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

by Esposito, Shannon

  "You don't count," I teased. "You're always hungry."

  "I don't know where she puts it." Landon wrapped his arm around her waist and buried his nose in her neck.

  She tilted her head to whisper something to him and they both laughed. My heart ached a little. Stop it, Darwin. You've been alone for twenty-eight years and are fine. I sighed. Yeah, but now I knew what I was missing. And that was Will.

  I busied myself lighting the candles on the kitchen bar and dining table and putting on some background music while Jack played bartender.

  Frankie caught up with me and handed me a glass of something white and cold. "So, have you heard the news?" She glanced around. "Where's Will anyway?"

  "We're kind of having a thing... a fight I guess." I waved that thought off. "Long story. What news?"

  "They arrested Tara Scarpetta." She took a sip of her wine and nodded at my open mouth. "Crazy, right?"

  "For Victoria's murder?" I asked when I could speak.

  "Yes! Betsy Mills called me. She was with Tara at the real estate office when they showed up to arrest her. Apparently a witness from the night Victoria died identified her in a photo lineup, though he wasn't one hundred percent positive because he was on his boat. But then, another witness from the car rental place picked her out of the photo lineup, too. And she couldn't give them her whereabouts that night so they brought her in."

  "What's going on?" Willow asked as she brought some silverware and napkins to the table and saw my face.

  "Tara Scarpetta, Victoria's dog show rival, has been arrested for her murder."

  Willow looked from me to Frankie. "I guess that's good, right? That they've solved her death."

  "Yeah, it's good," I said, still digesting the news and everything it meant. Did all the pieces fit? I couldn't think.

  "I can't believe it," Frankie said. "You just never really know about people."

  "Yeah." I answered, still thinking about the implications of Tara being the killer. Did she do it on purpose? Did she just mean to knock Goldie out of the competition or did she actually mean to kill Victoria? "I guess the police can concentrate on finding out who killed Josie now."

  Frankie motioned to me and Willow. "It must have been such a shock for you girls, finding her dead like that."

  "You found her?" Kimi asked, as she and her mom joined the conversation.

  I sipped my wine and nodded. "Yep, with Goldie's help."

  Kimi's dark eyes were hard to read as she asked, "How?"

  "Josie had left a message on my phone. I got it right after we went to dinner with y'all that night. She said she found something, and her dad wasn't crazy after all."

  Jade and Kimi stared at each other, their eyes widening.

  I watched them curiously. "Anyway, she said she was going to Big Barnie's house and wanted us to meet her there. I'm thinking she found something, an artifact maybe? An artifact that proved his Gasparilla story was true. What do y'all think?" Actually, that idea just popped in my head. But, that was the only thing I knew of that made people think he was a little off his rocker.

  Kimi shook her head slightly at her mom, but Jade ignored her. "Maybe she found the treasure map."

  "Treasure map?" We all said at the same time.

  "Yeah, Renny used to tell a story about an engraved copper map that was passed down from his great-great-grandfather, the one who supposedly pirated with Gasparilla," Jade replied. "Said it told the coordinates of a treasure buried right here in St. Pete. Part of the spoils his crew—including Renny's ancestor—took off with after Gasparilla was taken down by a U.S. Navy warship."

  "That's quite a story. Did anyone ever see this map?" I asked.

  "Nope."

  I eyed Jade. I couldn't tell if she believed it or not. "Okay, for the sake of argument, say a map did exist and Josie found it. Why would she take it to Big Barnie?"

  "Barnie would be her best bet if she wanted to figure out the map," Jade said. "Plus, like Kimi said, she's been in love with him forever. Eugene and Barnie used to eat up Renny's stories as kids and always dreamed of finding the treasure one day. They always believed him."

  "Of course," Frankie said. "A story like that is tailor made for little boys."

  I looked at Frankie thoughtfully. "True and there's still nothing to prove it exists. Josie didn't have a map on her when we found her. I checked her bag before the police got there." I shook my head. "And if it did exist, why didn't Renny try to find the treasure himself?"

  Kimi and Jade both nodded. "That was the million dollar question. And the reason we believe it was just a story he liked to tell."

  But if it did exist, it was a good motive for someone to kill Josie.

