Karma's A Bitch (A Pet Psychic Mystery) (22 page)

I let myself look into his eyes. So trusting. This was it. Let him go? The thought was a physical pain in my chest. No. Come clean.

“Yeah, about that, Will. I need to talk to you about something. Are you free tonight?”

He looked worried. “I’ve got three late nights coming up. Is it important? Can it wait until Friday night?”

“Oh, sure,” I waved it off. “Not really important. Just something I need to share with you.”

“Okay,” he glanced around and then leaned down and kissed me. “Dinner then. I’ll call you.”

When he left, I joined Frankie in choking down my misery with a chocolate croissant.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Thursday evening I busied myself baking some carob and peanut butter cupcakes, both for the boutique and for Karma’s coming home welcome tomorrow. Itty and Bitty were sitting attentively in the kitchen, taking turns yapping at me as I used melted, colored yogurt to decorate the cupcake tops with blue and pink paw prints and bones.

“Don’t worry, girls, you’ll get one.” I kneeled down and let them lick the spatula with their postage stamp tongues. They really had been great company but Frankie was picking them up around eight tonight. I hoped the time away had allowed her to come to terms with her situation and heal some.

My cell phone began to vibrate on the counter. I wiped my hands on my apron. “Hello?”

“Hi, Darwin?”

“Yes?”

“This is Betsy Mills. You had asked me about a townhouse on Fifth Avenue?”

“Oh! Yes.”

“I have that information for you. It’s owned by a corporation, but I do remember making that sale to Vick Bruno. You would have met him at the homeless benefit…he’s Frankie’s boyfriend.”

Whoa! Vick? All kinds of things were running through my mind. Did Vick kill Mad Dog there? But Frankie said he was with her that night. Was she just giving him an alibi?

“Hello? Darwin, are you there?”

“Yes…yes…thank you. I do know Mr. Bruno. I really appreciate you giving me a call back on this. Next time you come in, your poodles can have a gourmet treat on me.”

“Glad to help. See you soon.”

I hung up and stood at the counter, stunned. Then I shuffled into the living room like a zombie and cracked my shin on the coffee table.

“Ow!” As I rubbed it, Itty and Bitty trotted over to see what all the fuss was about. I sat on the edge of the couch, staring out the French doors and rubbing their little heads absentmindedly.

Mad Dog had warned me to stay away from Vick, so he did know him. But Vick had an alibi. What about the twins? They had a key to the townhouse. Could they have killed Mad Dog and dumped his body? I couldn’t imagine Mad Dog not being able to handle two girls. He certainly could have protected himself from them. I had to go back to the townhouse and find out what was going on there and who was involved. I had run out of options.

I buzzed Frankie up an hour later and hugged her as she came in.

“Well, you look like a new woman,” I teased.

“I am!” She bent down to greet Itty and Bitty, who were whining and jumping up at her knees. “Did you miss Mommy?” She smiled as they licked her face and ears ferociously. “Okay, okay. Let momma get in the door.”

“You want something to drink? Some hot tea or wine?” I didn’t want her rushing off. We needed to talk.

“Some hot tea sounds wonderful.” She plopped her purse down on the bar and moved into the living room, the pups at her heels. As she sank into the couch, she said, “You have to go with me to the spa for a weekend soon, Darwin. It really helps you slough off all the garbage in your mind and body. I do feel like a new woman.”

I carried the teacups into the living room and set them on the coffee table. “It was a successful getaway then?”

“Oh yeah, I got to thinkin’ about a lot of things and ya know…I couldn’t think of one darn thing that Vick added to my life. Well, besides…you know…but heck, I could pay for that and not have to deal with the misery of a relationship.”

“Frankie!” I laughed, taking a seat beside her. “There’s plenty of nice men out there, you just have to pick the right one. But, speaking of Vick…” I couldn’t think of any other way to tell her than just straight out. “There’s a townhouse on Fifth Avenue I’ve been watching, trying to figure out what’s going on there because I think it’s somehow connected to Mad Dog’s death.” I noticed Frankie’s eyes wrinkle with concern. “I asked Betsy Mills to check into it for me, find out who owned it.”

“Vick does.” Frankie was nodding. “Or rather his company does.”

