Silence Is Golden (A Pet Psychic Mystery No. 3)

by Esposito, Shannon

  "Can you wait here, please?" I scooted out of the back of the cab. "I should only be a minute."

  I hurried to the front porch of the two-story, yellow stucco place and rang the bell. Eugene answered the door. I had only viewed him from a distance before. Close up, he looked like a wreck. His eyes were puffy and his pupils were dilated like maybe he was on something. His already pale German features were positively ghostly. All my visions of giving him a piece of my mind faded away. No need to beat a man when he's this down. As he motioned for me to come in, I stepped into the foyer and offered him a small smile of sympathy instead.

  "I'm so sorry for the loss of your wife, Mr. Roth. I can't imagine how devastated you must be."

  "Thanks. You have no idea." He choked and then closed his eyes to compose himself. "Goldie is upstairs under the bed." He motioned for me to follow him to the grand stairway. His gait was still impeded, like he was moving in slow motion. Probably still in shock. Okay, maybe Goldie was better off somewhere else. He clearly was barely taking care of himself. "It's where she used to hide from thunderstorms and fireworks. I tried all of her favorite treats. Nothing will coax her out."

  He led me upstairs and then down a hall to a cavernous master bedroom. A king-sized brass bed, covered in a gold silk comforter and piles of large pillows, ate up a good chunk of space, but there was still room for two large dressers and a wardrobe closet. Matching gold silk curtains hung on the windows. I removed my flip flops before stepping from the Mexican tile onto the plush cream carpeting. I detected the same scent of lilacs that I had received from Goldie, only it was faded here. So, it was Victoria's perfume Goldie smelled and not a clue to the killer? Good to know.

  A black and white framed photo of Goldie and a smiling woman sat on the nightstand. I picked it up. "Your wife?"

  "Yes."

  "She was real pretty." My heart squeezed with sadness. Okay, let's get this over with. "Goldie, sweetie?" I called, kneeling down to peer under the bed. Yep, she was there. No heavy panting, just sad eyes uninterested in me being there. No tail wag. No movement. "Oh, girl." I sighed. She obviously wasn't going to come out on her own, and I wasn't about to drag her out. This was going to take some time and maybe even some magick.

  I glanced up at Eugene, leaning against the doorframe like the wall was holding him upright. "Mr. Roth, I think this is going to take some time to get her out. Would you mind telling the cab driver he can go? I'll just call another one when we get her out."

  He nodded, seemingly relieved to have something to do. "Of course. I'll just leave you to it. I'll be in my office downstairs then. Good luck." He moved away, and I collapsed onto the carpet, staring at Goldie. I slipped my arm slowly under the bed and held one of her paws. She didn't jerk it away, which was good. Of course, it could be she just didn't care. That was bad.

  I lay there for a few minutes, just holding her paw, whispering to her. No change. All right, time for a little help.

  Rising and padding across the room, I flipped on the light switch to the attached bathroom and glanced around. A spa that could have held ten people or one small elephant dominated the room. Gold fixtures gleamed from it and the double sinks set in the marble countertop. White fur rugs kept bare feet protected from the cold tile. Kneeling down, I opened the cabinet under one of the sinks. I needed a container. Weaved baskets held bucket loads of creams, foundations, eye-shadows, lipstick and various other types of make-up. Good grief, Victoria must have loved her cosmetics. I moved to the second cabinet.

  Three-tier glass shelves had been placed inside. On the shelves sat a collection of nail polish and stick-on nails that would have rivaled a store. Another basket held packages of silk pantyhose and sheer stockings. I felt my face grow hot. There had to be something inappropriate about viewing a deceased woman's private things. I was about to close the cabinet when behind the basket, a jar of hair-ties caught my eye. I pulled it out. Glass. Perfect. I dumped the hair-ties out onto the counter and filled the jar with water. It wasn't my chalice, tuned to my personal vibration, but it would do.

  I carried the jar back to the bedroom and sat cross-legged on the carpet with it in my lap. Closing my eyes, I began to breathe deeply, following my breath in and out of my body until I felt myself seated in the center of my being. From here, I could reach out to the water, my own energy like an arm extending into the water molecules, exciting them, changing them. Water had magical properties all its own and since living beings were mostly water, it was a great healing tool.

