Karma's A Bitch (A Pet Psychic Mystery) (21 page)

Sylvia spent a lot of her time making sure I had eaten and wasn’t on my feet too long. On Thursday, she even made me go upstairs and take a nap at lunchtime, which I frankly welcomed.

The exhaustion of just trying to talk was overwhelming and everyone wanted to hear the story. Karma’s empty bed behind the counter was a constant reminder of his absence and by Friday, I broke down and cried for an hour in the storage room.

After that, I did feel better. Emotionally, anyway. The physical feeling that I’d been hit by a train kept right on trucking.

On Saturday, I slept in and then took a cab to visit Karma. His eyes were open when I went in the room and his tail began to thump immediately. I grinned big and smothered him with kisses and careful hugs.

Now that all my energy wasn’t consumed with his survival, since the vet considered the threat of infection gone, I got back to thinking about the killer. I was tired of playing games.

I gave the cab driver the address to the town house.

Unfortunately, pounding on the door for ten minutes led to nothing. No one was there. I walked home, frustrated and aching.

I slid my card in the gate and then turned as I heard someone approach me from behind. My heart raced but it was just Mac.

“Hey, Snow White, how you feelin’?”

“Hey, Mac.” I crossed my arms and smiled. “Doing better. Surprised to see you here. Are you checking on me?”

He glanced around. “Can we talk a minute?”

I motioned toward the open gate. “You want to come up?”

“Naw,” he fidgeted with his hat. “I prefer to stay out here.”

“Okay, want a cup of tea?”

“All right.”

We sat outside the Hooker Tea Company, each with a cold tea. Even under the shade, it was a sweltering afternoon. “So, what’s up?”

“We all feel real bad about you and Karma almost gettin’ killed. It’s just way out of hand, all this mess. You shouldn’t be involved.” He dropped his head and then looked back up at me, his brown eyes rimmed with red. “We’re gonna take care of it, find out who drove that car and turn ‘em in.”

“Mac, if you know something, just tell me.”

“No. Like I said, you shouldn’t be involved.”

I watched a small lady walk by with two Great Danes. It made me miss Karma. “Okay, here’s what I know. The car was a black sports car with a gold plate that said ON THE MONEY. You know who drives that?”

“Never seen it before but that helps. I’ll let you know when we find ‘em. Meanwhile, lay low, will ya? I know Mad Dog would be mad as hell if we let something happen to you. So, you officially have our help.”

I actually was touched. It was nice someone was willing to step up. “Okay. Thank you.” When Mac nodded and got up, I added, “Y’all be careful. This isn’t a nice person we’re dealing with.”

He grinned. “Don’t you worry. We’re not all that nice, either.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

I stepped outside the boutique after a quiet Monday, looking forward to a long bath and an early bedtime. It was odd not having to walk Karma across the street. I missed him. As I was locking up, I heard someone call my name.

“Darwin!” Frankie was waving from her little red sports car, wearing a matching red straw hat.

I walked over. “Hey, Frankie. Nice night for a drive.”

“Yes, it is,” her voice wavered. “And I was hoping I could talk you into coming on one with me?”

“Oh, I don’t know, I’m pretty beat.”

“Pretty please, sugar…I…I really need a friend right now.”

“Everything okay?”

“I don’t know. I found Maddy. I mean, I hired a private detective and he found Maddy. She’s living in an apartment downtown. I want to go talk to her, make sure she’s okay but I don’t want to go alone. Will you come?”

“Sure.” I walked around to the passenger side and slid in, patting Frankie’s knee. “Heaven knows I understand the need for closure.”

Her smile widened, exposing her perfect teeth with the smear of red lipstick. I smiled, too.

We drove out of the Beach Drive district, through the rougher parts of St. Pete that hadn’t been given a multi-million dollar facelift. I liked being in the convertible with the wind and sounds of evening swirling around us. Lifting my arms up, I wiggled my fingers in the cool air current. Maybe I would learn to drive one day and have a convertible.

Frankie didn’t seem to notice my enchantment with her car. “How’s Karma doin’?”

“Good. Well, better. Dr. Messing says I can probably bring him home at the end of the week.”

“Oh, that’s great news. Poor dog. Been through enough. Just burns my britches that someone would try to hurt him…and you of course.” She was shaking her head and slowing down. “There. That’s the apartments.”

