Karma's A Bitch (A Pet Psychic Mystery) (18 page)

“Well, I was.” It was my turn to frown. “Until Will told me that Hops turned in a weapon, homemade brass knuckles that matched the impact points on Mad Dog’s head and side exactly. So, I guess he must have killed him. But not at the lake like he said. Why would he lie about that?”

“How do you know it wasn’t at the lake?”

Oops. “Oh, um, just something he said. Made me think that.” Squirm. “So, anyway, I just can’t let it go yet. I have to know for sure that Mad Dog’s real killer is the one paying for the crime. Hops as the killer just doesn’t feel right.”

Frankie wagged a finger at me. “You know, if you were a dog, you’d be a pit bull, Darwin. You just sink your teeth into something and don’t let go. I’ll remember that next time I have a problem that I’m not gettin’ solved.”

We laughed together and munched a few California rolls in silence. Then Frankie sighed, “Maybe you could find out where in Hades Maddy’s gone to. Now her phone is cut off. I even went by her apartment and she’s moved out.”

I thought about the card with her name on it in Vick’s truck and the vision I had of Vick with his hands around her neck. “Sounds like she has some personal problem she’s running from. Sometimes you just have to go somewhere and start over.”

“I know. But, I wish she would have at least kept in touch with me.” She took a deep drink and drained her wine glass. “And while we’re on sad topics. You remember Junior, the junkie who fell in the pool at the charity event?”

“Of course.”

“He overdosed. Pops got him to the hospital but it was too late.” She shook her head. “I really tried to help that kid. Sometimes it’s too late before you start.”

I guess I shouldn’t have been shocked, but I was. I thought back to the time I first saw him at Pirate City, then at the Mirror Lake morning breakfast and then Will pulling him out of the pool. “So, he got out of the hospital and went right back to drugs?” Was this reality here? I wasn’t used to all this death.

“Yep.”

“He was so young.” Where was his family? “Was there a funeral?”

“No. He had no next of kin written on the Pirate City wall. He’ll be cremated and I’ve asked for the ashes so we can have a proper goodbye and give him to the Bay. He loved boats. Always talked about wantin’ one someday.”

“Will you let me know when you have it? I’d like to be there.”

“Sure thing. If I can pick up his remains tomorrow, I’ll rent us a boat Saturday morning.”

“Okay.” Night was falling with our mood. “Well, I should get home to let Karma out. Thanks for having me over, this place is amazing.”

Frankie stood up and walked me to the door. So did Itty and Bitty. “Anytime, sugar. I’ll let you know about Saturday.” We hugged and I stepped back into the elevator.

The walk home seemed lonely and I almost called Will. What could we talk about though? All my energy right now belonged to finding out the truth about the night Mad Dog was killed, and he considered that topic closed.

Instead I went home and fell asleep with one arm draped across Karma, whispering to him that I was still keeping my promise. He stopped snoring and licked my arm. At least somebody thought I was doing the right thing.

CHAPTER THIRTY

True to her word, Frankie called Friday to say that she picked up Junior’s ashes and had chartered a boat. I was to meet her and the others at the Municipal Marina at 9 a.m. Saturday morning. She said I could bring Karma along, so we headed to the marina to find the crew.

As we walked the docks, surrounded by a sea of sailboats, I spotted Frankie waving to me from the deck of a ginormous white boat. I waved back. A gentleman in a white uniform helped me and Karma aboard.

Frankie hugged me tight. She wore a black silk suit, flats and oversized dark sunglasses.

“Glad you could make it. The gang is inside.” She turned to the man. “This is Captain Manning.” We shook hands and he patted Karma. “Okay, Darwin is our last expected guest. We can shove off.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I followed Frankie into a living room of sorts, all warm and decked out in cherry wood and crème leather furniture. A bundle of white roses lay on the glass coffee table. Despite the fact that they were sitting around on what was probably a million dollar yacht, the gang was in a solemn mood. Mac was there. On either side of him sat Minnie and Pops. The kid with the blonde dreadlocks sat beside Pops and there was a young Hispanic girl I didn’t recognize. They looked uncomfortable, sitting around on the couch with their hands in their laps. The only one who seemed at home was Vick. He was leaning on the glossy wood bar two steps up, looking down at us. His usually pulled back hair hung free, a gold cross glittered in the V of his open shirt. I quickly decided to ignore him for as long as I could.

