gets too complicated. I’m just going to give you the
basics.”
“In Astrology, there are 12 birth signs; one assigned to
each month. The month in which a person is born, determines
which birth sign they have. Each sign has certain
characteristics that belong to it and those characteristics
become a part of that person.
Now, every Astrology chart has 12 houses. The chart is like
a pie that’s been cut into 12 slices…each slice is a house.
Each house has a planet that rules it plus each sign has a
planet that rules that. At the time of birth the sun, moon,
and all the planets are in a certain position. The time of
birth decides the order the signs are in-1 through 12. By
the way, the cusps of the signs move in a counter clock
wise pattern. The time of birth also establishes which sign
and which house each planet occupies. At the time of birth
all the planets, signs and houses react with each other in
a good or difficult way depending on the type of angle
between each one. The strength of each planet can be
enhanced or depleted according how the other planets, etc.,
relate to it and how the houses and signs relate to it.
An Astrologer puts all this information together and reads,
or interprets it. That gives a sort of guideline to the
person, their lifestyle, financial resources, and so forth
and so on.
See !…it’s simple ,”as she dimpled a grin at him.” There’s
a lot more to it, of course.
That’s just the bare bones.”
Gary fought to pull himself out of his trance of utter
confusion, boredom, and the feeling that he was sadly
lacking in intelligence, thus unable to comprehend the ‘
bare bones.’
“ Ms. Harris, can we approach this another way ? Look at
these symbols and tell me what they stand for.”
He handed the drawings to her and mentally crossed his
fingers.
“ Well, this one , of course, is the same as mine. The sign
of Libra. The second one is for the sign of Cancer…this one
for Aries, and the last for Virgo.OK ?”
“ How is this supposed to help me, Ms. Harris ?”
“ I don’t know if it will. You said these were found at a
murder scene in Erin?”
“ One of them-the rest were found at other crime scenes.”
“ You mean four different places…four murder victims ?”
“ Afraid so.”
“Was one the woman on Live Oaks ?”
“Yes.”
Manda shuddered, stood and walked to the window. After a
moment of staring at nothing, she asked quietly,“ Which of
the symbols was with her ?”
“ Ah, the one you said stands for Virgo.”
Manda thought for a minute, “ What was her birthdate ?
Maybe it’s the same as the symbol found with her.”
“ We don’t know her birthdate. We haven’t been able to
identify her.”
”Then I don’t see how I can help you, Detective.”
“ We do have an identify on the last victim, Ms. Harris.
Maybe her birthdate will match up with her sign. Her
birthdate was ..um…July 14th.”
“ Cancer, her sign was Cancer. Does that match, Detective
Haworth ?”
“ Glancing at his notes, he replied,” Yes, it does. What
could that mean ?’
“ One answer is that the person who killed her knows
something about Astrology.
Without more information, I can’t help you much. If you can
get the full birth information on the woman who’s signs
match, I can cast a chart on her.”
“What all do you need?”
“ Month, day, year, place and time.”
“OK, I’ll get it for you.”
Manda sat back down in the chair and leaned her face into
her hands, scrubbing her face with them in an attempt to
erase the stress. She smoothed her hair back behind her
ears, clenched her fists under her chin, and looked up at
him. Manda noticed a change in his demeanor. He had planted
both feet on the floor and leaned forward. His face
registered tension.
“ Why do I feel that there’s more to come in this
interview, Detective?”
“ Because there is, I’m sorry to say.”
“Ms. Harris, where were you last Sunday ?”
Gary watched her closely as she squinted her eyes with
concentration.
“ I was here most of the day but I did go for a walk that
afternoon. Wandered around town about an hour or so. Went
to the public beach for an hour or so. The rest of the day,
I was here in my room. Why ?”
“ Did you speak with anyone Sunday or Sunday night ?”
‘Only to say hello to other people walking down town or the
employees here. I did talk to Mom that evening. Why ?”
“ Bear with me a minute,please.”
“ Where were you a week from this past Saturday ?”
Manda scowled and opened her mouth to object but he had
anticipated her and stopped her with an impatient wave of
his hand.
“ Please answer, Ms. Harris.”
“ I was on the road, Detective. I left Gary, Indiana,
Friday around noon and I was on my way here.”
“ Where did you stay Friday night ?”
“ At a motel in southern Indiana.”
“And Saturday ?”
‘I drove through the rest of Indiana, through Kentucky and
a little way into Tennesse. It was a nice drive. I took the
scenic route all the way. I hate interstates.”
“ And Saturday night ?”
She smiled remembering the Mimosas. “I stayed at this
beautiful little inn – Mimosa Lane Bed & Breakfast.”
“ Where is it located…what town ?”
“ It wasn’t in a town. It’s country around there and I
don’t remember the name of the closest town. If you can
show me a map, maybe a name will ring a bell. Wait a
minute, I still have the route trip-tic AAA gave me. Maybe
that will help.”
She rummaged through her purse and pulled it out. She
studied it for a moment.
“ I’m not 100% sure but I think it might have been close
to…a town called Erin.”
He handed Manda a grainy photograph. ”Do you recognize this
woman ?”
Manda studied his face as she reached for the picture. He
looked grim and her stomach fluttered with unease. She
looked down at the snapshot, glanced up at him with a
anxious frown and looked back at the picture. She responded
with hesitation. “ This is the woman who owns Mimosa Lane,”
her voice little more than a whisper. “Susan.”
“ What’s this all about, Detective Haworth ? You’re scaring
me. Is something wrong ?”
“ I’m sorry, Ms. Harris, but she was murdered Sunday
night.”
He watched as shock bleached the color from her face. She
sat frozen for a few seconds; her eyes widened and her jaw
dropped.
In the same low whisper,” You’ve made a terrible mi
stake.
