“Such as?”
Elvis didn’t answer right away, so we sat in silence for a good two minutes. When I was about to say something, he swung back around. “Gail was here this morning. I don’t know anything about diamonds. She came to me and told me she needed a reading. She claimed she was being blackmailed. By you, Mister Darling.”
“Not true,” I said. “And why don’t you call me Wes.”
“I realized right away it wasn’t true.”
“Let me guess. The spirit of the real Elvis told you she was lying.”
Elvis sighed. “You don’t have to believe, Wes. But it would be helpful if you at least tried to have an open mind about the whole thing. After all, I am trying to help you.”
“If you want to help,” I said, “Why don’t you tell me where the diamonds are?”
“You’re not listening,” he said.
“I’m listening,” I said. “I’m not sure what you’re trying to say.”
“I’m sorry, but this is hard for me.” Elvis took a tissue from atop his desk and began playing with it. “I don’t like to talk about my clients. I try to be discrete about whom I see, and what we discuss. I’m only talking to you right now because it was the only way I could give you my message.” While he talked to me, Elvis began to tear apart the tissue.
Starting at the right corner he tore a two-inch-wide strip. Laying it on the table, he tore another, and yet another until he had four roughly equal strips lying next to each other. He picked them up, left to right, and made a small pile, which he squared up with his fingers. Finally, he folded the pile in half, and folded it again and again until it was reduced to a one-inch square. He reached out and squared the square, and promptly picked it up and dropped the tissue into the trashcan.
“Nervous?” I asked.
“Concerned,” he said. “For Gail, for the young girl, and for you.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. But if you’ve got those diamonds, you’d better damn well be afraid for yourself. The people looking for Gail are not very nice. They wouldn’t think twice about killing you.”
“I’m telling the truth, I don’t know anything about any diamonds.” He reached over and adjusted the position of the box, a little to the left and a little to the right. He did this four times, before continuing.
“When Gail came in this morning I gave her a reading. I saw danger. I saw death stalking her. I told her she should not travel for the next couple of days. I told her she’d be in danger the entire time, but death would only catch her if she chose to leave Key West.”
“Sounds like a crock of shit to me.”
Elvis shrugged. “I’ve done all I can to convince you I’m on the level. If it’s any consolation, I know you’ll find her. I’m not sure you can help her though.”
“Thanks,” I said. “So let’s play it your way, will Gail follow your advice and stay in Key West for the next few days?”
“Of course. We go back a long way. Unlike you, she trusts my readings.”
“She told me one of your predictions led her to dancing.”
Elvis’s face looked pained. “Very unlikely, Mister Darling. I think it’s time to end our meeting. I hope you’ll consider what I told you. Dom, would you please show the gentleman out.”
“If I find out you’re lying to me about the diamonds, I’ll be back,” I said before turning and following Dom out of the room.
Dom stopped and I almost ran into him. “I was an unbeliever once-like you.”
“What changed your mind?”
Dom glanced over his shoulder. “My mama died two days before I graduated from high school,” he said. “We were very close and I was devastated. A friend of mine insisted I see Mister Elvis.”
Dom started back down the hall, talking softly as he walked. “Mister Elvis spoke to mama. He told me she was in a nice place, but she couldn’t be happy unless I kept my chin up, held my head high, and stopped being a crybaby.”
“That was kind of him,” I said. “And I’m glad he made you feel better, but did you speak to your mother?”
“No,” Dom said.
“Was anyone else there who spoke to your mother?”
“No.” Dom’s shoulders slumped a little and he added, “But he knew things only she could have told him.”
“It doesn’t prove he has psychic abilities,” I said. “There are ways to find out things. Most con men I’ve met exude sincerity and empathy. They can turn it on and off like a light bulb.”
Before I finished, Dom was shaking his head. He stopped at the door, turned to face me, and for a moment I thought he was going to cry. “You don’t understand, Mister Darling. Look at me. I’ve always been different. When I was a kid I was picked on a lot. When I’d come home crying, mama would sit me down and say to me, Dom, you can’t worry about what others think. You need to keep your chin up, your head high, and don’t let them see you being a crybaby. Mister Elvis knew mama’s exact words.”
“He got lucky,” I said.
“No sir,” Dom said. “There’s no way he could have known that without talking to her.”
There was no doubt in my mind Elvis had played on Dom’s feeling. It’s what psychics did. My first instinct was to go back and let Elvis know what I thought of his con. But nothing I said would change Dom’s mind, and I doubted he’d let me go back and talk to Elvis anyway.
I shrugged and said, “So you went to work as Elvis’s bodyguard because he said he talked to your mother?”
Dom opened the door for me and stepped outside so I could get by him. “I’m not his bodyguard,” he said. “I’m his computer geek. He pays me a fair wage and I keep his web site up and running. I’m damn good at it too.”
I had the distinct feeling Dom was disappointed in me. Well, he wouldn’t be the first person to feel that way. I took a moment to let my eyes adjust to the sunlight, and started down the steps.
“Mister Darling.” Dom took a step and the entire porch vibrated.
I leaned my hip against the handrail. “Yes, Dom.”
“I know you don’t believe, but Mister Elvis is the real thing. He knew you were coming.”
“He had another client who told him I’d be here.”
“I don’t mean Miss Gail. He had one of his dreams.”
“Sorry, Dom, I don’t buy it.”
“You need to be careful, Mister Darling. Mister Elvis said people are going to die.”
“Is that a threat?”
“No sir. You’re not one of the ones gonna die.”
“Who is?”
Dom shook his head. “I don’t know. But I thought I should warn you.” Dom walked back into the house and closed the door before I could say anything else.
I’m not a believer in psychics, healers or UFO’s. I also don’t buy into the theory there was a second gunman in the Kennedy assassination or a national conspiracy to elect George W. Bush to the presidency. But I was a little spooked. If this was a con, it was pretty elaborate. And for the life of me, I couldn’t see how this whole Celine bit would benefit Elvis.
I kept reminding myself psychics were charlatans, but there was a little voice in the back of my head that kept asking, what if he’s not?
Chapter 11
A million conflicting thoughts ran through my mind as I walked away from Elvis’s house. At least it seemed that way. I needed to find out who was lying to me, Destiny or Elvis? Which one had the diamonds? Even more important, how was I going to get my hands on them? I also couldn’t help but wonder if either of them was in any way responsible for Nick’s death, although I still leaned toward Frankie’s boys being the killers. I also found myself wondering if Elvis had dreamed of Celine’s ghost or if he’d made up the entire story. I shook my head and told myself I was I nuts for even considering the possibility he was for real.
I should have been paying more attention while I walked along Duval. Instead, I hung my head and studied the sidewalk, not paying attention to what was going on around me. A voice at my shoulder brought me out of my reverie and caused me to jump and spin around.
“Where you going, Wes?”