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flashed with mischievousness. Her smile broke open to show a set of teeth so white they looked fake, plastic. “I said you will never find her because despite what you say, you still disbelieve what you must believe in order to find your way. It’s as though you are afraid to find her.”
    “That’s ridiculous. Finding her is the only thing that matters to me.”
    “Then why haven’t you found her yet?”
    Kate huffed. “Because I keep coming to charlatans like you instead of finding someone who really knows anything about the supernatural. I bet you don’t even believe in the supernatural. This is all just some fun trick to bilk gullible people out of their money.”
    “You question my belief? How very strange.”
    Kate tried to tug her hand free again. “Please let me go.”
    Gala opened her fingers and raised her hands out to her sides in a surrendering gesture.
    Kate gathered her purse from the floor beside her chair. She withdrew her wallet, counted out the fifty dollars Gala required for her services, and held the folded bills out to her.
    Instead of taking the money, Gala folded her hands and rested them on the table in front of her. “I only expect payment from satisfied customers.”
    Kate raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure?”
    “Ma’am, it pains me to see your struggle. I wish you could see what I see.”
    “I’ve seen plenty. Things even someone like you would not believe.”
    “Again you question my beliefs. But it isn’t my belief that keeps you from finding your daughter.” She unfolded her hands and splayed them flat on the table, palms down. “I’m no charlatan. But neither do I have the kind of power you need. I suspect you have more ability to find your daughter than I, or anyone like me.”
    “No. I don’t have anything like that.”
    “We all have some untapped power within. She is your daughter. Let your passion and love for her do the work.”
    “You’re trying to tell me that I can just wish my way to her?”
    “Wish isn’t quite the word. But I suspect once you get over your disbelief in yourself, you will find the path you require.”
    Kate sighed, tucked her money back in her wallet, her wallet back into her purse, and gave Gala a final once over. What she said sounded like more mumbo jumbo malarkey, only with a slight twist. First, she did not expect payment. Second, she was suggesting Kate not waste payment on any more of these so-called mystics. In other words, Gala was the first to give advice, no matter how opaque, free of attached strings.
    “Well, I’ll think about it.”
    Gala’s eyes narrowed. She shivered. “I feel like someone just stepped on my future gravesite.”
    “Sorry.”
    “It just means something important’s happened.” She smiled. “I’d guess that you have quite a journey ahead of you.”
    Looks to me like I’m going nowhere fast. She forced a smile. “Thank you for your time.”
    “Thank you .”
    “Doesn’t seem like I did much of anything for you, seeing as you don’t want payment.”
    “Oh, don’t you worry, honey. You’ve made me a small piece of history. That’s more than enough.”
    Furling her brow, Kate caught herself from asking what Gala meant. She had met her daily quota of obscure and meaningless banter from old ladies pretending to be psychic. Instead, she gave a final nod and headed for the beaded curtain between this back room and the shop out front—another standard feature among these places. When she reached the beads, Gala called out.
    “Remember. Believe. That’s all it will take.”
    Kate slipped through the beads and made her way out the shop’s front door. The bleating horns and constant sigh of traffic noise greeted her along with the smell of rotten eggs and exhaust. When Kate had first arrived in New York City, all that noise and bustle had intimidated her. It took surprisingly little time to get used to, though. And getting used to it eventually came to actually enjoying it. Six months in the Big