The Madness of Mercury by Connie Di Marco Read Free Book Online Page B

be happy with my job. I make good money. But I just see it as a dead end.”
    “This will sound complicated, but it’s really fairly straightforward. The ruler of your sixth house—this is the house of the work you do on a daily basis—is placed in your ninth house of publicity. Your ninth house ruler, the Sun, is in your natal tenth house, close to your Midheaven. The tenth house is all about career and public standing. This is a very big issue for you. Frankly, I don’t think you’d be happy staying in sales, no matter how much money you made. What was your degree in?”
    Darlene laughed. “Communications … broadcasting.”
    “Well, there you have it. That’s perfect for the ninth house, not to mention travel and publicity. That’s what you should be doing. You’re young, you’re very attractive, well-spoken—why shouldn’t you be doing the evening news? Or if you’d rather work behind the scenes, perhaps you could do research for special broadcasts or documentaries or something along those lines?”
    “Julia, that’s so weird. When I was little, that’s what I used to play at. Being one of those women on TV who delivers the news. It seems silly now, but I remember thinking how confident they looked.”
    “Here’s my advice: don’t leave the city. It’s smaller than, say, New York or Los Angeles, so it might be easier to get a start here. Forget the boyfriend. You didn’t do anything wrong. Find a headhunter and start figuring out how those women got to do the news.”
    Darlene took a deep breath. “You’ve given me a lot of think about. And I do feel better than when I walked in. Thanks.”
    “You’re more than welcome. It’s been delightful for me too. I’m just sorry you had a scare this morning.”
    “Who were those people?”
    “I haven’t the foggiest. Obviously some kind of religious cult, but who’s behind it, I don’t know.”
    “What are you going to do about it?”
    “Not sure yet. But I’ll figure it out. Next time you see me, my home will be a place of peace and serenity.” I really had to check that Uranus transit as soon as possible. Here I was, doling out advice about the sense of home while mine was being turned upside down. How dire could this get?

S IX

    I WALKED D ARLENE TO the door at the back of the shop and waved to her as she climbed into her car. Inside the store, not a customer was in sight. The police were gone and Cheryl was at the counter ripping open boxes of books. I pulled up a stool and started working on the next box.
    “Thanks for today. Sorry I had to barge in unexpectedly.”
    “Not a problem. As you can see, we’re not exactly crowded.”
    A petite blond with tons of energy, Cheryl had stumbled into the Eye six months ago when she saw a Help Wanted sign in the window. She’d just left her cheating husband and hadn’t worked since college. When asked for a résumé, she burst into tears. Gale, for all her exterior toughness, is a true softie. She led Cheryl into the back room of the shop, made some coffee, and listed to her tale. Gale needed someone to manage the shop, and Cheryl needed friends and a new home. Gale hired her on the spot.
    “I’m just lucky my client was willing to meet me here,” I said. “She would have been perfectly justified in telling me to forget it. Were they here too?”
    Cheryl glanced at me sharply. “What do you mean, ‘too’?” Her voice rose a few octaves, as it always does when she’s upset or nervous. It makes her sound like she’s on helium.
    “They were at my apartment this morning, outside on the sidewalk marching around. That’s why I rushed here to meet my client.” I neglected to mention the choice threats that had been hurled at me. “What happened here?”
    Cheryl groaned. “Pretty much the same thing. They scared off my customers. I’m sure we have Reverend Roy and the Prophet’s Tabernacle to thank.”
    “Prophet’s Tabernacle? Why does that ring a bell?”
    “Don’t tell me you