Karma's A Bitch (A Pet Psychic Mystery) Read Online Free

fish oil from the top shelf for an elderly lady cradling a plump poodle who was about to bring the whole shelf down on herself. Mental note: People shrink with age, and St. Pete did used to be known as “God’s waiting room.” I needed to lower the shelves.
    “Here we go. Honeysuckle, Mariposa Lily and Cosmos.” I showed the girl the bottles before wrapping them in tissue, timing my words between her gum snaps. “Four drops a few times a day, massage into the pups’ skin. Should have them sleeping like babies by the end of the week. I’ll put a discount card in your bag. When they’re ready for a grooming, Sylvia will be happy to take care of them.”
    “Sure. I’ll take these, too.” She dropped some organic chews on the counter along with two tiny, glow-in-the-dark t-shirts.
    “Those are fabulous!” Sylvia swooned. “Please tell Frankie Sylvia Alvarez said ‘hi’.”
    “Will do, thanks.” After one last cuddle from Sylvia, the pups disappeared out the door.
    “Charming girl. You know her boss?” I asked.
    “Everyone knows her.” Sylvia moved closer and lowered her voice. “Frankie Maslow was homeless then she won the lottery four years ago. Thirty million, I think. Afortunado! Took a lump sum of seventeen million. Now she look down on St. Pete from the Vinoy. But,” she held up a finger. “She has not forgotten. Every Sunday morning, she go to Mirror Lake and hand out hot meals to the homeless. She has a good heart but some, they try to stop what she is doing. They say she is encouraging them to sleep downtown and residents are apreensivo…afraid of them.”
    “Sounds complicated.” I’d like to meet this woman. Maybe we could pair up and do a charity dog wash or something to raise money for the homeless. Ever since I’d met Mad Dog, I’d been brainstorming for ways to help.
     
    ***
     
    Friday had finally arrived. I watched Mad Dog limp across Beach Drive and frowned. The chores could wait. I stepped out into the morning sunshine, locked the doors behind me and crossed my arms. Karma spotted me and lumbered in my direction, his large rump and tail wagging slowly.
    “Good Mornin’.”
    “Don’t you good morning me, Mad Dog.” I shook my head at the purple knot on his right cheek bone. I had watched all week as he arrived with fresh injuries and I’d had enough. “I’m taking you to the police station and you are going to report whoever is doing this to you.”
    “Can’t do that,” he sighed. “It’s my own fault.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    He dropped his head. “Maybe I shouldn’t come around anymore. I don’t want to upset you.”
    “What? No!” My chest squeezed at the thought. “All right. I’ll stop asking you to go to the police if you promise that you’ll think about telling me what’s going on with you. It’s just hard seeing you like this every day.”
    “I’ll think about it.”
    I glanced down at Karma. He didn’t look very happy either. “All right. Let’s go get breakfast.”
    When we were situated with our food at the table, Mad Dog turned to me. “So, what’s your story?”
    “My story?” I plopped my chin down on my hand.
    “Yeah, everyone’s got one, right?” He brushed an ant off the table.
    I raised an eyebrow as he gave me a rare smile. “Are you teasing me?”
    “No, I really want to know.”
    I stirred my tea and shrugged. “All right, what do you want to know?”
    He watched a group of bicyclists navigate Beach Drive and then turned back to me. “Well, for starters, how’d you get a name like Darwin?”
    “Oh, going right for the jugular, huh?” I grinned. “Well, if you really want to know, my mom got knocked up with me at seventeen and named me Darwin to be spiteful to her overbearing, religious parents.”
    He stopped chewing and stared at me. “Seriously?”
    “Yep.”
    A laugh escaped him that startled Karma. “That’s great. I think I’d like your mom.”
    I hadn’t ever heard him laugh before. It was nice.