Murder Mystery – Chapter Seven.
Tentative title: “Bear the Great.”
< Offices of JLB, Pet Psychic Services, LTD.>
These people were coming in soon so she’d better get ready. What was the dog’s name again? Bongo? Banjo? No, that’s not right. “Bear.” A Great Pyrenees. Man, 150 lbs.? Doesn’t anybody have any self-control any more? There were no bad dogs, she knew. Only bad owners. Ah well, whatever. Focus on the dog.
********
Before a “reading” she had to quiet her mind. But she’d also done her homework. A little Google Earth street-view of the clients’ home address and she had not only the general lay of the land, but also the color of their siding. People always oohed and aahed when you said “avocado green.” Also, the placement of trees and shrubs around the house, and even a black Honda Accord parked at the curb. That was very good. Was it theirs? The neighbor’s? And that big boxy white van sitting just down the street a little ways. What did it say on the side? “Brilliante Lavanderia.” What was THAT all about?
No worries. She didn’t have to fill in all the blanks. She was an impressionist, not a member of the Barbizon School. Broad brush strokes were plenty. And empathy, lots and lots of empathy. People ate that stuff up like, well, probably like Bear ate up too many high-calorie treats. Christ. Would it kill people to exercise a little restraint? If not for themselves, then at least for their pets?
<deep cleansing breath>
<let all bitterness fade>
The fact was, when she got into the right frame of mind, she and Bear would be on exactly the same wavelength. Dogs and humans had co-evolved over many generations together since cave-man days. Should it be so surprising then if they shared similar thought processes? This was when she did her best work. And the owners would hardly matter. Not that the owners were unimportant, of course. Technically speaking they were the ones paying the bills. But, “Bear… Bear….” She felt herself actually becoming a Great Pyrenees. Large. Very large. And shaggy. In this heat? Yikes. And anxious. Deeply worried about something. Hmmm. What was unsettling Bear?
********
“A neighbor disappeared and the police got involved.” She remembered Ginger saying this earlier on the phone. What people said, especially when it was a non-sequitur, mattered. A lot. More than most people without a background in Reiki or psychoanalysis realized. That, or maybe the laundry van, was her best way in. She felt energized. When she was on top of her game like this… God, what a life. Not what she’d ever imagined when she was first starting out. But now? With a little focused attention? The whole wide world could practically fit in the palm of one hand. Well, with a little empathy it could.
“This must be Bear. Welcome. Come in and have a seat, make yourselves at home. Would you like bottled water? Or a cookie? I made ’em myself.”
“We brought along Bear’s treats like you asked. Nothing for us, though. We’re fine. Thanks for seeing us.”
********
Bear the Great Pyrenees was as big as advertised – and also as anxious. He paced for a bit, sniffed everything in sight, and finally stood stock still in the center of the room facing the psychic head on. She coaxed him over with one of the owner-provided treats. After that, they became fast friends. He laid down at her feet with a “Humpf.” He actually placed his shaggy head directly on top of her tan flats. Tricks of the trade.
“Tell me about what the police were doing in your neighborhood? Oh, and also, how old is that avocado siding? Might be at a stage where it’s ready for replacement. Y’know?”
At first they looked at her like she was speaking Ancient Urdu. “Wha…?” Recovering, but with defenses down, Ginger said the very first thing that popped into her head: “Um, the siding’s about 40 years old. And yes, the HOA’s threatening to have it replaced. They did the roof last year and a lot of people were NOT happy. Cost us an arm and a leg. The siding’s gonna be even more.”
“And the police?”
“Oh. Right. The police.” The clients were flustered, no doubt about it. The psychic knew enough about people, she could tell. And uncomfortable. This was certainly not what they had come here to talk about.
********
“Our neighbor a few doors down disappeared a while back. He was retired. Always out hiking. We live near a State Park. Probably tripped over a root and fell down a ravine or something? Or maybe he had a heart attack? He looked pretty fit, though. And Bear was always friendly with him. That guy’d be on his way out nearly every day, very early in the morning. Usually about the same time as when we let Bear out to pee. So the two of them were on speaking terms. But we didn’t really know him all that well. Whatever happened, it sure is a shame. Unless maybe he ran off with an old flame and is now sitting on an island in the Caribbean sipping Mai Tais. You know, silver lining and all?”
Hearing his name twice, Bear raised his head and looked around the room. He wondered what was going on. The hoomans all looked worried and tense. That made him worried and tense. But not worried or tense enough to get up and actually do anything about it. Nobody had a treat in hand, after all. And the leash was still coiled up in mom’s purse. So nobody was going anywhere soon. With a hopeful glance up at the psychic who had given him the last treat, he settled his head back down on top of her shoes. Her feet smelled better than mom’s. Loyalty was not Bear’s strong suit. Ah well, there were worse flaws.
“The police came by and asked us a few questions. They also spoke with the lady next door. She’s the groomer we used to take Bear to. That lady’s kinda weird. Squirrelly. She definitley makes me nervous. Maybe the police will be able to see something from the outdoor cameras they had installed? Assuming they save the footage on their hard drive or whatever. I don’t know. Anyway, do you think this has something to do with Bear? I really can’t imagine.”
********
“Okay, let’s stay in touch. I’ll write this up, give it some thought;, and then get back with you. I’ll let you know right away if anything pops out at me. Bear’s got something on his mind, that’s for sure.”
“Thanks, Jacqui. We really appreciate it. See you in two weeks. You want us to bring more treats next time?”
“That would be great. ‘Bye.”
“‘Bye.”