Tiger's Eye (A Stacy Justice Mystery Book Three)

by Barbra Annino

  I bobbed mine up and down and said, “Yes you are.” Except her hand was so tight over my pie hole it sounded more like, Yeth u arf.

  Cinnamon sighed and dropped her hand. “Okay, maybe. I’m a little late, but I haven’t taken a test yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well, for starters, I never get any alone time except at the bar and I don’t want Tony to know just yet.”

  “Again, why not? He’d be thrilled.”

  Tony was the kind of man who would rather spend time with his wife than take a night out with the boys. He adored my cousin and bragged about her constantly. Who could blame him? Cin was smart, sexy, a hard worker, and a ton of fun.

  “Because I need a little time to think of a good reason why I should keep the bar.” Cin started pacing. “I mean, geez, what am I going to do? Bake cookies like my mother?”

  Mama Angelica’s bakery was legendary in these parts.

  “You think he’d ask you to do that?”

  “I don’t know.” She started talking with her hands—an indicator that she was anxious about this. “He’s a worrier. I can’t think of too many husbands who would be thrilled with the idea of his wife slinging drinks at obnoxious drunks with a sixth-month belly bump.”

  I caught her hand and said, “First off, Tony isn’t like most husbands. Second, there’s no sense in worrying just yet. Why don’t I come by the bar tonight and take the test with you?”

  She looked somewhat relieved and agreed to the arrangement as long as I picked up the tests the next town over.

  We packed up the car and I dropped her off.

  She leaned into the window and said, “Be there before eight. Band starts at nine.” She started away, but I saw she had left the .38 on the floor of the car tucked inside an ankle holster.

  “Cin. You forgot one.”

  She turned and said, “If there are two things I know about you, Cuz, it’s that you wouldn’t use that thing unless you absolutely had to. The other is that you may absolutely have to.”

  I watched her walk into the house, hoping she was wrong.

  Leo called on my way to the cottage.

  “We did a sweep of your dad’s car and it’s clean. No cut wires, nothing out of the ordinary with the engine or brakes. We also didn’t find any shell casings.”

  “So the shooter got there first.”

  “No bullet holes either. There could be another explanation for what happened.”

  “Such as?”

  “We found BBs.”

  “Come again?”

  “BBs. We think maybe it was kids screwing around. They’ve been known to aim at abandoned cars before.”

  “Geez, it’s not enough that they torture the Shelby goats, now they’re taking shots at random people?”

  Because they sure sounded like real bullets.

  “I’m not saying I won’t keep looking into it, but that’s the view from out here. We did find the truck. Dusted it for prints, but I suspect they’ll belong to a lot of different people.”

  I disconnected with him and immediately my phone rang again. It was Derek. “Are you forgetting something?”

  Crap. I was his ride. “Be right there.”

  Derek hobbled over to the car and jumped in the passenger seat. He was sweating a lot for someone who just exited an air-conditioned building. He searched through his bag, pulled out a pen, and stuck it down the boot. “Man, this thing itches!”

  A dog barked in the distance and Thor answered.

  I felt sorry for Derek. The summer I broke my leg playing kick-ball I had to wear that stinky cast for six weeks. It was hot, itchy, and not waterproof.

  “Can’t you take it off?”

  “Yeah, I did last night.”

  He twisted the air vent in the car to aim it at his face. Then he reached for a magazine as I pulled the car out of the parking lot.

  “Do you need a ride tomorrow?” I asked when we got to his apartment.

  “Nah, I think I can manage. I wasn’t sure if I was going to pop a pain pill, but it doesn’t feel too bad anymore.”

  He folded up the magazine and I saw it was a catalog for the spy store. I was about to tease him about it when I spotted something on the back cover.

  “Derek, can I see that for a minute?”

  “Sure.” Thor whinnied in the backseat. “Hang on, buddy, almost home.”

