Charmed: Let Gorgons Be Gorgons by Paul Ruditis Read Free Book Online

looked at his wife. “Anybody home? Is that even a question with that screaming?”
    Phoebe shrugged.
    The woman had her back to them as she spoke to the air. She was completely alone in the in the half-empty living room, but Phoebe and Coop could see a Bluetooth device hooked to her ear. “Someone’s at the door. I’m going now. But I want those candlesticks back on the mantle by tomorrow morning!” She pressed a button on the device without saying goodbye and kept the headset in her ear as she spun toward the door. “Who the—Phoebe Halliwell? What are you doing here?”
    Phoebe forced a cheery smile as she stepped into the house, taking the less-than-enthusiastic greeting as an invitation. The woman’s rage dissipated the moment she hung up the phone. Now when Phoebe reached out with her empathic abilities she felt nothing. There was no anger or rage. No sadness or happiness either. It was like staring into a void.
    “You spoke with one of my coworkers this morning,” Phoebe said, ignoring the sudden lack of emotions for the moment. “She mentioned that you and your husband hit a difficult patch. I was in the neighborhood and I thought maybe it might help to talk.”
    The woman looked confused. “What is this? Drive-by couples’ counseling? Who’s the bodyguard?”
    Phoebe laughed more than the comments required. “I’m sorry. This is my husband, Coop. He’s… another expert on matters of the heart. We were hoping maybe you and your husband had a few minutes to talk.”
    “I have no interest in being part of that follow up article that woman mentioned on the phone.”
    “This isn’t for the paper,” Phoebe said. “I take a personal interest in my readers. In certain extreme situations I like to offer my assistance if possible.”
    Mrs. Jordan looked around the partially empty living room. “I’d say it’s a little too late for help.”
    “In my experience, it’s never too late,” Coop said. “I take it this separation has been in the works for a while now?”
    Mrs. Jordan didn’t seem interested in talking about her problems. Phoebe could almost see the internal battle waging in the woman’s mind, but still felt nothing from her emotions. She had to be a big fan of Phoebe’s column to want to get married in a group photo op in the park. That wasn’t something the casual reader would probably want to do. Phoebe had become something of a minor celebrity through that column. Maybe there was a way to work that to her advantage. “Look, Mrs. Jordan—”
    “Brianna,” she said. “Call me Bri.”
    Phoebe took the woman’s hand hoping to pull a premonition, but she read nothing from that power either. “Bri, I get that this is a little unusual… and certainly unexpected. But you’d really be helping me out. Mika told me that it was my advice that brought you and your husband together in the first place. It would help to understand what led to this decision. It might help me when I respond to future readers.”
    While Bri considered her answer, the movers came back and started for the couch.
    “Hold on a second, fellas,” Bri said. “Why don’t you move to the dining room for now? Go ahead and take it all. We won’t be long.”
    The movers shrugged and continued into the other room without another word.
    Bri motioned to the couch. “I can spare a few minutes, but I don’t know that what I have to tell you is going to be all that helpful.”
    “Any insight into your relationship could go a long way toward helping me diagnose the problem.” Phoebe was referring to more than just the Jordans’ personal issues as she and Coop sat down on the couch. “I take it that was Mr. Jordan on the phone when we came in? We were hoping to speak with him too.”
    “Keon’s at work right now,” Bri said. “I took the day off. Figured it was best to do this when he’s not around. We can’t really stand the sight of each other these days.”
    “So this has been building for a while?” Phoebe