by Rose Pressey
“Well, I’ll be,” Charlotte said.
“What is that woman up to?” Alice said.
Why would Vera have a tarot card? It had to be hers, right? Was it from the same set as the cards that had been left at my shop? I couldn’t wait to find out.
Heather handed me the card. I flipped it over and saw that the design was the same as the ones that had been left in my store while I was locked in the back room.
“There is something fishy going on,” Charlotte said.
“And it’s not the smell coming from that pond either,” Alice said.
“What does this card mean?” I asked Heather.
She took the card from my outstretched hand. The card featured an angel wearing a light blue gown and burgundy-colored wings. “It’s the judgment card. Meaning a day of reckoning. It’s tied to the justice card.”
“So this card fits with the rest of them?” I said.
“Yes, very much so,” Heather said.
“Oh, this isn’t good.” Alice twisted her hands.
“So this could be for me? Maybe she planned on leaving it with the other cards?”
Heather winced. “It’s possible.”
“I wonder if there are more cards around here that she lost.”
“Did she lose it?” Charlotte asked. “Or drop it on purpose?”
That was a good question that I didn’t have an answer for. Heather and I walked around the tulip poplar tree scanning the area.
“I don’t see any more cards,” Heather said.
I pushed the hair out of my eyes. “Me either.”
If Vera had left the card, then how did she get it in the first place?
“Did Vera buy a set of these cards too?” I asked Heather.
“Definitely not,” she said. “At least, not from me. I would have remembered her coming into the store.”
“She is a memorable character,” Charlotte said.
Heather handed the card back to me. I stuffed it in my pocket so that I could show Dylan. Although again I would have to explain how I just happened to find it. Who was I kidding? He knew I was snooping around. There was no use hiding it.
“Vera could have stolen the cards from Jessica,” Heather pointed out.
I pondered this idea. “Yes, she could have, but when? Was it after Jessica left the cards at my shop? Or before the cards were left at my shop? That would mean Vera had left them there. Then again, it could be neither one of them.”
“Those cards have seen a lot of traveling,” Alice said.
“We have no way of knowing. Let’s walk to the edge of the property,” I said.
“Why, so she can catch you?” Charlotte asked.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Alice added.
“Vera could be waiting for us over there,” Heather said.
“All of you are thinking like chickens. We have to be tough and stand up to Vera, remember?” Who was I to tell them not to be afraid? I had been scared of Vera too.
Heather puffed her chest out. “You’re right, Cookie. Let’s show her a thing or two.”
“This probably won’t end well,” Alice said.
“It rarely does, dear,” Charlotte said.
My companions followed me up the small hill and across the yard toward the edge of the plantation. I wouldn’t deny that I was nervous about this whole mess. But I decided to be strong and push forward. We’d just reached the edge of the property, and I hadn’t seen Vera again, when I spotted the security guard.
“Uh-oh, it looks like we got trouble.”
“See, I told you it rarely ends well,” Charlotte said to Alice.
“Is he looking this way?” Heather asked.
“Not yet. But we should hide again in case he’s looking for us.”
“Even if he’s not looking for you, if he sees you he will throw your tushies out.” Charlotte waved her hands.
“Vera could have seen us and called the police. I wouldn’t put it past her at all,” Alice said.
We scampered across the lawn again to a boxwood hedge that lent its fragrance to the heavy atmosphere. I tried to catch my breath. It was crazy that we had to hide from people. Maybe the guard wouldn’t have said anything to us at all. After all, I had brought the pass that they had given me.
Movement came from behind us, and I held my breath. Heather looked at me with wide eyes. The guard was probably going to reach out and grab us. But after a few seconds, he walked on past. Like Preston, he never even looked in our direction.
When he was out of sight, I said, “That was a close one. I thought for sure he was going to grab us.”
“Me too,” Heather said.
“Ladies, you all are bananas,” Charlotte said.
“You’re just as crazy as we are, Charlotte. After all, you’re here with us too,” I said.
“Touché,” she said.
Alice laughed.
“Did she call us crazy? She’s one to talk,” Heather shooed away a fly.
“Okay, let’s not argue. We have to figure out what we’re doing.”
“I know what we should do,” Alice said.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Leave.” Her expression remained completely serious.
I frowned. “Not the plan I wanted to hear.”
Male voices carried across the hot summer air from behind us. Surprisingly, I recognized both of them. It was Preston Hart and Ken Harrington, but I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.
“It’s Preston and the lawyer,” I said.
Charlotte and Alice both popped out from behind the boxwoods to get a better look.
“I wish I could hear what they are talking about.” I looked at Charlotte and Alice to give them a not-so-subtle hint.
“Hint taken,” Charlotte said as she glided away.
Alice trailed behind her.
“They’re going to eavesdrop,” I said.
Heather clapped her hands. “Great.”
The ghosts hadn’t even reached the men when they ended their conversation. Preston turned to his left, and Ken turned to his right.
Charlotte and Alice reappeared beside us. “Sorry, no luck this time,” Charlotte said.