  A closer look confirmed my initial assessment. But I wasn’t positive until I held the watch from the lake up to the ad. Some of the features looked an awful lot like the wristwatch on the back of the spy catalog. The caption read, Voice-activated digital audio recorder. Capture meeting minutes, business agreements, or interviews discreetly and effectively.

  Could this be the tapes?

  “Derek, where is the spy store?”

  “It’s in Dubuque. On Thirteenth Street.”

  Twenty minutes away.

  “Get back in the car.”

  “What, nooooo. Come on, I’m hungryyyyy,” he whined, and Thor thought that was his cue to chime in.

  The dog lifted his head and howled.

  “Stop that! Both of you. I’ll stop at Aztec Tacos, okay?”

  That seemed to shut them both up.

  We found a spot right out front of the spy store. Thor devoured a king burrito while I filled Derek in on the story. He admired the watch as I spoke.

  “So hopefully there’s a chance that the recordings are still on here. Maybe that’s what the caller meant. Not actual cassette or video tapes but taped recordings.”

  Derek cocked an eyebrow at me. “And you think the same stiff they pulled from the lake is the one who called you.”

  “I’m almost positive.”

  “Well,” Derek said and sipped his soda, “if anyone can retrieve whatever data is on here, it’s Sydney.”

  As he finished off his taco, I thought of a way to bring up the message I was supposed to relay to him from the great-aunt I met at the cemetery. What did she say the name of her sister was? Maybel. That was it.

  The way I saw it, this might be my first break and I wasn’t about to piss off the spirits.

  “Hey, by the way, someone named Maybel called for you.”

  “Maybel?” He chewed slowly, reached for more hot sauce, and said, “I don’t know a Maybel.”

  Could I have gotten it wrong or did I now have to worry about ghosts lying to me?

  “She said she was your grandmother.”

  Derek widened his eyes briefly and then said, “My grandmother’s name is Maybelline. And she’s been in a convent for five years. Doesn’t phone home too much.”

  He was staring me down.

  I bluffed as best I could. “Well, she wants you to go back to law school.”

  “You sure it wasn’t my mother who called?”

  “Could have been.”

  He crumpled up his taco wrappers and tossed them into the bag. “That woman never gives up, I swear. You know why I came all the way out here after college instead of staying back east or going south where my koo-koo auntie is?”

  “It was the only place hiring?”

  “Well, there was that, but mostly to get away from the elite attitude that success is defined by a million-dollar house and a Mercedes.” He shrugged. “I like my job. I like it here. It’s quiet and friendly, and most days no one’s trying to shoot me.”

  “Well, don’t tell her I told you. She asked me to be subtle.”

  Derek snorted. “You, subtle? Ha!” He tossed out the trash and called to Thor. “Sydney loves dogs. He thinks they’re the perfect place to plant a spy camera or a bug.” He held the door open and we all walked in.

  Sydney looked like a spy camera. Or a bug. He had huge eyes magnified by Coke-bottle glasses that his tiny nose struggled to support. There was one streak of dark hair, combed in all different directions as if he couldn’t settle on just one, and his vest had more pockets than a big-game hunter’s.

  “Well, hello there.” He whipped off his glasses and made goo
gly eyes at me.

  Apparently Sydney also fancied himself a ladies’ man. Although unwanted advances didn’t really bother me much.

  “Whoa, easy, fella. Good dog, good boy.” Sydney jumped back, trembling near a shelf of teddy bear cameras. “I was just being friendly.”

  Thor was standing at full height, paws on Sydney’s counter. He growled softly once and then flared his teeth simply for showmanship.

  “Thor, that’s enough,” I said.

  “Fine-looking dog you have there, miss.”

  I smiled as Derek took control of the conversation.

  “Hey, Syd, we have an older model audio recorder here. Thing was submerged in water. You think you could work your magic?”

  That reminded me, I had to get back for my training. I checked the time. Around this time, Birdie and the aunts were likely serving refreshments, which meant I had about an hour.

  Sydney attached some sort of scope on the end of his glasses so now he looked like a bug from outer space.

