Karma's A Bitch (A Pet Psychic Mystery)

by Esposito, Shannon

  “And you, detective,” Sarah Applebaum poked Will’s chest with a long red nail, her eyes narrowing. “Back in the dating world and you didn’t call my niece. She’s not going to be happy to hear that.”

  “My loss, I’m sure.”

  I tried to keep the smile plastered on my face, but heavens that was rude. Glancing at Will, he didn’t seem too pleased with her little admonishment, either. He slipped his hand into mine.

  “If you ladies will excuse me, I’m going to dance with my lovely date.”

  He led me near the piano, took the glass from my hand and pulled me into his arms. “I’m so sorry you had to be there for that.”

  “No biggie,” I managed to push out on breath that was becoming more and more precious. My whole body was pressed into his. I could feel the solidness of his chest under the crisp tux lapels; feel the heat warming my low back where his hand rested. I’d had dance lessons but this was my first time being in the arms of a man that lit me on fire from the inside out. I was starting to be a believer in spontaneous combustion.

  As he rested his cheek on top of my head, and we swayed in slow motion under the stars, there were so many things I wanted to ask—to know—about him. But I had no right to ask. I had no right to try to enter this man’s world when I had no intention of being a part of it. An ache of loss and longing bloomed in my chest, and I hadn’t even lost anything yet.

  “You smell like flowers,” he whispered into my hair, breathing me in like I was, in fact, a flower.

  I squeezed my eyes closed and my resolve faltered. All right. One question. It would be all right to ask just one question.

  “Will?”

  “Hm?”

  “What happened? I mean, why weren’t you dating?”

  He cleared his throat. “I was married. We went to college together, married after graduation, made it about five years then…then she left me for a German plastic surgeon; left the country. Took our cat.”

  I braced myself for the waves of anger, regret or sadness that usually accompany a confession like that. They came but were more like soft echoes from the past. That was a good thing. “How long has it been?”

  “Six years this August.”

  I stopped swaying and pulled away from him. “You haven’t dated in six years?”

  “Wow.” He pressed his wrist against my forehead. “You’re burning up. Your face is flushed. Are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m fine.” Hot, yeah. His fault. “Are you changing the subject?”

  “No,” he laughed. “Yes. It’s been six years. That surprises you?”

  “Well, yeah.” It stunned me, actually. This town was packed with gorgeous, successful women with the money and drive to stay gorgeous and successful. “What’d you do, hide under a rock?”

  “No.” He entangled our fingers. “I just hadn’t met anyone I was interested in.”

  “Oh, and then I come along and spill tea all over you and you said, “Yep here’s the girl I’ve been waitin’ for.” I laughed…until I looked up and he had that intensity burning in his eyes again.

  “Exactly,” he whispered, lowering his mouth to mine. I froze. It was a soft brush of lips, an entanglement of emotions, expectations. His hand cupped the back of my neck and he touched his lips to mine, lightly at first and then—as the intensity and hunger of his kiss grew—I had to close my eyes and lean against him so I didn’t fall over. Stars burst behind my eyes. His mouth was hot and tasted like champagne. His energy was fierce and my own mouth felt like a furnace. He pulled back slowly from the kiss, his eyes closed. We were still only an inch away when we made eye contact again. I was burning up, wiggling my toes, feeling light headed and like I had just found the notorious “cloud nine.”

  “So,” I whispered, “she took the cat?”

  A smile. Heavens, I was growing fond of that smile.

  “I can get another cat.” He leaned in and kissed me again.

  “This is a hotel, you know. You two can get a room.” Sylvia and Landon had joined us in dancing, along with a few other couples. Her dark eyes were so full of humor as she swayed close by, they actually glowed.

  I hid my face in Will’s tux and felt the deep rumble of his laughter.

  He kissed the top of my head. “Let’s go get you a drink to cool off.” He took my hand. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

  “Yeah.” I gave him a dopey smile. Couldn’t help it, it was a silly question. I hadn’t felt this good…well, ever.

