“She kept some paperwork at Tony’s place. In a basement shelf. I don’t think they’d suspect you of going there.”
“But if I go there I have to leave you two women alone.”
“Only for a couple of hours at the most. We’ll handle ourselves. Sandy’s no wallflower and neither am I.”
“I’ll be back in two hours then. Get Shelley ready to leave.”
Harry started his Cuda and left the lane then drove northeast to Tony’s place. He arrived in half an hour and parked his car in front of Tony’s house, or what used to be his house before Harry and the women buried him in the woods. He rummaged through cabinets in the basement and soon found one full of papers. He found Shelley’s passport and as a first stroke of luck it was up to date.
When Harry came up the cellar steps he was face to face with John Dean. But then he had been before in this house and the man disappeared. Was he real?
“Hello Harry. Long time no see. You and Shelley taking a trip? I see you have her passport.”
“Now that she’s better I thought me and Sandy would take her to Disneyland.”
“Hah, you’re a laugh. Why don’t you give me the passport, Harry. I don’t think she’ll need it after today.”
“Then why do you want it? Tell me John old buddy. Why the fuck are we doing this dance? You say nobody knows shit.”
“We’re doing this because you think Joe Sharky killed your brother and I’m doing it because I’m being paid. Now give me the passport.”
“Fuck you.”
Harry shoved John Dean on the way out of the door. He felt Dean’s hand on his shoulder and the next thing Harry knew he was tumbling down the front steps. Dean was strong. Harry felt a boot hit his stomach and another hit him square in the face. He rolled trying to get away from Dean, straight to his car. He rolled under the Cuda and lay on his back. Dean’s boot caught him in the right rib cage. Harry twisted his way out from under the car holding his Beretta.
He shot Dean three times.
One in the head, one in the chest and a third in the gut.
Dean vanished before he dropped to the ground.
Harry wiped the sweat, blood, and dirt from his eyes then looked again.
Shit. The guy disappeared again.
Harry searched for traces of blood but couldn’t tell if what he found was his or Dean’s. He retrieved Shelley’s passport from the front steps. Through blurry eyes he searched for signs of a car. He looked around the back and sides of the house hoping to find Dean’s body. He could almost swear he’d seen Dean smile after he’d been shot.
Who the fuck was this guy?
Harry checked his watch and calculated the time in the house and the beating he took then estimated he somehow lost fifteen minutes. Karma told him that at their last encounter Lenea had probably frozen Harry’s time line. Had she done it again? If so then she’d have done it after he’d shot John Dean. Was Dean dead? And if so why had Lenea left Harry alive? Surely if she froze time and picked up Dean she would have killed Harry. Why not? She was in the area anyway.
Harry followed his own tread marks in the gravel when he’d driven into the laneway. The evidence wasn’t clear enough for him to confirm another car had been there after he drove in.
Half an hour later he was home again. His heart sank when he noticed the front door was open. He entered the house, gun in hand, and noticed Karma lying on the floor. Scanning the inside of the house he ran to her. She had a pulse and was warm to the touch.
“I’m okay,” she rasped.
Then added,
“He isn’t.”
She pointed to the front door and hanging from the frame a foot off the floor was one of Sharky’s bouncers. He was nailed to the door frame through both hands with what appeared to be a railroad spike.
“Sandy and Shelley are out back,” said Karma.
Harry was assaulted by Sandy when he went out the back door. In a nice way of course. She jumped up and kissed his blood covered face. Shelley stood like a statue not far behind.
Harry returned to the house where Karma sat on her butt stroking her face.
“He got in a good one before I nailed him,” said Karma.
Harry couldn’t help but smile. Karma wasn’t the joking type. She held out her hand and the spike wrenched out of the door frame. The bouncer’s body dropped to the floor. He moaned so he wasn’t dead.
“There were two but after seeing his buddy pinned the other one decided to take a walk,” said Karma.
Harry realized that they’d been watched and when the opportunity availed itself they attacked.
Harry, Sandy, and Karma took turns in the tub and before long were in Sandy’s sedan on the way south to New Orleans.
Chapter 20
Harry decided to take a route through Detroit and stay west of the mountains on the way to New Orleans. Harry and Sandy shared time in the driver’s seat switching every two hours. The Chrysler 300 was almost new and could easily make the non-stop trek in two days.
Day one brought them to the border crossings at Detroit. The female border guard on the American side irritated Harry to no end. Shelley’s eyes were bandaged as were her hands so she piqued the curiosity of the guard. She opened the rear door and asked Shelley,
“You all right mam?”
Of course Shelley didn’t respond.
Karma offered,
“I’m her nurse and she’s sedated. We’re taking her to a trauma specialist in Atlanta.”
The guard eyed Karma with suspicion.
“What’s the doctor’s name?”
Harry had never wanted to hit a woman but…
Karma answered,
“We don’t have one yet. We were advised to seek out a general practitioner and he’d have to arrange an appointment with a suitable professional in the field. That is the way it’s done isn’t it?”
