Karma's a Killer Read Free

opened, but she didn’t respond, at least not at first. After several long, tense moments, she shook her head, almost sadly. “I’m sorry, Raven, but this has gone far enough. Eduardo talked me into coming on this ill-conceived road trip, but we never agreed to violence. I’m out.” She turned and started walking away. “We both are.”
    â€œI wouldn’t be so sure about Eduardo.”
    Dharma froze. Her entire body stiffened. When she slowly turned around, her expression was tight, as if her thinned lips and hardened eyes had been carved out of stone.
    Raven’s lips lifted in a cruel-looking grin. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the paddleboats. “Sweetheart, you can leave any time. The sooner the better. I never wanted you here to begin with. But trust me, Eduardo’s not going anywhere. By the time I get through with him, he’ll be finished with you, too.”
    The older woman exploded.
    She howled and shoved Raven into the boats, using significantly more force than I would have expected from someone ideologically opposed to violence. Raven’s face hit the edge and she fell, splitting open her lower lip. Picket signs scattered in every direction.
    Dharma scooped up a sign, snapped its wooden handle in two, and waved the jagged edges at her friend.
    â€œI’m warning you—leave Eduardo alone, or you’ll be the one who burns.” She jabbed the wooden stake at Raven’s chest for emphasis. “In hell.”
    Raven’s response seemed more amused than frightened. She licked the blood from her lower lip, stood, and slowly clapped.
    â€œWell done, Dharma. Well done. We’ll make an anarchist out of you yet.”
    Dharma gaped at her hands, as if surprised to see them grasping a weapon. A strangled cry escaped from her throat. She took two large steps back, threw the broken sign to the ground, and stumbled away, sobbing. A moment later, she disappeared into the crowd.
    Raven mumbled several words I couldn’t decipher, gathered the rest of her signs, and sauntered off in the opposite direction. I lost sight of her midway through the parking lot.
    I stared after her, torn. Whatever Raven was up to, it couldn’t be good. Part of me wanted to stop her. But how, exactly, was I supposed to do that? Commandeer her picket signs? Tie her to a bicycle rack with my shoelaces? Yell the word “cat” and hope the dogs took care of the rest? I considered trying to find one of Green Lake’s bicycle patrol officers, but what could the police do? The fight was already over, and picketing, though disruptive, wasn’t illegal.
    A confident female voice called out over the loudspeaker. “Dog walkers, welcome to Paws Around Green Lake, DogMa’s first annual furry 5K fun walk. Pick up your leashes and gather your treat pouches. Let the walk begin!”
    I glanced at my watch. Ten o’clock. I should have opened my booth an hour ago.
    The crowd’s human-canine duos trickled toward the trail and started jogging, walking, sniffing, and marking their way around the lake. If the women I’d witnessed were still planning to protest, they’d likely do it during the post-walk celebration. I had plenty of time to find Michael and help him plan for the threat.
    I hoped.

Two
    I looked for Michael at the registration desk, but he’d already left, likely searching for me. A smiling, braces-wearing teenager handed me a printout of the day’s schedule, confirmed that the roped-off area had been set aside for the class I’d teach later, and pointed me toward Serenity Yoga’s booth.
    Now that the walk was underway, the field was gloriously empty; the path to my lonely, tented table completely clear. I hesitated, tugged by conflicting priorities. A savvy business person would have set up her booth hours ago. On the other hand, I was already late, and I was eager to see my friend Dale. What difference would another