Deadly Shuffle

by Norma Lehr

  Ginny, still sniveling, nodded as she wiped at her nose with a tissue. “I won’t ask where you’re going.” She looked up inquiringly. “Unless you want to tell.”

  “Renee’s flying in today, and I’m off to see her. She made special plans to see the Malones perform at the Follies. After she gets settled, I’ll bring her by. Maybe tomorrow.”

  Ginny nodded. “Good. Renee always got along with Trish. And Trish thought highly of her.” Ginny gazed out the sliding glass door to the pool. “She helped out with the murders in Tahoe, didn’t she? Maybe she’ll have some insight as to where Trish has disappeared to.”

  “Hope so,” Abby called back as she headed for the front door.

  “We love you, honey,” they said in unison.

  Outside she checked her phone. Four messages: Preston Reynolds, Blade, and two from Renee. She listened to Preston’s message first: “Dear lady, if I recall, we have a date for dinner this evening. Arrangements have been made at Copley’s, a fabulous restaurant located on part of the Cary Grant estate.” Deep sigh. “The place is filled with nostalgia. I’ll jot down seven in my appointment book. Call me!”

  She punched in his number and got a recording. “Seven sounds fine, Preston. Give me directions and I’ll meet you there.”

  Renee sounded excited. “I’ve landed, girl. I’m here with this adorable man. If you’re on your way,” her voice dropped to a whisper, “don’t hurry.”

  Abby laughed. Logan really was an adorable guy. Good cook, too. She’d accept him as her brother if it happened to turn out that way.

  Blade’s sleepy baritone: “You left me all alone. How could you do that? Come back here, woman, and we’ll stay here forever.”

  His next call, wide awake: “Abby, my love, I’m on my way back to the Palms to find you. We’ll meet. Tell me where.”

  She felt her face flush. If she met him now, she wouldn’t be capable of thinking things through. She’d call him later. Next stop: Logan’s.

  Abby found Renee and Logan sipping wine coolers outside on his patio. Abby winked. “A little early for happy hour, isn’t it?”

  Renee jumped up and wrapped her arms around her. “Girl, you told me you were looking for Trish. Did you dig up any clues to where she might be?” She stepped back and held Abby at arm’s length. “What is going on?”

  Abby locked arms with her and steered her over to the patio table. She looked at Logan, who shrugged and said, “I figured you’d told her everything.”

  “Not everything,” Abby said. “I don’t know everything.” She filled them in on where she’d been. “Thought maybe I’d find Trish at her office in Yucca. Doesn’t look like she’s been there since the poker game.”

  Renee’s eyes were intent. “So now what? What’s our next move?”

  “I need you to stay here with Logan. I’m having dinner with Reynolds this evening and I’m hoping to find out something—some little bit of info Dawson might have overlooked.”

  “Dawson?” Renee looked from Abby to Logan.

  Logan jumped in. “The cop who’s heading the investigation.”

  “I left a message at the station this morning informing him I’d be staying here for a couple of days.” Abby rubbed her forehead. “We agreed on our staying, didn’t we, Logan?”

  “Absolutely. There’s plenty of room here and you’re both welcome.”

  Abby winked at Renee. “And he cooks, too!”

  Renee turned and offered Logan one of her dreamy smiles. In imitation of Marilyn M, she raised a shoulder and with half-closed eyes, cooed, “I love a man who cooks.”

  Logan returned a sly smile as he reached over to grasp her hand. “And I love to teach … cooking.”

  Well, these two were hitting it off. Maybe it was the early wine cooler. Or Renee at work, using her wiles to garner information. Whatever, it was working.

  “So it’s settled. I’ve things to take care of now. Then it’s an evening on the town with the good dentist. I’ll be back later tonight.”

  Renee stood, serious now. “You’re sure you don’t need me to do something? Make calls, run errands.”

  “I’m sure. Relax and have fun. Logan, do you have time to show Renee around the Palms?”

  He nodded. “Don’t worry about Renee. We’ll have a full afternoon.”

  “Okay, then. I’ll haul my bags in from the car, take a shower and change.”

