by David Wood
Willis exited the cell. “Let’s see what else is down here, then. Maybe we’ll find more clues.”
The other three filed out and they proceeded to explore the remaining catacombs. They turned out not to be all that extensive, and only a few minutes later they had come to dead ends without discovering anything else that would aid them in their search.
Maddock met up with the others, meeting in a huddle at the junction of the two main passages. “Zombies it is. Let’s get out of here and we’ll head back into town to see if there’s a connection to our sailor.”
Fabi nodded. “Good idea. I actually need to stop by my clinic to take care of some work things, but I can give you some local contacts who might be able help you with historical zombie lore.”
Chapter 15
Petit-Trou-de-Nippes
Fabi sat at a computer in the office of the local health clinic. On the screen in front of her was a database, one she had designed herself, that contained patient data and which tracked visits by searchable criteria. She was in the middle of making modifications to the design when a knock came at the door to the office, even though it was open.
She saved her work and turned around to see a tall, well-dressed man standing in the doorway. His immaculately coiffed dark hair, straight white teeth, and fine features immediately set him apart. In this part of Haiti, a man dressed in a suit was an unusual sight, but knowing who he was, his atypical appearance didn’t surprise her. Ricardo Avila, a wealthy doctor who funded the clinic, was somewhere in his fifties but fit for his age. Well known for his public funding campaigns, the physician was not very hands on with this particular clinic. In fact, Fabi could recall only one other time she’d ever seen him here, and that was when she had first started work.
Avila walked over to the desk and extended a hand. Fabi rose from her chair, wondering what this was about.
“Miss Baptiste, please accept my sincere condolences on the death of your beloved cousin, David. His loss is a tragedy to the entire community. Such a good, pious man.”
Fabi hesitated longer than she usually would to give thanks, because in her mind she was wondering how Avila even knew she was related to David. “Thank you.”
“Were you two close?”
His eyes always looked as if they were almost closed, making it hard to judge the sincerity of his expressions, but as far as Fabi could tell, he seemed genuinely interested.
“We were, yes. I have many fond memories of growing up with David and playing as kids here in Haiti.”
Avila pointed to an empty chair next to the desk, one Fabi kept there for visitors who needed to sit with her while she helped them with something on the computer. “May I?”
“Of course.” Fabi pulled the chair out for him and he took a seat.
He cleared his throat before speaking, looking her directly in the eyes through his half-closed lids as he did. “Tell me Fabiola, when was the last time you saw your cousin? Alive, I mean.”
She recoiled a little, taken aback by the somewhat alarming question. “Why would you ask such a thing, Dr. Avila?”
He physically backed off a bit, pulling away from her in his chair. “I apologize for being so intrusive. I do not mean to pry on a personal level. It is just that I have a bad habit, I guess you could call it, of being overly familiar with people. In fact, I guess it’s fair to say I’m such a people person that I like them a little too much.”
“Well, as you know, my permanent residence is in Miami, so I hadn’t actually seen him in a few months, but I did talk to him by phone a few weeks before.”
Avila seemed to consider this for a moment, nodded and then continued. “The reason for my visit is because I’ve heard glowing reports about your work here at the clinic.” He indicated the computer. “The databases you’ve developed have been a tremendous boon to our organizational efficiency, and so I wanted to see if you might be interested in a more permanent, paid position, not only here at this clinic, but for my organization. I have other clinics throughout Haiti, some of which are larger and much better funded than this one. I have no doubt that you’d be able to make even more of a difference there.”
Fabi looked back to her computer screen, at the database application she’d worked on over the months. Her life was in Miami now. She loved her native Haiti, but she’d moved on and built a life in America. And then there was Bones. He lived in North Carolina, not so terribly far from Florida. To relocate now... She looked away from the screen and back to Avila.
“Thank you very much for the offer, Dr. Avila. Let me give it some thought.”
The doctor handed Fabi a business card and smiled. “You’ll be hearing from me.”
Chapter 16
Petit-Trou-de-Nippes
“I think this is it.” Maddock put the old Jeep in park and looked up at the house.
