Silence Is Golden (A Pet Psychic Mystery No. 3) (18 page)

"So," I said, trying to sound upbeat and casual, "does this offering mean you've decided to forgive me?"

Will moved his gaze to mine. His eyes were a startling glassy blue, and I tried to shield myself from the assault of intense emotion he was feeling. No one would ever guess this stoic, serious detective felt such a deep well of emotion. He reached for my hand and softly caressed the amethyst ring he had given me. Was he remembering his promise to me the day he put it on my finger? That he would try to keep an open mind.

"I've had a really hard time processing my dad's death, Darwin, and I think all that sadness and anger is getting tangled up with our issues. So, I'm not sure I trust myself or my feelings right now." He brought my hand up to his lips and pressed softly, sighing. His gaze shifted to the distance, and I kept quiet as I waited for him to gather his thoughts. "All I know for sure is I miss you," he said finally.

I blinked back the tears of relief and entangled our fingers together. "I miss you, too."

A genuine smile crinkled the corners of his eyes as he leaned over and gave me a soft kiss. "Finish your sandwich. I've got cherry pie."

I laughed with relief and picked up my sandwich. My heart felt a hundred pounds lighter. "So, congratulations on making an arrest in Victoria's murder. By the way, did the coroner ever figure out how Josie died? Do you think it was those mob guys from Vegas?"

Will chuckled, shaking his head. "You do know that saying curiosity killed the cat, right?" When I just waited, he continued. "All right. Josie died from asphyxiation. There was hemorrhaging around her eyes, bruising around the throat. As for who killed her, no leads yet."

"Asphyxiation?" That was awful. I tried not to picture poor Josie struggling for her last breath. "Well, I learned something interesting from Jade last night. Apparently Josie's dad, Renny, claimed to have a treasure map where some of Jose Gaspar's treasure is buried right here in St. Pete. When I told them about the message Josie left on my phone the night she was killed, Jade's first thought was maybe she found the treasure map in her dad's house."

Will's brow rose. "A pirate treasure map?"

"Yeah, well." I shrugged. "No one's ever seen it, so it's probably just a story he liked to tell to the kids. But what if it's not? That would be motive for someone to murder Josie, right?"

"Yeah, maybe Gasparilla's ghost has come back to claim what's his," he teased.

"Hey, you never know. You heard about the spirit dog spotted at the Pinellas Point Mound, right?"

Will shook his head and took a bite of his sandwich. "Spirit dog, right."

I wanted to tell him about the Native American belief that we all have a guardian spirit but Westerners have lost touch with nature and so their spirit. But, I didn't because there it was... our issue. The one thing that separated us, believing in things unseen. And I didn't want to open up that wound again. I felt a pang of sadness and pushed it away.  

I changed the subject. "So, Sylvia has asked me to be her maid of honor. I can't wait to see what kind of dresses Miss Fashionista comes up with."

And so it went as we finished our lunch and enjoyed small talk and each other's company, laughed and had a really good time. But, in the back of my mind, I kept asking myself,
Is this enough?

Will walked me and Goldie back across Beach Drive. He squeezed my hand as we threaded our way through the tourists to the boutique. "Hey, let's just forget about the whole water thing, okay?" He smiled, brushing my bangs off my forehead.

As I looked into his beautiful blue eyes, my gut clenched and my throat constricted. "Sort of like don't ask, don't tell?"

Will frowned. "Well, I don't want you to hide things from me. We have to be open with each other."

I sighed and let my head drop onto his chest. He pulled me in and hugged me tight. I stayed there for a moment, soaking it in... his touch, his heat, his energy and then pulled away.

"No, Will. We can't forget about it. You need to decide how you feel about it." I reached up and kissed him lightly. "Let me know soon." I walked into the boutique without looking back.

"How'd lunch go?" Willow asked as she watched me unclip Goldie's leash.

I moaned. "I can't say... good, bad. I feel okay, not so desperate and hurt like I was feeling. So, that's good, right?"

Willow smiled. "Yeah, Sis, that's good."

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

"So, you do this every Sunday?" Willow asked Frankie, as we helped unload all the pots and trays of breakfast food, plates, cups and other assorted items from the white van. "By yourself?"

