Fool's Moon, page 21
“I bet if I check my security cameras, I’ll see you lurking around outside my shop with a can of tuna trying to lure him into your car.”
“Seriously? That’s insane. Now, I’m going to have to ask you to leave my shop.”
“I’ll be glad to … once you give me back my cat.”
Time to break out the big guns.
Still holding Brandon tight, Ruby gestured at the stern portrait of Rosa behind her. “Dude, you live in this area. You do know who my sister, Rosa López Famosa, is, don’t you?”
The question had worked before when she’d felt uneasy with someone off the street … mostly the substance-impaired, or those obviously scoping out shoplifting opportunities. Of course, she’d already surmised that Luis was a skeptic when it came to anything smacking of the spiritual. Still, there was the old expression about there being no atheists in a foxhole that kind of applied. She’d found that even those who professed not to believe in curses usually figured there was no point in taking any chances on being on the receiving end of same.
Luis’s reaction to the Rosa revelation, however, wasn’t quite what she expected. He took one look at the oil painting and chuckled in genuine amusement.
“That’s your sister? No offense, but I’m not seeing much family resemblance. She’s got that warrior queen look going, and you … well, don’t.”
Was that supposed to be an insult?
“Same mom, two different dads,” she loftily replied, “not that it’s any of your business. And she’s a fully initiated Santera, as you can see by how she’s dressed. I wouldn’t laugh about that.”
“I’m not laughing,” he countered with a grin that said they both knew he was lying. With a glance down at Zuki, who was quiet but standing at full attention, he went on. “So the other day, you tried to sic your dog on me. Now you’re threatening to have your sister put a curse on me. Who’re you going to send after me next?”
“Hell-oooo … ”
The familiar greeting accompanied by the jangling bells of the shop’s front door made Ruby sigh in relief. Setting Brandon back down on the counter, she called, “Hi, JoJo. We’re here at the register.”
JoJo came briskly down the aisle, designer high heels clicking against the tile floor. Since it was a workday, she was dressed in her usual Florida version of a power suit: short skirt and fitted jacket, this time in a lime sherbet shade, beneath which she wore a paisley silk tank top. In one hand, she held a takeout bag; under the other arm, she had half a dozen thick, glossy-paged magazines.
JoJo stopped short when she noticed Luis standing there. She gave him a quick once-over, then turned her attention to Ruby.
“Sorry, Rubes, I didn’t realize you had any customers right now. I didn’t see any cars in the front spots. How about I go out to the courtyard and wait until you’re finished?”
“That’s okay, Luis was just leaving,” Ruby replied with a pointed look at the man. “Oh, but before he takes off, I should introduce you two. Luis, this is my friend, Johanna Jones. Attorney Johanna Jones, to be precise. JoJo, this is Luis. He works at the pawn shop a few blocks from here.”
“Nice to meet you,” JoJo said, setting the magazines down on the counter and sticking out her hand. As they briefly shook, she asked, “So, did you get one of Ruby’s fab Tarot card readings today?”
“No, actually, we were exchanging tips on cat care.” He gave Ruby his own pointed look and added, “I have a cat, but he keeps running off.”
JoJo frowned as she set the takeout bag down next to the magazines on the counter. “That’s too bad. Seriously, you really should keep your cat indoors at all times. There’s too many things that can happen to them if they’re out on the street.”
“JoJo’s really big on animal rights,” Ruby interjected. With a deliberately sweet smile, she added, “She even does pro bono work for some of the local animal rescues when they need legal help to remove an abused animal from a bad situation.”
“Somehow, I’m not surprised to hear that,” was Luis’s dry reply.
JoJo gave an “aw shucks” smile and shrug and then pointed to the takeout bag. “I brought plenty. Do you want to join us?”
“He can’t,” Ruby broke in before Luis could reply. “He’s got lots of work to do at the pawn shop. Besides”—she reached for JoJo’s magazines and held up one so he could see the cover—“I’m going to be helping my bestie here with wedding dress suggestions. He’d probably be bored listening to that.”
