Horoscope: The Astrology Murders Read Free Page B

communicated with each other when they had to, but they were very separate, even when they were in the same place.
    Jeff’s photo was taken last spring, during his freshman year at USC. Kelly had gone to Los Angeles to visit him, and Jeff’s roommate had snapped a picture of her with Jeff. Jeff’s arm was around her, and he and Kelly were both laughing. Every time his roommate had gotten ready to snap a picture, Kelly had sneezed, and when she finally managed to stop, she and Jeff couldn’t stop laughing.
    Looking at her children, she felt a profound sense of longing.Julie was at UCLA now, close to Jeff at USC, but three thousand miles from Kelly. She missed them so deeply that at times she felt bereft, as if she would never see them again. She knew it was nonsense, of course. She had encouraged them to go; she wanted them to have their own lives. She wanted them to be free of burdens, most of all any sense that she was a burden. She would never tell them how she felt, because she knew it was irrational. Gazing at their photos, she realized that not only did she miss them, she also missed the sense of freedom she had felt at the time when the photographs were taken.
    Despite missing them, she was aware that she was a very fortunate person, and she was grateful for it. She felt grateful for her home and grateful that she worked at home. In fact, she didn’t know what she would do if she had to work somewhere else.

    Emma was at the kitchen stove when she heard Kelly’s footsteps and King’s loud tromping on the staircase. She was sixty-eight, generous, and oversized in every way: large boned, ample bodied, with a heart almost as big as her broad chest. She had come to New York from Ireland when she was nineteen to work as a housekeeper for Kelly’s grandmother, who had been confined to a wheelchair. Growing up, Emma had helped take care of her eleven younger siblings, and by the time she was nineteen, taking care of people was second nature to her, as it still was. As she often did lately, Emma felt relieved knowing that Kelly was out of bed, ready to start her day. Things might not be as they should be, but at least in some ways Kelly was going about her routine.
    Kelly walked into the kitchen, accompanied by King and Meow. She’d pinned her hair back with two barrettes and waswearing the green blouse she’d found in a thrift shop, her long black skirt, and an enameled necklace from India. Emma thought she looked lovely.
    “Good morning,” Kelly said on the way to the cabinet over the sink to get her coffee cup.
    Emma looked at King and Meow. “I see you brought the army.” She addressed them directly now: “Don’t fret, you two. I’ve got breakfast all prepared.”
    While Kelly poured herself a cup of coffee, Emma took the pets’ bowls of food from the counter and placed them on the floor. King and Meow immediately began eating, slurping their food and chewing it noisily.
    “Look at them!” Emma complained good-naturedly. “They eat like animals!”
    “They can’t help it,” Kelly said, spooning the oatmeal Emma had made into a bowl. “They’re Tauruses. You know how much Tauruses love their food.”
    “I know how much
these
Tauruses love their food. You may think they’re a dog and a cat, but they’re both pigs!”
    Kelly laughed, poured milk into her oatmeal and brought it with her coffee to the oak table that dominated the kitchen. She had just begun to eat when her assistant, Sarah, appeared in the doorway with a fretting look on her pretty face.
    “You’ve got only fifteen minutes,” Sarah said, her eyes on the wall clock, its hands indicating that it was 8:45. “Your first client is coming at nine, and after that you’ve got a full day.” Without waiting for a response, she started back toward her office.
    “Good morning!” Kelly called after her.
    “Good morning to you, too!” Sarah called from the hallway. “Hurry up!”
    “Looks like I’m going to have to eat fast, too,”