  I concentrated on infusing feelings of love and well-being into the water molecules. This hadn't ever been one of my strongest talents, and I was a bit rusty. I could almost feel Grandma Winter's disappointment in me. I shook it off. Let it go. I began to feel my concentration waver. I forced it back to the task at hand. Time ticked by, but I had no idea how much.

  I blinked as the lilac smell of the room and the solidness of the floor beneath me returned. Darn. I wasn't finished, but I was drained so this would have to be good enough.

  Scooting down on my belly, I slid under the bed, being careful not to spill the water.

  "Hey there, Goldie," I whispered. She moved her eyes to me but didn't lift her muzzle from the carpet. "I need you to drink this for me. It'll make you feel better." I hoped.

  I dipped a finger in the water and held it in front of her nose. Her nostrils flared as she sniffed it. I waited. If she didn't take it, I could resort to rubbing it on her gums, but she wouldn't get enough that way. Not as weak as this water was. "Come on, sweetie. You can do it." Goldie's tongue slid out, and I felt the warm sandpaper-like sensation as she licked my finger. "Good girl." I moved the jar in front of her and tilted it so the water sat at the edge of the lip. "Good girl. Have a drink. Go on." She dipped her tongue in the jar and then began lapping at the water. I felt the knots in my body relax. "That's a girl, Goldie. I knew you were a fighter."

  I stroked her fur and hummed as I waited for the water to take effect. I had rested my head on my hand and was feeling exhaustion tug at me when Goldie began to stir. She lifted her head and then placed a paw on my arm. Definitely the highlight of my day.

  "Well, hello. There you are, girl." I smiled into her eyes. They didn't quite sparkle but she was at least present now and watching me. "What do you say we get out of here?" I began to scoot back. "Come on." I paused when only my head remained under the bed. "Good girl," I whispered. "Come on, it's time to go. Your mom isn't coming back here. I'm sorry." Her ears twitched and she stretched out a paw to me, then the other one. As I encouraged her, she scooted on her belly until she emerged from the bed. Standing, she shook her whole body and stared at me, ears down. I kneeled and wrapped my arms around her, letting her rest her head on my shoulder. "Okay." I nodded, swiping at a stray tear. "Let's go home." Dumping the water into the sink, I replaced the hair-ties and the jar.

  "Mr. Roth?" I called after descending the stairs. Goldie stood beside me, glued to my leg.

  Eugene emerged from a room somewhere to the left. "Oh, you got her out, I see."

  "Yes." I rested a hand protectively on her head. "I've called a cab."

  "Right." He glanced at Goldie. "She seems to like you. I'm glad. Victoria—" he choked on her name and cleared his throat. "She is... was really important to my wife. She would be happy to know Goldie is in good hands." He sniffed and held out a hand. "Please, make yourself comfortable in the living room while you wait."

  I followed him around to a sunken living area with overstuffed leather couches.

  "Can I get you anything to drink?"

  "No, thank you." I sat down and Goldie sat with me, leaning hard against my leg.

  "Oh, I almost forgot, I have a bag for you. Goldie's toothbrush, favorite toys and other things. Be right back."

  I was drained. Resting my chin on the hand that wasn't stroking Goldie, I scanned the magazines on the coffee table. It was funny how much you could tell about a person from what they chose to read. Eugene hadn't gotten rid of Victoria's ma
gazines obviously. That must be the hardest thing to do when a loved one is gone... throw out the personal things that belonged to them, that could remind you of them. There was The Canine Chronicle, Dog Fancy, The Retriever Journal. "You definitely were the center of your mom's world," I whispered, scratching under Goldie's ear. There was also a Vogue, a Victoria Secrets Catalog, a Forbes and Smart Money. Beneath the Smart Money there was a notebook sticking out, the handwriting on the top said: Biggest CD faux pas? CD on a budget? Maybe Eugene's an accountant or investment banker? Yeah, that seems to fit him.

  There was a honk outside.

  "That'd be for us, girl, come on."

  Eugene met us at the door with the bag of Goldie's belongings. He handed Goldie a stuffed alligator, which she took gently from him, her tail swishing a few times. His lip quivered. "That's Gator. Her favorite." Then he nodded. "Thank you, Miss Winters. My wife, she would be very grateful to you."

