The Telltale Turtle (The Pet Psychic Mysteries)

by Jim Lavene;Joyce Lavene

  Buck shook his head. "I can't say that I do, but I respect you for it.

  "Talk to jenny about it. Maybe she'll agree to endorse it. Then you could say veterinarian approved."

  He considered that and his face lightened. "Say! That's not a bad idea. I might do that"

  Anything to take his mind off having her endorse Meaty Boy. "Good. Come on, Baylor. I think Danny's here."

  Mary Catherine picked Baylor up at the doorway and slowly went down the steps. Danny was pulling in to the long circle drive. He jumped out of the taxi before she could reach it and opened the door. "Buenos dias! That's the best outfit I've ever seen you wear, MC! It brightens up your whole face."

  "You mean I look like I'm seasick." She carefully got in the car and let him shut the door behind her. "I look like a giant jar of juice.

  He laughed. "No! You are mila bella! I don't know why you had that outfit stuffed in the back of your closet. You should wear it."

  "Thanks anyway." She glanced at her watch. "We've got some extra time this morning. They pushed my show forward an hour. I'd like to go out to Wrightsville Beach, if you don't mind."

  "That's cool with me." He started back down the drive. "Any special reason for the beach trip? Is there a whale washed up or a dolphin headed for the tuna factory?"

  "Nothing that dramatic. I want to get a little perspective, that's all."

  "The beach it is."

  Mary Catherine was quiet as they crossed town and headed toward the beach. Danny talked, and when she didn't talk back, he turned on the radio and started singing. He was a good-hearted soul, but she needed some time to herself. If she were an animal, she supposed she'd find a secluded place to lick her wounds. Going to the beach was her way of finding solace.

  When they finally reached the crowded beach area outside of Wilmington, she wasn't sure she'd be able to find an area that wasn't occupied by girls in bikinis and guys in Speedos. Colorful towels littered the beach, while teenagers in ragged jean shorts tried to surf the small waves coming into the shore.

  It was a colorful sight-planes with banners flew through puffy white clouds while seagulls wheeled across the sky. Hot dog, juice, and pizza venders peddled their wares as beach goers fought for places to park and walk to the oceanfront.

  "Where do you want to go on the beach?" Danny pulled out of the steady stream of traffic to the side of US Highway 74 and looked back at her in the rearview mirror.

  "This will do fine" She got out of the car, Baylor at her heels. "I'll meet you back here in forty-five minutes."

  "Hey! Wait! Where are you going? What am I supposed to do?"

  "Check out the good-looking girls," she advised. "I'm sure you can find someone to talk to."

  "But what are you gonna do out here?"

  "Find the answers to what's been going on. I'll meet you back here in forty-five minutes."

  Good morning, Mary Catherine!

  I love your show! I was wondering if you could tell me what kind of cat food Baylor likes to eat. I have three cats who love to listen to your show. They'd all like to know what Baylor eats.

  Thanks. Say hi to Baylor for us.

  EIGHTEEN

  MARY CATHERINE HAD FOUND in her life that standing beside the ocean was one of the most rejuvenating things she could do. Being in tune with the infinite life force given out by the creatures of the sea was like a shot of adrenaline. Their minds were too random, too wild for her to understand most of them, but the swell of their thoughts and emotions centered her.

  She stood in the shadow of one of the large hotels, arms outstretched, sea grass waving frantically in the breeze. Her eyes were closed as she listened to the song of the whales and the laughter of the dolphins. There were no judgments here; no petty grievances like the ones shared by humans on the land. She was glad she wasn't privy to human minds most of the time. Although she admitted it would be easier sometimes, it would also, she suspected, be more frightening.

  She could lose herself in the vast depths of the sea that stretched out before her. The millions of creatures that inhabited all parts of it slipped into her mind and she floated with them in the cool, briny deep.

  There was always something that called her back. She wondered if one day she'd simply follow that siren song, appealing and seductive. That day, they'd find her lifeless body on the shore, never dreaming of the wonderful melodies that had carried her away.

