2 Lady Luck Runs Out

by Shannon Esposito

  "Oh, no, that's just awful." I glanced over the store as I bagged her purchases. "Hey, Mal?"

  Mallory peered out from behind an aisle. "Yeah?"

  "Can you grab me a bottle of Recovery?"

  She had the flower essence in my hand in a flash. She really was working hard. I felt a stab of gratefulness that she was here.

  "Thanks," I said. "Okay, I'm going to give you a bottle of this flower essence at no charge. You can rub a few drops in Happy's skin every few hours and also mix some with water in a squirt bottle and spritz his bedding and surrounding area. It will help keep his anxiety and stress down as he recovers." I wrapped it in tissue and placed it in her bulging bag.

  "Oh, thank you, Darwin." Her gray eyes watered. "He's all the family I've got left. Thank you for being such a dear."

  "That's what we're here for, Mrs. Thornsbury." I smiled at her as she patted my hand. "You take care of that boy and bring him in to see us when he's feeling better."

  "Oh, you know I will, he's gonna need a good grooming," she said. "See you girls soon."

  The dark haired lady was next in line. "Hi," I greeted her and tried to place her. "Did you find everything okay?"

  "Yes," she answered, dropping a pink harness and leash on the counter. "My daughter, she thinks I need company." She mumbled under her breath. "Gave me dis puppy." She smiled down at the ball of gray and white fur panting and wiggling in her arms. "I say I have enough responsibilities but she doesn't listen. What can you do?"

  Ah, I got it. The accent. "She sure is a cutie." I reached over the counter and scratched her little furry head. "Hey, don't you work for Mr. Bernard Grayson?"

  "Yes," she answered, eyeing me. "Ah, you were at the Masquerade Ball, yes?"

  "I was." I held out my hand. "Darwin. Nice to see you again." We shook and I lifted up the harness. "Here, let me cut the tags off these so you don't have to carry her around. What did you name her?"

  "Thank you. Her name is Bianca." She dug threw her purse and pulled out a well-worn leather wallet. "Mr. Bernard, he loves to throw parties."

  "Do you live in the house?"

  "No. I stay in the guest house in the back."

  "Well, just make sure you keep that little girl away from all the snakes." I shuddered involuntarily. "You don't have to take care of them, too, do you?"

  "No no." She shook her head. "No one is allowed in their housing area except for Mr. Bernard." She handed me her debit card. "Not even his new girlfriend. I heard them fighting one night after a big party. He was very upset with Miss Diaz because after the party she went into the snake house. Big fight." She shrugged her shoulders. "He must be in love because she is still around."

  I smiled as I handed her a receipt and grooming coupon. "He did look smitten with her at the Ball. Does she live there?" My mind was reeling as she slid the new harness on Bianca and clipped on the lead.

  "No. She live at Beachgate condos. Ah, much better!" She chuckled as the puppy lapped around her in circles. She turned around to keep from getting tangled in the new leash. "Or maybe not." She picked Bianca back up. "We'll work on it. Thank you for your help."

  "You're welcome." I had one more question for her. "Wait, just one more thing. That party you mentioned, when Bernard and his girlfriend got it the fight, was there a fortune teller there that night?"

  She nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, there was. She had the house buzzing like a beehive. Mr. Bernard and his friends, they say she told them things no one should know." She lowered her voice. "Me? I think she talks with the devil."

  I nodded. "Thank you. Enjoy your new baby, and we'll see you soon."

  Interesting. So, Nova snuck into Bernard's snake house after the party Rose entertained at? Could Nova have been trying to steal a poisonous snake then? Why didn't Bernard allow anyone in the snake house? Not even his girlfriend? I guess he could just be worried about someone getting hurt. But, why did it feel more sinister than that?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  All week I tried to piece together the clues I had gathered so far. Well, all week in between dealing with the mad house Darwin's Pet Boutique, and Beach Drive in general, had become. Tourist season was in full swing and it was rocking our world. By the time we turned the closed sign around on the door every evening, we were all exhausted and the boutique looked like a tornado had gone through, flinging stuff everywhere.

  The treat table had two lonely boxes left, the tiny shirts and waterproof jackets were draped over hangers or lying on the floor beneath them, boxes had stacked up that we hadn't had time to open yet. Oy. My feet were aching and my cheeks hurt from smiling.

