Karma's A Bitch (A Pet Psychic Mystery)

by Esposito, Shannon

  “Darwin!” Frankie was waving from her little red sports car, wearing a matching red straw hat.

  I walked over. “Hey, Frankie. Nice night for a drive.”

  “Yes, it is,” her voice wavered. “And I was hoping I could talk you into coming on one with me?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, I’m pretty beat.”

  “Pretty please, sugar…I…I really need a friend right now.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “I don’t know. I found Maddy. I mean, I hired a private detective and he found Maddy. She’s living in an apartment downtown. I want to go talk to her, make sure she’s okay but I don’t want to go alone. Will you come?”

  “Sure.” I walked around to the passenger side and slid in, patting Frankie’s knee. “Heaven knows I understand the need for closure.”

  Her smile widened, exposing her perfect teeth with the smear of red lipstick. I smiled, too.

  We drove out of the Beach Drive district, through the rougher parts of St. Pete that hadn’t been given a multi-million dollar facelift. I liked being in the convertible with the wind and sounds of evening swirling around us. Lifting my arms up, I wiggled my fingers in the cool air current. Maybe I would learn to drive one day and have a convertible.

  Frankie didn’t seem to notice my enchantment with her car. “How’s Karma doin’?”

  “Good. Well, better. Dr. Messing says I can probably bring him home at the end of the week.”

  “Oh, that’s great news. Poor dog. Been through enough. Just burns my britches that someone would try to hurt him…and you of course.” She was shaking her head and slowing down. “There. That’s the apartments.”

  She pulled into a guest parking space and shut off the car. “Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  We made our way through a lobby full of wicker furniture and ceiling fans to the elevator.

  “It’s number 704.” Frankie was quiet on the way up. She looked worried.

  “You really care about her, don’t you?”

  “God knows why, she’s hell on wheels, but yeah, I do.”

  I squeezed Frankie’s hand. “You’re doing the right thing. I’m sure you can clear up whatever’s going on.”

  We stepped off the elevator and found the door with a brass 704. Frankie took a deep breath, blew it out then knocked. I stood a few feet away, against the wall. I would be there for support if she needed me, but I didn’t want to intrude on their conversation.

  A few tense moments ticked by and Frankie knocked again. I was beginning to think Maddy wasn’t home when the door finally clicked open.

  Maddy’s profile appeared in the door way. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and her expression was anything but friendly. I looked her over, a feeling of dread making my head tingle. Was she…?

  “What are you doing here, Frankie?”

  “Well, is that anyway to greet a friend? I was worried about you.” Frankie noticed then, too. She stared at the slight bulge under Maddy’s tight tank top. “Holy hades, are you pregnant?”

  “Not really your concern. You need to leave.”

  Frankie stiffened her shoulders. “I…I can help you. I want to help you, Maddy. Please, tell me what’s going on.”

  “Vick.” I didn’t mean to say it out loud. Maddy turned then, noticing me for the first time. Her face paled and her eyes darkened. Well, the cat was out of the bag now. “It’s Vick’s baby, isn’t it?”

  Frankie was glancing from me to Maddy. Her hands had dropped to her sides; her voice had dropped to a whisper. “Maddy, is that true?”

  Maddy came at me then, surprisingly fast for a woman with another human being in her belly, and shoved me hard to the ground. Spit flew from her mouth as she kicked and screamed at me.

  “You just can’t mind your own business!” And some other explosive words that I barely caught, as I was busy trying to scoot back out of the way of her wrath. She managed to connect a hard kick to my bruised right ribs and I yelped in pain. She lost her balance and fell on top of me. We rolled around. I managed to get my knees between us and pushed hard against her as she grabbed my hair.

  Frankie came to my rescue once the initial shock wore off. She grabbed Maddy’s arms, yanked her up and pinned her against the wall. I sat, panting and shaking, on the ground.

  “Enough!” Frankie’s tough street persona was now in the house. “Darwin has nothing to do with this. And you’re going to hurt the baby acting like some maniac. Calm down!”