  We swiped two glasses of champagne off a tray and went to join Frankie, who was laughing with a small group of women, each holding plates full of tiny, rolled and decorated appetizers. I was surprised to see how crowded the space around the pool had become while I was…preoccupied. Was the whole city of St. Pete here?

  “Oh, Darwin, come here, sugar,” Frankie said. I felt Will’s reluctance to let go of my hand and smiled to myself. “I want to introduce you to my friend and real estate agent, Betsy Mills.”

  “Nice to meet you.” I shook her hand.

  “Betsy has three standard poodles, one in each color! I told her she must come visit your new pet boutique.” Frankie winked at me and her eyelashes stuck together for a second. She pulled at them with her thumb and forefinger—a large ruby bracelet sliding down her freckled arm—then continued. “And when you’re ready to buy property here, Betsy’s your gal. She’s got the inside scoop on all the deals.”

  I was quite happy in the Beach Drive townhouse, but I thanked her anyway. I glanced over at Will. He had gotten himself cornered by two women who kept touching his arms as they chatted. His eyes were still on me. I gave him a little wave and he mouthed “help.” I held my glass up with a grin and then took a sip of the bubbly.

  “So, go on, Jo Anne,” the lady with spiky red hair and a black sequined gown said, as she popped an appetizer without messing up her perfectly lined and colored lips. How do women do that?

  “So, they don’t want me to do cardio for another week, but I’m just a little sore now.”

  “Can I feel ‘em?” the redhead asked.

  “Sure.”

  I about dropped my glass when she reached over and squeezed Jo Anne’s breast.

  “They do feel natural.” She nodded. “I think it’s good you didn’t go too big.”

  I snapped my mouth shut and nodded in agreement, trying not to act like the obviously sheltered-from-plastic-surgery-etiquette woman that I was. Mental note: it’s fine to ask someone to feel their new boobs.

  Frankie moved closer to whisper to me. “We’ll wait about an hour to start the auction. Let everyone relax and drink first. Bids will be higher.”

  “You did a really great job putting this together on such short notice, Frankie. How did you ever get them to close off the whole pool for us?”

  She winked. “I called in a favor.”

  “Well, I hope the auction will cover renting this place and the food. It must have cost a fortune.”

  “Oh, believe me. These women will be generous. We get their money, they get to feel good about themselves. It’s a win win.”

  Just then, gasps began around us. I whirled around to where some of the women were staring, clutching their necklines, chins dropped in stunned silence. The piano fell silent and a hush made its way toward us in a wave from the stairs.

  “Ah, no,” Frankie groaned.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  He stumbled toward us, the dark kid from Pirate City, his arm wrapped around his stomach. A red bandana circled his forehead and he wore a pair of dirty jeans. No shoes, no shirt. As everyone else moved back, Frankie and I stepped out of the crowd. I looked from the kid to Frankie. She was frowning, her mouth working back and forth. Trying to figure out how to handle this, I’m sure. The kid’s breathing came in heavy gulps. As he fell toward us, I could see angry, fresh needle marks on his arms.

  I looked around at the knots of people, staring and beginning to whisper. Will had moved closer to Frankie, his hands on his hips—waiting
.

  “Junior,” Frankie said, as he finally stood in front of her, wobbling and sweating. “I’m going to get Vick to take you out of here.”

  “I need a doctor,” he breathed out.

  “You need rehab.” She bent down to look into his eyes.

  “Well, I’m calling the police,” the woman with newly minted boobs spoke up.

  “Yeah, Frankie, don’t get too close, he might have a gun or somethin’.”

  “He’s stoned out of his mind.”

  “Get him out of here!”

  “Hey!” Junior yelled, spit flying at their glittering costumes with his words. “You bitches shut up. What do you have to complain about? You don’t know what problems are! Just shut up!”

  All right, this was getting out of hand. I either had just enough of everyone’s crap or just enough champagne, but it was my turn to speak up.

  “Hey, Junior.” He turned and focused his anger and pain on me. I stood my ground. “Just because people have money doesn’t mean they don’t have problems. Betrayal, addictions and pain aren’t reserved for the poor.”

