Lewis & Ondarko - Best Friends 03 - Now and Zen (12 page)

“You’ve been reading my cards?”

“Just practicing,” Bev replied, her attention focused intently on the deck in her hands.

“Jester? Does that mean I’m a clown?”

“Hardly. The Jester represents the childlike ability to tune into the inner workings of the world.”

“That sounds like me.”

“Pick something else. She wants a good fortune,” Lotta said, looking at the card and still dabbing her finger.

Pat leaned forward. “Is that one bad?”

“Don’t encourage her. Bev will start over again. Or worse, she’ll do full twelve cards, the most elaborate reading. You better have the time. Once she starts, she won’t stop,” Lotta warned.

“That’s okay. I’m game. Do you really think you can read my future with the cards?” Pat asked skeptically.

“The question is, is she reading the cards or your face and body language?” Lotta asked. “You know what they say. Even a monkey can hit the right keys on a key board and spell a word now and then.” She leaned over her quilting and held it toward the window. Her head was tucked down in concentration as her needle once again went in and out of the fabric.

“In case you’re wondering, I’m making this for Bev’s new granddaughter,” Lotta said with a smile.

“She’s a real artist, that’s for sure. I read it in her cards. She always turns up the Empress, also,” Bev said, concentrating on laying out the cards in a complicated pattern.

“I always wanted to be an Empress,” Pat joked.

“The Empress can represent the germination of an idea before it is ready to be fully born,” Bev explained. “Hmmm, Wow, the Five of Pentacles is reversed, and it’s right next to the Chariot. Strange.”

Putting down her cup, Pat pointed to a card.

“What’s that one mean? It looks kind of like five swords. That looks positive, doesn’t it?” she asked hopefully. The other two women exchanged a glance that made her feel uneasy.

“I just knew she would do this,” Lotta said.

Bev ignored the comment and took a deep breath.

Sounding is if she were in a trance, she began the reading.

“The Tower stands for hidden evil… more than an enemy, more like a danger and confrontation, a battle. It’s placed over your Jester so it’s the main influence touching you or the missing person… you may be in a battle for this person, or she may be in a battle for something or someone else. In either case, it implies having to put oneself in danger to protect another.”

“Gee, I’ll bet you tell that to all your clients. You’d never make any tips if you did,” Pat said playfully in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Without looking up, Bev pointed to another card directly above it. The Devil. She cleared her throat after pointing out the Devil card.

“This represents difficulties, problems to solve. And this one? Death.” A heavy silence invaded the space. “This one means someone is missing, or left. Either forced or by their own free will. Gone. It can also represent new beginnings.”

“Stop it, Bev. She doesn’t need to hear all that stuff. She’s got enough challenges these next few days.”

“Yes… yes I do,” Pat answered. “Go ahead.”

Bev hesitated.

“Well, remember, I’m just new at this. Let’s look this up.”

She turned to her little book of helps and referring to the Death card, read:

This is one of the clearest cards when it comes to meaning. False structures, false institutions, false beliefs are going to come (or have already come) tumbling down, suddenly, violently and all at once. This sort of prediction can scare anyone, especially as the one you’re reading for likely does not know that something is false. Not yet. To the contrary, they probably believe that there are no problems in their surroundings, that everything is fine at work… oh, and that they’re fine. Just fine, really.

Alas, they’re about to get a very rude awakening. Shaken up, torn down, and blown asunder. And all a reader can really do to soften the blow is assure the querent that it is for the best. Nothing built on a lie, on falsehoods, can remain standing for long. Better for it to come down so that it can be rebuilt on truth-or not rebuilt at all, if that’s what seems best. This rude awakening is not going to be pleasant or painless or easy, but it will be for the best in the end.

“You could at least let her live until after this big solstice celebration,” Lotta said sarcastically. “You know they burned women like her in the past, don’t you?”

“Look! Here are two good cards,” Bev continued. “This card at your feet says you are brave and true and this one at your right, the Star, means you will have help if you choose to use it.”

“So that’s good?”