“Hi, y’all.” I held up a hand and offered them a consoling smile. “So sorry about the loss of Junior. He was so young.” Some of them nodded or smiled back. Karma sniffed around on the floor and then moseyed over to Pops, head down, tail slightly wagging.

“Hey, Snow White.” Pops rubbed Karma’s back. “And Karma. Good to see you, boy.”

I noticed they had all done their best to dress nicely with combed back hair and scrubbed faces. I was kind of disappointed not to see G among them. He always made me smile and I wanted to thank him for giving me Mad Dog’s sketch book and let him know how important it had turned out to be.

I took a seat on the edge of the curved couch. Karma came over and plopped down at my feet. “Where’s G?” I asked Frankie.

“Oh, he’s afraid of boats. Couldn’t get him to come.”

Minnie reached in her pocket and pulled out a blue bandana. “G asked me to throw this in the water for Junior. It was his favorite.”

The pirate boy made a hissing sound then said, “Waste of a perfectly good bandana.”

“You hush up, Rufus.” Mac growled. “Have some respect for a brother’s wishes.”

“Can I get anyone coffee, juice or water?” Frankie moved toward the steps.

Most of them asked for coffee. The girl I didn’t know asked for orange juice. I opted for water. Vick followed Frankie passed a formal dining area and into the dark granite kitchen. I felt the boat rumble around us as it began to pull away from the dock. It was a strange sensation.

I noticed a beat up guitar leaning against Rufus’ leg. “You play guitar, Rufus?”

“Yeah.”

“He wrote a song to sing for Junior,” Minnie said, while Rufus glanced at me uncomfortably.

“That true?” I asked.

“Yeah. No big deal.”

“Well, I think that’s nice.” I offered my hand to the girl next to me. “Hi, I’m Darwin Winters.”

“Oh, Aleece.” Her hand was soft and damp. “Nice to meet you.”

I didn’t remember seeing her at Pirate City. “You were a friend of Junior’s?”

“Yeah, we hung out. He was nice to me.”

I automatically checked her arms to look for signs of drug use. There were none and then I felt bad. “Well, I’m sorry you lost your friend. I know how it feels. I lost a friend from Pirate City, too. He was murdered. This was his dog, Karma.” I patted Karma’s head and, panting, he rolled his eyes in our direction. “I promised him I’d find out who took Mad Dog away from us.”

“You promised the dog?” she asked.

I nodded. Frankie and Vick came back down with the drinks.

Aleece frowned at me. “Junior told me that Hops guy confessed to killing Mad Dog during a fight. That he’s in jail for it.”

“Yeah, I know.” I accepted the water bottle from Frankie. I could feel the yacht picking up speed, pushing forward through the water. “I’m not convinced that’s what really happened though.”

“Oh.” She took a glass of orange juice from Vick’s hand. “Thanks. Wow, really?”

I happened to glance over at Mac and his eyes were locked on me. He shook his head slightly and sipped his coffee, still staring at me over the cup. Was that a warning?

Everyone seemed to get quiet. Frankie finally broke the silence.

“Now’s a good time to be thinking if you want to say a few words when…you know, we let Junior go. I know Rufus’s got a song and Aleece has a poem she wants to read.” She smiled kindly at Aleece. “The captain will stop in about fifteen minutes and we’ll go on up. Apparently, the law says we have to stay within three miles of shore.”

It only took about ten minutes for the yacht to cut through the open sea to a place where it was legal to release human remains. We each took a flower off the table and filed past the kitchen and up the couple of plush stairs to the birthing area on top. The sea sparkled around us and the salty breeze tugged at our clothes. I tried my best to block the waves of sadness coming at me from all directions but it was hard. The surrounding water was like an amplifier for their emotional energy.

Frankie led the group, carrying the box containing Junior’s remains. We all gathered around solemnly in front of her as she stopped at the railing and turned to face us. I noticed Vick had wandered over a few feet away from her and stayed facing the ocean. I guess he wasn’t one for ceremony.

“Thanks, everyone, for coming to say goodbye to Junior. The kid had a tough life. I hate that it had to end like this and I know you do, too. I’m sure he’s lookin’ down on us now, smiling and happy to know that he had people who genuinely cared about him. Aleece, why don’t you start us off with the poem you wrote for him?”

Aleece nodded and took a few unsteady steps to stand beside Frankie. She unfolded a piece of paper she had been clutching and began to read.