  "All right," Frankie said as Jack came over and freshened up her drink. "I'm trading in pirates for magicians. Landon looks like he's putting on quite a show over there."

  "Cool!" Kimi said.

  I held up my hands. "Please fill your plates first or y'all are going home with leftovers."

  As everyone obligingly filled their plates and began migrating into the living room, something was still bothering me. I needed to know the identity of the mystery woman in Eugene's house.

  "Hey, Kimi?" I stopped her before she joined the others. "Can I ask you something?"

  "Sure."

  "How well do you know Eugene?"

  "Pretty well, why?"

  "I think Eugene is seeing someone already. Would that surprise you?"

  Kimi blinked and kept her expression neutral. "Not really. People deal with grief in many different ways."

  I wanted to ask if she had any idea who he might be seeing and also, why she made that comment about Renny owing her something, but Sylvia interrupted.

  "Darwin!" She threw Kimi an apologetic look. "Sorry, sorry, I just cannot wait. I'm so excited to ask you if you will be my maid of honor?"

  My hand went to my heart, Eugene and his mistress forgotten. "Of course!" I'd never been asked to be a maid of honor and was surprised at how touched I felt. It truly did feel like an honor.

  "Muito obrigada." Sylvia grinned, squeezing me in a one-armed hug while balancing her plate in the other hand. "You will help me plan then. There's so much to worry about, flowers and cake and invitations."

  I nodded, flushed with excitement. "Don't worry. We have lots of time and it'll be fun." I noticed Kimi had taken the opportunity to slip away. Sylvia and I talked about the wedding until Landon came and whisked her over to be his assistant in a magic trick.

  * * *

  That night, after another narrow escape from a dream featuring Zach, I paced the bedroom, clutching my cell phone. Goldie watched me from her perch on the edge of the bed, her head resting on Gator between her front paws.

  "How much time exactly does a person need to decide whether he's going to forgive a person or not?" I asked Goldie. "I mean, good heavens, it's not like I poisoned him. I was trying to help him. Shouldn't that count for something?" I nodded and crossed my arms as Goldie yawned and rolled over. "You're right. I should just call him. Why am I waiting around for him to call me?"

  My heart fluttered in my chest as I waited for it to ring. Right to voicemail. Of course. After all, it was like two in the morning. "Hey, Will, it's me... Darwin. I think it's time we talked and got this sorted out. If you don't ever want to see me again, that's fine but you need to tell me. Not just keep ignoring me. I'm real sorry you feel what I did was wrong. But, I don't." I stopped, shocked I actually said that. And meant it. "So, please call me tomorrow. Good night. Or good morning, because you'll probably get this message in the morning." I hung up before I could ramble on anymore.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Every minute that passed the next day without Will's call was painful. I was exhausted already and the emotional rollercoaster I was putting myself through made the day almost unbearable. By the time lunchtime came around, I was sure we were done. I was angry and fighting back tears even as I helped customers with their purchases.

  So, when W
ill walked through the door, his face drawn and a picnic basket in one hand, I felt a flood of emotions that catapulted me forward into his arms. I didn't care if he was there to dump me. I just had to be in his arms one more time. I pressed my cheek against his powder blue dress shirt and closed my eyes. His free hand came up and caressed the back of my hair, his lips pressed warm against the top of my head.

  When I gathered the courage, I looked up into his eyes. They were bright with pain. I wiped at my face and nodded at the basket.

  "Lunch?"

  "Yeah." He cleared his throat. "Can you get away?"

  I glanced back at Willow, who was watching the scene unfold while helping a customer pick out cat food. She nodded, giving me the green light.

  "Be right back." I grabbed the blanket from the storage room that I used to sit across the street in the park, told Sylvia I was going to lunch, grabbed my sweater and clipped Goldie's leash on her. "Ready."

  The sun warmed our faces as we spread out the blanket on the park lawn.

  I watched Will unpack the picnic basket as Goldie stretched out on her belly in the grass beside us and sniffed at a grasshopper. Even though there was plenty of noise from traffic and park-goers, the silence between us was painful. I chewed on the inside of my lip.

  "So, what are we having today?"

  "Well, for you, a roasted veggie pita." He handed me the wax-paper wrapped sandwich and a bottled water. "And turkey for me." He pulled out an extra wax paper package. "And one fresh butcher bone for Goldie."