“Well, not so good. Frankly, looking at the big picture, I’ve never seen so many negative cards, pardon me, challenging cards in one reading. Of course, I’m just a beginner, really,” she added hastily, looking up and seeing Pat’s face.

Pat glanced down at the cards laid out on the table. The coffee no longer tasted good in her mouth. Even to her untrained eyes the cards looked all dark and foreboding.

“Do you know where these challenges are coming from?” Pat asked.

“See this card here? It seems like it’s sort of from a dark place out of time or space. It’s confusing. Well, that’s enough of that.” Scooping up the cards, Bev quickly shuffled them as if to get rid of the reading entirely.

“You know you’re in charge of your own life. And you don’t need to worry. You’re surrounded by women friends and family. What better protection could there be?”

“So, do you think you two could help with the serving tomorrow morning?” Pat asked. “The church ladies think we’ll have to serve in shifts for the breakfast. You won’t believe what a madhouse it was this morning at the church.”

Neither woman balked at the request.

“I’d be glad to help you,” Bev said. “With a Tarot reading like you just finished, you’re going to need all the help you can get.”

“I better get back to work,” Lotta said.

“Look at the time,” Pat said, standing up to leave.

“Say, Pat, before you go,” Lotta said, catching them before they reached the door. “Did either of you leave this?” She held up a jacket. “It was left either last night or this morning, but with so many on the island… “

Pat looked at the designer jean jacket.

“Not me. Did you check the pockets?”

“Just quickly. I was too busy to do more.”

Pat took the jacket.

“No, nothing in these pockets.” She reached inside on the right side. “Nope, nothing here.” She felt around one last time. “Wait a minute. Something is scrunched down in here. There, I’ve got it.” Pulling out a torn slip from a waitress’ order pad, she spread it on the table and quickly scanned it.

“No, no name, sorry.” She looked closer at the note. “But this woman sounds like she’s got a problem.”

“Read it,” Lotta and Bev said together.

“Okay.” She read:

Sorry to leave you in a mess. That damn shit has just gone too far. Sure he’s cute, but he threatened me because I was late after work last night. He even tried to push me down. Can you believe it? Happened to my mom; will never happen to me.

Will call soon. Love yah, girlfriend.

“There’s no signature.”

The women were quiet for a moment.

“Well, we can’t find her from this. Sorry,” Pat said.

“No worries. I’ll just put it up on the message board,” Lotta said.

“Message board? Since when has the island had a message board?”

“Us? Honey, we all know each other’s business here. Small island, remember? No, this is the message board for your retreat. Linda put it up. “Better catch up, oh great leader,” Lotta teased. “They’re charging past you.”

“Ain’t that the truth?”

At that moment, Deb walked through the door into the crowded room.

“You should see what’s happening out on the street!”

“Don’t tell us. After my Tarot reading, I can’t take any more,” Pat joked.

“There’s something I wanted to talk to you two about,” Lotta said, hesitatingly.

“What is it?” Deb asked, noticing the tightness in Lotta’s face.

“I’m not sure this is the right time. There’s too much commotion now and I have to get working on lunch. Remind me later, okay?”

“Sure,” Deb replied, making a mental note.

As Lotta walked to the kitchen, Deb and Pat joined Bev at the table.

“You really should see outside,” Deb urged. “Someone put up a soapbox on the street with a sign that says, ‘If you have something to say, say it here.’ There’s a line of women waiting to speak. Uh, oh,” Deb whispered a few minutes later. “Here comes trouble.”

Pat looked up and saw the all too familiar form of the handsome detective from Ashland County walk past the front window.

“Duck!” Deb whispered.

Before the women could duck, the door opened on a smiling Detective Gary LeSeur, who stood silently taking in the crowded noisy scene.

Dressed in jeans and tennis shoes, he wore a fishing vest and Brewers baseball cap. With laser-like focus, his flashing brown eyes met Deb’s gaze and held it.

“Busted,” Deb whispered.

With a nod of his head, he gestured toward the door.

“Excuse me,” Deb said in a nonchalant voice. “I’ll be right back.”

Deb walked slowly toward the door as if summoned to the principal’s office and into the presence of the law.

