by Rose Pressey
Dylan wrote something on a pad he’d pulled from his pocket. I thought about leaning closer, but figured that wouldn’t be the best idea. After he finished writing, he folded the tablet and stuffed it back into his shirt pocket. “Can you look up info of who made the cards? Maybe the person bought them somewhere other than your store.”
She nodded. “Sure, I can do that.”
It hadn’t occurred to me that the person could have bought the cards from somewhere other than Heather’s shop. I just assumed that any occult items would have been purchased from her place. I hoped we’d be able to track down the source soon.
“Okay, I have a mission.” Heather gave a mock salute and headed for the door.
“Good luck,” I said and waved.
“I’m glad you called and told me about this,” Dylan said.
“Better safe than sorry.” It sent a shiver down my spine to think the killer had been in my shop. And that the person had possibly threatened me.
I sat on the stool again. “I wanted to ask you about Vera Lemon. Did you talk to her and find out why she had all the photos of Nicole on her wall?”
Dylan seemed to choose his words carefully. “Yes, I did speak with her. Ms. Lemon explained that she was a fan of Nicole’s. She had the photos because she just really liked her.”
“That’s a whole lot of like,” I said.
He grinned. “Yes, it is.”
“Did she have anything else to say about it?”
“Not really. And there’s not much we can do without any other evidence to go on,” he said.
“Yes, that’s understandable.”
Charlotte rested on the settee. “Vera had more photos on that wall than a preteen collecting posters from a Tiger Beat magazine.”
I bit back a smile.
“Sorry it didn’t turn up more clues,” Dylan was saying.
I waved off his comment. “You have a lot to take care of. I just wish I could help more.”
“You helped a bunch by telling me about the photos. It was odd, to say the least, but we can’t prove anything.”
I picked at a blouse from the counter. “Sure. It would be hard to prove anything from just a collection of photos.”
“I’m glad that you called me today and shared this with me.” His voice softened and made the Southern drawl even sexier.
“I thought it was something you should know.”
“Are you going to be okay?” Dylan searched my eyes.
I picked at the hem of my shirt. “I’ll be fine. It was just a little unsettling.”
“Yes, I can see where that would be the case.”
There was a silence, and then I said, “I like your shirt.”
A smile twisted at the corners of his mouth. “I think it’s my new favorite shirt.”
It made my heart happy that he enjoyed the vintage clothing. I’d hoped he hadn’t bought the items just to have a reason to ask me questions about the case. Although I guess he really wouldn’t need an excuse.
Just then Heather burst back through the door. “I remember who I sold the cards to,” she said.
I jumped up from the stool. “That’s great news.”
“Who is it?” Dylan asked.
“Her name is Faith Lauren. She does readings and stuff.”
“And you definitely remember selling the cards to her?” Dylan asked.
Heather was practically hopping with excitement. “Yes, I remember it clearly now. It just popped back into my head.”
“Do you know anything else about her?” Dylan asked.
“Yes, I know her a little. As a matter of fact, I know where she is right now.”
We all stared at Heather.
“Where is she?” I asked, not able to stand the suspense.
“She’s at the Plaza Hotel. There’s a paranormal conference there this weekend. It’s just a small get-together, but there are a few people doing readings. Faith has a table set up there this weekend to do readings. I really don’t think she would have left her cards here though.”
That was what I had been wondering.
Dylan asked, “Do you want to visit this person?”
I was a little shocked that he had asked me.
“Sure,” I said, looking at Heather.
“Don’t worry. I’ll watch the shop for you.”
I just hoped the intruder didn’t come back in while Heather was there.
“Don’t go into the back room,” I warned.
“You can count on that.” Heather assured me.
“Oh, good, a road trip,” Charlotte said.
Oh no. I wished I could tell her she couldn’t come. But I couldn’t, and I knew the ghosts wouldn’t listen either. As long as they were quiet, I guess it wouldn’t be so bad.
“Are you ready?” Dylan asked.
I got my purse. “Yes, let’s go.”
Dylan and I walked outside to his police car. His unmarked car was gray, with lights in the back windows. Charlotte and Alice were right there. By the time I’d gotten into the passenger seat, they were settled in behind us. At least Dylan hadn’t made me ride in the prisoner’s seat. I never wanted to be back there.
We barely pulled away from the curb when my cell phone rang.
“I’m sorry, but I was mistaken,” I heard Heather say. “The conference was last weekend.”
“What? Oh no,” I said.
Dylan glanced over at me. “What’s wrong?”
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I know her address. You can just go to her house.”
“Thank goodness.”
Dylan glanced at me again. “At least it was followed with good news.”
“You’re keeping us in suspense back here,” Charlotte said.
I hung up with Heather. “The conference was last weekend, but Heather had Faith’s address.”
“Just tell me where to go and I’ll point the car in that direction,” Dylan said.
Chapter 20
Charlotte’s Handy-Dandy Tips for Navigating the Afterlife
Another neat trick: if you focus hard, you can
get the living person to smell any scent you
want. My favorite is roses.
