Corpse in the Crystal Ball (6 page)

He nodded in salute and took another sip of his coffee as Jo joined him with her espresso and a “What’s up, Doc?” He just chuckled and shook his head.

With my umbrella held securely over my head, I had almost made it to my car when the distinct sound of a Harley-Davidson’s engine rumbled from down the street. My hand froze on the door handle of my bug. I whipped around in disbelief.

Mitch?

What was he doing back? He was supposed to be gone for a couple of days. I watched him drive all the way down the street into town and pull up to the curb right behind my bug. I peeked behind him to the back of his bike.

He was alone.

I looked down the street but saw no one else. Even if Isabel wasn’t with him, it didn’t matter. I’d be damned if I’d be his second course. I clenched my free hand into a fist and waited for him to dismount. When he finally pulled off his helmet, he faced me with an intense look on his face, raindrops sliding down his cheeks. After what felt like forever, he finally spoke.

“You ready to talk?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I spat.

He looked confused as he dried his face with a bandanna. “I don’t find anything funny about the situation.”

“Neither do I.” I poked him in his broad chest.

“What is wrong with you?” he asked, catching my wrist in his large hand, undoubtedly feeling my pulse pound.

“What is wrong with me? Thinking we had a chance. That’s what’s wrong with me. What’s wrong with you, you big ape?” I yanked my wrist from his hand.

“Thinking you were sane,” he said, looking even more confused.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were still in love with Isabel?”

He just stared at me for an endless moment with his hands on his hips. “Because I’m not. You feeling all right, Tink? Because you’re back to acting strange again.”

“I’m fine.” I swiped my hand through the air. “If you’re not still in love with her, then why did you go away with her?”

“I didn’t.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking tired and a little tormented. “Sunny, what are you talking about?”

I refused to soften or fall for his lines. “Oh, don’t you Sunny me, now.”

“Okay, but you’re the one who said Miss Meadows was too formal. You might want to make up your mind there, Tink.”

“Can it. I know all about Isabel renting a car from Big Don and going out of town to meet up with you after you talked on the phone.”

“Still confused here.” He rubbed his brow. “First of all, I haven’t talked to Isabel since our fight at lunch two days ago. Second of all, I was alone last night. Third of all”—he stared deep into my eyes with the utmost sincerity—“I only came home early because I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said.”

My throat worked overtime, and I didn’t quite know what to say. Was he telling the truth? He almost had me convinced, but then the bus pulled away from the stop down the road, and my heart pounded behind my chest.

Unfreakingbelievable!
My love life had more flaws than Moonbeam, only mine held no glimpse of a future.

“If that’s the truth, then what’s
she
doing back?” I thrust a finger toward the dark-haired beauty standing by her suitcase, looking upset as she tried to seek shelter from the rain.

Mitch turned around, his face lighting up with surprise and then genuine pleasure. He strode toward the woman without another word to me.

My jaw hit the ground, and then I sputtered nonsensically to myself, my arms moving a mile a minute as I ranted to deaf ears. Anger surged through me. I couldn’t let it go. I marched after him as fast as I could, but his long strides had already brought him to the woman’s side. He opened his arms and a weeping Isabel melted against him.

“You have some nerve,” I finally huffed as I drew up
beside them, totally out of breath. “Nothing like leading me on, Mitch. Making me think you were sincere about talking.”

I turned to Isabel. “And you.” I pointed a finger at her. “You’re good. You really did get what you came here for. Well, put the planets in alignment and good riddance! He’s all yours.” I turned around and started to stomp away.

“Sunny, wait.” Mitch ran after me and grabbed my arm.

“Save it.” I held up my hand, refusing to look at him.

“Mitch, who is this and what is she talking about?” the woman said in a shaky voice.

“What does she mean, ‘who is this’?” I finally stopped and faced them.

“If you’d stand still for two seconds, I’d introduce you.”

“Fine.” I stared at the woman in question, tapping my foot. She looked exactly as I remembered, only there was a softness to her. A vulnerability I didn’t remember seeing before. There was something definitely different about her.

