“There you go thinking again. We all know how dangerous that can be. Come on, Gertie, let’s go make asses of ourselves.”
“Thanks.” I waited until I saw them laughing and joking about the antiques and old photographs on display by the cash register. I was right. The cops watched them like a hawk ready to swoop down and snatch up their prey. I slipped away quietly, joining Morgan in the ladies’ room. It was a one person sort of place, with a single toilet and latch for the door, which Morgan quickly secured.
“What’s this all about?”
“Clyde and Sadie of course. Thanks for making them sleep with the fishes or whatever it is you people call it.”
“Whoa! What? Are you saying that Clyde and Sadie are dead?”
“Exactly. Wait? Are you saying you didn’t know? Because you sure act surprised to hear this. I thought everyone in town heard the news already.”
“No…not us. What happened? And when?” I tried to remain calm when all I wanted to do was freak out. I needed to find out everything she knew.
“It happened sometime this afternoon. About an hour after I left your place. Thank God I headed right to work, so I was here when it happened. Of course, I would be the number one suspect…considering. But I’ve got a rock solid alibi.”
My legs started to tremble. “So, you’re saying they were murdered? I mean, obviously that’s what you’re talking about. Right?”
“Oh yeah. Their bodies were pulled from the river. Gossip travels faster than the speed of light in this town. Some guys who were there said they looked like they’d been beaten nearly beyond recognition. Really brutal. I’d be curious to hear what the county coroner says when he’s done. You act so surprised, but…”
“But what?” What exactly was she implying? That Karma Inc. had something to do with the murders?
“It’s quite a coincidence…they were killed hours after our meeting.”
“Yeah. I suppose. But to be honest, you could name a dozen unrelated things that happened prior to the crime and call them coincidences.”
“There’s more. Right before this happened, Sadie had made a call to the police. A good source informed me that she was trying to blow the whistle on Clyde for what he pulled on my dad. Apparently, Sadie found out that Clyde had gotten himself mixed up in some shady financial dealing with Mr. Catania and didn’t bother telling her about it. The bottom line is that Clyde borrowed money from Mr. Catania. From the sound of it, we’re talking big bucks to develop a new diner out by the interstate. Only Clyde has a gambling problem, and he mismanaged the whole project. He was on the hook for it and rather than face Mr. Catania, he wiped out every penny Sadie had stashed away over the past thirty years. Wiped out everything they had.”
“Stop right there. So that was the Karma. Sadie finding out what an ass Clyde was. Plus, she lost out on the wealth she, or both of them, had gained illegally to begin with.”
“Yeah, but when she found out, she wanted Clyde to get burned. The only thing she had on him was the concrete proof of Clyde stealing my inheritance. She called the cops then she called the district attorney and faxed proof of the forgery and the whole ball of wax.”
“Okay, let me be perfectly clear. We didn’t have anything to do with their deaths. You understand that now, don’t you?”
“Sure. I guess. I’m not going to say anything. I’m just hoping everything will be clear now and I’ll get the inheritance my parents wanted me to have. So, I owe a debt of gratitude to someone.”
“All the same. Don’t mention Karma Inc. to anyone. Got it?”
“Sure.”
“Good. Now get back to work. I’ll wait a couple minutes before I go back to my table. I don’t want anyone to see us in here together.”
Once Morgan left, I looked in the scratched mirror. “I don’t like this one bit.” When I got back to the table, I noticed the police were gone. Randy and Gertie sipped slowly at their drinks. “We need to leave. Back to the mill.”
“Why? Christ, Kelly! I’m hungry!”
“We’ll find something later. We need to leave now.” I put ten dollars on the table and we snuck into the shadows of the park where we magically whisked ourselves back to our new home.
When we returned to the mill, we found Ezzy out on the deck, wand in hand. A small but steady orange flame flew from her wand in an attempt to light a charcoal grill. “Barney and I ventured out and found a vegetable stand on the highway. How did you fare in town?”
“Ask Kelly. She seems to be determined to see to it that Gertie and I starve today.”
“Ezzy, we had the strangest experience in town. First, we overheard some people talking. Two men and a woman. We only caught part of it, but they seem to think Jimmy Catania, the de facto boss of this little town, needs to go away. Otherwise, some bad things will keep happening. And the woman, she gave me the creeps. She said there was a thing. Almost like she was talking about…well, I don’t know, but a thing will come back. It’s almost time. It made the hair on my arms stand on end.”
“Hmm…a thing? I’m curious, but I wouldn’t be alarmed unless I heard the whole conversation.”
“It gets stranger.” I recounted what Morgan told me in the bathroom. I went into detail about the files and Sadie’s apparent ratting out of Clyde.
“Do you think it was this Jimmy Catania guy who had them knocked off?” Ezzy asked.
Randy finally seemed to take everything a little more seriously. “It seems like the kind of thing you’d hear about in Chicago. Doesn’t it? The shady boss knocking off a careless business associate and his cop-calling spouse. But in this case, why would he knock off these people? Wouldn’t he rather have them alive so they could pay off what they may owe?”