Karma’s voice was laced with sarcasm.
Harry couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Exactly what is it you think we’re doing lady? Kidnapping? Transporting slave labour south? It is exactly the way it appears to a normal human being. Shelley is injured and sick. We’re driving her south for treatment.”
Harry could see the guard stiffen.
“It looks suspicious to me. The grey colour of her skin. It looks like you need a specialist as well mister. Something’s not right.”
Harry shot back,
“We were in the same car accident.”
The guard wasn’t about to let up.
“Don’t they have hospitals where you come from?”
“There’s a waiting list.”
The male guard that had been at her side returned with an older guard probably a higher ranking official. Harry wondered what they were in for. The older man asked,
“What’s the trouble Ruth?”
“There’s something wrong with this injured lady. I can feel it.”
The official looked at Harry and asked,
“What’s the story?”
Karma answered for Harry,
“I’m a nurse and we’re taking Shelley for treatment in Atlanta. She’s sedated to ease the pain and can’t speak for herself. Our papers are in order so we’d like to continue our journey.”
The official glanced at Ruth then at Shelley.
“It looks straight forward to me. Go on. Sorry about the confusion.”
Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
As the official walked away Harry heard him say,
“Come to my office a minute Ruth.”
Ruth wouldn’t relent.
“But sir, can you not see there’s something wrong?”
“Yah, the woman’s injured.”
Harry didn’t here any more as they moved out of range and Sandy drove on.
They stopped for washroom breaks outside of Detroit. Shelley had retained her primal instincts for bodily functions. Thank God for that thought Harry. It did take both Karma and Sandy to help her into the washroom, however. Shelley
was slightly aware now but couldn’t form words.
They gassed up and started south again. They passed through Dayton then stopped on the outskirts of Cincinnati. They took washroom breaks and grabbed some fast food. Shelley slowly but surely finished a burger and fries combo. Harry hoped she’d come around. And what if she did? Would she have a memory? And did she know anything?
If she didn’t why would Joe Sharky turn her over to Lenea? And why had the Voodoo priestess turned her into one of the walking dead?
The Hemi in Sandy’s Chrysler purred like a kitten as they entered the outskirts of Nashville. It was time for another pit stop. A police cruiser followed them in and the officer, hand resting on the butt of his gun, approached Harry.
He saw three women in the car and relaxed slightly. Nothing like women to calm a man’s nerves.
“You were a little over the limit, fifteen miles an hour to be exact.”
His eyes caught sight of Shelley and he walked around to the passenger side and stared at her. Karma rolled down the window and explained.
“I’m a nurse and Shelley’s my patient. We’re taking her to Atlanta for treatment.”
Same old shit thought Harry.
The officer nodded then walked back to the driver’s side door.
“Take it easy on the pedal mister. I hope they can help your friend. You look like you could use a little help yourself.”
“We were in a car accident.”
“Take it easy,” he said then got back in his cruiser and drove away. Seeing Shelley must have softened his heart.
Harry slept and woke near Memphis and immediately took his turn at the wheel. Sandy slept until the warm sun woke her in Jackson. This would be their final stop before entering New Orleans. Washroom breaks and fast foods again. Harry wanted a salmon steak and a shot or two of whiskey. It would have to wait.
Half an hour later they started the final leg of their journey.
Sandy was uncharacteristically quite throughout the drive, one eye on the rear view.
“What’s up Sandy?” asked Harry.
She understood his question immediately as though waiting for him to ask.
“Lenea gives me the creeps. Will she always be there? With us?”
It was Karma who answered.
“She will if you let her. You give her power.”
Sandy laughed.
“She’s a Voodoo priestess. I’m a dumb fucking waitress.”
“She’s what you make of her and you are how you see yourself.”
“I’m not making the connection?”
“So far you’ve been what you had to be. You will be the person you need to be to survive. Lenea is a yeast infection.”
“Yeast?”
They all laughed.
Chapter 21
Karma took the wheel for the first time as they entered New Orleans. A lot had changed and she knew the way by memory rather than by the names of streets. She announced they were in the old French Quarter and parking was almost no existent.
While driving she pointed to a cemetery filled with tombstones and mausoleums.
“In August 2005 Hurricane Katrina literally raised the dead. Thousands of coffins were uplifted and drifted through the city causing a nightmare. Talk about Vampires tales and the living dead. Some of New Orleans is only eight feet or so above sea level. The levees gave way causing flooding throughout the city.”
“Were you here then?” asked Harry.
“Yup, and another reason to get the hell out of town.”
“How did you get through it? I saw films of people housed in the Louisiana Superdome. Were you there?”
“Nope. When the reserves came to evacuate the French Quarter mom refused to leave. Neighbours did as she did. The soldiers somehow forgot about her…
“A mind thing she had a talent for. Anyway the storm knocked out all the levees except for the ones in the French Quarter. Mom stood proud and tall defying Katrina to enter her sector. The edge of the storm passed. The rain and gale force winds bypassed us. That’s the story, believe it or not. Katrina wouldn’t fuck with mom.”
