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in the dark. "That should make you happy. Settle down, dear, have two or three children. You'll be
happy. I wanted ten, but Velda stole my beau right out from under my nose."
Destiny gaped at the two elderly women as they patted an empty lawn chair insistently. They clearly
expected her to join them. Not knowing how to decline graciously, she slid gingerly into the chair. She
was aware of Nicolae's amusement at her uncomfortable predicament. Aware of the warmth of his
laughter brushing her mind. Turning her attention to the two sisters, she determinedly ignored him,
wondering fleetingly how they could be so closely connected. How could he touch her mind when he had
not taken her blood?
Velda snorted, patting Destiny's arm. She didn't seem to notice Destiny wincing or drawing away. "Inez
was such a beauty. All the men wanted her. She wouldn't choose, you know. She liked having them
chase her. She's making up a story about my stealing her beau. I'm a true spinster. I never wanted a man
in my life, and she certainly didn't want ten babies! Did you, Inez? You wanted to sing in a bar."
"I did sing in a bar," Inez returned haughtily. She patted Destiny's knee, unaware that Destiny was
squirming to get out of reach. "I was a raving beauty, dear, not unlike you. But I had a real figure. I was
no stick like you girls now. And I had a voice like an angel. Didn't I, Sister?"
"An angel," Velda agreed solemnly. She leaned close to Destiny. "Don't look at me, dearie. Pretend
you're interested in the apartment over the dress shop there." She waved airly, so Destiny followed the
direction of her pointing finger. Immediately Velda lowered her voice to a conspirator's whisper. "We're
thinking of hiring a private eye. We've been discussing it. I think we need someone hard-boiled like Mike
Hammer, but Inez thinks an intellect like Perry Mason would be better. What do you think?"
Destiny gaped at her. She had no idea what or whom the sisters were referring to. "Why do you think
you need a private detective?" It was the only thing she could think of to say. She had no idea how she
had ended up sitting between these two eccentric women. The thought of two seventy-year-old women
needing a "hard-boiled" detective was laughable. Destiny had watched the women for the last few
months. They were open and honest and so much a part of the neighborhood, she couldn't imagine the
streets without them.
Velda looked around. Inez did the same. Simultaneously they hitched closer to Destiny. "There've been
strange goings-on around here."
Inez nodded solemnly. "That's right, Sister, you tell her. Listen to her, dear it's mojo. Bad, bad mojo."
Laughter bubbled up in Destiny's throat, but she blinked rapidly, battling to stay solemn. The two women
deserved respect. They were gossips, but they were sharp. Destiny settled back into her chair. "I'm
Destiny, by the way." She felt she owed them her name because they had spotted her on the streets often
enough to recognize her. If they could see her as she moved rapidly along the streets at night, they had
sharp eyes to go with their sharp minds. And more than that, they had restored a semblance of balance in
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her world. "Please do tell me."
"No one believes us, Sister," Inez cautioned. "They think we have bats in the belfry." She parted her
bright hair, and Destiny noticed that her nails matched the amazing shade of purple. So did her tennis
shoes. The laces were coiled and metallic purple.
"I doubt that," Destiny answered decisively. "You're very well respected by everyone. If you say
something is going on, it probably is. I'd have to hear some details, though, before determining what sort
of detective you'd need."
The sisters exchanged a long, satisfied look. It was Velda who took up the challenge. "It started a month
or so ago. We began to notice small things, but at first we didn't connect them."
Inez nodded wisely. "Small things, you know?" she echoed solemnly while her head glowed purple and
red from the odd lighting of the streetlamp.
Velda shushed her. "Sister, let me tell her."
"I was just verifying. An account must be verified or no one takes it seriously. Isn't that right, dear, don't
you want verification? Two eyewitnesses are better than one, don't you think?"
Destiny didn't know if she reached out or if Nicolae was already a shadow in her mind. Or maybe she
was a shadow in his. All she knew for certain was that she wanted to share with someone the
extraordinary relationship these two wonderful women had. They were everything she had always
wanted in a grandmother. They made her smile inside and lightened the burden she always carried.
She was pleased with Nicolae's reaction. Warmth flooded her, amusement, but not mocking laughter.
He saw the sisters the way she saw them. It was the first time she could remember sharing something fun,
lighthearted, a connection of warmth rather than pain and degradation. She knew that the moment would
be etched in her memory forever.
Destiny took in every detail of the two women their open, honest faces, their eccentric hair and attire.
Even the green-and-white striped lawn chairs. The way the wind was riffling the leaves in the bushes and
blowing small bits of dust and debris along the streets. This was as close to happiness as she had ever
come.
"Destiny?" Inez prompted. "Velda's right about this. She has the second sight, you know."
"Do you, Velda?" Destiny asked curiously. She had never run across another person who had special
gifts.
Velda nodded sagely. "I know things about people," she whispered. "That's how I can match people up.
And that's why I know something's wrong." The whisper was dramatic, the voice theatrical. Destiny
automatically scanned the minds of the two sisters, even though she knew it was an invasion of privacy.
Velda was worried and so was her sister. They believed something had crept into their neighborhood,
but no one would listen to them. They fully expected Destiny to laugh at them.
"I know things about people, too," she admitted, seeking to reassure the sisters. "It can be frightening to
have information and not know how to convey it so that others listen. Please tell me what you've
observed, Velda."
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Velda patted her arm. Inez patted her knee. Neither seemed to notice that she squirmed uncomfortably,
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