The Death Card: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Page 4

  “I do, Seth, but I have a couple of questions. First of all, tell me about Madame Dika. Why did you start going to her, and what’s she like?”

  “Well, I was givin’ somebody a speedin’ ticket, you know how important those revenues are to a small town like Red Cedar, and Dave, the mayor, likes me to give as many as I can. Anyway, some guy opened his wallet to show me his driver’s license, and he had her card with her picture on it. She’s real purty, I mean she’s a knockout. Real exotic foreign lookin’ if you know what I mean with long black curly hair and big brown eyes. I couldn’t stop thinkin’ ‘bout her, so I decided to make an appointment for a readin’. I guess I was pretty stupid cuz I tol’ her I was the chief of police, thinkin’ it would impress her. It didn’t.”

  From what Roger told me I’m sure the chief of the police was the last person she wanted to see.

  “Yes, go on.”

  “Well, after I tried on the phone for probably five different times to have her give me a readin’, and she turned me down every time, I tol’ her she better make nice to me, or I could make a world of hurt fer’ her. Guess she thought I might arrest her or somethin’. Anyway, I had a readin’ from her, and she was even purtier in person than she was on that card.”

  “How many readings have you had from her?”

  “Probably ten. I usually jes’ go in and ask a question. Little cheaper that way, but yesterday with this election comin’ up and all, I did the full spread. Cost me one hunert and fifty big ones. She’s somethin’ all right. What’s been botherin’ me is that the Death card came up, and it weren’t in a good position if ya’ know what that means. She said it meant it was gonna be a time for transformation for me, but I know it means I’m probably gonna die. Probably be tried for murderin’ Leroy, and they’ll give me the death penalty. That’s probably what it meant. I’d be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t scared when I saw Leroy sittin’ there in his chair all covered in blood. Particularly after me seein’ the Death card.”

  “Seth, I don’t know much about tarot cards, but I do know that the cards can be interpreted a number of different ways, and that most readers will never interpret the death card as meaning that someone is going to die. I think you’re just a little spooked.”

  “Yeah, you can say that again. And I ain’t a little spooked, I’m big time spooked. Wish I’d never gone out there even if she does look like a dark-haired Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor all rolled into one.”

  “I’m going to change the subject. You mentioned that Leroy liked to play the ponies. Did he have a bookie or did he go to the track, although I don’t know where he’d go around here.”

  “He liked to go to Golden Gate Fields in San Francisco when he had a little time, but mostly he placed his bets with some bookie. Used to hear Leroy ever so often when he called him from the station.”

  “Do you know the name of his bookie?” Seth was quiet for a few moments. “Seth, I asked if you knew the name of his bookie.”

  “Don’t know the whole name, but think it was somethin’ like Ratface.”

  “You’re kidding me. No one has the name Ratface. If you’re right, that must be his nickname.”

  “Could be, but I’m purty sure it was Ratface. Think he’s based in San Francisco, cuz I remember one time when Leroy asked me for an afternoon off he said he had to meet a man in San Francisco and settle a debt.”

  Better call Roger and see if Sean can get me any information on a man called Ratface who’s a bookie. That’s next on my to-do list.

  “Thanks, Seth. Try and relax. Maybe you could go arrest some speeders, and it would take your mind off of this. One more question. Did you know Leroy’s ex-wife, Donna?”

  “Sure. He was married to her fer’ a long time before they got divorced. Used to see her at the Christmas party we had at the station every year.”

  “What can you tell me about her?”

  “She’s tough as nails. Never know what Leroy saw in her other than that she’s a real looker. Know he hated her at the end. She was always calling here ‘bout his late alimony payments. I hadn’t heard from her in the last couple of months, and I asked Leroy about it. He tol’ me she went and got herself a boyfriend. Said he had a lot of money, and she didn’t need Leroy’s alimony no more. He was purty happy ‘bout it, I’ll tell you that.”

  “Do you know anything about this new boyfriend? Did Leroy ever meet him?”

