Murder over medium, p.18
Murder Over Medium, page 18
Although she was still prone to staying secluded in her room for long periods and grew quiet at times, each day brought more of the old Gwendolyn back. I believed now what plagued her most was remorse for causing an unstable girl to act out in such a horrendous way. I’d spent hours telling her it wasn’t her fault, but under the same circumstances with my daughter, I’d have felt the same.
Gwendolyn turned to Evan and wrapped him in her arms, whispering something to him. His eyes were wet. I’d never known him to look so relaxed and at ease in his skin.
Once she let go of him, I asked if he wanted a cup of tea.
“Oh, thanks, but I want to get going. I have some thinking to do.” He turned back to Gwendolyn. “I can’t thank you enough. You’re the only one who’s been able to get through to Ida. It was magical.” He sniffed and used his meaty index finger to wipe one eye beneath his glasses.
After he was gone, we settled in at the table for a full debriefing, with Gwendolyn obliging, although occasionally her voice would break.
“It was only after Wendy was in custody, and I was able to see her that I learned the truth. She sought me out, and when she learned I was a fellow psychic, decided to get to know me through our mutual interest before revealing the truth.” Gwendolyn sighed deeply and took a sip of tea.
“That’s where the peanut allergy comes in—it was hereditary. I chalked it up to serendipity at the time, having no idea that Harry and Wendy were related,” I told the group.
“But why did she want Harry dead?” asked a confused Phyllis. “Why didn’t she want to get to know him, the way she wanted to know her mother? He was a good man. He’d have been over the moon to know he had a daughter.”
Gwendolynn’s shoulders drooped, and she shook her head, “She said she wanted him to pay for how he’d treated me. As a girl, she dreamed of finding her mother and avenging her, assuming it was the man’s fault she’d been adopted out.” Gwendolyn looked shamefaced. “I admit, I told her about Harry and me when she pushed me into sharing one night. After that, she started planning how she could help make the situation right.”
Crystal, who’d been silent up until now piped up, “But she claims you were actually the one who killed him.”
Gwendolyn bit her lip and slowly nodded her head, tears welling up in her eyes. “Yes, that’s what she asserts. She’d been using the Devil’s Breath on me for quite a while. But I have no memory of it. I would like to believe that my strong spiritual energy would protect me from being used to harm another. She says I reconnected with Harry, planned this trip, and tampered with the power steering line. But…” she trailed off, firmly gripping the clear crystal that always hung around her neck.
“In other words, the Devil made you do it.” Phyllis cackled, even though the situation couldn’t be less funny. She stopped laughing suddenly when we all looked at her in disbelief.
After I thought she was done speaking on the subject, Gwendolyn said, “But she didn’t count on me seeing the murder during the séance. Once I’d announced it, she had to improvise.”
Phyllis asked, “But why didn’t she just do it? Why did she want to implicate you in the whole mess anyway?
“Apparently, she wanted me to have the chance to get revenge. She says using the Devil’s Breath was a way to empower me. She knew I’d never kill Harry without a nudge of some sort.”
“Another thing I don’t understand,” said Crystal, “is why Wendy tinkered with the steering on the rental car. I mean, I get that she was trying to throw suspicion off herself, but it was so dangerous. She could have been killed, like Harry.”
Gwendolyn said, “She was terrified Jade was getting close to the truth.” Gwendolyn turned to me. “When you started questioning her about contacting Harry and watching those horrible videos, she knew she had to do something spectacular to put you off the scent. So, she made it look like the killer was after us. She knew it was dangerous, but was careful to stay off the treacherous roads to minimize the risk.” Gwendolyn patted her chest. “Thank goddess she wasn’t seriously injured.”
We all sat quietly for a few moments, drinking our tea and considering how things could have been.
With a pensive look on her face, Phyllis said, “Gwen, I don’t doubt your abilities. I’ve experienced them for myself. But why weren’t you able pick up on all this? Didn’t your guides think this was kinda important info for you to have—that Wendy was a murderer?”
Gwendolyn responded with a sad smile. “I suppose I was simply too close to the situation to objectively interpret the signs they showed me. Although I do have a direct spiritual connection, I’m only human. Whenever I attempted to get answers to the murder, all I could see was fog. As though there were static on the line between Truth and me.”
Gabby asked, “Why did Wendy poison Athena?”
