Chapter 26
The Four of Cups asks you to leave the past behind and move forward with a new romance.
DANNY
Ihand Cal her coffee. She takes a sip and smiles. “Kudos,” she says. “You really do pay attention.” I’m sure it was a coincidence, but under the blanket I hear the dog snort.
Cal pats his back. “He does that a lot when he’s dreaming. And he snores like a freight train. That’s why he sleeps on the porch, weather permitting.”
The sun is setting and fireflies are beginning to flicker around the trees in the front yard. “Why don’t we go sit on the porch? It’s a beautiful evening.” We settled into two antique rocking chairs.
Cal’s bungalow reminds me of my cabin. Nothing ostentatious about it, just simple and functional. “This is a great little house. How did you find it?”
“It belongs to the college. It was where the Dean lived in the 1930s. I stumbled upon it about twelve years ago. It had been abandoned for decades and slated for demolition to make room for a parking lot for the museum.”
Through the trees I could make out the corner of the Anthropology Museum in the distance.
“It was in horrible shape. The porch had holes in it and racoons had built nests underneath. The windows were broken out and the door was half off the hinges. It looked like it was a hangout for vagrants at one time, but it was completely abandoned by the time I saw it.”
I looked around the porch. The wide oak plank floorboards and railings had been carefully restored and were in pristine condition.
I’m not sure why but she was watching me closely.
Cal spoke cautiously. “You may think this is weird, but as soon as I saw this place, I experienced something akin to déjà vu. I had this overwhelming sense of ‘home.’ I don’t think I found the cottage. I think it found me.”
Laura had mentioned there was a facet of her new client that puzzled her. “She is well-educated, an M.D. and a psychologist. Yet, she has a spiritual side that makes her sound like a nut at times.”
At the time I was still investigating Cal for Paul’s murder, so I questioned Laura about it. “Spiritual side like Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish?”
“Oh no, nothing normal. She reads tarot cards, believes crystals have magical powers, and talks to angels.”
Ahhhh, that’s why Cal is observing my reactions. For a brief moment, I hope she can’t read my mind. My thoughts about this woman would make a hooker blush.