Who Killed Tracy Lynn Kirkpatrick

On March 15, 1989, seventeen year old Tracy Kirkpatrick was found stabbed to death at her Frederick, Maryland part time job at a shopping center. My question for the cards is "who killed Tracy, and will there be justice?"

The first two cards here are Temperance, crossed by the two of swords. This shows that there was a harmonious partnership and combination in Tracy's life, and the two of swords is a card of temporary truces and stalemates, so this would hardly fit in with the scenario of harmony! Unless....someone was quietly waiting for mishaps or relationship problems, in order to influence Tracy's decisions. This gives us a basic backdrop, of sorts, for exchange that led to the murder.

We find the five of cups beneath this. This is rejection and disappointment, with the rejected party failing to look at anything else. It is also cited here as a motive. The next card is the Moon, which is mystery, betrayal, deceit, and actions carried out under the cover of darkness, both literal and figurative. The ace of swords follows of the heels of the Moon, and it describes force, lots of force, both in love and hatred. This card often appears in readings about subjects who have been stabbed. Following this, we have the Hierophant. The Hierophant is the card of the conformist, and here, I think we are being told that the murderer is someone who can conform very well, and pretend to be an upstanding member of society. He has the "cover" of social approval, and over twenty-six years, has not had one worry about accountability. Not one. 

The state of the investigation right now is described by the Fool, the card of beginnings. This gives us all an idea of where the investigation of Tracy Kirkpatrick's murder actually sits. It has not actually taken any direction, toward any viable suspect, and this suspect is still at large. The card which is given to describe public opinion, and the surrounding details of investigators, themselves, is the eight of pentacles, reversed. This is no surprise. When the eight of pentacles falls reversed, it speaks of lackluster work done by lazy, untalented people. The seven of swords reversed in the place of hopes shows us a snapshot of Tracy's community hoping that someone competent will one day start the process for justice in this case. The last card is the eight of cups, showing that justice will be delayed indefinitely unless the community gives the police in Maryland a lot of pressure to make an arrest.

Honing In On Brian Patrick Miller

The question of how to find Brian Miller was posed to me, and he still has not been found, seen or heard from, so I will put this question to the Tarot, and see if any new ideas result.

We start with Temperance, crossed by the four of pentacles in answer to the question of how Brian can be found. So it looks like we have the beginnings of a good mixture of investigative skills suddenly shut down, via information being withheld, for some reason. Beneath this is the ten of wands, reversed, which bespeaks duplicity. But is this on the part of law enforcement or a witness? The next card is the ace of pentacles. Somehow, this seems like a lead or a tip, when it appears in relation to this question. As a location, it refers to earth, and possibly a small flower garden. 

A distinct possibility here is described by the eight of pentacles, reversed, which tells me that we are looking at an unethical use of skills somewhere in the investigation, so that helps to answer the question concerning who would withhold information. This is followed by the seven of cups, which is delusions of grandeur, or lots of discussion about unrealistic possibilities. So a definite problem exists in the investigation. 

The Knight of Pentacles appears in the place of fears. There is some perceived reason for someone to be afraid of Brian being found. In the place of environment, we have the High Priestess, reversed, which is feminine influence and superficiality. Somewhere, connected to this case, is a woman who delivers half truths and gets away with evasiveness with law enforcement. Not enough is known about her connection to Brian's case to force her to testify. Also, as a location, the seven of cups and the High Priestess would indicate water. I would say water, pillars, palm trees, and perhaps a statue. The three of cups appears as a desire, which is obviously the desire to find Brian and have a happy ending to this story. It is also another water card, but this time, it's mundane location description is, once again, of a garden; possibly at an estate or a house where lavish parties have been thrown. The last card here is the Queen of Swords, letting us know that in order to cut to the chase, a court order will be required. This Queen represents legal or judicial authority; she may be a prosecutor or a judge. It may be a good idea to write a letter to whoever oversees the agency responsible for the investigation, or for Brian's family to contact their state representative, and get the ball rolling that way.