Fool's Moon, page 29
“No chance of jail, then?” Ruby asked with a grimace of her own.
JoJo shrugged. “If, heaven forbid, I were defending her, I’d get any charges knocked down to bodily harm and gross negligence. Worst case, we’re probably talking a couple of months prison time, and then probation. The better way to make her feel the pain is a civil suit … assuming Givens is willing to go public about the embezzling. Unless we’re talking millions, the DA probably won’t pursue it.”
Ruby set down her chopsticks, no longer hungry. “Wow. So not only does she steal from an old woman, she basically sets up two people to die, and all she’ll get is a slap on the wrist.”
“The law’s the law. But look on the bright side. There’s always karma.”
Ruby sighed, then nodded. Karma. That and the Judgement Tarot card that had shown up in Joan’s reading. Even if the law couldn’t punish her, with the Judgement card hanging over her, the woman wasn’t going to be totally off the hook.
“Sorry, Rubes, wish it was better news.” With that, JoJo set down her chopsticks too and stood. “I’ve got a meeting in an hour, so I’d better get back to the mines. And I’ll let Blake know you’ll think about meeting the new guy in his building. What?” she defended herself when Ruby gave her a look. “You’re obviously not interested in the hot guy that lives a few blocks away from you.”
Meaning Luis, of course. It wasn’t so much the “not interested” as the “not really compatible” thing. But JoJo didn’t need to know that. And so Ruby shot her friend the look times two before answering.
“The hot guy”—she gave the words finger quotes—“has been busy handling details of his aunt’s estate and helping his father plan a memorial service up in Cleveland. I’ve been busy here at the store. I haven’t seen him since the night at the vet clinic, but that’s okay. After all, I’ve got three pet children who require my undivided attention.”
She finished that proclamation with a smile for the cats and Zuki, the latter whose patience was rewarded when Ruby tossed her the last bite of egg roll.
JoJo shook her head as she scooped the last of the empty wrappers and boxes into the oversized takeout bag they’d originally come in. “I can’t decide which to get you for your birthday next month, the Crazy Cat Lady T-shirt or the Crazy Dog Lady T-shirt. Maybe I should get you both.”
Ruby grinned. “I think a T-shirt with just the word Crazy would cover it.”
“You find that shirt, you buy me one, too,” JoJo agreed as, laughing, they headed back inside, Zuki trailing after them.
“Thanks for lunch,” Ruby told her friend as they reached the front door, and she switched the sign over from Will Return to Open. “And tell Blake I do appreciate the offer, but maybe later on.”
“Sure,” JoJo replied and gave her a quick hug before opening the door. “Don’t mind us. We’re just trying to look out for—oh!”
The startled cry, Ruby promptly saw, was because JoJo had almost stumbled into Luis. He was standing on the walkway beyond the door, and apparently had been reaching for the outside knob at the same time as JoJo.
“Sorry,” he said and hastily stepped aside so that the pair avoided a collision.
JoJo gave him a sly smile. “No problem. I never mind bumping into a good-looking man.” Then, looking over his shoulder to the parking area beyond, she asked, “Oooh, is that your ride?”
At his nod, Ruby looked, too. Her eyes opened wide. In the spot at the curb next to JoJo’s little BMW was a silver Porsche convertible that looked like something Terrence Givens would drive.
“What happened to the pickup?” Ruby managed once she’d gotten past the first shock.
Luis shrugged. “Big Mike took it to fix the dinged-up front quarter panel and broken headlight. I usually keep the Porsche garaged, but I had to drive something.”
Something, indeed. Apparently, Joan hadn’t been kidding when she said he was making good money on the side with some of those pawn deals courtesy of the Palm Beach elite.
“Well, I like it,” JoJo assured him when Ruby neglected to make the appropriate noises to indicate being impressed. “Anyhow, gotta go.”
She started down the walk toward her own relatively pricey ride, though she paused when Luis wasn’t looking and turned to catch Ruby’s eye. Hot, she mouthed behind Luis’s back, and then gave her favorite oooh, burnt my fingers shake of her hand.
Hoping she wasn’t blushing, Ruby responded with a shooing gesture in JoJo’s direction, then stepped aside so Luis could come in.
“I thought you already flew out to Cleveland for the funeral,” she said as she closed the door after him, almost tripping over Zuki as she gestured him toward the counter.
