Bad Juju

by Dina Rae

  “What’s the non-Voodoo version?” asked Jake.

  “Boukman just used Satan as a catalyst to inspire. He was later captured and decapitated, serving as their martyr,” Lucien answered.

  “You summoned Satan, like Boukman, asking for a longer life?” Jake asked.

  “In a way, except my angajon is not with Satan. It’s with Baron Samedi,” Lucien answered.

  “Do you want to be a martyr like Boukman?” Jake asked.

  “You have a keen mind. And no, I don’t want to be anyone’s martyr. The deal I made was foolish. I regretted it years after I signed it with my blood. You see, he gets my ti-bon-ange along with all of my wives and children’s ti-bon-anges once we die. We belong to him. In return, the Baron allows me to live off of the dead. It’s why I’m still here. But now things have changed. The dead are beginning to live off of me. That’s how I know my time is almost up,” Lucien said.

  “But your family, do they know you bargained their souls away?” Jake asked.

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure the Baron has visited them. They’ve got to wonder. Most of them hate me. When I left Haiti I left them with nothing except my bad reputation. I have a daughter who I talk to every five or ten years. She’s the only one who will speak to me,” Lucien said. His eyes looked away, filled with tears.

  “Why did you have to leave?”

  “Well…I went to jail and faced execution. Funny you mentioned being a martyr. That was my chance. Could have been a martyr for religious freedom, Bizango freedom. But I’m a coward. It’s no excuse, but I was desperate. Brain cancer then jail, I felt that I had nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Lucien said.

  “What did you do? Murder?” Jake questioned.

  “You already know I was a bokor back in Haiti. I killed many. Some were for revenge. The people I killed weren’t exactly saints, they were the Petes of the world, the takers. There’s a blurry line between good and evil; they are connected. But I had no right to kill. No right then and no right now. But I have also killed to experiment. I found new ways of using souls. I could always justify it, but old age has made me see what’s right and what’s true. Justice is left up to Bondeye,” Lucien said.

  “Am I a murderer too? I certainly wanted Pete dead. I even asked you to do it. And T.J.? That was no accident. Is my soul’s fate the same as your children?” Jake cried.

  “No! Stop it! You didn’t kill anyone! And you’re a kid! What Pete did to you…It was Pete who got T.J. killed and Pete who got himself killed. That was defense, not justice, not revenge! He would have killed you! C’mon Jake, you were having an affair with his wife,” Lucien stated.

  “And you know this because you were there. You can turn into a wolf?” Jake cried.

  Lucien nodded, paused for a long time, and then looked him square in the face. “It’s called shape-shifting. Part of my side of the anjagon. I’ve been many different kinds of animals. The wolf is my favorite, a true protector. I wanted to protect you.”

  “Protect? You down right saved me, like some kind of guardian angel straight from Hell!” Jake exclaimed.

  “I knew you were in trouble. You and Leah were carrying on all over the place. Pete would have had to be blind not to know. I’ve been following you here in the trailer park for the last week. I had a feeling he would soon make his move, and he did.”

  “What about the police? They’re never going to believe that. They’ll think it’s me. I could go to jail. Leah is probably at the police station right now reporting him missing,” Jake cried.

  “You didn’t tell her about you and Pete…”

  “No! I told her we went for a ride and then I went to bed. I told her I had no idea where he was!” Jake exclaimed.

  “Good. And they’ll never find him. I took care of that. He’s buried deep within those woods. He’s a drunk and a murderer in the eyes of the police. Just keep quiet and this will blow over,” Lucien said.

  “What about Pete’s car?” Jake asked.

  “What about it? It’s worth what? $100? Hardly worth taking. The easy story to believe is that Pete left Leah for another woman. She picked him up last night - case closed,” Lucien reasoned.

  “His clothes?” Jake asked.

  “They’re worthless rags. Why bother. No one cared about your uncle. You said so yourself, he was evil,” Lucien said.

  “So why did you pick me to mentor?” Jake asked.

