Devon had left the top up on the Jeep because of the cold air at highway speeds, but that was just adding to my discomfort and feeling of being trapped. I tugged my sweatshirt collar and tried to concentrate on keeping my breath steady and deep, not letting it get shallow. As I watched the brush and buildings fly by, the feeling of being in a speeding car hurling toward certain death took over. I had no control. My mind flew from one deadly scenario to another. Rationality flew out the window. I saw the Jeep upside down and burning on the side of the road. Who would take care of Buddha? And Petey? My heart rate sped up with my thoughts. Sweat broke out around my hairline. I just wanted to be back in the comfort of the bungalow with my face buried in Buddha’s fur. Oh, God. The panic rose like a giant wave.
Then I remembered I had the prescription Xanax with me. With shaky hands, I dug it out of my bag. My focus narrowed down to the act of getting one little pill from the bottle. I stuck it on my tongue and grabbed my water bottle. Here goes nothing. Swallowing, I closed my eyes and rested my head on the back of the seat. My heart was still pounding but I could do this. All I had to do was wait. And breathe. I felt Devon’s hand rest on my knee and squeeze. Rolling my head toward him, I opened one eye.
He was glancing at me with concern. ‘That bad, eh?’
I nodded and went back to waiting with my eyes closed. Each second ticked by with excruciating slowness until …
‘Elle?’
Blinking, I came back to awareness slowly. Devon’s hand was stroking my cheek. ‘We’ve arrived.’
I pushed myself up and wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth. ‘Good thing I wasn’t driving,’ I quipped. Fighting a wave of dizziness and a general sense of having an out-of-body experience, I nodded. ‘Let’s go.’
A pleasing chime that sounded like tiny bells announced our arrival. The shop smelled lovely, like incense and spices. A small-statured woman in a white turban greeted us. ‘Welcome, welcome!’ She came around the counter and clasped each of our hands in her warm, dry ones. Happiness radiated from her, pulling a smile from me even though I was still feeling a bit off from the Xanax. I could see where Lulu got her charisma from. ‘You are Lulu’s friends?’
‘We are,’ Devon answered, introducing us and taking in the whole of the shop.
‘Thank you for seeing us,’ I added. My mouth felt like paste.
‘I’m glad to help. That poor girl being accused of murder is just nonsense. Come on.’ She led us through the store. ‘Ginny, my tarot card reader, is gone for the day. We can talk in the back room.’
It was a cozy store with so much going on I felt overstimulated as I tried to take everything in. There was a wall of jars with various colored herbs and teas; statues and photos of saints; candles, gift baskets and baskets of oils in dark blue bottles; a book shelf; a CD rack; a whole glass cabinet of jewelry; alligator heads and miscellaneous items hanging from the ceiling, like dreamcatchers and wind chimes crafted from tiny wooden heads.
We followed her through a wall of multicolored hanging beads into a room no less stimulating. The statues of saints seemed to be the main décor in here as Devon and I sat on a wicker loveseat, which was well padded with silk pillows.
Madame Dutrey lowered herself gingerly into a chair across from us. A glass table with a deck of tarot cards sat between us and her. ‘Have to watch the knees,’ she grunted. ‘Do not ever get old.’
‘The alternative is worse,’ Devon said with a touch of humor.
Madame Dutrey chuckled. ‘This is a good point, child.’ She slapped her thighs with both hands, sending her multitude of bracelets clinking. ‘So, how can I be of service?’
Devon glanced at me and nodded. I was still feeling a little loopy from the medication, but also calm so I didn’t hesitate. ‘The voodoo dolls Breezy had – Lulu said she got those from you?’
‘Yes. I don’t make many of them anymore.’ She held up hands with gnarled, crooked joints. ‘You can see why. But she is Lulu’s friend, so I helped her.’
‘How exactly do the dolls work? I read that they aren’t for evil purposes, to cause pain like all the movies lead us to believe.’