“So you know about it? What does he use it for? He’s obviously not living there.”

Frankie dropped her head and blew out a deep breath. Then she looked me right in the eyes. “He makes porn movies there and sells them online.”

I laughed at first. I thought she was joking. Then when I saw she was dead serious, I sat very still, trying to imagine Mad Dog involved in making porn movies. No, that just didn’t make sense. “Is that even legal?”

“Yes. It’s legal…not the highest profession, I know. Lord knows I can’t judge anybody for their lifestyle though and I didn’t judge Vick for his. But, I have never told anybody what he does. Guess that says something different about me judging him, huh?”

I held up my hand. “I won’t mention it to anybody, don’t worry.” As long as that’s all that is going on there. I tried to fit this new information in place. “So, I saw the twins, Tammy and Tonya, go in there one night. Are they involved in making these videos too?”

“Yep, I didn’t find that out until that night I met you at Landon’s magic show.” Frankie shook her head and picked up one of the pups. As she stroked it, she was lost in thought. “There’s something not quite right about those girls. They seem nice and all…just reckless, I guess.”

“What about Landon? Does he know what they’re doing?”

“Probably not.”

“Frankie, you said that Vick was with you the night that Mad Dog got killed? You’re absolutely positive that he didn’t sneak out of your place? That he remained there the entire night?”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure.”

Well that just left the twins, then. Unless someone else had access to the house. How in the world was I going to find that out?

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Frankie picked me up Friday at lunch time from the boutique to go get Karma. I was so excited I almost didn’t notice Frankie’s new deep red hair color. Luckily, it was impossible to miss in the sunlight.

“Hey, I like the new do!” I slid into her sports car and dug sunglasses out of my bag.

“Thanks, had it done this morning. Figure if I’m gonna attract a different type of fish, I need to use a different kind of bait.”

We laughed together. I was glad to see she had recovered so quickly. I hoped Karma could get his spirits back quickly, too.

She introduced me to country music at obscene decibels as we drove to the Emergency Vet Clinic. My ears were still ringing as we sat in the plastic waiting room chairs.

Eventually, the door opened and the vet tech led Karma through the door.

A mixture of emotions tumbled around inside me. I was glad to see him up and about but his obvious discomfort squeezed my heart. He moved slowly, limping and panting, but his tail was wagging. That was a good sign. I kneeled down in front of him.

“Are you ready to go home, Karma?” Looking into those soft brown eyes, I smiled and kissed his nose. “Whew, you need a bath!”

I paid the enormous vet bill, got a bag full of the stuff I’d need to give him fluids at home and instructions, then Frankie helped me get him settled on the blanket in the tiny back seat. I was glad the convertible top was down, I couldn’t imagine being confined to a tight space with Karma smelling so badly. I’d have to get Sylvia to work her magic on him.

Luckily, I didn’t have to wait too long. Sylvia took one whiff of him and squeezed him in between her furry clients, scrubbing him until he smelled like a flower garden.

“Much better,” she said, assessing him as he stretched out on his pillow afterwards and happily watched us.

“He looks like he’s smiling, doesn’t he?” I put a peanut butter cupcake in front of him. He licked at it with his massive tongue.

“I’m sure he didn’t like to smell himself, either.” Sylvia answered. “Oy! Those cupcakes look good enough for humans!”

I waggled my eyebrows at her. “All natural ingredients.”

“I’ll stick with Cassis,” she laughed and then turned to ring up a gentleman with a schnauzer. “Alô, you find everything okay?”

Now that I had Karma back safe and sound, I began to work on the problem of how to find out who was in the townhouse the night Mad Dog died. I couldn’t think of any other way to do that besides confront the twins and see how they reacted.

I checked my watch. It was almost closing time. I was supposed to meet Will for dinner at seven, which brought up a whole different set of issues. How was he going to respond to hearing I get psychic images from animals? And that I’ve been keeping this from him the whole time? Not to mention my family’s weirdness—which, I probably wouldn’t. My stomach twisted. I pushed these thoughts away. Finding Mad Dog’s killer had to stay a priority.

