Bluewater Voodoo: Mystery and Adventure in the Caribbean (Bluewater Thrillers Book 3)

by Charles Dougherty

  "I do have an accent," Dani said.

  "You mean when you speak French?"

  "No," Liz interjected. "When she speaks English. She has quite a thick colonial accent, as do you, my dear," she said, in her best British girl’s school English.

  They were still giggling when they got back to Vengeance to find the professor waiting expectantly.

  ****

  "Hungry, Chuck?" Lilly asked, as he tied off the dinghy and helped her up the ladder.

  "A little," he said. "But mostly ready to go."

  "I thought we were staying here another night," Lilly objected. "I wanted to go to that restaurant that has the live lobsters in the pool."

  "Well, I just got a call from RDF. I’ll tell you the details later, but he’s got a line on just what we’re looking for, and it’s in Martinique. How quickly can we get there?" he asked, turning to Dani.

  "It’s pretty late to leave today," she said. "Given the phase of the moon, we’ll carry a foul current at least all the way up the coast of St. Vincent if we leave this evening. Let’s see. It’s a little over 70 miles to Rodney Bay and another 30 to Marin. By the time we clear out here and get squared away, figure we’ll get to Marin about dark tomorrow evening, but customs won’t be open, so we can’t leave the boat until the next morning."

  "Is it safe?" he asked. Seeing Dani’s puzzled look, he added, "I mean, traveling at night, like that."

  "Sure, it’s safe enough, but we’ll all be beat when we get there. Liz and I will have to stand four-hour watches, which we do often, but you and Lilly probably won’t rest very well, with the noise and the motion, given that you’re not used to sleeping on a small boat at sea. If you don’t mind, I have a suggestion."

  "Sure," he said, "What’s that?"

  "Let’s do an early dinner at the lobster place. Get a good night’s sleep. We’ll leave at first light tomorrow morning. That’ll give us a favorable current for most of the trip and save several hours. We’ll anchor in time for a swim and have dinner aboard at Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, tomorrow night, and then we’ll leave there at dawn for Marin, Martinique. We’ll have you ashore by 10 a.m. All told, you’ll only lose a couple of hours of working time, but we’ll all arrive rested and relaxed."

  "I’m sold," Lilly said.

  "Yeah, me too," the professor said. "Even though it seems counterintuitive."

  "It only seems that way," Liz said, "because you aren’t used to having to synchronize your activity to the whims of Mother Nature. When you’re traveling at the pace of a fast walk, winds and tides make a big difference. It takes most folks a while to adjust to the idea, but life is more pleasant if you don’t fight the natural rhythms. Speaking of which, anybody hungry?"

  While Liz set out the lunch that she had prepared earlier, the professor explained his agenda for the summer. Dani and Liz didn’t let on that they had already been partially briefed by Lilly. They asked the occasional question, eliciting an interesting impromptu lecture on the subject of Voodoo.

  "I’ve always associated Voodoo with Haiti," Dani said.

  "Yes, and scary black magic rituals," Liz added, as she set the table in the cockpit.

  "Voodoo is a religion, as much so as Christianity, or Judaism, and it’s probably as old. Or at least its roots are as old. There are factions within all religions who practice magic of a sort, depending on your perspective. The vast majority of Voodoo rituals are for healing and helping. Interestingly, almost all Voodoo practitioners consider themselves to be Christian. In Haiti, most of the people who practice Voodoo are also practicing Roman Catholics."

  "I was raised a Catholic," Dani said, frowning. "I would think the Church would have a problem with that."

  "And the Church did! As recently as the 1950s, the Catholic Church was literally waging war on Voodoo priests and priestesses – encouraging persecution, some would say even carrying out acts of violence in the name of Christ. Eventually, pragmatism won out from the Church’s point of view. From the other side, the Voodoo practitioners never saw any conflict in their beliefs. Early on, Voodoo simply absorbed and adopted Christian beliefs and rituals, finding synergy rather than conflict."

  "Aside from a general study, what are your specific goals for the summer, Professor?" Dani asked.