‘That’s true. They work by sympathetic magic … like produces like, which really is just a principle of nature herself. How to explain this?’ She thought for a moment and then her eyes brightened. ‘Take food, for example. Red beet juice is good for the blood. Sliced carrots resemble the eye, complete with the iris, and are high in Vitamin A so good for vision. Tomatoes have four chambers just like the heart and reduce the risk of heart disease. You can look at all kinds of food: cauliflower, good for the lungs; kidney beans for kidneys; celery for bones and see that the concept of like producing like is not magic at all. It is how the laws of our natural world are set up. So, this is how voodoo works. The likeness of a person is created in order to use in prayer to petition the saints on behalf of that person, you see?’
‘I think so. When you say saints, you mean like the Catholic saints?’
‘Yes. The Catholic saints have also become syncretized with our intermediaries, the Lao. You see, we believe God has delegated responsibilities to the saints and Lao, they are the ones who listen to our prayers and perform miracles on our behalf.’
‘So, when Breezy came to you, she was asking for a miracle?’
‘Well, not really a miracle, just a way to help the family she loves stay together. She was worried after she heard Mr Beckley speaking to someone on the phone intimately. Binding the likeness of a couple together is a very effective way to petition the saints for help in a relationship.’
So she really did want the dolls to help the Beckleys’ relationship? Unless … ‘How did she seem to you when she came? Was she anxious?’
‘She was … sad.’
‘Did she confess to you that she was in love with Mr Beckley?’
‘No, she did not. That poor man.’ She ran her hand over the multiple shell necklaces at her throat and frowned. ‘But love is love and her intentions were pure.’
‘So she couldn’t have maybe decided to use the second doll as her likeness instead of Mrs Beckley’s?’
Her expression grew thoughtful. ‘Was Mrs Beckley’s name pinned on the doll?’
I thought back to when I saw the dolls, picturing them leaning there against the photo. ‘I didn’t actually see any names pinned on them.’
‘Hm. Well, she didn’t follow my instructions then, but that doesn’t really mean anything. Lots of people aren’t good at following instructions.’
‘This is true.’ I nodded and glanced at Devon. Wasn’t he supposed to be the one investigating? ‘Anything else?’
‘I can’t think of anything.’ Devon leaned up and held out his hand. ‘Thank you for your time, Madame Dutrey.’
When she took his hand, she cocked her head and became still, her eyes unfocused. Without releasing his hand, she addressed me. ‘Anything else you need, you come back. Ginny is a good reader, too. She gives half price to our friends.’ Then to Devon, she said, ‘Come, child.’ Standing, she made her way gingerly back through the beads and over to the counter. Her expression turned very serious as she once again took Devon’s hand. Her eyes studied him with a mixture of ancient wisdom and concern. ‘I was led to make this gris gris bag today, and I now believe it was meant for you.’ She placed a small white velvet pouch in his hand and closed his fist around it. ‘It’s for protection. Carry it with you always and think only of being safe when you hold it. Intention is the key to its power.’
Devon seemed speechless. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably. ‘Intention,’ he repeated. ‘Well … thank you.’
Once in the car, he tossed the little bag in my lap like it was hot. ‘What do ya make of that?’
‘Well, for one, it won’t bite you,’ I teased, surprised at his reaction. As he backed out of the parking lot I untied the little wax string and peered into the bag.
‘Madame Dutrey called it a gris gris bag. Looks like some dried herbs, some kind of root and a pi
nk stone.’ I stuck my nose in the bag. Smelled like rosemary and something earthy.
He glanced at the bag suspiciously. ‘You can keep it.’
‘But she said you’re the one who needed protection.’
‘What is a bunch of herbs and a stone going to do to protect me? That’s what I’ve got a gun for.’ Devon seemed agitated as he floored the Jeep on the ramp, merging smoothly with the traffic on the highway.
I was happy to be heading home but not happy with Madame Dutrey thinking Devon needed protection. Even though I didn’t understand her vodun religion, I had respect for it, and if Angel’s visits had taught me anything it was that there are things in this world I will never understand but that doesn’t make them any less real. I put the little bag in my purse.
He hit the steering wheel with his palm. ‘Ah, I meant to tell ya. M.J. called me earlier. They got to go home this afternoon and he checked. The mask is indeed gone.’
I stared at him. ‘So that means the creepy neighbor was in their house that night! He could have killed Michael. Did you tell Detective Farnsworth?’
He changed lanes to move around a slow pickup truck hauling a tractor. ‘He wasn’t around, no, but I did talk to Salma.’