We drove across town and pulled into a subdivision called Crystal Springs Estates. Dylan followed the directions Heather had given me and pulled right up to Faith Lauren’s house. It was a white two story with black shutters. A lot of the houses looked alike on the street. The styles varied only slightly.
We walked up the driveway and then the stone path to the glossy black front door. A pot of red geraniums sat on the left and a pair of tennis shoes on the right. Dylan rang the doorbell, and after a few seconds a woman opened the door. Faith wore a white blouse with white shorts. She was barefoot, and her toenails were painted a bright red to match her fingertips.
“May I help you?” She looked from me to him.
Dylan pulled out his badge. “Detective Dylan Valentine. Sugar Creek Police. We wondered if we could ask you a few questions?”
Her eyes widened. She had short blond hair and big blue eyes rimmed with blue eyeliner. She hadn’t asked us inside, not that I expected her to. She didn’t even open the door all the way. Understandably, she looked suspicious of us.
“We were told you purchased a set of tarot cards from the Magic Marketplace recently.”
She frowned. “That is an odd question.”
“But you did purchase the cards?” Dylan pushed.
She said, “Yes, I did purchase a set from the store.”
“And you use the cards on a regular basis?”
She looked at me again and then back to Dylan. “Yes, I do readings quite often.”
Dylan nodded. “I see. Did you use the cards today?”
“Is this some kind of joke?” she asked.
Dylan looked right at her and said, “I can assure you that this is no joke. So you used the cards today?” he asked again.
Dylan had control of the questioning and wasn’t about to give up on get
ting his answers.
“Actually, no, I didn’t use the cards today. Because I don’t know where the cards are.”
Wow, I hadn’t expected that answer.
“What do you mean?” Dylan asked.
“Last week I was at the Plaza doing some readings and halfway through the day someone took the cards. I had to stop because I didn’t have another set.”
“Do you know who took the cards?” Dylan pressed for more answers.
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I have no idea, but I wish I knew. I wasn’t happy that someone had stolen them. I thought maybe it was another psychic who didn’t want the competition from me. But there were a lot of people around that day, so who knows? I guess it could have been anyone. And I’d just purchased the cards too. They were like new.”
I remembered Heather saying that the cards were purchased recently. This had to be the same cards, right? It was too bad Faith didn’t know who had taken the cards. Was she being honest?
She would have no reason to come into my shop and leave her cards though. We didn’t even know each other.
“Is there anything else that you remember from that day?” Dylan asked.
Faith didn’t hesitate. “Oh, there was one thing that was a little odd. That woman working on the movie set was there.”
My eyes widened. Ah-ha. A connection to the film crew.
“Which woman was that?” Dylan asked.
“I don’t remember her name.”
I remembered that Shiloh had been staying at the hotel. Then again, I’d seen Jessica there too when she’d met Preston.
“Did she have blond hair and blue eyes?” I asked.
Faith shrugged. “Yes, I think so.”
“What about a small tattoo of a red rose on the back of her wrist?” I asked.
Faith looked at me in surprise. “Yes, I remember that.”
“Thank you for the information,” Dylan said.
“Did you come here to find my tarot cards?” Faith asked.
She looked completely confused.
“If we find the cards we’ll make sure you get them back,” he said.
I smiled at the woman, but she just looked at me blankly. I wished I had time to explain to her what was going on. Dylan and I hurried to his car. Faith watched us as we jumped in.
“Well, this just has a lot of twists and turns,” Charlotte said.
“I’ll say,” Alice chimed in. “It’s a good thing you have the handsome detective’s help.”
I knew they wouldn’t be quiet in the backseat.
I fastened my seat belt and said, “Shiloh has a rose tattoo on the back of her wrist.”
He smiled at me. “Good job. You have an eye for detail.”
“It comes from being in the world of fashion.” I smiled.
Dylan didn’t speed to the hotel, but he drove as fast as the speed limit would allow. Within a few minutes, we were pulling into the parking lot. As soon as he shoved the car into park, I opened the door and rushed out.
“You are in a hurry,” he said as he met me at the front of the car.
“I guess I’m a little anxious for answers.”
Dylan and I headed for the revolving entrance door, with Charlotte and Alice in tow. The ghosts came with us through the doors. I would have just floated in if I were them. Dylan stepped up to the desk. I waited over at the side for him to speak with the manager, a dapper fortyish man with a pencil-thin mustache. I could still hear their conversation though. He’d asked for footage of any surveillance video during the conference at the hotel.
After a couple of minutes, he stepped over to where I stood. “They’re going to get the footage for us to look at.”
“That’s great,” I said.
“You’ve been a lot of help with this investigation,” he said.
I smiled. “I just wanted to help.”
He searched my eyes. “Why is that?”
I couldn’t tell him that a ghost had made me do it. But to be honest, I wanted to see the killer in jail. I didn’t want this kind of crime in my hometown. I was trying to come up with a quick and logical response when the manager motioned for us that the video was ready.
