Karma's A Bitch (A Pet Psychic Mystery)

by Esposito, Shannon

  Zap! I pulled Lola closer to my chest so I wouldn’t drop her as the burst of energy shot through me. The abrupt alarm in my head made my insides tremble.

  The woman appeared, out of breath, and took Lola from me, admonishing the little dog while I jogged over to the leash wall and did a few jumping jacks. Whew. Okay. I pulled a small pink harness with hand painted flowers off the wall and walked back over to Lola’s owner.

  “This will work much better for you than a collar.” I slipped it on the puppy and tried to avoid wet kisses as I adjusted the harness to fit. “We’ve got a matching leash, too, if you’d like.”

  “Oh, sure. Thank you so much.” I could hear the relief in her voice.

  “Also,” I tried to be matter of fact, “these dogs are very sensitive to noise. Fireworks, loud trucks,” I caught her eye, “even alarm clocks.”

  We clipped the new leash on the harness and Lola bounced up and down. “Oh, really? Okay, thank you.”

  Sylvia heard the ruckus and came out to help. She rang the woman up while I ordered the man’s iguana cage. The menagerie was leaving the store as another customer walked in.

  “Ah, Quem é esse homem?”

  “Hm?” I raised my head from the computer to glance at Sylvia. Not because I understood her question but because I understood her tone of appreciation. Something had caught her attention.

  Turns out it was Mr. Dark and Mysterious from the dog park.

  “Welcome to Darwin’s Pet Boutique.” Sylvia practically purred as he sauntered up to the counter, the black shepherd at his heels.

  “Hello, Landon Stark, right?”

  “Yes. Good afternoon, Darwin.” He flashed me a wide smile and, sans sunglasses, his eyes were startling—black and shiny like a raven’s. “And who do we have here?” He turned his intensity to Sylvia, and I thought I heard her breath catch in her throat as she offered him her hand.

  “Sylvia Alvarez.”

  He lowered his mouth to her hand and brushed it with it lips. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Sylvia Alvarez.”

  I did see the hair stand up on her arm then and fought to keep from rolling my eyes as she smiled, obviously completely under his spell. Did women really fall for this stuff? Was I just jealous because I’d never felt that kind of magic?

  “Decided to come see what all the fuss was about, huh?” I crossed my arms. Why did I find him so suspicious?

  “Yes. That and I wanted to give you some tickets to my show tonight.” He reached into the pocket of his black silk shirt and pushed them across the counter.

  I plucked one up. “Oh, you’re a magician?” Well, that made sense—shady, secretive, twister of reality and master of illusion. Did I mention shady? “Well, gosh, tonight at seven? I don’t think I can make it.”

  “You certainly can.” Sylvia turned on me and I saw the sparkle in her eye. “You need to get out of the house and have some fun.” Her perfectly groomed eyebrow rose like she was daring me to argue with her. Somehow, I didn’t think that would be wise. “That’s very generous of you, Mr. Stark, and we would love to come to your show tonight.”

  I cocked my head and shrugged. “Guess we’ll be there.”

  “A woman who takes charge.” He chuckled, raking his gaze over Sylvia. “I love it. Very good then. I’ll save you two ladies a table up front. Just give the doorman your names when you walk in.”

  He bought some of the chicken jerky and other homemade treats for Mage and then, with a final wink to seal Sylvia’s resolve that we were going tonight, he left.

  “Down girl!” I teased her when the door closed.

  She sighed. “A magician? How romantic.”

  “He seemed very interested in you, too.”

  “He did?” She feigned surprise but the little gleam in her eye told me she had been enjoying his attention too much to not have noticed his intent.

  “Yes, but Sylvia, I don’t know about leaving Karma alone yet.”

  “Oh, no,” She cut me off with a wave of her hand. “You have to go.” Then she weaved her arm through mine. “Karma will be fine. It’ll be muito fun, I promise. Besides, I need you there to, you know…”

  “Keep you out of trouble?”

  “Exactly.” She grinned.

