Silence Is Golden (A Pet Psychic Mystery No. 3)

by Esposito, Shannon

  "Naw, same old... oh, wait." Frankie chuckled. "Here's something good in the Gossip Around Town section. The St. Pete Paranormal Society says they were conducting an investigation this past week of the 1,000-year-old American Indian burial and temple Mound at Pinellas Point last weekend and caught some light anomalies on film. The next day, neighbors of the Mound reported it had been vandalized, part of it dug up."

  "Oh yeah, I met some ladies who live across the street from there and they mentioned that. They also said one of their husbands was conked on the head with a shovel while patrolling the area, trying to stop the vandalism." I thought about Willow and how this story was right up her alley. I still remember the home schooling reports she did on the American Indians, one of her favorite subjects to this day.

  "Probably some kids looking for Indian trinkets." Frankie sighed. "No respect now days."

  That would make sense, except for the fact it wasn't a kid but an adult that conked the guy on the head with a shovel. Maybe even a woman. That's it. I needed to visit this Mound. It was turning into a hub of activity. Activity that may be connected to Victoria's death.

  Frankie snapped her fingers, her eyes lighting up as she fished her cell phone out of her bag. "Hey, I just remembered my masseuse, Veronica, telling me she's a member of this ghost hunting team. I'll call her and get the scoop."

  I took the opportunity to finish up some closing-time chores as Frankie chatted. When I returned to the tea table, she was grinning at me mischievously.

  "Guess what?"

  I was afraid to ask but I knew she'd tell me anyway. "What?"

  "Turns out the St. Pete Paranormal Society is investigating there again tonight to try and capture more evidence on video."

  "And?" I asked, even though I knew what was coming.

  "And she invited me along. What do you say? Want to go see about some ghosts?"

  I grabbed another tart and licked lemon filling off my fingers. Her eyes were sparkling. How could I say no? She's never said no to me on any of the crazy adventures I dragged her along on. Besides, I did just decide I needed to go there. "All right. I'm game. I don't want to leave Goldie alone, though. You think it's all right if she tags along?"

  Frankie shrugged. "I don't see why not. I don't think I've heard a peep out of her since you've had her. Don't think she'll bother anybody."

  I nodded. She had seemed sad again this morning. Guess she'll have her ups and downs like any of us. "Yeah, I'd actually love to see her get excited and bark at something."

  We headed down 1-275 in Frankie's little red sports car with Goldie crammed in the back. I secretly wished it wasn't too chilly to have the top down. There was something freeing about riding in a car with the top down. Plus, it was the only saving grace from feeling like a sardine in this car.

  I watched a truck speed by us. Everyone's always in a hurry. "What's the story with this Indian Mound anyway?"

  "Well, it's the surviving burial Mound from a Tocobaga Indian Village that was there like a thousand years ago. It was occupied for about six hundred years until the Spanish explorers came. Some folks believe it was this very site that inspired the story of Pocahontas. The real story is about a Spanish sailor, Juan Ortiz, being saved from certain death by the Chief's daughter."

  "That's kind of romantic. Were they in love?"

  "Naw. I think he became her servant. How's that for a twist? Disney won't be making that version of the story any time soon." Frankie chuckled as she steered her car smoothly off the Pinellas Point Drive exit.

  "I can't even imagine what life was like around here back then."

  "In a wild, untamed Florida? Me neither." Frankie adjusted the air vent. "I'm happy living in my air conditioning with scheduled pest control."

  I laughed. "Well, I'm sure you appreciate it more than most."

  We drove down the residential streets to find quite a few cars parked along the street that bordered the Mound.

  "No parking area?" I asked, surprised.

  "Nope. But, I'm sure the folks who live here are used to visitors parking in their street." Frankie pulled two flashlights out of the glove box and handed me one with a grin as I helped Goldie leap out of the back seat. "Let's go hunt us some ghosts."

  I scanned the large green metal sign with the rules as we entered. Nothing said 'no dogs allowed'. That was good. We picked our way deeper into the Mound, following the narrow beam of our flashlights. Crushed shells, pine needles and leaves crunched under our feet. I was surprised at how peaceful it was, considering we were there to capture evidence of a ghost.

