A Line To Murder (A Puget Sound Mystery) (18 page)

A voice from his commune past?

“Mercedes,” he turned toward me and took my arm. “This is Umma Grace, an old friend of my parents.” He paused. “Mine too.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I put out a hand to shake hers. Umma Grace ignored the conventional gesture and took both my hands in hers.

They were ice cold, and I rubbed my thumbs across her knuckles. “Your hands are freezing.”
It’s a good thing you’re at a Total Health Fair. I think you need a strong dose.

She stared at me so intently I felt like a wayward child in Sunday school.
Maybe she’s a mind reader.
For a minute we were caught in a funny little time warp where the sights, sounds and smells around us seemed distanced and slightly out of focus, like a technique in a B-movie to create atmosphere. Then she let go of my hands and took Andy by the arm.

“You’re the last person I thought I’d see here.” She drew him through the crowds.

Andy went unresisting, and I followed, interested in this glimpse of his former life.

Umma Grace led us to a round table enclosed on three sides by a black curtain. Crystal beads strung on wires hung over the cloth. “Tarot,” they said. The same air-conditioning keeping the crowds of people comfortable also kept the beads moving. They shifted, sparkled and reflected colors while Umma Grace took a seat and all but pulled Andy into one next to her. I hesitated for a moment then sat opposite them. The table was so small, Andy’s knee pressed against mine.

“You left so long ago. I can’t even begin to think of how to know you again. Your parents missed you. They were devastated.”

“It was their idea for me to go live with my grandparents.”

“Yes, but they never thought you’d stay with them and not come home. You turned away from your parents, from all we believed in and all we worked for. You never came back.”

“They came to visit. We wrote and talked on the phone.”

“It wasn’t the same. It wasn’t enough. You were their gift from God.”

By this time, Andy seemed to have recovered from the surprise of her presence. He straightened and removed his hands from her firm grip. Under the table his fingers, seeking mine, were as cold as Umma Grace’s.

They talked about people and events of the commune days. I half listened and half looked around. Green, it seemed, was an important color in Total Health. From aloe plants to Caesar Salads, from green tea to dried seaweed and organic alfalfa, it was everywhere. I tuned in briefly when Umma Grace started talking about her trip to Machu Picchu. I wanted to hear about the politics of the country and whether The Shining Path still terrorized tourists. Unfortunately, she barely touched on that. Her conversation was so cluttered with words such as vortices, earth waves and chakras, I found it hard to concentrate. What I did notice was as she talked, her gray, kohl-ringed eyes constantly shifted toward me. The first time our eyes met, I smiled, but she didn’t smile back. Her gaze penetrated my psyche like a bucket dropped in a well. Was she finding something to draw out I didn’t know about? Creepy thought.

I waited for a break in their conversation and stepped in. “Umma. Isn’t Umma Egyptian for ‘mother of’? Mother of grace. How pretty.”

“It’s Arabic, actually.” Her expression changed. “Oh show me how a rose can shut and be a bud again.”

“Huh?”

“Kipling. You’ve spent a lot of time, lately, thinking about days gone by, those times before the bud became a rose.”

Have I?

“Never mind. Move. Change chairs with Andy. Andy, move. Mercedes is here for a reading.”

I am?

Andy and I
exchanged chairs and I looked at Umma Grace warily. The lettered beads above my head swayed. Fairy bells tied among them tinkled softly, perhaps due to the room’s abundance of psychic energy.

She handed me a deck of cards. “Shuffle them, please, and cut the deck into three piles.”

I did as told.

“You’ve been a long time coming.”

Chapter 16

Oh brother. What a line for suckers. Like she was expecting me or something.
I shuffled the cards as told and indicated the pile she was to read from.

“The middle pile. That indicates questions about relationships.” Umma Grace turned over the top card and laid it face up in the middle of the table. “Are you familiar with Tarot readings?”

“No. Isn’t it some sort of satanic thing? Will I need to go to confession tomorrow?”

She ignored my sarcasm.

I was ashamed.

“Some historians think Tarot is the Book of
Thoth,
the Egyptian God of wisdom and learning. Don’t be condescending, Mercedes. Shut up and maybe you’ll learn something.”

“Sorry. That was rude”

“Now, this card spread is similar to the ancient Celtic method. What sign are you?”

“Shouldn’t you know that?”

“No, I shouldn’t. It’s not part of my position as the diviner.”

“Then why do you need to know?”

To do her justice, Umma Grace showed extraordinary patience. “Because certain signs receive information given to them in different ways. To effectively communicate with you, I need to know.”

“It’s Capricorn.”

“I probably could have guessed that. Thank you.”

I grinned, knowing what Capricorns are supposed to be like. She didn’t notice.

“Now, this is the first position. It’s the atmosphere in which you’re presently living and working. This card is the High Priestess. She indicates wisdom, perception and sound judgment. The pile you chose for me to read from—you’re here because of someone, aren’t you? A friend, I think. A platonic relationship. Is that right?”

I nodded and she turned over a second card and laid it across the first. “This is the second position, the nature of influences or obstacles that lie ahead. The card is the Ten of Swords.” The grisly card featured ten swords stuck in the back of a prone body. “You’ve accessed a card of pain. Someone around you has experienced pain and you’ve internalized it. In other words, that person’s pain has become yours. There’s a lot of anguish ahead for you, Mercedes. A great deal of mental turmoil and possibly physical suffering or some real affliction. Is there something out of the ordinary about your friend?

Again, I nodded.

“Well, you can sometimes avoid danger by being excessively cautious.”

“How long is this period of danger?”