  I laughed. “All right.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  One of my favorite things about St. Pete is you don’t need a car to get around and not just because I never learned to drive. I needed the outdoors; the smell of salty night air, the winking stars, the touch of a breeze on my bare neck—food for the soul. Tonight was no exception. A fifteen minute stroll brought Sylvia and me to the front door of the theatre. We glanced at each other and I checked the address on the card again. Right place. The door sported thick coats of black shellacked paint. No windows on either side. Creepy.

  “After you,” I whispered.

  Sylvia straightened her spine and her black cocktail dress, rested one hand on the door handle and crossed herself with the other. Then she pulled the door opened.

  A burst of cold air washed over us as we stepped inside. Before us was a squatty hallway, lit only by a few wall sconces and double doors at the end, also painted black.

  “Your turn.” Sylvia threw me an amused smile, crossing her arms as we reached the double doors.

  I pulled one open and stuck my head inside. Voices burbled low in the room and a man in a tux smiled at me. I smiled back, relieved the creepiness ended here.

  “Good evening, ladies.” The man in the tux glanced at a clipboard. “Do you have reservations?”

  “Oh, Mr. Stark said to give you our names…Darwin and Sylvia.”

  “Very good. Right this way.” He led us through the large room, weaving around tables to one in front of the stage. “Here you are, please look over the menu, your server will be with you shortly.”

  “Wow,” I said, glancing around at the tables full of patrons. “I would have never known this place was here.”

  “Adds to the místico…the mystery, yes?”

  “Mhm.” I wasn’t sure I was prepared to keep Sylvia out of the kind of trouble that gleam in her eye suggested.

  “Oh, hey!” Sylvia nodded behind me. “That’s Frankie Maslow, blonde lady, gold dress, two tables over.”

  I twisted around in my seat. The table candles kept the room dimly lit, but Frankie was still easy to spot. She sparkled in a sequined gold dress, diamonds on her neck and arms catching the light every time she laughed or raised her glass to her lips. On one side of her sat a skinny guy, his dark hair pulled back in a pony tail, wearing a white t-shirt and tux jacket with rolled up sleeves and the other side sat her red-headed assistant, who had brought the puppies into the boutique. Her assistant’s black dress scooped low, showing off ample cleavage and a tattoo. I couldn’t make out what the tattoo was from this far away.

  I turned back to Sylvia. “Can you introduce us after the show?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  A waitress came over and took our order right before a spotlight lit up the stage in front of us. A man stepped into the light.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to a magical evening with Landon Stark! We just ask that you sit back, enjoy your dinner and open your mind!”

  The spotlight disappeared and fog rolled onto the stage. Even this filled me with a sense of expectation and adventure. This was, after all, my first magic show.

  A rumbling—like far away thunderstorms—began, building until the whole room vibrated with the sound. A fast drum roll, then a loud crack of cymbals and multiple spotlights scanned the stage, crisscrossing each other as if searching for something. The waitress slipped our drinks onto the table. Two young women dropped from the ceiling, mirrors of each other in silver leotards, blonde hair slicked back into tight buns. Between them, they held a black satiny cape. I took a sip of my wine as they let the cape flutter to the stage. Yum, crisp and fruity. Whoa! The cape suddenly rose off the floor and took the shape of a person. The girl on the right, with one hand poise
d on her hip, grabbed the cape with her free hand and ripped it from the air.

  There stood Landon Stark!

  Applause erupted. Sylvia and I shared an impressed smile while we applauded with the crowd.

  And that began what turned out to be a seriously cool two hours of illusions and great food. Including a memorable moment where Mage appeared from an empty box, with a rose in his mouth, and proceeded to jump off the stage and drop it in Sylvia’s lap…then did a little doggie bow! Yeah, she was a goner.

  After the show, Landon himself came and sat at our table, faithful Mage lying at his feet.

  “That was just amazing!” Sylvia clapped. “Simply extraordinário!” She picked up the rose and pressed it to her nose, glancing down at Mage. “And muito obrigada, thank you, Mr. Mage, for the beautiful rose.”

  Landon smiled, his head tilting in a subtle bow. “I’m so glad…and honored that you ladies could make it this evening. Darwin? How did you enjoy the show?”

