Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

“I mean, there’s always a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, but that’s
difficult to pull off—”
Mei nodded furiously. “That’s it. That’ll be my defense. I’m so insane that
I didn’t know what I was doing when I put arsenic in her tea.”
Wallace shrugged. “It’s not like I can testify against you showing
premeditation.”
“Not helping,” Hugo said.
Probably not, but it wasn’t like he thought Mei would actually murder
someone. Or so he hoped. “What’s wrong with that woman? Who is she?
What did she do besides have a terrible name?”
“She calls herself a medium,” Mei spat. “A psychic. And she has a crush
on Hugo.”
Hugo sighed. “She does not.”
“Right,” Nelson said. “Because most people put their boobs up on the
counter like she does. Perfectly natural.”
“She’s harmless,” Hugo said, like he was trying to convince Wallace.
“She comes in here every few months and tries to run a séance. But nothing
ever happens and so she leaves. It’s never for very long, and it doesn’t hurt
anyone.”
“Are you hearing yourself?” Mei exclaimed.
Wallace was still stuck on the word crush. It made him bristle more than
he expected. “I thought you were gay.”
Hugo blinked. “I … am?”
“Then why does she flirt with you?”
“I … don’t know?”
“Because she’s awful,” Mei said. “Literally the worst person in
existence.” She began to pace. “She gives people like me a bad name. She
cons others out of money, telling them she’ll help them communicate with
their loved ones. It’s messed up. All she does is give them false hope, telling
them what they think they want to hear. She has no idea what I had to go
through, and even if she did, I doubt it would stop her. She waltzes in here
like she owns the place and makes a mockery of everything we do.”
Hugo sighed. “We can’t just kick her out, Mei.”
“We can,” Mei retorted. “It’s very easy. Watch, I’ll do it right now.”
He stopped her before she could storm through the doors.