by Carolina Mac
Moonbeam and I made sandwiches for lunch while Misty made phone calls to the girls in her coven.
Smiling as she ended the last call, Misty said, “The girls will come over right after work. I’ll make a pot of jambalaya and we can all have dinner before doing our working.”
“Do you think Rufin needs help cleaning up?” I asked. “I feel bad for him over there in that mess by himself.”
“I think he needs alone time, Gillette. Nothing to do with not being with you.”
“I don’t agree,” I said. “He hasn’t been himself since we arrived in New Orleans, and I feel it has a lot to do with me. He doesn’t want his mother to meet me for some reason. He as much as said so.”
Misty shook her silvery hair and sparks flew. “I don’t think that can be it, Gillette. It must be something else. Be patient with him.”
“Just when I think I know him a little better, he does something so out of left field it jars my senses. He’s been difficult to relax around lately.” I took a couple of deep breaths and couldn’t believe I was unburdening myself on Misty like this. “Could just be me. I’m a mess myself over Farrell, so who am I to criticize another human being?”
“His aura says he’s in a transition, Gilly. He’s going through some changes and trying to deal and now Antoinette’s kidnapping has complicated his life in the worst possible way. Be ready. I’m sure he’ll want to talk to you about it soon.”
“Okay thanks. That helps.”
Doesn’t really. I know what I feel. Rufin has changed and pulled miles away from me. All the closeness is gone.
At five thirty, the girls from Misty’s coven arrived and she introduced Michele, tall and blonde, Diana, young with dark hair, and Charlotte, beautiful girl with blue hair.
“I thought you said Rufin was with y’all,” said Diana.
“He’s still at his place,” I said, “but he’ll be along later.”
“I can’t wait to see him,” said Diana. “I’ve missed him so much.”
Is she his girlfriend?
I stared at the pretty girl with the long dark hair and wondered how old she was. Guessing, I figured she was about the same age as me.
The girl with the blue hair was older and beautiful. I reserved judgment on the tall blonde, Michele. She was pretty but not the friendliest of the three.
During dinner, they all chatted to each other and caught up with Misty on her move to Austin and how Forest was doing. They seemed like a tight group and I didn’t fit in. Being an outsider was nothing I wasn’t used to. I rarely fit in anywhere.
That’s what made Ardal and I so tight. We fit perfectly with each other.
Dinner was over and Moonbeam and I were clearing the table when Rufin returned from his house. The three girls squealed in unison and ran to the door to greet him like teens on their first date.
My heart sank. In that moment, I knew Rufin had been more than friends with at least one of them.
Feeling like an idiot for the second or third time in the day, I wanted to run upstairs and lock myself in my room. My instability was going to lead me down a path I didn’t want to go.
Reuniting with the coven girls cheered Rufin up more than I had been able to do and he was almost back to his normal self. Almost.
His eyes were dark and murderous and he couldn’t hide that from me. I was an expert in the field of murder. I was married to a serial killer and I had an inside track.
“Shall we get started?” asked Misty.
“I’m so excited we’re working together again, Misty,” said Diana. “I’ve missed you so much. How’s Casey?”
“He’s fine. Working hard as a Texas Ranger along with Blaine and Farrell.”
Farrell’s name came up constantly and my heart was in a precarious place. I excused myself and hung out in the powder room for a few minutes, wiping my eyes and trying to pull myself together.
“We’re ready, Gillette.” I heard Misty calling me from the kitchen and it was time to suck it up. I dried my eyes and glanced in the mirror over the sink to see how badly my makeup had been damaged. My waterproof mascara was holding on by a thread and my lip gloss had vanished. I said, “To hell with it.” If things didn’t go better with Rufin tomorrow, Ardal and I would head back to Texas. I didn’t need a tutor or a bodyguard anymore. I could take care of myself and Ardal.
Enough of this bullshit.