  "Tea?" I asked Sylvia as I slumped down at the table in front of the window and kicked off my leather wedge sandals. I had decided shoes were evil.

  Sylvia peeled off her white coat and let out a string of Portuguese on a sigh. "I'm going home to a hot bath and bottle of wine. What are you up to tonight?"

  Mallory yelled from somewhere in the store. "I have a date!" Then she came around the aisle just in time to catch me rolling my eyes.

  "A date?" Sylvia raised a dark eyebrow at her.

  "Yep. With a handsome, rich guy with amazing eyes who is crazy about me." She stuck her tongue out at me and I narrowed my eyes at her.

  "I'm chaperoning this date." I stirred my tea with more vigor. I was hoping Will would have called me this week and we could have made it a double date. But, he didn't so it wasn't.

  "Who is this guy?" Sylvia perched one hand on a curvy hip.

  "His name is Sammy Harris and he's a perfect gentleman," Mallory answered.

  "He better be," I mumbled. I wasn't worried about Mallory's physical safety. She could more than take care of herself in that department. It was her heart I was worried about. She was such a passionate person, so vulnerable to jumping in head first and getting her heart broken. Yeah, like I was one to talk.

  "Ay yi yi," Sylvia sighed. "There is no such thing as a perfect gentleman, my menina amiga." She folded up her white coat. "Where is this date going to happen?"

  "At Parkshore Grill and then back home," I said pointedly to Mallory. "To our home, not his."

  Mallory glared at me. "Will you relax, please? You sound like Mom. Of course, I wouldn't go to his house on a first date. Can you give me some credit?"

  "You are lucky to have a sister who worries about you." Sylvia put an arm around Mallory and kissed the top of her head. "You be safe." She grabbed her purse and keys from under the counter. "I'll see you amigas tomorrow."

  I sighed and put my tea down. "All right, let us go get ready for your date."

  * * *

  Temperatures had dropped as night fell so Mallory and I opted for a table inside the warmth of Parkshore Grill. We weren't seated long before Sammy rolled through the door, looking like he just stepped out of GQ magazine in dark slacks and a buttery suede blazer. Mallory's face flushed and her eyes brightened. Oh good grief. Is that how I looked around Will?

  "Good evening, ladies." Sammy smiled as he took a seat next to Mallory, lifted her hand and kissed it. My hackles raised and my eyes narrowed. He completely ignored my reaction, and instead he glanced at the empty seat next to me. The waiter came over and asked what we would like to drink. "Should we get something for your date?"

  Was he trying to be funny? I wasn't amused.

  "Oh," Mallory jumped in. "Will just called. He can't make it. Got called in to work." She looked at me sheepishly, and I realized that Mallory had told Sammy this would be a double date, not her big sister chaperoning.

  I ordered a glass of wine. This was going to be a long night.

  "So, Sammy." I folded my arms and rested my elbows on the table. "What do you do when you're not at the Serpentarium?"

  "Well," he answered, looking at Mallory, not me. "I fish. You should come out on my boat next weekend. I'm sure you'd love it." He turned to me as the waiter brought our drinks. "You, too, Darwin. There's nothing like spending a day in the open ocean."

  He was right about
that. I imagined a big wave rising up and swallowing him and his boat. I shook it off. Stop it, Darwin. Why did I dislike this guy so much? Was it just because I was feeling protective of Mallory? He'd never given me another reason to dislike him. Mallory was right. I was being judgmental.

  "Sounds fun," I said. I decided I needed to just get to know him better. "So, what do you do for work?"

  "I'm a pilot. I fly Bernard Grayson's private plane. Doesn't feel like work, really. Feels more like I get paid to go on mini-vacations." He smiled at Mallory. "Not a very dignified job, I know." He took a sip of the rum and coke he had ordered.

  "Dignified is overrated." Mallory smiled back.

  "So," I said casually, "Mr. Grayson had mentioned that he was shocked to come back to St. Pete and hear the news about Rose Faraday being killed by a rattlesnake. Did you fly him somewhere at that time?"

