The Final Catch: Book 1: See Jane Charm (A Tarot Sorceress Series) (3 page)

Chapter
4

I really don't want a relationship any deeper than a teaspoon with the opposite sex. Theodosia and a few reliable girl-friends are all the entanglement I need. Most of the men I date, I find online and even though they claim to be looking long term, most aren’t.

Tonight my young date played Ouija with me, drank my wine and didn’t seem to mind that I didn’t serve beer. Not that I don’t like beer. I forgot to buy any, and my bff, Glendie had been over the day before and drank me dry. Anyway, my shy polite date, and I, asked Ouija a few naughty questions, drank some more, smoked a little dope, played strip poker; he lost, and then we hit the sack.

Then at some point I started dreaming, one of those dreams where you can’t escape from the bad thing that is after you. In my lucid dream, I looked down and saw myself asleep on the disarrayed mattress, clad only in a bit of bed sheet, my skin accentuated by the room's early morning light, golden and warm.

  My earrings glittered against my skin. I bought the earrings from a jewelry artist, who tried to sell me the matching necklace of twisted and braided wire, but that necklace didn’t have enough of the rose quartz crystal I love.

We looked like a photo shoot for a boho chic fashion magazine. The remnants of last night’s sexual romp were strewn all over the room; my lacey pink bra, his white t-shirt, my skirt, his jeans; the clothing made little wrinkled islands.

Hot sunlight sliced through the tightly shut blinds; the white hot forks of early morning rays penetrated the room giving a striped shadow effect with narrow dust motes.  The pattern of stripes broke when someone outside the window skulked by. I floated away from the bedroom scene and out into the foyer of the condo. I noticed the front door handle moved up and down.
OMG
! Someone tried to get in. I watched helplessly as I realized I’d left the door unlocked and the intruder entered.

He came through my door as if he owned the place.  He stopped a moment and looked around, sneered, as if my things were pathetic to him.  But it was only a dream, I thought, and I took comfort in that.  I noticed his hand on the brushed stainless steel interior. I noticed his tattoo, a star.

He moved quickly through the living room.  My Ouija board still out, sat on the coffee table, the planchett pointed to the answer of the last question my date asked of it.  I don’t remember the question but the answer: “No,” glared up at me. The intruder took my glass of wine!
Oh, I wish I’d wake up; I’d finish that half-glass of Concho del Toro, Cab Sav then
– SMASH!

He knocked the glass over, spilled the wine on my white carpet, and broke my beautiful bubble bowl wine glass. The cabernet bled all over the Ouija. He chuckled, a deep, growling sound.

He grabbed a piece of wine soaked French cheese and popped it into his. Then he grabbed the cracker and crunched one, then another, and pinched off more cheese! I didn’t understand why I didn’t wake and chase this guy out, but I figured that the superb California gold dope toked before bed relaxed the body for a looong time. This whole intruder-in-my-house scenario probably wasn’t really happening -- all a smoke dream.

He decided to explore more of the living room and moved from the couch to my desk. He sat there and rummaged through my personal things! “Oooh,” I heard myself moan from my bed; He looked casually over his shoulder at the sound I made from the bedroom behind him, but he quickly turned back to my desk. 

And then I heard his thoughts!

Oh, Jane, beautiful Jane with your beautiful things, delicious things.  What’s this, a little black book? 

He looked inside my book as if it was this month’s best seller.  I made my dreaming self float back to my room, and I struggled to awaken, but my limbs were heavy, my eyes sealed shut, and my bed, -- oh, so comfortable; the Egyptian silk sheets impossibly warm, and soft, and snuggly, and the young man sleeping there so perfect and beautiful.

Then from my front room, I heard -- “Oh, ha, ha…,” in
that
deep growly voice. He read my little black book and laughed!  I floated back to the living room unable to do anything to stop him.

With his nose buried deep inside my book, he examined the notes I made after a date.  He held the book up and read it with such delight, devoured it the way he devoured my wine and cheese and crackers. He held the book as if he sat on the beach in the summer and read a Dan Brown thriller.  I designed it myself because I do possess a certain artistic flair.