“I would blow this all off, except for the fact that Morgan seemed to think we were the ones behind it… as if we found an extreme solution to her problem. I didn’t like hearing her say that. Not one bit.”
Barney finally chimed in. “You’re right. Who knows what happened to those people. There are two facts. Morgan wanted them dead, and she came to us with her problem. Of course, nothing at all links us to the murders, so we shouldn’t have anything to worry about. But in a one horse town like this, the outsiders are going to be the first to get blamed. Either we just bail out now, or continue on. If we stick it out, we should be trying to find out who really did this. Our best defense is a good offense.”
“I say we stay and finish our next clients. We’ll go from there. Until then, we have the rest of the weekend to keep our eyes and ears open.” Ezzy waved her flaming wand one last time and we all agreed with her.
Late that night, I was nearly shaken from my bed by the odd booming sound that arose from deep in the mill. I reminded myself about the mill’s age and the type of machinery that must have been built decades ago. Quiet, smooth operations never seemed to be qualities deemed important design features on anything built back in the old days.
Still, it was unnerving enough to prevent me from falling back to sleep. With my miniature pack of tiny Mexican guard dogs to keep me company and Gemma in my arms, I strolled to the kitchen. My goal was to get a bowl of cereal, hoping some food in my stomach would help me fall back to sleep.
The lights were all out, but I didn’t mind since the full moon threw more than enough light through the windows. I stopped at the big window overlooking the mill pond. I found myself quickly captivated by the shimmering moonlight on the still water and the supernatural glow from the moon. Dozens of fireflies blinked in the background.
That’s when I saw her. The same ghostly figure I’d seen before. This time she walked up the path toward the mill. She appeared to be searching for something, but I had no idea what. Twice she knelt down to touch the earth before continuing on her way. The spectral wanderer was only visible for half a minute, but it seemed like an hour. I had goose bumps popping up everywhere.
“Hey!” The voice behind me called.
I turned and screamed. Claws out, Gemma sprang from
my arms, flying right onto Randy’s chest. He replied with an anguished cussing session.
“Randy! What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me?”
“I wasn’t sneaking at all. That damn noise woke me up, and I couldn’t get back to sleep. I thought I’d get a bite to eat.”
“Same here.”
“What’s out there?” Randy leaned against the glass, still clutching Gemma.
“Oh, nothing. Fireflies. Full moon.”
“Uh huh. Here, take your cat. And trim her damn claws. Between your and Gertie’s cats, I’m getting shredded to bits. You know, for a gay guy, I get more pussy thrown at me than I know what to do with.” Randy laughed at his own lame joke.
“Let’s have a bowl of cereal.” Randy and I sat in the kitchen. We played with the dogs and with Gemma while we ate. Neither of us brought up the spooky noises, and I wasn’t ready to admit to anyone that I’d been seeing a ghost. After all, at that distance and with only the moonlight, it might have just been a deer walking around. At least, that’s what I tried to tell myself.
Chapter Twenty Four
Pre-Date Preparations
I’ve been on plenty of dates over the years. Some weren’t so much dates, per se, they were more like meeting someone at a bar or a party. In any case, my date with Gabe wasn’t my first date. There was no logical reason for me to have been so nervously excited or hopeful. I reveled in the fun of it, and yet, I loathed myself for feeling so immature about the whole thing.
That Saturday morning, Gertie and I took the Chihuahuas for a walk down the lane until we reached the turnoff from the main blacktop road. The giant sugar maples that stood on both sides of the mill road reached out to each other, forming a green canopy like a natural covered bazaar. Several large boulders were piled on the corner, and we took advantage of the natural benches they provided.
“You like it here, in the country. Don’t you, Kelly?”
“Yeah, I do. I always miss the city when I’m gone, but I don’t miss it right now.”
“See? You’re a lot like me that way. Except you’re going the wrong direction, north. Do you have any idea how cold it gets up here in winter? I mean, even the summer nights are cool.”
“I never said I wanted to live here year round, but I could definitely spend my summers up here.” I paused my comments because I suddenly thought about the future, spending summers up here. What about Gabe?
“I know what you’re thinking about already, Kelly.”
“Oh really? What’s that?”
“You’re wondering about the future. You imagine yourself teaching in Chicago and coming up here for the summers. And you are wondering how Gabe might fit into that schedule.”
“Hmm. Very good, Gertie. It’s silly, isn’t it? I just met the guy. We haven’t even gone on our first date. And to be honest, I think Gemma charmed us both the first time we met. Maybe that’ll have worn off and Gabe won’t show a drop of interest in me.”
“Don’t be silly. Even if Gemma charmed him, and even if it wore off, there’s nothing about you that’s different from the girl he met the other day. Think of Gemma’s charm as a magical icebreaker.”
“Do you think we should get Gemma to do it again? Just in case?”
“Never ask for the same spell twice. It never seems to work out right. And never ask a cat for anything twice. Their too damn moody. Besides, I don’t see why you think you need a single magic charm. You look just like that model, Kate Upton. At least, that’s what I think.”