"Yes, ma'am." Frankie grunted as she hefted a stock pot onto her hip for transport to the picnic table. "Every Sunday, providing it isn't raining."

Luckily, today was a bright, crisp Sunday morning. I was trying not to think about Josie's funeral later this afternoon. It was too depressing.

"Hey, Mama Maslow," a grinning, scruffy gray-haired man called. "And Snow White. Well, ain't this is a nice surprise. Good to see you."

"Hi, Mac!" I hugged my friend and then motioned for Willow. "This is my sister, Willow. She's visiting from Savannah."

"Nice to meet ya, young lady."

"Likewise." Willow shook his hand and smiled politely.

"Oh, and this is Minnie." I gave the small woman a quick squeeze as she joined us. "I was hoping you were coming today. I've got a couple sweaters for you in the van."

"Thanks." She smiled shyly. "Appreciate it."

"I know you do." I noticed her face appeared swollen and sallow. "Minnie, have you seen a doctor lately? How are you feeling?"

She glanced back at Mac and then shook her head. "I'm all right." She poked a thumb in Mac's direction. "It's that stubborn old horse's behind who needs to see a doctor. He's been having chest pains. I told him to go to the clinic, but he refuses."

"All right. I'll get Frankie to talk to him. You know she won't take no for an answer."

As people came, we filled their plates with scrambled eggs, sausage, donuts, and other treats Frankie had brought. Some of them stayed to chat, others went and sat alone by the lake to eat their food. I noticed another familiar face walking toward us.

"G!" I called, waving like a crazy person. "Hey, G!"

"Hey, Cookie Lady!" He grinned back.

"You sure do have a lot of nicknames here," Willow said, eyeing me curiously as she poured orange juice and handed it to a thin, bearded man I didn't recognize.

"Yeah, I know." I smiled. I actually didn't mind it at all. It made me feel like part of their tribe. I gave G a one-armed hug as his milky eyes glowed in his weathered face. He smelled like bug spray and stale sweat, but I didn't care. "Hey, come on. I got something in the van just for you."

He followed me over to the passenger's side door where I rifled through my straw bag until I found the baggie of lemon cookies.

"Ta da!" I held them in front of him and he promptly slipped them from my fingers with a toothless grin.

"Thank you, nice cookie lady."

"You're welcome, G." 

We were walking back to the picnic table when G looked over my shoulder. "Do you have a new dog?"

"Oh," I said, surprised. "Yeah. Her name's Goldie. How did you know?"

He gummed a cookie and pointed behind me. There, behind a tree stood a massive black dog, staring right at me.

I gasped and grabbed G's arm, hurrying him faster toward the table. "That's not my dog, G."

CHAPTER THIRTY

The day had turned overcast as gray clouds bunched up in the sky. The lack of sunshine felt appropriate as a small group began to gather around for Josie's graveside service.

Eugene stood alone in a black suit, his arms stiff, his hands clasped. He looked like he was in physical pain. I made my way over to him.

"Hey, Eugene," I said, trying not to startle him.

He glanced up and nodded. "Darwin. Thanks for coming."

"Well, sure." I let my gaze wander to the coffin. "I didn't know Josie that well, but she had a good heart. She deserves to have her passing mourned." I'm not sure what came over me. Probably that switch in your brain—the one that keeps you from blurting out stupid things—had come undone. But I added, "Hey, I came by your house the other day and saw a woman inside. Dark hair, looked real pretty. I didn't want to bother you, so I left but just wanted to say I'm glad you have a friend to lean on in these difficult times."
What in the name of all that's holy am I doing?
I clamped my mouth shut and froze. Should I apologize for being a snoop?

After a long beat Eugene lifted his head and took a deep breath in, turning to look me right in the face. I met his pale, bloodshot eyes with a forced smile.

"Have you ever lost someone close to you, Darwin?"

"A friend, but not a family member, no," I mumbled.  

"Well, let me tell you, it is hell on earth. My wife is never coming home. Ever. My life as I know it is over. So don't judge me."

"Oh." I felt my face burning. "No, I wasn't judging."
Being nosey, yes. Trying to find out who this mystery woman is, yes. Judging, no.

But I wasn't given a chance to try and squirm my way out of the social gaffe. Eugene had already stepped away from me and went to greet a tall woman in black who had arrived.