The title: My Little Black Book-A-Boo -- It’s so embarrassing when you see the things you do unexpectedly reflected back to yourself.  And,
omg
, I heard his thoughts again…

…. Oh, you like a little bondage! Tie me down, clown. Do we have a safe word, ha ha, let’s erase that.
 
I clapped my hands over my ears and blocked out his screechy thought-voice.

His fingers took on a life of their own as they sped through the pages of my book, flipping, scoring, underlining, rewriting, changing names, ruining all my work! I floated to a spot that allowed me to stare over his shoulder.  My check marks and stars beside male companion’s names appeared to be in tact but his touches on the little tally marks of my conquests seemed to make them change.

He wrecked and ruined my stats.

Then he put the book down. I guess he’d done his dirty work. 

He jiggled the computer mouse and the screen saver -- playgirl centerfold -- disappeared and revealed my empty bank account. The negative balances glowed bright red. “Aww, see Jane broke.”

He scrolled through all my accounts; the need for passwords didn’t stop him.  He laughed and chuckled, drank more wine, spilled wine on my keyboard, wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Then this devilish man noticed a package of cigarettes opened on the coffee table.

I’m a social smoker. I pulled out a pack last night. He took one, put it to his lips, didn’t light it, but pretended to have a great old time smoking the cigarette. He pulled the cigarette away from his lips, and studied the unlit end.  Then he did the craziest thing! He blew a smoke ring in my direction and I coughed! The ciggy wasn’t even lit and he blew a smoke ring! 

Cigarette in hand he got up and walked into my bedroom. 

My heart raced.  He went over to the young man still sound asleep. He leaned in real close “Don’t touch him!” I screamed in my head. He then came over to my side of the bed. He lowered the sheet that covered my breasts and he took a good look, two eyes full. Then he ever so lightly ran the palms of his hands over my butt. He stood and stared a long time. He leaned down and kissed me on a butt cheek! He stood a moment and I swear he thought about helping himself to more of me. Instead, he did a second, very crazy thing.  He ignited his cigarette with the tip of his finger, raised the cigarette to the room's smoke alarm and made it scream.

He grabbed the sleeping Theodosia, dropped her in his hoodie pocket and quickly stepped into the living room and out the front door!

Get in there you little piece of furry shit. Aaaaah, damn, she bit me, that hurts like hell. Aaargh! Effing cat, won’t stay in my pocket. Gotta zip her in. Soon as I get outta sight I’m gonna hurt this freakin’ piece of tail. No, no, no, oh, hell, she’s climbing up my back. Got to grab, ah, ooo, ouch. Got the little beggar. You stoopid kitty. Do you know who you’re dealing with? I’m gonna hold you out at arm’s length till you settle. I gotta get my phone. “Y’allow, wuzup? Maisie, that you?

“Devon, don’t hurt the cat.”

“F#%k, Maisie, I’m bleeding bad, from this critter. I’m not gonna hurt her; I’m gonna kill her.”

“Devon! Whatever you do, don’t remove her collar.”

“I’m holding it by the  --  Oh, oh.”

 “Devon?”

“Don’t worry, I still got the collar.”

--The Knowitall Journals--

I struggled to wake up, to get my body moving. I dragged myself over to the screaming fire alarm and pulled it open then popped out the battery.

That shut it up.

*

I searched for Sia all day, but I knew he’d taken her.  I reported her stolen but the police said cats wander all the time and she’d be back. How can I explain that I saw her disappear in a dream?

I figured it was Manuel who sent the thief to take my cat. Yes, Manuel was everything a girl doesn’t want in a guy. I met the jack-ass at a party. I wore a tight, neck-plunging evening gown. The plunge was lined with rhinestones that went right to my navel. The skirt was sheer and ragged toward the ankles and the whole thing had a black metallic weave that caught the light. My reflection in the windows and mirrors that night enchanted everyone, even me. I didn't know Manuel was there with a date, his long-time girlfriend, but he went home with me and stayed. 

I thought he loved me, but he’d set up camp at my place to get away from her. 

A few weeks later his ‘girlfriend’ arrived right to the front door
to pick up her things, which he’d taken!  I had no idea who she was, but she walked right in like she owned the place, which
I
didn’t even own. She yelled at Manuel for a solid hour. He slapped her around and pulled her hair. She took three boxes of her things and that was that. 

