So I now have a small sample of your blood. If you ever attempt to hurt me, there's a lot I can do to you with just a few drops."
    "Don't you dare threaten me," Max said as sweat trembled out of his body. He tried to keep a brave outward appearance, tried to think of cool Drummond on a case facing some thugs, and it helped a bit.
    Dr. Connor walked behind Max and stroked his hair. She then plucked out a few strands. "No threats. Just insurance."
    "Fine. You've got your insurance. So, how do I get Drummond out of that office?"
    "We're not there yet."
    Max swallowed back his anger and unclenched his jaw. "I am not going to play games."
    "It's all games. You can't even see five feet in front of you. You have no concept of who it is you're fighting against or what they're capable of. Because of your dear wife —"
    "You stay away from her."
    "— you're in a highly vulnerable position. You have high debt and the only money you're receiving is from a man you don't even know, let alone trust. It may just be my opinion, but I think you'd be best off to do whatever I say."
    Though he hated hearing his weaknesses pointed out, he had to admit their validity. Even without the eye drops, he had been traipsing through his days blind and ignorant. He felt like the tail of a kite being whipped around in a heavy wind, unable to know what direction events would lead, just hanging on tight.
    But it doesn't have to be this way. Drummond could help him get ahead for a change.
    "Fine," he said. "What do we do next?"
    "Next, you take off your clothes and make love to me."
    "What?"
    "Just kidding. Though I should tell you I don't care about marriage as an institution. If you ever feel like a little variety, I'd be interested."
    Dr. Connor sat again, this time holding a book in her lap. "Let's see now," she said, and her tone told Max that this was going to go on for awhile longer. A loud buzz interrupted his thoughts and Dr. Connor scowled — at least, Max thought she scowled.
    She walked to her wall and pushed a button. "What is it?"
    "Mrs. Seaton is here."
    "Thank you," she said, took a breath and sauntered