The Cupcake Coven Read Online Free PDF Page B

though.”
    “She can stay here for as long as she needs to, but I’d love to see her get a job and a nice place to live. She’s a good little worker. She helps around here as much as we’ll let her.”
    “One of our social workers at the hospital should be able to help with some kind of temporary placement.” He turned his focus to April. “I think you might do well in our adult day care program. With no ID, we don’t know if you have insurance, but we can deal with that later.”
    “Day care!” April exclaimed. “I’m not an infant or elderly person who needs a diaper change every few hours. I just need a job and a place to live—if they get sick of me here.”
    Dr. Frampton suppressed a chuckle. “Adult day care is a place for adults in transition. Sometimes, they’re finished with hospitalization and getting ready to go home. Sometimes, they never need the hospital at all—just a little guidance.”
    She folded her arms. “Well, I could use some guidance, I guess. I just wish someone knew how to guide me home.”
    Danielle’s heart went out to her. She wasn’t faking the amnesia—she’d bet her only pair of designer shoes on it.
    After April left the office, she asked the doctor for his impressions.
    “If I had to hazard a guess at this point,” Dr. Frampton said, “I’d say the symptoms point to a dissociative episode called a Fugue. It often involves travel. Sometimes people show up clear across the country with no memory of who they are, where they came from, or even how they arrived. They know no one in the area and have never been to the place before.”
    “Wow. I’ve never heard of it. Is it rare?”
    “Yes, but the lack of physical trauma and evidence of travel make a strong case for it. If I’m right, there’s something you should know…Sometimes when a person just can’t face some kind of psychological trauma, the subconscious suppresses it. When amnesia and flight result, you can imagine the situation must have been extremely traumatic for that individual.”
    “I see. So if she remembers…”
    “Call me immediately.”

 
    Dru hadn’t meant to get emotional about Shasta, but he wanted to be up front with his new ‘boss’. Finding his sister was the most important thing to him right now. He might have to drop everything and follow a lead. Did he make that clear? Sometimes he figured people understood things when they really didn’t…especially women.
    “I need to ask you somethin’ before I accept your generous job offer.”
    She snorted. “Who said it was generous?”
    He needed her on his side so just grinned at her joke. “Even though I’ve only known you for a bit, I can tell you have a generous spirit.”
    She hesitated, then mumbled, “So I’m told.”
    There seemed to be a story there, but he couldn’t afford to get sidetracked. “Well, I hate to say this, but findin’ my sister is more important to me than anything else. If I get a lead, I’ll have to go and investigate it. I hope you can be flexible.”
    “Of course!”
    She seemed offended that he even had to explain. Women…Damned if I do. Damned if I don’t.
    Her expression softened. “I’m hoping we can help each other. I don’t have as powerful a gift as Hanna does, but I’m trying to develop my psychic senses. I could do readings for you after the store closes.”
    Hanna. He hadn’t even thought about the magic she had demonstrated. Talk about getting sidetracked. If she can make things disappear, maybe she can make people reappear.
    “Uh oh,” Rebecca said.
    He was snapped back to reality. “What?”
    “Are you thinking about going to Hanna for help?”
    Surprised, he took a step back. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”
    “Because…well, because. She’s not someone to approach the wrong way.”
    Knowing how powerful she was, Dru imagined she could zap him back to Texas…probably someplace with tumbleweeds and steer skulls for company.
    “I believe you.”
    Her eyebrows rose. “Just