  “Because I saw a very bright, kind, and talented boy who never stood a chance in life. I see in you what I could have been. You think I want to turn you into me? Please. I want you to be better, to be just, and not wind up a selfish bastard like me. I’m giving you an opportunity to take what I’ve learned, what I’ve discovered, and apply it in a different direction. You are like my son, my absolution,” Lucien said. His hazel eyes had lightened to a dark green.

  “I will try not to disappoint you. What about the love spell? Is that a good thing to do to somebody? Was that selfish?” Jake asked.

  “Don’t feel guilty about that. You’re a teenager in love. She’s a grown adult. Maybe it’s a selfish thing to do, maybe not,” Lucien said.

  “Do you think she loves me? Or am I just someone to, you know…” Jake asked.

  “Don’t know, Jake. The love spells I gave you and Henry will last a maximum of six months. Afterward if she still seems attentive to your needs and wants to be with you, then you can safely assume her feelings are real,” Lucien said.

  “Thanks for saving me. I’m sorry I got mad,” Jake cried. “I’m also sorry you’re going to die. I love you.”

  “I love you too, my Jake. You are my true heir,” Lucien said.

  Chapter 32

  After Jake left for school, Leah convinced Rhianna she needed a nap. The two of them lied down for a few hours. By the afternoon, still no Pete. It was time to play the concerned wife. She changed into her only conservative outfit, the same gray suit she purchased for her brother’s funeral, and headed down to the police station. She worried Pete was not missing, but locked in a cell for some dumb, drunken thing he had done the night before. Try to be positive, she thought.

  Leah recalled the first time she met Pete. She was a junior at Lincoln High, the high school in the next town over from Hayward. He was a young man of twenty-five, working in an auto-repair shop not too far away from her mother’s house. Her father died a few years earlier and she never got over it. Soon after his death, everything fell apart. Her middle-class lifestyle abruptly ended after her mother found the family’s finances in ruin. Leah admired her mother. By working multiple jobs and other dealings, her mother saved them from having the bank foreclose on their home.

  Leah was an average student, but disliked her classes. The only thing she excelled at was dance. She had lessons since she could walk, always one of the best, if not the best in her class. The lessons ended once her father died.

  As a teenager she discovered drinking. Her best friend’s older sister gave her an old driver’s license. Leah and her friends found the bars much more entertaining than the high school kegger parties. Drinking and dancing the night away proved to be the perfect arena for blowing off steam. Because of her mother’s never-ending work schedule, she had no one at home to tell her no.

  She remembered the first night she met Pete. He was muscular with almost black hair and green eyes, very sexy. He could dance and play a great game of pool. He treated her like a woman, pulling out the bar stool for her to sit down, buying drinks for her and her friends, listening to everything she said. They started dating. He owned a trailer in Chippewa Park. He seemed full of ambition, announcing future plans of owning an auto shop, a real catch, or so she thought. The summer before her senior year she got pregnant. Her mother hated him, begging her to have an abortion and finish school. Pete popped the marriage question, ecstatic about becoming a dad. It was no contest. He had her fooled into thinking he was the older, wiser, father figure she longed for. He was nothing like her father. Looking back, her father wou
ld have hated him too.

  Only months into the marriage she feared she had made a mistake. She should have divorced him when he sodomized her against her will on their honeymoon or when he got drunk and seduced her best friend weeks before Rhianna was born. She should have divorced him when he got fired from his mechanic job and made her go find work to keep up with the bills. Rhianna was only two weeks old at the time. She should have divorced him when he hit her, which happened more and more frequently, as single punches quickly became beatings. She really should have divorced him after her brother died, knowing he had everything to do with it. She was so ashamed of herself. And now he was missing. Like a gift from the gods or God Himself answering prayers she gave up on praying.

  Leah parked in the visitor’s lot of the police station and unbuckled Rhianna’s car seat. There was a spring in her step she immediately toned down. Common sense told her it was unwise to march into the police station whistling Dixie while reporting a missing husband.

  She hoped Pete was dead and not missing. No more fear, no more pain. Jake was not telling her the whole story, but she doubted that he killed him. The boy was as gentle as a lamb. Pete had the advantage, even if he was almost passed-out drunk.

