Anet settled into the big, comfy red chair in her living room. Damn the police, she thought. There were still no reports of anyone having seen Asherya, and no matter how many times she seemed to tell that asshole detective, what was his name? Chapman; no matter how many times she told her story, Asherya was still missing. "We're not releasing a formal statement until we've got a body."

Fuck 'em, she thought bitterly. Ash's dead.

She sipped her chamomile tea and thought about Asherya for a while. Of course people had made inquiries, but she'd had nothing to tell them. And there was her own kidnapping that still bothered her, and the fact that she had no clue where to start looking into the matter. She wasn't the type of woman to sit back and let the police handle it.

Anet Peterson had never been "that type" of woman, though by rights she had every reason to be. She came from old money and Southern Belles ran in the family. "Old South" was how her father had once been described and she thought it was quite fitting. She'd inherited his work ethic as well, graduating top of her class from Tulane's School of Business. She'd met Asherya her senior year, Ash's freshmen year. So fierce... Anet thought. Asherya had been at Tulane's School of Law on full scholarship and made no bones about it.

"Hell," she'd once said, flipping her blonde hair and shrugging her shoulders, "my parents can't afford it and it doesn't bother me. I'm here because of me. That's how it's always been, ya know?"

Anet felt similar pride when she'd opened her own night club, Nyx, a year and a half ago. She considered it her greatest life accomplishment thus far. Nyx's grand opening had been huge, dozens of friends from school had shown, she'd had a popular jazz band as guests and free shots until 9 p.m. She and Asherya had worked so damn hard! It had definitely paid off though; Nyx had been going strong ever since. She'd asked Asherya to move in with her that night.

"Are you serious?" Ashery's blue eyes were wild and vivid.
Anet had smiled. "I've always been serious about you." She'd kissed her.
They'd gone house shopping the next day.

The microwave dinged and Anet wiped tears from her cheek. She took a quick sip of her tea, went to the kitchen, grabbed a hot pad and carefully extracted a steaming bowl of pasta. She set it on the counter to cool and went to the pantry for some cat food.

"Loa, come here kitty." She poured the food into a tiny silver bowl. A silver Egyptian Mau poked her head around the corner of the kitchen and meowed at Anet.

"Come here silly."

Loa trotted over and sniffed her food. Anet patted her spotted silver back. 'Pretty girl.'� Loa purred and began to eat her dinner.

'�I guess I should do the same huh?'� Anet asked the cat and went and grabbed her pasta. She walked back, sat down beside Loa and dug in. Loa looked up at her.

'�It's depressing to eat alone,'� she confided. Loa continued to eat her food.

Anet devoured her pasta and was loading her dishes into the dishwasher when she was interrupted by the doorbell.

'�It's open!'� Anet yelled. She grabbed the stereo remote beside the phone and flipped on the CD player. Music began play low over the room; Gene Krupa and the Krupa Quartet, 1966, classic jazz.

Anet grabbed an orange dishtowel and, drying her hands, walked over to meet whoever it was coming in.

Kea closed the door behind her just as Anet rounded the corner.

Anet stopped and stared for a heartbeat.
'�Kea,'� she said quietly.

Kea said nothing and embraced Anet tightly, holding for a long moment. Loa darted in between the women's legs, purring loudly. Kea bent down stroked the playful cat.

'�Hey Loa,'� she said softly.

Anet wiped the tears from her face. 'I'm so glad you're here.'�

'�I know hon,'� Kea said as she guided Anet back to the living room. 'You take a seat and I'll make us some coffee, Gevalia I think.'�

As Kea busied herself in the kitchen, Anet flipped off the stereo and collapsed into the red chair. Loa curled up snugly in her lap. No matter how hard she tried, the tears just wouldn't stop.

'�Kea, when you're done with the coffee do you think you could ''

Kea came around the corner with two mugs of coffee and a box of Kleenex. She smiled and handed Anet the Kleenex. 'You're welcome,'� she said and set the coffee down on a dark mahogany end table.

Anet grabbed a tissue and her coffee and took a sip. She sighed heavily. 'Thanks.'�
Kea pulled up the beige, micro fiber chair from over by the fireplace and tucked in beside Anet.

'�Two weeks ago I was in Haiti visiting Cici,'� Kea began.

'�Oh yeah, Ash told me you were going to visit Mama Cici'� How is she?'� Anet asked. 'Are you ever going to get her to move to New Orleans?'�

'�Oh she's fine and still as stubborn as she'll ever be, Cici.'� Kea smiled. 'I think I've made some progress though. She was more open when I brought up moving this time and she actually listened to me go on for a while before changing the subject.'�

Kea laughed and sipped her coffee. 'I'll get her here, just you wait.'�

Anet smiled. 'You didn't come here to tell me of your trip though.'� She set her coffee down on the table. 'You know something.'�

Kea studied Anet, her big eyes were dark as the night. 'When I was in Haiti I had an indescribable feeling one afternoon. I felt an incredible sense of loss. I told Cici about it and she felt uneasy as well. She asked if anybody close to me was in danger. I didn't know. That night there was blood on the moon. I've worn my tiger's eye ever since.'�

She looked at Anet. 'That was the day before I came home. I asked Cici to read for me and she did.'�

Kea shook her head and reached for her coffee.

Anet rubbed her eyes. 'You knew it was us didn't you'�" she said. "Cici's never wrong.'�

Kea sipped her coffee and looked at Anet. 'Never.'�

There was silence; both women were lost in their thoughts. Kea pulled a pack of cloves from her pocket, lit one and offered it to Anet who took it gratefully.

'�After I heard about what happened, I knew there was more than what the police had offered.'�

Anet nodded and took a long drag.

'�You don't have to tell me if it's too hard for you,'� Kea said as she lit one for herself. 'I could read for you.'�

The real question was posed and Anet considered this for a moment.

'�I've been avoiding it since I came home from the hospital Ke,'� she said as more tears threatened.

Kea studied her face. 'You're afraid.'�

'�Terrified,'� Anet managed, tears spilling over her cheeks. Her hand shook as she lifted the clove to her mouth.

'Don't be afraid of it love, it's ok, it's all ok,'� Kea said.

Anet nodded in agreement, took a big drink of coffee and cleared her throat. 'I know it'll help. It needs to be done but, I want you to use Asherya's cards.'�

Kea looked sideways at her. 'What are you saying Anet?'�

Anet shook her head. 'Please just do it.'�

Kea bit her bottom lip. 'Ok go get them while I light some candles.'�

Anet got up and went to the bedroom. She opened the drawer of the Ash's nightstand and grabbed her Tarot Cards. A thought crossed her mind. Cards in hand she ran to the closet and found her firebox. She fumbled with the combination and it finally opened with a click. She extracted the silver seahorse necklace. It's amethyst eyes glinted brightly in the low light. Just the sight of it reduced her to tears so she kissed it, slipped it on and quickly tucked it under her shirt.

Returning to the living room she found that Kea had transformed it with candles and rich wood incense. Anet could feel the presence of energy, a good familiar feeling, though it didn't shake her apprehension of what was to come.

Kea sat on the rug in the middle of the floor amidst a circle of candles. The flickering light danced across her dark complected skin, and a warm breeze from the opened double patio doors ruffled her curly black hair. With her fist closed loosly around her tiger's eye pendant, she chanted quietly to herself in Créole. Anet approached the edge of the circle and paused before attempting to clear her mind. She pulled her long hair back away from her face and breathed deeply. The necklace felt cold against her skin. Her thoughts were flying around her head, so she decided upon a quick charm for clarity.

'�As sure as the world is yours to light,
and for our purpose stay the night,
with all its vices, confusion and fear,
I beseech thee Sun, our minds to clear.'�

She entered the circle and set the cards down in front of Kea. 'Read for me.'�

Kea looked at Anet and nodded. The women remained completely silent and listened to the sounds of the wooden wind chimes echoing in from the patio as the began. Anet shuffled and cut the cards. Kea checked their face direction, took them and began a three card spread. Light danced upon her fingers.

She turned over the Eight of Swords and looked up at Anet.

'�Restriction, Confusion, Powerlessness.'�

Kea considered this. 'You feel this way because Asherya's gone, correct?'�

Anet nodded.

Kea drew the next card, a Five of Cups.

'�Loss, Bereavement, Regret.'�

She flipped the final card; Three of Swords, reversed.

'�Heartbreak, Loneliness, Betrayal.'�

Anet hung her head.

Kea was silent for a moment. 'That reverse is unusual. I thought we had them all facing right whenever you cut.'�

Only silence.

Anet looked up and wiped away her tears.

Kea watched her closely. 'Ah,'� she said.

'�I had it all wrong. Everyone has it all wrong.'� Kea looked at Anet.

'�The three card draw signifies past, present and future. It's seems correct for me to say that initially you felt powerless over whatever happened to you and Asherya the other night. Eight of Swords.'�

Anet nodded, 'Go on.'�

Kea continued. 'Presently, you are in a state of mourning over her death. You're feeling her loss and regret things undone or unsaid between you. Five of Cups. Her death obviously causes you great heartache and loneliness; it is still too soon for you to move on less you feel like you're betraying her memory. Three of Swords.'�

Kea looked at Anet. 'But I'm wrong aren't I.'�

No answer.

Kea chewed her thumbnail. 'The reverse. The Three of Swords is reversed.'�

Kea began to think out loud.

'�Reverse equals less energy, less power over the situation, less power over the present. More of the past, in the past, heartache, loneliness, betrayal. Past betrayal.'�

Kea studied Anet.

'�Asherya betrayed you?'�

Anet was silent for a moment the sighed heavily. 'I don't know for sure,'� she said finally.

'�You think she did though, don't you?'� Kea pressed. '�You asked me to do this reading because you think she did... and it had a hand in her murder.'�

'�The day I came home from the hospital was so hard,'� Anet explained through tears and the story of her drunken anguish poured forth. Kea listened quietly.

'�I stumbled into the bedroom, and I don't remember how but I ended up on her laptop, but I did. She had been downloading some kind of document entitled Morgen.doc,'� she shook her head.

'I have no clue what the title has to do with anything; it was something about an antitrust trial against ZTech, you know that big software company, Ziina Technology?'�

Kea nodded. 'Yeah Anet, it sounds like something from school... this was her senior year.'�

'�I know but she was in the middle of mock trials,'� Anet shook her head. 'I honestly don't think this was involved." She looked at Kea. "I think it was an actual case document. Anyway, it wasn't the document that bothered me.'�

Kea raised her eyebrows. 'Oh really?'�

'�There was a short message attached,'� Anet recalled. 'Of course it's not verbatim but it was something to the effect of:

Anet doesn't know and I'd like to keep it that way. This is for your benefit, if it gets into the wrong hands, I'm warning you there will be trouble. Big trouble. I trust you can handle this; be careful Asherya'� Don't say I didn't warn you.'�

Kea looked puzzled. 'Who was the sender?'�

Anet teared up again. 'That's what I don't know." Her voice quivered. "It wasn't the original copy.'�

'�It's ok honey,'� Kea soothed, 'Have you told the police.'�

Anet rubbed her eyes and cleared her throat, 'There are two detectives assigned to the case. I sent the file to one, Marion Jones. I haven't heard anything back.'�

Anet's voice wavered again. 'I don't know if she took it seriously, but Kea this is killing me. They aren't doing anything about it.'�

'�Give 'em time,'� Kea advised.

Anet shook her head. "I'm trying but... I don't care what Asherya did, but she doesn't deserve to be ignored like this. There's been no formal statement, no memorial for family and friends,'� tears poured from her beautiful brown eyes and reflected in the candlelight. She looked at Kea; her expression was torn, 'There's been no absolution.'�

Kea nodded her head and was silent. She thought about it for a moment. 'I don't like the way this is sounding.'�

'�I know,'� Anet said. 'I felt the same way when I put two and two together. It made me sick to think that she was in some kind of trouble and she couldn't tell me, or that she was afraid I'd be mad, or'� I don't know. I hoped that you would come here and feel the same.'�
She looked at Kea. 'The reading ' '

'�The reading is disturbing,'� Kea finished. 'Disturbing, but correct.'�

Anet nodded in agreement. 'I have no doubt.'�

'�I'm worried about the last of your cards Anet,'� Kea said.

'�What do you mean?'� Anet asked quietly.

'�Past, Present, Future'� 1,2,3'� the third card, The Three of Swords was reversed so its at position one, the past, card number one, The Eight of Swords is the present'� it makes sense'� which means the future card would actually be card number two ''

'�The Five of Cups,'� Anet said.

'�Exactly.'� Kea looked at Anet. 'Loss, Bereavement, Regret'� This card is the ultimate sign of loss, and..." She sighed, "I'm afraid I don't know how to interpret that.'�

Anet grimaced and dropped her head in her hands. 'I don't know what else I could possibly loose that would be the equivalent of what I've already lost, Kea ' Asherya meant the world to me.'�

'�I know, unless'�'� Kea paused.

'�Unless what?'�

'�Unless Asherya's not really dead.'�

Anet shook her head. 'That's impossible, I saw it happen, I saw it.'�

'�Did you?'� Kea questioned. 'Is it possible that you were mistaken, Anet?'�

Anet looked bewildered, 'That's not possible. Kea, you don't mean to say'�'�

'�There's only one way to know for sure,'� Kea said.

'�Kea,'� Anet still shook her head; she put a hand on her necklace, 'Jesus you can't be seriously suggesting a ''

'�A conjure?'� Kea finished.

'That's exactly what I'm suggesting.'�

Want to comment on this Short Stories? Sign up to Edit Red and you will be able to comment on Short Stories and get access to: Upload your own stories and poems, get readers and their feedback, promote your work...