Chapter 10

Amy was worrying about Chris. He was so distant...he looked so unhappy. When they had come back from the hospital they had made plans. They had been happy. What had happened since to make him brood so?

Was it something she had done?

If only there was someone else around...If Sabrina came back from the hospital. If the sheriff at least dropped in...

She had resented his interrogations. But now that they were over, she missed having someone to talk to. George Brant knew how to listen. Maybe it was only to get more information out of her, but he paid attention to her, nevertheless.

When Barnabas knocked at her door the joy of having company was greater than either the memory of her fear the night he had attacked her, or her shame for the way she had treated him. She hung herself from his neck.

"Careful with that shoulder" Barnabas begged her. "It hurts."

She just hung there until he led her away from the door and made her sit on the sofa.

"I see that you are doing better."

"Yes, I am" she acknowledged with a sad smile "I'm still clean."

The still alarmed Barnabas. It would take very little for her to start shooting up again.

"What's the problem?"

"Problem?" She started to deny, but couldn't. "It's Chris. He stands there, not saying a word. I think he's mad at me. I think that he is sorry I moved back with him."

"No, Amy, it couldn't be that." He put his arm around her shoulders as she was beginning to sob.

"And if he does I deserve it. Why would anyone want me?"

"Amy, whatever problem he has, it has nothing to do with you."

"How can you know?"

"Believe me, I know it."

Amy sniffled, not sure whether to believe Barnabas or not

"You still reading the cards?" he asked, hoping that a change of conversation would cheer her up.

"No, not lately."

"Would you read them for me?"

There was a flicker of interest in her eyes. Then it disappeared.

"I am not very good at it...I was only playing with them." She seemed to revel on any proof of her own unworthiness.

"But you once read danger from crowds to me. And not long after Carolyn exposed me."

"That was a fluke and you know it. Sure, I can get the right cards But it is in interpreting them that I am weak. Interpretation is what matters."

"Well, practice makes perfect. Bring your deck and read it."

"You really think I can do a good job?"

"You only need to work at it."

This time the flicker of interest in Amy's eyes did not disappear. She brought her deck and laid out a ten card spread.

"Well, what do you think?" Barnabas asked.

"I...I don't know...You got too many powerful cards. Four Major Arcana cards: The High Priestess, the Empress, the Moon, and the Hanged Man. Two aces. The ace of Swords and the ace of Coins. Two Queens. Again Swords and Coins. the Knight of Cups. and only one "pip" card: the two of swords.

"And you think?"

"There may be very serious trouble ahead. Two of swords means strife. And Swords and Coins. Strife between political and economic power."

"Maggie and Carolyn? You think it might be connected to the factory I am trying to bring?"

"Might be. Only one cup. Cups symbolize love. But it is not enough in the face of the strife. There is only one of them, and lower in rank than the Queens. You got too many female cards, and too little male."

"Trouble with women?"

"The Major Arcana are female three to one. The Empress, the High Priestess, and the Moon. The only male is the Hanged Man. Even the best interpretation, the Initiate, makes it lower in rank than the High Priestess.."

"What do you make of it?" Suddenly Barnabas was interested. What had started as an intent to cheer Amy had turned into serious business.

"I...I'm not sure. You should ask Angelique...she'd know."

"Could she be the High Priestess?"

Amy said nothing and stared at the spread.

Barnabas diagrammed the spread on paper. "Here. Keep it and study it. If you come up with any idea about it, le me know. I will keep a copy, too."

Chris came into the house before they had finished putting the cards away.

"You believe in that?" Chris asked Barnabas, more to make conversation that out of real conviction..

"I have come to believe worse things."

"Maybe you are right." Chris said, without much interest..

Barnabas noticed how accurate Amy had been about Chris.

"Why are you here? Did you come just to have your cards read?"

"No. It is something else."

"So Iris told you." he said bitterly.

"Iris? What has she to do with this?"

"Don't play games with me."

"I had to tell you about the worms."

"What about them? You want to invest now?" there was a lack of interest in Chris' words.

"I come to warn you not to buy them. If you do, you'll find yourself without any buyers afterwards."

"You mean...it is a con game?"

"That's what I was told."

"Great! Real great!" Chris said with grim humor. "It seems that there isn't' a single thing I can do right. I mean, when I screw up, I screw up in style. Wonderful!"

"Chris..."

"What a huge joke my life has been! You remember when we met at the hospital? I was going to start making an honest living. I was going to patch up my marriage. So what do I do? I sink my money in a worm scam and I try to tear Sabrina's throat off."

Amy gave out a small strangled cry at those words.

Barnabas turned to her "you'd better leave" he told her.

"But..."

"I have a feeling that he will take it easier if you are not around."

Amy left the room.

"What happened?'

"You wouldn't understand."

"Yes, I would." Barnabas said quietly. "In fact, I know better than anyone what you are going through."

Chris shrugged."

"Tell me, Chris. I've felt many times the way you do now. I know what it is like."

"Yes, I guess you would."

"Now, what happened with the wolf?"

"I don't know. It would depend..."

"On what?"

"On what happened just before. Were you fighting?"

Chris's eyes narrowed "Are you sure you didn't talk with Iris?"

"I didn't"

"You came here just for the worm farm?"

"Yes."

"Then why do you sound like her?"

"Maybe because she's right."

"I wish I could believe it." Chris dropped his shoulders. "I know she meant well. I know that all of you meant well.. But following all that advice didn't do much good. I ended up married to a shrew, in a job that I couldn't do. I was told that all I had to do is be a front and enjoy the money. I did it all because I was told it would help control the wolf. And now the wolf is out of control."

"Is it really?" The two of them wren fighting, weren't you?"

"So we were. I even belted her a couple of times."

Barnabas gasped, but then decided that it wasn't the time to lecture Chris on domestic violence.

"And you blame your curse, of course." he couldn't restrain his irony." you could instead blame your poor judgment or your short temper. But a curse is so easy to put the blame on. I might as well blame my own curse for my attacking Amy when you broke my collarbone."

"It is different?"

"Is it? Do you know how many times I did the same thing? Do you know how many times I blamed my curse instead of admitting I had been stupid? And you know the worst? Everyone agreed with me. No one did me the favor of telling me that vampirism is no excuse for stupidity. So now I am going to do you that favor: Lycanthropy is no excuse for stupidity. And no excuse for wife beating."

"Wife beating?

"You hit Sabrina, didn't you?"

"She asked for it."

"That's what all of them say...Think of it. None of those men are cursed. And yet they still beat their wives."

"So what do you think I should do?" this time the defiance was mixed with eagerness "should Sabrina and I separate?"

"It seems the safest thing to do."

"Are you sure you didn't talk to Iris?"