by G A Chase
She handed the glass to Delphine. “Without sex, the afterlife sounds rather dreary.”
“Perhaps that’s why people don’t prefer to stay in Guinee. Seven days without sex is as long as most people can handle. Your poor boy is going on three weeks. You two should have quite the reunion. You have answered well, Kendell Summer. I pledge you my assistance.” With that, the loa of the dead faded from sight, but he didn’t leave them alone.
A shadow continued to waver against Marie Laveau’s tomb. Kendell knew in her heart it was Myles. “I’ll bring you back. Stay strong. One more week, and we can embrace again.”
Before he could materialize, Delphine took her hand. “We have to leave. Now. You can’t stand there tempting him to cross into the land of the living. He’d be no more than a disembodied spirit—a ghost who’s lost his way. And he could lead others to cross over as well.”
Kendell had to run to keep up with Delphine. “I thought Mother Brigitte was supposed to prevent that from happening.”
“Even she can’t stop a ghostly invasion. And don’t forget, my ancestor lies in the ground here. We don’t want to overstay our welcome.”
* * *
Time had lost its meaning for Myles. Without needing sleep or food to rejuvenate his body, he’d lost the basic activities that defined each day. The baron Malveaux’s actions didn’t interest him. Meetings, arguments, shopping for expensive clothing, and frequenting the brothels that Myles didn’t know still existed made him sick. He was better off in Guinee. The deep waters would have been even better, but he didn’t trust himself to return to Kendell once he’d lost himself to all of human consciousness.
Not that the loas of the dead were bad company—far from it. In many ways, they reminded him of Charlie—loud, boisterous, crude in their sense of humor, and always preoccupied with sex. The last attribute made him remember his pubescent years. No one was as fascinated with sex as someone not getting any.
Of all the loas, Ghede Nibo took the most interest in Myles’s plight. The handsome young man still displayed knife wounds under the tattered rags of his purple silk shirt. “I will miss you when you leave, Myles Garrison. Where else shall I find such a fetching specimen of human masculinity?”
Though the spirit was often flirtatious, Myles knew him to be one of the most honorable of the loa. “I need to get back to my life—to my people. Being in this in-between dimension pulls at my spirit.”
“Doesn’t it just? Had it not been for Samedi and Brigitte taking me into their family after death, I would have lost my way. A violent death is such an abomination. Life must be lived to the fullest and only concluded when the spirit has tasted all there is to experience. Promise me on your return to life that you won’t turn down a single opportunity to try new things. There’s so much I wish I’d done, but regrets are for the living, not the dead. What use are emotions that can’t be fulfilled?”
Myles suspected that being neither living nor truly dead, Nibo longed for that which he could no longer embrace. “You’ve taught me a lot about life. I won’t forget.”
“Then it is time.” He turned toward a dark, desolate cemetery filled with grandiose Greek Revival mausoleums. “Oh, to be as lovely as that girl who longs for your return.”
As though passing through an invisible wall, Nibo stepped from the land of the spirit into what the living knew as reality. Myles could only watch as the debonair dandy bowed to Kendell and accepted her offering. Again, he longed to cross over and be with Kendell, even if only as a guardian spirit. He pressed himself to the barrier between the living and the dead, wishing desperately that she could see him.
A woman’s hand rested on his shoulder. “You must let her save you. I know it’s not in the nature of men to let women come to their rescue, but for the relationship you seek—one of equals—this must be the way.”
He turned from his love to look in the emerald-green eyes of the Scottish lass. “Has that worked for you?”
“You do not know my husband, only the imposter who presumes to carry his name. I would never join with someone so disrespectful of humanity’s softer half. Male and female do not equal dominant and submissive.”
He wondered how much of her heritage she’d retained and how much of what she knew was learned in the afterlife. “Do you remember your life?”
“It was a very different time. Living so close to the land and being in tune with nature required a bond between husband and wife that’s hard to explain to those not accustomed to a simpler existence. What your baron Malveaux believes about women—that we are little more than property to be stolen and abused—is only possible for those of great wealth and no morals.”
Myles turned back to the scene taking place in the cemetery. “So you recommend the partnership aspect or the relationship I have with Kendell over being her white knight forever riding to her rescue?”
“There is nothing wrong with chivalry, but you must allow her to return the favor and not always be the damsel in distress. Such a dynamic grows tiresome for both parties.”
The meetings between the living and the dead took on a kaleidoscopic feel for Myles, each encounter like the last but with minor changes. Every time a loa passed him to meet with Kendell, he feared she would inadvertently do something to annoy the fickle spirits, but with Maman Brigitte encouraging cooperation from the grave and Madam Delphine de Galpion at Kendell’s side, he began to believe their plan just might work.
He hoped she’d come prepared as she approached the sixth gate. Even among the loa, Baron Kriminel was mistrusted. Perhaps it was his name, which sounded so much like the legends of how he’d died—convicted of murder. The way Nibo avoided Kriminel at all costs left Myles to speculate his favorite loa might have been the victim.
The tall dark presence stood beside Myles, waiting his turn at the living. “You would accept the torture of returning to life voluntarily? Isn’t it better to continue on to the deep waters and peace?”
