Big Easy (Cowboy Craze)

by Sable Hunter

  “I will and you take care too.” He kept holding her hand as he moved onto the porch. “Remember to be ready about the time I get off and we’ll make an evening of it. A date to remember.”

  “Okay.” She gazed at him so hard, as if trying to press his image into the pages of her mind. How did this man become her world so fast? “I’ll be ready.”

  With one last kiss, he let go of her hand and hurried off to his truck. Jewel lifted a hand in farewell, then moved back inside to gather her things to take across to the other house. As promised, she made note of the placement of chess pieces on the board, then packed it up to move across the way. “I guess you heard all of that, Cotton. We’re moving the board to my house and you’re welcome to come visit anytime,” she said as she worked, keeping her head down to watch what she was doing. When she raised up, Jewel gasped and jumped back at the unexpected sight of Cotton Briggs standing/floating before her. “Oh, hey. Cotton.” She pressed her hand to her chest. “You startled me.”

  His face contorted, his lips moving as if trying to speak. Finally, in a voice hoarse from disuse, he croaked a message, “Danger. Be aware. Danger.”

  Jewel felt goosebumps dance on her skin – and it wasn’t from the sudden appearance of the specter. No, it was his message. “Okay. I will be careful. Thank you, Cotton.” Before she could say more, he popped into oblivion, vanishing before her eyes. Jewel stood still for a few more seconds, contemplating the message. “Well, you didn’t really think it was over – did you? And it wouldn’t be until the Hill brothers were behind bars. She wasn’t sure what prompted Cotton’s warning, but she appreciated the reminder. “I wonder if we should feed the red dust spell.” Oh, well, she’d ask her mom.

  After making the bed and cleaning the bathroom, she picked up the bag with the chess pieces and started for home. She hoped to make it inside and put on a cup of coffee before Hazel emerged to begin her day.

  No such luck.

  Jewel arrived to find her mother dressed, drinking coffee, and sitting next to a packed suitcase.

  “You’re leaving?” Of course, she’d known her mother’s intentions, she just didn’t expect her to depart so quickly.

  “Oh, I’ll be back soon. Now, that things have calmed down here, I want to get to Florida and tell my sister my decision.” She beamed at Jewel. “I feel confident about the future.” She got up to put her cup in the sink. “Just stay close to home until those fools are in jail. To be sure you’re taken care of here, I made a round about the property early this morning to seal the red dust spell.”

  “Oh, good.” Jewel smiled. “I was going to ask you about doing that. Easy was worried about me.” Just admitting that to her mother made her blush.

  Hazel soothed her daughter’s hair at her forehead. “I’m glad you have someone to worry about you. He’s a good man.” She winked at Jewel. “I can tell.”

  “Can you?” Jewel wanted to ask her mother to share her insight, but she didn’t really want to get into Easy’s past. Thankfully, Hazel didn’t seem inclined to talk about it.

  “I can,” she said breezily, gathering her purse. “I’m going to get on the road. My flight leaves out of Baton Rouge in a couple of hours.”

  “I’ll get your bag,” Jewel offered as she went to pick it up and walk her mother out to her car. “When will you be back?”

  “In a week or less,” Hazel mused as she started down the front steps. “Oh, and tell Easy that we’ll work out the living arrangements. I don’t necessarily care which house I stay in. You two work it out where you want to stay and I’ll take what’s left.”

  “Mother…” How could she tell her mom how insecure she felt about Easy?

  “What’s wrong?” Hazel stopped and looked at Jewel closely. “My beautiful girl.” She narrowed her eyes as if peering beyond a veil. “There’s a dark cloud ahead for you, but I see sunshine beyond.” Her mother frowned and shook her head. “I’ve never been good at reading you or me, for that matter. Just too close. Lord knows, I didn’t see my problems until they hit me in the head.” She continued on to the rental car and opened the back door so Jewel could store the luggage. “I can see everybody else’s problems coming a mile off – but not you nor I.” Hazel sighed as she straightened to tell Jewel a final goodbye. “I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or a curse.”

  “Let’s call it a blessing. I’d hate to know something bad was coming and I couldn’t do anything about it.” Actually, she knew exactly how that felt. From the first day she’d met Easy, she knew he would make her cry.