  But today, Baylor was playing with a crab who didn't appreciate his attention. He slapped at the crustacean, which pinched his nose and sent him howling. A group of gulls called out as they spotted a meal left by humans that was ripe for plunder. A small boy squinted up at her. "Whatcha doin'?"

  Mary Catherine opened her eyes and brought herself back to her frail, human body that was sometimes so limiting. "I'm talking to the whales."

  "Nobody can really talk to whales."

  "I can. I've been doing it all my life."

  "Really? That's so cool! Can I try?"

  "Of course. Anyone can talk to them"

  "Where are they?" He looked out at the deep gray water. "I can't see them."

  "They're out there. Close your eyes and concentrate. Can you hear them?"

  He nodded, his eyes tightly closed. "I hear them! I can hear them singing."

  It wouldn't surprise her if he could. Children were closer to the source and could hear and see things adults had trained themselves not to. She remembered people, especially her mother, telling her she couldn't really understand animals when she was a child. Luckily, she'd ignored them.

  "Allen?" a woman's voice called from behind the sand dunes. "Are you over there?"

  "I'm here, Mom," he answered. "I'm listening to the whales."

  A sunburned face with straw-like brown hair looked around the sea grass. "I'm sorry. I hope he's not bothering you."

  "Not at all. He's a wonderful little boy." Mary Catherine picked Baylor up when the cat refused to leave the crab alone.

  "I can hear the whales," Allen said. "Close your eyes, Mom. Maybe you can hear them too."

  Allen's mother smiled at Mary Catherine and walked over to take her son by the hand. "He's got an awful imagination. I talk to him about it all the time."

  "Imagination is never bad." Mary Catherine turned to go. "Keep listening for those whales, Allen. Say hello to them for me."

  The mother frowned and insisted the little boy stop playing games. They walked in the opposite direction that Mary Catherine took, past the hotel and along the street to meet Danny.

  "You're late," Danny said when he saw her. "We'll never make it back in time."

  She took a deep breath of the salty air. "It doesn't matter. I feel much better now."

  "And you know who killed Aunt Ferndelle and who hit you with a chair, right?"

  "Not exactly. But I know it'll all clear up. We just have to be patient."

  He got in the taxi and started the engine. "Dio! Who are you and what did you do with MC?"

  "I'm the whales," she replied. "And the sea turtles."

  "Okay. You're really scaring me now. Can we talk about something else?"

  "If it makes you feel better"

  "Colin called while you were doing whatever you were doing out there. He wanted to talk to you, but he said there was no answer on your cell phone." "

  I had it turned off. It'll wait until we get there."

  "It might be important."

  "Maybe. But it can still wait"

  They drove back through town the way they'd come. Mary Catherine used the time to get back in tune with her world. Danny practiced his country music ballads. Baylor complained about the noise and the painful nip on his nose. "It was your own fault," she told him. "How many times does that have to happen for you to learn not to chase crabs?"

  "You talkin' to me?" Danny looked at her in the rearview mirror.

  She laughed. "If you were chasing crabs like Baylor, I was. I hope you got a sore nose for your trouble too."

  "Crabs are good eating.
Even the little ones. We can't all live on rabbit food like you do."

  "And a shark would eat you."

  "Let's not talk about that."

  The taxi bumped up next to the curb in front of the radio station. Mary Catherine thanked Danny for the ride. "Could you come back for me in an hour? I hate to ask but I haven't heard anything about my car. I guess I better give my insurance agent a call"

  "You've been busy. And I never mind coming back for you, you know that. See you in an hour."

  Mary Catherine let Baylor follow her into Port City Java where she bought a large mocha before she went upstairs. The cat flirted with the pretty young girl behind the counter. "Come on. She's not going to give you any milk. You know it makes you gassy."

  The girl giggled and stroked Baylor's fur. "He's such a cute kitty."