“Did Leigh feed you some magic brownies? Kate Upton?” Gertie nodded. “Well, thanks. Speaking of magic, I need to pick up the pace on honing my skills. I damn near barbequed Barney. Ezzy’s been teaching me a few things, but this Karma business has gotten in the way of that, I’m afraid. Otherwise, I could throw some charms on Gabe by myself.”
“Here’s what I’ve learned. Just like some people think that money is the most powerful thing in the world, some people seem to think witchcraft is an all-powerful thing. They’re not. Money will always find itself, so don’t worry about money. Magic finds its witch. You only have to find the one magic thing you can do well. At least, do it without creating a disaster and work with that. Take me for instance. I’ve been a witch a long time. Trust me when I say I’ve made plenty of mistakes and paid dearly. I still make mistakes, but I try to stay with what I’m best at and what I have a passion for. Marie Laveau gave me that advice and I’ve been trying to follow it. I’m good with animals, I love animals, especially paranormal critters, and that’s why I have the Paranormal Plantation.”
“So, what do you think I have a knack for?”
“So far? This Karma magic. But maybe there’s a way to use it so it’s not just for revenge. You’ve also got a good sense for knowing when things aren’t quite right and you know what to look out for. Who knows where that will lead?”
“I suppose you’re right.” I watched the dogs playing together. “Back to Gabe. Isn’t that who we were talking about to start with? You were right, you know. I like him. I know it’s crazy to even hope that something big will grow between us. Dare I even say it, but what if I find love? Real, true love? That would change everything. Do I even want that? Dangerous ground, that love stuff. There are so many ways to get hurt. And what if I flip head over heels and end up here, but then it doesn’t work out? I can just see my sorry ass slinking back to the city, failed at love. Ugh!”
“You’re thinking way too hard about this. Let it go. See what happens. And what if you fall in love? You wouldn’t be the first person to change jobs and relocate because of love. Those are bridges to cross when they come up, if they come up.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Gertie was right. I was letting my brain get in the way of just enjoying it and taking a chance on what could possibly be a beautiful thing. I remembered something I meant to ask Gertie about. “Say, Gertie, why didn’t you just throw some of your animal magic on Mama Bear the other day?”
“I tried. At least, I think I tried. I’ve thought about it a few times since. The only thing that I can come up with is my magic probably didn’t work because I was caught by total surprise. We both know how the fear of getting eaten affected my escape attempt. I ended up in the grocery store, bears and all.” The look on Gertie’s face, the funny little way she chewed her bottom lip when she was worried, betrayed her concern as she thought it over some more. “Even still, it’s a bit strange. Because it’s true enough to say I’ve been in a pinch with some angry creatures, and I’ve always gotten a handle on them. Could just be the bears around here are very grouchy. I’ll make up some protection powders. We can each carry a little pouch on us, and it’ll stop a charging bear in its tracks.”
“I suppose we’ll put that down as a lesson learned then. Witchcraft is never dependable under extreme duress. In any case, we should get going. I’ve got to see what this extra voluptuous version of Kate Upton has to wear for tonight.”
Back at the mill, I let the dogs run free in the fenced in area and headed straight for my room. It was time to start the tedious predate rituals that we all know too well. Gertie trailed after me, curious about what the modern witch undergoes for a proper and important date.
“All right, Gertie, these rituals are reminiscent of the ancient Egyptian mummification process.”
“Kelly, I will usually try anything once, but I draw the line at becoming a mummy.”
“Ugh! No, Gertie. I was joking around. What I meant is that in mummy-making, the amount of time, the care taken, and the number of steps, all depend upon the status of the deceased. In the modern date preparation version, the steps depend on the worthiness of the male subject to be dated. Let’s face it, the selection of attire is only one phase. Showering, shaving, plucking of any other unwanted body hairs, makeup application, and the all-important hair styling are additional phases.”
“But he’s already seen you with no makeup, in the clothes you slept in.”
“Well, yeah. And to be hones
t, I think I prefer that a guy sees me without makeup first. Of course, I really didn’t want to meet him wearing shabby old sweats or my hair looking like a total disaster the other morning. I cringe every time I think about how Gabe first saw me. I’m surprised he didn’t run away screaming or ask the mean momma bear to eat him and end his pain. I looked like I had just shuffled away from my spot in line at the methadone clinic. Not the look I said I preferred him to see. My point is, if he sees me at my average and doesn’t run like hell, then he’s all right. Now, for this date, let him see what kind of magical makeover I can conjure up when I bring on the glam. He’ll be stunned. You get what I’m trying to say?”
“Of course. If he would have first met you dolled up then he would’ve have expected for you to always look like that.”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t get it. It seems like most guys can’t even be bothered to take a little time to groom their whiskers, but they expect women to look like perfect taxidermy displays.”
“Guys live in a world where the double standard is so embedded, they don’t see anything wrong or hypocritical about it. Weight is another thing. Like they want us to look like size twos, but they can’t understand why we won’t pig out on ribs and beer every day. Let’s not even talk about clothes, or their lack of fashion sense.”
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