I sat down at the long table in the chair next to Ardal. The expression on his face said he’d rather be somewhere else. There was an empty chair beside me, but Rufin chose to sit between Diana and Charlotte on the opposite side of the table.
One of those girls is his ex. Maybe both.
Averting my eyes from Rufin and scolding myself for being a fool, I focused only on Misty hoping I could learn something from her and not turn this whole stop in New Orleans into a complete bust.
Misty stood up and cast a glowing green circle around us and my skin tingled with the power inside me wanting to break free. Control of my powers was completely lacking. No one had taken the time to instruct me on how to use or control the new magickal force I possessed since I turned nineteen. It was Rufin’s job and he had failed miserably.
I’ll go home and Daddy will show me.
“Charlotte will you call the corners?” asked Misty.
I watched Miss Charlotte call the directions with ease and her power radiated around her in a blue glow.
Will I ever glow like that? Doubt it.
Michele stood up next, raised her arms and called the deities. Was she the one Rufin had been involved with? I couldn’t picture it, but then I couldn’t picture me taking another breath without Farrell in my life either.
I’m calling him tonight when this horror show is over.
I sat like a concrete gargoyle and watched as each member of the coven used the personal articles from Rufin’s mother’s room hoping for a vision of where she was.
Were they all psychics like Misty?
Misty spoke to give the coven direction. “When Virgile Gallant took a young girl a couple of years ago—before he went to prison—he took her to land he owned south of the city in Chalmette.”
“Would he be dumb enough to take Mama there, Misty?” asked Rufin. “Is that where he was arrested the last time?”
Misty nodded. “Yes. Lieutenant White from Missing Persons arrested him in the barn there and Gallant has been in jail ever since. I didn’t realize they had let him out.”
“Let’s compare notes,” said Charlotte. “What impressions did everyone get from Madam Pictou’s belongings?”
Watching Rufin’s face as he focused on Charlotte told me all I needed to know. She was the one. I was certain of it. Didn’t matter to me anymore. I was going home in the morning. There was nothing I could do here being at the bottom of the witch ladder. Misty had all the help she needed from her coven.
“You didn’t touch Antoinette’s things, Gillette,” said Misty.
“I’m not psychic. No point.”
A determined tapping at the kitchen window startled everyone. Rufin jumped to his feet and Misty cautioned him about leaving the circle.
“Banjo is at the window. He might have news.”
Misty stood, pulled out her wand and cut a door in the circle to let Rufin out. He tore out the back door to have a conversation with his crow.
When the working was finished, the girls released the deities and took the circle down and Misty headed to the wine cooler to open a new bottle.
“If y’all will excuse me,” I said. “I think I’ll go to bed.”
“Aren’t you feeling well, Gillette?” asked Misty.
“No, I’m not. Not well at all.”
“Get some rest. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
CHAPTER THREE
Tuesday, November 3rd.
Nine Saint Gillian Street.
I woke early and remembered I had intended to call Farrell but instead, got in a jealous tizzy over Rufin and forgot. My crush on Rufin had
to end. It was going nowhere and I would never love him like I loved Farrell. I’d wasted enough energy on it already. Compared to Farrell Donovan, Rufin Pictou was only half a man.
Alone and lonely in a strange house, I texted the person I loved above all others.
“Missing you. I love you forever.”
“Where are you, Gilly? When are you coming home?”
“New Orleans. On my way. I’ll be home soon.”
“I love you, little girl.”
I wiped away a tear and forced myself out of bed to face another day of horrors in New Orleans.
I’d gone to bed early and hadn’t heard the girls from the coven leave, but there was no sign of them when I hit the kitchen looking for my first cup of caffeine.
Moonbeam startled me, standing at the window staring out at the gray, rainy day.
“I didn’t know you were up, Moon.” Clean mugs sat upside down next to the coffee maker. I turned one over, filled it and added a splash of cream.