He shook his head. “The service isn’t until tomorrow. I had a few things to take care, so I’m not leaving until tonight. I thought I’d stop by here first and see if you have some sort of lucky charm for getting through TSA without the up-close and personal pat down.”
Despite herself, Ruby smiled. “That’s not a bad idea. I need to see if we have a supplier who can make up a candle or something just for that.”
Then, sobering, she asked, “How’s the rest of your family holding up?”
“Like you might expect. My dad’s pretty broken up about it, but he’s grateful he got to see his sister these past few years. And we had some news from the police. They found the truck that hit her.”
“Thank goodness,” Ruby breathed. “That’s got to help your dad get some sort of closure.” Then, as a thought occurred to her, she asked, “Wait! It wasn’t—”
Luis shook his head. “No, it was just some random guy on his way home after a night out with the boys. But Joan did admit that she drove over to the pawnshop that same night and used a tire iron to dent up my truck.”
He picked up one of the previously abused lucky bamboo shoots and idly played with it a moment before continuing. “She claimed she was teaching me a lesson about some nonsense or another. We both know she was trying to throw a little suspicion my way, just in case her gamble worked and Aunt Lu met with a bad end. It was totally coincidental that the hit-and-run vehicle looked like mine.”
“What about the truck owner?” Ruby wanted to know. “Did he confess to anything?”
“Only to being a coward. He claims Aunt Lu walked right out in front of him, and he panicked when he hit her and just kept driving. He said he didn’t realize she died until he read about the accident in the paper the next day. And then he was too afraid of jail to come forward.” Luis shook his head. “Since there’s no toxicology, about all they can charge the guy with is failure to stop and render aid, and fleeing the scene of an accident with a fatality. It’s not much, but it’s something.”
Another one walking virtually free, Ruby thought in dismay. They’d have to hope that karma did her number on the pickup driver, too.
Luis, meanwhile, had changed the subject. “So, how’s Ophelia doing after her swim?”
“She’s great, got through the whole ordeal unscathed. The vet was very impressed with her.” She hesitated, and then went on. “I know you didn’t want me to know, but thanks for taking care of the emergency vet bill. It really helped, not having to max out my credit card like that. But I do want to pay you back over time.”
Luis raised a brow. “Much as I’d like to hog all the glory, it wasn’t me. Our buddy, Terrence Givens, is your benefactor. After you texted me where you were, he asked for the clinic name. I heard him call and give them his credit card number.”
“You’re kidding? Mr. Terrence ‘I-hate-cats’ Givens?” Ruby gave a disbelieving snort as she shoved her glasses back into place. “Are you saying he actually paid an almost three-thousand-dollar vet bill out of the goodness of his heart?”
“Probably out of a sense of guilt, but yes. They were his mother’s cats, after all, and he owed the old woman that much since he did a pretty poor job of keeping her safe. If he hadn’t brought Joan around”—he paused, and his jaw tightened—“well, Mrs. Givens and Aunt Lu would both still be here.”
Ruby gave a sober nod. “So he’ll have to live with that … but maybe there’s hope for him after all. I’ll send him a nice thank you note and let him know I’ll light a good luck candle for him.”
“Maybe leave the candle part out,” Luis suggested with a fleeting grin. Sticking the bamboo shoot back in the container, he went on. “Anyhow, I’m glad your kitty is fine. And maybe when I get back in town, you’ll let me have a supervised visit with my cat.”
“Sure, whenever you want.”
“Great. So, uh, see you in a couple of weeks.”
A few moments of awkward silence fell between them. He was wearing his work polo shirt with the pawnshop logo, and she could see the part of the tattoo on his biceps. Not enough to tell what it was, though she was pretty sure it was some small animal. Someday, she’d have to satisfy her curiosity and ask him what it was.
Fortunately, the bells on the front door chose that moment to jangle, dispelling the awkwardness and announcing a customer. With that, Luis started toward the door, only to pause after a few steps and look back at her.
“By the way, it’s there.”
At her quizzical look, he gestured at the portrait of Rosa. Smiling, he clarified. “The resemblance to your sister … it’s there. I saw the look on your face when you saw Ophelia floating in the pool and dove right in. Definite warrior queen.”
“I talked to Philomena last night,” Ophelia declared, sitting up straight with tail wrapped tightly around her as befitted making an important announcement. “I went outside in the middle of the night, after everyone was asleep, and called her.”
