Some conclusions cannot have an audience. They must be a silent dialogue between the two principals whose souls have been stripped like electrical wires.
From my pocket, I fished the rest of Dr. Pauerstein’s cash. I threw the money on the table. “This one’s on me.”
I rose to leave, Mrs. Pauerstein’s face falling as she realized her last hireling had just abandoned her.
Then I went outside to wait for the police, and heard the dry crack of gunfire behind me.
The Thirteenth Card
by Stefanie Matteson
Author of eight mystery novels starring sleuth Charlotte Graham, published in the 1990s by Berkley Prime Crime, Stefanie Matteson has devoted much of her writing time to short stories over the past few years. A resident of the Garden State, New Jersey, she has also been working recently on a new series of novels featuring a Chinese-American landscape architect. Ms. Matteson’s new tale for us is more fanciful than her earlier stories.
“When the wrong person uses the right means, the right means then have the wrong effect.” — Chinese saying
Julie Smith took a seat opposite Robin Hathaway in the booth at Madame Zigana’s Tarot Parlor. She was a young woman in her late twenties with big blue eyes, a long mane of light brown hair, and a peaches-and-cream complexion.
Robin passed the tarot deck across the green baize surface of the table.
Julie picked up the cards. “I’m not going to ask a question today,” she said as she carefully shuffled the deck, her eyes half-closed in concentration. “I want a general reading.” She opened her eyes. “Is that okay?”
“Fine,” agreed Robin. “Is there something going on in your life I should know about?”
“Yes, there is,” she replied evasively. Setting the shuffled deck down on the table in front of her, Julie cut it into three piles, dropping them one by one on the table to her left.
And she wanted Robin to tell her what it was. Fine — Robin had every faith in the cards to reveal what was going on, but the more information Julie shared with her, the more accurate and complete her reading would be.
She said as much to Julie as she picked up the cards.
“I know,” she replied. “It’s just that I’m not really sure if I’m right about this, and if I phrase my thoughts in the form of a question, it might influence the outcome.” She leaned forward reassuringly. “You know I wouldn’t ever test you.”
It was true. Julie’s faith in the ability of the cards to foretell the future was as steadfast as Robin’s, if not more so.
The young woman was one of Robin’s regulars. She came to Madame Zigana’s every Thursday on her lunch hour. And she geared her life around the outcome: writing down the cards’ recommendations in a journal dedicated to the purpose and following them to the letter. Sometimes her attitude gave Robin pause; she was too impressionable.
“Remember what you said two weeks ago about the pain my mother was having in her stomach — that it was nothing?” Julie said. “Well, you were right, as usual. She had an endoscopy on Monday; it was just a mild inflammation.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Robin replied as she turned over the first card in Julie’s reading. She was relieved because her readings were occasionally wrong, but only occasionally. And even then, hindsight usually showed that the cards had been right.
“We were all worried about stomach cancer, of course, especially after my uncle died of it,” Julie went on. “But thanks to you, we were able to put those fears to rest.” Her attention shifted to the cards, which Robin had finished laying out.
Julie’s readings almost always had to do with trivial events: job issues, illnesses, family relationships. Something big rarely happened. And after three years, Robin was as familiar with the petty details of Julie’s life as she was with those of her own family.
But today was different. Julie’s readings usually contained few, if any, of the major arcana: the cards that indicated major changes. And although today’s reading contained only one major arcana card, it was right at the heart of her reading: the Wheel of Fortune, signaling that events in Julie’s life were about to take a turn.
The rest of the cards in the spread revealed the form that change would take: Julie was about to embark on a love affair. Robin was happy for her. Despite Julie’s looks — she had that ripe, luscious kind of beauty that men adore — Julie had had bad luck with men. It was the same old story: They were all out for sex, while she wanted romance.
And it was romance that was now in the cards.
Julie was looking at her eagerly.
“You don’t have to ask a question,” said Robin. “It’s all here.” She waved her hand over the spread. “The Wheel of Fortune is at the center, indicating that your life is about to undergo a major change. And here’s the agent of that change — the Page of Cups. He’s announcing that you’ve met someone you’re attracted to.”
Julie was nodding. “Right on, so far.”
“The emotional slump that you’ve been in is passing out of your life,” Robin went on, “and the attraction you feel for this man is moving into it.” She pointed to the card in the approaching-influence position, the Two of Cups. It showed a man and a woman gazing into each other’s eyes over their loving cups with an almost palpable attraction.
Julie studied the cards, a small notebook in her hands. “Very interesting,” she said as she carefully recorded what Robin had said in her journal.
“And here’s the man himself — the King of Pentacles,” Robin went on, pointing to a card that showed a distinguished man fondly contemplating the large coin he held in one hand. “An older man, successful in business, financially well-off.” She looked up at Julie with a smile. “Way to go!” She continued, “It says here that you met him on the job.”
Julie smiled knowingly.
“A sugar daddy?” Robin teased.
“Hopefully more than just that,” said Julie, her pen poised. “What does it say?”
“Actually, it does show that the relationship will be more than that,” Robin replied. She pointed to the card at the head of a column on the right: the Ace of Cups. “It says that you’re going to fall in love. A new love relationship.” She looked up at Julie with a smile. “No doubt about it: You’re going to be head over heels.”
“And it will be reciprocated?”
“Ah, the crucial question,” said Robin, who by now was well into the spirit of the reading. “Here it is right here, in the hopes-and-fears position.” She pointed to the Five of Cups. “You’re afraid it’s not going to work out. But don’t worry,” she reassured her. “It’s going to be a love affair of major proportions.”
Julie set down her notebook and leaned back with a sigh. She was grinning from ear to ear. “It’s about time,” she said. “I’m tired of being unlucky in love.”
Robin turned back to the cards. “Now, what about this guy?” she asked. She looked up at Julie. “Let’s find out some more about him. I know that you know all about him,” she said, “but I want to know more.”
Removing the King of Pentacles from the spread, she set it aside. Then she gathered up the rest of the cards and handed them back to Julie to reshuffle and cut. Once Julie had passed the cards back, she threw a second spread with the King of Pentacles at the center as the significator card, indicating the person about whom she was inquiring.
“The cards never cease to amaze me!” she exclaimed once she had finished throwing the spread. She looked up at her client. “He has almost exactly the same cards as you. Except that he’s farther along. He’s already in love with you. The Ace of Cups, which was your outcome card, is at the heart of his reading.”