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“The Moon,” Jodi said.
“Yeah.”
Whereas the Binder deck was based on the classic design, Jesse had drawn its two towers as mirror images of Denver’s cash register building, a nod to the card’s meaning of fear and illusions. Beyond them stood the Rocky Mountains. Above and center hung a full silver moon. Her downward tilted profile didn’t look pleased with the howling dogs beneath her. They were also mirrors, and for their look, Jesse had drawn his own pit bull, Chaos. He’d left out the lobster.
“Now the traveler,” Jodi said. “Think of Cole.”
Another draw, another match.
“Judgment, reversed.” Adam said.
Neither of them commented. If that was Cole, then it meant he was riddled with self-doubt, the opposite of what he’d projected every time Adam had interacted with him.
Come on, Adam thought. Don’t make me feel sorry for the guy.
A trumpeting angel spread her wings over a graveyard where naked figures had sprung to life.
Adam was grateful that Jesse hadn’t given any of them faces he’d recognize, though he’d diversified them. They weren’t the pasty blondes Jodi’s card depicted but instead a mix of shapes and colors.
Jodi took a breath.
“Now the destination.”
They drew again.
The World. Reversed. That meant they didn’t have him, that the cards didn’t know where he was.
“Damn it,” Jodi said.
Adam didn’t like it either. If they were going to try to summon Cole then having some idea of his spirit’s location would help.
“At least it’s not Death, right?” Emily asked.
“Yeah,” Jodi agreed.
“Onto summoning?” he prodded without pointing out that Jodi’s spread was just a standard three-card draw with specific intentions. “We’re already in the circle.”
“Fine.”
Jodi offered Adam her hands, fingers extended, palms up.
He reached across the bed, palms down, and let his fingers rest atop hers.
Emily inhaled.
Jodi looked to her.
“Cole Walker Lawrence,” she said.
Jodi nodded.
“Together then.”
“Cole Walker Lawrence,” they said together. “We call you back. We summon you to us.”
Sue had always warned Adam to be cautious about summonings, especially when it came to the dead. You weren’t likely to get what you called. It helped that Cole’s body was alive, but to do it like this, with him in this state, they had to be careful not to call up something other than who or what they wanted.
They had to trust Emily’s judgment and her friendship with Cole to protect them.