  “Oh, it was magnificent! And not just because it was my first magic show ever. I mean, it really blew me away. The part where you put the two girls…are they twins by the way?”

  “Yes. Tammy and Tonya.”

  “I thought so. So, when you put the two of them in that tiny box and only one popped back out…I was worried there for awhile until she showed back up in the end.” Okay, I realized I had downed three glasses of wine and was chattering away like a squirrel. I pressed my lips together and nodded. “Great job.”

  He chuckled, signaling for the waitress to bring him a drink. “That’s a very enthusiastic review, Darwin, thank you.” He let his dark eyes focus on Sylvia, who finished up the last of her frozen, milky umbrella drink. He was about to say something, but a voice behind me interrupted him.

  “Landon! Wonderful show as always!”

  Landon stood to greet Frankie Maslow with a two cheeked kiss. “Good evening, Frankie.”

  Now that she stood closer, I could see the powdered wrinkles and gray root line that revealed her true age.

  Her assistant recognized me. “Darwin, right? From the pet shop?”

  Boutique. Pet boutique! Oh, the tattoo was a rose with a drop of blood falling between her cleavage from a single thorn. Oops, was I staring? “Yes, I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name before?”

  “Maddy.”

  “Maddy.” Maddy had dark circles that she tried to cover with a shade yellower than her skin tone. Her hands were trembling. “Nice to see you again. How are the pups doing?”

  “They’re good. Sleeping through the night like babies. Thanks for your help.” At least they were getting some sleep. Looked like Maddy needed a bottle of her own flower essence.

  Frankie smiled down at me with perfectly white, squared off teeth and more than a little curiosity. “Hello, I’m Frankie Maslow.”

  I raised my hand, managing to keep myself from commenting on the size of the three rings. Seriously, how did she hold that hand up! “Darwin Winters.” I motioned to Sylvia. “And you know Sylvia. She’s co-owner of Darwin’s Pet Boutique.”

  “Hey, Frankie.” Sylvia waved.

  “Oh, good to see you, Sylvia. So, you met my new babies? Aren’t they just precious?”

  “Oh yes!” We both said at once.

  “I’m being rude,” she flung her hand to her chest. “Everyone, this is my boyfriend, Vick Bruno.” She lovingly placed a palm on his arm.

  He nodded as we said our hellos, his arms never uncrossing from his chest. Yeah, I could see why Mad Dog didn’t like him. He was closed off, protective and kind of rude. What was Frankie doing with a guy like him? Surely she could reel in a better fish with the kind of bait she now had. My mom used to say love is a mystery. I was beginning to understand what she meant.

  I was also starting to get worried about leaving Karma alone for so long but I really wanted to talk to Frankie about some fund raising ideas.

  While Frankie and Landon were exchanging pleasantries, the twins appeared, their silver outfits swapped for street clothes. They looked about in their early twenties. Stocky girls. Gymnasts maybe? One of them waved at Frankie and then Vick made a jerking motion with his head. They followed him to the corner of the stage. I kept glancing over at them and noticed Frankie doing the same, concern pinching the corners of her eyes. At one point, one of the twins threw up her hands and laughed. Vick had his hands on his hips. He didn’t look amused. This seemed to get Landon’s attention, too and his eyes narrowed for a second before he went back to his conversation with Frankie.

  The twins turned and walked away, leaving Vick staring after them. What in the world? What would two young girls have to talk to someone like Vick about? Maybe it was just my naivety again, but something didn’t feel right about it.

  When a lull in the conversation came between Frankie and Landon, I butted in. “Excuse me, Frankie?”

  “Yes?” That wide smile again. I pushed the image of a camel out of my head.

  “Do you have a business card? I’d like to discuss a few fund raising ideas I have for the homeless. I thought maybe we could do something together?”

  “Oh, wonderful idea.” She dug through a gold bag and handed me a card. She seemed genuinely pleased with the idea, which made me happy. Something got accomplished this evening besides being wowed by Landon Stark. I glanced at Sylvia. Well, for me at least. She seemed as wowed as a gal can get.