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Hazel laughed as she climbed behind the wheel. “I’m contradicting myself I know – but we’re two pretty powerful women when we set our mind to something.”

  “That we are, Mom.” She leaned in to kiss her mother’s cheek. “Call me when you get to Florida.” Jewel gave her mother a smile. “And I’m so proud of you.”

  Hazel nodded as she started the engine, knowing exactly what she was referring to. “I always intended to do something, I just needed to take some time to figure it out.”

  “I should have had more faith in you,” Jewel told her as she backed out of the drive, her window still down so they could talk. “I won’t make that same mistake again.”

  “I love you. I’ll see you soon.”

  With a wave, Witch Hazel took off down Gentilly leaving Jewel alone to begin her day.

  * * *

  At Belle Chasse things were still topsy-turvy. “How long do you think they’ll be here?” Jed asked Philip as they sat on horseback alongside Easy watching a string of FBI agents walk a grid formation.

  “Until they’re sure those two women from Lafayette weren’t left here,” Philip muttered, shaking his head.

  “So, they’re assuming the women are dead,” Jed said softly.

  “I’m afraid the odds of that being true is pretty high.” Easy blew out a long breath. “I’ll just be glad when all of this is over.”

  Jed clapped him on the back. “We’re just glad you’re out of the slammer, bud. That was crazy.”

  “Been there. Done that.” Philip barked out a laugh. “I can vouch for the unpleasantness, for sure. It’s easy to lose hope, even when you know you’re innocent.”

  “I sure wouldn’t recommend it as a way to spend your vacation,” Easy murmured. “I was just lucky to have a lot of good people working to get me out.”

  “Yea, you were lucky. You were also fortunate our boss here knew a cracker-jack connected lawyer.” Jed shifted in the saddle to look at Philip. “What’s the plan? Is there anything we can do today?”

  “Well, Wesley took the ranch hands to pen up all the cattle until these guys are finished. As soon as they feed and water the stock, I told him to let the men go home. There’s just not a lot we can do as long as we can’t maneuver around the property.”

  “Are you sending us home too?” Jed raised a hopeful eyebrow with a grin on his face. “There’s places I could go and people I could see.”

  “Who?” Easy asked with a smirk. “Headed to the Blue Goose?”

  An odd look came over Jed’s face, but he hid it quickly. “Why? Do you want to go with me?”

  “Oh, hell no.” Even as Easy laughed, he shuddered. “I’m not setting foot in that place ever again. I’ve got some business I need to take care of though.” Namely, engagement ring shopping.

  Philip held up his hand to halt their exchange. “First, I need you two to run some errands for me. I’m having issues with Wren or I’d take care of them myself.”

  “What’s wrong?” Jed asked. “Anything we can help with?”

  Philip pushed his hat back on his head and frowned. “She wanted to move back into that ramshackle shack. I tried to dissuade her from that notion. It’s not safe. In my efforts to convince her, I might’ve mentioned it was sitting on my land and I could decide who lived there and who couldn’t.”

  “Uh. Oh.” Easy could see he was upset at whatever transpired next.

  “Yea.” P
hillip dry-scrubbed his face in frustration. “I’ve made a mess of things. Now, she’s determined to leave and she’s got nowhere to go!”

  Jed and Easy glanced at one another, not sure what to say. Before they could come up with something, Philip continued, “Anyway, I’ll figure something out.” He took the reins to turn his mount and the other two followed suit. “Jed, I want you to take the ranch truck to town and get a set of new tires put on. Easy, I need you to load up these three horses and take them to the vet for their shots and to the farrier for a hoof trim. Whatever time you get through, you’re on your own. Hopefully, the feds will finish today and we can get back on track tomorrow.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Easy looked back over his shoulder, taking in the odd sight of the men in blue jackets, walking shoulder to shoulder through the tall grass, searching for the unspeakable. The women were dead, Jewel had seen their spirits. He just hoped they could soon find peace.

  Returning his gaze to the path ahead of him, he smiled. He was ready to get on with his life and he couldn’t wait to ask Jewel if she wanted to join him on the journey.

