I turned my back to both of them and, once my skin settled down, I began looking around in the first room. There was some creepy stuff in here – skulls, artifacts, and even the paintings were creepy. I started reading about voodoo and the influence it had in New Orleans. I was soon immersed and found it to be fascinating. There were several altars, and when I came across Nate and Darby in the next room, Nate was fishing in his pockets for something to leave on one of the altars. The only thing he could come up with was a stick of gum. I could only assume he thought adding the gum to the already large collection of lip balms and other personal items would protect him from spirits. I’m pretty sure I read that leaving an offering actually had something to do with releasing energy, but if Nate thought he would be getting protection, so be it.
Darby placed his business card on the altar and winked at me.
“Susan, aren’t you going to leave something?” Nate asked. “You don’t want evil spirits to follow you around while you’re here, do you?”
“I’m not worried about evil spirits, Nate,” I told him with a laugh. “I don’t have anything to leave, and I’ll be fine.”
He shook his head and raised his eyebrows in a “you’ll be sorry” manner.
Ferg came into the room and said, “We’re moving on to the next location in five minutes. Is that enough time for you guys to finish up here?”
We all nodded, and I walked with Ferg to the area where souvenirs were sold.
“Are you looking for something to take home?” he asked. “Most people take voodoo dolls or gris-gris bags, but if you want something you won’t be throwing away later, the candles are nice.”
I was drawn to the simple, brightly colored mini candles. I asked for two of every color, and pulled out my wallet to pay for them.
“Let me get them for you, Susan,” Ferg said. “Consider it a small thank you for baby-sitting Bogart yesterday.” He pulled out a $50 bill and handed it to the lady at the counter.
A small gasp escaped my lips, but thankfully, he didn’t notice. Was he really using counterfeit money to pay for items around town? I wanted to see his reaction to real counterfeit money. I pulled the bills out of my purse.
“Ferg,” I said holding the money out to him, “Bogart is hiding things in the bushes down by the garden. There were several household items, but he also had this money. You left the plantation before I could give it to you.”
I was looking into his eyes. I saw the momentary flinch, a bit of confusion, and then a flash of fear. He hid the fleeting emotions quickly and smiled at me.
“That crazy dog,” he said with a strained laugh. “He had a piece of the good silver flatware in his mouth last week. Now I know where to go to look for the stuff. Thanks for letting me know – and for returning my money.”
He turned and walked out of the shop. Darby and Nate came up behind me. Darby was smiling and said, “Nate’s buying oil especially made to keep evil spirits away. He’s going to use it on the apartment building at home so we’ll all be safe.”
Nate was smiling and nodding his head. I couldn’t hold back laughter, and the two guys ushered me out of the museum.
Nate was only a little braver when we arrived at the cemetery. He opened his oil and dabbed a little on his head. Darby was a good sport and let Nate put some on his neck, but I told him I didn’t want mosquito-drawing oil anywhere on me and to put it away. He shook his head again and said, “You’re going to be sorry, Susan. You’re really peeving off the spirits around here. I’m getting scared for you.”
Darby winked at me, and I laughed again. “Nate, this is all tourist trap stuff. You don’t need protection from anything.”
He frowned at me and simply said, “You’ll see.”
We walked into the cemetery as one group. Ferg stayed up front with the guide while the three of us hung near the back. I wasn’t prepared for the cemetery to be interesting, but it was. I had never seen more than an occasional above-ground burial vault, but there were rows and rows of them here. In some sections, it was like a labyrinth as some of the vaults were oddly placed and not in rows.
Nate broke my thoughts as he let out a shriek and pointed to one of the vaults. I ran over to stand beside him and Darby to take a look. The front of a vault had crumbled away and was overall in disrepair. The sun was shining at just the right angle to illuminate a skull and a few bones. There were other run-down tombs in the row as well.
The tour guide asked all of us to move closer and into the next section of the cemetery. I overheard someone in the group comment that the guides weren’t supposed to let us see the vaults with bones. It did give me a little shudder. Nate was dipping into more oil.