The loa’s question cut to Myles’s core. Since his first experiences with psychometry, he’d been tempted to take the final plunge into the depths of humanity’s true being. “There are still experiences I’d like to have, revelations about life I’d like to discover, and maybe even a chance to understand who I am and why I exist separate from everyone else.”
“Do you believe these life events impart some wisdom to the rest of humanity when you die? Or are you arrogant enough to believe you can change the living for the better?”
He’d never given much thought to what happened to what he’d learned once his brain no longer contained the information. “I’ve only visited the deep waters. When I’m there, what I know of life evaporates like the morning fog off a lake. I’ve never stayed long enough for the vapor of my life to completely dissipate. As for influencing the living, I’ve never been much good as a teacher.”
“So we can remove education as a reason for returning. Is your wish to return really only for that girl entering the gates?”
He saw her get off the streetcar beyond the iron gate. From his vantage point deep in the cemetery, at the crossroads between the living and the dead, he saw those who had passed on climbing aboard the red trolley as though they hadn’t realized they’d died. “She makes my life interesting. If you’d asked me to stay before I knew her, I probably would have accepted. Life is cruel. It’s not for the weak of spirit. She gives me strength.”
“And other than pursuing your own temporary life education, what do you plan on doing with that strength?”
The traditional answer of combating evil probably wouldn’t impress someone named criminal. “Experience what life has to offer and help others do likewise. If humanity is to evolve, learning can’t be contained in one body. Everyone needs to grow together.”
Kendell was pouring the traditional offering of rum. She and Madam de Galpion often brought additional offerings other than the libation, but Myles shied away from the barrier on seeing the live black chicken Delphine pulled from under her coat.
Though restrained, the bird made a racket that would wake the dead.
“Your guide has done her homework. Life’s suffering culminates in death. Most avoid that reality, hoping to pass calmly in their sleep, but only the ones who fully understand it embrace the suffering. Watch what I do without flinching, and you will have my support.”
The sights and sounds of the bird being burned alive sickened Myles, but he remained stationary to witness the event. Opposite him, Kendell did likewise without interfering. Being so close to Baron Kriminel, he could feel the dark loa’s glee at the sadistic sacrifice. Never having been one to relish another’s pain, Myles hadn’t fully considered how violently the living resisted death or how close every being was to that razor’s edge that separated the two. As the chicken passed on, Myles saw a pure-white bird fly higher and higher into the sky until it disappeared.
Satiated with the violent act, the loa returned to Myles in the land between the living and the dead.
“Was that really necessary?”
“Do you ask for yourself or your friend? Being among the dead, you can see no spirit is ever lost.”
He knew he’d asked on Kendell’s behalf. She didn’t need to see that level of heartless cruelty. But then, he wasn’t supposed to be her protector from life’s realities. “You’ve made your point.”
42
Kendell was up well before dawn on Easter morning. She’d successfully opened six of the seven gates, but the final quest left her quivering like a leaf in a hurricane. Breaking into the New Orleans Bank and Trust and searching out the baron Malveaux’s old office only to leave a shot glass of rum on his desk seemed insane. And that would just be the beginning of the day’s activities.
As she considered the day, she rubbed Cheesecake’s back so hard the dog turned and nipped at her hand. “Sorry, girl. I should probably leave you at home, but I’ve never needed you more than today. Once Delphine and I complete our covert break-in, I’ll come back for you.”
It wasn’t much of a challenge finding something inconspicuous to wear. As she considered the array of black coats in her closet—from cocktail to trench—she realized changing professions to become a bank robber wouldn’t require much in the way of a wardrobe adjustment. She pulled out a floor-length leather slicker that she’d bought on a whim. Usually, western wear did nothing for her, but the coat reached the top of her boots and made her feel like a secret agent.
The buzzer to the main door that told her Delphine had arrived only heightened Kendell’s anxiety. Meeting the loas of the dead was nothing compared to breaking and entering.
Delphine met her outside the apartment. “Good thing we picked a day when the bank would be empty. How’s your homeless contingent? No point in risking a run-in with the law if we don’t have the president of the bank in custody.”
Kendell hated thinking of Myles’s possessor, but Delphine was right. If they didn’t have the baron Malveaux, there’d be no point in continuing.
They only had to walk a block before coming on a vagrant seemingly asleep in a doorway. “How’s it going?” Kendell asked.
The man pushed the filthy LSU ball cap up from his eyes. “Everything’s in order. We won’t snag him until he leaves the whorehouse. On his days off, he usually enjoys a late morning. The woman he’s with has agreed to help. Whit already has his boat tied up under the dock.”
“Tell him not to wait for me. I can find my own way. My family on the Westbank should be ready,” Kendell said. Having others involved gave her a feeling of not being alone. Not every plan had to pass through her.
Delphine took her arm and directed her toward Royal Street. “We don’t have much time. Since we’re not stealing anything, I don’t think we’ll be discovered once we leave, but we’ve still got to get in and get out undetected.”