  "Ah, yes. Well Lilly and I each have our own interests to pursue. I’m planning to focus on the part Voodoo has played in providing comfort and support to Haitians who leave Haiti and find homes in the other islands. Like most people moving to a new place, they tend to stick together, and their new communities usually include a houngan, or a mambo -- often both. Lilly will tell you more about what she’s planning, I’m sure, but I think she’s more interested in the impact in the other direction – that is to say how the presence of Haitians practicing Voodoo is influencing the indigenous culture on various islands. There is such a wealth of opportunity here, you see, because it was less than four centuries ago that the people of the islands brought their divergent religions from Africa. The consolidation and migration of their beliefs is an utterly fascinating sociological phenomenon."

  "I can’t hear Voodoo mentioned without the word ‘zombie’ coming to mind," Dani said.

  "Of course not," the professor agreed. "Thank Hollywood and television for that, although the fascination with the living dead and raising the dead is certainly not unique to Voodoo. Christianity is rife with references, as well. The whole zombie idea is one of the things I want to study a little more deeply. There is a body of, let’s call it ‘darker ritual,’ within the Voodoo doctrine. It’s as foreign to most Voodoo practitioners as it is to us, so it’s more difficult to study. It’s often called Petro, or Don Pedro, after a man by that name who apparently came to Haiti from Jamaica in the late 1700s. He was a houngan, a Voodoo priest, and he also practiced black magic. He was a driving force in the rebellion of the slaves against their white masters.

  "There are a couple of variations on the zombie concept. One is that it was in itself a form of slavery, wherein the houngan cast a spell on a person, causing death, and then raised the person from the grave. The person’s soul was no longer present in the body, and the body was obedient only to the houngan who raised it from the grave. You can see the potential use to which an unscrupulous houngan could put such beliefs, and you can imagine the superstitions that grew up around this idea.

  "The other main variation is that some of the darker rituals may have involved human sacrifice. This is not much of a stretch, given that some mainstream Voodoo rituals involve animal sacrifice. The spirits to be propitiated supposedly preferred willing victims. That was one issue. The other issue was that the potential victims were drawn from the pool of available slaves, which were someone’s valuable property.

  "For the houngan to sacrifice one of his master’s slaves would have caused problems, you see. The solution was for the houngan to cast a death spell over the victim, aided by some magic potion, of course. There were no medical examiners around in those days, and in a hot climate, burial took place as soon as possible. So this drugged victim was buried, carefully I might add, so as not to cause suffocation. After a suitable period, the houngan would perform some ceremony over the grave and raise the victim from the dead. There are many variations, such as interring the victim with a decaying corpse to further the notion that the victim is a risen corpse by the odor. Some theorize that much of this was done to convince the victim that he was indeed still dead and to ensure obedience to the houngan, as his master. More potions may have been administered, to keep the victim docile until he was sacrificed. After slavery was outlawed, it is rumored that this practice was modified somewhat with the objective of effectively enslaving the victim, who was no longer viewed as human."

  "So will you be looking for zombies, Professor?" Dani asked. She noticed the glances and almost imperceptible nods that were exchanged between Lilly and the professor as they agreed to share this part of their agenda with Dani and Liz.

  "We will be. In fact, we are being funded
by a television producer who expects us to do just that. As distasteful as I find this, funding is difficult to come by for projects like this. I hope this doesn’t cause a problem for you and Liz," the professor said.

  "Not us. We just sail the boat," Dani said.

  By now, Liz had lunch spread out on the cockpit table, and they all sat down and began filling their plates from the selection of cold cuts and salad.

  After everyone was served, Lilly said, "Chuck, you said that RDF had called with some information."

  "Right. Thanks, Lilly. Sorry for the lecture."

  "Not at all, Professor. It’s fascinating."

  "You’re kind, Liz. I forget that not everybody shares the interest that Lilly and I have in Voodoo. Anyhow, RDF is a television producer. You may have heard of him?"

  Liz and Dani both shook their heads. "We don’t see much television," Dani said.

  "Of course. He’s known for some bizarre ‘reality’ shows, and he’s got the notion of doing one about real-life zombies. There’s a pop culture fascination with them, especially among the young folks. He’s bankrolling our trip in hopes that we can find some evidence that zombies exist."