  He squinted at the watch and said, “Maybe. Usually if there’s too much water damage this little dot right here turns red.” He showed us a black dot. Then he took off the extra eyewear. “Got a few cases ahead of yours, but I should be able to get back to you next week.”

  “Next week? Can’t you fit it in a bit sooner? I’ll pay extra,” I pleaded.

  Thor was inspecting a pair of doggie goggles with a built-in camera. He cocked his head toward Sydney and waited for a response.

  Derek said, “She’s Lolly’s great-niece.”

  Sydney looked a bit mortified at that. He took a step back. “Oh. Okay, tell you what, little lady, since my best customer is your friend here and, um, Lolly is your relation, I’ll move you up on the list. I should have something by tomorrow. How’s that?”

  “Thank you, Sydney.”

  Derek slapped the doggie goggles along with a bandana on the counter for Thor and I paid for all the purchases, including Derek’s new spyglasses.

  Thor stood a little taller as Derek slipped the goggles over his ears. If he had a spiked collar to complete the ensemble, the dog would have looked like a Hell’s Angel.

  “Thor, say thank you to Uncle Derek.”

  Derek was adjusting the bandana around Thor’s neck. He stuck his hand in the air and Thor met it with a high five.

  We made a quick stop at the drugstore the next block up, where I ran in and bought two pregnancy tests and shoved them in my bag. I dropped Derek off at his apartment and headed toward the cottage. I changed quickly into jean shorts and a one-shoulder top, applied some fresh makeup, and brushed out my hair, partly to be ready to head to the Black Opal and partly so Fiona wouldn’t nag about my appearance.

  I was ready then. Ready to become the woman I was born to be.

  Chapter 27

  “Dogs never bite me. Just humans.”

  —Marilyn Monroe

  I decided to leave Thor in the yard with a fresh bowl of water and a chewy bone. It had cooled down considerably and he enjoyed bird watching as much as they enjoyed riding him like a hippo.

  The back door was unlocked so I let myself in and called to Birdie. No answer, but the door to the back stairs creaked open, inviting me in like a scene from a horror movie that makes you yell at the screen and want to shake the stupid girl who’s about to walk into an ambush.

  Naturally, I passed through the threshold.

  The stairs were dark, but I saw Lolly’s wedding dress hanging at the top on a coat rack and made a mental note to meet with the metal sculptor. I wondered if the aunts and Birdie knew that Jack’s cousin was living just outside of town. I hoped I could find some answers for her. Some peace.

  I ducked my head into each of their rooms and found only Keesha, resting comfortably. I scratched her head and said, “See you tomorrow. Vet appointment. Don’t be late.”

  I approached the hidden lair.

  I spent many years in this house, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that Fiona led me to a hidden room behind the gilded gold painting of the Celtic goddess Danu. In her hand, she held an intricately carved chalice and on the chalice was a sparkling ruby. I pressed the ruby as Fiona had done and Danu’s eyes met mine with approval. I thought she winked at me, but I couldn’t be sure.

  The frame shook violently and then swung wide, opening to the mouth of the passageway. I followed it as far as I could. The brick wall came at me fast and I stopped, but not before I smacked it with my nose.

  “Ouch.”

  My eyes squeezed shut, I took three deep breaths and imagined a doorway to replace the brick. The brick buckled and pulsed, finally rippling into a white-framed door tall enough to walk through.

  “Hey,” I said to Birdie. “I made it bigger this time.”

  “Very good, Anastasia.”

  The room was still anchored by the massive round table. It was made of oak and carved with Celtic symbols such as triquetras, trees-of-life, and triskeles, as well as gods and goddesses, battle scenes, and other images of Ireland.

  Lolly was setting up a screen at the far side of the room and Fiona was sifting through the wardrobe. She grabbed a light sweater and sat at one of the red velvet chairs.

  Something was wrong here. No one was wearing a ritual cape. There were no herbs, crystals, athames.

  This was not what a training session with these witches usually looked like.

  “Why isn’t anyone dressed?”