She pulled into a guest parking space and shut off the car. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

We made our way through a lobby full of wicker furniture and ceiling fans to the elevator.

“It’s number 704.” Frankie was quiet on the way up. She looked worried.

“You really care about her, don’t you?”

“God knows why, she’s hell on wheels, but yeah, I do.”

I squeezed Frankie’s hand. “You’re doing the right thing. I’m sure you can clear up whatever’s going on.”

We stepped off the elevator and found the door with a brass 704. Frankie took a deep breath, blew it out then knocked. I stood a few feet away, against the wall. I would be there for support if she needed me, but I didn’t want to intrude on their conversation.

A few tense moments ticked by and Frankie knocked again. I was beginning to think Maddy wasn’t home when the door finally clicked open.

Maddy’s profile appeared in the door way. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and her expression was anything but friendly. I looked her over, a feeling of dread making my head tingle. Was she…?

“What are you doing here, Frankie?”

“Well, is that anyway to greet a friend? I was worried about you.” Frankie noticed then, too. She stared at the slight bulge under Maddy’s tight tank top. “Holy hades, are you pregnant?”

“Not really your concern. You need to leave.”

Frankie stiffened her shoulders. “I…I can help you. I want to help you, Maddy. Please, tell me what’s going on.”

“Vick.” I didn’t mean to say it out loud. Maddy turned then, noticing me for the first time. Her face paled and her eyes darkened. Well, the cat was out of the bag now. “It’s Vick’s baby, isn’t it?”

Frankie was glancing from me to Maddy. Her hands had dropped to her sides; her voice had dropped to a whisper. “Maddy, is that true?”

Maddy came at me then, surprisingly fast for a woman with another human being in her belly, and shoved me hard to the ground. Spit flew from her mouth as she kicked and screamed at me.

“You just can’t mind your own business!” And some other explosive words that I barely caught, as I was busy trying to scoot back out of the way of her wrath. She managed to connect a hard kick to my bruised right ribs and I yelped in pain. She lost her balance and fell on top of me. We rolled around. I managed to get my knees between us and pushed hard against her as she grabbed my hair.

Frankie came to my rescue once the initial shock wore off. She grabbed Maddy’s arms, yanked her up and pinned her against the wall. I sat, panting and shaking, on the ground.

“Enough!” Frankie’s tough street persona was now in the house. “Darwin has nothing to do with this. And you’re going to hurt the baby acting like some maniac. Calm down!”

Maddy struggled for a moment then fell silent. “Fine. Let go.”

Frankie slowly released her then she helped me off the ground and we walked back to the elevator, both of us shaking.

“Stay away from me!” Maddy shouted. She slammed the door. I closed my eyes and leaned against the elevator wall. My right side throbbed as I made an effort to slow down my breathing.

“I’m so stupid!” Frankie said, the words releasing sobs that wracked her body as we rode back down to the lobby.

I slipped an arm around her. “It’s not stupid to care about people.” I couldn’t even imagine how this betrayal must be wrecking her inside.

We sat in the parking lot for a while until Frankie could pull herself together enough to drive. I just let her talk, scream and cry. It was exhausting feeling her emotions run amok, taking her from rage to grief and back again. Besides dealing with the waves of heartache coming from her, I was in shock myself. How could they do this to her? She treated Maddy like a daughter, getting her away from her harmful real family and trying to give her a future. Well, Vick I wasn’t so shocked about, but still. He must have no feelings at all.

So, this is how people get bitter and stop opening their hearts to each other. Frankie had such a good heart. I didn’t want her to close it off to the world just because she picked the wrong guy to trust.

“Frankie, you have so many other people in your life that care about you,” I assured her, digging more Kleenex from my straw bag, “and need you. You’re too good a person to be with someone who would betray you like this. Better you know now.”

She stared out into the parking lot, her face slack. “She’s going to have his baby.”

“Yes. But, Maddy’s right. It’s their mess to deal with now. You have to let go.”

She nodded and burst out in tears again. I handed her the wad of Kleenex.

It was late by the time she dropped me off and I made her promise not to confront Vick that evening. She needed time to recover, to think about what she needed to say to him. To not kill him on sight.

I hugged her. “Come by in the morning and have tea with me so I know you’re okay.”

