Free 78 Keys by Kristin Marra Page A

when you were with that Pento dude. And again last night. She was standing in front of a press conference in your…what do you call it…other-worldly travel? Tell me what she was saying again.”
    “I don’t think she spoke while I was there. What I saw were reporters, some hostile and some just salivating for a great story, who were questioning the veracity of whatever she had announced. She looked pretty beaten up, but she looked directly into my eyes. Then everything switched, and I saw her on that beach in the Theater. She was tied and blindfolded with some crazed robotic knight-type swinging a sword at her.”
    “My kind of action. And this took place when?”
    “That’s just it, Fitch. These are always visions of future possibilities, if things aren’t redirected. So no press conference has taken place, and Stratton wants me to make sure it doesn’t. I’m beginning to think the things I experience in the Theater are something other than real. I’m missing an obvious piece of information about them.”
    “Something other than real? Like a metaphor or clue? She’s in danger, but then again, maybe not. I’m betting this Laura Bishop has something apocalyptical on Elizabeth Stratton. How delicious. I know a lot of dirt on a lot of important people, but most of it isn’t any worse than what I do in my own dungeon. Any scandal on Stratton, well, that would be worth some serious influence. It could be dangerous, given the stupefied loyalty of her followers.”
    “Yeah, it’s worth influence and money. You should see the wad she left me. Of course, you’ll get your share if you want to work with me on this.” I always paid Fitch, even if she was one of the richest women in the universe.
    “Don’t need the money, honey. I want the information. So where do you think I should start? Want me to investigate Laura Bishop while she was at Meyers, Gaines, and Stratton? Do a serious deep excavation on Elizabeth Stratton? You tell me and I’ll do it.”
    “Stratton, for sure but not immediately. Let’s focus on Laura Bishop first. You do the whole workup like you usually do for me: family and its skeletons, Bishop and her secrets, whatever you can find. I want to wade straight into the lion’s den. I’m going to visit Laura Bishop.” I was hoping Fitch wouldn’t notice how excited I became at the thought of meeting Laura.
    Later, Fitch and I swept the shattered chunks of glass from inside her car. Then we taped some heavy plastic over the window gap. When she was ready to leave for her dungeon and one-woman spy operation, I promised her I’d pay for her car damage. She just smiled as she engaged her ignition.
    “Worry not. I’ll take it to my dealer. The secretary there is one of mine. She’ll make sure the window is replaced, the seat repaired, and my boots are licked. It’ll be an errand of pleasure.”
    “Oy, you leave me with no comebacks,” I said. She backed out the car and left me to my own muddle.
    With Fitch gone, I packed my belongings and closed down Tranquility until I could return. I made arrangements with my usual housekeeper and a local security company to take care of the house. My instincts told me that when my business arrangement with Elizabeth Stratton was completed, I’d need Tranquility more than I ever had before.
    As I rode the forty-minute ferry back to the mainland, I nestled my exhausted body into one of the comfortable chairs inside the indoor observation deck of the ferry. Determined gulls flew next to the rain-spattered window, trying to attract the attention of any passenger willing to step outside, risk drenching, and share a potato chip. Ocean smells wafted through the doors accessing the promenade deck. The rocking hum of the ferry relaxed me, and I realized my body muscles had been wound tight for days.
    I shifted position in the chair so I could lay my head on the back rest, something I rarely did because the thought of some lice-covered nature hippie having used the