Wicked Stitch by Amanda Lee Page B

fashion or beauty, perhaps,” she said.
    “I run an embroidery shop.”
    She smiled but continued looking at my hands. “Your emotions are more important to you than reason. You often go with your heart and not your head.”
    “Well, that’s true . . . although I
do
think I’m a reasonable person.”
    “We have only five minutes,” she said.
    In a nice way, she was telling me to hush and listen to what she was saying.
    “I see love in your life. You’ve been hurt in the past, but now you’ve found a love greater than the one you had before.” She glanced up for confirmation.
    I nodded.
    “You are a lucky woman. This love . . . this passion . . . runs deep. You also have a life filled with adventure.” Her brow furrowed. “Some good adventures . . . some not so good.” She straightened. “Be careful, child. I think maybe you tend to meddle where you have no business sometimes. That can be dangerous.”
    My eyes widened. “It’s—”
    Faux Angela raised her hand. “Shhh. Tell us nothing yet. Go to my sisters and see what they have to say first.”
    “All right.” This experience was starting to unnerve me and make me feel that my money could’ve been better spent on another ornate necklace or more essential oils.
    “Come on and have a seat,” said the woman who reminded me of Jessica Lange.
    I went over to her table. It was draped in blue and silver velvet. These women liked their velvet.
    Faux Jessica placed a deck of cards in front of me. “Shuffle those and then remove three from the deck. Put them facedown in front of me.”
    I did as she requested.
    She watched my eyes as she turned the firsttarot card over. The picture on the front was of a woman in clerical garb.
    “It’s the High Priestess,” she said. “This card signifies some mystery . . . and silence. The High Priestess is the guardian of secrets, so this card might mean that someone is trying desperately to keep something hidden.”
    She flipped over the second card. “Interesting.”
    There was a man on the card holding a wand.
    “It’s the Magician,” she said. “He represents communication . . . and sometimes trickery. You should be careful who you trust.”
    The final card was the Ten of Swords. It showed a man lying on his stomach with ten swords in his back.
    Well,
that
can’t be good
.
    I tried to read the expression on faux Jessica’s face, but it was unfathomable. I wouldn’t want to play poker with this woman . . . especially given the fact that every time I have a good hand, I squeal with delight. Fortunately, I only play with Ted.
    “The Ten of Swords is a card representing betrayal, overthinking, or mental defeat,” said faux Jessica. “It’s a sign of conflict. Given these three cards, I’d say . . . well . . .” She gave an elegant shrug. “If I were you, I’d watch my back.”
    I gulped. “Thanks.”
    “Oh, sweetie, don’t let those two freak you out!” called the Kathy Bates look-alike. “Come on over here and let me find your Life Path number.”
    “After all this good news, I can hardly wait,” Isaid, making my way to faux Kathy’s red-and-blue-velvet-draped table.
    She laughed. “Now, really, was what they told you all that bad? You’ve learned you have a good man who loves you—but you already knew that—and that you’ve got some mystery and conflict in your life. Let me see what I can come up with.”
    She asked me my birth date and promptly told me that my Life Path number was seven.
    “One of the things your Life Path number says about you is that you enjoy piecing together intellectual puzzles,” said faux Kathy.
    “Now tell us what’s weighing on your mind, child,” said faux Angela.
    “It’s the death of that woman in the merchants’ building yesterday,” I said. “I’m the one who found her. Isn’t there any way you guys can tell me who killed her?”
    Faux Jessica smiled. “I wish we could, but things are never that easy.”
    “I can tell