Chapter 12

"If it's not one of theirs ... whose is it?" Seph wondered.

"They don't have a clue," Violet said, "they don't even know how it works."

"Do you?" He asked.

"Nope."

"How do you know it's a Timepiece?"

"What else could a 78 thousand dollar Audemars Piguet's LatLon in platinum watch be that was found in a box in a locked chest in a locked trunk that hasn't been opened in more than 20 years taken from a house that's been in probate for fifteen. And another thing ... Piguet isn't going to make that watch for four years."

"Must be a time traveler. Hold on ... four years?"

"Yeah ... it's dated on the inside."... "Before you say it ... I timed it with my watch and saw Piguet's make it ... four years from when I checked."

"Well ... if you say so."

The conversation with Violet was ongoing ... had been ongoing for three days after Ed and Seph drove home from Pentwater. Violet was in a foul mood and had been giving the Kaulocamloes the fits. Seasickness and Violet didn't get along.

The Kaulocamloes greeted Seph and Ed with the information that "the 'ouse is hainted, and we h'aint putting up with a second more." "What's more," they said, "we'uns have to go Alamabamaladingdong to collect on that there ticket you'uns sent 'cause that lottery taint sold hereabouts."

Ed looked at Seph, she looked at Ed ... a lightbulb moment ... and Ed said, "We'll fly you down," looking straight at the fortuneteller. "You're the one that started this mess..."

"Did you really give away a billion dollars?" Miss Fortune Kaulocamloes asked.

"No ... but close ... short by 95 million."

"Who Boy Howdy ... that's a bunch." She was pensive a bit, "I don't suppose you'd like the numbers for the Mega Millions drawing for three months from Saturday?"

"NO!" Ed said.

"How much is it?" asked Persephone.

"Right now, it's only fifteen..." she said.

"How much will it be?"

"Three hundred twenty-seven million ... one winner if you buy a ticket. The drawing after that will be three hundred ninety-nine million and have 3 winners."

"How do you know these things?"

"Not a single clue."

"What about your regular fortunetelling ... for people who come to have their palms, tea leaves or tarot read?"

"There's always clues ... but women come to find true love, and men come to find money. You two HAVE true love so I thought I'd give you money ... I was as amazed as you that the numbers actually won. Not the last batch ... the first batch."

"Well ... they both worked."

"Yes, they did ... you know ... If I went out and bought a ticket with the numbers in my head ... I'd lose. I think the gods knew in advance what you were going to do with THE BIG WON. I'll be willing to bet it would have been different numbers if you'd planned on keeping it all."

"Even giving your family half of the first batch was something we knew we were going to do when we won. When ... not if.

"Not to change the subject ... what's all this about a ghost."

"It's a she ... long black hair, black eyes, short and muttering in strange tongues. She spends a lot of time vomiting ... and she walks funny ... like she can't find her balance."

"VIOLET!!" Seph called her.

The gypsies hadn't had a formal introduction to Violet. They'd just been introduced by way of screaming from their kids as they performed their ghostly chores. It really was the only way Violet was recovering from the gale weather on the boat.

Violet appeared.

"That's her!!" screamed the girls.

Remember the candy commercial with the M&M's and Santa?

"He does exist," and the candy faints.

"They do exist," and Santa faints.

Exactly!