  I smiled as he offered her the treat and she took it, looking up into his face with a swish of her tail.

  "I believe that look was utter adoration," I said, wondering if I give him the same look.

  Will glanced at me. He looked like he wanted to say something, but sat back and unwrapped his sandwich instead.

  I took a bite and tried to swallow past the lump starting to form in my throat. So, here we were. What now? I watched Goldie gnaw happily on her bone. Why couldn't happiness be that simple for humans? I finally swallowed and took a sip of water to wash it down.

  "So," I said, trying to sound upbeat and casual, "does this offering mean you've decided to forgive me?"

  Will moved his gaze to mine. His eyes were a startling glassy blue, and I tried to shield myself from the assault of intense emotion he was feeling. No one would ever guess this stoic, serious detective felt such a deep well of emotion. He reached for my hand and softly caressed the amethyst ring he had given me. Was he remembering his promise to me the day he put it on my finger? That he would try to keep an open mind.

  "I've had a really hard time processing my dad's death, Darwin, and I think all that sadness and anger is getting tangled up with our issues. So, I'm not sure I trust myself or my feelings right now." He brought my hand up to his lips and pressed softly, sighing. His gaze shifted to the distance, and I kept quiet as I waited for him to gather his thoughts. "All I know for sure is I miss you," he said finally.

  I blinked back the tears of relief and entangled our fingers together. "I miss you, too."

  A genuine smile crinkled the corners of his eyes as he leaned over and gave me a soft kiss. "Finish your sandwich. I've got cherry pie."

  I laughed with relief and picked up my sandwich. My heart felt a hundred pounds lighter. "So, congratulations on making an arrest in Victoria's murder. By the way, did the coroner ever figure out how Josie died? Do you think it was those mob guys from Vegas?"

  Will chuckled, shaking his head. "You do know that saying curiosity killed the cat, right?" When I just waited, he continued. "All right. Josie died from asphyxiation. There was hemorrhaging around her eyes, bruising around the throat. As for who killed her, no leads yet."

  "Asphyxiation?" That was awful. I tried not to picture poor Josie struggling for her last breath. "Well, I learned something interesting from Jade last night. Apparently Josie's dad, Renny, claimed to have a treasure map where some of Jose Gaspar's treasure is buried right here in St. Pete. When I told them about the message Josie left on my phone the night she was killed, Jade's first thought was maybe she found the treasure map in her dad's house."

  Will's brow rose. "A pirate treasure map?"

  "Yeah, well." I shrugged. "No one's ever seen it, so it's probably just a story he liked to tell to the kids. But what if it's not? That would be motive for someone to murder Josie, right?"

  "Yeah, maybe Gasparilla's ghost has come back to claim what's his," he teased.

  "Hey, you never know. You heard about the spirit dog spotted at the Pinellas Point Mound, right?"

  Will shook his head and took a bite of his sandwich. "Spirit dog, right."

  I wanted to tell him about the Native American belief that we all have a guardian spirit but Westerners have lost touch with nature and so their spirit. But, I didn't because there it was... our issue. The one thing that separated us, believing in things unseen. And I didn't want to open up that wound again. I felt a pang of sadness and pushed it away.

  I changed the subject. "So, Sylvia has asked me to be her maid of honor. I can't wait to see what kind of dresses Miss Fashionista comes up with."

  And so it went as we finished our lunch and enjoyed small talk and each other's company, laughed and had a really good time. But, in the back of my mind, I kept asking myself, Is this enough?

  Will walked me and Goldie back across Beach Drive. He squeezed my hand as we threaded our way through the tourists to the boutique. "Hey, let's just forget about the whole water thing, okay?" He smiled, brushing my bangs off my forehead.

  As I looked into his beautiful blue eyes, my gut clenched and my throat constricted. "Sort of like don't ask, don't tell?"

  Will frowned. "Well, I don't want you to hide things from me. We have to be open with each other."

  I sighed and let my head drop onto his chest. He pulled me in and hugged me tight. I stayed there for a moment, soaking it in... his touch, his heat, his energy and then pulled away.