“Sunshine Meadows, meet Isabel’s twin sister, Selena.”

“Twin?” I whispered, more confused than ever. “Th-There are two of them?”

“Yes, but they are like night and day,” Mitch said, then muttered “Thank God” under his breath, but I heard him.

Great. An angelic version of Mitch’s love of his life. Just what I needed. It brought me back to the vision I’d had when I first read his tea leaves. Getting involved with him would only lead to heartache.

Suddenly I remembered Kevin sitting back at my house with Granny taking care of him as he waited for me. What a mess. I didn’t know what I wanted or what to do anymore. Maybe it was time I disappeared like Mitch had. All I knew
was I couldn’t just sit there staring at this innocent woman who looked so lost and alone as she held her purse over her head.

I stepped closer to share my umbrella and held out my hand. “I’m sorry. Forgive my manners. I’m Sunny. It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Gonzales. So what brings you to town?”

She looked at me, looked at Mitch, and then burst into tears.

“What’s wrong, Selena?” Mitch asked, searching her face with concern.

“Isabel’s missing.”

Later that morning I led the way into my house with Mitch, Selena, and Captain Grady Walker following close behind.

“There you are, Sunny.” Granny Gert scurried over to greet me with a dish towel in her hand, wearing her usual apron with the spoon sticking out of the pocket. “I was just cleaning up the breakfast dishes and getting ready to start my ironing, it being Wednesday and all. You just missed that nice young man, Mr. Brown. He waited here for you for such a long time, but you never showed. And he even brought you those lovely flowers as an apology.”

She pointed behind her to a bouquet of fresh spring flowers sitting in an antique vase on the coffee table in the living room. “You weren’t trying to pay him back for standing you up last night at dinner, were you?” She tsked.

“No, no. I—”

“You had a date last night?” Mitch asked as he stepped
through the door and stood beside me, crossing his arms and arching a brow. “Interesting.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say—”

“I wouldn’t, either,” he responded dryly. “Now would be a good time to plead the Fifth.”

“Fifth? Fifth what, dear?” Granny asked me, but then Captain Walker stepped out from behind Mitch, distracting her.

He swept his hat from his gleaming bald head and smiled widely at Granny, his teeth looking extra white behind his gray goatee. “Ma’am,” he said, bowing at the waist.

“Oh my.” Granny fluttered her lashes at him faster than her feather duster on a cleaning spree, leaving me in a cloud of shock instead of dust. She elbowed me in the side. “Introduce me to your friends, Sunny.”

I snapped out of my stupor. “Granny Gert, this is Captain Walker and Detective Stone.”

“Ma’am,” Mitch added with a sharp nod, forgoing the bow.

“I just finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes, but I can offer you all a snack if you’d like. Tea and cookies?” Her smile widened, if that was possible, and her lashes fluttered even faster, her gaze never leaving the captain’s.

I couldn’t fathom what I was witnessing. Was she flirting with him? She was seventy-nine, and he had to be near retirement, but I doubted he was seventy yet. I sucked in a sharp breath and choked as a disturbing thought occurred to me.…

My granny was a cougar!

Granny patted my back, comforting me as always. “Easy, dear.”

I buried my disturbing thoughts, shrugging them off as being utterly ridiculous and the result of an overstressed, overworked brain. This was Granny we were talking about. She’d always been a beautiful woman, but still. I shuddered, picturing my granny with any man other than my grandfather, but he’d been gone a long time now.

I was sure there was a cookie for that, too.

“Tea and cookies sound wonderful, ma’am, but I’m going to have to decline. I do appreciate the offer and would love a rain check.” Captain Walker winked at Granny. He actually
winked
at her. It had to be the full moon, because something was off in the universe for sure. Good thing I’d just done a deep cleanse of Moonbeam.

“Why certainly. Drop by anytime, Captain.” Granny was all aflutter.