  The police report was just a formality, a CYA as her mother would say. She put on her most somber expression and strode up to the information desk holding Rhianna’s hand.

  “Hello. I’m Leah LaRue. I’m here because my husband is gone,” Leah said.

  “Mrs. LaRue, please come back here with me and have a seat.” The officer led her in back of the information desk inside the police station and pulled up an extra chair for Rhianna. “Your daughter? She’s beautiful. I’m Officer Carillo. Now how long has he been missing?”

  “Last time I saw him was last night, 8:00, before I left for work. My daughter and foster son went to bed around 10:00 and he stayed up. I came home after 3:00 a.m., and he was gone. My kids were sleeping,” Leah recounted.

  “I see. That makes him gone, let’s see…it’s after 3:00 p.m. now, so at least twelve hours. Mrs. LaRue, I’ll start a report, but we won’t begin to investigate until forty-eight hours have passed. Now where do you live?” questioned Officer Carillo with a pen in his hand and a form on his desk.

  “I live right here in Hayward, Chippewa Park…”

  “My dad lives there. Ed. Ed Carillo. He’s Lot 416,” said the officer.

  “Oh, I know him. He came to my brother’s funeral. Ed, oh yes. Sweet guy. I’m Lot 408. My foster son does chores for him sometimes,” Leah said.

  “Ah, that must be Jake. And your husband must be Pete,” he said as he discontinued eye contact and looked down at the form. Leah heard a hint of disdain when he mentioned Pete’s name.

  “Yes, that’s right. Glad to meet you and glad you are handling my case. Should I come in and officially file the report once the forty-eight hours are up?” Leah said, acting like she was concerned.

  “Yes. I got it started. Hopefully, he’ll come home. Thanks for coming in and say hi to Jake for me. He’s a big help to my dad,” Officer Carillo stated. He got up from his desk and escorted Leah and Rhianna out the back entrance.

  On the way home, Rhianna asked from the back seat, “Is Daddy okay?” Leah saw her tears from the rearview mirror. Not even her daughter’s worry could bring her down from this fantastic day.

  “Rhi, everything is going to be okay. I promise. Let’s pick up a bucket of chicken for dinner,” Leah pacified.

  Once home, Leah saw Jake walking from Lucien’s towards their trailer. “Jake, I got dinner. Just in time. Can you watch Rhianna tonight? Gotta work,” Leah yelled from across the gravel road.

  As Jake came closer, he nodded and she could see his smile. He was adorable. With Pete gone, he would want more from her, more than she was willing to give. She loved being with him, but knew the risk. But those blue puppy dog eyes of his…And waking up in his arms…Stop it! Pete might not be gone for long, she told herself.

  Jake helped her carry the chicken inside. They sat down at the kitchen table and chit-chatted about Jake’s car and car insurance.

  “How much you got saved?” Leah asked.

  “Well, I had over a thousand not too long ago…” Jake said.

  “I know, but what about now?” Leah interrupted. She really didn’t want to talk about the time when Pete stole his money and beat him up. They were having too nice of a dinner and Rhianna was too little to hear about what an SOB her father was.

  After dinner Leah cleaned up the table and got ready for work. She was dressed in her new cowgirl outfit she wore the night before. As she applied her make-up, a knock at her door startled her. Liquid liner smeared all over her eye. Damn it! “Come in.”

  Jake opened the door and took one step inside her room. He looked at her sheepishly, unsure of where he stood. She loved that about him. It had always been the other way around with Pete until she no longer cared if he loved her. Now the ball was in her court. She was calling the shots, and she loved being the one in control.

  “Yes Jake? You can come in, sit on my bed and keep me company while I put my face on,” Leah said with a wink.

  He awkwardly stepped further into the room and took a seat. It suddenly occurred to her that they never hooked up inside of her room, everywhere else, but never in the trailer.