She and Brandon were enjoying the sun while lounging near the koi pool following their unexpected Chinese food snack, courtesy of Ruby and JoJo. Zuki had gone inside with Ruby earlier but now had come back to the courtyard again, flopping onto the bricks for her own snooze. Brandon had almost fallen asleep, but at her words he opened his eyes wide again.
“You mean she actually stuck her head out of the water and talked? I thought she’d never come back again after you yelled and said all those bad things to her.”
“Yeah,” Zuki agreed, sounding hopeful. “I thought she’d be mad back. What did she say … what did you say?”
Ophelia gave her tail a little flick. “I told her she was a very smart fish, and that all her rhymes had come true. And then I told her I had a very important question. I wanted to know if that really was our old mom, Hilda, I saw when the bad Joan kicked me into the pool.”
She’d already told both Brandon and Zuki about that mystical experience, explaining how she’d been given the choice to go with their old mom or stay with her brother and Ruby and all her new friends. They’d both been amazed at her account, wanting to know every detail.
Was Mom a ghost, like in the scary movies that Ruby liked to watch? Were you breathing underwater, or did you hold your breath? Could you hear us yelling for you while you were underwater?
She had answered every question as best she could, but she couldn’t answer her own question … had she seen Hilda, or simply dreamed it?
“That’s what I wanted to know,” she explained now, “and I knew that Philomena was the only one who could say for sure.”
Brandon’s eyes grew wider. “So what did Philomena say?”
“She told me that it really was our mom. She said that sometimes, when the moon is just right, when it shines a certain way on the water, all sorts of wondrous things can happen. But she also said I probably wouldn’t ever see her again until someday when I die for real.”
That sobering statement made everyone, including Ophelia, pause for an uncomfortable moment. She furrowed her brow, trying to remember if there was anything else. Yes, one more thing!
“Oh, and she also said that Rally the dog would come back.”
Brandon and Zuki exchanged glances, and then burst into laughter.
“I don’t know about you,” the pit bull said, trying without success to muffle a snicker behind her paw, “but I’ll sleep better tonight knowing that.”
“Me too,” Brandon chimed in, snickering, too.
Ophelia bristled. “Yeah, well,” she huffed. Then, unable to hold back her own snicker, she agreed. “Yeah … me three.”
When, after a few moments more silliness, they’d all composed themselves again, Zuki spoke up. “When I was inside a few minutes ago, Luis told Ruby that Joan confessed she was the one who smashed up his picking up truck. Just like she did all the other bad stuff to Luciana and to your old mom. So now we don’t have to think any more awful things about him.”
Then, as Ophelia and Brandon both heaved sighs of relief at this, she added, “You know, even though some bad things happened, I really did like riding around in the back of the picking up truck. Do you think we can try it again, sometime? Maybe have more adventures?”
“Maybe next time there’s a full moon,” Brandon suggested.
“You mean, a fool moon,” Ophelia corrected. “Like on one of Ruby’s Tarot cards. But next time, one of us should drive!”
The End
Acknowledgments
Few books are possible without the support of numerous wonderful folks. A flick of the whiskers to my fab agent, Josh, and his assistant, Jon, for all their hard work on my behalf. Big purrs to the lovely people at Midnight Ink, especially my editors, Terri and Sandy, whose input makes me a better storyteller. A special meow to my author buddy, Toni, who was generous in her referrals. Big head scritches to my real-life Brandon Bobtail and his sister, Ophelia—two feisty rescue kitties who were the inspirations for the fictional Tarot Cats. And finally, a big smooch for my husband, Gerry, who has always been my number one fan.
About the Author
Diane A.S. Stuckart is the New York Times bestselling author of the Black Cat Bookshop Mystery series. She’s also the author of the award-winning Leonardo da Vinci historical mysteries, as well as several historical romances and numerous short stories. Her Tarot connection is even more sprawling. She’s been an on-and-off student of Tarot since she was a teenager, though she confesses to being more of a collector of decks than a reader. She will, however, pull out the cards for a friend on occasion.
Diane has served as Chapter President of the Mystery Writers of America Florida chapter, is a member of the Cat Writers’ Association, and also belongs to the Palm Beach County Beekeepers Association. She lives west of West Palm Beach with her husband, dogs, cats—including the real-life Brandon Bobtail and Ophelia—and a few beehives. Visit her at www.tarotcats.com or at Facebook.com/BlackCatMysteries.
Diane A.S. Stuckart, Fool's Moon