“It usually lasts from ten to fifteen days. The time varies and it’s a building process. There is never one day it starts and one day it ends. It builds to a period of strongest influence then begins to subside.”

She turned over another card and laid it above the first two. It was a devil with the traditional goat’s head and claw feet. Naked figures squatted on either side of him. “The third position indicates goals. It’s what present circumstances will allow you to accomplish.” She frowned at the ugly picture. Next to me, Andy stirred. Uneasy or just bored? Probably this Tarot stuff was old hat for him.

“This is an unfortunate card because it indicates a lack of success. It can also be a warning about outside influences. I think you need to be more than a little careful right now. There’s something—some malevolence hovering around you. It seems to be tied in with your friend. Is he or she involved in something unusual?”

“She was murdered.”

“It was Isca, Umma Grace. My ex-wife. Remember? She was Mercedes’ best friend.”

Umma Grace looked at Andy and then at me. Her lips tightened and tiny lines formed around her mouth. In that instant she looked old.

The fourth card, a queen sitting on a throne surrounded by clouds and holding a sword pointed up, was rather pretty. Umma Grace laid it to the left of the first card. “This is your distant past, the Queen of Swords. She helps reveal events of the past on which your future is based. The Queen indicates a perceptive mind, quick wit and intelligence. She tells me you’ve known great happiness but are presently faced with anxiety. You’re anxious about your friend’s death, of course. I wonder if you knew, before her death, how important she was to you. Right now there are a lot of outside influences over which you have little control. You’re probably not even aware of them, but they’re extremely strong. I can’t stress enough that you must be vigilant.”

She stared into space, and the black cloth next to my chair suddenly brushed against my arm. The beads stirred, picking up images and casting them across her face. The fairy bells tinkled in agitation.

When I shivered, Andy made a move to stand. “I think that’s enough, Umma Grace. We’ve come here to try to find someone. Mercedes doesn’t want to hear anymore.”

“Sit, please. I’m not done, and whether you believe in it or not, you know the cards almost as well as I do.” She fixed a gaze on Andy. “I have things to tell Mercedes that she needs to hear.”

Umma Grace put the fifth card, a skeleton wearing armor and riding a white horse, directly below the first one.

I must have made a sound.

“It isn’t as bad as it looks. This is what you’re currently passing through, the loss of your friend.”

I nodded.

“You’re going through changes, getting rid of your old skin. The death card can indicate financial loss, an illness, or just your own metamorphosis.”

The sixth card went to the right of the first.

“How many cards are there?” I wasn’t exactly sure how I’d gotten into this, and I didn’t like hearing what she had to say. Being followed home the other night and the recent harassment with the light and phone—they all fit her words and creeped me out.

“A Celtic reading requires ten cards. Now, this is the immediate future.” It was obvious she was completely absorbed and wasn’t going to stop for any small talk. Fair enough. Time was money. Next came two dogs howling at the moon. What an unattractive lot I seemed to have drawn. I sneaked a glance at Umma Grace. Her face was white and sweat gleamed on her upper lip. Whether I believed this stuff or not, and we Cornish people were superstitious, she did.

“There is deception and disillusionment coming. Be careful of false friends. They may be unknown enemies.” Umma Grace began to sound breathless, as if it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to breathe. I glanced at Andy and frowned slightly.

“Both your recent past and immediate future say the same thing. You’re caught up in something that may take all your physical and mental abilities to work through. This card can be more disconcerting than the Devil.”

We were down to card seven, a man holding a sword. She laid it below and to the left of the fourth card and looked relieved.

“The Page of Swords is a positive card for someone in your circumstances. It tells me you’ll discover your unknown opponent, either with vigilance or mental perception. It’s a good omen for the future.” Umma Grace wasn’t the only one relieved at this unexpected bright spot.

I counted the cards again, eager to get the reading over. We were at the eighth one which she placed above the seventh. It was the first card she’d turned over with a picture upside down. Apparently not a good thing.

“A reverse King of Pentacles indicates corruption. It’s your relationship with other people. It’s an unattractive card, full of avarice and vice. If you weren’t unfaithful, you easily could be. But,” and here she turned over the ninth card, three dancing maidens holding up cups, “there is a satisfactory resolution coming. There will be healing and fulfillment even if there is compromise.”

I was glad to see the last card turned over. If it had been fun at the beginning, and I’m not sure about that, it wasn’t fun anymore. The final card was also upside down. The picture was of a prince sitting in a chariot with half-human, half-lion figures at his feet. Umma Grace’s breath came in a little gasp. Her face, with the kohl-ringed eyes, was so white it was almost skeletal looking. Whatever flowery scent she’d worn was gone, replaced by something I couldn’t identify. “Your last card is the chariot. You must watch to not lose everything at the last minute. Just when you think resolution is at hand, it may prove to be completely wrong. The end is very close. The forces around you are all striving for dominance. The strength to win lies within. Your problem will be resolved, but be very careful you’re prepared to face the consequences of the resolution.”

She swept the cards up, destroying the layout, burying the howling dogs and the evil, smiling moon. Andy stood up so quickly he knocked the table.

“How much, Umma Grace?” He reached in his pocket.

“Don’t be insulting.” Umma Grace’s hands shook as she poured water from a thermos and lifted a glass.

“We really came here looking for someone, or at least for information.”

“Yes, I know. I can’t help you. Whatever I see, whomever I counsel is confidential. You know that, but you will find him.” She rubbed her fingertips together in a strange gesture and looked at me. “You must be very careful. I can’t warn you enough. I can’t see what’s there, but it’s swirling around. What was old is new. What’s new is dangerous. I can’t express how important it is to remember this.”

Her distress was so obvious my chest constricted with fear.