Cast the Cards

“Then I’ll let you go.”

“Thank you, Carey.”

“Any time, Vannah Banana.”

He hung up before she could scold him, and she smiled.

“Carey?” Clark asked.

“Yeah. He wanted to make sure I got home okay.”

“How nice of him.”

There was an edge to his words. “Clark?”

“I have to go—” He disappeared before she could say more.

“Fuck.” She placed her head in her hands. Carey saved her from making a horrible mistake. A few seconds longer and I would be making out with a ghost. What the hell was I thinking? There was no future for them. No silver lining, or happily-ever-after. This whole thing was a mind-screw.I have to stay composed. She removed the rest of her clothes, slipped on an oversized shirt, and sank n to the edge of her bed, unable to sleep yet. Thoughts chased each other. The emotional overload endangered all the hard work she’d put in over the years. She had a system that worked. Her heart was protected, and her life ran smoothly. Clark threatened her life like a wrecking ball. Frustrated, she turned to the solace she could always count on, work.

So much for an early night. With sleep no longer an option, she got to her feet and zombie-shuffled to her desk. Taking out a sheet of loose-leaf and a pencil, she began an old-school bubble map of thoughts. She put main points in circles and branched out with lines and more encircled thoughts. The page began to fill with random threads of concepts. None felt right.

“You are slippery sons of bitches, aren’t you?” she mumbled. They were smart. She had to give them that. It made her apprehensive. People like this always had a trick up their sleeves, booby traps, or diversions. It wasn’t your average case.

She didn’t want any more people hurt. The devil’s in the details. The phrase always helped her dig deep beneath the obvious. The Tarot was the key, but she only had one card to work with. They’d tracked down the specific set of cards, scanned each one for differences, and came up empty-handed. A search for bodies found with carvings etched into them had been started. But they were still sifting through the piles. To make matters worse she knew the killers were watching, circling the area like buzzards waiting for an animal to drop.

She pushed the ages aside, and pulled out the Tarot Cards she’d purchased to study at home. It was breaking her rules, bringing her work home, never coming up for air. Yet, there was a sense of urgency she couldn’t ignore. As she studied The Lover’s card, the morgue report rushed back. The interlocked female and male symbols were the key. They were on the Tarot.

Excited, she snatched up the card. The symbols were in direct correlation. It would still take some time to go over the cards, pick out key symbols, one by one, but it had narrowed the choices significantly. It felt good to make progress on this case. The fact that it distracted her from the mess with Clark was an added bonus.

***

That was stupid. Clark blew out a breath as he paced the length of Carey’s apartment. What had he hoped to accomplish? He thought knowing how she felt would make him feel better in some way, give him closure.

He was wrong. Now he was jealous of Carey over nothing. The lock sounded in the door. He tensed. Speak of the devil, or think in this case. The door swung open and Carey paused.

“Hi. You look upset,” Carey said.

“I am.”

“Okay.” Carey stepped in, shut the door and locked it behind him. “What’s up?” He let his bag fall to the door and shed his utility belt, carrying it with him to the couch. He set it on the cushion beside him. “I’m all ears.”

“I went to see Vannah.”

Carey cringed. “Didn’t go well?”

“No. Sort of.” He shook his head.” Hell, I don’t even know.” He snickered at his absurdity.

“What?” Carey laughed. “Why don’t you tell me the whole story?”

He relayed the events as Carey listened without commenting. It felt good to share again with his twin. Carey was the only person he’d never felt judgment from. Even when they butted heads, eventually they hashed things out.

“You guys are so ass backward.” Carey shook his head.” I’m not surprised she felt the same way about you. It’s why I didn’t go that night.”

“You knew?” He turned to his brother, shocked.

“She didn’t tell me, if that’s what you mean. I suspected. It was written all over her face every time she looked at you when you weren’t watching.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”