  “Only thing I know was that Donna ‘tol Leroy he was some rich European and treated her right.”

  “So you never knew his name.”

  “Didn’t say that. Yer’ puttin’ words in my mouth. Name was somethin’ like Anton, some fancy schmancy name like that.”

  “What about a last name? Did he tell you that? Did he ever say what Anton did?”

  “Nah. Never heard that. Think Leroy was jes’ glad she was off his back.”

  “I can imagine he was. I’ve got some things to do this afternoon. If you think of anything else that might help us find who killed Leroy, call me. By the way, have you heard anything from Sheriff Brown?”

  “Called his office this mornin’ to see if he’d found out anything, but his secretary said there’d been a family emergency and he’d be gone fer’ a couple of days. Don’t know what that’s about.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. He seems like a good man. I’ll talk to you later.”

  CHAPTER 8

  “Roger, I’m sorry to bother you when you’re at work, but I could use your help.”

  “Liz, how often do I have to tell you that I love it when you call me? I want to talk to you. I want to hear what’s happening in your day. The only time I can’t talk is when I’m in trial, but the rest of the time I’m all yours. I’ll even excuse myself when I’m meeting with a client and go out in the hall to talk to you. Am I making myself clear?”

  “Yes, sir!” she said laughing. “Here’s what I need help with, and I’m hoping your guy Sean can get some information for me. I just finished talking to Seth. The more I thought about it the more I wondered if he could give me some information about Leroy playing the ponies.” She told him what Seth had told her about Ratface and the race track in San Francisco that Leroy liked to go to, Golden Gate Fields.

  “Liz, I thought you said the guy’s name was Ratface. Did I hear you right?”

  “That you did, and I’m sure it’s a nickname. I mean no mother would name her child that, at least none that I’ve ever known.”

  “Well if she did, she should be arrested for child endangerment. Actually, if he’s known at all in the horse racing world, with a name like that Sean should be able to find something out about him. Anything else?”

  “Yes. Bertha had a call last night from a Mrs. Morris. She wanted to book an appointment at the spa today, because she was celebrating the murder of her ex-husband. You have to admit, that’s pretty weird. I wonder if it’s Leroy’s ex-wife. I intend to find out later today from my massage therapist, but Seth mentioned that Donna had stopped calling the station about late alimony payments because she had a rich boyfriend whose name was Anton. Leroy told Seth he was European. I know it’s like finding a needle in a haystack, but I’m wondering if he could give it a try. I’m sure there are a lot of men named Anton who are European, but maybe there will be a nexus somewhere. Anyway, thought I’d throw it out there and see if anything comes up.”

  “I have no idea, but I’ll ask him to give it a try. I can’t promise anything, but if anyone can find something out, it will be Sean. I’ll call you after he gets back to me with the information. I know he’s going to look into the name Tom Rice this afternoon. He’s been working on a case of mine that’s going to trial next week, and I needed that information so I could start preparing for trial and still make it up to the spa Wednesday night. What are your plans for the rest of the day? Are you keeping Winston with you?”

  She took a deep breath. “Roger, I made an appointment with Madame Dika this afternoon to have my cards read. Since she’s the only person
who’s really surfaced in this case, I thought I needed to see her, and obviously I can’t go to her and say I want to question her about Leroy’s murder. I decided to do it this way. I don’t know what the connection is, but you have to admit it’s a little more than coincidence, and you’re the one who always says not to believe in coincidences. It’s just too convenient that Seth would go to a tarot reading, have the Death card come up, and then a Death card appears in the office where Leroy was murdered.”

  Roger was quiet for a few moments. “I think you already know how I feel about you going to her home, particularly in light of the so-called coincidence. I know this may seem strange to her, but I want you to insist that Winston be with you during the reading. You didn’t mention to her that you were investigating Leroy’s murder, did you?”

