I felt the weight of our trespass even before we reached the property line. The townhouse loomed before us, a dark monolith against the night sky, its windows like blind eyes staring out into nothing. Old money slept within those walls, and so did the secrets I’d come to unveil. Beside me, Jason’s breath formed thin clouds in the cold air, his hands jittery at his sides. I couldn’t tell if it was from withdrawal or fear. Maybe both.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWuqHcF3qc
“Ready?” I whispered, studying the four stories of silent dignity that had once belonged to his grandfather.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnWM9GddmS
Jason nodded, his jaw tight enough to crack walnuts. “Service entrance in the back. Fewer cameras.”
We slipped through the narrow alley beside the property, hugging the shadows. February had stripped the ornamental trees bare, leaving us without natural cover. The silence of the wealthy neighborhood pressed down on my ears, broken only by distant traffic and the occasional taxi horn—sounds that belonged to another world, one where people weren’t breaking into mansions in search of dead men’s address books.
The service door was unremarkable—black paint, solid construction, a security keypad mounted beside it. Jason produced a small electronic device from his pocket, its screen dark until he pressed a button.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZJoDr017j
“Where did you get that?” I asked, eyebrows climbing toward my hairline.
“Amazing what you can find online when you have money and desperation,” he replied, connecting the device to the keypad with thin wires. His voice held no humor, just a flat pragmatism that made me wonder how many lines he’d crossed before this one.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xucxnTOLM
The device’s screen lit up, cycling through number combinations faster than my eyes could follow. A digital skeleton key for the digital age.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXsosSHCapa
“You’re sure this will work?” My voice sounded strange in my own ears, thin and uncertain.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIOh0RuwWO
“If Aurelia hasn’t completely replaced the system, yes.” Jason watched the device with unblinking focus. “Grandfather used a predictable algorithm for his codes. Always the same mathematical sequence, just offset by different starting numbers each month.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RkTwdWAmL
I’d seen enough of Jason’s shaking hands and bloodshot eyes to know that addiction had hollowed him out, but in that moment, I glimpsed the sharp mind beneath the damage—the grandson who’d once been worthy of Seamus Green’s mathematical lessons.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeiZ5xUfIP
After thirty seconds of breathless waiting, the device emitted a soft beep. The door’s lock disengaged with a click that seemed thunderous in the night’s quiet.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGTZZ3nElJ
“We’re in,” Jason whispered, pocketing the device. “But we need to move fast. Even if the alarm doesn’t trigger, the security company logs all entries.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUjqXQxDbU
The service entrance opened into a pristine kitchen that could have been lifted from an architectural magazine—gleaming appliances, marble countertops, copper pots hanging in perfect alignment. Nothing betrayed human habitation; no dirty mug left in the sink, no mail scattered on the counter. The house felt suspended, as if time had stopped at the moment of Seamus Green’s death.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZ6Rflm7Td
Jason moved with the confident steps of familiarity, leading us through the kitchen toward a hallway. “Study’s upstairs,” he murmured. “Second floor. That’s where he kept personal items.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GfPnZWKsJ
We ascended a sweeping staircase, our footfalls muffled by plush carpeting that probably cost more than six months of my rent. The walls were lined with photographs in ornate frames—generations of Greens looking out with the same proud tilt of chin, the same confident eyes. I felt their gaze on my back as we climbed.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAl8gkJaaU9
“Here,” Jason said, pausing before a heavy oak door with a brass handle worn slightly by decades of use.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qy8j5y8FT
He pushed it open, revealing a spacious room lined with bookshelves that stretched from floor to ceiling. A leather chair sat by the window, angled to catch the morning light. A massive desk dominated the center of the room, its surface covered with a green blotter, free of dust or papers.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdERHpvQqp
I stepped inside, the familiarity so strong it made my heart stutter. “This is it,” I said softly. “Exactly as he showed me.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGPmSoE0MR
Jason shot me a sideways glance, questions written in the furrow of his brow, but urgency overrode curiosity.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54BxqHssIO
“The book would be somewhere personal but accessible,” he said, moving toward the desk. “Grandfather was methodical about his contacts.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufZsyIRo3Y
We began searching—Jason taking the desk, me examining the bookshelves. The study told its own story of Seamus Green’s life: awards and recognitions competed for space with family photos, rare first editions sat beside well-worn favorites. A life built on careful choices and deliberate actions.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMyfeuzYev4
I moved along the shelves, my fingers tracing spines, reading titles. Philosophy. History. Mathematics. Ancient religions. The collection spoke of a mind that valued both rational thought and spiritual exploration—a contradiction that mirrored my own existence.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQ8kEtyf3d
“Nothing in the drawers,” Jason reported after several minutes. “Just papers, business documents, nothing personal.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SKaESebLL
I continued my methodical examination, letting my intuition guide me. “If I were hiding something important but needed to access it regularly…” I murmured, more to myself than to Jason.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSKSKlqPcu
My attention caught on a section where several volumes appeared slightly out of alignment with the rest—a subtle imperfection in an otherwise meticulous arrangement. The disruption was barely noticeable, but to my sensitized perception, it might as well have been highlighted in neon.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3zXL9amTe
I removed the most prominent book, revealing a small space carved into the shelf behind. And there it was—a simple red leather volume, unmarked and unassuming.
