"Pick three cards," Nina directed her mother.
"You dropped one," Gretchen heard her mother say.
"I keep doing that," Nina said. "They're a little slippery."
Caroline chuckled. "I seem to remember hearing that there's significance in all aspects of a reading, including dropped cards." Two peas in a pod. Leave it to her mother to know tarot trivia. The two sisters took hunches and coincidences very seriously. Would her mother start seeing auras and reading futures?
"I've never heard anything about dropped cards," Nina said.
"You really need to take lessons," Caroline said. "Can't you find a class on tarot reading? You go from one New Age concept to another without taking time to research your topics and truly learn the skills."
"That isn't true."
"What about your dreams? You aren't able to interpret them."
"I'm just not that interested in dreams."
Caroline scoffed. "And your auras. You see them, I'm not doubting you, but you can't interpret the colors you're seeing. So what's the point?"
Gretchen opened her eyes. The two sisters were about to have a disagreement, and there was already enough conflict going around.
"I've figured out a few colors." Nina picked up the fallen card and held them out for Caroline to pick. Gretchen saw a firm set to her lips. "Auras and cards and dreams are lifelong learning experiences," Nina said. "You should take more time to delve into your own spirituality."
Gretchen joined the conversation. "That, sweet Aunt, is exactly what I'm going to do. Lie back, do nothing."
"Gretchen's hiding her true feelings behind indifference," Nina said to Caroline. "And it's all because of Matt Albright. She finally showed interest in a new man, and then what happened? He dropped her for another woman."
Caroline gave Gretchen a sympathetic look, which she didn't like at all. The pitiful glances were already starting.
"I think you're marvelous," Caroline said.
"You're supposed to say that. You're my mother."
Nina looked over at Caroline, who had three tarot cards clutched to her chest. "You have to show me the cards. This isn't rummy."
Caroline slapped the cards down on top of the deck and gave Nina a miffed glance. "I think Gretchen needs a reading more than I do," she said. "Come on, Gretchen, draw the cards."
Nina nodded encouragingly, and Gretchen reluctantly went along with their wish if for no other reason than to diffuse an argument. "Not good," she said, after looking at her cards and laying out a ghostly, black-clad figure. "I drew something bad."
"The death card," Nina said with significant meaning. Great. Just what I need. The death card.
Nina watched her lay out the remaining cards. "That isn't necessarily bad."
"But what can be good about dying? There isn't anything positive about it from my point of view."
"I'll tell you in a minute." Nina broke into a big grin when she saw the other cards. "I'm so glad you drew the two knights." She reached for her instruction booklet and paged through. Gretchen and Caroline exchanged looks, neither taking Nina as seriously as she took herself. After a few minutes, Nina set down the booklet and cleared her voice. "The knight of cups means an opportunity will soon arise. I'm thinking something like a proposal. A marriage proposal."
"Oh, come on. You made that last part up."
Nina looked offended. "The card holds the meaning; I'm simply the interpreter. I have to read the significance of the card. Don't think for a minute it's easy." She turned her attention back to the cards. "And the knight of swords signifies courage, so you will have the strength to handle whatever is coming your way."
"And the death card?"
"Means you must clear away the old to make room for the new."
Caroline clucked. "I like Gretchen's reading."
Nina nodded. "Me, too. It sounds like a romance is in your future. And you'll have the courage to overcome your fear of men."
"I'm not afraid of men."
"Or. ." Caroline offered, "it could mean you are on the right path in your quest for the truth, and you will handle the outcome just fine."
"What about the death card in that case?" Gretchen asked her mother, keeping an eye on the blackness of the card. She had goose bumps on her arms in spite of the warming rays of sun.
"Nina's right," her mother said, dodging. "It doesn't have to be in a physical sense."
Nina glanced up from her booklet. "But sometimes it does mean death."
Wonderful! "I should take a vacation," Gretchen said.
"Why don't you go shopping with Nina?" Caroline recommended.
"Okay."
"And tomorrow you can help me in the workshop."
"Terrific idea." A day in the workshop with her mother always made Gretchen feel whole again.
"According to the cards," Nina stage-whispered to her, still pondering the three cards, "you have to follow the trail of the incriminating wallpaper. It's the key to everything."
Gretchen stared down at the cards. "Where does it say that?"
"Nina," Caroline said sharply. "I've had time to think over Charlie's murder and the potential danger. We should let the police handle everything."
"Okay, okay." Nina scooped up the three cards and returned them to the deck. "Let's take the pooches to the Biltmore Fashion Park for doggy treats. We'll even pick up April and Enrico."
"We'll talk strategy after we pick up April," she whispered later, surrounded by an enormous amount of baggage in the form of two little, bitty animals. Gretchen climbed into the passenger seat of the Impala, thrilled that April was back in Nina's good graces and all was as it should be.
Gretchen chuckled to herself as the trio strolled through the open-air mall with their pooches skipping along beside them. They weren't the only ones out with their dogs. A Great Dane sniffed curiously at Tutu, who stuck her nose in the air. Nimrod passed the enormous canine with great caution. Enrico snarled menacingly. Foolish, considering that the Great Dane could wolf him down in one gulp. Nina headed into the doggie bakery and purchased cookies for the dogs.
"I'm buying Gretchen a new doggy purse at the boutique," Nina said.
"What's wrong with my old one?"
"Nimrod is growing. He needs his own carrier."
Nina selected a black carrier designed to look exactly like a purse. "See," she said, twirling with it on her shoulder
"It has a removable bottom and mesh side panels, so he can go incognito anytime he wants to and still see out."
Gretchen scooped up the miniature teacup poodle and placed him inside the carrier. "He likes it," she said, when he stuck his head out the top and wagged his tail.
"It's yours then," Nina exclaimed, heading for the checkout counter. "Your purse can be free for your own things. No more sharing."
"You mean I need two purses now?" This wasn't good. Soon she would have as much to tote as Nina. Gretchen preferred being as unencumbered as possible.
"Of course," April piped up, feeding a doggie cookie to Enrico. "That's the whole point."
The white cotton purse with the embroidered black poodles had also been a gift from Nina. For the last few months she had carried all her belongings in it as well as Nimrod, so it was looking a little worn. "I think I'll buy a purse to match Nimrod's," she said. "Something small and black."
"After that," Nina announced, handing Gretchen her new puppy carrier, "I have a surprise. We're going over to Britt's house for coffee. She invited me, but I thought it would be fun to take you both along. She won't mind."
April clapped her hands in glee. "Oh, goody. I want to start making my own dolls. Britt's going to help me get started. This is exciting."
"Shouldn't you call her and ask if you can bring guests?" Gretchen asked. "We can't just barge in."