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lot, or a few very active ones. I’d seen them often, sometimes in potentially dangerous situations, and since I was an inveterate animal lover I had begun to worry about them. I was assured by locals, though, that they were fine, that they were being observed and cared for, although those assuring me seemed uncomfortable talking much about it.
    Besides, they told me, cats had nine lives.
    And although black cats might cause people bad luck by crossing their paths, their presence in Destiny was essential.
    So I wouldn’t bore those townsfolk and others who’d come here to listen to me before, I next started on the theme of today’s talk: dog and cat superstitions relating to weather.
    â€œI recently moved here from Los Angeles,” I said. “We tend to have fairly moderate weather, hot in summer, coolish and sometimes rainy in winter. I’ve asked around and done a little research, and I understand it’s the same here in Destiny, which isn’t too surprising considering how close it is to L.A., despite being a ways northwest. Other than drought, we may not be as concerned about bad weather conditions as people in other parts of the country, so the behavior of our dogs and cats that are omens of the weather to come may not be as significant—but it’s still interesting. And fun.”
    I began to describe some of what I’d learned, including a few of the harbingers of changes in weather, such as dogs scratching or acting sleepy, or cats scratching a table leg. If a cat sits with its back or tail toward a fireplace, bad weather is on the way. And if a cat licks its tail or cleans behind its ears, the weather’s about to turn rainy.
    Plus, if a cat sneezes, the rain’ll come soon. Although watch that cat. If it sneezes three times, that can mean either good luck—or that the people around it will get colds, which is definitely bad luck.
    Once again, I punctuated what I said with pictures I’d mostly found on the Internet on free-use websites, although I’d staged a few myself with the assistance of Millie and Jeri at the shop.
    There weren’t a lot more superstitions that I’d found, but I embellished these and provided some made-up for-instances, then basked in the laughter and applause of those who were listening.
    My programs weren’t meant to last the whole night, and after my other talks here at the theater Mayor Bevin had come up on stage, welcomed the crowd, and thrown in some superstitions of his own, often those involving his Irish heritage.
    This time, Public Affairs Director Lou Landorf joined the mayor, and they appeared to try to out-superstition each other. The audience seemed to eat it all up, which was fine with me.
    When they were done, I added my farewell, including a reminder. “I hope you enjoyed my presentation and that you keep your eyes open for lucky, or unlucky, dogs and cats. And if you have pets of your own, or your friends and family do, please be sure to stop in at the Lucky Dog Boutique to buy them presents to help ensure that the luck they share with you is all good.”
    I grinned at the applause, letting my gaze roam around the audience, mostly looking for Justin. I saw him nodding and smiling as he clapped.
    But then my gaze stopped on someone behind him: Frank Shorester, still seated and looking around.
    Had Gemma noticed him? Had he noticed her? I didn’t see her now in the crowd. People had begun leaving the auditorium. I scanned up and down the aisles. Even though I saw Martha in her wheelchair at the front, Millie at her side, I still missed seeing Gemma. Just as well, although my inability to place her didn’t mean she was already gone … or that Frank also wouldn’t see her.
    I made sure that the young theater employee, Phil, picked up the computer I’d used for my presentation after I removed my memory stick. Then, hefting Pluckie up and stuffing her under my arm, I hurried off the