After the cemetery, our last stop on the mystery tour was a haunted house. Nate absolutely refused to go in. “I’ve already been in one haunted house down here, and I’m not going into another one,” he insisted. He waited outside while Darby and I joined the group.
I had to admit, the hair stood up on the back of my neck several times. The steep staircase to the attic was extra creepy, and the red room definitely had a bloody vibe to it. My mind kept seeing the word redrum over and over again, and I couldn’t wait to get out of the room. Darby and I left the house laughing and exhilarated. It was like having an hour of Halloween on a hot August day.
A tent had been set up on the side lawn of the house, and a psychic was telling fortunes. The three of us sat on the grass and chatted until the line dwindled. We were the last to stand in the line.
Darby and Nate went together ahead of me. Five minutes later they came out with huge smiles on their faces. Nate smiled and said, “We’re a match made in heaven with a long future together.”
I was happy for them, and I gave them hugs as I told them to wish me luck. I entered the tent. I expected to see an old woman with a colorful scarf around her head and a crystal ball on a table with a colorful tablecloth decorated with small moons and stars. Instead, a younger woman sat at a card table with a deck of tarot cards in her hands. I sat down in the chair in front of her.
I smiled at her and said, “Hello.”
Her initial smile faded, and she set the card deck down on the table. “Do you want a reading today?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said with a smile. “I think I’m the last person in our group.”
She nodded, but hesitated. I waited patiently.
“You are a beautiful girl, but you have an intense, dark aura about you right now. I don’t usually do readings when an aura is so dark. The information may not be what you want to hear.”
I was taken aback and slightly unnerved by her words, but I didn’t believe her. There was nothing wrong with my aura. I was blissfully happy married to Mick, my job couldn’t be any more rewarding, and with Darby and Nate as neighbors, my life was perfect. She didn’t know me, and she couldn’t possibly truly read me. Besides, I didn’t believe in this any more than I did fortune cookies.
“No,” I said smiling at her, “I want the reading. Go ahead.”
She lowered her head and concentrated for a few seconds. She shuffled the cards, set the deck on the table, and asked me to cut the cards into three piles. I did so, and she asked me to point to one of the piles. I chose the middle one.
The cards were slowly turned upward one by one. After ten cards, she stopped turning and held the remainder of the pile in her hand. The look on her face was one of distress.
“I think it’s best if I don’t do this reading. I’m sorry,” she said.
Goose bumps broke out over my entire body. “Please, tell me what you see,” I told her. “I have to know before I leave here. If you don’t tell me, I’ll be so distracted I’ll probably walk in front of a bus and die, and then you’ll have made your reading come true.”
She no longer hesitated, but talked in a monotone voice as she said, “You are an innocent. Your life has been easy. You have a happy marriage, good family, and dear friends, but death surrounds you now. You are cloaked with death at every turn. Ther
e are conflicting visions. I see your entombment, but I also see death comes to you in the form of a knife. You must be quick. That’s all I can tell you. I’m sorry.”
Her words shocked me to my very core. This was far more ominous than if she had told me I would be hit by a bus. I was rattled as I left the tent.
Darby and Nate were still smiling and thrilled with their reading. I tried to smile at them, but I could feel the tears behind my eyes. It took every bit of my concentration to keep the waterworks at bay.
“Well, Sunshine, did you get a happy reading? Will we be uncles soon?” Darby asked.
I looked at him, shook my head, and said, “I can’t talk about it.” I ran ahead of them to join the rest of the group boarding the shuttle to take us back to our original starting point on Bourbon Street. I avoided looking at or talking with Darby and Nate as we made our way back to the hotel.
In my room, I threw myself onto the bed and burst into tears. I had friends in college who visited psychics, and they told me a psychic wasn’t allowed to give death readings. Obviously, they were wrong.