“Oh, that was purely accidental, Wendy assures me,” said Gwendolyn, “She was rushing and didn’t put the ingredients away properly. Athena fished the plastic bags out of her suitcase. Thankfully, Athena’s high vibrational energy protected her, and she’s back where she belongs—curled up on my bed upstairs.”
And maybe the compassionate human who rushed her to the vet had a teensy bit to do with it too.
Crystal said, “Gwendolyn, why was it so important for Jade to attend the séance? She for sure didn’t want to be there—"
“Like me,” interrupted Gabby.
Crystal turned to Gabby, “Hey, I’ve said I was sorry,” She grinned, “and that I owe you one.”
Under her breath, Gabby said mischievously, “You’d better believe you do.”
Gwendolyn cleared her throat. “I thought that was clear. Jade needed to experience the power of the spiritual realm, so she was able to tap into her inner wisdom to solve the case.”
They all looked at me. What could I tell them? I wasn’t aware of the slightest guidance from beyond. I just shrugged my shoulders and took a sip of tea.
Changing the subject, Phyllis said, “Tell us, Crystal. Has there been any movement on the boyfriend front? I heard you say that’s why you came to the séance. To discover who your knight in shining armor might be.”
Crystal laughed. “Nope, not yet. But I’m still hopeful. But what about you? How’s your love life with Homer working out? Did you decide to keep seeing him?”
Phyllis blushed slightly, a demure smile lighting up her face. “Yeah, and he popped the question last night.”
Congratulations roared, everyone patting Phyllis on the back, asking if she was going to take the plunge.
Of course she was.
After the din died down, I said, “Thanks, Gabby, for coming to the rescue once again.”
Gwendolyn reached over and took hold of Gabby’s hand. “Yes. Dear Gabrielle has been wonderful. The law still hasn’t decided what to do with me, since this is such an unusual case, but Gabrielle is handling everything. Since there’s only Wendy’s word that I committed the murder, she believes it’s unlikely I’ll be brought up on charges. However, I won’t be going back to Sedona for quite some time. I want to stay here and support my daughter. For the time being, I’ll stay with Jade and continue doing my work.”
I blanched at the thought of her stay being extended yet again.
Gabby disentangled her hand from Gwendolyn’s to wrap her hands around her teacup. “It was nothing. They don’t have a case against you, and I don’t suppose they’ll ever be able to prove you played any part in it—if you did.”
Crystal spoke up, “I can’t believe Susan and Trevor had nothing whatsoever to do with Harry’s murder. Good thing I wasn’t in charge of the investigation because I would have had them locked up right away.” Crystal turned to me and smiled. “Luckily, we have a super sleuth in our midst. Jade not only figured out who killed Harry but also who hacked into Langdon’s legal databases.”
I felt the color rise on my cheeks. “I can’t take much credit. I should have put the pieces together much sooner than I did. Plus, Wendy got the jump on me. But I did tell Ross my suspicions about Trevor Wills being the hacker.”
Standing up, I refilled our teacups as I explained the details. “Even though Trevor and his mom didn’t commit the murder, they heard through the grapevine about Harry’s terminal cancer and wanted to find out who was inheriting the ranch they coveted. Once they discovered who it was, they didn’t have a chance to butter up Harry before he was killed.”
Having emptied the teapot, I sat back down. “Speaking of the inheritance, Gwendolyn, I haven’t asked you what you planned to do with the ranch.”
Gwendolyn came out of her reverie and cleared her throat. “Well, I’m not entirely sure I’ll get it for sure. If they bring charges against me for Harry’s murder, I’ll be a felon and so won’t be legally able to inherit it. I haven’t thought much about it, to be honest. I’ve had so many other things to deal with. I think I’ll wait to see what the future holds. I’m sure I can find a good use for it though. Something Harry would have loved.”
The room grew quiet for a few beats, a moment of silence for our departed friend before Gabby changed the subject.
She turned to Phyllis and asked, “I never did find out, Phyllis, why you came over to Jade’s house just when she needed help?” A teasing smile creased her face. “I hear you’ve become quite the devotee of the occult. Did you receive a message that Jade needed saving?”
“Darn it, no. I’d just had this strange dream the night before and popped ‘round to see if Gwendolyn here could tell me what it meant.” She turned to Gwendolyn. “But do ya think it’s possible I sent some of that ESPN to the sheriff, letting him know we needed him right quick? It was like we’d sent out the Bat signal or something.”