“All right,” she sniffed. “I will. Thanks for coming. I don’t know what I would have done if I had been by myself.”

“You would have been fine. You’re a survivor, Frankie. Remember that.”

I soaked my sore bones in a hot bath when I got home. The big place was empty and my sadness had pulled me down to new lows. Relationships seemed so complicated, each person having their own needs and motivations. I was suddenly grateful for my long incubation period without having to deal with one. This made me think of Will. Was I even ready for one now at twenty eight? Not if I couldn’t be honest with him. I saw the devastation first hand that dishonesty caused. I wasn’t doing anything on purpose to hurt him but he would be hurt all the same. I would either have to come clean or let him go.

I let myself slip beneath the soapy water to hide.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Frankie showed up—face puffy, Itty and Bitty in tow—about an hour after we opened the next morning. Sylvia rushed over to her with open arms, the Portuguese flying.

“Não posso crer a. What um idiota!”

Frankie accepted the hug and gave me a small smile over her shoulder. “I take it Sylvia knows?”

I nodded and took out some fresh peanut butter biscuits for the pups. “How are you this morning?”

“I’m better. And, I’ve decided, probably better off.” She took the biscuits and bent down to offer them to the Chihuahuas.

“That’s right, Frankie.” Sylvia had been riled up since I told her what happened this morning. She was definitely not someone I’d want to betray. She shook her head, her sleek ponytail flying back and forth. “Have people gone mad? I just don’t understand. It’s like the devil himself is in town!”

“Yeah, well, maybe he is. I tried to call Vick this morning. Of course he’s not answering his phone. Maddy probably called him as soon as we left last night.”

“Gah! I go to Cassis. We need chocolate croissants.” Sylvia grabbed her purse from under the counter and patted Frankie’s arm on the way out. “He was not good enough for you anyhow.”

“That’s why I love Sylvia. Her answer to every crisis is pastries.” I went over and made us both a cup of tea.

“Thanks, sugar.” Frankie sipped from her cup. “I guess I need to start lookin’ for another assistant. I was holding out hope that I could talk some sense into Maddy and she’d come back. I’m gonna pack up all Vick’s crap out of my condo, too and leave it on his front lawn.” Her lip began to quiver. “Maybe set it on fire.”

I laughed then said, “Welcome to Darwin’s,” as a new customer walked in. “Let me know if I can help you with anything.” I turned back to Frankie. “I have an idea. Why don’t you let me keep Itty and Bitty for a few days and you take off. Go on a cruise or pamper yourself at a spa.”

“Oh, I don’t know.”

“It’ll be good for you. And it’s pretty lonely upstairs without Karma. He doesn’t come home until Friday. They girls can keep me company until then.”

Frankie thought about it and began to nod. “You know what? You’re right. Getting away is probably a good idea. Yeah. Okay. Thanks, Darwin.”

Sylvia buzzed back in with a bakery box that smelled like heaven. As she and Frankie dug in and chatted, I walked to the back to check on the new customer. The bells jingled while I was back there and I heard Sylvia call my name.

After I answered the customer’s questions about our organic cat food, I walked back up front.

Will stood there, looking all official in his suit and all sweet and inviting at the same time. My heart flip-flopped like a fish out of water. I groaned and melted, hating myself for not being stronger.

I couldn’t do much but smile up at him. “Hey, Will.”

“Hi. Good to see you up and around,” he gave me a light hug, his bright eyes flashing. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. What’s up?”

He slid some pictures out of a brown envelope he had been holding. “I need you to take a look at these and tell me if this is the car that ran you down.”

“Sure.” I took the pictures and nodded. Black sports car, one of those older muscle cars with a gold front ‘ON THE MONEY’ plate. “Yes. This is it. You found it? Who owns it?”

He took the photos and slipped them back in the envelope. “The owners live in Tampa but this Camaro was reported stolen two weeks ago. We picked up some punk kids joy riding around in it, who said they found it abandoned at the beach with the keys in the ignition. They all have alibis for the night you were hit. We’re pulling prints, but with so many people in and out of it now, it’s going to be tough to get clean ones.” He must have seen the disappointment in my face. He rubbed my arm gently. “Hey, it’s a miracle you remembered the car at all, being so dark and it happening so fast. Let’s just be grateful about that for now and we’ll work on the other stuff, okay?”