  The evening wrapped up about an hour later with Landon lingering over Sylvia outside the building, asking her if she was sure she didn’t want a ride home. To her credit, she refused, saying she was going to walk back with me. I watched this exchange with open curiosity but they didn’t seem to notice. I couldn’t figure out why she was acting so uninterested when I knew exactly how interested she was. Was this what they called “playing hard to get”?

  Sylvia offered her hand, which he kissed and then she slipped her arm in mine and we walked away. I glanced back once. Landon Stark still stood there—hands in his pockets, a slight smile on his face—watching us. I rested my head wearily on Sylvia’s shoulder.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  I thought Karma had behaved himself quite nicely last night as he greeted me with a slight thumping tail on the bed—although extra slobber did grace my pillow, which I’m sure he did on purpose. Until the morning when I found the French doors to the porch wide open and the bowl of dog rose water emptied.

  “That was naughty,” I said, making sure the doors were tightly closed this time. “Don’t most dogs just drink out of the toilet bowl?” He sat by the front door with his head hanging. “Well, I hope you don’t get a belly ache.” I sighed, reaching for my straw bag. I wasn’t sure what the effects would be of so much undiluted essence. “Let’s go.”

  I decided the time had come to go back to our morning breakfast routine at Hooker Tea Company. So, after a quick walk in the park with an extra large poop bag, he waited patiently as I mopped the wood floors of the boutique, put some fresh homemade treats in the display case, and straightened out some collars and t-shirts left in disarray. Then we headed out the door.

  A twinge of sadness twisted my gut as we approached our favorite table. Did Karma feel it, too?

  “You wait here, boy.” I lifted a chair and placed the end of his lead around the leg. I wasn’t delusional. I knew the chair would just go with him if he decided to go anywhere. This was more for the peace of mind of the people walking by who were leery of a hundred and fifty pound dog sitting there alone.

  At the counter, I had to fight a big old lump in my throat when I ordered only one ham and cheese omelet. I wasn’t prepared for these little things that kept fashioning the loss of my friend into sharp edges once again. I ordered Mad Dog a black tea, just in remembrance. It made me feel better.

  “Excuse me,” I said, trying to make it back through the small knot of customers with my tray. I was learning to pay attention to people in my space: adapting. That was the name of the game, wasn’t it? Adapting to change, good or bad.

&
nbsp; “Oh,” I stopped short at the table. “Hey.” Detective Blake was leaning down, two big hands scratching under Karma’s ears. Karma’s tongue lolled, his eyes squinted in pleasure.

  “Hi, Miss Winters.” He stood, dusted off his slacks and hands and smiled. Good god in heaven, the man had an electric smile. “How’s he adjusting to his new arrangements?”

  “Fine.” I set the tray down and then slid Karma’s plate in front of him. “Took him a few days to eat. He was in a real funk. Then I took him back to visit Pirate City.”

  “You what?”

  I slid into a chair and stirred the honey into my tea. Should I have not told him that? It wasn’t against the law. Still, he was making me feel like I did something wrong with the way he was staring at me like I was crazy. “It was fine. The people there were friendly and it seemed to help Karma.” I snuck a glance at him as he slid into the chair across from me and folded his hands together. His crisp sapphire shirt matched his eyes. Holy moly, it was hot this morning.

  “Listen, Miss Winters…”

  “Darwin.” Why did everyone insist on making me feel like my mother?

  “Darwin. I don’t know where you came from…”

  Same planet as you. “Savannah.”

  “Okay. But, here, you can’t just go wandering into the homeless camp. It’s not a safe place; there are drug abusers, criminals, very, very desperate people who wouldn’t think twice about robbing you…or worse. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.” I poured raw sugar into Mad Dog’s tea, like he liked it, and stirred. There was no way I was giving up on finding out who took Mad Dog away from us, and that was something I knew I had to make Detective Blake understand. “It’s a shocking way for human beings to live. And I did notice the violence. There was a boy there that looked injured just like Mad Dog. Someone is beating these poor people up. Like they don’t have enough problems.”