Gwendolyn swelled with pride. “I think you mean ESP, love, and I suppose it’s possible. You’ve been aligning your chakras and communicating with your guides. Who knows what psychic talents you have that we have yet to discover.” Glancing around at the table, Gwendolyn added, “Phyllis has become quite the student of the paranormal.”
“Yep,” said Phyllis. “Even got me some of them tarot cards. Ordered ‘em online and they came yesterday.” She looked at Gwendolyn. “I’m hoping you’ll be around long enough to teach me how to use ‘em.”
“I’d be happy to.” With that, Gwendolyn reached down into a large carpet bag she had sitting at her feet. After digging around for a while, she pulled out the lavishly-embroidered sack that held her tarot cards. I watched uneasily as she began shuffling them with her eyes closed. I had a feeling I knew what was coming.
“Jade, after all you’ve done for me, and for all you are likely to do until I can return home, please allow me to give something back. I’ve known for some time that there is an important message you need access to, but your conscious mind won’t allow it in. Please, humor me, if nothing else, and let me read your cards.”
I silently debated on what to do. With all that had gone on lately, including Ross showing up as if by magic when I’d needed him most, I had felt my resolve against such things start to melt. After all, how did Gwendolyn know Harry’s accident was murder when it hadn’t even happened yet? Hoping I wouldn’t regret it, I threw caution to the wind.
“Okay. But just this once.”
Gwendolyn clapped her hands loudly, though this time I didn’t flinch. “Oh, that’s wonderful.”
She handed me the cards to shuffle, and I was instructed to place my intentions fully on the unknown message I needed to receive. I closed my eyes and did the best I could, not fully understanding what I was meant to do.
“Now, chose seven cards, and lay them in the order in which you draw them.”
I did as I was told, aware all those around the table were watching me intently. Although I’d been longing for more peace and quiet, the silence in the room felt unnatural. I already regretted giving Gwendolyn permission to do this. What would the cards say? Even though I was still skeptical, I found myself worried about what they would reveal.
As Gwendolyn slowly started turning over the cards, I noticed I was holding my breath. I let it out slowly.
“Hmm. The Hermit card paired with the Four of Cups. Although you’ve found deep fulfillment in sharing your knowledge through the act of writing in the past, you’ve become discontented with the way in which you are now sharing that knowledge.”
I broke in, “But you knew that because I told you—"
“Shhhh. The cards are speaking now, love.” Gwendolyn didn't look up from the table. “Next we have the Knight of Pentacles but reversed, followed by the Ace of Wands and the Page of Pentacles. Very interesting, and as I thought. You will soon have the opportunity to change your career, but this time it will be different than before. Instead of making a lateral move because you feel comfortable providing the same or similar information as always, this career change will be made out of passion. You will follow your bliss and do what your heart desires.”
I started to speak, but Gwendolyn suddenly raised her head and gave me a rather sharp look. I immediately closed my mouth, feeling like a naughty school girl.
“Finally, we have the High Priestess and the Nine of Cups. Very auspicious. The High Priestess will guide you to this new career if you allow her. She will unveil the mystery and reveal to you the knowledge that you already have deep within you—the knowledge that is hiding within plain sight.”
I looked up from the cards and saw my friends looking at me.
“But what does all that mean? I’m not necessarily looking for a whole new career, just a way to spice up my business.”
Gwendolyn studied me. I could have sworn she knew exactly what would happen in the near future, what path this new career would take. But she only winked at me with her dancing eyes.
“That, dear Jade, the High Priestess will reveal in time.”
About the Author
Gilian Baker is a former English professor who has gone on to forge a life outside of academia by adding blogger, ghostwriter and cozy mystery author to her C.V. She currently uses her geeky superpowers only for good to entertain murder mystery readers the world over. When she’s not plotting murder for her Jade Blackwell cozy mystery series, you can find her puttering in her vegetable garden, knitting in front of the fire, snuggling with her husband watching British TV or discussing literary theory with her daughter.
Since childhood, Gillian’s been told she was nosy, though she prefers to think of herself as observant. It’s long been a secret dream of hers to be paid to snoop, but she’s given up on being a real-life gumshoe and has happily settled for living vicariously through her protagonist. As a literature professor, Gilian considered her one and only vice to be reading cozy mystery books before bed instead of well-thumbed classics.
Gilian Baker lives in Flagstaff, Arizona with her family and their three pampered felines. In her next life, she fervently hopes to come back as a cat, though she understands that would be going down the karmic ladder.
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