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

by Esposito, Shannon

  Our waiter came by and Josie ordered a Coke. Then she scanned the tables around us, leaned her elbows on the table and motioned for us to move in closer. "She wasn't happy with Eugene. I mean, who could be happy with a guy named Eugene, right?" she scoffed. Then she waved that thought off. "She was in love with Eugene's best friend and they finally started... you know... hooking up." Her penciled eyebrows rose high over glassy brown eyes.

  Frankie and I shared a confused look as we all leaned back in our chairs.

  "Josie, are you talking about Big Barnie?" I asked.

  "Yeah." She frowned. "You know him?"

  "No." I shook my head. But, it's about time I did. "I met a good friend of your father's though, Jade Harjo. She mentioned something about your dad and Eugene disagreeing on giving your father's Indian artifacts to Big Barnie to sell in his shop. That Victoria also wanted them to go to Jade."

  Josie's eyes narrowed. "Huh. I have a hard time imagining that. Victoria would have done anything for Barnie." A look crossed her face I couldn't decipher. "Eugene and Barnie are having some big fight. I think it's because Eugene found out about them. I can't imagine anything else coming between them. They've been best friends since they were kids."

  The waiter brought Josie's Coke and we ordered. After he left, she dug through her bag and pulled out a flask.

  "Didn't realize this was bring your own booze night," Frankie teased.

  "A gal's gotta save money where she can." Josie shrugged, pouring a generous dollop from the flask into her Coke, eyeing Frankie sideways. "I don't suppose you need to worry about that though."

  I saw Frankie's face color and she raised an eyebrow at me. "Guess I asked for that one."

  Frankie had lived in Pirate City for a long time before she won the lottery. The place was dangerous and not for the faint of heart. Snide remarks about her not knowing what it was to be poor were never well received by her. I rested my hand on Frankie's arm, hoping to bring her down to a simmer. She took a breath and a swallow of merlot, then gave me a nod. She was okay.

  "So, Josie." I changed the subject. "Your father, did he have a lot of Indian artifacts?"

  "I guess." She shrugged. "His attic was full of junk. He was into all that Indian and pirate stuff. Supposedly my great-great," she paused, staring at her hand, then lifted another finger slowly, "great-granddaddy pirated with Gasparilla. That's how come there's a pirate skull on the tattoo I got in his memory." She lifted the sleeve of her sweater and showed Frankie. Then she drained half her glass, sending the ice clinking against her teeth. "I'm just grateful Victoria cleared it all out after he died. One less thing for me to do, whether I sell the house or live in it."

  "Wow, that's some family history. Is that why he named you after a pirate?" I asked.

  She shook her head in disgust. "Yeah, Jose Gasper... aka Gasparilla, in fact. He really wanted a boy."

  "Gasparilla's just a legend, isn't it?" Frankie leaned back as the waiter came with our meals. After he served us, he placed a bowl of boiled chicken and cooked carrots on the ground for Goldie. She pushed herself up off the ground and dug in enthusiastically.

  I smiled at the waiter. "Thanks, Rocco."

  Josie shrugged. "My dad didn't think so. Told folks he had proof Gasparilla was real but when anyone would ask him to put his money where his mouth was, he'd just grin and wink at 'em." She frowned and looked at us sideways. "Anyways, he was just a crazy old man. Victoria was a real sweetheart, though. She didn't think it was right daddy didn't leave me the house. She told me she'd changed her will immediately so I'd have it. Just didn't think I'd be getting it so soon."

  I shared a frown with Frankie.

  "Your dad sounds like he was an interesting character." Frankie took a bite of steak and chewed thoughtfully. "So, what do you do out there in Vegas?"

  "I work a roulette table at the Luxor. Tips are good." She pushed her salad around with her fork and stared at the night traffic, sighing. "Just not good enough."

  "Is it expensive to live there?" I asked.

  She nodded. "In more ways than one. But then, it's expensive to live here, too. You know Victoria left most of her family money, and believe me she had plenty of it, to the Golden Retriever Rescue. I'm sure Eugene the Bean is pretty sore about that."

  "Yeah, I imagine he would be." Time to bring up the lilac perfume. "Mm, you know, Josie, I can't help but ask you about that lovely perfume you're wearing."