Ready to scream, I needed a smoke so bad, I gave in and stomped outside with Pete. He ran around Misty’s yard poking his nose into the dirt in her flower beds while I stood on the open deck part of the sunporch and smoked my first cigarette of the day.
A light drizzle fell from the ominous dark clouds hovering low. More rain was on its way. Why I had always pictured New Orleans as sunny and bright—a happy, happy party place, was anybody’s guess.
Rufin was next to make an appearance. He stood beside me, lit up a smoke and didn’t say a word. Didn’t even look at me. To him I was part of the deck—a piece of the railing.
Fuck you, Rufin Pictou.
I tossed my butt into the container next to the deck and went back inside.
“Is it raining harder?” asked Moon.
“Just enough to make you wet if you’re going outside to smoke.”
“I thought you quit smoking.” Moonbeam gave me a knowing glance. “You were doing so well, Gillette. I always wished Sonny would quit smoking.”
“Had a relapse due to pressures beyond my control. I’ll try again as soon as I get home.”
Moonbeam nodded. “Not the best time to quit when you’re under a lot of stress, dear. We’ll be home soon and you’ll do much better.”
“Thanks, Moon.” I crossed the kitchen and hugged my mother-in-law. She was a stabilizing force in my life just like Ardal was.
Misty breezed into the kitchen and put the kettle on to make the herbal tea she always drank in the morning. While waiting for the water to boil, she brought me up to date on what I’d missed the night before.
“Two of the girls got the impression Virgile Gallant was in Chalmette at his farm. I hardly thought he would go there because it was so obvious, but he has a large barn there—large enough to conceal the wagon and the horses.”
“Are we going there today?” I asked. “Is that the plan?”
“Michele has to work, but Charlotte and Diana are coming to help.”
“I don’t think we can all fit in the truck. With Pete, we don’t have any extra space.”
“Charlotte is driving too,” said Misty. “She has a car.”
Without giving me a second glance, Rufin strode into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. He seemed at home in Misty’s house.
“We’ll leave right after breakfast,” said Misty. “I’ll help Moonbeam with the cooking and we’ll be ready in a few minutes.”
“I’ll go upstairs and see if Ardal is up.” I set my empty mug down, jumped up and escaped from the kitchen. Being in the same room and breathing the same air as Rufin had become intolerable for me. The powerful negative vibes he was giving off were strong enough to convince me to leave him alone.
I ran up the creaking stairway and tapped on Ardal’s door. He opened it, all dressed, his dark hair a little damp from his shower. “Am I missing breakfast?”
“Almost. I came to get you so you wouldn’t miss out on food. Eating is your favorite pastime.”
“I’m ready, Gilly. Are we sitting around all day doing witch stuff or are we looking for the kidnapper?”
“We’re leaving right after we eat to search for Madam Pictou.”
“Good.” He leaned close to me and whispered, “I hate it here. I want to go home to our house.”
“Me too. I think we’ll leave tonight.”
Ardal nodded. “I have no powers at all and I’m getting terrible vibes from this place. All I can think about is running for home. I want to leave, Gilly.”
“We will be leaving today, I promise.”
“Breakfast is ready,” Misty called from the kitchen.
“Let’s go eat. You’ll feel better.”
“Don’t think so.”
Standing at the window watching Rufin in the yard with his crow on his shoulder, I saw a blue Honda park in the back lane. As soon as Charlotte stepped out of her car, Rufin was in motion hurrying across the yard to meet her. He held her in a hug and didn’t let go of her quickly. Next he hugged Diana and…same thing. He held her for a long time too. Which one was his ex? Both of them?
One thing for certain. I wasn’t getting mixed up in a Rufin quad. He was as moody and as changeable as the New Orleans’ weather. Ardal was right. We needed to get home before we lost our sanity.
Misty locked up her house and we crossed the yard to the back lane. Pete took a moment to relieve himself in the black-eyed Susans, then ran to catch up with us. His wet nose nuzzled my hand as he pushed in closer waiting for me to open the back door of the truck.