Deb and Pat had crossed paths with him on previous occasions when they had been involved in solving the mysteries behind two deaths.

Gary knelt just outside the door, petting a golden lab. The dog had been lying patiently in the sun just outside the door to the Cafe.

“Hi, Gary!” Deb said, trying her best to be cheerful. The dog stood immediately upon seeing Deb and wagged her tail so exuberantly against her that Deb almost lost her balance.

“Is that your dog?” LeSeur asked.

“No. She’s just a stray that showed up at our cabin last night. We thought she was a bear in the dark… “

Damn. Why did I say that?

Gary stood up, as his perceptive gaze pierced through Deb’s facade.

“So, what is this whole scene, anyway?” he asked, gesturing with his hands to the crowded dining room on the other side of the screen door.

“Just a little gathering that Pat and I tried to put together for summer solstice.”

“You women don’t do anything small, do you?”

“What are you doing here?” Deb asked reflexively.

“To be honest with you, this is the last place I would choose to be on a fine summer day as this… There I was, ready to get out on the big lake with my favorite fishing guide. My wife was gone to some women’s retreat. Some girls-only event on the island. The weather was perfect. Things were quiet at the office and I took two days of vacation to try to catch up on my fishing. We no sooner got out and set anchor when I got a text message to call the office immediately. Something about a missing woman on the ferry.

“After talking to Mike and the crew, I thought I would just go to the eye of the hurricane and find out what you know. After all, you two started this whole mess by bringing all these women out here. And you always seem to be in the middle of things. So, tell me what you know.”

“I really don’t know much and what I know is secondhand,” Deb replied reluctantly. “Really, I just know what you know… that the ferry people have some vague suspicions because of ‘their counts’ being wrong or something like that. Not a lot to go on.”

“Well, let’s get down to brass tacks then,” Gary said. “Did anyone sign up for your ‘retreat’ and then not show up?”

“I couldn’t answer that,” Deb replied.

“Why not?”

“Because we didn’t ask for signups. We didn’t collect deposits or anything. This was supposed to be a small informal gathering. And then way more people came than we expected and the YouTube and all that we didn’t expect,” Deb rambled.

Like the fisherman he was, Gary threw another line.

“Did you have any speakers on your agenda that haven’t shown their pretty faces out here yet?”

“Not that I know of,” Deb replied. “Really, this was just supposed to be a simple, quiet getaway. But it’s turned into something… “

LeSeur realized quickly that he wasn’t going to catch any information from Deb and began to set his hook.

“Okay, Deb. I see you know nothing. But I also know how good you and Pat are at getting to the bottom of things. I need your help.”

Hearing his words, Deb was momentarily speechless.

“You need our help? Mine and Pat’s? Pat! Come out here!” Deb yelled into the crowded restaurant. “Gary needs our help!”

Pat walked briskly out into the sunlight with a confused expression on her face.

“Hi, Gary,” Pat said. “What’s happening?”

“He said he needs our help,” Deb repeated.

Gary nodded his head.

“That’s a strange turn, coming from you. What on earth do you want from us?” Pat asked.

“This place is so chaotic. I need you to ask around and talk to people who were on the ferry coming over yesterday when the incident happened.”

“Incident? You call that an incident when someone is potentially dead?” Pat replied.

“Shh, Pat. He’s only doing his job,” Deb said. “Every investigation starts with an incident and an incident report, right Gary?”

Gary’s face reddened as he chose to ignore the comment.

I will not respond to these crazies in kind, I am better than that,
he thought.

“There’s no way we have the resources to talk to every one of these women,” he said. “I need you to winnow out the ones who may have any information at all. Remember, its first-hand information I want, not gossip.”

“We can try,” Pat said. “Just leave it to us.”

Shaking his head, Gary handed his business card to Deb.

“Here’s my cell number. Make me a list of names and contact numbers and get back to me as soon as possible.”

“Aye, aye, captain!” Pat replied in mock salute.

As Gary strolled away towards his waiting fishing boat, Deb turned to Pat.

“Can you believe he asked us for help this time?”

“Can you believe we would agree to help?” Pat answered.

“There’s just one thing I wanted to tell you.”