by Ashlyn Chase
“Besides the ulcer all this fast food is going to give me?”
Joe laughed. “You don’t get ulcers from burgers, Fierro. You get them from stress. Are you feeling stressed? Or more stressed than you should be from your first week on the job?”
“I…uh…it’s hard to put into words. I guess I had hoped the job would be more fulfilling. I mean, yeah, we answer a robbery call, but when we get there, the perp is long gone. And he’s always medium height, brown hair and eyes, wearing jeans and a black hoodie, no scars or—”
“Look, kid, it’s easy to get discouraged. You can’t win ’em all. Some days, you can’t win any of ’em. But you gotta be ready. I know this job comes with long stretches of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. There aren’t a lot of people who’d put up with the shit we do. But if we weren’t here, the rest of the population would be defenseless. And there are always people out there who’ll take advantage of chaos. Sometimes, just by our presence, we’re stemming the tide of chaos, and we don’t even know it.”
Luca nodded. He hadn’t quite thought of it that way. Even if it wasn’t very exciting, there was the very real possibility they were deterring crime just sitting here in a fast-food restaurant with their cruiser outside.
“Help!” A woman burst into the restaurant, glancing around wildly until she found them. “Police! A guy just snatched my purse.”
Luca was up and running for the door. “Which way did he go?”
She pointed to his right. “That way.”
Rushing out the door, he caught sight of long legs in a pair of jeans running around the next corner. Putting on the best burst of speed a human could manage, Luca took off after the suspect.
When he rounded the corner, he spotted a guy who was indeed carrying a woman’s purse. The guy was fast, but Luca was faster.
The guy disappeared around the next corner, but Luca spotted him as he tried to enter a business from its back door. He tackled the guy on the linoleum floor of a bakery, and the two of them went sliding into a metal table covered in flour. It tipped just enough to coat both of their dark blue pants in white powder.
“You’re under arrest,” Luca said, whipping out his handcuffs and immobilizing the guy in record speed.
A portly older gentleman walked back to where they were with his hands on his hips. “I knew I should have locked that door this morning.”
Luca yanked the guy up off the floor, looped the leather purse over his shoulder, and recited his Miranda rights as he marched him back to the cruiser. Joe and the woman were standing outside the restaurant. He was taking notes as she answered questions for the report he’d have Luca write up later.
“My purse! You got it!” And as he handed it to her, she babbled, “Thank you! I had my mother’s ring in there. I was getting it sized to fit my future daughter-in-law.”
Luca nodded. “Glad to be of service, ma’am. Did you want to check and make sure it’s still there?”
“Yes,” she said quickly. She opened the zipper and fished out a small box, revealing a sparkly diamond ring inside. She let out a deep sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness.”
As Luca stuffed the guy into the back seat of the cruiser, the perp said, “Damn, you can run. I didn’t even see you until you were on top of me.”
Joe smiled and offered one nod of respect in Luca’s direction.
Almost as if the universe had heard his apathy, Luca took the compliments with ease and felt like he understood what Joe had been trying to tell him a little better.
Their presence had stopped this guy from getting away with grabbing the purse. Luca had been able to prevent a personal tragedy. Okay, maybe tragedy was a bit of an overstatement, but as they pulled away and he saw tears glisten in the woman’s eyes, he felt damn good.
“Hey, Fierro?”
“Yeah?”
“Better clean your pants as soon as we get to the station. Otherwise, they’ll think you made a cocaine bust.”
* * *
TGIF. Dawn did a little twirl in her office chair when 1:00 p.m. rolled around.
She’d got to work that morning without any mishaps and no visions, thank goodness. She couldn’t afford to miss another day.
Last night, Annette had made her some chamomile tea and told her a cup of tea after a vision would help. She did feel better after the tea, but that could also have been due to the fact that she was curled up on the sofa with Annette, watching an old movie at the time.