  Maddy struggled for a moment then fell silent. “Fine. Let go.”

  Frankie slowly released her then she helped me off the ground and we walked back to the elevator, both of us shaking.

  “Stay away from me!” Maddy shouted. She slammed the door. I closed my eyes and leaned against the elevator wall. My right side throbbed as I made an effort to slow down my breathing.

  “I’m so stupid!” Frankie said, the words releasing sobs that wracked her body as we rode back down to the lobby.

  I slipped an arm around her. “It’s not stupid to care about people.” I couldn’t even imagine how this betrayal must be wrecking her inside.

  We sat in the parking lot for a while until Frankie could pull herself together enough to drive. I just let her talk, scream and cry. It was exhausting feeling her emotions run amok, taking her from rage to grief and back again. Besides dealing with the waves of heartache coming from her, I was in shock myself. How could they do this to her? She treated Maddy like a daughter, getting her away from her harmful real family and trying to give her a future. Well, Vick I wasn’t so shocked about, but still. He must have no feelings at all.

  So, this is how people get bitter and stop opening their hearts to each other. Frankie had such a good heart. I didn’t want her to close it off to the world just because she picked the wrong guy to trust.

  “Frankie, you have so many other people in your life that care about you,” I assured her, digging more Kleenex from my straw bag, “and need you. You’re too good a person to be with someone who would betray you like this. Better you know now.”

  She stared out into the parking lot, her face slack. “She’s going to have his baby.”

  “Yes. But, Maddy’s right. It’s their mess to deal with now. You have to let go.”

  She nodded and burst out in tears again. I handed her the wad of Kleenex.

  It was late by the time she dropped me off and I made her promise not to confront Vick that evening. She needed time to recover, to think about what she needed to say to him. To not kill him on sight.

  I hugged her. “Come by in the morning and have tea with me so I know you’re okay.”

  “All right,” she sniffed. “I will. Thanks for coming. I don’t know what I would have done if I had been by myself.”

  “You would have been fine. You’re a survivor, Frankie. Remember that.”

  I soaked my sore bones in a hot bath when I got home. The big place was empty and my sadness had pulled me down to new lows. Relationships seemed so complicated, each person having their own needs and motivations. I was suddenly grateful for my long incubation period without having to deal with one. This made me think of Will. Was I even ready for one now at twenty eight? Not if I couldn’t be honest with him. I saw the devastation first hand that dishonesty caused. I wasn’t doing anything on purpose to hurt him but he would be hurt all the same. I would either have to come clean or let him go.

  I let myself slip beneath the soapy water to hide.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Frankie showed up—face puffy, Itty and Bitty in tow—about an hour after we opened the next morning. Sylvia rushed over to her with open arms, the Portuguese flying.

  “Não posso crer a. What um idiota!”

  Frankie accepted the hug and gave me a small smile over her shoulder. “I take it Sylvia knows?”

  I nodded and took out some fresh peanut butter biscuits for the pups. “How are you this morning?”

  “I’m better. And, I’ve decided, p
robably better off.” She took the biscuits and bent down to offer them to the Chihuahuas.

  “That’s right, Frankie.” Sylvia had been riled up since I told her what happened this morning. She was definitely not someone I’d want to betray. She shook her head, her sleek ponytail flying back and forth. “Have people gone mad? I just don’t understand. It’s like the devil himself is in town!”

  “Yeah, well, maybe he is. I tried to call Vick this morning. Of course he’s not answering his phone. Maddy probably called him as soon as we left last night.”

  “Gah! I go to Cassis. We need chocolate croissants.” Sylvia grabbed her purse from under the counter and patted Frankie’s arm on the way out. “He was not good enough for you anyhow.”

  “That’s why I love Sylvia. Her answer to every crisis is pastries.” I went over and made us both a cup of tea.