  “Of course not. She has no idea who I am. To her I’m just someone who wants to have a tarot card reading done. I opted for the question reading. Actually I think I’ll ask her if you and I will ever work out this long distance relationship. Your work keeps you in San Francisco, and my work keeps me here. Seems like a no-win situation in some ways.”

  “Maybe not. I might have a little information for you when I come up Wednesday night. I’ll fill you in then.”

  “Roger, I’ve told you how I hate surprises. Please tell me now.”

  “No can do. I don’t want to get either one of our hopes up. Trust me and wait until I see you Wednesday. Back to Madame Dika. I know you have to entertain your guests at dinner tonight, but please call me afterwards and tell me about her. I’m really curious.”

  “Actually, you might want to have a reading from her. Seth says she looks like a dark haired angel. Of course coming from Seth that doesn’t mean much.”

  “Yeah, I remember when he told me to ask you about black lace. On one hand I feel sorry for the predicament he’s in, but on the other hand…”

  “I know. I’m just glad you decided not to run against him. I remember you threatened him with it after the Brandy Boy incident, but if you’d run against him, maybe you’d be the one who’s dead. Roger,” she said in a serious voice, “I don’t think I could handle that.”

  “You’re not going to have to. I have great genes and no intention of running for sheriff, so you can take that thought out of the universe. I think you’re going to be stuck with me for a long time.”

  “Music to my ears. I’ll call you later tonight, and please thank Sean for me. I know it’s your dollar that’s paying him for doing this research, so I owe you a big thanks, too. Actually I’ll show you just how grateful I am Wednesday night.”

  “I’ve heard that before. Promises, promises! Gotta go, sweetheart. Have a good reading. Loves.”

  CHAPTER 9

  About two miles north of downtown Red Cedar, on the outskirts of town, Liz turned off the highway onto a gravel road named Lullaby Lane. “Guess this is it, Winston. Anyway that’s what the directions on Madame Dika’s web site indicated. Wonder how long she’s been here. This should be interesting.”

  About three hundred yards farther up the road she saw the sign that the directions had said led to the tarot card reader’s house, “Dika Lane.” She turned onto the gravel lane, drove a quarter of a mile, and then stopped the van, staring at the house where the tarot card reader lived and worked.

  In front of her was a house painted purple with the words “Tarot Card Reader” painted on the roof in bright yellow-orange big letters. Liz vaguely remembered something about the sun being one of the most positive cards in the tarot card deck and thought that was probably the reason for the yellow-orange shade of the letters. .

  I think it has something to do with feeling good.

  It was a cloudy day and warm light shone through the windows. A fire had been lit in the fireplace and smoke was coming out of the chimney. Liz hadn’t been expecting such a cheery atmosphere. There was one other car parked at the end of the gravel lane.

  She let Winston out of the van and they walked up the steps to the front door. A sign on the door said, “Please enter and wait in the reception area until Madame Dika is ready for you.”

  Liz opened the door and felt her breath catch as she looked at the scene in front of her. It was a complete contrast to the outside of the house. There was a very dark feeling about the room. She felt the thing she called a niggle, the thing that had always alerted her to danger, trying to get her attention. The room was crammed full of heavy European style furnishings covered with crocheted doilies. A zebra skin rug covered the central part of the floor. A lamp on an end table had a shade made from the skin of an animal. Lit candles were everywhere Liz looked. A glassed-front rosewood cabinet displayed a number of different tarot card decks. At the far end of the reception area was a closed door with thick purple velvet curtains swagged to each side. There were three rosewood bookcases filled with books about tarot cards, ESP, fortune-telling, and other esoteric paranormal practices.

  Wow, and I thought my niggle was something. There’s a whole lot more to this tarot card business than I ever knew about. Kind of remember that the color purple is associated with spirituality. Guess that’s what she’s trying to show. Wonder if she crochets or someone close to her does. There are more doilies in this room than I’ve ever seen in my life.

  She sat down on a dark purple club chair with crocheted doilies on the armrests and picked up one of the books on tarot cards on the table in front of her. Curious, she looked up the meaning of the sunny colors painted on the roof.