  Lolly looked at me with raised eyebrows. She had a highball in her hand and she was wearing a peach cocktail dress with halter straps that looked like it came from Marilyn Monroe’s closet.

  “You know what I mean,” I said.

  Birdie sat down next to Fiona and said, “Well, dear, your official training was not to begin until the summer solstice.”

  “So?”

  “So we weren’t prepared,” Fiona said. There was a bowl of popcorn on the table and she offered it to me. I declined.

  “But the solstice is Friday. That’s not far off. Surely you must be able to teach me something that would be more beneficial than watching a movie.”

  Birdie reached for the popcorn and said, “Sit down, Anastasia. You might learn something.”

  So I sat. Lolly flipped the light switch and Fiona turned on the projector.

  The film was shaky, as if it had been shot long ago with poor equipment. It opened with a view of the rich Irish hillside. Then a female voice that I recognized as Maegan’s, my great-grandmother, began to speak. She described Ireland and her many secrets, showing scenes of such iconic landmarks as the Hill of Tara—the ancient seat of power. One hundred and forty-two kings were said to have reigned there and it was believed to have been a realm into the otherworld where the gods resided. It went on to explain how Woodhenge, similar to England’s Stonehenge, was constructed around the Hill and how it was used for inauguration ceremonies.

  The next shot was of the Stone of Destiny, thought to have been brought to the Hill of Tara by the Tuatha Dé Danann, the red-haired, fair-skinned magical people of the goddess Danu. Legend has it that the stone would roar when touched by the rightful king of the land. Next, Maegan talked about the three other treasures brought to the island by the Danann: Dagda’s Cauldron, from which none left hungry; Spear of Lugh, which would secure victory for the warrior who held it; and the Sword of Light of Núada, from which none could escape once drawn.

  Maegan said, “Beneath her bosom, Tara holds great secrets you are beholden to protect at all costs.”

  A half an hour had passed at that time and I was growing impatient. How was this supposed to help me catch a killer?

  I shut off the projector and asked Birdie just that. Lolly, seated closest to the lights, got up and turned them on.

  My grandmother tilted her head and said, “That’s not what you requested. You asked us to teach you how to be the Seeker of Justice. This is your legacy, child, this is your destiny. This is what you must embrace if you are to retrieve your mother come Samhain.”
>
  My mother, faced with a difficult choice to protect me, committed a high crime, according to some council that my family was involved with back in Ireland. It was agreed that I would speak on her behalf and try to bring her home. But her hearing wasn’t until October 31, four months down the road. There was nothing I could do for her now. Right now, my focus was on finding out what happened to my father.

  I said all this to Birdie and she stood to address me.

  “Listen to me. Do not tread into dark waters when we are so close to having your mother back. This thing can wait. I cannot have you hurting yourself or damaging everything we have accomplished. The Council was pleased with your performance on protecting the page of Ballymote.” She was referring to a quest she sent me on a few months ago. “It was the only reason they agreed to an early hearing.” She grasped my shoulders, then dropped her hands as if she had been burned.

  She studied me for a moment, her eyes dancing up and down my body. “What has happened to your heart?”

  “What? Nothing has happened to my heart. It’s right where I left it.”

  She began sniffing me like Thor does when I’ve been around another dog. She grabbed my hands and held them up to the light.

  “What have you been doing?”

  “Birdie, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” Because I didn’t.

  She grabbed my satchel from near the door and sifted through it.

  “Hey! Stop that!”

  She pulled Cinnamon’s gun out of the bag and I ducked. “Be careful with that! Put it back.”

  “What is this?” she demanded.

  “A gun. Cinnamon gave it to me,” I said, throwing my cousin under the bus.

  “This is not the way we do things.”

  “Are you kidding me? Lolly strapped me up with enough hardware on that ‘mission’ you sent me on to take down a terrorist cell.”

  “That was different.”

  “How?”

  Fiona said, “Well, dear, we knew you were heading into danger. We needed you protected.” She took off her sweater. “And we didn’t know the boots were loaded.”