Eleven

“All you storeowners and restaurant owners and everyone in Destiny,” said the voice, “you all lie. That’s why your good luck has turned bad. Thanks to me. I came here before, trying to turn my own bad luck around, and you failed me. I was working to save my marriage, and it didn’t happen thanks to all of you. I followed what you said, that stupid stuff about pulling a hair from my husband’s head to make him love me and burning salt at midnight and throwing it into a fire to bring my unfaithful husband back to me. I even got a sweet, supposedly lucky dog when we got home. Well, my husband is now my ex and he’s the one with luck who kept the dog. So now I’m getting my revenge.”

At the far side of the thick and obviously frightened crowd, I saw Justin and his gang trying to break open the doors into the ticket booth, presumably the area where Flora was speaking from. Or maybe they just wanted to find a way to let everyone out of here.

“And don’t think this is the end.” The voice had gone up an octave. “Ms. Rory Chasen, I know you weren’t around back then, but I’m singling you out now because you’ve been singling me out. Before you started pushing, everyone knew it was bad luck to talk about what was happening at the stores. But now you’ve talked to the cops about me and claimed I’m the one who’s done it all, that I’ve broken into places, removed good luck and left bad luck in its place. Well, you’re right. I did it! And you can be sure I’m not done—and I have no intention of being arrested. Thanks to you, though, I had to run and hide today. I heard I was being hunted when I listened to the police scanners.” Now how had she done that? “So watch out for your own luck, Rory Chasen. It’s crap now. And that goes for anyone else who attempts to stop me.”

A huge noise like a thunderclap reverberated throughout the lobby.

Then there was silence.

Some cops arrived outside the theater soon after that, and the authorities finally managed to get all the doors open. I figured they’d conduct an investigation to learn how the doors had gotten locked in the first place.

Flora surely wasn’t some kind of technical genius, was she?

Rumor had it she’d used some really strong super glue, which set immediately, although that wouldn’t have kept everyone inside for long. Yet it had kept us all there long enough to hear her tirade, and somehow she had found a way to use the theater’s audio system.

And her mention of listening to police scanners? Rumors escalated about that, too, and one was that an empty cop car had been broken into outside a restaurant. Undoubtedly Justin and his department would also be investigating that.

They’d have a lot of questions for Flora when they caught her. But that didn’t happen after the Welcome. She’d somehow disappeared.

Anyway, I had no opportunity to talk to Justin about those issues or anything else. Not then. He was clearly busy. But I’d have liked to get his sympathy and more after Flora’s rant, especially at me.

We walked back to the B&B quickly—Gemma, Stuart, and I, as well as Serina. Some tourists, too, walked the same direction we did.

At one point, I stopped quickly. Why wasn’t I surprised to see a black cat crossing the street in front of us as we turned onto Fate Street?

Also unsurprising was the presence of Catrice, the mysterious woman who seemed to care for the black cat or cats of Destiny—we were never sure how many there were. Catrice wasn’t seen often, and she always hid in the shadows next to buildings. Residents of Destiny weren’t supposed to talk about her, but this night I could see her eyes shining in the faint light from the street lamps. She was protecting the black cats from people, but who was protecting people from the possible bad luck brought by the black cats?

We arrived at our B&B. I needed to take Pluckie for her last walk of the night, and Gemma and Stuart kindly offered to go along. But we soon returned and separated, heading for our own rooms.

I did try to sleep. I should have been able to, since the authorities were on it. Justin was on it. I had no doubts but that his subordinates were patrolling the streets of Destiny, looking for Flora, making sure she caused no more mischief.

Even so, I was a bit scared, because she had mentioned me in particular. I was angry, too. Since I was highest on her list of people to hate, would she go back to the Lucky Dog tonight to cause more mischief? If so, what kind of mischief?

My mind kept going over all the nasty things she could do beyond what she’d already done. She’d stolen good luck stuff, left bad. But what if she decided to destroy the shop?

Set it on fire? Set off explosives?

With Martha asleep upstairs?

Justin would have considered that, too, and he thought of Martha as a mother. Surely he’d concentrate his patrols there.

Or here? Flora knew I was staying at the B&B.

I suddenly realized I wouldn’t sleep at all unless I made sure everything was okay around the B&B and at the shop. I wasn’t going to act stupid and try to find Flora. I was simply going to check things out, reassure myself that the cops were actually on it—and that everything appeared okay.