  We spotted a faint light at the top of the hill.

  "Up there." Frankie motioned with her flash light. "Let's just head up this path instead of going around to the back steps."

  Goldie and I climbed the gently sloping earth behind her. At the top, it flattened out a bit. Small palm trees and other vegetation had grown in the soil. Spanish moss hung from a large oak tree, its thick branches reaching out over the area like guardians. The scent of wet leaves, moist earth and burning sage greeted us.

  A few bodies were huddled under a stretched out oak branch, a small lantern glowing between them.

  A woman waved at us. "Over here."

  We made our way over to the group and Frankie introduced me to Veronica, her masseuse. Veronica introduced us to the other team members.

  "Nice to meet y'all." I took a seat on the chilly earth. Goldie sniffed the ground, turned a circle and lay down against my leg with a sigh.

  Off to our left, I spotted yellow tape roping off an area in a small square. Veronica noticed my attention on it.

  "That's where someone dug up the ground," she offered. "It was a pretty deep hole from what I heard. The neighbors filled it in best they could. Not sure why they left the tape up? Though, I know the Spirit Tribe is coming to do some kind of ceremony, to restore peace to their ancestors who might have been disturbed. Maybe they left it up so the Spirit Tribe would know where the Mound was disturbed."

  I nodded. That was thoughtful of them. "Who are the Spirit Tribe?"

  "They're an intertribal group of folks trying to keep their ancestors' memories and way of life from dying." She ran a hand through her short cropped hair. "I think they'll be here tonight, so you'll be able to meet them if you stay."

  If I stay? Was she expecting me to run off if the ghost showed up? I smiled. "I wish my sister, Willow, was here. She'd be in heaven if she could meet them. So, Veronica, do you think someone could be digging up the Mound searching for artifacts to sell?"

  "I guess it's possible. I'm sure there are people around who don't respect what this Mound stands for, what it is. Artifacts are a big business and people are greedy."

  Just then I noticed one of the guys, introduced as Bob, was holding a piece of equipment with a tiny green flashing light.

  "What's that for?" I asked.

  "Looks like a TV remote," Frankie snorted.

  "This is an EMF detector," he explained. "If there are any fluctuations in the EMF field, I'll start recording. Maybe we'll get lucky tonight and catch us a voice."

  I listened to the breeze and a shiver went through me. It seemed to carry a low growl our way. Probably just my imagination.

  "There you go, a spike," Veronica whispered, nodding at the EMF meter as a whole row of green and red lights lit up.

  Bob quickly pulled a video camera out of a silver case and flicked it on. "Is someone here with us?" We all listened intently. "Are you the spirit who showed yourself to us the other night?"

  Veronica chimed in with her own question. "Can you manifest yourself again or talk to us?"

  He stood and panned the camera around the area. "Are you here to guard this Mound? Are you angry someone desecrated this sacred space?"

  There was a rustling behind us, and we all turned and peered into the darkness. It didn't go unnoticed by me that Goldie didn't move. Probably a squirrel.

  Another member, introduced to us as Cassidy, had stood and began walking aroun
d taking flash pictures of the area. I stroked Goldie's fur absentmindedly as I watched her. Then I leaned over to Veronica, "Aren't y'all worried the spirits, or whatever they are, aren't going to be friendly?"

  She shrugged. "We're protected."

  Just then, the recorder playing the Indian chants in the background quit. Goldie raised her head. We both looked down at her. Her ears were pushed high on her head in an alert position, and she was staring intently at the guy taking the pictures. A low growl began in her throat.

  "Dogs can be very sensitive to spirit energy," Veronica whispered, excitement crackling in her voice.

  "Whoa!" Bob turned back to us. "Heavy EMF spike."

  "Why'd the recorder stop? Think it's the ghost?" Frankie tried to whisper, but she wasn't very good at it. Her voice still cut through the air.

  The guy taking pictures froze as a hot breeze swept over the area.

  Whatever insects and frogs had been chirping went still. The silence was deafening. The air grew thick. Everyone's breathing sounded loud. Goldie whimpered and looked up at me. I wrapped my arms around her body and held her close.

  "Oh my god!" Bob yelped, whipping around and stumbling down the slope.