“Do you believe it?” asked Harry.
“I was there, remember?”
She found a place to park and Harry paid an outrageous fee. Karma assured him it was insurance as well as the spot itself.
Karma said,
“Now for hotel rooms. They’re sometimes hard to get.”
Harry asked,
“Because of Mardi Gras?”
“Yes and no. Mardi Gras day, or “Fat Tuesday,” this year was on March 4th, long passed. It falls on the day before Ash Wednesday. But Mardi Gras festival can start as early as January and last until the end of July.”
Karma laughed then said,
“It’s a festival that lasts half the year. There are spring and summer parades, always something to celebrate. It’s a tourist industry all on its own.”
She waved her arms to indicate the surroundings then said,
“New Orleans is a very diverse city. It has a modern harbour, oil refineries, industry, a high rise skyline, and the old French sector which has retained its culture. And Jazz, can’t forget about that.”
Karma found two double rooms, one for Harry and Sandy and one for herself and Shelley.
“Now for the real hard part. Seeing mom and living to tell the tale.”
“I’ll go with you,” said Harry.
“Not a chance. Not unless she invites you.”
“What about me?” asked Sandy.
“Same for you. If I’m not back by dark then you know I won’t be back at all. So get out of town if you don’t see me. Got it?”
“You’re kidding? She’s your mom.”
“She’s also Lenea’s mom. And has some kind of relationship with John Dean. You may have killed him, remember? I truly don’t know where I stand with her. I left home when I was very young.”
Karma walked the streets to her mother’s house as childhood memories played in her mind. She remembered the crowded streets on Mardi Gras day and the colourful costumes people wore: the floats with fairy tale characters and jazz bands that marched along the street playing their tunes.
It was evening and couples were walking to restaurants for a taste of Cajun cuisine. There were restaurants that advertised Creole dishes which were a mixture of Haitian and French ingredients. Karma would never forget the Creole language spoken in Louisiana which was losing ground to English as the old generations passed on. Creole was still used in Haiti and other Caribbean islands consisting of a mixture of African languages and French.
Karma had let her mind wander trying to delay the moment when she’d have to knock on her mother’s door. She was standing in front of it when it opened and, her mother, Marie stared into her eyes.
“Well, come in child. Don’t stand out there with your mouth open catching flies.”
Marie turned and walked into the house. Karma followed.
Karma sat at the same kitchen table she had almost ten years ago while her mother fussed with the tea pot. She looked around the room with its furnishings her mother had inherited: and her mother before her. Dried leaves hung from one wall beside animal bones. Or were they human souvenirs? With mom one never knew.
Marie brought two cups of tea to the table. Karma switched them. Marie laughed.
“I knew you were going to do that child. That’s why I put the poison in mine.”
Karma knew there was no sense in adding sugar or cream. The tea mom made was so strong it would never be tasted.
“You’re not here to visit your old mom, are you?”
“Yes and no.”
“Hah. Same Karma, evasive as always. With your mom anyway. So tell why you’re here. I know it has something to do with my talents.”
“I did want to see you again. And you’re right there is an another reason as well. Have you talked to Lenea?”
“What does that have to do with anything? I have a relationship with you and another with your sis
ter. I keep them separate because you two never got along.”
“Lenea and I are still at odds. I’m trying to save someone and she’s trying to kill her.”
Without a second’s hesitation Marie said,
“Thanks for reminding me, I raised two girls, one a whore, the other an assassin.”
That comment brought cause for a moment of silence. Finally Karma said,
“I have a woman that Lenea put in a trance. I brought her out of it but she’s still sinking as though she were in quicksand. Can you help her?”
“Can I? Possibly. Will I. No.”
“Why? You can save a life.”
“If I do I take your side against Lenea.”
Karma stared into her mother’s eyes.
“Is that it child? If so I have work to do.”
“Please mom. Just look at her. Tell me how to help her. I’ll do it.”
“Same thing. I choose you over Lenea.”
“But she’s wrong. She wants to destroy and I want to save a life.”
“Lenea obviously has a reason for what she’s doing. Maybe she’s right.”
“Her reason is money.”
“Is that why you’re a whore, for money? What makes you so high and mighty? You’re both no good. You want me to choose which one of you is worse. Fine decision to have a mother make.”
“Who is John Dean?”
That question set Marie back in her chair. Her face turned red and Karma could almost see the smoke rise from her mom’s hair.
“That’s none of your business. Now get out of here.”
“All right I’ll go but I want to see you again tomorrow. I’ll bring Shelley here and you can tell her you won’t help her, to her face.”
“Go on now or in a minute Lenea will be the only daughter I have. Life will be simple.”
Karma broke into tears and ran out the door. What a disaster she thought.
She raced along the street. People stopped and stared but she didn’t care.
Someone grabbed her as she passed an alleyway.
“What’s wrong?”
It was Harry.
Sobbing she said,
“I told you to stay out of this.”
He had a hold of both her arms.
Evil in Hockley Page 8
