A Message from the Tarot Cards

By Edwina Orth

Sixty-?ve-year-old Ella Beesom is in the hospital after a mysterious fall and a mild strokeand though previously wealthy, she is now strangely broke. Concerned for her aunt and confused about her ?nancial quandary, Nina Stafford books a flight to Asheville, North Carolina. Once there, the ?nancial haze settles into a fog as Nina cant seem to understand what happened to her ailing aunt.

Family friend and ?nancial advisor Gordon Wilson steps in to help, but he knows no more than Nina. Desperate for answers, they agree to hire private investigator, Travis McConnell. Travis is only too happy to help when he meets beautiful, charming Nina, and they cant help but fall into a romance. In the midst of their newly blossoming relationship, Nina and Travis stumble upon a clue that points to a local psychic named Francesca.

Aunt Ella visited the tarot card reader, and Nina has a feeling Francesca is somehow involved with her aunts missing money. Will the psychic see Ninas suspicions in the cards? As the mystery mounts, Nina may have no one to depend on but herself. Surrounded by mysticism, its hard to see clearly but Nina must ?gure out what happened to Ella, in order to save her family and possibly herself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 21, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462025794

Edwina Orth

Edwina Orth attended Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. She is the mother of four adult children, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Still young at heart, she is an avid reader who now finds joy in writing stories of adventure and romance. Edwina resides in Burlington, Vermont.

Book preview

Chapter One

Ella sat in the chair by the kitchen window that looked out over the gardens. She wasn’t aware of the weak sun warming the budding trees and the red tulips. Her gray hair was slightly mussed, and her wrinkled face had a pale, grayish tinge from too many sleepless nights. She recalled the nightmare that had begun several months ago. Gone, she thought, all gone.

The call had come late one night. She had just begun drifting to sleep when the sharp peel startled her. The voice over the phone had been cold—a deep, hard voice with a slight accent. The man had sounded dangerous, and she shivered.

Mrs. Beesom, I know how your husband died. Yes, you haven’t been truthful, have you? I know, sneaky old bitch that you are, you conveniently gave him an overdose. If you don’t want the police to know, you’d better do what I tell you. It could make interesting headlines, and a few years in prison would be the least that could happen. Follow my advice, and it will be our little secret.

After a long pause, he continued, You get thirty thousand dollars and put it in an envelope. There is a large statue, made of marble, with a vase of flowers beside it on plot number ninety at the Pine Wood Cemetery. Put the envelope in back of the vase. Don’t fuck up. If you go to the police, I’ll know, and you won’t have a chance in hell after that.

She had been so frightened that she had gone to the bank the next day. Getting the cash hadn’t been easy, especially as she wanted the money all in one thousand dollar bills.

Her hands gripped the wheel and her whole body trembled as she drove that day to the cemetery. The statue was easy to find, and she left the envelope hidden there. Cold fear clutched her heart as she felt she was being watched.

That was only the beginning. Two weeks later, a late-night call woke her, and the same voice made her gasp. He ordered her to bring fifty thousand dollars to the same cemetery. The envelope was to be placed under a vase of red flowers close to the first stone statue.

Bewildered, she stammered into the phone, I put that money in a CD for my living expenses. I need that money to pay for my care if I get sick. Please, I need that money.

Tough. You get that money or else!

Again, Ella did as she was told. Another later demand had wiped out all of her resources. The call, asking for sixty thousand more, had shaken her to the core. Where would she get that much money? She finally decided she’d have to take out a mortgage on her condo. This had taken several days, and each night a call had come, warning her with a threatening voice. Don’t play games with me, lady.

Finally, believing the voice must be satisfied now, she tried to think of a future without money for her expenses. She had kept everything hidden from her family friend, Gordon, and her niece, Nina. She knew it was impossible to keep quiet any longer.

Now they were back. A call last night had demanded a final payment of one thousand dollars. When she had said she had no more CDs or money to give them, there was a gruff reply: You can sell some of those antiques and paintings you have. I don’t care how you do it, just get it. Then a new place in the cemetery was given for this so-called last gift.