  "At least he thinks so." Mary Catherine sighed.

  Colin was pacing the floor upstairs, pulling his hair, when he saw her and Baylor get out of the elevator. "Where have you been? Do you know what time it is? I was worried about you. You could've called me."

  "I'm sorry." She smiled at him. "I knew I'd be here on time. Jimmy isn't even out of the booth yet. There's plenty of time."

  She stepped into the sound booth as Jimmy, the food critic, walked out and saluted her. Baylor sat down in his usual chair. Mary Catherine put on her headphones and got behind the microphone. "This is Mary Catherine Roberts on WRSC, Lite 102.5. I'm the Pet Psychic, here to answer your questions about the animals we all know and love."

  Corey cued her to let her know he was ready and a caller was on the line. "Good morning, Mary Catherine. I'd like to ask you a question about my goat, Orpheus. He won't eat grass anymore. He walks around with a sad expression on his face and will only eat dog food."

  "Have there been any changes in his life recently?"

  "Not really. We've had him a couple of years. We got him because our backyard is so hard to mow."

  She thought about the problem for a few seconds. "How old is Orpheus?"

  "We got him when he was a few months old so I guess about two and a half. Do you think he's sick?"

  "Not sick exactly. I think he might be lonely."

  "You mean he needs another goat to play with?"

  "No, I think he's looking for romance. You might think about seeing if someone you know has a nice girl goat. I think that would make Orpheus feel better."

  "Really? I never thought of that! Thank you. We'll try that."

  Corey went to commercial, and Mindy popped her head in the door. "Are you okay? Need some water or anything?"

  "I'm fine, thanks." Mary Catherine looked at the girl's pale face and the dark circles under her eyes. Colin looked much the same way. She didn't want to pry, but asked, "Are you feeling all right?"

  Mindy laughed and played with her hair. "Better than all right, actually. Did Colin tell you?"

  Corey signaled that the commercial was over and Mindy closed the door. Mary Catherine took the next call from a woman who wanted her to come and speak to the fire ants who'd taken up residence in her yard. Mary Catherine told her insects were difficult and she might have to call an exterminator.

  "I tried that, and it didn't work," the woman said. "Maybe you could project your thoughts to them. You're in North Carolina, right? I'm in South Carolina. Maybe if you tell them to leave, they will."

  Mary Catherine was burning with curiosity about Mindy and Colin and didn't want to argue with the woman. "All right. I'll do that. Call me back and let me know how it works."

  "Thanks. We always listen to your show. You have such inner knowledge."

  They went to commercial again (Meaty Boy, this time) and Colin opened the door to the sound booth before Mary Catherine could get up to look for Mindy. "I'm sorry. I would've called you if I could. Don't worry. We'll have a reception everyone can come to."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "I thought Mindy told you." Colin grinned like a small child and held up his left hand. "We drove to Myrtle Beach this morning and got married. I've never been so happy"

  "Did you tell her?" Mary Catherine demanded as Corey started signaling her to get ready for the next caller.

  "I told her. Everything's okay. I think that's why she wanted us to go ahead and do the deed. It's gonna be great. You're on!"

  Mary Catherine was stunned. She had thought Colin and Mindy would eventually get married, but it was surprising the girl got over Colin's betrayal that quickly. It was possible he'd lied to her. Colin might not have told Mindy the truth. She knew she was going to have to find some way to ask Mindy about what happened.

  She took three more phone calls during her hour program. Two of them were very long, and involved more than one segment to answer questions about animals that were dying. Mary Catherine was crying with the two families who had called for help in dealing with the trauma of losing a member of the family.

  It was a difficult decision for one family, whose vet insisted they should put their beloved golden retriever down. They said the animal wasn't in pain now, but they were worried she would be at some point.