I only had an hour to stop by the townhouse and see if the twins were there. If not, I would go by Landon’s magic show after my dinner with Will and talk to them there. Maybe Will would go with me? Stop it, Darwin! Happily ever after is dangerous territory to go fantasizing in.

I took a quick shower, gave Karma his fluids, blocked off the stairs and made a pillow bed on the living room floor for him so he didn’t try to climb up to the bedroom with his broken leg.

“Okay, you hold down the fort, Karma. I have to go back to the townhouse tonight.” I scratched under his ears. “I’m getting close to finding out what really happened to Mad Dog. You rest and I’ll be back later.” I kissed him between the eyes hoping he could understand me. Hoping he would know when it was over. Hoping he would understand somehow when the mystery was solved and justice was done.

I maneuvered my bike down the sidewalk to the townhouse, dropping it in the grass before I walked up to the front door. A light was on behind the heavy curtain and I could hear voices inside, arguing. I suddenly wasn’t so confident with my decision to just waltz up and knock. I should see who I’d be dealing with first. Stepping back off the porch, I snuck around the side, through the weeds and peered through the window on the back door. The kitchen light burned bright and I could see shadows beyond that but still didn’t know if the twins were in there. I wiggled the knob. Locked.

The footsteps behind me barely registered before a blow to the back of my head knocked me to my knees and then into the land of unconsciousness.

CHAPTER FORTY

I heard voices as I came to. Where was I? It all came flooding back with a force that made my head throb. Well, my wish had been granted…I was now inside the townhouse. I tried to move my arms, but my hands were tied behind my back and almost too numb to feel.

Forcing my eyes open, I saw light seeping in beneath the closed door. Someone’s hysterical scream startled me. I strained to hear the conversation.

“You have to calm down! Shit, I can’t hear myself think!”

I recognized that voice. It was Vick.

“It’s over. You have to turn yourselves in.”

That was Mac’s voice! Mac was here, thank heavens. I tried to scream through the cloth gag in my mouth. Too muffled. He knew I was in here, right? I squirmed to get my legs, which were also tied, to maneuver me upright. Youch! A rabbit was kicking the inside of my skull. Gritting my teeth, I bore the pain and pulled myself into a seated position. I waited for the wave of nausea to pass and then tried to stand on my bound feet. I crashed back onto the mattress. Who would think this would be so hard?

Vick’s voice now rose over a female’s crying. Mac was shouting back.

“Mac!” I screamed. No use. He couldn’t hear me. I had to get to the door.

Suddenly, there was a sound like
ptwhew
! A heavy thud and the female yelped.

Then silence.

I held my breath, my own heartbeat thumped in my ears. I sat there, not knowing what to do. Mac? I didn’t hear his voice anymore. As I stared at the closed door and the shouting resumed, I suddenly realized just how much danger I was in. No one knew where I was. I thought about Karma waiting for me at home and about Will waiting for me at dinner. Would he think I stood him up and just go home? If I didn’t show up at the boutique in the morning, would Sylvia call the police? By then it would be too late.

I couldn’t wait until morning. I knew I wouldn’t survive the night in this place.

The door suddenly burst open and Vick stared down at me holding a gun with some kind of long black tube on the end. “You,” he waved the gun at me and I couldn’t tear my eyes from it. “If you would have minded your own damned business about Mad Dog’s death…” Reaching down, he grabbed the back of my arm and pulled me up off the mattress. I tried to fight him, but his fingers dug into my flesh. “Come on, I want to show you what you’ve done.”

The scene in that little living room wiped away all hope of getting out of there alive.

Mac lay on the floor, face down, blood pooling on the hardwood floor beneath his torso. I lunged toward him, tears streaming down my face. Vick held me tight. He dragged me over to an upright punching bag. Forcing me against it, he yelled at the woman standing there glaring at me. “Get the rope!”

It was Maddy!

She didn't look good. Mascara ran in thick streaks down her face.

“Shit,” she slurred, still crying. Obviously high on something, she stumbled over to the box and pulled out rope. She brought it back and held it out to Vick.

As he wound the rope around me, tethering me to the punching bag, Maddy glared at me, her sobs coming out as hiccups.

“You have ruined everything!” She fell forward with the force of her anger. Gaining her balance, she balled her hands into fists. “You made me lose my baby!”