01 - Playing with Poison by Cindy Blackburn Page A

straight and set some crystals a-clanking. “I see what you’re getting at, Jessie. You think Stan would haunt the person who killed him, right?”
    “Maybe.” Personally, I didn’t think Stanley’s ghost would be bothering anyone, but if that was the way to approach the question, why not?
    I watched Audrey think and Jackson drink until my patience ran out. “Do either of you have any ideas about the murder?” I asked point blank. “For instance, could anyone in here be responsible?”
    I scanned the crowd, and invited the Dibbles to do the same. Audrey looked around with me, and we waved at Bryce, who was watching us from behind the bar.
    “Oh, I just don’t know.” She sounded quite forlorn, but then perked right up and yanked on her earrings. “These will help though!”
    I stared at the black rocks Audrey held aloft from her ear, and instinctively touched the small diamond studs that adorn my own earlobes.
    “They’re lovely,” I lied.
    “I bought them today! Aren’t they wonderful?”
    Jackson grunted. “You’re supposed to ask her why her stupid earrings are wonderful.”
    I asked.
    “Well now, all crystals are beneficial to one’s chakras.” Audrey waved a hand in the air. “Erasing negative energy, improving one’s intellect and intuition, and so forth. But these are obsidian. I bought them especially to improve my insightfulness.”
    “Ask her how much improving her insightfulness chakra set us back,” Jackson ordered.
    Audrey pursed her lips. “I think Jessie here understands that we need some insight if we’re ever going to help Stan.”
    “I think Jessie here understands Stan don’t need no more help.”
    Audrey ignored her husband’s obtuseness. “The dead will not rest until justice is served,” she announced.
    “Oh?” I said, feeling a bit obtuse myself. I had no idea how the dead might rest, for instance, and I was clueless as to what a chakra was, or was not. Most of all I was puzzled about how our conversation had gone off on this odd tangent.
    “So!” I said brightly. “What did you and Stanley talk about Saturday night?” I looked back and forth between the Dibbles. “Anything important?”
    “Nope.” So much for Jackson’s contribution.
    I appealed to Audrey, but she was in some sort of trance. She had her eyes closed and was rubbing both of her earrings between her thumbs and index fingers, garnering up all her insightfulness chakras as it were.
    I sighed dramatically and caught Gina’s eye. “Bryce is keeping my tab,” I told her and pointed to the Dibbles. “And perhaps you would bring my champagne over?”
    “That’s it!” Audrey hit the table with both palms, and Gina scurried away.
    “I need to consult Ezekiel.” She opened her eyes and blinked at me. “I’ll go tomorrow.”
    “Ezekiel?”
    “Ezekiel Titus. He’s my astrologer. I’ll ask him who could have done this terrible thing to poor Stan. Let’s just hope he can fit me in on such short notice.”
    She started rummaging through her purse as Gina came back with our drinks.
    “Scorpio!” Audrey proclaimed triumphantly, and Gina ran away again.
    I glanced at the handful of frayed notes Audrey was brandishing before me and recognized what she was so proud of—her infamous list of the birth dates and sun signs of everyone she knew, however remotely.
    “Here’s my list for The Stone Fountain.” She ran a ring-clad index finger down the page and tapped my name. “You see, Jessie? You really are the only Pisces.”
    I took a wild guess. “And Stanley was a Scorpio?”
    “Mm-hmm.” Audrey pointed to his birthday. “November 13, 1983. I can’t wait to hear what Ezekiel makes of that!”
    “I can’t wait to hear what Ezekiel charges you,” Jackson said.
    Audrey rolled her eyes at me. “I really must consult Ezekiel before I say anything further.” She put away her notes. “You understand, Jessie?”
    Not really.
    I turned to Jackson. “Do you have any ideas about Stanley?”
    He