“This is it?” Bones eyed the humble abode with disbelief.
Maddock nodded while pointing a finger. “She said, ‘three houses down on the right side after you turn on to the dirt road off De La Republique.’”
Willis nodded from the back seat. “This should be it. Let’s check it out.”
The three ex-Navy men got out of the vehicle and walked across the road past a few roosters over to the property. Somewhere on the street they could hear a baby crying and a dog barking, but other than that there didn’t seem to be a lot of activity. A crude fence made of corrugated sheet metal surrounded the lot, but there was a section removed for a gateway. The yard wasn’t landscaped, but looked nice enough with a few natural palm trees and flowering shrubs.
They mounted a shaded porch area in front and Maddock knocked at the screen door leading into the dark dwelling. He called out, “Hello? Ms. Beaublanc? Are you there?”
Fabi had given them the name of Roseline Beaublanc, a longtime local friend who was knowledgeable about Haitian folklore. While they waited for a response, Bones leaned in to examine an animal skull of some kind sitting atop a rusty 55-gallon drum. He was about to remark on it when they heard the sound of jingling bells approaching the door.
A heavyset, middle aged woman filled the doorway. She smiled, her teeth and skin almost the same shade of yellowish-brown. Her watery gaze quickly travelled from Maddock to Willis, where it lingered for an extra second or two, to Bones, who turned away from the skull and smiled sheepishly.
“A goat,” the woman said, now opening the screen door. “Was one of my favorite milkers. You must be the friends Fabi told me about. I am Roseline Beaublanc. You can call me Rose. Please do come in.”
They filed through the door into the house, which, as far as Maddock could tell, did not have electricity, but once they were inside and walked to the right, he could see that the back of the shack was open to a rear porch area which let light inside. A few candles and pungent incense also burned in the living area, where a couch sat against one wall with a simple table in front of it. Rose indicated it and asked them to please have a seat. They did, Bones and Willis scuffling momentarily over who would get the middle spot, with Willis winning that battle.
Rose sat in an overstuffed recliner to the side of the couch. While she seated herself, Maddock marveled at some of the interesting knick-knacks she had on display in the home. Besides a number of paintings of saints, there were lots of natural items—feathers hanging from the wall, seashells on shelves, a turtle shell being used as a bowl on a table...Musical instruments, too—an acoustic guitar hung on the wall, an assortment of hand drums lay about. In one corner an altar of sorts occupied a table, with a sculpture of a saint and various bottles filled with liquids whose contents Maddock could only guess at. There was too much to take in before Rose began the conversation.
“My dear friend Fabi tells me you three are interested in learning about some of our Haitian religion, folklore and spirits, yes?”
Bones and Willis exchanged glances. “Spirits?” Bones blurted.
“Not the kind you drink, sweetheart.”
Bones nodded and Ro
se went on. “You will find a number of religions and spiritual practices in Haiti. I myself am a practitioner of Vodou, meaning that I am what you would call a spirit servant. I give a voice to those who no longer have one.”
Bones’ eyes widened while Willis sat openly slackjawed.
“Wait a minute,” Bones said. “You mean, voodoo is real?”
Rose smiled at him. “Vodou is as real as you or me. As real as the Earth itself. What we cannot see is still there, friends. You need only to learn how to call it.”
“Can you make me a little doll of this guy?” Bones indicated Willis, then stabbed at his palm with his pointer finger. Maddock gave him a disapproving stare, but Rose seemed unfazed by the question.
“The power of vodou is real, but you must not take it lightly.” She gave him a stern look for a moment but then transformed it into a warm smile. “I know you are good people. I can feel it.”
Bones nodded. “Thanks. So what about zombii? Are they as real as vodou?”
Rose stayed quiet for a moment, her warm look transforming back into a hard stare. “Zombii are not, and never have been, a part of vodou.”
It didn’t escape any of them that she hadn’t answered the second part of Bones’ question. Maddock focused the line of inquiry by asking Rose if she could tell them anything else about zombii. “Perhaps the source of the legends, if the legends are more common to one part of the island than others...” Maddock trailed off suggestively, and she took the bait, raising a finger.
