Read Online 18 Deader Homes and Gardens by Joan Hess - Free Book Online

Saraswati,” she said. “Who are you?”
    “Just one of the minor Litha deities. I thought I’d come by early and examine the site of the bonfire. Last year the Wiccans in Omaha almost burned down an apartment complex.”
    Her pale blue eyes narrowed. “Are you looking for the nursery? It’s a wholesale operation, so you can’t buy anything except during the annual sale.” Fine wrinkles around her eyes put her in her midthirties, although she probably fancied herself to be an innocent maiden. All she was missing was flowers in her hair.
    In that she would be a neighbor of sorts, I got out of the car and said, “I’m Claire Malloy. My husband and I are hoping to buy Winston’s house.”
    “Oh, really? Does the family know it’s for sale?”
    “I doubt it. It’s a lovely house, isn’t it?”
    She tilted her head and stared at me. “The redness of your aura tells me that you are filled with strength, blending into the yellowness of optimism and enthusiasm. I also see a tinge of orange that indicates vanity. You may be a daunting combatant, Claire, but you must beware. Your aura is in danger of shifting into a fiery red that connotes raw passion and ruthlessness.”
    “Works for me,” I said, politely overlooking the reference to vanity. I take pride in my modest, unassuming nature. I make it a point never to undermine Peter’s masculinity by asserting that I am quite capable of carrying out the trash on a cold night.
    Pandora tried a soaring leap that sent her into an oak sapling. She spit out a leaf and said, “Some days my aura is so light I can levitate, but today I am bathed in blue and green. I feel peaceful and nurturing, as well as spiritual. I should go into the woods and listen to the whispers of nature, but I shall wait until dusk. Would you like to come to my house for tea?”
    It seemed like as good a plan as any, and she might have information about Terry Kennedy. I parked at the edge of the road, and we walked down her overgrown driveway to what would have been an elegant house had it not been painted in hues of purple and lavender. What would have been an ordinary yard was a maze of vegetable and herb gardens. Two small children were digging a hole; one wore shorts, and the other was naked. Their long, tangled blond hair and crouched poses hid their gender.
    “Rainbow and Weevil,” Pandora said proudly. “We encourage them to explore their environment without parental restraints. They often sleep outside, but they do appear when they’re hungry.” She clapped her hands to get their attention. “Come meet our new neighbor! She’s a goddess of Litha.”
    Unimpressed by my rank, the naked child squatted over the hole while the other watched. After the hole was fertilized, they scampered into the woods. Pandora and I listened to their shrieks until they faded. I regret to say the image lingered in my mind. Had Caron been there, she would have locked herself in the car.
    “I don’t want to interrupt them,” I said sincerely. I didn’t want to go inside the purple house, either, since it was likely to reek of patchouli oil (Pandora did). Besides, if Rainbow and Weevil were as casual about body functions inside as they were outside, I wanted more than candlelight before I put my foot down. I sat down on a primitive wooden bench. “I just found out about Winston yesterday. It must have been stressful for the family.”
    “It was,” Pandora said as she sat down beside me. “Ethan was so nervous while the police were here. He was convinced that they would demand to search the greenhouses for marijuana.”
    “Would they have found some?”
    “You haven’t met Charles, have you? He’d go ballistic if there was a single pot plant within a mile of the greenhouses. The workmen don’t dare smoke cigarettes when he’s there. Jordan was so disappointed that I had to dose her with my special green tea with ginseng, herbs, and lemongrass. Would you like some?”
    “Why was Ethan