Of course he did. Stop it, Elle. ‘What’d she say?’ I kept my tone neutral.
‘She’s agreed to ask the family to file a complaint about the mask and give her a photo of it. That way she can get a search warrant to look for it at Oliver White’s house. I also told her you’d give a statement that you saw someone wearing the mask in the house at the time of Michael’s death.’
‘Perfect. Hopefully they find the mask in Oliver’s possession and then Detective Farnsworth can bring him in for questioning about his whereabouts when Michael was killed.’
‘She said Farnsworth is pretty convinced it was Breezy Morales, though. He had another case a few years ago where the maid was having an affair with the husband and sees the same pattern here.’
Well, that’s unfortunate for Breezy. ‘How long is all that going to take? Filing a complaint and getting a search warrant?’
‘She said she’ll contact the Beckleys today, tomorrow at the latest, and call the judge as soon as she has the formal complaint for the warrant.’
‘OK. Good.’
We stopped by the Pampered Pup to pick up Buddha. Devon had to make a phone call so I went in alone, checking the mud-bath room first. Maria was in there, singing to a tiny mud creature in Spanish. Both their eyes turned to me when I entered.
I waved. ‘Hi, Maria. Buddha all done?’
‘Si, si.’ She pointed to the ceiling with a mud-covered hand. ‘He upstairs already. He get fat, no?’
I laughed. ‘Fat? No, he’s just full of love, Maria.’ I slipped a twenty on top of the stack of towels and then patted her arm. ‘Thanks for taking care of him.’
Entering the suite, I collapsed on the bed next to him and shoved my face into his chest. ‘Buddha belly! You smell so good.’ I could feel his butt wiggling and he landed a lick on my ear. ‘Missed you, too.’ I kissed his face and rubbed his belly. OK, maybe he was getting a little fat. Well, I had my bike now. I could run him a bit. ‘Come on. Time to go home.’ Or should I say our current, temporary version of home. Best not to get too comfortable calling it home. It’ll hurt less that way when Devon resumes his real life of being a travel photographer.
When we exited the suite, I heard a squeal and spun around to see Novia coming toward me with a huge grin. She was carrying something wrapped in tin foil.
‘Oh my God!’ I gasped as I realized the girl behind her was Breezy.
Stunned, I watched as they approached. ‘Breezy? You’re out of jail?’
Novia wrapped her free arm around my neck and squeezed tight. She was saying something in rapid Spanish. Breezy looked tired, her complexion sallow, but she was smiling, too.
‘Novia, English,’ I pushed through my choked airway. I could feel her heart beating in my own chest.
‘Oh! Si,’ she squealed. ‘Here, these are for Mr Devon.’ She pushed the tin-foiled plate into my stomach. ‘From our madre. She make them to thank Mr Devon, but they wouldn’t let her on the ferry so …’
‘Devon?’ I was so confused.
‘Is he with you?’ Breezy asked from behind her beaming sister. ‘I’d like to thank him in person. I don’t think I would have made it one more day in that awful place.’
Then it hit me. ‘Oh. Devon paid your bail?’
‘Si!’ Novia shouted as Breezy nodded. ‘He is angel.’
‘Yes, he is,’ I agreed. A very wealthy angel, thanks to his parents’ fortune. I’m sure they would’ve approved of his good deed. ‘He’s also waiting for me outside. Come on.’
The girls followed me downstairs and out the front doors, all the while talking happily in Spanish. I didn’t need to understand the words – the excitement in their voices was enough to get the gist of the conversation.
When they spotted Devon sitting in the Jeep, they sprinted to his side. More squealing. More rapid Spanish. Devon glanced at me uncomfortably as I helped Buddha into the car.
‘You’re on your own, hero,’ I teased.
He opened the door to greet them properly and was accosted with the same python-worthy hug I’d been given from Novia. Breezy was more reserved but grateful tears were now running down her face.
I slid into the passenger seat and peeked under the tin foil. Some kind of powdered sugar cookies were piled high. ‘Their mother made you cookies,’ I said, smiling and holding up the plate.
His hand was clutching the door like he was holding on for dear life. I’d never seen him uncomfortable before and I was thoroughly enjoying the moment. Did that make me a bad girlfriend?