  I felt a wave of heavy emotion wash over me as he shook my hand. I wanted to tell him he could visit Goldie at any time, but I knew he wouldn't take me up on the offer.

  "You take care now," I said instead.

  That night I tossed and turned, awoke in a sweat more than once after dreams of getting hit by a car. Or were they memories? I lay in the dark with my arm draped across Goldie, stroking her belly, unable to shake the images of the headlights or the feeling something was very wrong. As my hand brushed the shaved area of Goldie's body, I suddenly remembered our conversation in the boutique about the cutthroat world of dog shows. What if the person did hit them on purpose? And what if they weren't trying to hurt Victoria... but Goldie?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Two women approached the counter the next morning. One carried a plump, shivering Chihuahua mix.

  I smiled. "Hi, ladies, did you find everything all right?"

  "Yes," the one holding the dog said. "And I was told you do birthday cakes for dogs? Do you have a catalog or something?"

  "Sure do." I pulled the photo album from beneath the counter and handed it to her. "These are the standard cakes I've made, but if you had something in mind you don't see here, just ask."

  She passed the dog off to her friend to flip through the book.

  I didn't reach out and touch the shaking dog. I was feeling vulnerable and didn't need to expose myself to this little guy's angst. "What's your cutie's name?" I asked instead.

  The woman held up his paw and waved it. He pulled his upper lip back in what I hoped was a smile. "This is Bandit. He's a real drama queen."

  "Well, that's a perfect name for you." I chuckled at the dog as he snuck a lick at the woman's cheek. He had a black mask that did indeed make him look like a bandit.

  "Oh, what do you think about this one, Bernice? It's a fire hydrant," Bandit's owner said.

  "I think Bandit wouldn't know whether to eat it or pee on it."

  She waved her friend off. "Well, I think it's perfect. I'll take that one."

  "It is a favorite." I smiled as I found her an order form and pointed at the table by the window. "You can have a seat while you fill this out. Grab yourself a cup of tea and there's some human cookies over there, too."

  "Go on, I've got Bandit," Bernice said, riffling through some of the items in the baskets with her free hand.

  I moved out of the way as Charlie led an elderly woman up to the counter to ring up her purchases.

  Charlie pushed a pink-streaked chunk of hair out of her eye. "Hey, Darwin, Mrs. Tilley's cat is recovering from surgery. We have something to help her with that, yes?"

  "Sure do. Be right back." I grabbed a bottle of flower essence from the back, wrapped it in tissue paper and tucked it into Mrs. Tilley's bag. "No charge on that, Charlie," I whispered. "Now, Mrs. Tilley, just put a few drops on her throughout the day or you can put them in her water."

  Mrs. Tilley's grin puffed up her cheeks which pushed up her glasses. "Thank you, dear."

  I nodded as Bandit's owner approached the counter with the cake order form. "All done?"

  "Yes." She handed me the order form. "I'll go ahead and pay for that now."

  I waited until Charlie was done to enter her information into the computer. I read her delivery address. I wasn't familiar with that area.

  "Twentieth Street? Which part of town is that?" I asked. If I wasn't familiar with it, I probably wouldn't be able to bike there. I'd have to take a taxi.

  "Oh I live across from the Pinellas Point Indian Mound. Bernice here is my neighbor."

  "Oh, okay. I haven't visited that place yet."

  Bernice shook her head. "Yeah, well. Now's probably not the time to go. Some crazy has been digging up the Mound lately. The neighborhood started doing nightly patrols to curb the vandalism. We've put a lot of effort in through the years to stop the erosion, planting native plants and getting the fence put up. But we'll have to stop the patrols now. Our neighbor's husband got attacked there last night and is in the hospital with a concussion. It's getting too dangerous."

  My hand poised over the mouse, I stared at Bernice. "What in heaven's name happened?"

  "Don't know. He just said someone hit him in the head from behind when he went to check on a noise. He was surprised but managed to grab their legs and got in a bit of a scuffle. It ended when he said the guy hit him in the head again with a shovel."