  “I know what you said…I’ve got to be eighteen before we can publically be together. I just want you to know I’m going to try and make you happy. If you could loan me a couple hundred bucks for car insurance, then I could go all over town and find a part time job for the summer. I could contribute. You know, pay some bills. I’d continue helping our neighbors…”

  “Please do. You have really impressed Officer Carillo, Ed’s son,” Leah said.

  “So you went to the police?” Jake asked.

  “Yes. I have a feeling everything is going to be fine as long as Pete doesn’t come back. And don’t worry about the car insurance. I’ll call tomorrow and have you put onto my plan…” Leah said.

  “I’ll pay you back,” Jake interrupted.

  “No you won’t. I won’t let you. You’ll be earning it by watching Rhianna when I go to work. And if you do get a part time job, please make sure it’s in the day. I need you four nights a week. And I’ll pay you for watching her,” Leah proposed.

  “No, you don’t have to do that,” Jake interjected.

  “I want to. Do you think he’ll ever come back?” Leah asked, testing him to see if he’d slip.

  “Don’t know,” Jake answered.

  “Any predictions?” Leah asked again.

  Jake smiled. “No, but you know what I’m hoping, what’s in my heart…”

  “I do know. Listen, as far as ‘us’ goes, I’m not ready for Rhianna to know about it. And I don’t want the police thinking…It looks bad. Lots of reasons to wait. But if you’re discreet…” Leah offered.

  “I’ll be much more discreet than before…Lucien saw…” Jake squealed, and then halted his speech.

  “Lucien what?” Leah could tell by his expression that he regretted his slip. “C’mon, Jake. Lucien knows?”

  “He saw us together. I’m not sure where, but he knows,” Jake confessed.

  “Don’t ever discuss our relationship, especially with our neighbors-even Lucien. Understand?” Jake nodded. “Gotta go to work. Be back by 3 or 3:30.” Leah kissed him on the mouth and went into the living room where Rhianna was watching TV. She scooped the toddler up and hugged her good-bye. She grabbed a light weight trenchcoat to throw over her provocative outfit and left.

  ***

  Leah arrived at The Dollhouse with less than a minute to spare. Her boss was strict about being on time. She quickly handed her music to the D.J., keeping with her country theme of a cowgirl outfit and country songs. She hoped for the same windfall as she received last night. The place was packed. Maybe…

  She waited around backstage until it was her turn to perform.

  “I would like to announce Chewy Ch
erry who will be dancing to Shania Twain’s Feels Like a Woman. The beautiful and talented Chewy Cherry,” the DJ announced.

  Leah strutted on stage, commanding her audience’s attention. A feeling of grandeur swept over her. Instead of her rehearsed, sexy tease, she performed a solo that could have gotten her into Julliard had she not been throwing garments out into the audience. The crowd cheered for her as if she was a prima ballerina. And for the moment, inside of her head, she was. She pirouetted, jete-d, releve-d, and flipped all over the stage with grace and confidence she never knew she had. She felt beautiful. She felt free.

  Chapter 33

  Only two weeks left before summer vacation. Candy wasn’t exactly thrilled to see Rio return to her classroom. The boy proved to be nothing but trouble.

  The rest of the school year’s lessons were filled with math puzzles, Sudoku, and section reviews. She didn’t assign homework, and her students didn’t expect to work on anything too difficult.

  Rio tacitly sat in the back of the room and minded his own business. He had a few friends in class who he would occasionally talk to. Candy still did not trust him.

  The love triangle between the three students continued to drag. Brittany spent most of the period staring at Henry. Surprisingly, Rio appeared apathetic. Candy doubted his sincerity, believing he was riddled with jealousy. Nonetheless, Henry made it brutally clear Brittany repulsed him.

  On the last day of the school year, Candy had a pizza delivered up to her classroom during lunch for her, Henry, and Jake. It was the first lunch she saw Henry eat something different than a PBJ sandwich.

  “Next week my boyfriend and I will be touring Europe. We’ll tour Italy, France, Czech Republic, Germany, and maybe Poland if time. We plan on seeing several WWII landmarks. Henry, do you still watch all of that World War II stuff on the History Channel?” Candy asked as she ate.