“We’re here on official business, ma’am,” Mitch said briskly, tipping the earth back on its axis, and Granny gave him a sour look.

And we’re back
, I thought.

Granny might be little, but she was full of spunk and had the strongest backbone I’d ever seen. She was about to say something to the detective when a damp Selena stepped out from behind him, red-eyed and sniffing. She waved at Granny with the tissue she held in her hand.

All else was forgotten.

“Oh my stars, you poor little child. You’re soaked right through.” Granny wrapped her arms around Selena. “What’s your name? You might look like the woman who was here the other day, but I know better.”

I blinked. Go Granny. At times she was a lot sharper than any of us gave her credit for.

“I’m Selena, and Isabel is my twin sister. She called me last night, terrified because someone was after her. Then she screamed and her phone went dead. That was right around six
P.M.
I kept trying to call her back all evening, but she didn’t answer, so I hopped the first bus into town this morning.”

“Oh, dear, I’m sure everything will be okay.”

“I’m not. I know it hasn’t been long enough to file a missing person’s report, but I also know my sister. She would have found a way to call me back if she could.” Selena started crying all over again. “It’s a twin thing. I just know in my gut that something’s wrong.” She looked at me as if I were the only one who would truly get what she was saying. “I can feel it in my bones.”

I believed her.

“Captain Walker suggested we use Sunny’s
services
,” Mitch said with a definite disbelieving tone. “She’s a consultant of sorts now, I guess, and sometimes the police do use psychics to help locate missing persons, so basically, that’s where we’re at.” He held his hands up.

“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.” I smirked.

“Ignore him, Miss Meadows.” The captain shot Mitch a disapproving look. “The department is very pleased with the work you’ve done for us so far. We all hope you will continue to help us when the need should arise.”

“Good, I’m glad.” I thrust my nose in the air. “If you’ll follow me to my sanctuary, we’ll get started.”

“You three go ahead,” Granny stated. “I’m taking this young lady to the kitchen to give her some much-needed pampering. You can fill her in when you’re done.” She nodded, and Selena willingly let Granny lead her away.

Morty pranced forward, wearing a black and red checkered bow tie this time. He focused on Mitch and narrowed his eyes as though willing him to make a wisecrack.

The detective raised his eyebrows clear up to his hairline, pressed his lips together, but didn’t say a word. He knew better. He might not be as afraid of Morty anymore, but I wouldn’t exactly call them friends. Morty hissed, letting Mitch know that even though he hadn’t said the words, Morty knew exactly what he’d been thinking.

Payback wasn’t going to be pretty.

The big white cat darted after Granny and Selena, and Mitch chewed the inside of his cheek, looking worried. “Well, hell,” he grumbled, and then hurriedly caught up to the captain and myself.

“Okay, gentleman, welcome to my sanctuary.” I parted the crystal beads and stepped inside. Mitch had been here before, but the captain never had.

“I’m impressed,” Captain Walker said, looking around and taking a seat at the table. “Mayor Cromwell raves about your sanctuary. He wasn’t exaggerating.”

Mitch just grunted as he sat in the seat beside him. The back legs of the chair cracked in two and Mitch tumbled to the hardwood floor. Captain Walker blinked in surprise and then jumped up to help Mitch to his feet.

“Thanks, Captain. Gotta watch these old houses.”

“Or maybe it’s just you who’s getting old,” the captain teased, slapping him on the back.

“And a little out of shape apparently,” I said. “That’ll cost you, Detective.” A lovely dose of satisfaction engulfed me, making my aura glow.

“I’m sure it will,” the detective muttered, and pulled up
a new chair, tested it, then safely sat. He glanced at the bucket in the corner by the window. “What’s the bucket for?”

“Washing away impurities,” I answered. “Maybe you should take a bath in it, but somehow I doubt there’s enough rainwater on the planet to cleanse your soul.” I looked away from him, still frustrated with his total lack of faith in my abilities. I didn’t know if he’d ever believe in me, and I wasn’t at all certain I could live with that.