by Rose Pressey
“So you didn’t move them?” Courtney said.
“That’s what I said. I get tired of looking at the junk every day. You’re not supposed to leave trash in the hallway, you know,” Mrs. Perkins said with a frown.
“What do you mean look at it every day?” I asked.
“There has been a lot of that debris left here. I saw the man who left it too. I assume he’s been the one who did it each time.” She adjusted the tie on her robe. “I tried to stop him, but he didn’t look very friendly, so I didn’t follow him.”
“What did he look like?” I asked.
“Give me a minute and I’ll show you. I took his picture with my cell phone. My grandson showed me how to use the thing.”
Courtney and I exchanged a look and then chuckled. Mrs. Perkins shuffled back with her cell in hand.
She shoved the phone at us. “That’s him. That’s the guy.”
As soon as I saw the picture I recognized the man right away. “That’s Doug. He’s the one who has been following me.”
“I know that guy,” Courtney said.
My mouth dropped. “You know him? By the look on your face, I take it you don’t like him.”
She waved her hand. “I don’t know him per se, I just know who he is.”
Wanda tapped her foot again. “Is that all?”
“Yes, thank you, Mrs. Perkins,” I said.
She didn’t say another word as she shut the door.
“Well, what do you think we should do?” I asked.
“I have a plan.” Courtney motioned for me to follow her.
We headed out of the building and down the street toward her car.
“Do you have any idea why he would leave this?” I asked.
“My guess is that he doesn’t like you.” She pulled out her car key.
“Thanks,” I said.
“It doesn’t matter why, it just matters that he stops.”
That made sense to me. And I wanted Doug or whoever the person was to stop doing this more than anything.
Courtney and I climbed into her car and headed down the street. The sun had slipped away brining the first hints of darkness. Streetlights began to switch on in synchronization.
“So what is this plan?” I asked.
Courtney merged onto the highway. “I know someone who can tell us about this stuff.”
I released a deep breath. “Well, I guess it’s worth a shot.”
We pulled down the dirt driveway. Dust kicked up from the tires followed behind the car. At the end of the driveway was a white clapboard house. There was an old green truck in front of the house, but other than that the house was quiet. We parked behind the truck.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked.
“It will be fine. I can ask her more about this spell.”
I pushed my shoulders back and opened the car door. I still didn’t think this was such a good idea, but since we were here I couldn’t back out now.
Courtney and I stepped closer to the front porch, but sound caught our attention. It was coming from the back yard. As the moon made its way toward fullness, I wondered if walking around someone’s home at night was such a great idea. Against my better judgment we headed around the side of the house. Once at the edge of the house we paused and looked out into the back yard. The women were standing around in a circle. If they heard our car, they didn’t turn to look. It was as if they were in a trance. I wasn’t sure we should be here. It seemed like an event that was invitation-only.
“What are they doing?” I whispered.
“Some kind of spell,” Courtney answered.
“I really think we should give them some privacy then.” I motioned for her to follow me.
She grabbed my arm. “Give it just a minute so I can see what they are doing.”
“We should turn around and leave right now,” Courtney whispered. “This is something we shouldn’t get involved in right now.”
“I don’t want to get involved with it at any time.” Sure, I didn’t believe in voodoo, but I wasn’t going to take my chances either. The power of suggestion was everything. I tugged on my cousin’s shirt. “Let’s get out of here.”
As we turned around to leave, I glanced over my shoulder and saw a woman watching us. I had so hoped to get out of there without being noticed.
We made it down the driveway before the woman called out to us. I glanced over my shoulder and spotted the woman coming toward us. She didn’t look happy that we had interrupted their event. I wasn’t happy that I had interrupted either. There were many other places I would prefer to be at the moment.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw the woman walking from around the house. She was staring right at us. There was no way that she hadn’t seen us. It would be impossible to sneak away now.
My cousin cranked the engine but the car did nothing.
“I told you to get your car maintained, now look what happened.”
“Now is not the time for a lecture.” She hit the steering wheel with her hands.
“Okay, then remind me later,” I said.
“Yeah, I’ll make sure to do that.” She tried the ignition again, but it still wouldn’t turn over.
When I looked ahead, the woman was talking with a younger dark-haired man. He glanced our way and then hurried in our direction. This wasn’t a good sign. He looked angry with the fact that we were trespassing. Muscles bulged underneath his black T-shirt and I knew it wouldn’t take much effort for him to get rid of us.
Within seconds he was beside our car. He looked at us with a glare that I thought would cause a hole in my head. He opened the car door and motioned for my cousin to get out. “You all need to come with me.”
Something told me he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He glared at us and signaled for us to get out again. Since Courtney’s car wouldn’t start, it didn’t look as if we were getting out of there anyway. I exchanged a look with my cousin and knew that she was thinking the same thing.