  A few heartbeats later, the air seemed to cool and return to normal. Goldie rested her head on my lap.

  "It's gone." Bob rushed back up to us and went to the recorder. "Batteries are drained."

  Veronica stood and dusted off her jeans. "Dang, those were brand new."

  "Well, that was odd. Spirit energy is usually cold." Cassidy approached the team.

  "Did you see anything?" Frankie asked.

  "Yes." Bob cast his glance about the Mound nervously. "You guys are going to think I'm nuts, but I think it was a dog. We'll have to see if we caught anything on video."

  "A dog?" Cassidy asked. "What kind of dog?"

  "A big one. But it was more like I was seeing a dog's shadow except..." He put his hands on his hips. "Except I swear I caught a glimpse of red eyes."

  They all looked at each other. I glanced around to make sure some red-eyed shadow dog wasn't about to pounce on us.

  "Wow." Veronica squeezed his arm. "Well, like you said, we'll have to check the video. Maybe we caught something."

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  We all turned as we heard soft footfalls coming toward us. Three figures climbed the hill and emerged from the shadows. They weren't carrying any flashlights or lanterns but Bob swung a lantern toward them. Two women and a man approached.

  "Evening," the shorter woman said, raising a hand in greeting. A cloth bag hung off one shoulder and her long, inky hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. The man with her was much older with gray hair and a quiet demeanor.

  "Hey." Veronica moved forward and held out her hand. "You must be the Spirit Tribe folks."

  "Yes. Jade Harjo." She shook her hand. "This is my daughter, Kimi." She motioned to the woman standing behind her with her arms crossed. She was taller and thinner but had the same inky dark hair pulled away from her face.

  "Oh." I sat up straighter. "Jade Harjo?"

  She turned to me and peered through the darkness. "Yes?" Coming closer, she made a little gasp of surprise. "Is that Goldie?"

  Goldie's tail thumped twice in response, and she lifted her head off my lap as the woman bent down to stroke her ears.

  "Yes it is. I'm adopting her. I'm Darwin." I shook her hand. "You were Victoria's friend, weren't you? I'm so sorry for your loss."

  She looked up into my face, her dark eyes shining above a sad smile. "Thank you. You knew Victoria?"

  "No, not really. My boyfriend, Detective Blake, is the one who pulled Goldie out of the Bay the night Victoria was killed. He got the call about the accident. He's a homicide detective." I could feel everyone's attention on me and knew I should stop talking, but the story kept pouring out. "The clinic called me the next morning and said Victoria's husband didn't want to take Goldie back and would I be willing to adopt her."

  "Eugene didn't want her?" Her voice was heavy with sadness. She whispered something to Goldie in a language I didn't know. "But why?"

  "Apparently he's too traumatized. Can't even barely take care of himself. In his defense, he does look awful."

  "Selfish," she said softly. "Always has been. Victoria couldn't have children. This soul was her child. To just turn her away, deny her the comfort of her home..." she choked on the words.

  "I know, but I can't say I'm not happy to have her with me. You were meeting Victoria that night, weren't you? That must have been such a shock."

  "Yes. It's still hard to believe she's gone."

  "Were you good friends?"

  "I am... was a long time friend of Renny Desoto, Victoria's uncle who recently passed. Victoria was like a second daughter to me."

  Her daughter, Kimi, said something in a harsh tone I didn't understand.

  Jade threw her a quick look and then continued. "In fact, that's why we were meeting. She wanted to give me an artifact she found while cleaning out Renny's attic after he passed. Something she was very excited about over the phone, but she wouldn't tell me what it was. She wanted it to be a surprise. Renny collected all kinds of Native American treasures, and I guess she wanted to make sure this particular one came back to us instead of being sold by Eugene's friend, Big Barnie, at his artifact shop."

  Barnie? That was the second time someone had mentioned his name to me. And he knew Victoria? I was getting the feeling he was involved somehow.

  "Renny and Eugene had more than a few arguments over giving the artifacts to Big Barnie to make a profit. Renny understood how much these things mean to my people." She paused. "Funny thing is, your Detective Blake showed me the artifact, and I was a bit confused. It was a fairly nice beveled arrowhead but not something to get so excited about."