‘No thanks necessary, really,’ he kept repeating.
‘You prove my sister is innocent?’ Novia asked, clutching her heart.
‘We’re working on it.’ Devon nodded. He was trying to slide back into the Jeep.
Novia moved her hands to the gold cross at her throat, her face still flushed with gratitude. ‘You will. I have faith.’
I grinned at him on the short drive back to the bungalow. He wouldn’t look at me.
He finally glanced at me sheepishly when we pulled into the driveway. ‘Well, I couldn’t very well have let the poor girl sit in prison, could I?’
‘Yes, you could have,’ I said. ‘But you didn’t and now it’s official. You are the most charming, sexy and virtuous man I’ve ever met.’
‘No, no, no.’ He slid his hand behind my neck and pulled my mouth near his. ‘Virtuous?’ he smirked. ‘I’ll have to change that.’
SEVENTEEN
After a blissful night, I was losing Devon again for a few days. Now that I had my bike, I decided to let Petey stay at the bungalow – since snowbird season was officially in full swing and the Pampered Pup was booked solid – and ride back at lunch to feed him and let him out. It was only a few miles, and besides, the cold front had lifted and the weather was in the high seventies and sunny, the exact weather people flock here for in the winter. Great weather for a girl and her dog to get some much-needed exercise.
‘Welcome, everyone.’ I began class when everyone was settled on their mats. Well, the humans anyway. Some of the dogs were still running around being social. I tried not to let the little tiff Bristol and Gilly had gotten into cause anxiety as I watched the dogs sniff each other. I’d gone almost a year without a dog fight. It wouldn’t be the norm. Deep breath and let it go.
‘When your dog comes to you, we’re going to begin with a front leg stretch.’ I sat cross-legged and had Buddha sit in front of me. He jumped up and put his paws on my shoulders, licking my mouth. Everyone laughed. ‘Yes, he’s a little excited this morning. Must be the cooler weather.’ I moved my hands to rub under his ears and then rubbed lightly over his sides, which, I had to admit, were wider than they used to be. ‘Such a good boy. So, since he’s up here, I’ll begin. Remember the important part is to get a firm grip u
nder their armpits and support them. Start in a cross-leg position and be aware of your own posture, back straight.’ I barely had to put pressure beneath Buddha’s front legs and he was already lifting them in a stretch. Such a pro. ‘Remember the number one rule: if they struggle or seem to be in pain, don’t force their legs up, just gently massage their sides and back instead.’ I watched the class. I loved this morning class. Most of the women had been coming since the beginning and already knew what to do. We had all learned together. ‘For those of you with taller dogs who are doing this stretch standing, be sure to have your feet grounded and kneecaps pulling upward and tailbone tucked to protect your lower back. Good, Whitley.’
We ended in savasana and I walked around giving gentle massages to the dogs. It always amazed me how much their energy shifted by the end of class. You would think they’d get bored or restless, but they never did. Just calmer and more relaxed.
I decided to bring out the box of dog toys. Sometimes these ladies liked to hang out and socialize for a few minutes and today seemed like one of those days.
Beth Anne had her shih tzu in her arms, holding him like a baby as she approached. He had a blue silk ribbon clip holding his bangs back that matched the one in her ponytail. ‘Shakespeare approves of today’s class.’
‘Yeah, you need to calm down, boy.’ I laughed as I stroked his pink freckled belly.
‘So,’ she glanced around and lowered her voice, ‘I did find out that Michael never had a chance to take Cali out of the will, and Selene has no intention of doing so.’
‘What are you whisperin’ about now?’ Violet appeared at her shoulder.
Beth Anne ignored her. ‘And Selene confided in Caramel Jessups who confided in Vivi Marks who confided in—’
‘Good Lord, Beth Anne, get to the point. We don’t have all day for you to recite the gossip chain,’ Violet said.
‘Caramel?’ I said. Who names their daughter Caramel?
‘Anyway,’ Beth Anne shot her a look of exasperation, ‘apparently Cali and her brother had a big blowout in the lobby last night, and Selene is upset Cali won’t take her medication, especially since Michael died. Selene’s worried about her self-harming. Apparently she’s done it before.’
High Jinx Page 13