“That’s okay. Things aren’t working out as well as I’d hoped,” I said.
I looked at Heather. “We should get out of here.”
“What about finding Jessica?” she asked.
“It looks like that is a lost cause.”
“Sadly, I think you’re right,” Charlotte said.
“I wish we’d found out what Preston and Ken were talking about. It probably had something to do with the case,” I said.
“You should tell Preston that Vera was watching him. That would probably scare the khaki pants off him. I bet he gets that kind of thing all the time,” Charlotte said.
“It would be tough to deal with,” Alice said.
I stepped away from the hedge and brushed off my clothing. Maybe my vintage outfit wasn’t great to chase after people in. I hoped I didn’t ruin it.
Heather leaned out for a look. “Everyone is gone.”
We left our hiding spot and followed the path that wound around the pond. I avoided looking at the spot where I’d seen Nicole.
We turned toward the car. Walking across the perfectly manicured lawn seemed somehow wrong, but there was no other way to reach the parking lot.
“I can’t believe we never found Jessica,” Heather said.
“I bet she’s already gone by now. She’s probably at the airport in Atlanta and preparing to get on a plane.” I weaved around another boxwood.
“Don’t say that. There is no way we can go to Atlanta and find Jessica in the busiest airport ever.”
I had to accept her logic. “No, you’re right. That was a crazy thought. Besides, we don’t even know if that was where she was going.”
When we reached the edge of the parking lot, Jessica was heading toward her car.
“There she is,” Charlotte called out.
&nbs
p; Heather and I stopped behind a white minivan.
“What do we do now?” I whispered.
“Go talk to her,” Heather said. “Isn’t that what we came here to do?”
“Please just be careful,” Alice said with worry in her voice.
We inched closer to Jessica’s car. She had a couple of suitcases in her hands. She stopped at the back of her car and placed the bags on the ground.
“Looks like she packed her bags,” Heather said.
Just then rain started to pour from the sky, pounding against the pavement. It was one of those summer cloudbursts that struck without warning. We were getting drenched.
“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it’s raining,” I said. “My shoes are going to be ruined.”
Jessica looked up at the sky and cussed. The clouds were spotty, and it looked as if it wasn’t even raining in the near distance. I hoped it didn’t last long.
Jessica fumbled with her keys, trying to get the trunk to unlock. It looked as if her remote wasn’t working. The rain was beating down on all of us. Except, it was having no effect on the ghosts. They still looked just as perfect as they always had.
Despite the rain we stood there and watched her.
“I’m soaking,” Heather said.
“Well, don’t just stand there. Go talk to her. You’ve found her and that’s what you wanted to do. You’re just wasting time at this point,” Charlotte said.
I had to make my move. I hadn’t thought about what to say exactly. So I guessed I would just wing it.
Jessica had gotten the trunk open and was tossing the bags around inside it. When one wouldn’t fit, she slammed it onto the ground. Her blond hair was plastered to her head. She grabbed a Vuitton carry-on and threw it in the trunk for another attempt on making it fit. This time she got it in. She slammed the trunk down and ran around the side of the car.
Turning the corner too sharp, Jessica fell on her bottom on the wet pavement. She cussed and struggled to push to her feet.
“Oh, that is not very ladylike,” Charlotte said.
I pushed the wet hair from my forehead and pushed my shoulders back. “Okay, we need to confront her now.”
“Right,” Heather said.
Yet we stood in the same spot, letting the rain pound down on us.
“If you don’t go over there right now, I will haunt you for the rest of your life.” Charlotte’s voice reminded me of the high school principal reprimanding us for being late to class.
“Me too,” Alice threatened.
Heather followed me as we moved across the lot and closer to Jessica. I glanced over to make sure my Buick was okay. It was a good thing that I’d left the top up.
Jessica had gotten up and reached the driver’s side door. Heather and I picked up the pace. Jessica dropped her keys. I wasn’t sure if she was always this clumsy or if something was making her nervous.
When Jessica picked up her keys, she looked up and spotted us. She glared at us but remained frozen on the spot.
“What is she going to do?” Alice asked.
I didn’t answer as I focused my full attention on Jessica.
“I think she’s going to jump in her car and take off, leaving you standing there like a couple of bumps on a log,” Charlotte said.
I wasn’t about to let Jessica get away. I guess I could get in my car and go after her. Would her Jaguar beat my Buick? I had no idea.
“I’d say by the look on her face she is really mad too,” Charlotte added.
Jessica moved to her right, toward my car now. She wasn’t going to let us get out of here, I realized.
“Well, we’re two against one,” Heather said.
“What if she has a gun or some other weapon?” I asked.
“That would change things dramatically.” Heather didn’t take her eyes off Jessica.
“I think we should get out of here,” I said out of the corner of my mouth.
“Where are we going?” Heather asked.
“Away from Jessica,” I said.
We turned around and took off over the lawn. It was hard to keep my footing in the wet grass. I tried my best to keep from falling, but I wasn’t sure how long I would win that battle. When I looked back, I saw that Jessica was running after us.