No one would hurt Susan.”
She began to slowly shake her head in denial while her eyes
filled with tears.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Harris. Can I get you anything ?”
He noticed that she had begun to tremble. He went to the
bathroom and dampened a hand towel with cool water, then
helped her to the bed, where she lay down and clasped the
towel to her forehead. He dragged the coverlet over her and
sat on the edge of the bed.
“ Do you want me to call someone ?”
She shook her head no, rolled to her side toward him and
curled up in a ball. Not knowing what to do, he began to
pat her shoulder. She reached for his hand and, finally,
began to cry. He held her hand as she cried until there
were no tears left.
Ten minutes or so went by during which he continued to hold
her hand. Then she let go of his hand, rolled onto her back
and threw her arm over her eyes.
“She was about to have a baby,” Manda said in a dull voice.
“She had him- he’s fine. Her mother and husband are caring
for him.”
“ I met her husband. How is he doing ?”
“ He’s having a very hard time. The doctor has him on
medication.”
“Do the police have any clue who did it?”
“No, not yet, Manda”
“ Were the two of you old friends?”
“ No, I just met her that day and I left the next day close
to noon. It’s just…she was so nice, so sweet, so happy. Her
husband was really nice too. They were a really cute couple
with everything going for them. A whole life ahead of
them.”
“She and I had breakfast together Sunday morning and had a
good chat. I really enjoyed her.”
“ Their home was a paradise. It was obvious that they put a
lot of work into the house and grounds…flowers everywhere.
Beautiful…just like Susan was beautiful.”
“Manda, did you notice anything unusual while you were
there? Were there any visitors…phone calls, deliveries,
anything at all?”
“ Not a thing. Everything was perfect, Detective. Peaceful
and quiet.”
“Manda, if you remember anything, no matter how small, call
me.”
“I will. If you find out anything, will you let me know?”
“If I can, I will. I have to leave now. Will you be ok?”
Manda nodded, with her arm still over her eyes.
Gary stood to leave.
“Detective Haworth….”
“Yes, Ms. Harris ?”
“ I saw part of a news segment that showed a picture of a
blonde woman. It was an odd picture. She had her eyes
closed. I didn’t turn the TV on in time to catch the story,
but she looked familiar. Later that night, just before I
fell asleep, I realized that she looked a lot like Susan.
Who was that woman ?”
Gary looked down at Susan who was still lying with her arm
over her eyes.
“ It was a photograph of the young woman who was recently
murdered. We hoped to get an identification by showing her
picture.”
“ Was she the woman found on Live Oaks ?”
Gary hesitated,”Yes, she was.”
Gary watched as a shudder traveled through Manda’s body.
She said nothing, however.
“Can I do anything for you before I leave ?”
Manda slowly shook her head.
“ I’m sorry to disturb you further, but I need you to lock
your door behind me, Ms. Harris.”
She slowly stood and followed him to the door. He looked at
her red swollen eyes.
“If it’s ok, I’d like to call you later to see how you’re
doing.”
She nodded .
He walked into the hall and waited until she closed the
door and he heard the lock engage before he headed for the
elevator.
DECEMBER 2004
#
Manda lay on the bed and thought about everything that had
happened since she’d left Gary. She felt totally drained.
With no more tears to shed, imaginings began to bounce
around and collide in her brain.
God, I wish I was old enough to order wine or something
alcoholic. I sure could use it.
She rolled over and reached for the phone. As she listened
to it ring on the other end, she kept repeating, “Be there,
be there, be there.”
She blew a sigh of relief as she heard the receiver lifted.
“Hello,” said a man’s voice.
“Frank, is Mom there ? I need to speak with her.”
“No, she isn’t Manda. Can I help?”
With despair tingeing her voice she said,”Oh Frank. I
really need to talk with her. Please have her call me as
soon as she gets home…no matter how late it is.”
“Baby, you’re going to see her first. She’s on an airplane
heading your way. Her plane took off about 20 minutes ago.”
“Really ?? That’s great…wonderful….THANK HEAVENS ! What
time is she getting in ? I’ll pick her up.”
“ Well, she plans on just calling a cab. She didn’t want
you to know ahead of time; she was afraid you’d try to talk
her out of it. She’s been real worried about you. You know
how she is; she gets these ‘feelings’ and she won’t quit
worrying until she checks things out for herself.”
“Is everything OK, Manda ? You do sound a little strange.”
“ I’m fine, Frank. Just very busy and overwhelmed by
everything. It’ll be great to see Mom.”
“She’ll be relieved to see you too, honey. She’s due to
land at 10:45 your time. Delta,
flight 20074.”
“ Thanks Frank. You take care of yourself, OK ?”
“I will. You give her a big hug and kiss for me and tell
her to stay out of trouble,” he chuckled.
“Don’t worry, I will.”
“Bye, Frank.”
“Bye, sugar.”
Manda hugged herself with relief. Grown up she may be; but
right now, seeing her Mom would feel very comforting.
DECEMBER 2004
#
Manda, feeling better knowing comfort and company was on the way, tidied the room and then then took shower,letting the water spray on her face to ease the burning of her eyes. She took her time and gradually the warm water began to relax her body and wash the cobwebs from her mind. She dressed in comfortable clothes and sat down with the local map to find the route to the airport. She decided to leave early. She didn’t want or need to feel rushed. After putting the map and flight information in her bag, she left to pick up her mom.
#
He had walked up and down the block and past the entrance to the hotel several times. There was no particular reason other than a vague feeling of need. As he approached the entrance again, the door was pushed open by the doorman and SHE walked out, approaching a car waiting at the curbside. He ducked behind a column of the portico and watched as the valet stepped out of the car and helped her behind the wheel. After a few seconds to fasten her seatbelt, she moved into the traffic and disappeared from view.
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