Half an hour later, I was done crying, and I pulled out my phone to call Mick. I really needed to hear his voice. Before I could punch his speed dial number, there was a knock at the door. I knew it would be Darby.
I opened the door without peeking out the peephole. He stepped into the room and wrapped his arms around me in a big hug. He kissed me on my nose and asked, “What was it, Susan? What did she say?”
His kindness and concern brought a fresh wave of tears, and it was a few moments before I could speak. “She said I had a black aura, and death surrounded me, and someone was going to stab me with a knife, and I’d be buried in a tomb here.” My tears started flowing again.
“Oh, Susan, she did not,” Darby said emphatically. “There’s no way she gave you a reading that said you were going to be stabbed to death. What did she really say?”
“Darby, she did!” I insisted. We sat down side by side on the bed, and I went back over the reading telling him everything she had said.
He put his arm around me. “Well,” he said, “she didn’t actually say you would be stabbed with a knife, she just said one would come to you.” I could tell he was trying to make light of her words, but I could also tell he was more than a little upset by what she said. “Honey, listen. You and I both know most of this is crackpot, tourist stuff. I simply don’t believe it, and neither should you. You said one of the first things she said to you was that you’re a beautiful girl, right?” I nodded my head. “She was probably jealous. You’re smokin’ hot today in that cute little shorts thing, and if she could see anything at all, she could see how happy you and Mick are, and she probably wanted to mess with you.” He turned me by my shoulders to peer into my eyes and said emphatically, “Forget about it. It’s bullcrap.”
I smiled at him. It was a funny choice of words for him to use. I nodded and stood up to find a tissue and blow my nose.
“Nate and I are leaving in an hour to go out for dinner and then find a local bar with a good jazz band. Does that work for you?” he asked.
“Darby, I don’t think I can handle another long night. For sure I don’t want a repeat of last night,” I told him with a little laugh. “I think I’ll call Mick and then hang out in my room for the evening. I can use the rest. If I do anything adventurous at all, it would be running down to Emeril’s for a bite to eat. I don’t think there will be any other time to go, and I’d like to see the restaurant here in New Orleans.”
“Do you know how to get there?” he asked a little hesitantly. I knew he didn’t like the idea of my going out on my own.
“I do,” I told him. “It’s too far to walk, but it’s only two streets to drive, and it will be easy. I’ll keep my phone on, and you keep yours on, too. If I need you, I’ll call; otherwise, I’ll see you in the morning. Mom and Dad will be coming in.”
He smiled and handed the car keys to me. “It’ll be fun to see your mom and dad again. Be careful if you go out, and don’t go late. Make sure you’re back here early before too many crazies are out on the streets.”
I laughed and said, “Ok,” as he hugged me again before leaving the room.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My eyes were burning from the smoky haze. My throat was scratchy. It had been a long time since I’d been in a bar that was this smoke-filled. Ohio banned smoking in bars and restaurants, so this was taking a little getting used to.
I was slightly hunched down at a corner table of the bar. I fished around in my purse and found an elastic band to pull my hair back so my blonde hair wouldn’t be so noticeable.
I was running surveillance on Ferg as he sat on a stool at the bar. He was talking earnestly with the Spanish guy. The conversation appeared to be escalating, and Ferg put his head in his hands more than a few times in a manner indicating distress. I looked around and wondered at the wisdom of following him and coming here.
After Darby left my room earlier, I showered and changed for dinner. I drove to Emeril’s and indulged in a wonderful meal of Sweet Barbecue Glazed Salmon followed by Banana Cream Pie. I didn’t mind dining alone and enjoyed the leisurely meal. Afterward, as I waited for the valet to bring the car around, I saw Ferg drive past in his Hummer. He didn’t look my way, but I could see the scowl on his face.
I couldn’t help but to wonder what he was doing with a counterfeiting operation. He seemed like such a nice guy, and as he was related to Scotty O’Brien, I couldn’t comprehend his being involved in something illegal, but obviously he was. I would try once more to see what he was up to.
