The Madness of Mercury (15 page)

“Okay. How much?”

Jerry scratched his bald spot once more and quoted me a price. I gasped. I’d have to put it on a credit card. I knew Gloria would insist on refunding me the money when she returned. I wasn’t worried about that, just about how much room I had on my one big credit card.

“Hang on. I’ll get a work order out of my truck.”

I shivered while I waited for Jerry to rummage in the front seat of his cab. After a few minutes, he returned with a form in triplicate and lots of fine print. I signed on the bottom line, committed to the delivery and installation of an honest to goodness working furnace, and if Jerry thought it was a real beauty, that was good enough for me.

After he turned off the gas to Gloria’s apartment, we shook hands and he climbed into his truck and pulled away from the curb. I closed the garage door and locked it, dropping the keys back in my pocket. When I reached the kitchen, I saw that Wizard had moved onto my vacated seat cushion for warmth. What warmth there was wouldn’t last long without the oven. The Uranus transit had even interfered with my second home.

I checked Wizard’s bowls and made sure he was set for the afternoon. I grabbed my purse and coat and rubbed his ears. “I’ll be back very soon, Wiz. You’ll be fine. You have a fur coat. I don’t.” I headed down the stairs and locked the front door behind me. As I turned around, Kuan’s door opened.

“What’s the verdict?”

“Furnace has to be replaced. Gloria’s gas is shut off.”

“I thought so. Same thing happened to mine a while back. Offer’s still good.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that, but I’ll be fine.”

“Are you going back to your apartment now?”

I hesitated. I didn’t want to tell Kuan about the crazy picketers or the trouble with my landlady or any of the rest of it. “Don’t think so. I’ll probably come back here.” I sensed that he knew I was withholding something, but I didn’t have time to explain the entire situation, and he didn’t push it.

He nodded. “How soon can they get one put in?”

“Three days.”

“If you’re busy, let me know. I’ll make sure I’m here to let them in.”

“Thank you! I’ll be back and forth while Gloria’s gone, but don’t worry if you don’t see me.” I gave him a kiss on the cheek. In response, he held his hand up, palm facing me, separating his middle and ring fingers in the
Live Long and Prosper
sign.

“How do you do that? I never can.”

Kuan smiled and shut his door.

F
IFTEEN

I
F
E
VANDRA WANTED A
séance tomorrow night, I needed to get in touch with someone who could set that up. The only person I could think of was Nikolai, a psychic and past-life regression hypnotist I’d met through the Mystic Eye. I had his address and phone number and I could call him, but I felt I’d stand a better chance of having him say yes if I asked in person. Evandra had been very firm that the séance take place on the evening of December 21st, Lily’s birthday. That was tomorrow, and I had no idea if Nikolai would agree to do it. I didn’t know if he was even in town.

Nikolai lives in a converted garage in the Inner Sunset. His living quarters are upstairs, but most of the time he can be found working in his “studio” on the lower level. When I pulled into the driveway leading to his space, I saw three cars, in addition to his, parked there. He had company. I left my Geo behind the last car, closest to the street, and walked up the driveway to the side door of the garage. An outside stairway led to his apartment, but if Nikolai was at work, I’d find him here at ground level.

I knocked loudly. Inside, someone yelled “Cut.” There were footsteps and suddenly the door was flung open. Nikolai filled the doorway. He’s over six feet and very portly. He sports a full gray beard and long gray hair. Today he was dressed in a voluminous, deep maroon robe.

I took two steps back and looked up. “What the hell? Are you channeling Rasputin?”

“Julia! Vat delight. Haf you finally realized your great lust for me?” Nikolai’s booming voice could be heard two houses away.

“Oh, stop it.”

“I knew you would someday. Dat’s vy you knocked. Today’s my lucky day. Come in.”

“I’m not interrupting?” Behind Nikolai I could see some commotion with a camera and a tripod.

“No … just exorcism. For my community access cable show.”

“How many entities do you have in that garage?”

Nikolai responded with a belly laugh. “Come in and meet them all. They don’t bite.”

I mentally shook my head. Astrology makes sense to me. There’s an order and a logic to it. But exorcism? I wasn’t sure if I believed in such a thing, the driving out of evil spirits who possessed people, but Nikolai’s show had gained in popularity to such an extent that it was about to be aired on a local TV channel, not just community access. Nikolai’s subjects were always very young, attractive women with theatrical ambitions. It was truly amazing how many aspiring actresses in San Francisco were possessed by evil entities.

Nikolai indicated a small thin man with large glasses. “Dis is Chuck, our technical vizard.” I shook hands with Chuck, who was a good foot shorter than I, with dark greasy hair and thick glasses that slid down his nose.

“And dis is Lydia, my charming subject.” Lydia rose from the velvet draped bier on which she had been reclining.

“Hi.” Lydia didn’t look particularly happy to be interrupted. She was wearing a long gypsy skirt in bright colors and a tight, low-cut tank top. She turned to Nikolai and pouted. “I thought I was your only subject today.”

“You are, my dear, you are. Julia and I are colleagues. Vee take a little break, okay?”

