sixteen

I checked my watch. Almost five. Time to head home. I revved the engine and pulled an illegal U-turn at the end of the block to get back to California Street. Rush hour traffic had started, but within twenty minutes I was at my apartment. I parked in front and trudged up the stairs. Wizard’s bell was tinkling as I turned the key in the lock. One light set on a timer burned in the living room. Wizard rushed to greet me and pushed heavily against my shins as I dumped my purse on the table. I reached down and picked him up.

He emitted a series of quacks, which I interpreted as Why weren’t you here to feed me on time? He settled on his haunches on the kitchen floor while I opened a fresh can of salmon in gravy and plopped it in his dish. Then I stripped off my clothes and pulled on a pair of jeans and a warm sweater. I needed to spend some time on my newspaper column, even though I was really itching to set up charts for the people at the firm.

Obligations first. I settled into the office chair and flicked on the computer. Wizard, now sated, curled up in a ball in the chair normally reserved for clients. I clicked open my email and signed in. Samantha at the Chronicle had forwarded me forty-three AskZodia emails. I heaved a sigh. So many people asking for advice. I separated out the letters that asked no particular question and returned those to Sam. She’d respond, explaining that AskZodia received far more letters than it was possible to answer and refer the writers to other reputable astrologers. Then I separated the emails into male and female groups. With some, of course, the gender of the writer wasn’t obvious, but I did the best I could. I further separated these into different age brackets.

Each week the paper published eight AskZodia questions and the astrological responses. My column had become extremely popular. Les, my editor and Samantha’s boss, was making noises about running it on a daily basis. I hoped that decision wouldn’t be made. It would be far more than I could handle, given my private clientele, but if so, I hoped Les would listen to my recommendations for other astrologers.

A few of the emails were quite intriguing. One woman wrote to ask about the dynamic between her brother, now deceased, and her mother. Her mother blamed herself for her son’s death and was torturing herself with guilt. I could tell by the brother’s chart, with strong Uranus and Mars aspects, that there was absolutely nothing her mother could have done to control her son. The mother had done the best she could and needed to let go.

I clicked on another.

Dear Zodia:

I’ve been happily married for twelve years. My wife is a wonderful woman and a loving wife and mother. For the past few months I’ve found myself attracted to another woman. I know I shouldn’t be, but I can’t help myself. It’s become an obsession and I don’t know what to do. I’ve never cheated on my wife but I find myself thinking about it all the time. I think this other woman is also attracted to me, but I’m not sure. I’m so confused, I don’t know what’s happening to me and I don’t know what to do. My birthday is August 20, 1976 at 3:13 p.m. in San Diego. My wife’s birthday is December 1, 1977.

—Confused

Dear Confused:

I’ll be very direct. It’s really not a choice between one woman or another. You are yearning. You are seeking an aspect of your own “anima” or female self. Neptune is currently opposing your natal Venus and you, believe me, are most likely projecting all sorts of qualities onto this other person, most of which you would ultimately discover are not real.

We experience great yearnings with Neptune transits and tend to believe that the answer is “somewhere else.” Under transits of Neptune especially, it is not possible to see things clearly. You and your wife are quite compatible astrologically. It would be a shame to destroy your marriage for what may be no more than a passing wraith.

I recommend seeking professional help to discover what you are missing in your life and your love life. Often, the “other” that you are attracted to turns out to be much like the person you are currently with. There is an excellent book on this very subject: Love Triangles by Julia Bonatti, published by Stargazer Press. This might be a start in helping you sort out your feelings.

—Zodia

Samantha would get a kick out of this response. Me, anonymously, plugging my own book, but I really did think it would be a help to the man. I worked my way through ten more emails and sent them back to Sam. I was ahead of my deadlines for the next two weeks, so the newspaper would have plenty of fodder for the column. Finally I breathed a sigh of relief. It had taken all my discipline to focus on my AskZodia work, given Maggie’s news and the events at the law firm.