  "You think they do?" Liz asked.

  "I think they could, certainly. Not as some inhuman monsters, but as people who’ve been drugged into a zombie-like state. There’s plenty of evidence that this has happened in recent history."

  "And not just our undergrad students after a weekend of hard partying," Lilly said, with a chuckle. "What did RDF say, Chuck?"

  "He’s got this kid working for him who’s a computer whiz – keeps all the stuff working, tinkers with virtual reality special effects, basic all-purpose geek. You know the type."

  "Yes," Lilly said. Dani and Liz nodded.

  "Well this kid picked up from some computer geek grapevine that somebody else, some man named Martinez, was looking for zombies. He knew RDF was working on this project, so he hacked into a bunch of computer systems until he discovered that the other guy apparently got a solid lead in Martinique just a week or so ago. The kid even found out the guy’s travel arrangements, the hotel where he stayed, everything."

  "So that’s why you’re in a hurry to get there, now," Dani said.

  "Yes. Especially since the kid discovered that Martinez has another visit planned for early next week."

  "What’s the hotel?" Dani asked.

  "Le Petit Refuge du Caritan," the professor said. "RDF said it’s near a little village called Ste. Anne."

  "Yes. We know the place well. We can anchor off Ste. Anne within sight of the resort. In fact, it’s one of our favorite spots to anchor, although I’ve never been to the hotel itself."

  Chapter 7

  Lilly and the professor sat on the veranda of the quaint little resort hotel at an umbrella table that provided a wonderful view of the beach. In the near distance they could see Vengeance at anchor.

  "It’ll be okay, Chuck. Who would they tell, and what can it hurt if they do tell someone?"

  "Oh, I don’t know, Lilly. That Dani is a shrewd gal. She drew me out and I told her our whole story before I realized it. You’re probably right; it won’t matter. I just feel sort of foolish; that’s all. I didn’t mean to blabber on about how we’re hunting zombies. It just sounds so, so…"

  "Relax, Chuck. It’s fine. You’re paying them well, and like she said, ‘We just sail the boat.’ Besides, I think you were smart to take them into your confidence. I’m sure she and Liz can be helpful. She even has a lot of distant relatives here. Quit worrying and let’s order lunch."

  They turned their attention to the menus, and a few minutes later a pretty Creole girl came with two bottles of chilled water.

  She put a glass beside each of their place mats, offered a charming smile, and said, "Bonjour! Bienvenue. Good afternoon and welcome to the ‘ide-away. You are ready to order, or you have, maybe, some question?"

  "Good afternoon," the professor said. "Do you have a recommendation for lunch?"

  "Oui! Ze plat du jour, it is very nize today, with some fraise-caught snapper with the caper and the white wine sauce. It come with some nize, fraise vegetable, some hot bread. Is ver’ nize. You like?"

  "Yes, please, for two of us, and a carafe of white table wine," the professor said.

  "Bon," the waitress smiled and nodded as she made a note on her pad and backed away from the table.

  She returned in a few minutes with a chilled carafe of wine, and as she poured a glass for each, Lilly asked, "Is Martinique your home, originally?"

  "Yes, madam. I am born here, ver’ close to this hotel."

  "So have there been many changes in Martinique in your lifetime? Is it much different now from when you were a child?"

  "Oh, yes, madame. Some big change. Some not. Many more people come now. Is much more crowd."

  "You mean tourists, visitors?"

  "Yes, of course. Many tourists come now. Not so many when I am child. And not tourists, too."

  "Not tourists?" Lilly asked, unclear as to the girl’s meaning.

  "Peoples who comes here to live, from some other places."

  "The people who buy these apartments we could see up on the hillside?"

  "Yes, sometimes. Sometimes peoples comes here from other islan’, now. Martinique, it is ver’, ‘ow you say has lots of money?"

  "Rich?" Lilly offered.

  "Yes. I think so. Martinique is ver’ rich, next to other islan’, so many peoples, they tries to come live Martinique."