 I eyed her. Could she be...? Nah, not the woman I saw in Eugene's house. Too tall.
Well, Darwin, that was smooth.
Dropping my head, I slunk back over to stand beside Willow.

"What did you do?" Willow whispered. "You have that same guilty look you had when you broke mom's favorite water pitcher using your magick indoors."

I crossed my arms. "I might have accidently told Eugene I saw that woman in his house."

Willow made a soft sound in her throat. "I'm sure he took that well. You spying on him through the window and all."

I crossed my arms defensively and glanced over at Eugene. "He should try meditation or something. He's a very angry person."

Willow just shook her head as Jade moved to the front of our little group.

 I glanced around. It didn't look like Josie had many people who cared about her. Jade was the only one who'd offered to speak. Jade's friend, Sal, stood on the other side of Willow and Frankie, his presence a quiet comfort. Kimi had gone over and stood next to Eugene. I couldn't help but watch them for any sign of a secret affair. The tall woman in the black dress and veiled hat stood stiffly on the other side of Eugene. I wondered if she was a relative.

 I had been introduced to the elderly woman in the wheel chair—Josie's Aunt Doris—and her son, who stood dutifully behind his mother with one hand on her chair. And that was it. The culmination of everyone who cared to say goodbye to Josie. I wasn't feeling any overwhelming waves of sadness either, which made me feel even worse.

"Thank you all for coming out today. We all know Josie was a troubled soul," Jade began. "From the time she was a small girl, Renny had his hands full with her. But, she had a good heart and didn't deserve to have her life cut short. Maybe now—" She stopped as her eyes widened and then she cleared her throat.

We all turned to see what she'd been looking at and a mutter went through the small knot of people. Big Barnie was making his way toward us, his head down.

I glanced at Eugene. His face was turning red as a tomato as he clenched his jaw and fists. Definitely could use some anger management tools. Kimi reached out and grabbed his arm as she leaned in and said something to him. The tall woman also laid a hand on his shoulder. Hopefully the two of them could keep his temper in check.

"Maybe now," Jade continued, ignoring Big Barnie as he stood a bit back from everyone, his eyes locked on Josie's casket. "She will find the peace she obviously couldn't find in this life."

Just then there was a scuffle as Eugene broke loose and rushed at Big Barnie. He pushed him hard in the chest, and despite their size difference Barnie actually flew back a few feet. While everyone watched in stunned silence, Jade rushed over and put her small body between them. "Not the time or the place, boys." Her normally quiet voice held power and stopped Eugene's assault.

The woman in black came over and pulled at Eugene's arm. "Come on, sugar, you need to take a walk."

Big Barnie held up his hands. "I just want to pay my respects. She was like family to me, too."

"Family?" Eugene scoffed. "You betrayed our family."

"You shouldn't have come, Barnie," Jade said. "Considering the circumstances of her death." She folded her arms.

"Fine, I'll go," Barnie said. "But I didn't kill Josie. I don't even know how she ended up at my house." He was glaring at Eugene. "Do you?" He shook his head, mumbling something and took the single rose he brought and laid it on the casket before stalking off.

There wasn't much left to the service after that. I said a few words about how I didn't really know Josie that well, but Goldie was always happy to see her and that tells me more about what kind of person she was than anything.

Walking back to our cars, Frankie and Jade talked about the rift between Eugene and Big Barnie.

"So sad. Those two boys grew up together. Barnie was like a son to Renny, too. I don't like seeing Renny's family torn apart like this." Jade's voice was heavy with sadness.

"You think Eugene really believes Barnie killed Josie?" Frankie asked.

Jade shrugged. "By his reaction, I'd say so."

I wasn't so sure his reaction was about Josie at all. Seems the feud I had witnessed between them at Barnie's shop was still going strong.

"Speak of the devil." Frankie nodded toward our cars. Barnie stood there, waiting. We approached him and he held up his hands.

"I'm not here to cause trouble. I just need a word with Jade."

Jade folded her arms. "You can have your word here."

He glanced around at all of us. "All right then. I'm starting to wonder about something, and I was hoping you could help me out. I know Victoria was meeting you the night she was killed to give you something... some artifact she found in Uncle Renny's house. Is that right?"