Karma's A Bitch (A Pet Psychic Mystery) by Shannon Esposito

I can make it.”
    “You certainly can.” Sylvia turned on me and I saw the sparkle in her eye. “You need to get out of the house and have some fun.” Her perfectly groomed eyebrow rose like she was daring me to argue with her. Somehow, I didn’t think that would be wise. “That’s very generous of you, Mr. Stark, and we would love to come to your show tonight.”
    I cocked my head and shrugged. “Guess we’ll be there.”
    “A woman who takes charge.” He chuckled, raking his gaze over Sylvia. “I love it. Very good then. I’ll save you two ladies a table up front. Just give the doorman your names when you walk in.”
    He bought some of the chicken jerky and other homemade treats for Mage and then, with a final wink to seal Sylvia’s resolve that we were going tonight, he left.
    “Down girl!” I teased her when the door closed.
    She sighed. “A magician? How romantic.”
    “He seemed very interested in you, too.”
    “He did?” She feigned surprise but the little gleam in her eye told me she had been enjoying his attention too much to not have noticed his intent.
    “Yes, but Sylvia, I don’t know about leaving Karma alone yet.”
    “Oh, no,” She cut me off with a wave of her hand. “You have to go.” Then she weaved her arm through mine. “Karma will be fine. It’ll be muito fun, I promise. Besides, I need you there to, you know…”
    “Keep you out of trouble?”
    “Exactly.” She grinned.
    I laughed. “All right.”

 
     
    CHAPTER TWELVE
     
     
    One of my favorite things about St. Pete is you don’t need a car to get around and not just because I never learned to drive. I needed the outdoors; the smell of salty night air, the winking stars, the touch of a breeze on my bare neck—food for the soul. Tonight was no exception. A fifteen minute stroll brought Sylvia and me to the front door of the theatre. We glanced at each other and I checked the address on the card again. Right place. The door sported thick coats of black shellacked paint. No windows on either side. Creepy.
    “After you,” I whispered.
    Sylvia straightened her spine and her black cocktail dress, rested one hand on the door handle and crossed herself with the other. Then she pulled the door opened.
    A burst of cold air washed over us as we stepped inside. Before us was a squatty hallway, lit only by a few wall sconces and double doors at the end, also painted black.
    “Your turn.” Sylvia threw me an amused smile, crossing her arms as we reached the double doors.
    I pulled one open and stuck my head inside. Voices burbled low in the room and a man in a tux smiled at me. I smiled back, relieved the creepiness ended here.
    “Good evening, ladies.” The man in the tux glanced at a clipboard. “Do you have reservations?”
    “Oh, Mr. Stark said to give you our names…Darwin and Sylvia.”
    “Very good. Right this way.” He led us through the large room, weaving around tables to one in front of the stage. “Here you are, please look over the menu, your server will be with you shortly.”
    “Wow,” I said, glancing around at the tables full of patrons. “I would have never known this place was here.”
    “Adds to the místico…the mystery, yes?”
    “Mhm.” I wasn’t sure I was prepared to keep Sylvia out of the kind of trouble that gleam in her eye suggested.
    “Oh, hey!” Sylvia nodded behind me. “That’s Frankie Maslow, blonde lady, gold dress, two tables over.”
    I twisted around in my seat. The table candles kept the room dimly lit, but Frankie was still easy to spot. She sparkled in a sequined gold dress, diamonds on her neck and arms catching the light every time she laughed or raised her glass to her lips. On one side of her sat a skinny guy, his dark hair pulled back in a pony tail, wearing a white t-shirt and tux jacket with rolled up sleeves and the other side sat her red-headed assistant, who had brought the puppies into the boutique. Her assistant’s black dress scooped low, showing off