Lydia sighed and moved to a makeup table set up in the far corner, where she began to add to her rouge and eyeliner. Nikolai winked at me and led me to two armchairs at the back of the space. Indicating I should sit on one of the chairs, he took the other, after placing a hard cushion over the frayed upholstery and metal spring peeking through.

“Vhat’s up, Julia?”

“I have a client who wants to hold a séance.” I hadn’t sorted out my feelings about the plan. I guess I’m not a particular believer in communications with those who have passed over, and perhaps this makes me uncool to some people, but I was determined to keep an open mind. “Are you up for it?”

“Are you kidding?” Nikolai beamed. “I’d luf to! Vhen?” Rumor had it that he’d once worked in a top-secret Soviet psychic program; remote viewing, to be exact. No one knew exactly how the rumor had started, but when questioned, Nikolai would become very serious and refuse to talk. I’d learned to stay away from that subject.

“My client wants to hold this tomorrow night, the 21st. That’s if you possibly can. She’s elderly. Her niece, who is also my client, is a nurse, and she’s been staying with her aunt to take care of her after she fractured her hip.”

“Ve need medium.”

“Oh!” Who knew?

Nikolai pulled on his beard and thought a moment. “Zora would be good. You know her?”

“Sure. In fact, there’s a meeting at the Eye tonight. She’ll probably be there. Are you coming?”

“I vould luf to, but I’m tied up. I heard vhat happened there. Terrible.” Nikolai shook his head in dismay.

“It was. We were lucky we were able to put the fire out.”

“Vere you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. Gale and I were just scared to death.”

Nikolai nodded in response.

“You should know going in that Dorothy, the niece, is not happy about this at all.”

“Not a problem. She vill luf me when she meets me. Now vhat about other people? Vee need a group, you know.”

“I can be there. There’s Dorothy, her husband Richard, the two aunts Evandra and Eunice, and perhaps Gudrun, their companion. Oh, and there’s Alba, their housekeeper.

“Let’s see, dat vill be seven. Should be fine. I call Zora dis afternoon.”

“You really think she’ll be up for this? I can talk to her tonight.”

“Sure she will. Holidays are so slow, as you vell know. Zora vould be essential. I pick her up and bring her. Must be good-sized table and enough chairs.”

“Oh, my client’s house is huge, and there’s more than enough furniture.”

“Write down address for me. How’s eight-thirty? Vee get rolling at nine.”

I jotted down the address to the Gamble house on the large pad that Nikolai passed over to me. He rubbed his hands together and smiled. “I’m delighted, Julia. Tank you. Haven’t done vone of dese for a while.”

“I should tell you there’s a family legend about a—”

“No! Not a word.” Nikolai held up a hand. “Less I know is better.”

I put my coat on as Nikolai walked me to the door. I said goodbye to Chuck and Lydia, who both ignored me. Chuck was busy adjusting his camera, and Lydia stayed focused on touching up her makeup. Nikolai gave me an all-enveloping bear hug and lifted me over the threshold. I felt my back crack as he let me go.

“You vay too tense, Julia. You should stop by see me more often.” He smiled and gave me a knowing wink.

“Not a chance. I have to look out for my virtue.”

Nikolai let out another huge belly laugh and waved goodbye. I hurried back to my car. I had to admit my back and shoulders felt a lot better.

As I reached into my coat pocket to retrieve my keys, I spotted a folded piece of paper tucked under the windshield wiper. I lifted it out. It was a flyer advertising services at the Prophet’s Tabernacle. These people were everywhere. I walked back up the driveway and discovered the same flyer stuck under the windshield wipers of the other cars.

Visiting Nikolai had lifted my spirits, but suddenly my buoyant mood collapsed. The upheaval of the past three days came flooding back and I felt a wave of anger that I had been uprooted from my nest by crazy people. I returned to my car and climbed in, then looked more carefully at the flyer. The lettering was in large bold Gothic type. It said, “
Do not turn to mediums or wizards. Do not seek them out, to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:31.
”

The Tabernacle held a service every evening at six o’clock on Mason Street. If I hurried, I could make it. Perhaps it was time to observe the enemy in its own camp.

S
IXTEEN

I
FOUGHT AFTERNOON TRAFFIC
along 19th Avenue through the Sunset and cut over to Geary to head back downtown. I drove up to Mason. It was ten minutes to six, still within prime tow-away time, four to six p.m. I didn’t dare take a chance. I could see a tow truck a block away with a meter reader in attendance, lying in wait for anyone foolish enough to jump the gun. I pulled into a lot near the corner, hoping I had enough cash on me to bail my car out when I returned.

I walked the block and a half back to the theater. A large sign on the marquee announced the new home of the Prophet’s Tabernacle. Inside, the street-level lobby was overheated and noisy, full of the Reverend’s worshippers. Large posters the size of movie ads dominated the walls, showing Reverend Roy in various poses, preaching to his flock, his arms outstretched, welcoming them to his Tabernacle. Enlarged photos displayed pictures of the Prophet’s Paradise in Mendocino County. Happy children played by a swimming pool, while elderly residents tended a vegetable garden. A long table held a coffee urn and plates of homemade cookies and brownies. Next to that was a basket for voluntary donations. Two women stood on either side of the entryway, smiling, welcoming followers and newcomers. It had all the earmarks of a neighborhood church social.