Ella sat there and tried to remember the night her husband, Sidney, had died. She had been so exhausted. She had been caring for him for so long. Now she couldn’t recall the events just before he’d died. Why was that night so hazy? Was she really guilty of what the man had said? What had she done? Her head reeled. She couldn’t focus on those last five or six days before Sidney had died.

Soon Gordon would ask to see the monthly review of her finances. He’d discover that all of the certificates of deposit were cashed in and learn about the mortgage too. How could she tell him what she had done? He had always been good to her and managed her finances so that she was secure.

Also Nina, her niece, called at least once a month to say hello. She’d soon know of her loss. Dear God, she thought, why have I given in to those thugs?

After going over it all again and again, Ella came to a painful decision. Tomorrow morning, rain, or shine, she’d go to the sheriff’s office. She would tell them everything—everything she could remember. Then perhaps they could find the men who had fleeced her of all her savings. Oh, how her head ached. She cradled her head on her arms. With a weary sigh she closed her eyes.

Tomorrow, she thought, I’ll go early tomorrow.

Chapter Two

Nina saw clouds off in the distance reflecting the rays of the rising sun. The fasten-seatbelts sign was on, and the airplane banked slowly as it approached the Asheville, North Carolina, airport. Nina tried to concentrate on her plans for this visit.

Yesterday, Gordon had called and told her about her aunt Ella’s fall. He didn’t know what had happened, but Ella was in the hospital with some broken bones and a stroke. He was there now and urged her to come as quickly as possible.

Nina had always been close to her aunt and had kept in touch with phone calls and visits. Now Nina was filled with anxiety. She not only was worried about her aunt, but her fiancé, George, had blown his top when she told him she wanted to go to Asheville.

What do you mean, you have to go and see her? We have plans for this weekend, and I am not going to go to this special dinner with my boss alone! You know how important it is now to appear involved in all aspects of the business. My status has been climbing, and this won’t help me with my partnership offer. I have worked for too long to let you and your aunt’s problems keep me back. So don’t plan on going, you hear?

Nina recalled her shock and dismay. She and George had had arguments before, but not like this. The thought also surfaced that it was always she who had given in—until now.

Nina had balled her fists and yelled, I am going! This time it is important to me! My aunt needs me and is alone in that hospital. How can you think I’d just turn my back? Is your damned job more important to you than my love for my aunt and my feelings? I have family obligations here, and I love my Aunt Ella. If you go alone, the world won’t end. I’m certain it will be okay if you explain my situation to your boss.

George turned so red she thought he’d explode. The door slamming as he left her apartment said it all, and Nina cried as she packed her bags for the trip. How could he be so unfeeling?

At the airport, Nina got a rental car and drove to the hospital. Her aunt was asleep, but woke up to give her a weak smile. After assuring herself that her aunt was in no immediate danger, she decided that tomorrow would be better for a longer visit. Nina asked the nurse for the key to her aunt’s apartment, receiving it after explaining her relationship.

Aunt Ella lived just outside of Asheville in a complex of attractive condos. Nina was soon putting her tired head on a soft pillow. Her last thought was that she should have called George to let him know she had arrived. Somehow that didn’t seem like a good idea. Let her autocratic George stew a little. He wasn’t really concerned about her or her feelings. He’d been so cold when she explained her aunt’s plight. His feelings were the only important ones, or so he thought.

*     *     *

Gordon came to the condo for coffee the next morning, holding a bag of honey-nut buns. She had not seen him for several years, and he still looked handsome and fit. He had medium brown hair and dark eyes.

After a hug, he gave Nina a complete rundown on the events that he knew. It was a mystery that he could not resolve. Had she fallen, or had she been pushed down the steps in mid-city? Gordon then told her of the empty bank account, the cashed-in CDs, and the mortgage on the condo.

Speechless, Nina tried to make sense of it all. Somehow, Aunt Ella had lost all of her money. How? Why? Her eyes brimmed with tears as she thought of all the happy times Aunt Ella had shared with her. There were Christmases, birthdays, and times when her aunt had just been there to talk to. Now Aunt Ella needed her, and so did Gordon. Somehow they had to find out what had gone so wrong. Nina and Gordon decided to not only care for Aunt Ella and help her get well again, but if possible, find out what had happened to her money. Nina thought of a plan to at least find out what her aunt had done in the weeks before her stroke. She hoped she was not going down a dead-end road, but she had to try something.