“To my friend, Junior,

We never know when we’ll find

A person who is thoughtful and kind,

And even though you had no home

You made me feel like I wasn’t alone,

You listened to me and made me smile

I didn’t know that all the while

Your time on earth was almost done

I’ll miss you more than anyone.”

She folded the paper back up, wiped at her eyes and transferred a kiss from her hand to Junior’s makeshift urn.

“Thank you, Aleece. That was beautiful.” Frankie squeezed her shoulder before she came back to the group. “I think this just goes to show us, no matter how down we are in life, we can still have meaningful friendships. Now Junior’s memory will live on with Aleece and that didn’t cost any money at all.” She took a deep breath and invited Mac up. As he told a few anecdotal stories about his time with Junior at Pirate City, I turned my attention to Vick. He had moved further away from us and had his hands shoved in his pockets, still staring out at the ocean. I would have given anything to know what was going through his mind at that time. Something important by the look of his concentration. Was he thinking about Maddy? I suddenly got a not-so-bright idea. I decided to poke the rattle snake.

After Minnie and Pops said a few words and Rufus sang his song, Frankie said, “It’s time.”

We all moved to the railing on either side of Frankie as she opened the box, said a little blessing and dumped Junior’s remains over the side. As the breeze carried the ashes out to mingle with the choppy water, we tossed the white roses into the sea after them. Minnie also tossed the bandana.

We stood there in silence, watching the roses bob around on the surface. It was very peaceful. I suddenly remembered Mad Dog’s ashes were still in storage. Should I have a ceremony for him, too? No, he had a family. They deserved to be there, to have closure. I was more determined than ever to find them.

One by one, the gang peeled themselves away from the railing and went back below deck. I held back, waiting.

“That was lovely,” I told Frankie as she wiped at her eyes under her dark glasses.

“Thanks for being here, Darwin.” She squeezed my hand. “All we can hope for is that someone will care when we’re gone, I suppose.”

“While we’re alive is nice, too.” I watched her descend the steps and saw Vick making his way over. “Come on, Karma.” I tilted my head to watch him as he pushed himself off the deck. He was moving slow. I should have given him some flower essence for sea sickness. I waited by the stairs. Karma lumbered down first. I took my time. When I felt Vick coming up behind me, I turned to face him.

“I know about Maddy.” I said it simply and waited.

He had a good poker face. Stillness, except for a widening of the eyes. Then they narrowed and flashed with anger.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He pushed past me, almost knocking me over.

“Temper temper,” I whispered. After regaining my balance, I joined the others on the couch. Vick stood in the kitchen, his back to us.

Now I really would give anything to know what was going through that sleazy mind. Did he think I was going to tell Frankie? Maybe he would confess to her first. What would he confess to? An affair? Arguing and almost strangling Maddy?

Karma sat up and rested his head on my lap. He was panting hard and foaming drool oozed onto my bare leg. “Um, Frankie…I don’t think Karma’s feeling well. Can we get him some water?”

“Sure thing, sugar.” She dug through the cupboards. I heard her turn on the faucet but it was too late. At least Karma was courteous enough to lift his head off my lap before he yakked all over the million dollar yacht.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Sylvia breezed into the boutique Monday morning with a glimmer of hope for me.

“This one,” she tapped a burgundy nail on a circled phone number, “I think knows something.” Her eyes sparkled as she flicked her dark hair off a shoulder. “I say, ‘May I speak to Mariah Fowler.’ And the woman, she pauses for a long time. I say, ‘Hello?’ She says, ‘Who’s asking?’”

My breath quickened. “And what did you say?”

“I say, ‘A friend of her fathers.’ Then she disconnect!”

“Aha!” The world seemed brighter suddenly. I hugged Sylvia. “Oh, you’re the best. She must know Mad Dog!”

“Maybe yes, maybe no.” Sylvia rested a hand on my shoulder. “But, you must promise me the only thing you are doing now is this. Find his daughter. No more putting yourself in danger, my bom amiga.”

I knew she was worried. I hadn’t ever seen her as rattled as she was when I told her about the message spray painted on the boutique window. Then mad as a hornet. Fear for her definitely translated into anger. I wasn’t afraid yet. Sylvia says I’m naïve. Maybe. But, naïve or not, I believed in helping those who couldn’t help themselves. And the dead fell into that category.