I spread the notes I’d made earlier in the day across the desk and plugged the details into my astro program, creating solar charts for each person in the litigation section. The answer lay, I was sure, with the people in Jack’s life, those who dealt with him on a day-to-day basis and those who were most affected by his actions. I printed each one out to study more carefully. Unfortunately, I had no birth information for Hilary Greene or Sarah Larkin or Ira Walstone’s wife, all connected to Jack in some fashion. Because of the Neptune transit to David’s Moon, I was still convinced that a female, perhaps even an employee, was involved somehow. The phone rang and I jumped involuntarily. My nerves were still on edge.

“Julia, it’s me.” It was Gale. “Have you seen the news?”

“No, I haven’t.” I hesitated. “Are you talking about the murder at the law firm?”

“Yeeees.” Gale’s tone took on a heightened sense of drama. “Isn’t that where you used to work? I saw it on the news tonight. It sounds awful. Did you know him? This Harding guy, I mean?”

“I knew him slightly a couple of years ago, but not recently.” I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get into this with Gale right now. “Actually, I was there yesterday when they discovered his body.”

“You were there?” Gale shrieked. “Why were you there?”

“David had asked me to fill in for a week. He asked me as a favor, really. It isn’t what I want to be doing, but the money is welcome.”

“You’ll have to tell me all about it. Does Cheryl know? Why didn’t she say anything last night at the art show?”

“I asked her not to. You had a lot on your plate and needed to focus on your event. Besides, I didn’t want to bring it up. It was gruesome.”

“And you were supposed to call me so we could natter or maybe grab a bite to eat.”

“Oooh. I’m sorry. I’m a flake. I completely forgot. With everything that’s been going on, it slipped my mind.”

“What are you doing now?”

“I just finished some AskZodia emails and I’m looking at some other charts. I’m sorry. Maybe next week?”

“Hmph. Well, that’s quite all right, my dear,” Gale replied in mock-offended tones. “Luca is available. I can have dinner with him. Ciao.”

“Wait, listen, I have a question for you. You remember that man I was talking to at the art show Monday night?” I quickly described Henry Gooding.

“Well, of course. Henry. Lovely man.”

“What do you really know about him?”

“Not much. I know he’s wealthy as hell and he spends a lot on art of all sorts. He’s been a good customer.”

“And there was someone else there at the art show that night that I know slightly.”

“Who?”

“Roger Wilkinson. Do you know him?”

“Oh, sure. Roger has very good taste actually. Gay, of course.”

“Really?”

“I’m sure. My gaydar is never wrong.” Gale, suddenly interested, said, “You don’t think he’s having an affair with Henry Gooding, do you? Is that why you’re asking?”

I groaned inwardly. “No, no, nothing like that. Just wondering if you had some little tidbits about Roger.” I hesitated. “I did run into Henry Gooding today, though. Outside of Hilary Greene’s gallery. You must know her.”

“Oh, yes. Not well, but I’ve met her. What were you doing there?”

“Hilary is … was Jack Harding’s ex-wife.”

“No!”

“Yes. It is a small world, isn’t it?”

“I’ll say. I met her about a year ago, but I don’t know anything about her past. As far as Roger is concerned, I wish I could oblige. I’ve seen him around at some cocktail parties here and there. Seems like there was something about him … someone made a joke once.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t really remember. Just seems …” Gale groaned in frustration. “I had the impression … wish I could remember, now. If I recall, it referred to some scandal. Someone made a joke and he was the butt of the joke. Maybe it’ll come to me. Why?”

“Nothing, really. He’s another of the attorneys at David’s firm. I was just curious what you knew about him and how he came to be at Luca’s show. He was there with a woman, Nora Layton. At least I think they came together.”

“She wasn’t on my list. Maybe she was his guest.”

“Ah, okay. It’s not a big deal. I’ll give you a call later this week. Oh … before I forget or before you forget, what’s Luca’s birth date and time?”

“Oh damn, I forgot.”

“Right.”

“Don’t give me a bad time. I’ll get it.”

“You better.”

“And don’t forget the open house and costume party at the Eye on Saturday night,” Gale said. “I’ve rented some outfits, so you should come by to pick one out. Everyone will be there, some of our readers and a lot of our customers. The doors’ll be open to everyone. I think you’ll look very cute in the cat outfit.”

“I’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Just keep in touch. Kisses. Bye.”