  “You tell him!” Someone yelled.

  I whirled around. “And y’all should be ashamed of yourselves. Stop staring at him like he’s some zoo animal. This is a human being and the very reason that we are all here tonight. For him.” I pointed at Junior. “Y’all need to stop judging each other.”

  Just then there was a splash, then screaming and chaos. Junior had fallen into the pool.

  Will threw off his tux jacket and jumped in the pool after him. Some of the tea light candles went out, some sank.

  “Now you can call an ambulance,” I told the redhead.

  ***

  Will kneeled on the Mexican tiled patio, chlorine water dripping from him, pumping Junior’s chest until he rolled over and threw up water. I grabbed some cloth napkins, folded them up and placed them under Junior’s head to cushion it from the tile. His body was shaking pretty badly and his eyes weren’t focusing on anything in particular.

  “Is he gonna be all right?” I asked Will, who was untucking his white dress shirt and wringing it out at the bottom. I caught a glimpse of smooth skin over taut muscle and turned away. The heat crawled up my neck anyway.

  “Don’t know. Ambulance should be here soon, though.” We could hear the sirens getting closer.

  “I’ve got a car here.” Vick leaned over us, assessing Junior. “I can take him to the hospital.”

  I glanced up at Vick. Frankie was holding onto his arm, her eyes wide. What in the world does she see in him? “That’s kind of you, but sounds like the paramedics are here.”

  Sure enough, a few moments later, two paramedics were carrying a stretcher on wheels up the stairs and then toward us.

  As they assessed Junior and put him on the stretcher, Will relayed the events in the typical detailed cop fashion.

  “All right, everyone.” Frankie clapped her hands after the drama was over and Junior was on his way to the hospital. “I’m glad you got to see that.” Everyone quietly turned to her. “That poor boy is a victim. He’s a victim of a society that doesn’t take care of its own people. Darwin’s right. We all treat our pets better than we treat each other.” Er, I didn’t say that. But, she had a point. “If that boy was perfect--not addicted to drugs, had a safe place to live and food to eat…then he wouldn’t need us, right?” A few people murmured. “I said…right?!”

  “Right!” a chorus of voices answered.

  “That’s right. He needs us. That’s why we are here tonight. So, let’s get this auction started and help that poor boy and the others that need us!”

  As everyone made their way over to the table of items to be auctioned off, Will turned to me.

  “I really hate to do this, but I’m going to have to cut out early.” He motioned to his soaked clothes and frowned. Then he slipped his hands in mine with a slight grin. “You could come with me?”

  “To your house and watch you strip off a newly ruined tux?” I laughed, though the image caused unfamiliar flutterings in my stomach. “I don’t think I’m ready for that kind of trouble.”

  “Fair enough.” He leaned in and kissed me softly. I could taste the chlorine but I didn’t care. I sighed. He groaned. “When can I see you again?”

  Oh heavens. I was getting in so over my head here. Losing control. Was that a bad thing? There was no stop button on this crazy ride and I was already dizzy from the spin. “You know where to find me.” I smiled, shook my head and then went to find Sylvia. It took all my self control not to look back.

  She had found a lounge chair and was sitting with Landon, watching the auction. Her black heels had been discarded below the chair and Landon had his jacket off. They looked so comfortable—with themselves, with each other. I was envious.

  “Ah, there you are,” she said, as I approached and plopped down in the chair next to her. “Your Romeo has left you?”

  What was the saying? The cat who ate the canary? Yeah, she was smiling at me like that.

  “Alas, yes,” I sighed for added drama. “He had to go peel off some wet clothes after his heroics in the pool.” I looked at her sharply. “And no comment about him undressing.”

  Landon laughed at that and stood. “I’ll get you ladies a refill and leave you to your girl talk.” He kissed Sylvia’s cheek and she whispered something in his ear that made him feign shock. He winked at me before heading off. I still couldn’t decide if I trusted him or not.

  “So?” Sylvia turned her full attention to me.