  She sniffed her wrist. "Oh, this old stuff? Victoria gave me a bottle last time I visited. Said Eugene bought her a few bottles for her birthday cause he loved the smell." She shrugged. "I get compliments on it, and it was free. Can't beat that." Then she drained her glass and changed the subject, a dark look passing over her face. "So, Darwin, tell me about the night you rescued Goldie."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Usually Sylvia unlocks the front door and strolls through with a bright smile, a "Bom dia!" and a box full of sweet, sticky treats. Not today. Nope, today she busted through the door, squealing and closing the distance between us surprisingly quickly in her two inch heels before she attacked me, grabbing me and jumping up and down, spinning me in circles. I found myself screaming, then laughing at her huge grin and tear-filled brown eyes. Goldie actually pushed herself up and sat there staring at us with her tongue hanging out. I think she was laughing, too.

  "Sylvia!" I tried to catch my breath. "What in heaven's name has happened?"

  She just squealed and thrust her left hand in front of my face. A huge, square diamond almost poked me in the eye.

  "Holy heaven on a stick!" I grabbed her hand, moving it away from my eye so I could actually focus on it. "That is gorgeous! Is that... does this mean... are you and Landon engaged?"

  She nodded, breathless, throwing her hand to her heart over her red silk blouse. "Oh, it was so romântico! He made me come up to the stage at his show last night. Then there was all this smoke, it cleared and Mage was sitting in front of me with a rose in his mouth. The ring, it was on the rose. Landon dropped to one knee in front of the whole crowd."

  Mage was Landon's black German shepherd. I've seen him use Mage in his magic acts before, but I was sorry I missed this one. "Oh, that is romantic! What did he say?"

  "Honestly, I was in such shock, I don't remember the words. Just his eyes, so full of emotion and his hand was shaking as he took mine. I remember, 'Will you be my wife?' and I cry as I say, 'Of course'. He puts the ring on my finger. We kiss and the crowd stands with shouts, whistles, clapping. Mage is barking. It was like a fairytale."

  "Oh, Sylvia." I hugged her tight, wiping at my own eyes. "I'm so happy for you. You guys make the best couple. Congratulations."

  The squealing and congratulations commenced once again as two of our regular customers came through the door and joined in the celebration.

  The morning flew by amidst all the excitement. I waited until Charlie came to work and asked her to keep an eye on Goldie while I ran an errand. It was time I met this Big Barnie character.

  His shop, Treasure Coast Artifacts, wasn't hard to find online. Neither was information on him such as his real name, Barnabus Imbach, his trespassing arrest a few years back, an article on him the Tribune did last year and the fact he was fifty years old and never been married. Is that because he was secretly in love with his best friend's wife?

  The cab dropped me off in front of the shop. I had no idea what I would say to him. It wasn't like I could come right out and say, "So, you and Victoria were having a fling, huh?" Or, "Do you deal in illegally acquired artifacts?" Maybe just seeing what kind of person he was would give me a clue.

  The inside of the shop was warm and dry and smelled like dust. I shrugged off my sweater and draped it over my straw bag as I took in the place. It was packed full of glass cases, baskets, bins, shelves and tables that held unearthed treasures of every kind. Foreign music played over the speakers. I moved deeper into the shop, spotting Big Barnie standing in front of the counter chatting with another guy. He looked l
ike the photo that had accompanied the article in the newspaper, though his curly dark hair was a bit grown out. He was a big guy, broad shouldered and had an air of confidence about him. King of his castle. A half dozen other people meandered through the shop.

  My eyes roamed over a table of animal skulls and bones. Each had a price tag. One giant bone sat at the back of the table and claimed to be from a mammoth. There were baskets of sharks' teeth and small arrowheads. I moved along the wall, studying the hanging framed glass cases with displays of larger arrowheads and spears. As I moved closer to Barnie, I stopped at a wide glass case and peered in at the fossils inside. A pair of large, blue-white rocks caught my eye because of the $950 price tag. Mammoth molars? Now that was cool. Up in the same price range were a couple of six inch Megladon sharks' teeth. I hadn't realized fossils and artifacts could fetch such a steep price. Interesting.