He pointed for us to walk toward the house. I wondered what he would do if we ran. I wasn’t brave enough right now to find out. He gestured for us to walk ahead of him. We started for the front of the house. I glanced over my shoulder to see if he was still behind us. He stared at me when I looked at him.
“Lovely weather, isn’t it?” I said.
Courtney flashed me a ‘shut up’ look. Sometimes I knew that I should think before talking, but I just couldn’t help myself.
The house was dark, but then again the moon had quickly disappeared behind a cloud. The living room was on the right and a bedroom on the left. A sofa and a couple of chairs sat in the middle of the room. The white curtains were pulled closed, and only a small lamp illuminated the corner of the room, making the dim room even darker. My anxiety was increasing with each passing minute. I had never been a fan of creepy places, much less when it was dark. Just beyond the living room was a small kitchen. Apparently that was where we were headed.
The woman was sitting at the small kitchen table. She looked straight at us and then offered a little grin.
“Please have a seat,” she said as she motioned toward the chairs around the table. She placed her hands on the table and watched as we sat across from her. “My name is Larissa. What brings you to my house?”
I waited for my cousin to answer her. Courtney was the one who’d brought us here, so she could do the talking. Besides, I wouldn’t know what to say.
Courtney pulled out the picture of the twigs we’d found from her purse. “We found twigs at Chase’s home. I think I know who left them.”
Larissa nodded and brought out a piece of white fabric. “I can do a spell to help get rid of this negativity.”
“Do you think it is something to do with a bad spell?” Courtney asked.
Larissa smiled, but I wasn’t sure I trusted her. She folded the cloth and didn’t look up at our stares. This was just weird. I waited anxiously for her to say something, anything.
She nodded and then
said, “I can get rid of this for you.”
“We need to know why it was left in the first place.”
Larissa shook her head but didn’t look up at us. “I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you,” she said.
That was easy for her to say. She wasn’t the one on the receiving end of the weird sticks. If it was up to me I would have thrown the things away and forgotten about it. Then I wouldn’t be here.
Larissa stood from the table without saying another word. We watched as she walked over to the back door and opened it. She didn’t look back at us as she walked out. I had no idea what she was doing. She left us alone in the room. I looked around to see if the man was still there, but thank goodness he wasn’t around. Now maybe we could get out of there.
I pushed to my feet and walked over to the small table against the wall.
Courtney looked over her shoulder. “I don’t think you should touch anything. It’s not a good idea.”
Of course I didn’t listen to her. Curiosity got me and this would take my mind off my anxiety. It wasn’t like I was being snoopy. After all, the woman had left these things out so I was sure she wanted us to see them. That was why people had photos out, so that people could look at them.
I picked up the picture and studied it. That was when it hit me that I recognized the man in the picture. My stomach sank. I turned to look at Courtney. “It’s the man who has been following us. It’s Doug, the one Mrs. Perkins claims left the stuff.”
Courtney’s face dropped. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “Unfortunately, yes, I am sure. We have to get out of here,” I said.
My cousin pushed to her feet. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
“What were you thinking by bringing us here?” I asked.
“It was all I could think to do at the time. I didn’t know she was connected to that man.”
I glanced around. The guy still wasn’t there so I knew it was our chance to get out of there.
Thank goodness the man who had escorted us inside wasn’t around.
Once inside the car, Courtney said, “It has to be a relative of hers. Why else would she have his photo?”
“Either a relative or a family friend. Either way it isn’t a good thing for us. What are the odds that we would come here and she would be involved with that man?” I said.
“Unlikely, but somehow we managed to beat those odds.”
“Lucky us,” I fastened my seatbelt.
“But why is he leaving the twigs at your door? Do you think she knows that he is doing this? If she knows, then why would she offer to get rid of whatever he left at your door?”
“Do you really believe in all this? I just think he is trying to scare me.”
“Well, is it working?” she asked.
Courtney had me there. It was freaking me out a little, but I still didn’t believe. Regardless, I guessed the person leaving the items believed, so that was the most important part.
Courtney navigated the street. “When did this start?”
I contemplated for a moment and then said, “As a matter of fact, it was the next morning after I saw the cop. So do you think there is a connection between the two?”
She honked at a car moving into our lane, and then calmly asked, “There has to be, right?”
I nodded. “I’m afraid I think you’re right. We just have to find out what that connection is.”
That seemed almost impossible now, but I had to give it a shot.
Chapter Eighteen
“I got info on that guy Doug,” Courtney said when I answered the phone.
“That’s fantastic. Let me have it,” I said.
“Don’t you want to know how I found this info?” she asked.
I had to ask her or I wouldn’t hear the end of it. “Okay, tell me how you found out,” I said as I walked down the sidewalk.
“I called a few people and was lucky enough to find out about this courtyard tour. Apparently he works there on occasion.”
“The tours of courtyards in the French Quarter?” I asked.
