As he approached the gallows on the morning of Friday, April 13, 1923, Gull Mohammed’s step was light. He nodded and smiled at the spectators he passed on his final stroll up the 13 steps that would launch the convicted murderer into Eternity.
After moving to Destiny, California, to discover a bad luck connection with the death of her fiancé, Rory Chasen found herself surprisingly at home in the superstition-based town. Not only was she giving regular animal superstition lectures at the Break-a-Leg Theater, she was about to promote a new line of lucky pet toys she designed for the Lucky Dog Boutique.
Aurora “Rory” Chasen may not believe in superstitions but she’s familiar with obsessions. The death of her fiancé, Warren, sends Rory on a quest to validate or contradict the superstition that seemed to predict his fate. Rory’s path begins with a book recommended by her librarian/best friend and leads to a visit to the author’s residence in the superstition-themed town of Destiny.
When I was young, my family adopted a black kitten. We didn’t have it very long. As I recall, we thought at the time that some neighborhood children had kicked it. Whatever happened, the animal did not survive the experience. My father is a retired Kingsburg Police Lieutenant and heard stories of black cats being thrown into churches. He recalled one story in particular where a black cat had been thrown into someone’s back yard during a party, in order to elicit some negative reaction.