  A chime sounded from the kitchen and the girl rushed away. In a few minutes she returned with their food. Each steaming plate held a whole fish, swimming in buttery white wine sauce with capers and herbs. The tantalizing aroma of just the right amount of garlic blended with that of the butter and the fresh, still-hot baguette that she set to the side. "Enjoy!" she said, as she bowed and excused herself.

  Lilly and the professor savored the food in silence. Once they had used the last of the baguette to mop up the remaining sauce from their plates, the girl returned to clear the table.

  "You would maybe like some dessert?" she asked, an impish smile on her face. When they both shook their heads ruefully, she gave an easy chuckle. "Is good? You enjoy?"

  "Yes, thank you," Lilly said.

  "C’est bon. You tell me when you wan’ the check, yes?"

  "Yes," the professor said. "You were saying people come here from other islands?"

  She nodded, smiling.

  "From which islands?"

  "Well, from most islands, some peoples comes, but many comes from Haiti."

  "I see. Because of the language?" he asked.

  "Yes, the language, the French histoire of the islan’. Haiti very poor. Is much better here, but the government don’ like. The Haitians, they mus’ work for not much money, because they have no paper, and to us, they are living hard, but still is better than Haiti, they say."

  "Do people from Haiti work here in the hotel?"

  "Mais oui! Many do. Claude-Michel, he is the bartender inside. He is from Haiti. He can tell you about Haiti, if you wish."

  The professor settled the check with her, leaving a generous tip, and he and Lilly moved into the shady indoor bar for a drink and to make the acquaintance of Claude-Michel.

  ****

  "So how’s married life?" Dani asked.

  "Wonderful!" Phillip said, glancing at his wife.

  "Sandrine?" Dani asked.

  "I think that he is doing okay, yes. He is the good ‘usband, up until now."

  They sat at a table in the waterfront restaurant at the marina in Marin with Liz, enjoying a leisurely lunch. Phillip Davis was a former business partner of Dani’s father. He had recently retired, and he lived in nearby Ste. Anne. He was newly married, and his wife, Sandrine, was a customs officer working in the office in Marin. When Dani had gone into customs that morning to clear Vengeance into Martinique, Sandrine had called Phillip and they all agreed to meet for lunch. The last time they had been together was for the wed
ding a few months previously.

  "And did you enjoy the time in Paris, Sandrine?" Liz asked, referring to their wedding trip.

  "Yes. I had some little bit of the trouble with this one, to get him on the airplane," she said, nodding at Phillip, "but once we have get him off from the Kayak Spirit, is okay. Yes."

  "How did you do that? He thought he was going to surprise you with a honeymoon cruise through the islands," Dani said, smirking. Kayak Spirit was Phillip’s beloved Carriacou sloop, now berthed a few yards away in the marina.

  "It is the long story. Maybe there is not the time before I must go back to the office, but later, I will tell it to you. Without your Papa and Sharktooth, I think maybe I could not ‘ave make it ‘appen. That is how you say, no?"

  "Yes. You speak English more like an American every time I see you," Dani said.

  "Enough about us," Phillip said. "Tell us about the charter business. How’s it working out?"

  "Well, it’s fine so far. We just had a little bit of the season left after you guys got married. Papa and Anne spent two weeks with us after you left, and that was really nice. It was great to have the time with them, and besides, it gave Liz and me a chance to learn to deal with guests aboard Vengeance without having to tiptoe around strangers, you know?"

  Phillip and Sandrine both nodded attentively.

  "We were getting set to take off on a passage from Antigua to New England. We were hoping we could line up a few summer charters up that way, and just as we were about to leave, the charter broker called with this gig we’re on now," Liz said. "This professor and his ‘graduate assistant’ booked us until the end of October for an off-season cruise in the islands."

  "That seems strange," Phillip said.

  "Oh, it’s even stranger than it seems," Dani said, and she told Phillip and Sandrine the whole story.

  "They look for zombies?" Sandrine shook her head.

  Phillip looked thoughtful, and Dani, who had known him as long as she could remember, sensed that he was preoccupied. Some 20 years her senior, he had always been like an older brother to her.