  I groaned in frustration. “Yes. He’s amazing. He’s smart and funny and has those incredible blue eyes and that smile that makes my heart tumble and...and…” I threw up my hands.

  “And he is crazy about you, too. Good.” She eyed me. “What is problem?”

  “I don’t know what to do with it all. These new feelings and I don’t know how I’m supposed to be around him. Am I letting things move too fast? I mean, I feel like I’m on a roller coaster.” And I can’t let him get too close. I can’t let him know about the parts of me that would make him run screaming in the other direction. Really, I couldn’t let Sylvia in on those parts of me either. I suddenly felt tired, spent and alone. “I’m sorry. I’m just overwhelmed.”

  “Darwin, you just be you. Just Darwin. Everything else will be what it is, too.”

  I smiled. “So, things are going good with your magician, I see.”

  “And speak of the devil.” Her eyes lit up as Landon returned with three fresh glasses.

  Okay, I wasn’t the only one on the roller coaster. I didn’t feel so lonely after all.

  ***

  By eleven o’clock, the auction had ended and we had all made the trip from tipsy to tired. I strolled over to say good night to Frankie; strappy heels in hand, the warm night air like a comforting blanket around me.

  “So, a success?” I hugged her. She looked as tired as I felt. Her hair had frizzed at the edges from the humidity and her makeup had melted. But she did look happy.

  “Absolutely, sugar. Guilt does wonders on the conscience. We’ll have to get together with my accountant this week and figure out how much we have to spend and what the camp needs.”

  “Sounds great. Any updates on Junior’s condition?”

  “Well, I called and they’re keeping him overnight. He’s stable, though. Me and Vick are gonna go see him first thing in the morning.”

  I glanced at Vick. All I could picture was his hands around Maddy’s neck. I swallowed the distaste that rose up in my throat but held his eye contact. “That’s very kind of you to care.” Then I turned to Frankie. “Have you been able to talk to Maddy yet? Find out why she left you so abruptly?”

  “She’s still not taking my calls,” she sighed. “It’s breakin’ my heart.”

  “That’s so strange. Don’t you think, Vick?” I raised an eyebrow at him. “Since her and Frankie were so close? Any ideas?”

  I thought I detected a sharpening of his attention on me
, like he had suddenly sat up and looked at me for the first time. His eyes narrowed. “No. None.”

  “Well, I’m sure you’ll get to the bottom of it eventually, Frankie,” I said, still staring at Vick. I smiled. He didn’t. “Speaking of that. Maybe when y’all visit Junior tomorrow, you could get to the bottom of his injuries. See if you can get him to tell you who’s beating him up. He trusts you, Frankie. Maybe he’ll talk to you.”

  “He’s a homeless junkie,” Vick scoffed. “He’s hurtin’ himself.”

  “Well, we can certainly talk to him.” Frankie shot Vick an annoyed look. “Don’t forget where I came from.”

  “Course not. I’m just sayin’, he’s probably into more stuff than just drugs.”

  “And I’m just sayin’ that Mad Dog had the same injuries and he wasn’t into drugs.”

  “Mad Dog?”

  “Yeah, the homeless guy who committed suicide at Mirror Lake a few weeks back. Only…” Frankie looked from me to Vick. “Darwin doesn’t believe it was suicide. She thinks somebody killed him.”

  “That so?” Vick said. He looked me up and down. “You knew him?”

  “Yes. He was my friend.” I said friend with extra emphasis because I knew where his slimy mind would go.

  His thin mouth spread into an amused grin. Reminded me of a snake. I waited for a little forked tongue to shoot out. But, instead, I got a shot of his attempt at humor.

  “Friends don’t let friends drink and swim.”

  Okay, it was time to go. This guy was really ticking me off. I turned my shoulder toward him and said good night to Frankie.

  I heard them begin to argue as I walked away.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Not one for being patient, I decided the next night, Sunday, would be as good a night as any to break into the town house. Or, at least do some serious spying. Again, the hardest part was deciding what to wear. I mean, I couldn’t go strolling down the street in all black…or could I?