As she’d hoped, the sight of the bridal magazine worked on the man like a crucifix on a vampire. Luis took a step back, hands raised and palms out in a deflecting gesture.
“Score one for the psychic,” he said, tone wry. “Thanks, Ms. Jones, but I’ll pass.”
Then, when Ruby thought he was going to leave without further incident, he glanced back at her.
“So, Rubes,” he continued, deliberately using JoJo’s nickname for her, “how about I come back later this afternoon so we can finish our conversation?”
“Sorry, I’ve got readings scheduled all afternoon. Besides, won’t your boss be wondering about you?”
“Well, it just so happens I am the boss.”
He paused and pulled a business card out of his shorts pocket, setting it down on the counter. Ruby pushed her glasses back into place and took a quick look at the slightly creased bit of gold cardboard. Sure enough, along with the logo and address, the card had his name—Luis Ortiz—and beneath that the word owner.
“So maybe I’ll stop by later, anyhow, just in case you have a cancellation.”
With that, he reached over to give Brandon a scritch under his chin, and then he strolled out.
“Wowza!” JoJo exclaimed as the bells jangled and the door closed after him. “I wonder if anyone’s ever told him that he looks like Robert Downey, Jr.?”
At Ruby’s snort, she grinned and shook her hand like she’d burned it. “Seriously, I can’t believe you haven’t told me about this guy before. If I didn’t already have a hot fiancé of my own, I’d be down at that pawnshop every day trying to redeem my ticket … if you know what I mean.”
“Not so fast,” Ruby countered with a roll of her eyes.
She hurried around the counter and locked the front door, then returned to the counter and picked up the takeout bag. “Grab the magazines and come into the kitchen, and I’ll tell you all about him.”
Ophelia waited until Ruby and JoJo were settled in the kitchen; then she whispered to the others, “Quick, outside to the courtyard.”
A few moments later, they were gathered in their usual spot near the koi pond. Ophelia jumped onto the ledge for a quick look in the water. No Philomena … at least, not that she could see.
“What am I going to do?” Brandon asked in alarm, ears flat. “Luis knows I’m here now. What if he tries to make Ruby send me back?”
“He won’t,” Ophelia said with more assurance than she felt. “You heard how Ruby talked about JoJo. Now Luis knows she’s a law person. If he tries to take you away, Ruby and JoJo will send him to court!”
Not that she was exactly sure what that meant, or how “court” actually worked. But the words seemed to make Brandon feel better, for his ears popped back up to normal again.
Zuki, too, appeared relieved.
“I was worried I was going to have to bite him,” she confessed, “and then they would have taken me away, too. But we’d better listen carefully when he comes back again, in case he tries to trick Ruby while JoJo’s not around. He’s pretty smart.”
“We should take turns being lookout,” Ophelia suggested. “And when we see him coming back, we all need to find hiding places where we can watch but he can’t see us. Especially Brandon.”
“I know a good place,” he agreed. “And as soon as Ruby and JoJo are finished with lunch, I’ll be the first lookout.”
“You ask me, that’s pretty messed up,” JoJo declared. Poking a critical finger at the bridal magazine page she was scanning, the blonde went on. “Ruffles, on top of lace, on top of beading, on top of more ruffles. Seriously, it looks like a drunken fairy godmother barfed up a dress.”
“Definitely goes in the no freaking way pile,” Ruby agreed with a grin. Then, sobering, she added, “But that’s not what I was asking about, and you know it. Now that you’ve heard the whole story, what’s your take on this situation with our not-so-friendly neighborhood pawnshop owner?”
Telling the story had taken some time. They’d first split the veggie calzone with plenty of marinara that JoJo had brought. Then, while her friend leafed through the bridal magazines, Ruby had relayed the details about her initial meeting with Luis.