Aunt Ella, her father’s sister, was a dear lady. At seventy-five years of age, she was spry and articulate. She lived alone in this condo since Uncle Sidney had died. All had been well until Gordon had called Nina with the details of her aunt’s accident. Aunt Ella was unable to speak, so couldn’t tell anyone what happened. There were too many unanswered questions. Had her fall been an accident? Nina shuddered. It was horrible to think about, but something was very wrong.

*     *     *

An early, weak March sun struggled to brighten the day, but Nina was so worried she barely noticed. She went over again what she had learned. Gordon told her an incredible story. He had been managing Aunt Ella’s affairs since her husband had died a year ago. Having known Aunt Ella and Uncle Sidney since he was a child, he always had their complete trust. When he learned of Aunt Ella’s accident, he rushed here to help straighten out her finances and give her support.

Gordon explained what he knew so far. "Aunt Ella fell down the stairs outside of an office building. I don’t know why she went there, but evidently, she was intending to visit one of the offices inside. First I took care of some things at the hospital. Later, when I went over her accounts, I found that she had very little money left. Good God, where had the money gone? Why had she cashed in the two certificates of deposit without telling me? Aunt Ella has always trusted me and always consulted me on every financial decision. She has followed my advice without question. I’m positive that something’s out of sync here. There’s something terribly wrong.

"So I began by asking Aunt Ella’s friends, Mary Alice and Dorothy, if they knew of any unusual events recently in Ella’s life. The only comment that they both made was that her behavior since going to a psychic reader had seemed odd.

"Dorothy, her nearest neighbor remarked that she seemed very nervous.

"Mary Alice offered that she seemed to cry easily and was not eating well.

They did not know the name of the lady Ella had gone to see but said that, some time ago, an ad in a newspaper had caught Ella’s attention. She then began to visit at least once a week for what she called ‘a reading.’

When Nina found out about the visits to a psychic reader, she said, I’ll do all I can to help, Gordon. I can look at her appointment books, letters, and anything else I can find. We have to do something since she can’t speak.

While searching through her aunt’s desk, Nina found a clipping of an ad in a six month-old newspaper that said, Madame Zuervey reader of cards, teller of fortunes. In bold letters underneath was: Your future is in your hands.

Desperate to find answers, Nina decided to at least talk to this Madame Zuervey. She would pretend to need help, she decided. I hope she is still at this number. With trembling fingers she dialed. She held her breath as it rang several times.

A woman’s hesitant voice answered the phone. Francesca speaking.

May I speak with Madame Zuervey, please?

There was a moment of silence, and then a soft voice said, I used to be called Madame Zuervey. Who are you, and how may I help you?

Nina quickly replied, My name is Nina Stafford, and you have never met me. By chance, I found an old newspaper ad for a psychic reader and felt drawn to call you. I think I just need someone to talk to—someone who understands people and their problems. I won’t expect a miracle, but according to your ad, you can help, and I don’t know where else to turn.

Nina recalled how important this was. When, after a moment’s hesitation, the woman set a date and time for a visit she almost sighed with relief.

I didn’t think people still went to see palm readers and fortunetellers. I guess if you’re desperate enough you’ll try anything. Was Aunt Ella that desperate and, if so, why?

*     *     *

When she arrived at the address at the scheduled time, Nina knocked on the heavy oak door.

It opened to a dimly lit hallway. A tall woman with a pleasant voice said, Come in and have a seat in the room on the left. I’ll be right there.

So here she was, on Thursday, just after lunch, nervously waiting to see Madame Zuervey to find out what she could about the woman and her psychic activities.

She inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. She then relaxed her shoulders and her back muscles.

She looked around the room again. On the right was an old pine table. It held an assortment of interesting items—a round glass ball, a deck of cards in a tray, a red, black, and gold scarf, and a large book with a black leather binding. A round table with two chairs graced the center of the room. The table was covered with a