I drove down to the bar where I had seen him with the Spanish guy yesterday. I wasn’t surprised to see the Hummer parked out front. I circled the block a few times before finding a spot, but finally parked and crossed the narrow street to enter the bar. I slipped into a chair at a corner table and had been watching Ferg for almost an hour now. He drank a few beers and chatted with the bartender, but had been arguing with the Spanish guy for the last fifteen minutes.
Ferg put his head in his hands once more. The Spanish guy reached in, grabbed him by his shirt, and yanked him toward him. His look was one of hatred as he sneered something then released him and walked away.
Ferg appeared to be shaken, but straightened his shirt, stood up, and walked out the door. I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. Did Ferg deliver his shipment on time? Did he miss a shipment? Oh my gosh! What if he couldn’t fill an order because I took one of the plates? My heart started to race. Could that be it? Did they already know the plate was missing? I hadn’t given any thought to any repercussions stealing the plate would bring.
“Can I buy you a drink?”
The deep voice to my left startled me, and I jumped in my chair. It was unsettling to see he was already seated at my table. It was the same security guy who rapped on the car window yesterday.
“No, thank you,” I said dryly. “What are you doing here?”
“Just spending a little time having a few beers, and I saw you come in. Do you come into bars like this by yourself often?” he asked. His tone was one of irritation.
“That’s none of your business,” I told him as I picked up my purse and started to stand up to leave.
He reached out and grabbed my arm hard as he stood up with me. I saw a knife in a sheath hanging from his waistband, and I couldn’t hold back a small cry as I tried to wrest my arm from his grip. I was suddenly terrified.
“Let me give you some advice,” he said through gritted teeth. “If you value your life, you’ll stay away from here and stop looking at things that are none of your business.”
He let go of my arm, and I took off running for the door. I was crying as I opened the car door and jumped in. Did I just see the knife that was going to kill me? I was so shaken, I could barely fit the key into the ignition. It was a miracle I made it back to the hotel in one piece. After throwing myself on the bed and crying for the second time today, I got up, blew my nose, washed my
face, and called Mick to tell him about all of the fun things we’d done during the day. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him about the death reading, and I certainly didn’t tell him about the man in the bar. It was a huge strain to present a cheerful voice to him.
When I slipped into bed a short time later, I couldn’t hold back a few more tears as I missed Mick so much, and I had been so frightened earlier. But I did wonder what was going on, and why the security man from the wedding was involved. If Dell hired them from somewhere in Colorado, why would one of the men be hanging around the bar where Ferg and the Spanish guy were doing illegal business? None of it made sense to me, but I was done being curious. The knife had nearly scared me to death.
Chapter Ten
I was dashing across the street to Commander’s Palace. Darby and Nate were close on my heels. Mom and Dad had just exited a cab and were standing by the front doors. They were watching the three of us run toward them, and they were both grinning from ear to ear.
I grabbed dad first and was greeted with a bear hug which nearly collapsed my lungs. Darby had taken hold of Mom and nearly lifted her off her feet with his big hug. Nate was tapping Darby rapidly on the shoulder as he wanted his turn to hug Mom. It was almost like a comedy routine as we all hugged and kissed and exclaimed how happy we were to see each other – especially when Darby and Nate hugged me, and then they hugged each other.
“Mom, you let your hair grow,” I said with surprise. Her pretty auburn hair was usually in a bob cut with bangs, but today it was shoulder length in a simple pageboy style with her bangs swept to the side.
“I was ready for a change,” she said. “Your father thought I should try going blonde to match my daughter, but I thought it would be smarter to simply change the style.”
I looked over at my dad. He had a grin on his face, and he winked at me. “Well, Dad,” I said, “if you make Mom go blonde, you should, too.” The comment brought a round of laughter. Mom might be pretty as a blonde, but Dad certainly wouldn’t wear it well. “You’ve lost some weight,” I said as I gave him another good look.
4 Big Easy Hunter Page 9