Work was pretty uneventful. Her manager asked her how she was doing, and Dawn came up with some twenty-four-hour bug excuse. Dawn’s mind kept wandering to Luca. She didn’t have any more bloody visions, so that was a good sign. But what was more telling was she kept glancing at her phone, to see if he might have texted her about going out. Would he call her? Why was she so nervous about it?
Dawn always finished work at 1:00 p.m. on Fridays, since she started every day at 8:30 a.m. and worked until 5:00 p.m. Monday to Thursday. Those extra three hours came in handy, especially given her new “extracurricular activities.” Dawn hopped on the subway and headed to her first weekly check-in at Karma Cleaners. Today, she would talk to Lynda about Luca and the missing girl.
The dry cleaner was busy with a line that reached the door. She looked around and tried to discern if the people in line were there because they had spilled wine on a shirt or because they had a shitload of bad karma in their lives. When she got to the front of the line, she smiled and greeted a petite brunette wearing a pair of neon-pink 1950s secretary glasses.
“Hi. I’m supposed to ask for May.”
“Hi, Dawn. Are you here for pickup or drop-off?”
Dawn leaned in and gave the code phrase. “I’m here to pick up my wedding dress.”
“Just go down the hall to the back where we have our special orders.”
“Right. Thanks.” Dawn smiled and opened the door on May’s left. The code phrase would change every week, but she understood it was the easiest way to avoid any odd looks by the dry-cleaning customers. Before she and Lynda had parted after their initial meeting, she had been given the code phrase and a three-digit code. She walked down the long hallway, barely noticing the gray floor tiles and off-white walls. The door at the end of the hallway had a sign that read SPECIAL ORDERS. She had to punch in her three-digit code to unlock it. Then she walked down a shorter hallway that led to two sliding glass doors. Dawn sighed in pleasure as she stepped through the doors.
The other side of Karma Cleaners was an oasis of calm. A huge atrium featured a fountain with a massive porcelain statue of a woman holding a watering can that poured crystalline water into a shimmering glass-bottomed pool. Dawn was in awe, considering from the outside, Karma Dry Cleaners was tucked between a foot clinic and an H&R Block. That’s some big-ass magic, Dawn mused as she strolled past the busy food court area where people were tucking into their lunches from a dizzying variety of food kiosks that included fresh sushi, vegan soups, exotic salads, and even a gourmet cupcake cart. Lynda had told her the flavors changed every month. This month’s special was a chocolate cupcake with mocha hazelnut buttercream icing and a dollop of Nutella inside. Mmm. As far as Dawn was concerned, you couldn’t have enough Nutella in your life.
Dawn stepped onto the elevator and rode up to the third floor where the Karma caseworkers’ offices were located. She greeted the bubbly brunette receptionist with a smile.
“Lynda said to go right in,” Amanda, according to her name tag, said with a smile.
Dawn thanked her and walked down the short hallway to Lynda’s office. Opening the door, she noticed Lynda was on a video conference call, but Lynda waved her to her seat.
“Oh, it’s absolutely heaven. Wait till you taste it, Karma.”
Dawn’s eyes widened. Lynda was actually talking to Karma?
“Dawn Forest just walked in. Do you want to meet her?”
<
br /> “Absolutely,” said a woman’s voice from the monitor.
Lynda gestured for Dawn to come around the desk. “Karma, this is my new superstar recruit,” Lynda enthused. “She’s doing such an amazing job in such a short time.”
Dawn didn’t realize she had done anything yet.
“Good to meet you, Dawn.” Karma smiled. She was surprisingly normal-looking. She had auburn hair, pulled back as if she wore it in a bun or chignon.
“It’s wonderful to meet you, er, Ms. Karma.”
Karma laughed and it made Dawn think of tinkling bells.
“You can call me Karma. Although I do like the sound of Ms. Karma. Maybe I should use that at the annual convention. What do you think, Lynda?”
“Love love love it.”
“There are conventions?” Dawn asked.
“Oh, of course,” Karma replied. “We have them in different places every year. This year, we’ll be at Machu Picchu. I let it slip to Oprah over breakfast this morning, accidentally on purpose.”