  Abby rolled over and woke up in a strange bedroom. It took her a minute to remember she was at Logan’s. After her shower, she’d tested the bed in the room he had suggested. It felt so comfy she decided to lie down for a minute before she got dressed. She reached for her watch on the bedside table. That was two hours ago.

  Abby yawned, checked her phone and wrapped herself in the fluffy white robe Logan had provided before she strolled the long hallway of Sterling Stamm’s memories. Quiet. Not a sound. She peered into the kitchen. Empty. She wandered in to search Logan’s neat cupboards for a tea bag to give her a boost. A blue Post-it from Renee had been stuck on the cabinet door.

  We’ve gone out. Meet you at Shari’s Boutique on Palm Canyon Drive—4:00. Important. Call me.

  As she poured boiled water into a large, man-size cup, she made a mental note to get back to Blade. Although she didn’t trust herself to be with him this afternoon, he deserved an explanation. While she sat on a high stool at the kitchen bar and sipped steaming tea, she scrolled to his number. His recorded message, brief and curt: “Change of plans. Can’t be reached. Leave your message.”

  Promptly at four, Abby found a parking space down the street from Shari’s Boutique on tree-lined Palm Canyon Drive. Shoppers, lured by the inviting window displays, flocked the sidewalks. Across the street, spicy aromas came from a bright-colored Spanish-style restaurant with a tile roof. Folks stopped to read the posted menus before wandering inside. Abby’s mouth watered. She hadn’t eaten anything since early morning in Yucca Valley. A hardened bagel in her mother’s fridge had been it, along with a large ice tea from a drive-thru to wash it down. She sniffed, tempted to cross the street and ask if they had take-out. A taco with the works would do it.

  “Abby, over here.” Outside the boutique, Renee stood on her toes, waving wildly.

  With a yearning glance back at the adobe diner, Abby hurried to meet her friend. “So what are we doing here?” She gave Renee a hug, peering over her shoulder at the beautiful display of jewelry in the window. “Where’s Logan? Is he inside?”

  “Nope. He dropped me off. Had groceries to buy. Said he’d come back to pick me up, but I told him never mind, that I would ride with you. That’s okay, isn’t it?”

  Abby nodded. “Why are we here? Are you shopping?”

  “Kind of.” Renee squinted. “Do you know Shari Coranther? She had a shop next to JCPenney’s on the ground floor back at the Roseville Mall. I had coffee with her a couple of times. Bought some of her jewelry at Christmas.”

  “Sure. I recall the shop. Nice. She carried kind of far-out outfits. Nice fabrics. Not too pricey. I wasn’t really acquainted with her. Why? Is this her place?”

  “She gave up her boutique at the mall and moved here about six months ago. Kept her popular line of clothing.” Renee motioned toward the window display. “Looks like she added a new line of handmade jewelry. Check out the beautiful turquoise bracelet.” She turned back to Abby. “But that’s not why I asked you to come here. Shari’s also opened another more lucrative business in the back.”

  Abby’s eyes widened. “Lucrative? Good for her. What’s she got going?”

  “She’s kind of a consultant. I made an appointment for you. Shari helps people, mostly women.”

  Abby’s eyes narrowed. “You think I need help? I realize I’ve been burning the candle at both ends the last few days, but really, Renee.”

  Renee shook her head. “Sharita, her given name, is not a therapist. She’s built a reputation over the years for finding lost pets. Once she found a friend’s missing family member.”

  A
bby rolled her eyes. “She’s a psychic. Just say it.”

  “Okay, but she’s an intuitive psychic.”

  “Was she doing this psychic thing back at the mall?”

  “No. The clients came to her home.”

  “I don’t know if I feel comfortable talking about my mother to a … paranormal.”

  “I already made the appointment. She’s probably getting ready now to see you. You don’t seem to have gotten much of a lead from anyone else. I say it’s worth a try. Come on. Let’s go on in.”

  Abby shrugged and reluctantly followed Renee through the glass door, into the shop. She scanned the racks and shelves. The small place was filled with long floral skirts, blousy filmy tops and floppy sunhats. But unfortunately empty of customers. A young salesperson sat texting at the register. Renee made the introductions. “Abby, this is Coral, Shari’s daughter.” The teenager with a strip of bright orange in her dark hair glanced up, smiled and asked if they needed help.