  * * *

  Jewel felt like a character in a Disney movie. As she worked around the kitchen – she danced. Arms aloft. Light on her feet. A song on her lips. Despite the tribulation of the past few days, everything was coming up roses. Or seemed to be.

  Sometimes out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a dark shadow.

  Jewel didn’t think it was a spirit, the vibe didn’t seem right. No, this was a product of her own imagination. Something lurking in the back of her mind that she didn’t want to acknowledge. “Stop it,” she chastised herself. “Don’t make trouble where there’s none to be found.” She took a knife from the drawer to ice the cake cooling on a rack. The black walnuts she’d used in the filling were from a tree at the back of her property. Shelling them was a bitch, but the flavor they added was out of this world. A smile came to her face as she imagined Easy tasting her creation. He’d like it, she was pretty sure he would. As she pulled a platter from an upper shelf of the cabinet, she caught a glimpse of the shadow again. It startled her so much, the glass platter slipped from her fingers and crashed to the floor. “Dammit!” She whirled to confront the apparition – but there was nothing there, of course. “Leave me alone!”

  After fetching a broom, she swept up the shards, and tossed them in the garbage. A bit unsettled, she returned to ice the cake. During the repetitive motions of spreading dollops of filling on the layers, she let her mind consider what might be wrong. Was it Easy? “Come on, Jewel. Can’t you enjoy the good times?” Why was it so hard for her to believe that things could work out? “Because of what you saw in his palm.”

  The endless string of women. The one-night stands.

  “But he hasn’t been that way with you!” she argued with herself.

  Give him time – the pessimistic part of her argued. You haven’t been with him that long. “It’s only been days.”

  But it seemed longer. Much longer. It felt like they’d packed months of experiences and emotions into just a couple of weeks.

  And what about the vision? Her weeping, hands clasped, head bowed. As if the world was ending. What about that?

  “Well, what about how he makes me feel?” she yelled at the shadow intruder. “What about the fact that I’m happy?” She placed the top layer on the cake and began to ice the whole thing. “What about…my loving him?”

  Yea. What about it? Did he love her?

  Oh, there were times she could swear that he did. She could feel it. But was that her witchy senses picking up his thoughts – or was it the wishful thinking of a woman too old to be considered naïve?

  “Quit it, Baptiste.” She tossed the knife into the sink, enjoying the satisfying clank it made. Maybe the noise was loud enough to scare off her unwanted mind haunt.

  “There.” She picked up the cake and placed it on the dining table. “When we come home from our date, we can celebrate with dessert.”

  To get her mind off the doubts that plagued her, Jewel decided to make some phone calls. After settling on the couch, she put her feet on the coffee table and set out to check up on all of her clients. Irma was first. “Hey, girl. How are you feeling?”

  “Oh, Ms. Jewel. I’m doing so good. I only have three more rounds of chemo. And guess what?”

  “What?” She could almost answer her own question. Irma’s happiness was coming through loud and clear.

  “I went out on my date with Fred. You remember me telling you about the elevator guy?”

  “I do. Yes.”

  “I followed your tip. I didn’t wear the ruby.”

  “And what happened?”

  “We had a good time. And he asked me out again! We’re going on our third date this weekend!”

  “Marvelous! I’m so happy for you.”

  Jewel was all smiles by the time she finished that phone call. Her next one was to Bernadette to check on Rudy. This time she didn’t get an answer, but she left a friendly message on her answering machine, asking how her son was doing. “Call me back when you get a chance. I’m interested to know how things are with you two.”

  Lastly, she phoned Velma Duggan to see how her custody case was progressing.

  “Ms. Baptiste, I’m so glad you called. I have great news!”

  “What’s that?”

  “My husband! He withdrew his petition. The last time we appeared in court, he stammered like he was tongue-tied. Palmer couldn’t look me in the face. The next day, his lawyer called mine to let me know it was over. My son is all mine!”

  “How wonderful, Velma! I’m so happy for you.”

  “You were great. I’m telling everyone I know about you.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad it worked out for you. Enjoy your son. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help you.”