  Bandit's owner cleared her throat and leaned closer to us. "His wife told me he thought it was actually a woman. But, he's too embarrassed to tell the police that he got knocked out by a woman."

  I stared at her, thinking about the woman who killed Victoria. Could it be the same person? Surely, that would be too much of a coincidence. On the other hand, how many psychotic women are running around St. Pete right now? "That's kind of important information for him to keep to himself," I said.

  "I know." She nodded, stroking Bandit's head. "But, he's already insecure about being short. If he did get knocked out by a woman, he'll take that to his grave."

  If it was the same woman who killed Victoria, why would she be digging up the Mound? Victoria was delivering an artifact to Jade. Could an artifact have something to do with the attack at the Mound, too?

  I tore off the pink customer copy of her order and handed it to her. "Do you think someone is digging illegally for artifacts there? Maybe to sell? Money is always a viable motive for violence."

  She shrugged. "I don't think there's anything of value buried there. I know they've found some shell tools, stuff like that. But, if someone were digging up artifacts illegally, wouldn't be too hard to find a buyer. I've heard rumors about the guy who owns Treasure Coast Artifacts, Barnie something. People say he'll buy anything and has even been arrested for poaching artifacts himself."

  "Maybe they're not trying to dig something up," Bernice lowered her voice with a touch of humor. "Maybe they are trying to bury something... or someone. After all, it is a burial Mound."

  Her friend shot her an amused look. "What? In pieces?"

  They shared a laugh as they waved and Bernice held the door open for a customer to enter.

  I stared after them, their words stirring something inside me that was making me nauseous. Shaking my head, I forced a smile when the customer, a middle-aged woman with her long blonde ponytail sticking through a baseball cap, approached me.

  "Hi, can I help you with something today?"

  "Yes, I'm looking for Darwin Winters." Despite the baseball cap and jeans, she had a business-like air about her.

  "I'm Darwin."

  "Oh good." She glanced around the boutique and then offered me her hand. "I'm Linda from Baywater Kennel. I was in the neighborhood and thought we could get the home visit for Goldie's adoption out of the way."

  "Oh!" My heart did a funky little beat against my chest. "Of course. She's usually by my side here all day, but I let her sleep in this morning. She was really restless last night." So, I gave her some love and peace-infused water this morning but no need to mention that. "I was planning on going up to fetch her soon." Heavens,
why did she have to come the one time I left Goldie alone? I rubbed the back of my neck where beads of sweat had broken out under my hairline. "Let me just go see if my partner can watch the boutique for a few minutes while we run up. I live above the boutique."

  * * *

  "Goldie," I called as we entered the townhouse. "Here, girl."

  "This is a very nice place. Plenty of room for a dog." Linda walked to the French doors and peered out.

  There was a thump upstairs. "She must still be in bed." I laughed nervously. "Come on up."

  The sight that greeted us left me speechless. I could only stare at Goldie, who trotted out of the bathroom, her tail wagging, her face covered in baby powder and one of my bras stuck around her neck by the arm strap. There was also a trail of toilet paper around the room, over the bed and shredded magazines littering the carpet.

  I lifted my hands and covered my face, stealing a glance at Linda. Her mouth had dropped open as she took in the damage. Goldie came over and sat in front of us, her dark eyes shining, her tail swooshing, making the magazine bits beneath her tumble across the carpet.

  She let out a sharp bark and we both jumped.

  "Oh, girl." I kneeled down and gently removed my bra from around Goldie's neck. My humiliation was complete. "I don't know what got into her," I stuttered. Was this a reaction to the magick-infused water? "She hasn't done anything like this before." I picked up some of the toilet paper and tried to wipe off the baby powder from her eyes and snout. She sneezed a few times and then play bowed. I couldn't help it. I started to laugh. Hysterically. Like, holding my stomach, tears flowing down my face, trying to catch my breath kind of laughter. Goldie seemed pleased with her redecorating skills and my reaction. She pounced on me and licked the tears from my face with vigor.

  "I'm... so... sorry," I tried to get out between snorts and giggles and licks. "I know this looks really bad." I tilted my head back and looked up at Linda, ready to throw myself at her mercy. At this moment, I knew I really wanted this. I really wanted this sweet creature in my life.