  "No, Will. We can't forget about it. You need to decide how you feel about it." I reached up and kissed him lightly. "Let me know soon." I walked into the boutique without looking back.

  "How'd lunch go?" Willow asked as she watched me unclip Goldie's leash.

  I moaned. "I can't say... good, bad. I feel okay, not so desperate and hurt like I was feeling. So, that's good, right?"

  Willow smiled. "Yeah, Sis, that's good."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  "So, you do this every Sunday?" Willow asked Frankie, as we helped unload all the pots and trays of breakfast food, plates, cups and other assorted items from the white van. "By yourself?"

  "Yes, ma'am." Frankie grunted as she hefted a stock pot onto her hip for transport to the picnic table. "Every Sunday, providing it isn't raining."

  Luckily, today was a bright, crisp Sunday morning. I was trying not to think about Josie's funeral later this afternoon. It was too depressing.

  "Hey, Mama Maslow," a grinning, scruffy gray-haired man called. "And Snow White. Well, ain't this is a nice surprise. Good to see you."

  "Hi, Mac!" I hugged my friend and then motioned for Willow. "This is my sister, Willow. She's visiting from Savannah."

  "Nice to meet ya, young lady."

  "Likewise." Willow shook his hand and smiled politely.

  "Oh, and this is Minnie." I gave the small woman a quick squeeze as she joined us. "I was hoping you were coming today. I've got a couple sweaters for you in the van."

  "Thanks." She smiled shyly. "Appreciate it."

  "I know you do." I noticed her face appeared swollen and sallow. "Minnie, have you seen a doctor lately? How are you feeling?"

  She glanced back at Mac and then shook her head. "I'm all right." She poked a thumb in Mac's direction. "It's that stubborn old horse's behind who needs to see a doctor. He's been having chest pains. I told him to go to the clinic, but he refuses."

  "All right. I'll get Frankie to talk to him. You know she won't take no for an answer."

  As people c
ame, we filled their plates with scrambled eggs, sausage, donuts, and other treats Frankie had brought. Some of them stayed to chat, others went and sat alone by the lake to eat their food. I noticed another familiar face walking toward us.

  "G!" I called, waving like a crazy person. "Hey, G!"

  "Hey, Cookie Lady!" He grinned back.

  "You sure do have a lot of nicknames here," Willow said, eyeing me curiously as she poured orange juice and handed it to a thin, bearded man I didn't recognize.

  "Yeah, I know." I smiled. I actually didn't mind it at all. It made me feel like part of their tribe. I gave G a one-armed hug as his milky eyes glowed in his weathered face. He smelled like bug spray and stale sweat, but I didn't care. "Hey, come on. I got something in the van just for you."

  He followed me over to the passenger's side door where I rifled through my straw bag until I found the baggie of lemon cookies.

  "Ta da!" I held them in front of him and he promptly slipped them from my fingers with a toothless grin.

  "Thank you, nice cookie lady."

  "You're welcome, G."

  We were walking back to the picnic table when G looked over my shoulder. "Do you have a new dog?"

  "Oh," I said, surprised. "Yeah. Her name's Goldie. How did you know?"

  He gummed a cookie and pointed behind me. There, behind a tree stood a massive black dog, staring right at me.

  I gasped and grabbed G's arm, hurrying him faster toward the table. "That's not my dog, G."

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  The day had turned overcast as gray clouds bunched up in the sky. The lack of sunshine felt appropriate as a small group began to gather around for Josie's graveside service.

  Eugene stood alone in a black suit, his arms stiff, his hands clasped. He looked like he was in physical pain. I made my way over to him.

  "Hey, Eugene," I said, trying not to startle him.

  He glanced up and nodded. "Darwin. Thanks for coming."

  "Well, sure." I let my gaze wander to the coffin. "I didn't know Josie that well, but she had a good heart. She deserves to have her passing mourned." I'm not sure what came over me. Probably that switch in your brain—the one that keeps you from blurting out stupid things—had come undone. But I added, "Hey, I came by your house the other day and saw a woman inside. Dark hair, looked real pretty. I didn't want to bother you, so I left but just wanted to say I'm glad you have a friend to lean on in these difficult times." What in the name of all that's holy am I doing? I clamped my mouth shut and froze. Should I apologize for being a snoop?