Jack sat expressionless, listening to the woman in front of him—a self-proclaimed medium—talking at length about how people should cope with the grief of losing a loved one.
"TC came to me filled with sorrow," she said. "He told me he just couldn't accept Natalie's death."
"But even when we accept the sadness that death brings, it doesn't mean our hearts find peace. We must realize that death is just a new beginning."
Her words were harmless enough. Most religious doctrines include some form of afterlife, whether in the Abrahamic religions, Buddhism, or other faiths. Even atheists might see death as a transition, where one's thoughts and actions live on.
This was a classic tactic of spiritual con artists—a one-size-fits-all statement.
The medium before Jack, Karen Chawla, appeared to be in her fifties. Despite her current Bohemian-style dress, adorned with numerous quirky accessories on her ears, neck, and wrists, giving her a mystical aura, Jack was certain that in her youth, she must have been quite the wild one. She had a Queen of Spades tattoo on her ankle, and her wrists bore the scars of past cuts and cigarette burns.
Her face showed signs of recent cosmetic surgery, with telltale signs of procedures like double eyelid surgery, chin augmentation, cheek fillers, lip enhancement, and breast augmentation. It seemed that being a medium paid well, but the damage she'd done to herself when she was younger was too extensive for these surgeries to have much positive effect.
Jack hadn't revealed his affiliation with the BAU and had introduced himself merely as an FBI agent. He didn't consider himself a full-fledged psychology expert yet, despite his ongoing pursuit of a master's degree in psychology under the guidance of his beloved mentor, Maureen.
"I can sense that your chakras are blocked," Karen's next words made Jack pause. What was this, a sudden shift into *Naruto* territory?
He quickly realized she was referring to the original concept of chakras from Indian yoga theory, where chakras are energy centers located in various parts of the body, akin to the concept of meridians in Chinese medicine, though more abstract and spiritual.
Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He almost wanted to form a hand sign and show her what real "chakra" manipulation was, like in the show.
"Let's get to the point, Ms. Chawla. What time did you leave the Riordan residence last night?" Jack asked seriously.
"Around ten o'clock, right after we communicated with Natalie. Mrs. Leidke and I shared the same cab," Karen replied.
"Communicated with the dead? As in possession? Who did Natalie possess?" Jack asked, intrigued. Though he was a modern man, his journey to this world had left him uncertain about the materiality of his existence. While his investigations so far had revealed nothing supernatural in this world, staying cautious couldn't hurt. If the paranormal did exist, it would be good to have a few tricks up his sleeve.
Karen seemed to brighten at the chance to discuss her specialty.
"Of course, she possessed me. My sensitivity to energies is extremely high. When TC offered his blood as a sacrifice, the ritual was completed, and Natalie entered my body."
Alright, so it was the usual trick: impersonating the deceased, saying a few vague things, or revealing some "secret" she'd learned beforehand. Some mediums went the extra mile, performing convulsions, foaming at the mouth, and rolling their eyes to enhance their credibility.
"Please continue," Jack said, hiding his disappointment.
"But during the ritual, TC became very agitated. In the end, we had to stop the ceremony," Karen said, her tone turning somber.
"Can you describe that in more detail?" Jack opened his notebook, pretending to take detailed notes while actually observing her micro-expressions out of the corner of his eye.
Karen seemed to lose herself in memory. "Through my voice, Natalie forgave him for his selfishness and betrayal. She only wished for her lover to let go and find peace, both for his own sake and for Hubble's. However, these words upset TC greatly, and he immediately ended the ritual."
Jack didn't respond, simply watching her until she realized her mistake.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I meant TC. Natalie's spirit is very strong, almost as if she's still here with me."
Jack looked around the room. There was no sudden gust of wind, no eerie flicker of lights. The power was still out, so that was a bust. Poor form, really.
"And then?" he pressed on.
"Then we were asked to leave. TC was very angry. The last time I saw him, he was still in that room."
After she finished speaking, Jack lowered his head in thought before asking, "So, this wasn't the first time you performed such a summoning ritual, was it? Have the previous ones also taken place at the Riordan residence?"
Karen nodded, seemingly puzzled by his line of questioning. "Yes, we've done it several times, always at night, in that same room."
"Thank you very much for your cooperation. An officer will escort you home shortly," Jack said, standing up and shaking her hand.
"Oh, there's no need. I live in a rather remote area. I'll just call a cab," Karen replied.
Jack watched as Karen left the police station, then returned to the meeting room, deep in thought.
Aside from an earlier encounter with a "psychic" who looked more like a stripper than a medium (Chapter 58), this was Jack's first serious interaction with someone in the profession. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about Karen. She seemed a bit unhinged, but he couldn't tell if that was just a side effect of her line of work or if she was an outlier.
He racked his brain, trying to recall a crucial detail he might have overlooked, but it eluded him until Russell entered the room.
"What's going on? Did you find something troubling?" Russell asked, noticing Jack scratching his head incessantly.
"Ah, just a weird feeling I can't shake. I can't quite put my finger on it yet. How about you? What did you find?" Jack replied, handing Russell a cup of water.
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