“Oprah?”
“Karma and Oprah are very good friends,” Lynda said. “You know whose idea it was to give out cars?” Lynda pointed to the screen.
“Stop,” Karma said, waving her hand. “We were just chatting, and I said wouldn’t it be cool if you gave everyone in your audience a car? I made sure the recipients deserved one, and Oprah made it happen.”
“Will Oprah be attending the event?” Dawn asked.
“Oprah has attended in the past, but her schedule is pretty full. This year, our keynote speaker will be Melinda Gates.”
Dawn’s eyes widened. “As in Bill Gates’s wife?”
“Well, we prefer to say Bill is Melinda Gates’s husband,” Lynda quipped.
“It sounds amazing. Do all the caseworkers attend?”
“We hope so,” Karma replied. “We have caseworkers all over the world working with people who are just as determined as you are to change their karma.”
“We’re so proud of you, Dawn,” Lynda gushed.
Humbled, Dawn thanked them for their faith in her.
“Oh, trust me, this is all you,” Karma said. “You’re doing excellent work with your psychic abilities. Once you learn to control them, there is no telling the kind of positive impact you can have on the world.”
“Thank you again,” Dawn said. “I’ll keep working as hard as I can.”
“And just so you know,” Karma added, “don’t worry about your visions. You’re stronger than you think. We have someone you can work with.”
Dawn nodded, wondering just how much Karma knew about her psychic abilities. They seemed to know everything about her. Did they know she was helping Luca find the missing girl?
“By the way, that cop, Luca Fierro, is a hottie,” Karma said with a wink.
Well, that answered that.
“I have to run. A polar ice cap is melting, and I’m tired of all the ‘climate change isn’t real’ crap. Now I have to go and bang a few heads.”
They said their goodbyes, and Lynda shut off her monitor. “Isn’t she a kick?”
“She certainly is,” Dawn replied, sitting in the plush leather chair across from Lynda’s desk.
“Now, let’s talk about you.” Lynda leaned forward and pushed a bowl of brightly wrapped candies at Dawn. “I have a sweet tooth. Have one. They’re from the Twists and Turns Candy Shoppe downstairs, and they have no calories!”
Dawn reached for a striped orange-and-white wrapper.
“Oh, that’s a good one,” Lynda said as she reached for a sweet wrapped in shiny blue foil. “Tell me how your week went.”
Dawn popped the candy in her mouth and immediately tasted a blend of orange citrus with a creamy, swirly undertone. “I was thinking of reaching out to one of the community youth organizations that help street kids. I want to be able to help kids on the street and get them away from drugs, prostitution, and gangs.”
“I love that idea, and given your background, you’re the perfect person to do it.” Slipping on her Wonder Woman glasses, Lynda turned back to her computer. Punching the keys like a madwoman, she printed up a sheet and handed it to Dawn. “We have a contact at the Youth Community Center: Tansy Miller. I’ll let her know who you are, and she can plug you in. They’re having an open house this weekend. So you can go and introduce yourself.”
“Is Tansy a caseworker or someone like me?”
Lynda leaned back in her swivel chair. “Tansy is a transgendered former prostitute and former heroin addict. Aphrodite found her on a rainy night in a dark alley. She’d just been raped and was barely conscious.”
“Aphrodite, as in the Greek goddess of love?”
“The one and only. Well, she goes by other names in different pantheons, but our goddesses go by whichever name they like. She likes Venus too. Anyway, Dee Dee brought Tansy into our karma clinic, and after she recovered, we put her in a drug rehab program. Now Tansy’s kicking butt in the Keene Street area where a ton of street kids hang out. I’m sure you know the area.”
Dawn nodded. “Yes, I do. I used to hang out there myself. But I didn’t know goddesses existed—and that they took an interest in grassroots work too.”
“Oh yes,” Lynda replied. “Aphrodite goes out regularly to keep herself grounded, so to speak. She can get rather daydreamy otherwise.” She grinned. “Now, tell me more about Luca Fierro.”
