Unlucky Charms by Linda O. Johnston

although I hadn’t mentioned his reaction. I did now—but all I could say was that he’d been interested and promised to look into the situation.
    â€œHave you heard anything from him yet?”
    I shook my head.
    â€œWell, then?” She put an imaginary phone up to her ear.
    I shrugged and pulled my real one from my pocket, pressed in his number, and held it up to my own ear.
    He answered immediately, a surprise at this time of day when he was usually so busy with chief-of-police kinds of things. But I wasn’t surprised that he essentially said hi and bye. The real reason he’d taken the time to answer, though, I figured, was that he added, “That matter I said I’d look into? So far, no one has located the person we discussed.”
    I heard what he wasn’t saying. He wanted to know if I had any idea where to find Flora.
    I didn’t. “Sorry,” I said, “but if I get any information I’ll tell you right away.” After hanging up, I related that bit of conversation to Gemma.
    â€œInteresting,” she said. “I’d imagine they checked her apartment and the real estate company she’s working for here.”
    â€œProbably.”
    Just then Pluckie rose and gave a little woof from beside me. I half expected that my lucky dog had understood what I was saying, and I looked up quickly to see if Flora had joined us here.
    Instead, it was a couple of tourists with an inquisitive Malamute who’d just come onto the patio. The other dog had also spotted Pluckie, and they were having a canine communication session of sorts, both standing their ground and wagging their tails.
    I handed Gemma Pluckie’s leash, dug into my purse for one of the promotional brochures I always carried, and approached the couple. I donned my tourist-welcoming demeanor, handed them the flyer, and told them to come visit the Lucky Dog Boutique with their beautiful companion, whom I patted softly on the head between his erect ears.
    It dawned on me then. Tourists? Welcoming? “And by the way, in case you haven’t heard, there’s a wonderful Destiny Welcome program planned this evening at the Break-a-Leg Theater. Hope to see you there.”

    I had attended a lot of Welcomes, although not every one of them. My happiest times at the theater occurred whenever I gave a “Black Dogs and Black Cats” program about pets and superstitions.
    And at my last talk, when I’d been able to show off samples of the new dog toys I’d designed.
    The ones that had been stolen.
    But I wouldn’t think about that now. Or at least, I wouldn’t focus on it. And I certainly wouldn’t discuss it here, just in case it really would be bad luck.
    Townsfolk were encouraged to attend the Welcomes, along with our visitors, to show how committed we all were to Destiny—and to its superstitions. Even those of us who remained skeptical about the real effects of superstitions were willing to encourage more tourists to visit by showing how much we liked our town and its quirkiness.
    Besides, rumor had it that it was good luck to attend a Welcome. And given what I’d been told in the last couple of days, I could have used some good luck.
    Gemma and I, and Stuart Chanick, who’d arrived in Destiny that afternoon, were just entering through the wide doors at the front of the charming, old-style theater, admiring the building’s golden Art Deco façade and rounded arches. We weren’t the only ones. A large crowd containing some familiar faces, and some that belonged to tourists, was lined up and starting to move inside. The noise of many conversations filled the air around us.
    Millie arrived, pushing Martha in her wheelchair, as was their usual routine. I really liked Millie and her attention to her boss and friend. Like Justin, Millie had helped to convince me to stay in Destiny to help Martha.
    I didn’t know if Arlen would come to the show tonight. He