  As she ended that call, Jewel wondered if the spell she’d cast on Everett had been half as effective. The idea brought a smile to her face. “I hope he has to walk bowlegged.”

  She thought about calling Sandy Wenger to make sure she was still wearing the braided fertility bracelet when her phone rang in her hand. Glancing down, Jewel almost fainted.

  Willie Mae Hill.

  “Willie?” she answered, holding her breath as a storm of dark chaotic images flooded her mind. “Are you all right?”

  “No. I’m not.”

  Jewel could barely hear her.

  “What’s wrong, Willie?”

  “I need you…to come get me. I’m afraid.”

  The woman was crying so hard, it was difficult for Jewel to understand her. “Where are you? Why are you afraid?”

  “Everett…he’s going to kill me. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Did you call the police?” As soon as she said the words, she shook her head. “Of course, you didn’t. Is he there with you now?”

  “No. I got away. Jewel, please! It will be dark soon. Come get me. He’s going to kill me!”

  “Where are you, Willie?” She was already up and putting on her shoes.

  “I’m on Devil Swamp Road, south of town. I’m by the bridge.”

  “All right. All right. I’m going to call for some help, but you stay right where you are. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Hurry, Jewel! Hurry!”

  Jewel ended the call, then immediately tried to call Easy. He should be getting off soon. Only after it went straight to voicemail did she remember he didn’t have his phone. Next, she tried to call Philip.

  No answer. His phone went to voicemail after five rings.

  “Oh, God.” Zane had already left for home, no use to try and call him. Maybe she should try to call Wade Prescott. For a few minutes, she tabbed back on her phone, trying to find his number in the list of incoming calls. After fumbling with that, she gave up. “God, why didn’t I write his number down?” She didn’t have Truman’s either and there was no use to call the sheriff’s office – she wouldn’t know if she
was talking to friend or foe. “Oh, to hell with it.”

  Grabbing her purse, she headed out. If Everett killed Willie Mae and she could’ve stopped it, Jewel would never forgive herself. “Okay, you’ll pick her up and drive like mad to Belle Chasse. That’s the plan.”

  Over the next half hour, Jewel drove mechanically. Stopping at stop signs. Not going too much over the speed limit. She couldn’t afford to get stopped. Again, she had no idea who to trust. Thank goodness, she was familiar with Devil Swamp Road. She and Hazel used to visit an old woman who lived on that road who raised special herbs they used in their work. The woman had passed away years ago, but Jewel still remembered how to get to the area.

  As she neared the turn-off from Highway 1, Jewel couldn’t fight the thoughts bombarding her brain. In this part of the world the stories people whisper around a campfire weren’t tame ones. Marsh creatures who’ll eat you if you’re bad, the singing bones of lost children. The Rougarou, a Cajun werewolf who roamed the bayou waiting to snatch up an unsuspecting victim who wanders too deep into the swamp. Of course, none of this really scared her. She knew there were things that went bump in the night. Heck, a lot of people were as scared of her and Witch Hazel as they were the Rougarou. No, Jewel was afraid of people like Everett Hill. A man who could kill a woman the way he’d massacred Julie Davis and Marion Cole – that was something to fear.

  When she turned off on the narrow country road, her hands were shaking. Bordered by marsh on both sides and dissected by a lone railroad track, the place was dismal and dreary with a persistent fog that never seemed to dissipate. “Okay, I’m getting close.” She kept her eyes open to spot the bridge built over a small creek. On the phone, Willie Mae sounded scared out of her mind. The images Jewel picked up from her voice hadn’t been clear – just a lot of shuffling, shouting, and screaming. She didn’t know if the woman was hurt or what. If she’d been injured, Jewel intended to take her straight to the hospital, then contact Agent Prescott so he could question Willie for himself.

  When the bridge came into view, Jewel put on her brakes. Her breath was coming in fast, agitated pants. “Okay, where are you, Willie?” Coming up even with the metal guard rail, she pulled off the road. Opening the door, she stepped out. “Willie? Willie? I’m here!” Moving around the front of the car, she stepped into the weeds, her eyes vigilant on the ground. This was water moccasin territory. The last thing she needed was a snakebite. “Willie? Can you hear me?”