  I heard Big Barnie end his conversation with the guy he had been chatting with, and then he was by my side. His presence felt like a wall. He sure was a big guy. Guess that explained the nickname.

  "Anything I can help you with?"

  I looked up into cool gray eyes and returned his smile. "My sister lives in Georgia and just loves all things Native American. I was told you could help me out with something to send her for her birthday." Wasn't exactly a lie. I could send Willow an early birthday present.

  "You came to the right place, little lady. What price range were you thinking?"

  I glanced at the high-priced fossils. "You have anything under fifty dollars?"

  He rubbed his meaty hands together and chuckled. "Yes ma'am. Follow me." I followed him over to the counter where he pointed to some jewelry. "I'm assuming you don't want to give her sharks' teeth or arrowheads. This jewelry is crafted by local Native Americans." He unlocked the case and pulled out a few items. "We have spiny oyster shell earrings, beaded necklaces, turquoise bracelets—"

  "Oh, she would love that." I pointed to an earthy orange bracelet. "It's her favorite color."

  "Ah, good choice." He pulled it from the display case. "Hand painted clay beads." He placed it in my hand.

  "It's beautiful. I'll take it, thanks." I handed it back, studying him as he rang up the bracelet. How to bring up Victoria? I drummed my fingers on the glass counter and cleared my throat. "I'm so glad Josie recommended your shop to me. I'll have to thank her."

  A bushy brow rose as he glanced over at me. "Josie Desoto?"

  Was it Desoto? Yes, it must be because that was Victoria's last name. "Yes, you know her?"

  "Yeah," he grunted before wrapping the bracelet in tissue paper. Eyeing me with new interest he said, "Real piece of work, that one. How do you know her?"

  "Well, kind of a sad story. She came into my boutique. I'm co-owner of Darwin's Pet Boutique on Beach Drive. Anyway, she came in to visit the golden retriever I'm adopting. Her name's Goldie. She belonged to Josie's cousin..." I looked pointedly into his eyes as I said, "Victoria." I wasn't disappointed. His eyes widened and his mood changed instantly. Gone was the laid back shop owner. Something dark and dangerous moved into his gaze.

  "Victoria." He repeated, letting his gaze fall. Whether to hide the emotion or just to get it under control, it was too late. I saw it. He definitely had very strong feelings for her. I felt them wash over me in hot waves.

  Taking a deep breath, I pushed through his emotions, staying aware they weren't mine and letting them pass. "Such a tragedy, what happened. So, you knew her. Victoria?"

  "Yeah." He bagged up the bracelet, no longer meeting my eye. "Eugene, her husband and I have been good friends since high school. Grew up together. She... she was a great gal. How is Goldie doing? Victoria sure loved that dog."

  "She seems a little less sad every day." He nodded. I handed him my debit card. "Such a small world. I'm glad Eugene has a friend. Seems like he needs one right now. He doesn't seem to be handling his wife's passing too well."

  "No," he frowned and shook his head, "he doesn't." He handed me back my card, the package and a receipt and forced a smile. "Have yourself a nice day, Miss Winters."

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Frankie insisted on having an engagement party for Sylvia and Landon and after the busy week we had, I knew Sylvia was ready to let her hair down and have some fun. I talked Frankie into inviting Josie so I could find out more about her relationship with Victoria. I had come to the conclusion that if there was somebody capable of driving drunk and hitting a person, she was a good candidate. I hated to think ill of her, but I couldn't ignore the facts either. Plus she had motive. She inherited her dad's house after Victoria died. And I couldn't ignore the lilac perfume. I owed Frankie a favor now, seeing as how she wasn't too fond of Josie, but she finally agreed.

  The elevator doors opened up into Frankie's five-thousand-square-foot penthouse that took up the entire top floor of the Vinoy Towers. "Wow!" I whispered. On a normal day the place was impressive with its expanse of cherry wood floors, marble fireplace, crystal chandeliers and leather furnishing. Not to mention the fact the entire front wall was glass with a view of water and sky. But tonight, she had outdone herself.

