Free Peril for Your Thoughts (Mind Reader Mystery) by Kari Lee Townsend

was true, and it seemed to pacify the detective.
    “Okay. I’ll talk to Hogan, but let me make myself clear. You two stay far away from this case, or the consequences won’t be pretty. Hogan left pretty angry after Ms. Ballas acted like a tease, so he could have trashed your car on the way out.”
    “Wait a minute … Ms. Ballas did what?” Jaz squeaked, nailing me with a look I didn’t want to face alone.
    “Later, ladies.” Nikos the Greek winked at me before the detective finished with, “My work here is done, and I’ve got a job to do.” Then he walked out the door just as the rain let up.
    I sat there stunned, thinking I had a job to do as well and it started with a little thing called payback. But first, I had another mess to take care of. I slowly turned around to the murderous look on Jaz’s face.
    “Now, Jaz—my favorite person in the world and best friend on the planet who would be really sad and lonely if anything bad should happen to me—let me explain …”

C HAPTER 7
----
    Tuesday afternoon Jaz and I went to Diner Delights for lunch. Since my family ran half the businesses in town, it made the choice of a place to eat difficult for Jaz. My cousins, Kosmos and Silas, were the only members of my family that Jaz got along with. Probably because they were young, single, attractive men … and off limits, which made them that much more appealing. Just because we had an agreement that she couldn’t date my family members did not mean that would stop her from flirting outrageously with them every chance she got.
    Kosmos was on the short side, but built like a tank. He kept his dark hair cropped short, and it somehow matched his stature: tough as nails. But his eyes gave him away. They were the soft, dreamy, sleepy bedroom eyes that all women fell for. Then there was Silas. He was the biggest flirt of our family. Thinner but taller, with thick curly black hair and dimples that worked their charm every time.
    Kosmos stood behind the deli counter, making sandwiches. He gave us a friendly wave when we came in and sat down. Meanwhile, Silas ran the register. He shot me a quick grin, but focused his sexy smile on Jaz and tossed her a wink. Jaz laughed and blew them both kisses. I just rolled my eyes. At least they’d cheered her up a bit, which even I had to admit she desperately needed.
    The rest of my family thought she was a bad influence on me. Now that she was the prime suspect in Darrin Wilcox’s murder, they were on my case more than ever for me to move out. My cousin Eleni had a gypsy boyfriend who had a sister who dabbled in voodoo. I’d caught them whispering about Jaz and was pretty sure they’d put a curse on her. Normally I didn’t believe in such nonsense, but ever since I woke up with my “gift,” I’d come to realize that anything was possible.
    “Why do you keep staring at me that way?” Jaz asked me after finishing her bite of Caesar salad. We hadn’t even needed to order. My cousins had prepared our salads and brought them to our table, even though the restaurant was normally self-serve. Today was the first day she’d dressed in a flowy dress and not yoga pants or a warm-up suit. She wasn’t back to work, but she was beginning to get back to her old self.
    “Now you know how I felt the day I realized I could read minds,” I responded, wearing yet another suit. I kept hoping if I dressed the part, the rest would follow, but so far I’d had no such luck in creating more designs for my book. “You kept looking at me like I was possessed the other day,” I went on. “I’m just making sure you’re okay.” I took a bite of my own salad.
    “Would you forget about that stupid curse? I’m fine.” She set down her fork, and I regretted killing her appetite.
    “That’s what I said,” I pointed out, unable to ease my mind. I was worried something bad was about to happen, but I had no clue what or when.
    The bell over the door chimed and in walked Detective Stevens. “