Dawn told Lynda everything about her first meeting with Luca then about him calling her at work. She was embarrassed to mention she faked being sick, but Lynda just gave her a knowing smile and told her to continue.
“You have a remarkable gift,” Lynda said after Dawn had finished her story. “And I know you’re going to help Luca find little Mandy.”
“I hope so,” Dawn replied. “I wish I had the ability of those psychics on TV. They seem to know everything right away.”
“Well, that’s partly true and partly showbiz,” Lynda said. “Besides, you’re just as talented as they are, and you are determined to help. I think your grandmother’s advice was excellent. We do have a psychic division here led by Minerva.” Lynda picked up her iPad and began swiping and tapping. Dawn’s phone beeped. “I just sent you Minerva’s contact info. She’s the best of the best and can help you nurture your ability.”
“Isn’t she in this building?” Dawn asked, checking her texts.
“No, she has her own space. It’s just as wonderful as Karma Cleaners. It’s called The Crafty Candle. It’s a real craft store, and in back—”
“It’s just as huge and amazing as Karma Cleaners?”
“You got it.”
“Minerva? Isn’t she also known as Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war?”
“Yes,” Lynda said with a grin. “You know your mythology.” Then she giggled. “Which isn’t so mythical.”
“Wow.” Dawn’s eyes widened. “So, they’re all real?”
“Yes, but they’re all independent. Karma and Minerva have a lot in common and help each other with clients and special projects.”
“I have a feeling this is only scratching the surface.”
“Oh, you better believe it, baby,” Lynda quipped.
“Well, I will definitely reach out to Minerva if I need her help.”
“You can just show up any time. She’ll know when you’re ready. Until then, you have a lot on your plate, so dig in.” She chuckled at her own joke.
An hour later, Dawn stepped on her subway, feeling good about her session with Lynda and what she needed to do in order to clean up her karma. She had also learned next week’s code phrase was “I’m here to pick up my son’s ninja costume.”
She glanced at her watch and noted it was just after 4:00 p.m. on a Friday and she would be part of the usual commuter traffic. Her baton firmly in hand, Dawn reached the steps to the subway terminal when an arm grabbed
her shoulder from behind. Lifting her baton, she turned, ready to strike.
“Whoa, Dawn! It’s just me.”
Luca’s wide blue eyes looked a little startled.
“Oh. Sorry. I thought…”
“Yeah. You can relax. Those are some impressive reflexes you have.”
“I…uh…I was just thinking about my past. Where I came from, I had to be tough and ready for anything.”
“Have you been attacked?”
She worried her lip. How much should she tell him? Probably enough to explain herself and maybe even let him get a glimpse of the real Dawn. Hopefully, he wouldn’t run in the opposite direction. “I don’t mind answering your question, but this isn’t really a great place to talk.”
“Yeah.” He glanced around. “Do you have time for a coffee? Or a short walk?”
“Sure. I’ll just text my grandmother so she doesn’t worry.”
They walked toward Copley Square. As soon as Dawn had sent the reassuring text, she stuffed her phone in her leather jacket’s pocket. “So, how are you doing?”
“Not bad. My training officer, Joe, said he’d take me to JJ Kelly’s for dinner. It’s a cop bar.”
“That’s nice of him.”
Luca chuckled. “Yeah. He said it’s because I didn’t quit or get killed during my first week on the job, which would have made him look bad.”
Dawn grinned. “Is that typical cop humor?”
“Pretty much. So, not to get distracted…you were saying something about being attacked? Was it recent?”
“No. I didn’t mean to alarm you. I’ve never really been attacked—at least not by a stranger.”
His brows lifted. “By someone you know?”
She stopped. “It’s not what you think.”
“What do I think?” He just gazed at her.
“I may be able to sense things, but I can’t read minds.”
“Neither can I.”
They just stared at each other for a few moments. At last, she heaved a sigh. “I think I told you about my involvement with a gang at one point. Right?”
“Yeah. Was it one of them?”