  A champagne fountain sat in front of the windows. The furniture had been rearranged to allow for a lighted dance floor with a live D.J. off in the corner. Dozens of enormous white rose bouquets made the place smell like heaven. Black and white paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, providing soft, romantic lighting. It was breathtaking.

  "Darwin!" Frankie waved me over from across the room. Her "small" party looked like it already held over fifty people and the guests of honor hadn't even arrived yet. I made my way over to her, smiling and stopping to say howdy to some of the ladies who were regular customers of the pet boutique.

  "There you are, sugar." Frankie hugged me, being careful not to disturb her red sequined and feather hat which matched her red sequined and feathered dress. The look would have been tacky on anyone else, but it was classic Frankie and worked for her. "Where's Will?"

  "He'll be here later. He's got some things to wrap up before he can come out and play."

  "That man works too hard," she said. Then turning to Veronica, she added, teasing me. "Darwin's caught herself a hunky homicide detective."

  "That's right. I remember you saying that at the Mound. Detective Blake, right? Not a single gal in St. Pete who doesn't know who he is. You guys found that poor woman's dog after she got killed? I heard it was a possible drunk driver."

  I grabbed a glass of champagne off one of the waiters' trays. "Yeah, that's the most popular theory right now. A drunk driver." I didn't mention Tara Scarpetta being the number one suspect. I had no idea who her friends were and didn't want her tipped off.

  "Speaking of Goldie, you didn't bring her tonight?" Frankie asked.

  I swallowed a sip of the bubbly and pointed down at my black cocktail dress. "I didn't think fur would compliment my outfit."

  "Good point." Frankie grinned and then turned to Veronica. "Oh, hey, tell Darwin what you were saying about what happened at the Indian Mound again."

  She pulled on the hem of her short skirt and shook her head. "More vandalism."

  "Guess the ghost dog's not really doing his job guarding the place," Frankie chuckled.

  I grinned at Frankie and then thought about all the artifacts at Big Barnie's shop. "I still think it could be someone looking for arrowheads or other things to sell."

  Veronica shook her head. "I just don't know. Archeologists have been over the Mound already. It was a temple or burial site. I don't think there's anything of value there. Mostly shell tools were found."

  I took a sip of bubbly and thought about that. But, did they dig deep enough?

  Frankie adjusted her diamond bracelets. "Oh, hey, did you get anything on the video from the night we were all there?"

  "Nope." She pressed her lips together. "A few strange noises at the time that hot breeze came through, but nothing definitive."

  "Must be hard to get real evidence," I said. "Too bad we do
n't know who the vandals are. If there is a ghost dog guarding the Mound, he'd for sure show himself to them."

  Our conversation was interrupted by applause as Sylvia and Landon stepped out of the elevator. Brandon kissed Sylvia's cheek as she laughed and they both gave a playful bow. They looked stunning, their dark features standing out against coordinated outfits.

  "She's going to be a beautiful bride," Frankie said.

  A waiter brought them champagne and then they made their way through the crowd, shaking hands and getting hugs and congratulations.

  "Oh, wait until you get a load of the cake I got." Frankie grinned. "Chocolate mint with Crème de menthe chocolate mousse and dark chocolate ganache."

  I groaned. "You're going to put us all in a sugar coma, Frankie." If I didn't have such a fast metabolism I would have gained fifty pounds between Frankie and Sylvia's love of sweets.

  "Death by chocolate and champagne." Veronica giggled. "Now there's a way to go."

  The happy couple finally made their way over to us. Sylvia's eyes sparkled through some silky strands all the hugging had knocked loose from her up-do. Landon looked handsome as ever in black slacks and a maroon silk shirt that matched the flowers on Sylvia's black satin dress.

  "Congratulations, Landon." I gave him a hug. "You're a lucky guy."

  "I know." He grinned. "I still can't believe she said yes."

  Sylvia smacked his arm playfully. "Of course I say yes. And Frankie, thank you so much for this party. You've really outdone yourself. It is estupendo," she breathed, giving Frankie a tight hug.

  Frankie beamed. "You two deserve it. Now go get yourselves some food and dance your feet off!"

  It was almost ten o'clock when Will finally showed up. He looked exhausted. I frowned and immediately led him out on the balcony, away from the raucous of the party.