Misty rode with me, and Rufin hopped into the front seat of Charlotte’s little car. Diana rode in the back.
Misty saw me watching Rufin and said, “He’s fond of the girls. We all worked together for a long time.”
I shrugged as if it didn’t matter and found it didn’t matter as much today as it had yesterday. That was progress.
Chalmette. Louisiana.
Misty gave me directions to the wizard’s property outside of Chalmette. Driving in the long treed laneway, it appeared to be a cute farm with a big barn. I didn’t notice a house but there could have been one back in the trees. There were lots of mature trees shading the entire acreage, and neat white fences surrounding the whole property. A big corral next to the barn with a watering trough full of water was empty. No horses in sight.
“The barn doors are closed,” said Misty. “There could be a protection spell on the barn.”
I parked the truck and let Pete out to sniff around. “See what you can find, Pete. See if there’s a way in.”
Pete ran off and we waited for Charlotte to park her car next to us. She hopped out looking gorgeous in tight jeans and a snug sweater, her long blue hair blowing in the breeze.
What did I care how she looked? My interest in Rufin was zero. Staying true to Farrell was my new norm and I had no intentions of wavering from my true path. Perhaps the Fates would smile on Farrell and I in the future and we would be reunited. That was my new focus.
Rufin stood close to Charlotte and he wouldn’t look at me. That hurt. It was going to take a while to get used to my new non-status with Ruf. I had been under the impression we were friends when he was my teacher and my bodyguard. Close friends. Not true. The fucker was two-faced and traitorous. My bad for trusting him. Would never happen again. I wanted to scream. At Rufin. At his missing mother. At the girls in the coven. At myself for being a complete idiot. Mostly at myself.
Fuming mad, I pulled my gun out of my shoulder holster, ran up to the closed barn doors and tried to get in. “Police, Mister Gallant. Open the door.”
Misty ran after me hollering, “Don’t Gilly. You may trigger some warning system the wizard has set up.”
“Doors are locked from the inside,” I mumbled.
Rudely, Rufin pushed past me with his wand in his hand. Resisting the urge to zap him unconscious, I stepped aside and let him holler out his spell.
Keeper of the locked barn door
I need to enter evermore
&
nbsp; Someone inside may be in danger
She is my mother not a stranger
I bring help against an evil wizard
Let me in to cut out his gizzard
So mote it be.
Rufin yelled the spell over and over and whacked his wand against the barn doors more than once. After his maniacal yelling ceased, nothing happened. Birds tweeted in the trees over our heads and there was only the distant sound of traffic on the highway.
Misty moved in closer and tried one of her never-fail spells to gain entrance.
Keeper of the gate beware
I need to pass with cause and care
Don’t lock me out
Don’t lock me in
I have no key
I have no pin
Grant me access
Hear my call
Hasp and lock
You may now fall
So mote it be.
Misty finished her spellcasting and the barn doors were tightly locked.
Rufin threw a tantrum, pounded on the doors and kicked them over and over.
Misty pushed him away and said, “You try, Gillette.”
“No point. I’m not as powerful as the two of you.”
Rufin turned and gave me a pleading look—the only look he’d given me in two days. I wanted to spit on his leather boot, but instead I spewed out a spell that had been rattling around in my brain since we arrived here—wherever we were.
Goddess of prisoners hear my call
Release the lock and let it fall
Hinges squeak and open doors
Evil runs from dogs who roar
So mote it be.
I quietly recited my spell for the third time and tapped the door handle with my wand. Squeaking the way I had heard the hinges in my head, the big door opened slowly on its own.
Rufin pushed past me with nary a thank you and the sound of him screaming inside the barn shot a chill right through my bones.
Misty ran in with Charlotte and Diana, followed by Ardal and Pete. I wandered in at the tail end in no hurry to see what had released that woeful cry from Rufin’s throat.