I couldn’t leave Pluckie, so after I got dressed again, I fastened her leash on her.

Serina always left a dim light on to illuminate the stairs in case a guest used them at night. I stood in the hallway first, listening for anything unusual, watching to see if my dog, with her much better hearing, reacted as if she’d heard anything. She didn’t.

I crept downstairs carefully, Pluckie ahead of me.

I glanced out the lobby windows, again seeing nothing unusual. We went outside and I closed the door behind us, checking to ensure that it locked. We hurried to my car in the front parking lot. I turned on the engine quickly and got it in gear, so the doors locked automatically.

I pulled slowly out of the nearly full B&B parking lot, looking around. I didn’t see any cop cars at the moment, but that didn’t mean they weren’t patrolling. I’d keep watch for them as I continued. And hoped I’d see many. The whole town needed protection this night from the woman who’d already vandalized a bunch of businesses.

I needed protection, too. Maybe this outing was foolish, but I couldn’t just lie there in bed and hope that nothing was happening.

And if it was? If I saw something?

Well, I’d at least be able to say something. I checked my cell phone, made sure it was hooked up to my car’s Bluetooth, then drove down the street.

I drove around for maybe half an hour, mostly in the downtown business area but also in the vicinity of where I thought the apartment was that Flora had rented. Not that I really knew, but she’d referred to the area during one of our conversations about her plans for relocating Gemma and me.

I wasn’t alone on the streets. I wasn’t sure whether tourists were checking out the sights at this hour, but I didn’t recognize any of the other cars.

One could have been Flora’s and I wouldn’t have recognized it.

Did I see Flora? No. Did I see any official police vehicles? Yes, maybe half a dozen, which was a lot in this small town at this late hour. Most had lights flashing, and they made themselves obvious on Destiny Boulevard and other important retail streets in town. They might not capture Flora that way, but hopefully they’d deter her from any further vandalism, at least for that night.

I drove slowly by the Lucky Dog Boutique, as well as the Broken Mirror Bookstore next door. I saw no lights inside either one, not official ones or anything resembling a flashlight glow. Those were the two shops I cared most about. Plus, I cocked my head so I could look up toward the upper floors of my shop to see if there was any light on there, any indication that Martha was awake … or that some mischief was going on.

I saw nothing, fortunately.

I also took in the Wish-on-a-Star children’s shop across the street, as well as Carolyn’s Buttons of Fortune, the Mardeers’ Heads-Up Penny Gift Shop, and more.

Nothing seemed unusual, although I admit I almost never came by this area so late at night.

I also realized that my being out here wasn’t helping anyone except myself and my own fragile state of mind. Fortunately, none of the cops decided to stop and question me.

Finally I decided it was time. “Let’s go back to our room,” I told Pluckie, who lay sleeping on the rear passenger seat, a safety harness holding her there. She woke up at my voice and wagged her tail, which made me smile.

We soon pulled back into our parking spot in front of the B&B. I sat still for a while before turning off the engine, once more scanning my environment for anything amiss, any danger.

Any indication that Flora was nearby.

I didn’t see her, or anything else.

“Let’s go in, Pluckie,” I said.

Of course I let my dog do some sniffing and squatting before using my key to enter the lobby. Once inside, I shut the door behind us and again checked to ensure that it had locked.

I also checked around but didn’t see or hear anyone in the B&B. Probably everyone was already, wisely, in bed.

It was, after all, nearly two o’clock in the morning.

“Let’s go to bed,” I whispered, and Pluckie and I walked up the stairs together.

I ushered us quickly into our room and again made sure the door locked behind us.

Only then did I start getting ready for bed again, feeling particularly glad that this B&B had individual bathrooms for each room. They were small, it was true—but at least I didn’t have to go back into the hallway.

Yes, I was that nervous. That upset after Flora’s tirade and the apparent inability of Justin’s police force to find and apprehend her—let alone after my own fruitless search for her and thinking she might be out there doing something horrible.

I felt exhausted, but I couldn’t imagine I’d fall asleep easily, even though it was late—and I didn’t. But when I finally dropped off, Pluckie awoke me.

I soon realized why, because I heard it, too.

A dog was howling somewhere.

And previously, the dogs I’d heard howling in Destiny had been harbingers of murder.