“Jason,” I called softly. “I found something.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcYrIxeRdX
He joined me as I carefully extracted the hidden book. Opening it revealed handwritten entries—names, addresses, phone numbers, all recorded in neat, precise handwriting.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9azMoGIJA
“This is it,” Jason confirmed, triumph threading through his whisper. “His contact book.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4A6YUjMi3
I flipped through the alphabetical listings until I reached the M section. My finger traced down the page until—
“Here. Markus, Reiki and Tarot,” I read aloud, memorizing the phone number listed beside the name.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmZzkjI4iG
A sudden electronic beep from somewhere downstairs froze us both. The sound was so small it might have been missed in daylight hours, but in the midnight silence of the house, it rang like an alarm bell.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXKkgL4pzw
“What was that?” I whispered, though I already knew.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFkVq9xRNo
Jason’s face paled to the color of old paper. “Silent alarm. Must have triggered when we accessed certain areas.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWjQhUkPaR
“How long do we have?”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnx1CS6CDvs
“Minutes. Maybe less.” He took the book from my hands. “We need to go. Now.”
But as we moved toward the door, blue lights flashed through the study windows—police cars arriving with silent efficiency, blocking the street in front of the townhouse.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pg1oq6pwH
“Back exit,” Jason suggested, but I shook my head.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fIFn1Y3jO
“They’ll have covered all exits by now.” I glanced at the red leather book. “Hide that. It’s our only lead.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VNYjqrFZ5
Without hesitation, Jason lifted his shirt and tucked the book against his abdomen, letting the dark fabric fall back to conceal it. The slim volume was barely visible as a slight bulge.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSLvrF1Lug
“Now what?” he asked, desperation edging his voice.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cK0sdUqMy
“Now,” I said grimly, “we face the consequences.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDhee06OoW
The study door burst open. Two uniformed officers entered, weapons drawn, flashlight beams cutting through the dim room like searchlights.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7zpTqKZLF
“Police! Hands where we can see them!”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCr6SbpgkO
We complied immediately, raising our hands as the beams swept over us, momentarily blinding.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumurkhlW8G
“Well, well,” came a voice from the doorway. A stocky man in plain clothes stepped into the study, his weathered face registering first surprise, then something like exasperated recognition as his gaze settled on me.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxLLlcZrPV
“Ms. Vega. Somehow I’m not surprised to find you at another crime scene.” Detective Johnson’s voice carried the weariness of a man who’d seen too many repeat offenders.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyrVWENBCV
“Officer Johnson,” I acknowledged, keeping my voice calm despite the hammering of my heart. “I can explain.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeNntGoAUN
“I’m sure you can,” Johnson replied, gesturing to the uniformed officers. “Cuff them both. Breaking and entering, for starters.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkhDMjRt1a
He shook his head, a gesture so small it might have been meant only for himself. “This isn’t one of your psychic hunches, Ms. Vega. This is felony burglary.”63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIrSlfNKiW
As the cold metal of handcuffs closed around my wrists, I caught Jason’s eye. His slight nod confirmed that the book remained hidden against his body. One small victory, at least.63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgI9m3ZQ5JI
But as Officer Johnson led us from the townhouse, our footsteps echoing in the grand foyer, I understood our position was precarious at best. Our only hope now was to convince Johnson that there was more to this break-in than simple theft—without revealing the true nature of what we’d discovered about Aurelia Green and the darkness she had unleashed into her father’s house.
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqoZlkwApA5
Thank you for reading! If you enjoy the story and would like to continue reading immediately, you can download full volumes on www.empowering-spirit.com/the-tarot-dimes
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