JoJo had been as shocked as she to learn that Luciana was his aunt, and dutifully outraged when Ruby explained how he’d accused her of scamming the dead woman. Ruby went on to admit that, after the initial bad blood, they’d seemed to come to an understanding—heck, he even apologized for being a jerk. That was, until he saw Brandon lounging on a shelf. At which point, Luis had claimed she’d stolen the feline from him and then essentially catnapped Brandon back.
Though the last laugh had been on the pawnshop owner, Ruby pointed out, since Brandon had decided he preferred living with Ruby and found his way back to the Botanica again.
“Well, that’s all pretty messed up, too,” JoJo now conceded. “But I think as far as Brandon, you’re okay. When you adopted Ophelia, you asked the shelter to notify you if her brother showed up. Since Mr. Givens already relinquished ownership, you were at the top of the list for adoption if Brandon was found. If Luis gives you any more flack about it, I’ll have one of my rescue friends pay him a visit and explain the county laws about animal adoption.”
Ruby sighed. “I’d appreciate that. But in the meantime, what if he shows up again this afternoon, like he said?”
“I doubt he’ll try anything. Besides, doesn’t Rosa have cameras in the shop?”
“Yeah, but they’re the fake kind—you know, just to make people think they’re being recorded.”
JoJo rolled her eyes and muttered a few things to herself about cheap and being sorry.
To Ruby, she said, “Well, it wouldn’t hurt to make a comment about the cameras being there. He won’t know they’re bogus. But the main thing is, he’ll be guessing that you’ve already dished all the dirt about him to me … which you have. He’ll know that if you go missing, his name is the one I’ll give to the cops.”
“Hey! That’s not exactly the reassurance I was looking for.”
JoJo grinned and shrugged. “Sorry, Rubes, I was only kidding. If he does come back, you’ve got Zuki as a first line of defense. And if that’s not enough, if you feel too uncomfortable, just whip out that cell phone and call 911.”
“Actually,” Ruby replied with a cool smile, “I have a better idea. Let me grab a deck. I’m going to pull a few cards and see what Madame Tarot has to say about Mr. Luis Ortiz.”
Brandon’s shift at the front window had ended, and Ophelia had just taken over when she saw a familiar black truck pulling into one of the front parking spaces.
“It’s him … the PAWN human,” she softly yowled. “Zuki, warn Ruby. Brandon, time to hide!”
The pit bull gave a few swift barks, startling the two Haitian women who were busy filling little bags with dried bits of plants that smelled good—herbs, Ophelia knew that Ruby called them. She saw in relief that Ruby was smart enough to know what the canine was saying, for she replied “Good girl” to the canine.
To the humans, Ruby explained, “No worries, ladies. I think it’s just an ex-boyfriend stopping by. My dog doesn’t approve.”
The pair smiled and made comments about how animals always knew; still, they hurriedly finished their selections and came to the counter to pay. Ophelia, meanwhile, found Brandon snoozing on a shelf beside the boxes of seashells.
“Get up,” she hissed and gave him a poke. “Luis is back.”
He immediately rose and padded toward the double-sided shelf nearest the register. The back half of it was filled with bagged shirts and dresses and other human apparel. The front half facing Ruby’s counter was filled with reference books of various sizes and shapes. Brandon didn’t hesitate but jumped up onto the piles of clothes—a strict no-no at any other time—and climbed over them and into the gap between bags and books.
“Clever,” Ophelia purred in approval as she hurriedly followed her brother, leaving Zuki to take up position in front of the register.
The shelf with the books was far wider than most of the volumes were deep. That meant there was plenty of room for two cats to crouch behind them if they squeezed themselves into tight balls. And the books made a fine wall, with the short ones leaving holes like little windows that they could peer through, giving them a good view of the action without being seen.
By the time they had settled into place, the bells on the front door were jangling and Ruby was finishing ringing up her customers. The quiet drum and chant music that Ruby was playing in the background kept Ophelia from hearing any footsteps. Even so, she knew Luis was headed toward them from the way all three women looked in that direction, moving their heads as they followed his progress through the aisles.
The older of the two female customers leaned closer to the counter. She had long black fur worn in tiny braids, just like Shanice at the shelter did, though hers had little colored balls tangled in with the fur. Ophelia immediately approved of her.
