Amaretto Amber (Franki Amato Mysteries Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

Tort is the Petro manifestation of Erzulie Freda. The Petro gods came from the New World and the West and are more aggressive than their benevolent Haitian counterparts." She gestured toward the altar. "If you like, you can get acquainted with Lady Erzulie by making her an offering. She prefers gifts of jewelry, perfume, flowers, cakes, and liqueurs."
    "What a coincidence," I said in a joking tone. "So do I."
    A corner of her mouth turned up. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
    "I'm looking for someone named Theodora," I replied, approaching the cash register.
    With a nod, the woman walked to the back of the room and slipped through the beaded curtain.
    While I waited, I wandered around the store. Erzulie's didn't sell any of the typical voodoo and witchcraft wares, like severed gator heads and chicken feet. Instead, the merchandise consisted of more upscale items, such as goat milk spiritual soaps and jewel-encrusted skulls.
    There were so many bright, sparkly items that I couldn't resist the urge to touch something. So I picked up a black-stained glass pentagram. Curious to see whether light would shine through the dark glass, I opened the door and held the pentagram up to the sun.
    "You're not thinking about taking off with that too, are you?" a familiar voice asked.
    I turned to face Theodora. She was wearing a yellow caftan with a necklace and earring set of green cat's eyes complete with slit pupil. Between her attire and her orange hair, purple eye shadow, and pink lipstick, she really blended in with the shop. "Don't worry," I said, returning the stained glass window to the display. "Pentagrams aren't my thing."
    "I actually like them, and I'm not even a Wiccan." She leaned forward and shielded her mouth with her hand. "Nothing against the Wiccans," she whispered, "but I don't believe in organized religion."
    "Ah ha," I said, taking a step backwards. "So, listen. I'm Franki and—"
    "Theodora," she interrupted, grabbing my hand and giving it a shake. "How'd you find me? Are you clairvoyant?"
    "Uh, no," I replied, suppressing a sigh. "I saw the box of spells from Erzulie's on your front seat and figured that you must be an employee."
    "Oh, I don't work here. I'm a freelancer." She pulled a business card from a pocket in her caftan and pressed it into my palm.
    I reluctantly read the card and saw that she was a "witchcraft consultant." Of course, I opted to ignore that little tidbit and focus on her lack of a last name. "Just Theodora, huh? Like Cher and Madonna?"
    "No, they have surnames," she replied, toying with her necklace. "When I was born we didn't have last names."
    I assumed a standoffish stance. I was a magnet for all the nutcases in New Orleans, and the last time I'd exchanged business cards with one of them, I'd ended up with a psycho psychic as my sidekick during a multiple homicide investigation at a plantation. "That's super interesting, but—"
    "Aren't you going to ask how old I am?" she interrupted, blinking.
    "U-um," I began, momentarily distracted by the discovery that her eyes were glowing green like her pendant, "my mother taught me never to ask a witch, er, a woman , her age."
    "Well, I don't mind telling you that I had a milestone birthday last week." She raised her chin, striking a pose. "I turned three hundred."
    And to think that I'd felt bad about turning thirty. "Wow," I exclaimed, searching for something sane to say. "You don't look a day over fifty-five."
    She touched her teased hair. "That's what I hear."
    I stared at the floor while I tried to wipe the stupor from my face. "So, aaanyway, I dropped by because—"
    "I know." She held up a hand. "We got off on the wrong foot yesterday—your foot on my gas pedal, to be precise—and you want to make amends."
    I scratched the back of my head. "Uh, about that—"
    "No need to apologize," she said, giving my forearm a squeeze.
    "Honestly, I wasn't—"
    "Shht!" She flapped her caftaned arms like yellow wings.
    I was starting to get