  “Your mom in the back?”

  Coral nodded and kept texting while she pointed to the right with her chin. “Go on. Her last client left. She’s expecting you.”

  Renee took hold of Abby’s arm and led her down an aisle to a door painted lavender. Renee knocked once and a soft voice called out, “Enter.”

  The back room, the size of a large walk-in closet, held racks of blouses and skirts. Possibly new stock waiting to be taken up front. A pretty, dark-haired woman in her late fifties with light brown skin was seated in an antique pastel flowered high-backed chair trimmed in wood. She wore a loose, diaphanous, cream-colored blouse with a strand of purple beads that hung halfway to her waist. A silky wide band, the same shade as the beads, held the long hair back from her face. To her left, a muted light from a scarf-draped lampshade shone down on a small hexagonal table spread with cards placed face down. The woman smiled knowingly up at Renee and nodded to Abby. She motioned with two fingers to a cushioned chair opposite. Abby blinked and remained standing. Sharita glanced up at Renee and nodded twice. Renee turned to leave. Abby, not sure she wanted to stay, turned to follow.

  Renee raised her shoulders and patted Abby’s hand. She whispered, “Sharita might be able to get answers for you concerning Trish. It’s worth a try.” She backed out of the room and quietly closed the door.

  Abby sighed and sat. All other avenues to Trish hadn’t turned up anything tangible. If she stayed here awhile and listened, what did she have to lose? She glanced at her watch, thinking ahead to her dinner that evening with Preston Reynolds, and whispered, “How long is this session? I do have to get ready for another appointment.”

  Sharita turned over a card. “A meeting with a gentleman at seven. Am I correct?”

  A bit stunned, Abby stared across the table. “Well, yeah.”

  “Then please relax. We have time to make contact and ask about your missing mother. I’m receiving a message now.”

  Damn. She’s good! Unless Renee told her …. And yet, Renee didn’t know what time she was scheduled to meet the dentist.

  Sharita took in a deep breath then let it out. “Renee has filled me in with some of the details of your missing mother. We need to believe and hold the thought she is alive and well. If not,” she looked up, “if the spirits send a message otherwise, would you want to know?”

  Abby had never taken much stock in the paranormal. Wasn’t sure she believed in spirit messages. Sharita patiently held a card in her hand and waited for Abby to reply.

  Abby shrugged. “Sure, tell me all. Call on your spirits. At this point in my search, I’m willing to hear anyone’s theory. I just want to find her, wherever.”

  “What I see in the cards or hear from another spirit will not be a theory. It may stun you. That’s the reason I asked.”

  Abby nodded and settled back into the chair. “Stun or not,” she let out a huge sigh, “I can take it.”

  A half-hour later, Abby had moved forward, her shoulder pressed against the edge of the table in an attempt to make sure she understood every word Sharita said. At the beginning, she had dealt the cards and slowly related to Abby what she read. Some of it truly uncanny. The cards revealed incidents from the past only Abby could know. Incredible. She eyed the Tarot cards turned face up on the worn wood table and wondered what other truths they held.

  It wasn’t until Sharita gathered the cards and placed them aside that things really got heavy. Sharita rocked back and forth against her high-backed chair. “I feel someone.” She moaned, shook her head, raised her hands then spoke in another tongue—or what Abby assumed was another tongue. It sounded like gibberish to her.

  Abby listened closely, tried to understand, but couldn’t make out the words.

  Then Sharita began asking questions in English. Her eyes were focused above Abby’s head in a one-sided conversation that came across as both disturbing and mesmerizing. “Is she warm? Safe? Aware of where she is?” Sharita’s voice rose to a fevered pitch as she demanded, “Make it clear. The Book! 186. Need to know where it is.”

  Book? What book? Abby, totally into it now, wondered if she should interrupt Sharita. Tell her she was working on writing a mystery. It certainly wasn’t in book form yet. But what could her writing have to do with Trish? She was waiting impatiently to hear the rest when Sharita’s shoulders sagged and her chin dropped. This didn’t look good. The room was now completely silent, except for the hum of the air conditioner from the front of the store. “Today, your mother is alive. But you must hurry to find her. The woman who raised you sent this message.”