  Mary Catherine didn't like to see suffering in people or animals. On the other hand, she believed animals had their road to follow as well as the people who loved them. Since the animal wasn't in pain, she disagreed with the vet. She knew that would bring her a ton of mail from other veterinarians, but she could only speak from her heart. It was difficult for any family to lose a loved one. Euthanizing the dog right away wouldn't soften that blow.

  By the time the show was over, there wasn't a dry eye in the station. As she walked out of the sound booth, everyone was either blowing their nose or wiping their eyes. Baylor wondered at all the fuss over losing a dog. In his cat wisdom, dogs were meant to be subservient to cats. He would only miss a dog who'd served him well.

  "Dogs are wonderful companions," Mary Catherine agreed as she rummaged through her purse for a tissue. "People are just as sad to lose them as they are to lose cats."

  Baylor didn't understand. His nose was still hurting from their beach outing and he wanted to go home. She told him he'd have to wait and his nose wouldn't feel any better at home.

  When the next talk show host was in the sound booth, Colin and Mindy came to talk with Mary Catherine. She held both their hands and smiled at them, all the while wondering how she could get Mindy away by herself. It would be better to break up the marriage now by telling her what had happened between Colin and Charlene than to wait until there was a child and a mortgage.

  "You both look terrible," Mary Catherine said. "But it's a good kind of terrible. Congratulations! You'd better be planning on having a reception here. I feel cheated by missing the wedding."

  "I'm sorry." Colin's face turned red. "It was so spur of the moment, but it was perfect. We'll get something set up in the next week or so. Don't worry; we want your wedding gift."

  Mindy was blushing and smiling too. "Be happy for us. It's taken us all this time to work up to it. I don't know if we'd have done it now, except for everything Colin has been through recently. I needed to be close to him, since it's not over yet. This way, as his wife, I can share in his difficulties."

  "Without anyone asking you if we're related." Colin kissed her and Corey called him for something.

  Mary Catherine knew she'd never get a better opportunity. Before they needed Mindy for the next show, she pulled the girl into a corner already occupied by a plastic plant that needed dusting. "I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but did Colin tell you something?"

  "Something like what?"

  "Something important that could affect your relationship and might have changed your mind about marrying him."

  Mindy smiled, and patted her hand. "If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, I know all about it. But thank you for sticking up for me. Colin told me you threatened to tell me yourself."

  Mary Catherine felt like a weight was lifted from her heart. "I'm so glad. I just wanted you to start out fresh.
And if women can't stick together over these things, the world would certainly be a bad place."

  "I think knowing about that woman who lured Colin away from me will make us stronger. He won't be alone again for anything like that to happen."

  "You're a wonderful, forgiving woman with a big heart." Mary Catherine hugged Mindy. "I don't think I could be as forgiving. I hope the two of you are very happy together. If not, I'll know who to blame and it won't be you!"

  Mindy kissed her cheek. "You've been such a wonderful friend the last two years. I don't know what I would've done without you.

  Colin and Corey called Mindy for a new show setup. Mary Catherine was glad she'd had the opportunity to talk to the girl. If Mindy was okay with Colin's unfaithfulness, it certainly wasn't a problem for her. And she loved to go wedding gift shopping. But first she had to find out what was going on with her car.

  She waited for Danny on the street in front of the radio station, cell phone against her ear, as she tried to maneuver through the maze of people who didn't know if repairs were being made to her car. Baylor sat beside her on the bench watching traffic go by on Water Street. He loved colorful cars; one of the reasons she'd chosen the red Mini Cooper.

  By the time Danny got there, Mary Catherine had learned her car was in the shop and insurance funding had been released for repairs. Her agent said her insurance rates would go up, even though the wreck wasn't her fault. They were calling it a malfunction and checking to see if the same thing had been happening to other cars like hers.

  She'd argued with her insurance man for five minutes about the rate hike, but in the end, she knew she couldn't beat that system. She'd be more likely to understand a snail on her doorstep.

  She got in the car with Danny and told him about Colin and Mindy. He was surprised too. "Colin's lucky to have someone like her. Not everyone would forgive something like that."