  “Thanks, sugar.” Frankie sipped from her cup. “I guess I need to start lookin’ for another assistant. I was holding out hope that I could talk some sense into Maddy and she’d come back. I’m gonna pack up all Vick’s crap out of my condo, too and leave it on his front lawn.” Her lip began to quiver. “Maybe set it on fire.”

  I laughed then said, “Welcome to Darwin’s,” as a new customer walked in. “Let me know if I can help you with anything.” I turned back to Frankie. “I have an idea. Why don’t you let me keep Itty and Bitty for a few days and you take off. Go on a cruise or pamper yourself at a spa.”

  “Oh, I don’t know.”

  “It’ll be good for you. And it’s pretty lonely upstairs without Karma. He doesn’t come home until Friday. They girls can keep me company until then.”

  Frankie thought about it and began to nod. “You know what? You’re right. Getting away is probably a good idea. Yeah. Okay. Thanks, Darwin.”

  Sylvia buzzed back in with a bakery box that smelled like heaven. As she and Frankie dug in and chatted, I walked to the back to check on the new customer. The bells jingled while I was back there and I heard Sylvia call my name.

  After I answered the customer’s questions about our organic cat food, I walked back up front.

  Will stood there, looking all official in his suit and all sweet and inviting at the same time. My heart flip-flopped like a fish out of water. I groaned and melted, hating myself for not being stronger.

  I couldn’t do much but smile up at him. “Hey, Will.”

  “Hi. Good to see you up and around,” he gave me a light hug, his bright eyes flashing. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine. What’s up?”

  He slid some pictures out of a brown envelope he had been holding. “I need you to take a look at these and tell me if this is the car that ran you down.”

  “Sure.” I took the pictures and nodded. Black sports car, one of those older muscle cars with a gold front ‘ON THE MONEY’ plate. “Yes. This is it. You found it? Who owns it?”

  He took the photos and slipped them back in the envelope. “The owners live in Tampa but this Camaro was reported stolen two weeks ago. We picked up some punk kids joy riding around in it, who said they found it abandoned at the beach with the keys in the ignition. They all have alibis for the night you were hit. We’re pulling prints, but with so many people in and out of it now, it’s going to be tough to get clean ones.” He must have seen the disappointment in my face. He rubbed my arm gently. “Hey, it’s a miracle you remembered the car at all, being so dark and it happening so fast. Let’s just be grateful about that for now and we’ll work on the other stuff, okay?”

  I let myself look into his eyes. So trusting. This was it. Let him go? The thought was a physical pain in my chest. No. Come clean.

  “Yeah, about that, Will. I need to talk to you about something. Are you free tonight?”

  He looked worried. “I’ve got three late nights coming up. Is it important? Can it wait until Friday night?”

  “Oh, sure,” I waved it off. “Not really important. Just something I need to share with you.”

  “Okay,” he glanced around and then leaned down and kissed me. “Dinner then. I’ll call you.”

  When he left, I joined Frankie in choking down my misery with a chocolate croissant.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Thursday evening I busied myself baking some carob and peanut butter cupcakes, both for the boutique and for Karma’s coming home welcome tomorrow. Itty and Bitty were sitting attentively in the kitchen, taking turns yapping at me as I used melted, colored yogurt to decorate the cupcake tops with blue and pink paw prints and bones.

  “Don’t worry, girls, you’ll get one.” I kneeled down and let them lick the spatula with their postage stamp tongues. They really had been great company but Frankie was picking them up around eight tonight. I hoped the time away had allowed her to come to terms with her situation and heal some.

  My cell phone began to vibrate on the counter. I wiped my hands on my apron. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Darwin?”

  “Yes?”

  “This is Betsy Mills. You had asked me about a townhouse on Fifth Avenue?”

  “Oh! Yes.”

  “I have that information for you. It’s owned by a corporation, but I do remember making that sale to Vick Bruno. You would have met him at the homeless benefit…he’s Frankie’s boyfriend.”

  Whoa! Vick? All kinds of things were running through my mind. Did Vick kill Mad Dog there? But Frankie said he was with her that night. Was she just giving him an alibi?