  She pushed herself up from the chair and crossed to a wooden file cabinet, where she unlocked a drawer with a silver key on a chain hooked to her cloth belt. She rummaged through the drawer for what seemed like forever before she returned to her chair. One hand lay over the other, shielding something in her palm.

  Sharita opened her hands and carefully spread a necklace out in front of her. A long snake chain held a large moon-shaped metal disc set with a dark brown stone. “Cat’s eye. In India, this gem is known by various names—lasunia, vaidhuriya, and ketu. It protects the wearer from bad fortune, harmonizing the negative effects. Wear it. Keep it close to your solar plexus. Believe me when I say you will need this in your search.”

  “Did she tell you where Trish is?” Renee had been waiting out front with Coral. “Was she able to contact her?”

  Abby shaded her eyes, still a bit dazed from sitting in the back with only minimum light for nearly forty-five minutes. When her eyes adjusted to the brightness streaming through the street window, she heaved a sigh. “Sharita spoke to someone in the spirit world. Her contact gave a vague description of where Trish is.”

  “Yeah, yeah, go on. Where?”

  “An old wooden structure in a forest. Supposedly she’s miserable.” Abby glanced over at Sharita’s daughter, who was still texting. “Let’s go outside and talk.”

  Renee followed Abby. “So. Do you feel confident Sharita got in touch? She has built quite a reputation in this town. Her appointment book is filled for the next two weeks. You got in because I knew her from Roseville.”

  Abby nodded. “She mentioned some things from my childhood only I could know. That really piqued my interest. When I questioned what spirit she had been in contact with, she said it was my grandma. The parent who raised me.”

  Renee’s eyes widened as she took in a deep breath. “Well, sounds like proof enough. So what did she suggest? Any place specific to search for Trish?”

  “No. She said the message would come to me through the written word. Signs. Warned me to be extremely cautious. In her trance she saw flashing yellow. A sign to be cautious of impending danger.” Abby opened her black bag and pulled out the cat’s eye necklace. “She gave me this. I offered to pay for it, but she said it had been taken care of.” Abby swung the heavy metal disc back and forth in front of Renee’s face. A band of light ran crosswise in the brownish yellow stone.

  Renee stopped the chain from swinging and balanced the d
isc in her hand. “This piece is heavy. If it’s for your protection, shouldn’t you be wearing it?”

  Abby nodded. “Probably. But it’s too heavy. I’ll keep it in my purse. If I think I’m getting into dangerous territory, I know where it is.” She stuffed it back in her bag. “Did you pay Sharita for this jewelry and the sitting?”

  “Guilty.”

  “Okay, friend. I’ll make it up to you.” Abby’s stomach rumbled. “Come on. I’m hungry. For a starter, I’ll buy you a burrito.”

  The two linked arms and hurried across the street. Before they entered the adobe diner, Abby stopped short. “One more thing Sharita revealed from the spirit world.”

  “Yeah.” Renee faced her. “So tell me.”

  “There’s a love karma. She said I could create my destiny by the choice I make.”

  “So, anyway, I spoke to Ginny yesterday,” Renee said as they sat out on the restaurant’s front balcony overlooking the street.

  Abby sipped her cola through a straw. “Really? What did she tell you?”

  Renee nibbled on the corner of a corn chip. “She’s fretting over the Saturday matinee at the Follies. If it winds up being only her and Dorie doing a duet, she hopes it’ll be fine with the director.”

  Renee set her taco down and wiped her fingers with a napkin. “I believe Sharita. I feel Trish is alive. It sounds like she’s hiding out. Why she hasn’t made contact with at least someone in the family, I don’t know. Maybe it’s not safe for her to come out right now. Maybe it’s not safe for any of you. We should try to trust that she knows what she’s doing.”

  Abby narrowed her eyes. “Do you think she’s hiding from some mobster?”

  “Mobster?” Renee’s eyes widened. “I don’t know anything about mobsters. You’re the one who met this Heath guy.” She gave Abby a long look. “So tell all. Is he handsome like Ray Liota?”