Rob Zombie - Lords of Salem

“She’s very good at it,” said Lacy.

“Really?” said Heidi. “I’ve never had my palm read before. I always figured it was a scam.” She turned to Megan. “No offense,” she said.

“Actually, my dear,” said Megan. “I do take offense. Great offense. But not at you. At all those who demean the true gift with their false substitutes. Plastic gypsies with crystal balls and neon signs have destroyed the value of my true gift.”

At the mention of neon signs, a memory flashed up in Heidi’s mind, a flickering red neon sign that read Jesus Saves . Where was that from? she wondered. Where had she seen it?

“Give her your hand,” said Lacy.

“What?” said Heidi. “It’s late, maybe another time. I’ve got to—”

“Heidi, give her your hand,” said Lacy, a little more insistently. “Come on, it’ll be fun.” When Heidi still hesitated, Megan reached out and took it.

“Um, okay,” said Heidi.

“The hand and the brain are one,” said Megan. “The hand is controlled by over three hundred muscles, tendons, nerves, bones, and arteries. One-quarter of the motor cortex in the human brain is devoted to the hand. Did you know that, darling?”

What, now I’m getting a science lesson from a palm reader? “No,” Heidi said. “I can honestly say I did not know that.”

She watched her hand resting in Megan’s bonier, older hands. Megan turned her hand palm up and spread the fingers. With one hand she held Heidi’s hand in place. With the other, she began to run her fingers gently over the lines of Heidi’s palm, up and back, up and back. It was a little weird, slightly sexual, and reminded her of the way Lacy had held her hand so long the first time they’d met. The light touch made her skin tingle and seem to come alive. All the women were leaning in now, peering at Heidi’s palm.

“The lines are formed at a subatomic and cellular level,” said Megan. “These are the lines of your life.”

“I thought these lines were just from the stress of my life,” quipped Heidi.

Beside her Sonny pointed to her forehead. “No, these are stress lines,” she said, and smiled.

“Please, sister,” said Megan, and Sonny fell silent. Megan’s fingers continued running over Heidi’s palm, up and back, up and back. “No, no, these are formed in the womb and continue to control the thoughts,” said Megan. “Give me your right hand. The right hand is the future.”

Heidi drained the glass of wine in her other hand and set the glass down on a rickety old wooden end table. She held out her right hand and Megan released the left and took it. She took her hand and ran her finger up the center of the palm.

“Is that the life line?” asked Heidi.

“No,” said Megan. “This is the fate line. This is the only line of concern to me. The length of your life is inconsequential. It is what you do with your time here that matters.”

She saw Lacy and Megan exchange a strange look. What was going on? Were these women messing with her somehow?

“Oh, okay, so tell me then, what is my destiny?” she asked. And then she turned it into a joke. “Please don’t tell me that I’m going to meet a tall dark stranger? I’ve had more than enough of those lately.”

But the sisters didn’t laugh. “It reads your fate, Adelheid,” said Sonny. “Not your destiny.”

How does she know my full name? wondered Heidi. “Is there a difference?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Lacy, quite serious now. “A crucial difference.”

Heidi was tempted to pull her hand away, but she felt Megan’s grip tighten on her wrist. “With destiny you participate in the outcome, but fate… ah, fate leaves you no choice. It is predetermined by outside forces greater than ourselves.”

No, thought Heidi. What the hell had been going on the last few days? She couldn’t even walk into her own house without someone trying to freak her the fuck out. It was like the whole world was conspiring against her. “Oh, I don’t think I like that,” she said. “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to know. I’ll keep my fate a mystery. A mystery to me, anyway.”

She tried to pull her hand away, but Megan held on. Freaky old bitch , thought Heidi. Megan was staring at her, trying to look deep into her eyes. She turned away and saw that Sonny was staring hard at her as well. So, on the other side, was Lacy.

“You must make peace with your subconscious desires,” said Megan in a slow, deep voice.

She pulled at her hand again, but Megan wouldn’t let go. She was starting to feel trapped. If she didn’t get out of there soon, she was likely to start yelling. Or screaming even.

She pulled again. “What desires?” she asked, hoping just to get it over with.

“The wicked thoughts burning inside your head and exploding in the juices between your legs,” said Megan, her voice perfectly controlled. “The darkness inside your very soul, Adelheid. The only reason you exist.”

What the fuck? thought Heidi. Megan suddenly slackened her grip and Heidi pulled free, more than a little stunned by Megan’s words. She started to stand, nearly tipping the chair over, knocking the end table askew so that Sonny had to dart forward to keep her wineglass from falling.

“Um, maybe I’ll make peace with those desires later,” she said, already backing to the door. “Right now, I better get going.” She turned to Lacy. “I really should go back upstairs. I have to get some sleep.”

“Pleasant dreams,” said Megan.

Fuck you, too , thought Heidi.

Lacy followed her out. “Sweets,” she said. “I’m sorry if Megan upset you. She is a little… adamant about things sometimes. And she can be a little intense.”

“And a little wasted,” shouted Sonny from within the room, humorous again. Whatever had been off about the mood of the room had broken now. Had she just imagined it? Or had something shifted there? Had something odd happened?

“It’s nothing to worry about,” said Lacy. “Don’t pay any attention to what Megan says if it bothers you.”

Heidi pressed her hand to her forehead. “No, no, I’m fine,” she said. “I just need to get a decent night’s sleep. Haven’t had one in a few days for some reason, and I’ve got a couple of crazy days ahead of me.”

“Yes,” said Lacy. “I’m sure you do.” Her tone was a little odd, too, thought Heidi, but maybe it was just a result of the drinking, or of Heidi herself being a little rattled. Lacy’s expression was polite but otherwise unreadable. “Good night, then.”

“Good night,” said Heidi.

Half smiling, Lacy slowly closed the door, leaving Heidi alone in the hall. Alone, she slowly let out her breath. What the fuck? she wondered.

Chapter Twenty-eight

The handle of the door was sticky. Maybe she’d touched it when her hands were dirty or something. She wiped it off with the corner of her shirt and opened the door. She went in, her head reeling a little, and stumbled into the bathroom. Steve was nowhere to be seen. Probably curled up and sleeping already, she thought, or sulking and mad at her for leaving him.

She switched on the portable television on the counter. She turned the tub faucet, the water hot enough that the room began to fill with steam.

On the television was a black-and-white film, the tube of the TV casting it slightly blue. Two people danced around an arena. The image was far from crisp and kept fuzzing out. Heidi reached for it, and when her hand got close the image became sharper, the man becoming Fred Astaire, the woman Ginger Rogers. She drew her hand back and the image went fuzzy again, making it hard to tell who was who. Ah well, she thought, maybe once she was in the bath it’d come in clear. Usually it worked that way.