Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 85888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
“Thank goodness for that.”
It was the Saturday after the party and the first time we’d had a chance to catch up. The morning after the party, I texted her and told her I had the cleaning up in hand. I hadn’t been in the mood for visitors, even helpful ones, until now. And she’d been busy with her new man friend, Tore, all week. Mostly I spent the week working and trying not to think about Lars. The last one made harder due to my habit of staring at the damn certificate. Having a piece of paper attempt to dictate your future choices was a trip. Which was why I needed to know more. Nowish.
“Neither of us are stupid enough to get involved with a man a friend is sweet on,” said Cleo.
“Agreed.”
“So Lars is an idiot, but Tore is wonderful.”
“That’s the official opinion?” I asked.
Cleo just beamed. “I really like him. Though like is such a tame word. I just... I’m trying not to get carried away, because I know it’s early days. But damn it’s hard.”
“I’m so happy for you. And if he hurts you I’ll hurt him. I’m thinking golf stick to the knee.”
“Thank you. I think it’s called a club. We’ve seen each other almost every day this week,” she admitted. “I’m so scared we’re moving too fast and it’s all going to go wrong. But right now, it’s so right. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s like there’s all this going on inside me about him and I...anyway. That’s why I’ve been missing all week.”
“An excellent reason.” I grinned. “After we sort this stupid mystery divorce certificate out once and for all, want to go get donuts and watch fish being thrown around?”
“Yes.”
We stepped inside the small shop for Madam Karen. It looked how you’d imagine. Red velvet curtains and a display of tarot cards for sale. Crystals sat on almost every surface. A bored-looking teenager glanced up at us from behind the counter before shouting, “Mom, your next clients are here.”
I raised my chin. “How did you know that without asking? Are you psychic too?”
The girl just rolled her eyes.
Fair enough.
“You must be Lillian’s friends,” said an older woman with a neat black bob. A variety of colorful stone necklaces hung from her neck. “I’m Karen. Come on through.”
A small table and chairs sat behind the curtain and we all took a seat in the dimly lit room. The walls were painted dark red and it was very atmospheric. On a shelf in the corner sat a crystal ball and a variety of spiritual books. Thank goodness I’d worn a black maxi slip dress and flat sandals. It was a warm day and the AC was not up to the challenge. Cleo took a sip from her water bottle and fanned herself with her hand.
I retrieved the divorce certificate from the plastic bag in my purse and set it on the table. “Miss Lillian said you specialize in psychometry and might be able to shed a little light on this. It was—”
“Don’t tell me any more,” said Karen.
I shut my mouth and exchanged a look with Cleo. Neither of us knew what to expect. Not really. But everything about the document made me nervous. Psychometry was the reading of vibrations or impressions attached to an object. Assessing the energy field via extrasensory perception. Google told me that. And if there’s one thing you can always rely on, it’s the internet talking about spiritual matters. Since the forensic document examiner had been a bust, it was time to look further afield. And Miss Lillian thought this might be helpful since she wasn’t a specialist in the field.
Karen caressed the edges of the document before sliding her fingers over the surface. All the while, her face was a study in concentration. Then she closed her eyes and exhaled. Took another deep breath in and exhaled again. “I’m grounding my energy and setting safeguards around us,” she explained. “Now I’m opening my mind to the object. There’s some very feminine energy attached to this.”
“I keep it either on me or in my underwear drawer. I figured that was safest. It’s where I put my... Anyway.”
Karen opened one eye and gave me a look.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
“There’s a lot of confusion in the recent contact. The people who have touched it lately have a lot of questions, but no answers.” The psychic frowned. “Let’s see if we can go back further. It was lost and forgotten for a long time.”
Cleo watched the woman with a blank face. I tried to do the same, but my foot wouldn’t stop tapping. Anxiety was a bitch.
“There’s so much sadness.” Karen placed her palms flat on the paper. “She feels great anguish about this fate. She’s frustrated and profoundly disappointed that mistakes were made on both their parts.”