  Sammy gave me a strange look. "Oh, yeah. We had just got back from Brazil. Bernard's gotten obsessed with the Brazilian rainbow boa." He nodded. "Yeah, you hate to hear about a freak accident like that. Makes people fear snakes and they're more likely to kill them instead of just leave them alone." He frowned. "Oh, speaking of snakes. You were asking my partner, McGillis, if it was possible the rattler that bit Rose Faraday could have escaped from someone?"

  I nodded and tried not to seem too eager for the information."Yes?"

  "Well, I talked to Jet Jamison and he did have one get away from him, a rattler. Though don't tell him I told you that. He could get fined if someone found out. He caught two of them himself and hadn't had time to microchip them before one escaped. So, if it was his, I guess that would explain why there was a rattler in a populated area."

  "Yeah, I guess that would explain it." But it didn't explain why someone slipped the snake into Rose's lanai in the middle of the night. Was that someone Jet Jamison? If so, what was his connection to Rose? Or did someone hire him to do it? "So, are you going to give Jet Jamison back the rattler?"

  "No. He said to keep her, she's bad juju now that she's killed somebody." He chuckled. "If you believe in that sort of thing."

  "Some people are so superstitious." Mallory rolled her eyes.

  Grabbing a menu off the table, he changed the subject. "I don't know about you girls, but I'm starving. A nice fat filet mignon sounds good."

  "Sounds good to me, too," Mallory said. She made eye contact with me and mouthed the word "pilot," practically swooning.

  I raised my brow at her, though I did crack a smile. She seemed so happy. And if Sammy and Bernard Grayson were out of town the night Rose died, I could cross them off my suspect list and not worry so much about Mallory dating Sammy. I'd have to verify it for sure somehow. But for now, I ordered a Caesar salad and decided to stay in the background as much as possible.

  "So you live in Savannah?" Sammy's full attention was back on Mallory.

  "Yep."

  "How long will you be in St. Pete?"

  "Oh, I don't know. I'm not in any hurry to get back. I like it here."

  I played with my phone as they chatted and got to know each other better. I was shocked really, at how open Mallory was being with him. I mean, she didn't tell him who our father was, but she did tell him that he left us. That we grew up fatherless. I hadn't even told Will that yet. I heard their conversation wind back to his investment in the Serpentarium. Apparently, he'd always been interested in snakes so he'd decided to help his buddy out financially with the place.

  Our food came. We ate, they talked some more and laughed. I was sipping my wine, and rethinking the whole idea of hiding who I was from Will, when Sammy's phone buzzed on the table.

  He glanced at it. I could see the struggle on his face and finally he sighed. "I'm sorry, Mallory, I have to get this." He picked up the phone. "Yeah."

  Mallory had her chin resting on her fist as she grinned at me. I smiled back. It was nice to see her practically glowing.

  "What?" It was more like a gasp than a word. We both looked at Sammy. His normally tanned face had paled. He rose slowly from the table and stumbled to the back of the restaurant.

  Mallory and I shared a concerned look.

  "I wonder what that was all about?" she whispered.

  I bit my lip. "The restrooms are back there. I'll be right back."

  "No—"

  I slid out of the chair and made my way to the back before she could protest. For all she knew I really did have to use the ladies' room, I reasoned. As I came around the corner I saw Sammy slam the men's room door open with a loud expletive. I slipped into the door marked "women" and pressed my ear to the wall between the two restrooms hoping I could hear something. An elderly woman entered and gave me a strange look before disappearing into a stall. I sighed, defeated. I couldn't hear a thing.

  After waiting the proper amount of time, I returned to the table and found Mallory there alone, her face all scrunched up in worry.

  "Where's Sammy?"

  "He had to go. There was an emergency, apparently. He looked really upset. Said he would call me when he could."

  "He didn't tell you what happened?"

  "No."

  "Oh, well then." I rummaged through my straw bag. "I'll just take care of the bill and we can get out of here."

  "He already paid it," Mallory said, still looking dejected.

  I put a hand over hers. "I'm sure everything will be fine. I'm sure he'll call you when he can. He does seem like a nice guy, Mal."

  She rewarded my concession with a smile and squeeze of my hand. "He does, doesn't he? All right. Let's get out of here."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Saturday evening, I called Frankie to come pick me up to do a little sleuthing. Her toy-like red sports car purred out front within a half hour. I knew she couldn't resist an adventure.

