Bonefire of the Vanities Read Free Page A

Mariam, drowned when she was about ten. The drowning was ruled an accident, but Marjorie believes her son, Chasley, killed his sister. Marjorie and Chasley’s relationship is worse than strained. They hate each other, I think. Marjorie wants to communicate with the spirit of her dead daughter and ask if Chasley killed her. This could get really ugly, Sarah Booth, especially if my suspicions are correct and this Sherry is manipulating Marjorie for her money. Marjorie is seriously depressed. I’m worried she’ll harm herself.”
    “You think she’ll take her own life?”
    “I’m worried. The Heart’s Desire organization may not be illegal, but it’s immoral. Using grief to manipulate is just wrong. In Marjorie’s case, it could have deadly consequences.”
    I had to agree. “You’re sure Marjorie is hooked by this scam?”
    “I know for a fact. She’s already gone, and she left her cat, Pluto, for me to keep while she’s at Heart’s Desire. Sarah Booth, I don’t think she ever intends to leave. At least not alive.”
    “You’re being a little melodramatic, Tammy.”
    She hesitated for a split second. “Marjorie left her will with me, too. Pluto inherits everything.”
    “The cat?”
    She nodded. “Her son, Chasley, will be very, very angry.”
    “I gather Chasley and the cat are not … friendly?”
    “An understatement. And when he finds out the cat is the sole heir, he’ll do everything in his power to kill it.”
    I wondered if Tammy was exaggerating, but one look at her face told me no. She was genuinely upset. “This is a rich woman’s troubles, and yet you’re honestly scared for her.”
    “Marjorie is pampered and vain and all the rest, but there’s more to her. She has a good heart, and she’s been hurt. When her daughter died—” Tammy shook her head. “I can’t imagine, Sarah Booth. My daughter and grandchild are everything to me.”
    Tammy had certainly made sacrifices for Claire and little Dahlia. And god knew, Tammy had risked her life more than once to help me. “Okay, what do you want me to do?”
    “Find out about this organization. What are they really up to? They hint at a link to the ‘other side.’ It’s just plain crazy. I’ve tried to reach Marjorie on her cell phone, but there’s a new message on there saying she’s in deep mediation and is no longer taking calls from this plane . Like she’s gone to another dimension or something.”
    “You’re asking me to walk into a den of whackadoodles who think they’ll gain control of the world. You realize that, don’t you?”
    Tammy’s tension eased and a smile lit her face. “Lord, Sarah Booth, you’ll blend right in.”
    I had to laugh. “Where is this Heart’s Desire located?”
    “I’m not certain. Within driving distance. Marjorie dropped the cat off with me on her way there.”
    “She could have taken a private jet if it was a long distance.” I spoke aloud more to clarify my thoughts than anything else. Marjorie had the money to charter Air Force One if she really wanted it. She was worth billions.
    “She always travels by limo with a driver. She told the cat she wouldn’t be far away.”
    I flipped the letter and envelope around. “It says here to send a response to a post office box in New Orleans. I guess that’s where I’ll start.”
    “We don’t have a lot of time, Sarah Booth.”
    So now we were getting down to the gristle. “What’s so urgent, Madam Tomeeka?”
    “I had a dream last night. Mrs. Littlefield was being held in a white tower. Like a prisoner. Pluto, her cat, kept jumping in and out of windows and popping out of bushes. Except for the cat, everything was pure white, until a streak of bright red blood leaked out of Marjorie’s window. It scared me. I think someone means to hurt her.”
    “Sounds like if she is at that nutcase compound, she might be out of the reach of her son, Chasley.”
    Tammy wasn’t placated. “I have a bad feeling. Try to find her, and fast, Sarah