“I hope we’ll see something there,” Alice said as she followed us back to the manager’s office.
“We have to ask Shiloh what she is doing,” Charlotte said.
We filed into the small office and gathered around the small screen.
“This is the conference. Is there a time period you are looking for?” The manager asked in a smooth baritone.
Hmm. I hadn’t thought of that. The conference had been several hours, and we couldn’t watch all of them.
Dylan answered, “I’m not sure.”
“Look, there’s Faith Lauren.” I pointed.
We watched the screen. The manager sped up the action.
“Wait,” Dylan called out. “Stop the video.”
Shiloh was sitting at the table getting a reading from Faith. When the reading was over, Shiloh stood and Faith turned away from the table. That was when Shiloh grabbed the cards and left the room.
“Wow, she took the cards.”
“Thank you,” Dylan said. “That’s all that we needed. Can I get a copy of that?”
The manager nodded. “Of course.”
When we stepped out of the office, I asked, “What do we do now?”
“We should talk with Shiloh.”
“I know which room she’s in.”
He looked over at me.
“I had to see her about the costumes,” I said.
He winked. “Right.”
We headed through the lobby and to the elevators. I looked back at the lobby and saw the plant where Heather and I had hidden. That seemed like ages ago. I wondered about that meeting between Preston and Jessica. Were they really seeing each other? Or was something else going on between them?
“She’s in room 408,” I said.
Dylan and I stepped onto the elevator, and he pushed the button for the fourth floor. I saw Charlotte’s and Alice’s reflections in the mirror. They were standing behind us.
“She may not want to admit to taking the cards,” he said.
“I’d say it’s a safe bet that she won’t admit to it,” Charlotte said.
“Why in the world would she want to take them? She could have just bought a set for herself,” Alice said.
That was true, and I had no explanation for her irrational behavior. But then she had Nicole’s dress too. And she hadn’t admitted to taking it, even though I knew it was Nicole’s. Maybe Shiloh had a problem with taking things that didn’t belong to her.
We stepped off the elevator into the hall, then turned to the right in the direction of room 408. After a few seconds, we’d arrived in front of the door.
Dylan knocked.
“Who is it?” a voice called out. “I didn’t order anything and I don’t need towels.”
Dylan knocked again, but still didn’t say anything.
Bangs and a couple thuds sounded from behind the door. The lock clicked, and then Shiloh opened the door. Her eyes widened when she saw us. She knew me, and I knew she’d talked to Dylan before. She probably wondered why we were here together.
She leaned against the door and smiled. “What can I do for you all?”
She’d picked up a Southern accent since she’d arrived in Sugar Creek. I was curious if she had the clothing in the room or if she’d hidden it. Maybe she had the cards right out in the open too. She had to know why we were there.
“Good afternoon, Shiloh. Sorry for bothering you, but we had just a few questions.”
She looked from Dylan to me. “Sure, is this about the murder? Because I already gave all the information I know.”
“This isn’t about that.”
Technically, it was about the murder, but she didn’t need to know that. I wondered if she’d be truthful when she found out we had evidence that she’d taken the cards. Her stance stiffened. She was actin
g nervous.
“This is about missing tarot cards.”
Her face turned red, but she tried to keep her composure.
“Tarots cards? I don’t know . . .”
She acted as if she was completely shocked by the question. Maybe she had aspirations of being an actress, but she shouldn’t quit her day job.
“We have video of you taking the cards,” Dylan said, not wasting time for her lies.
She stared, speechless.
“We spoke with Faith Lauren. She said she gave you a reading and then the cards were stolen. When we checked the hotel’s footage, we saw you take them, put them in your purse, and walk out of the room.”
“She called the police because her tarot cards were taken? And you all actually investigated this?” She stared at us.
I had to admit it was funny to see her stunned face.
Shiloh sighed. “Okay, I took the cards. It’s not a felony, for heaven’s sake. I can’t believe she is making such a big deal out of it. It’s not like she can’t replace the cards. Plus, I doubt they cost that much anyway.”
If they didn’t cost much and Faith could easily replace them, then why did Shiloh take them?
“So are you going to arrest me?” she asked.
“No,” Dylan said. “It would be up to Faith to press charges.”
“Then why are you here? Just to harass me?” She glared at me.
“Like I said, we have some questions to ask,” Dylan said.
“Other than asking about the cards?” She moved as if she wanted to shut the door on us, but I doubted Dylan would let that happen. “Look, I already told you everything I know about the murder. I can’t help you anymore. So I’m sorry about the cards. It was a bad decision.”
She could say that again. But had she been the intruder who left the cards at my shop?
“Why did you take the cards?” Dylan asked.
Shiloh looked down at her bare feet. How long could she stall? Dylan stepped closer to the door, and her eyes widened.
“Okay, I took the cards because I didn’t like the reading she gave me, okay? That’s the reason.”
“What did she tell you?” I asked.