  I knew nothing about artifacts or Victoria, so I didn't know what to think. I did know one person in their family, though. "I met Renny's daughter, Josie. She came to my pet boutique Wednesday night to see Goldie."

  Kimi scoffed and walked away.

  Jade watched her daughter leave and shook her head. "Trouble, that one. Renny named her after Jose Gaspar, the pirate. He wanted a boy." She smiled almost sadly. "Renny's great-great-grandfather supposedly pirated with Gaspar back in the 1900's. I told him not to name a child after a pirate. It was just asking for trouble."

  I watched the investigators pack up their gear. "Well, she seemed real... nice."

  "Mmm. Maybe just lost." She leaned over and planted a kiss on Goldie's nose. "Thank you for taking her in, Darwin. Looks like she's already attached to you. Victoria would be happy to know she's in a loving home."

  As she stood, I heard Bob talking to the man with the thin, gray braid down his back. The man was explaining how this was their ancestors' sacred resting place and that's why they would try to restore peace to the disturbed ground.

  I stood, too, catching Bob's question to the man. "So, you believe a ghost dog could be the Mound's guardian spirit?"

  He nodded and patted Bob's arm. "We believe everyone has a guardian spirit. But, Westerners ignore nature and her power so what can the spirits do?"

  I smiled at Jade. "Well, we should let you get started. It was real nice meeting you. Feel free to come by Darwin's Pet Boutique any time and visit Goldie. I'm sure any friends from her old life can only help her heal."

  We all said our goodbyes and then followed the investigators off of the Mound.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Frankie pulled her leopard print wrap tighter around her shoulders and shoved her fingers into her spiky red hair to fluff it. "So fill me in why you arranged this dinner again."

  "Because of Victoria. Josie is her cousin and she might hold some clue as to who killed her, whether she knows it or not. Thanks for coming with me, by the way. Are you cold?" I pulled my own sweater in around my neck. "I can run Goldie upstairs, and we can eat inside if you want."

  "No, no." She lifted her glass of merlot. "I'll have one more of th
ese and be toasty warm." She smiled down at Goldie, lying between our chairs with her snout on her paws. Her own dogs were warm and cozy in the buggy next to her. "Besides, she needs to know you're not going to abandon her. Goldens are people dogs. They don't like to be alone."

  I thought about the mess in my bedroom. "I've noticed." I lifted my own glass of merlot. "Cheers to that and staying warm." We clinked glasses with a shared smile. I took a sip and then said, "So apparently, Victoria's Uncle Renny died and Josie—Renny's daughter—came here for the funeral. She lives in Vegas and I hate to judge her, but I'm pretty sure she's an alcoholic."

  Just then, Goldie lifted her head. We followed her stare to see Josie climbing out of a cab, none too elegantly. She glanced around, spotted us and weaved her way through the crowd.

  "Hey, Darwin." She greeted me with a large smile, then leaned down and scratched Goldie's head. "How's our girl doing?"

  "She's doing all right," I said absentmindedly, because as Josie had bent down, the scent of lilacs wafted toward me. What did that mean? Should I consider the lilac scent a clue once again? I forced a smile. "Josie, this is my friend, Frankie."

  Josie straightened up, wobbling a bit on her pink heels and shook Frankie's hand. "Nice to meet you, Frankie." Her gaze moved to the five carat diamond on the hand she was holding. "Holy crap, is that real?"

  Frankie shot her an amused look. "That it is, darling. Why don't you have a seat?" I caught her mumbling, "Before you fall down."

  Josie plopped into a chair, flipping her long hair over one shoulder. "Thanks for hanging with me tonight, girls. Victoria used to hang out with me when I visited. Damn, I sure miss her."

  "I'm sorry for your loss, Josie," Frankie offered. "Darwin was telling me you also lost your father recently?"

  "Yeah. I mean, that wasn't such a shock, you know, he was old. But, Victoria—" She shook her head. "She was in the prime of her life, just starting to cut loose and enjoy herself."

  "What do you mean?" I shifted uncomfortably. It felt wrong gossiping about someone who'd passed, but if her death was foul play, she deserved to have the person caught. Any information that could lead to that wasn't really gossip in my book. Besides, this is what I wanted from Josie... the inside scoop.