“Yes, that’s the one.”
I released a deep breath. “I guess I’ll head over there and see what it is all about.”
“Do you want to wait for me to go with you?”
“I would love that, but I don’t think I have the time. I think I should go now.”
She sighed. “I’m not so sure that is a good idea.”
“Yeah, probably not,” I said, “but I have to do it anyway.”
“I would ask you not to, but I know you won’t listen,” she said.
She was right about that.
After hanging up, I immediately went to my car. I had some reservations about going alone, but I had no other options right now. Courtney was busy with her store. I certainly wasn’t going to ask Dangerfield to come with me. He was nothing but trouble. Sexy, but trouble.
I drove the short distance to the location. The small sign advertising tours was near the entrance for a courtyard. I parked down the street some distance away so that no one would see my car. Of course if I needed to make a fast getaway I would be in big trouble. I hoped that would be the case, but lately I had to get away quite a few times. Ever since I had seen the cop my life had been out of control.
The homemade-looking sign advertised the cost of the tours along with the times. Glancing at my phone, I looked at the time and saw that there was a tour starting in five minutes. It certainly wasn’t a popular tour if no one was here. Maybe it had been canceled. I would just have a quick look around. Maybe I would find some useful information. Then again maybe I wouldn’t.
After moving over to the entrance and finding no one was there, I decided to step closer so that I could see inside the courtyard. Inching forward, I stepped inside the open iron gate. It groaned as I pushed it wider. Brick walls surrounded me on each side. Small white iron tables and chairs were placed sporadically around the area. Lush greenery and other full trees enclosed the courtyard creating a dense canopy of shade. Once I was inside, I headed toward the bubbling fountain in the middle of the space. Glancing over my shoulder a couple times, I still couldn’t believe I was poking around here. Why had I come here alone?
Once at the fountain, I looked out over the space again. Still there was no one around. I’d barely had the thought when a group of people stepped inside the courtyard. This was not going to end well. I had no way to get away from them. I thought could run off away if someone showed up, but now I realized that wouldn’t work.
I knew this was a crazy idea, but I didn’t know what else to do. I would just have to wing the tour myself. They probably wouldn’t know the difference between me and the real tour operator. At least I hoped they wouldn’t know the difference.
“Everyone gather around please.” I started the tour and prayed that I remembered a little bit about the nearby French Quarters homes. If someone realized I was an imposter they would probably call the police.
I moved through the courtyard as if I knew exactly what I was doing. So far they hadn’t noticed that I had no clue how to give a tour.
I rushed the group across the area. “This majestic courtyard is for this house…” Oh dear heavens. What had I gotten myself into this time?
I heard a few complaints, but I wasn’t worried about my review. I thought I was doing a pretty good with my speaking skills. At least I was used to being in front of an audience. It was a good thing these people were tourists otherwise they may have recognized me.
I took the group back to the entrance in the hopes that I would know where to take them next. Would it be possible to ditch them once we got to another location? No, that would be mean of me. I had to finish what I started.
“On the left we have another home. And if you look closely you will see the details of this home built in 1792.” I had no idea if that was actually true. I glanced back and noticed I was getting more than a few strange looks.
When I cast a glance at the courtyard entrance I spotted
Doug and Russ. I knew they’d probably kill me if they caught me. My goal was not to be caught though. If they spotted me I would be in trouble.
“You’re not very good at this,” a man said from the back of the group.
“Are you sure you know what you are doing?” a woman asked.
“Of course I know what I am doing,” I said. “What makes you think I don’t?”
I hoped she didn’t answer that.
“I thought the tour would be a little more informative.”
What more did they want? They had brochure with most of the information.
I couldn’t go back to the entrance right now. It was probably a matter of live or death. I couldn’t lead the guests around all night either. They were getting a little restless and I didn’t think they’d take much more of my bad tour. I steered the group around and headed down the back alleyway.
“Are we supposed to go this way?” a woman asked.
Why did she ask so many questions?
When I saw another courtyard, I knew that I had to leave the group there. I walked in that direction.
“Where are we going?”
“I thought we would stop here and we turn around back to where we started.”
I didn’t want to go back in that direction, but I had to make it back to my car. It was just luck that I had found the other entrance.
“Why are we stopping here?” a woman asked.
They asked entirely too many questions. “It is a fun part of the tour. You get to look have a self-guided tour through that courtyard.” I pointed.
“But I don’t want to look around by myself,” she said. “I came to hear the tour guide.”
And that was exactly what she had gotten for a few seconds. What more did they want? I had to think of something quickly before they stuffed me in a nearby trashcan or tossed me out into traffic. “This is a special part of the tour.” I tried to sound enthusiastic so that they would believe me.
“I didn’t sign up for this kind of tour,” the man said.
I supposed that was a valid argument, but I couldn’t help it now.
“How about a refund?” I said as hurried across the alley.