  “Hello? Darwin, are you there?”

  “Yes…yes…thank you. I do know Mr. Bruno. I really appreciate you giving me a call back on this. Next time you come in, your poodles can have a gourmet treat on me.”

  “Glad to help. See you soon.”

  I hung up and stood at the counter, stunned. Then I shuffled into the living room like a zombie and cracked my shin on the coffee table.

  “Ow!” As I rubbed it, Itty and Bitty trotted over to see what all the fuss was about. I sat on the edge of the couch, staring out the French doors and rubbing their little heads absentmindedly.

  Mad Dog had warned me to stay away from Vick, so he did know him. But Vick had an alibi. What about the twins? They had a key to the townhouse. Could they have killed Mad Dog and dumped his body? I couldn’t imagine Mad Dog not being able to handle two girls. He certainly could have protected himself from them. I had to go back to the townhouse and find out what was going on there and who was involved. I had run out of options.

  I buzzed Frankie up an hour later and hugged her as she came in.

  “Well, you look like a new woman,” I teased.

  “I am!” She bent down to greet Itty and Bitty, who were whining and jumping up at her knees. “Did you miss Mommy?” She smiled as they licked her face and ears ferociously. “Okay, okay. Let momma get in the door.”

  “You want something to drink? Some hot tea or wine?” I didn’t want her rushing off. We needed to talk.

  “Some hot tea sounds wonderful.” She plopped her purse down on the bar and moved into the living room, the pups at her heels. As she sank into the couch, she said, “You have to go with me to the spa for a weekend soon, Darwin. It really helps you slough off all the garbage in your mind and body. I do feel like a new woman.”

  I carried the teacups into the living room and set them on the coffee table. “It was a successful getaway then?”

  “Oh yeah, I got to thinkin’ about a lot of things and ya know…I couldn’t think of one darn thing that Vick added to my life. Well, besides…you know…but heck, I could pay for that and not have to deal with the misery of a relationship.”

  “Frankie!” I laughed, taking a seat beside her. “There’s plenty of nice men out there, you just have to pick the right one. But, speaking of Vick…” I couldn’t think of any other way to tell her than just straight out. “There’s a townhouse on Fifth Avenue I’ve been watching, trying to figure out what’s going on there because I think it’s somehow connected to Mad Dog’s death.” I noticed Frankie’s eyes
wrinkle with concern. “I asked Betsy Mills to check into it for me, find out who owned it.”

  “Vick does.” Frankie was nodding. “Or rather his company does.”

  “So you know about it? What does he use it for? He’s obviously not living there.”

  Frankie dropped her head and blew out a deep breath. Then she looked me right in the eyes. “He makes porn movies there and sells them online.”

  I laughed at first. I thought she was joking. Then when I saw she was dead serious, I sat very still, trying to imagine Mad Dog involved in making porn movies. No, that just didn’t make sense. “Is that even legal?”

  “Yes. It’s legal…not the highest profession, I know. Lord knows I can’t judge anybody for their lifestyle though and I didn’t judge Vick for his. But, I have never told anybody what he does. Guess that says something different about me judging him, huh?”

  I held up my hand. “I won’t mention it to anybody, don’t worry.” As long as that’s all that is going on there. I tried to fit this new information in place. “So, I saw the twins, Tammy and Tonya, go in there one night. Are they involved in making these videos too?”

  “Yep, I didn’t find that out until that night I met you at Landon’s magic show.” Frankie shook her head and picked up one of the pups. As she stroked it, she was lost in thought. “There’s something not quite right about those girls. They seem nice and all…just reckless, I guess.”

  “What about Landon? Does he know what they’re doing?”

  “Probably not.”

  “Frankie, you said that Vick was with you the night that Mad Dog got killed? You’re absolutely positive that he didn’t sneak out of your place? That he remained there the entire night?”

  “Oh yeah, I’m sure.”

  Well that just left the twins, then. Unless someone else had access to the house. How in the world was I going to find that out?

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE