Read Online The Turtle Mound Murder by Mary Clay - Free Book Online

names, trying to divine their energy. A minute later her
eyelids fluttered and she pronounced, “Angelina.”
    That left me with Sally Ann or Illumina. As
Ruthie toddled off to her appointment, I stared at the names,
hoping to hear a voice, feel a tingle, something. I got absolutely
nothing. The reservationist started to fidget, and I felt like a
dense putz. Choose one, I told myself, it’s fifty-fifty. “Sally
Ann,” I blurted. Illumina sounded too much like a car.
    After our sessions we had lunch; checked out
several bookstores where Ruthie bought the book Cassadaga, The
South’s Oldest Spiritualist Community ; and took a walking tour
of the village. It wasn’t until we were in the car headed back to
the beach that we compared notes on our readings.
    “I’m going to get married again. A man with
light hair who’s involved in sports,” Penny Sue announced as she
sped down Route 44. “A true Prince Charming, Horace said.”
    “Who fits the bill?” I asked. “The Falcon or
the Brave?”
    “Neither. The Falcon’s bald; what little
hair he has, he shaves off. Jimmy, the Brave, has brown hair. I
think it’s Lyndon. Yachting’s a sport, isn’t it?”
    “Sure, they have races and stuff; it must be
considered a sport,” Ruthie replied.
    “How about we go to The Riverview for dinner
tonight?” Penny Sue said.
    “Not wasting any time, eh?”
    “Girl, I don’t intend to let Prince Charming
get away. What about you, Ruthie? How was your reading?”
    She was looking out the window and didn’t
answer immediately. I held my breath with anticipation. Ruthie had
been quiet all afternoon. I hoped the medium hadn’t given her bad
news.
    “Angelina said I was a born sensitive, and
my life purpose was to help people by becoming a medium myself. She
said I’d move to Cassadaga one day.”
    “I can see that,” Penny Sue said. “You’ve
always been interested in spiritual stuff.”
    “I guess.”
    Ruthie’s response was flat and lifeless.
Something was bothering her. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “I’d think
you’d be thrilled at the prospect of becoming a medium.”
    “Oh sure, it’s the move that bothers
me.”
    “Why is that a big deal?”
    “I’d never leave Poppa. Don’t you see, it
means Poppa’s going to die.” Her green eyes filled with tears.
    A black cloud descended on all of us. I
recovered first. “Your dad is eighty-four, Ruthie. You know he’s
going to go eventually. We all do … sometime.”
    Penny Sue jumped in. “And there is no death,
right? You told me that yourself when Momma passed. He’s simply
going to change form, drop his body. His spirit will live on.
Shoot, maybe J.T.’s going to be your guide when you become a
medium. You know how much he loves directing people, and that way
you’d actually listen.”
    Ruthie brightened. “I hadn’t thought of
that. Lord, he’d hound me to death.”
    I looked out the window, thinking. Sally Ann
told me I would be instrumental in getting a friend through a life
and death situation. Initially, I interpreted the comment to mean
the mess with Penny Sue and the murder. Now I wondered if she’d
been referring to Ruthie. I hoped not.
    “What did your medium say, Leigh?”
    I took a deep breath. “Oh, nothing much.” I
could see Penny Sue regarding me in the rearview mirror and knew
she wasn’t buying it. But Providence was on my side.
    Penny Sue didn’t wait for an answer.
“There’s a red pickup truck behind us. I think it’s the guy that
was fighting with Rick,” she exclaimed. “I recognize the spotlights
on the bumper.”
    Ruthie turned around to see. “Don’t look,
he’ll see you,” I hissed, then caught myself. Why did I care if he
saw us? Geez, I sounded like my mother. I turned around and looked
myself.
    “He could be the person who killed Rick,”
Ruthie said. “He had a motive: the fight.”
    “He hates turtles,” I added. “Remember the
bumper sticker? Rick’s body was found next to the