“Baby, you want we should stick around for a minute?” the woman asked in a voice loud enough for everyone—including the PAWN human—to hear.
Ophelia saw Ruby smile.
“Thanks, but no need. This is a very secure shop. We’ve got cameras and everything,” she replied, nodding toward one of the black plastic things with a big glass eye mounted high in the corner behind her. “Plus I’ve got my dog, Zuki.”
“That sweet little thing?” the woman asked, earning a happy wriggle of her butt from the canine. Then, realizing what she’d said, the woman corrected herself. “I mean, she do look like a fierce dog. I bet she bites and everything.”
“Only when someone deserves it.” She put the women’s herbs and one of her business cards into a bigger bag and handed it to the female with braids. “Thanks, ladies. Please come back soon.”
The two women started for the door, though each one gave the PAWN human a good looking at as they went by him, like he was a particularly unappealing mouse. Or, rather, rat! He didn’t say anything to Ruby, however, until they had gone out the door. Then he gave her a rat-like smile and said, “Cameras?”
She nodded. “Of course. We like to keep track of who comes and goes here.”
He shrugged and made a rude snorting sound. “Not disagreeing … but, seriously, those have to be the worst fakes I’ve ever seen.”
Then, as Ruby got the bristly look, like Brandon’s tail, the man added, “Look, I’ve got a couple of sets of security cameras for sale at the shop that are brand new in the box. You want ’em, price is half off retail. I’ll even help you set them up.”
Ophelia and Brandon exchanged glances. “He’s being nice,” she hissed. “I wonder why?”
Ruby had to be thinking the same thing, Ophelia realized, for her expression was one of confusion. “Uh, sure. Maybe. I’ll have to check in with my sister next time she calls. But why—?”
“Why am I being nice?” He shrugged. “I thought about it, and if the gato, er, Brandon, would rather stay here with his sister, who am I to break up a family? Besides, your lawyer friend is right. It’s too dangerous for him running around the streets. He might get hit or something.”
“Thanks,” Ruby replied. “That’s very … understanding of you.”
“Sure, whatever. But that’s not the whole reason. The other part is, I need a favor from you.”
A favor? Ophelia and Brandon exchanged looks again.
“He’s trying to trick her,” Brandon whispered, getting the faintest woof of agreement from Zuki.
Ophelia nodded. “Probably,” she whispered back. “Do you think Ruby knows that?”
But even as she asked the question, the expression on Ruby’s face told her that she did. In fact, it was obvious that she trusted Luis about as much as they did … which was as far as you could toss a mouse. Which is why Ophelia was shocked when she heard Ruby say, “Sure, what’s the favor?”
With those words, Ruby crossed her arms and tilted her head in an exaggerated listening pose, waiting for his reply. How she’d manage not to gasp or faint or something, she didn’t know. But better that she keep him off balance, at least until she had some idea of where this conversation was leading.
She was gratified, however, to see that the guy looked a little surprised himself. Obviously, he hadn’t expected it to be that easy. She smiled inwardly as he cleared his throat and shuffled his feet a moment.
Ball’s in your court, LEW-is.
Then he said, “Look, I’ve been trying to get hold of Terrence Givens since my aunt died. I want to clear out her things and send them to my mother up in Cleveland. He finally called me back and agreed I could come by tonight. Thing is, I still don’t trust his story about what happened to Aunt Lu. I want to do a little poking around while I’m there, but I need someone to distract him.”
“Meaning, someone like me?”
“Well, I could bring along Tomas, or Big Mike, or DeWayne, but that probably would make Givens nervous. You, on the other hand, would not.”
He paused again and looked her up and down. “Well, except you’ve got that blue streak in your hair. Maybe you could put on a ballcap or something? And try not to dress so hippy-dippy?”
Hippy-dippy? True, she was wearing a Tarot-themed T-shirt over batik print jeans, but that was hardly the most extreme outfit she wore on the job.
