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was already plugged in, thank goodness, so I booted it up and tapped my fingers impatiently on the keyboard as I waited for the screen to come to life.
    I was in luck. The flashing icon at the bottom of the Skype window announced that Ellie was already online. I sent her an instant message, clicking on the ‘Open Conversation’ button as I did. She popped onto my screen, slightly off-center and fuzzy.
    ‘Hey, cuz! What’s with all the phone messages?’ I tried to keep my voice light. When Ellie was in one of her ‘moods’, as we called them, there was no talking her down off whatever emotional ledge she’d climbed out onto.
    ‘AJ, you need to come home and I mean now.’ Ellie’s faced looked pinched with worry, and my insides turned to jelly. Was it my parents? Or David? (Although I wasn’t certain that I cared just then.) I felt my stomach tighten as I waited for her to clarify.
    ‘What’s happened, Ellie? Is everything OK at home?’ I know I probably looked as freaked out as I felt.
    Ellie gave a small laugh. ‘Everything’s fine here, AJ. It’s that place you’re at that has me worried. I did a reading this evening and I see nothing but trouble for you if you stay there.’
    Let me explain that Ellie, in addition to being convinced she has psychic abilities, also thinks she can ‘read’ the future in that crazy pack of oversized cards she carries everywhere. I’ve seen her at work, laying out the cards in a particular pattern, flipping them over one by one and telling me what they meant. I had to chuckle. If that was all, I could relax.
    ‘I’m serious, AJ.’ The downside of Skyping was that the person you were talking with could see you as well as you could see them, and she’d seen the amusement on my face. ‘You need to get back here ASAP. I’ve got a real bad feeling about that place.’
    I hesitated. Should I tell her what had already happened in just the first twenty-four hours? Probably not the best of ideas, I concluded. I smiled at her image on my screen.
    ‘Ellie, if anything happens here, I’ll hightail it home as fast as I can go, OK? Promise.’ I tried to throw as much reassurance behind my voice as I could, because Ellie was like a dog with a bone if she thought someone was ignoring her good advice.
    She made a snorting sound of disgust. ‘AJ, you always promise to stay out of trouble. I’m beginning to think you have a built-in magnet for the stuff.’
    She had a point. When we were growing up, if there was mischief to be made or found, I was usually in pole position.
    ‘Look, Ellie,’ I said firmly. ‘Nothing’s happened to me. I have to admit there’ve been a few bumps …’ I broke off as Ellie jumped on my words like vultures drawn to a kill.
    ‘I knew it!’ she said triumphantly. ‘The cards never lie.’ She leaned back in her desk chair and crossed her arms, a look of self-congratulation on her face. When Ellie felt vindicated, the whole world could tell.
    That did it. Here I was, a woman grown and out on my own (finally), and my goofy, card-reading, spirit-seeing cousin wanted to sabotage me. She was just jealous that she wasn’t down here, living it up in a private suite with room service and attractive detectives to boot. I put my foot down, both literally and figuratively.
    ‘Eleanor Louise Saddler! I have about had it up to here with your crazy predictions!’ I had built up a fine head of steam and was determined to vent every last bit of it at the smug face on the computer.
    Thankfully, Ellie neither batted an eye nor returned my ire. I really didn’t want an argument with her. Instead, she merely shrugged and turned off her end of the connection. Well. If that didn’t beat all. It just goes to prove you can never predict what someone is going to do.

Chapter Six
    There was no two ways about it: the conversation with Ellie had rattled my cage more than I cared to admit. Not that I believed she could predict the future or anything like that, but it