  "Not sure we're going to be very inconspicuous in this moving firecracker," I teased her as I slid into the soft leather seat.

  She chuckled. "I could have brought the limo."

  "Guess we'll have to take our chances." I shook my head as Frankie maneuvered the little convertible out into the heavy Beach Drive traffic.

  "Speakin' of firecrackers, what's that little sister of yours up to tonight?"

  "I left her minding the oven and playing fetch with Lucky on the sofa."

  "Lucky the cat? She plays fetch?"

  "Yeah. With Mallory's hair ties. She is a funny little creature. Lots of personality. Really traumatized by this whole mess, though."

  "Animals understand more than we give 'em credit for, that's for sure," Frankie said. "Mallory okay with you leaving her out of tonight's fun?"

  "Yeah, she didn't mind. She's exhausted and we've got a whole lot of treats to bake this weekend. The boutique has been a mad house." Plus, she was still pouting about Sammy not calling her, but I didn't mention that.

  "Glad to hear it." Frankie punched the horn as a large silver car drifted into her lane. They waved. Guess they hadn't seen her. Maybe we could be inconspicuous after all. "I mean, glad to hear business is good. Wouldn't want you gals going anywhere. Oh, speaking of... where exactly are we going and what are we doing?"

  "Oh, yeah. Do you know where the Beachgate condos are?"

  "Sure."

  "Okay, we're going there to see if we can find out where Nova Diaz lives and spy on her."

  Frankie was silent for a moment. "Nova Diaz? Bernard's girlfriend? Whatever for?"

  I watched the moonlight drift on the bay waters. "Do you know her?"

  "Well, I've met her a few times at Bernard's house. She's always been polite. Bernard is definitely head over heels for her. Jack says he's never seen the guy so happy before. What's up?"

  How much could I tell her? It was getting exhausting hiding things from my friends. "Well, the reason I was at Bernard's Masquerade Ball with Zach Faraday was because Zach believes his mother was murdered. That someone let that rattlesnake into her condo on purpose."

  "What?" She turned to me, her eyes wide. "Seriously? Why would he think that?" />
  "Well, you know he is psychic." I knew she believed that. I let it speak for itself.

  "True." She took in a deep breath. "So, what does that have to do with Nova?"

  "We found out that Rose Faraday had been hired to be the entertainment at Bernard's house the weekend before her death. Seems like a big coincidence that she was killed by a snake the weekend after being at the home of a man who owns so many snakes, and has a bunch of friends with snakes, doesn't it?"

  "Yeah, I guess it does seem like an odd coincidence."

  "So, Bernard's housekeeper told me the night Rose was the entertainment at Bernard's house, Nova snuck into the snake house. Apparently she and Bernard got in a big fight because he doesn't allow anyone in the snake house."

  "So, you're thinking she snuck the rattler from there?"

  "That's what I need to find out."

  "But why would she do that?"

  "I don't know. Maybe Rose saw something that night she wasn't supposed to. Or maybe she made Nova mad? Hard to figure out what goes on in the mind of a killer. Besides, Nova really seems like she's hiding something. Oh, and Nova did make a comment at the Ball that Rose was dead on with her reading. She didn't sound very happy about it either. Like maybe Rose knew what she was hiding. And," I turned in the compact seat to face Frankie, "I ran into her at Lucky's vet's office and she threatened me and Zach to leave things alone."

  Frankie's makeup creased around her eyes as she frowned and turned into the entrance to Beachgate condos. "She always seemed so nice. That doesn't sound like her. Why would she say that?" Frankie made a left into the wide, flat parking area. "Do we know which condo is hers?"

  "No." I sighed. "I was hoping we could stake out the parking lot and catch her coming home."

  Frankie held up a freckled hand, a large gold and diamond bracelet sliding down her arm. "Just so happens I can help with that. I've seen her drive a white BMW, so we know what kind of car to watch for."

  I grinned. "I knew there was a reason I called you."

  Frankie backed into a space where we had a good view of the palm tree lined entrance. "Also," she turned off the engine and pulled an insulated beach tote from behind my seat, "I brought snacks."