Charlotte and Alice were gliding along at our side.
“Why are you running? It’s two against one, remember?” Charlotte said.
“Yes, but she looks crazy. It’s better if we get away from her,” I said as I picked up speed.
“I’ve never seen a look in anyone’s eyes like that before,” Heather said, panting.
“I’ve seen it before. When I confronted Charlotte’s killer,” I said.
“Oh yeah, that was bad,” Charlotte said.
I glanced over my shoulder. Jessica was gaining on us.
Heather was wheezing for breath. “We need to hurry.”
“Maybe going to confront Jessica wasn’t such a good idea after all,” Charlotte said.
“I tried to tell you all that it wasn’t such a good idea. But you wouldn’t listen to me. No, you had to do it anyway. Maybe next time you will listen to me when I tell you something.” Exasperation filled Alice’s voice.
“Alice, this is not the time to say ‘I told you so.’” Adrenaline rushed through me as I pushed to run faster.
“You might as well stop. I’ll catch you,” Jessica called out.
Chapter 23
Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tips
Bring cash when you go shopping as some stores may not accept credit cards or checks.
This wasn’t looking good.
“Maybe if we act like we don’t hear her she will go away?” Heather asked.
“Something tells me that won’t make a difference. If anything, it would probably make her angrier.”
“Why don’t you just stop and simply explain to her that you just want to go to your car and that you don’t want any trouble?” Charlotte asked.
“Did you see the look in her eyes? I think she’d kill us if we did that. Let’s just keep going,” I said.
We had almost reached the pond again. I had grass and mud on my shoes. The lawn wasn’t so neat anymore. When we reached the path, we would have to decide which way to turn. I thought it would be best to go toward the plantation. There were other houses and even a small cottage in the other direction. But it would be more likely that the crew was at the plantation.
I glanced back and saw Jessica right behind us.
“You might as well stop,” she said.
She was right. I looked at Heather, and we both turned around at the same time.
Jessica placed her hands on her hips and glared at me. Her hair was wet and stuck to her face. Black mascara had run down her cheeks.
Of course my makeup probably looked the same.
“Hello, Jessica. We were just getting ready to leave. I hadn’t expected the rain.” I pointed at the sky.
“You’re really talking about the weather? Ask her if she killed Nicole,” Charlotte said.
“She can’t just come out and ask that,” Alice said.
Jessica squinted. “Why are you spying on me? What’s your name? Are you Cookie?”
She knew perfectly well what my name was. She knew where my shop was too.
“Yes, my name is Cookie, and no, we weren’t spying on you.”
She arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “Then why were you and your pal hiding behind that minivan and peeking at me?”
“Like I said, we were just going to leave. You just happened to be in the parking lot at the time.”
I had to let her know that I wasn’t going to be afraid of her anymore. It was the only way to get out of this situation. I decided to go on the offensive.
“Did you get a set of tarot cards from Shiloh?”
She scoffed. “I don’t think so.”
I knew by the look in her eyes that she was lying.
“Shiloh gave you the cards and you left some of them
in my shop. You did that on purpose to send me a message, right? And you locked me in the back room?”
If I was falsely accusing her, then this would be awkward, but I had a feeling that I was right on track.
“Keep up the questions, Cookie. I think you’re getting to her,” Charlotte said.
“You are crazy,” Jessica said. “What makes you think I would do something like that?” Her voice sounded more anxious than before.
I pressed on.
“What about the text messages that you sent to Nicole?”
She studied my face. The black mascara really gave her a spooky look. “What are you talking about?”
“The messages that you sent to Nicole. You told her that you wanted the lead role for this movie. I found her phone,” I said.
“You took it?” Jessica asked.
“No, I found it.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You will not get away with this. I tried to give you a warning. I figured your friend would see the meaning of the cards and tell you to back off. But you didn’t listen. I told you I would get revenge. You had to keep coming around here. I saw you poking around. You wouldn’t mind your own business.”
I realized she was confessing to me.
“You had the cards wrong,” Heather said. “That wasn’t their actual meaning. That was how we knew it was a novice who left them. We figured out that Shiloh had stolen the cards.”
Jessica clenched her fists. “I should have known not to take something from her. She’s constantly taking things. Both of you will pay for this,” Jessica snapped.
“I’m going for help,” Heather said.
“You won’t find any help around here. The security guard is always sleeping. You’ll never find his secret spot.”
Heather took off running down the path. “Cookie, I’ll go get help.”
Jessica laughed. “Oh, that is so sweet. She is going to help her friend. When she comes back with no help she’ll find you dead and then I will kill her.”
Chills ran down my spine.
“My heavens, I’ve never heard anyone so evil,” Alice said.
She was right. Jessica was evil. I had to get away from her. If only I hadn’t left my phone in the car. I hoped Heather remembered that it was there. She could call for help. That was when I remembered that the car was locked. And Heather, most likely, had forgotten to charge her battery.