  Well, I wasn’t too far off, she thought. According to this book it’s about freedom and things going well for you. I’m sure that’s why she used those colors. It’s a lot more inviting than the Death card. That would probably scare off a lot of prospective clients.

  A few minutes later a man dressed in a suit opened the door and walked past Liz, nodding to her as he made his way to the front door. Liz turned back to the room where the man had come from and saw a woman walking towards her. It took every bit of will power she possessed to keep a straight face as she looked at the woman.

  You’ve got to be kidding me, Liz thought. She has to be the epitome of a modern day gypsy. If she shows me a crystal ball, I’m leaving. This is almost spooky. I can’t wait to tell Roger about this.

  The woman who called herself Madame Dika was wearing a scarf around her head which barely covered her thick wavy black hair. Large gold hoop earrings hung from her ear lobes. She wore a black off-the-shoulder blouse which barely contained her large breasts. Liz could see the black lace on her bra.

  Well, as fixated on black lace as Seth is, no wonder he was mesmerized by her, but he even called her an angel. Don’t think so.

  Her blouse was tucked into a long pale purple skirt. A shiny black patent leather belt encircled her small waist. Large brown eyes fringed with lush black lashes sat under heavy black eyebrows. Bright red nail polish covered her nails and matched her lipstick. She appeared to be in her early 40’s, and she had a mystique about her that was both enchanting and frightening.

  “You must be Liz. I’m Madame Dika. What is that awful thing sitting next to you?”

  “This is my dog, Winston. He goes everywhere I go. I promise he won’t be any trouble.”

  “I have never had a dog in the room during a reading. If he makes trouble, you will have to leave. Please, come this way,” she said in a heavy European accent, as she looked coldly at Winston.

  “Dahlink, sit down. Have you ever had a tarot card reading before?” she asked.

  “Many years ago. I read on your web page that you have a reading where someone asks a question. I would like to do that.”

  “Fine, dahlink. You will ask me a question, pick a card from the deck, and I will interpret it based on your question, but first I’d like you to close your eyes and visualize your question. Let your mind become still and then see your question as if it was written on a tablet.” She paused for several moments while Liz pictured her question.

  The room was perfectly still wh
en Madame spoke. “Please open your eyes. Different tarot card readers have different ways of interpreting the cards and handling them. I want your energy to be on the cards. Please shuffle the cards and then cut the deck. Take the top card from the bottom part of the deck and place it face down on the table.”

  Liz shuffled the deck and put her card on the table. She looked over at Madame Dika who said, “You may ask your question.”

  Liz spoke slowly and carefully as she said, “I want to know if Roger and I will ever be able to be together permanently.”

  “Close your eyes and once again concentrate on your question. Your energy is what chose you to pick this card. The power of your mind will give you the answer. It is your power, I am only an interpreter. Now open your eyes and turn the card over.”

  Liz did as she was told and heard Madame Dika’s sharp intake of breath and the words, “My god,” uttered by her. She looked up at Madame and asked, “What does this card mean?”

  “You have asked a question of love and the card you picked is The Lovers card. I have never had that happen before.”

  “Yes, I see that, but what does it mean?” Liz asked.

  “The card means that yes, definitely, you and this Roger will be together. It is the card of love, commitment, and trust. It’s also a very spiritual card. It shows you have powers you’ve never used. Only you know who this Roger is. I see where you and he have been at a crossroads, but that something has been resolved. It does not tell me how you will be together, only that you will be. Does this sound right to you?”

  “Yes, I just wish I knew how we were going to be together. You’re very good. Have you been doing this for a long time?”

  “Dahlink, I am simply one in a long line of women who have been blessed with spiritual powers. I have been doing this all my life, but are you aware of any powers you might have?”

  “Not really. I have what I call a niggle sometimes, and I usually listen to it. It’s kind of like a little voice in my head telling me to do or not do certain things, like lock the door of the van when I get in or don’t run the yellow light. Things like that.”