He was mine.

Now he hated the fact that I’d rented the sexy, little loft condo far away from him--too bad. I really can’t afford the place. I can't really afford anything. It’s not like I don’t work. I had to get a job after I left Manuel and I did. During the school year I work as a substitute teacher for a private girls' school where the students remind me of myself when I was their age. I got good grades, and went to a prestigious university. The private school I work for wanted my prestige; unfortunately for them, I came along with it!

And Manuel hates teachers more than he hates me divorcing him.

Anyway, my money, if I had any, was on Manuel. He sent that stalker guy here to steal my cat and that’s what I told the police.

*

I decided that I’d hang posters of Sia in public places. In the village, downtown, I bought some wine for the evening at the 
Water to Wine
 shop and asked the manager, Steve Davis, if it was okay for me to put up a poster of Sia. Theodosia looked adorable in the photo, her blue eyes staring out at the world.  Her pink, heart shaped nose, a symbol of love. The manager, a ginger haired young guy, who’d recently taken over his father’s specialty shop, was more than happy to help out. Steve was a nice guy, but a little goofy and never stopped hitting on me. “I’ll get you a new pussy if you need one, Jane.”

Stuff like that!

“Very funny, Steven. But I don’t need a new pussy. My old one is fine.”

Then he’d laugh too loud.  “Gotta watch out for the coyotes,” he’d said, and then he howled like a wolf.

“That’s a wolf Steve. No wolves around here,” I said.

“Don’t be so sure,” he said, and winked.

“Bye, Steve.”

“Really, Jane. A coyote’s in the area and he probably got your cat.”

“She was stolen. I saw the guy that took her, but if he lets her out someone might see her and bring her back,” I explained.

That felt good to get that first poster up until he mentioned the coyote in the area and that made me feel worse. I didn’t want to hear about the possibility of Sia being taken by a coyote.

*

When I stepped out of the wine shop, my mind ruminated on many things: where to hang more posters of Sia, wild animals in the neighborhood, my impending date for tonight and all the prep that entailed.  Once again my preoccupation made me miss recognizing the street stalker in his signature black hoodie standing against a wall, a paper bag at his feet. Maybe I’d have noticed him if Sia's absence hadn’t weighed on me, and if my cell hadn’t started to ring at that moment. I answered hoping someone had found my kitten.

It was my eternally cheerful best friend, Glendie.

“Hey, Glendie!”  I said, sounding more up than I felt. She wanted to know all the details of last night’s date.  “No, he wasn’t a hot dude! More like a young dud, no not stud, dud. The young ones are still learning.” I paused a moment and absent mindedly dropped some change into the street guy’s paper bag. “Here you go.”  Not thinking for a minute that he was anything other than a beggar.   The guy grabbed his paper bag with my change in the bottom, and I didn’t know it at the time because I was too busy chatting, but he started to follow me.

“I hope tonight's date is better,” I said to my friend, whom I loved, and then I laughed because Glendie said something inappropriate. I tried to tell her about Sia, but all she seemed interested in discussing were my plans for the evening. “Hey, who you calling promiscuous?” Then I said, “I can’t meet you tonight. We’ll do beers another night.  I promise. I will leave one night open for us. I need to tell you about Sia, but I gotta go, Glendie. Talk soon.” 

Talking with Glendie always made me feel better.

The sun shone and the gorgeous day in the village went on and on. Flowers quivered, purple, white, pink, red fluttering flowery heads decorating both sides of the street. They looked freshly watered and glittered in the sunlight. People shopped and ate at sidewalk cafes.

If Sia weren’t missing life would be grand.

I turned down a quiet, empty lane heading towards the triple X adult shop, located off the main street inside an older, more dilapidated building. An old box-shaped store built in the early settler era of Meadowvale.  This lane had one or two other shoppers strolling along, but not nearly as many as the main drag. And even as I left most shoppers behind, I knew I was not alone. I got that spine jangly feeling of someone watching me. I slowed a bit and looked behind me, but saw no one.  I glanced to the shop window across from me and checked out the reflection, but saw nothing unusual.

 I walked toward the triple X shop and paused to stare into the window. My reflection stared back, but this time something else in that reflection stared back – the cat thief.