Sarah buzzed. “Mort again. He’s on a roll.”
“I found Williamson’s wife’s birth date.”
“Well done, Mort. Not that I ever doubted you. Any difficulty?”
“Not as much as I had with the good doctor, but still most information about both of their lives since their marriage seems to have been wiped out.”
“Strange.”
“Definitely.”
“How did you find it?”
“I found her maiden name and used that. It was simple to access what I needed from the time before she met Williamson.”
“Seems easy enough. So why didn’t Williamson send me this information?”
“Maybe he’s testing you.”
“With so much at stake? I doubt it.” Lowell turned to his computer. “Tell me what you have.”
“She was born on September 11th, 1969 at 7:29 a.m. in New York City.”
“Good. Now I can really get to work.”
Lowell entered the information into Solar Fire. He looked over the chart and made a few notes.
“What do you see?” asked Mort.
Lowell projected the chart onto the flat-screen TV and began. “Gloria’s natal chart reveals a complex person. She’s a Virgo with the Sun in the 12th house of the unconscious, where much is hidden. This house is ruled by Pisces and is considered the house of self-undoing, frustration and confinement. It’s also called the house of karma, where the lesson is one of service or suffering. People with this placement frequently prefer to work in the background and out of the intrusive eye of the public. She’s also a dark of the moon child born right before the New Moon. Much of her life is spent trying to complete things and tie up loose ends. With the Sun, Moon, the south node, and Pluto all in the 12th house, it’s difficult for her to express herself at times, and she probably has a bad self-image. The Sun rules the father in the chart. This placement indicates a powerful, but distant, father who could intimidate her. Yet she is drawn to powerful men who remind her of him.
“Mercury conjuncts Jupiter in the 1st house. This is usually an optimistic aspect. She’s intelligent and can be quite charming and outgoing when she feels sure of herself. Unfortunately she doesn’t often feel that self-confident. Self-doubt and insecurity, strong aspects of her personality, dampen that optimism. She’s much more intelligent than people expect and her mind moves much quicker than she often lets on.”
Mort smiled to himself as he recognized a kindred spirit.
“Mars squares those Virgo planets, which could make her even less sure of herself and at times quite fearful. She has a temper, but probably hides it, holds it back, because of that Sun and Moon 12th house placement. Mars rules her 3rd house of speech, and it’s difficult for her to express herself, even with Mercury conjunct Jupiter, which is usually very positive for communication. Neptune rules her 7th house of relationships, which shows that she will often play the victim in her one-on-one relationships and she’s drawn to men who can be deceitful and remind her of her father. It’s very difficult for Gloria to stand up for herself, especially to the men in her life.
“With Chiron in the 7th house of relationships, marriage would be difficult, and she would be inclined not to divorce. She would rather stay in an uncomfortable relationship and suffer, than leave.
“The Virgo Moon may very well be her saving grace. While the aspects to the Moon are difficult, Virgo energy tends to think rather than feel. Since the Moon rules the emotions, normally we would like to see it in a more sympathetic sign. But not in this case. Its placement in Virgo allows her to intellectualize her emotions and to create some distance between what is happening and how she feels about it. This is something the chart indicates she would need in order to balance out the rest of her personality. She will respond to emotional situations through her thoughts, not just forming a gut reaction. And that, in some ways, helps her to cope.”
When he was done he put the chart in his folder and turned off the TV.
“Mort, we’re going to have to find her quickly. Call when you’re back.”
“Will do.” He hung up.
Lowell then printed out about a dozen other charts: synastry and composites between the mother, her husband, and her twins.
The evening ahead promised tedious work that Lowell hated. He had spent much of the past three decades staring at astrology charts of one sort or another. Becoming a private detective was supposed to alleviate the boredom. Sometimes it did. Sometimes it didn’t. Like now.
Sarah came in a little before six carrying a shoe box. “I’m leaving in a few minutes. I got a date.” She smiled broadly. “I met him in my acting class.”
“Is he nice?”
“I think so. I don’t know him very well yet. But I’ll get his birth information before the night’s out.”
Lowell laughed. “I’m sure you will. Where are you going?”
“A movie premier. He’s got a friend in SAG who gets free tickets.” She opened the shoe box and held out a pair of silver glittered shoes with three-inch heels. “What do you think? They’re Charlotte Olympia. Cost a fortune.” She sat in the chair and put them on. Then she stood up and walked around like a shoe model.
“They’re very nice. But don’t you have enough shoes? From what you tell me you’ve got about ninety pairs.”
Sarah shook her head. “There’s no such thing as enough shoes.” She giggled.
“Have a nice time. And tomorrow, if you’re still interested in this guy, we’ll peek up his skirt a little.”
“Will you be alright here alone? Maybe you should go home to the townhouse. This could be a very crazy week and you’ll need to be rested.”
He took her hands in his. “Thank you for caring. But I’ll be fine. I’ve got work to catch up on, and I can do it better here.”
“Okay, Boss. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Lowell ordered dinner from Louie’s and settled in for a night in the office. When he was enmeshed in a case he would sometimes stay put for days to avoid distractions. The leather couch was a pull-out with a king-sized orthopedic mattress. His private bathroom contained a full-sized tub and shower, and a small but complete modern kitchen was hidden behind one of the doors. He opened the couch, popped a bottle of Beck’s, and worked until almost three. Two more Beck’s and the last of the eggplant parm from Louie’s. Then he took a hot bath and went to sleep.