“Have you had any thoughts on how we might accomplish that?” Kendell had been preoccupied with having to approach the guardians of the dead, and breaking into a bank had been the least of her considerations.
“I’ve conjured a plan. I just hope the little twerp shows up.”
It didn’t take long to slink through the shadows and traverse the handful of blocks between her apartment and the imposing institution. Though they had no need for secrecy on the way to the caper, Kendell again felt like an international spy as they avoided anyone who might recognize them.
Delphine directed her to a dimly lit entrance at the side. “Wait here. If this doesn’t work, it’d be better if you weren’t caught on camera.” The dark-skinned woman in the black pantsuit melded so well with the shadows she appeared to pop out of nowhere when she stepped up to the door. Instead of trying to remain unobtrusive, she stared right into the overhead security camera.
To Kendell’s shock, the door opened as if she’d been expected. Delphine gave her a quick wave to come along. Sneaking in the doorway, they were confronted by a towering security guard. He stood like a statue as Delphine closed the door.
“I thought you said he was little.”
The frightening figure remained rigid, only his jaw moving as he spoke. “Who are you calling little?”
Delphine bowed to the man. “Forgive me, Papa Ghede, but your physical stature is well known.” She turned back to Kendell. “The guard is being possessed by the oldest of voodoo loas. He’s on our side or, more appropriately, Myles’s side.”
Kendell looked at the cold, emotionless eyes. “Thank you.”
“Just don’t fail.” He lifted his arm and pointed down the corridor like a marionette on strings. “You don’t have much time before the interior cameras come back online.”
She would have felt more comfortable having the guard come with them, but by the way the man stood stiff as a board, she doubted the loa could move the body with much speed. By comparison, the baron’s possession of Myles had to be more complete than Kendell wanted to imagine.
Delphine didn’t waste any time racing down the hallway, up three flights of stairs, and around a corner to the old wooden doorway. The entrance to the office was out of character with the rest of the building. Kendell would have picked it out immediately. “He didn’t worry too much about being sly with the gate’s location.”
“He didn’t think he needed to. Papa Ghede is the only spirit strong enough to overcome the security features—for both the living and the dead—that the baron put in place.”
Kendell understood what Delphine meant when she pushed against it. Instead of the door opening, the spirits of the seven women Malveaux had imprisoned took shape. Lilianna stepped forward. “You are not allowed in.”
“You know we can stop him. The loas of the dead have promised their support. The other six gates are open. All I need is you.”
The young woman wavered in the light. “If you fail, it will be we who suffer.”
Kendell hadn’t considered the ramifications of failure. Myles would be forever lost. “If this doesn’t work, I’ll offer myself to the baron Malveaux in exchange for letting you pass to the deep waters.”
Delphine took her arm. “You don’t know what you’re saying. You’d be trapped forever.”
“I’d be with Myles, and I’ve seen that Cheesecake can cross over. Why is that, anyway? Can all animals see the dead?”
“That’s probably a conversation for another time, but I suspect it had to do with her ingesting that pipe tool.”
Kendell nodded. It made sense. So long as she had her dog and her love, nothing else mattered, even if they had to live in purgatory. “Is my offer satisfactory, Lilianna?”
“You’re expecting me to feel maternal and give you a pass on your proposal. But I won’t. If you fail, I’m not staying in this version of hell.”
The doors opened as the women faded from sight.
Delphine pulled out the paper bag. “We’d better hurry.” But unlike with the previous gates, she simply poured the shot and left it on the desk.
“Aren’t you supposed to do an incantation? Where’s the loa?”
Delph
ine shook her head. “The glass will stay just as it is until the ceremony tonight. I don’t want baron Malveaux knowing what we’re up to just yet. We don’t want him rushing in, or worse, materializing before we’re ready. If everything works as planned, the original baron Samedi will show up to collect his tribute. But now we’ve gotta run.”
With every hurried step down the hallways and staircases, Kendell thought for sure they were about to be discovered. As they passed the stationary guard, she saw in his eyes a glimmer of alarm at the intrusion.
She rushed through the door, thinking she’d never been so happy to be out of a building.
“Now, what are you two doing sneaking out of the bank?” The sight of the police lieutenant nearly stopped Kendell’s heart.
Slowly, she made out the features of his face in the dark. “Lieutenant Cazenave, it’s not what it looks like. We didn’t steal anything.”
“I’m sure you didn’t. The bank’s cameras transmit directly to the police station. I thought you might need a little assistance. But before I cover for you again, mind telling me what that excursion was all about?”
All Kendell wanted to do was run as far from the bank as possible. “This really isn’t the time or place.”
He looked Delphine up and down. She was wearing a skintight leotard. “I suppose not,” he said. “I’ll expect a full report when this is over.”
The way Delphine lowered her head left Kendell to assume the two were more than casual acquaintances. Just once, I wish people would tell me the whole truth. She knew she’d only be able to completely trust Myles and no one else.
As they left the lieutenant, Delphine held Kendell’s arm to prevent her from breaking into an all-out sprint toward her apartment. “Just because Joe intercepted the video feed, that doesn’t mean no one else is watching. We’re just two friends out for a Sunday morning stroll after our gym workout.”