“I will tell you about it. Zombii, as well as your vodou dolls...” She paused to look right at Bones, who actually flinched under her gaze. “...are conjured by those we call ‘bokor’. You might call them sorcerers. But never by vodou priests, because only someone very, very evil will intentionally create a zombii.”
Maddock looked to Bones and Willis. Neither of them seemed to have anything to add, so he thanked the vodou priestess for her time. They got up to leave but she waved them back down.
“I have more to tell you, but first I would like to read your future. Will you let me do that?”
Willis shook his head. “Sorry, ma’am, but that just ain’t my thing.”
Rose gave him a long, level look. “You may go, then.” She held her arm out, palm up, toward the porch. “Besides,” she said, turning to Maddock and Bones. “It is these two whose souls are troubled.”
“I’ll wait outside, guys.” Willis left the abode and then Maddock and Bones sat back down on the couch. Rose pulled her chair over so that she sat directly in front of them.
“Take my hands.” Maddock held one and Bones the other. Then Rose took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began to chant softly. Maddock was less than comfortable with the scenario, but the woman had helped him and so he didn’t want to be a spoil sport. He looked briefly over at Bones, who seemed to go right along with it, closing his eyes and relaxing.
Maddock forced himself to do the same, but soon he felt a cool breeze and opened his eyes in time to see the candles flicker. Rose was swaying back and forth, eyes closed, trance-like. After a time, the priestess released their hands and picked up a wooden bowl. She shook it gently and Maddock swore he could feel her whispered chant and the rattling of the bowl washing over him.
Rose dumped the contents of the bowl onto the table, spilling chicken bones, shells, and pebbles onto the rough surface. She gazed at them through glassy eyes until Maddock and Bones exchange puzzled glances. Had she gone into some kind of psychotic trance? What if she didn’t snap out of it? Just as Maddock was about to express these very concerns, her head snapped up, her eyes clear.
Rose turned first to Bones. “The man is not lost; he is trapped. Release him.”
Then she faced Maddock. “Tragedy waits at the end of every path. Harden your heart but do not turn to stone.” Then she lowered her head as if in prayer.
After a long silence, Maddock cleared his throat. “Thank you for that, Rose. You said there was more you had to tell us about zombii.”
She slowly raised her head, a smile that Bones would later describe as “creepy, dude” spreading across her face.
“Yes, there is only one more thing. Before you called the zombii a legend. That is wrong. They are very real.”
Chapter 17
Petit-Trou-de-Nippes
Fabi pulled up to the house, ready to unwind after a long day at work and eager to hear how Bones, Maddock and Willis had fared with the priestess. Perhaps she’d even talk Bones into giving her a shoulder rub, provided he agreed not to let his hands drift.
“Right. That’ll happen,” she muttered as she cut the engine.
She found the front door ajar and shook her head. Three grown men and every one of them was raised in a barn. But as soon as she stepped over the threshold she knew something was terribly wrong.
Furniture lay overturned. Framed pictures removed from the wall, their backs slashed open. Rugs pulled up, the contents of drawers emptied onto the floor, broken glass all over the place...
She froze in the entranceway. What if whomever had done this was still inside? Suddenly frightened for her safety, Fabi turned and ran back out of the house. She had almost reached her car in the driveway when another vehicle turned onto the street and headed in her direction. She crouched behind her car in case it was whomever had perpetrated the breaking, entering, and destruction of the property now returning, but as the vehicle approached she recognized it as the Jeep she’d loaned to Bones.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she stepped out from behind her car and waved both hands in a distress signal. Maddock pulled up right next to her, killed the engine, and the three men got out. Bones walked over to give her a friendly hug but could immediately see that something was wrong.
“The house—someone turned it upside down. I just got here five minutes ago and I was afraid to stay inside in case whoever did it is still in there.”
The three ex-SEALS eyed one another, immediately transforming into operator mode. Maddock told Fabi to get into her car and lock the doors until they came back for her. Then they split up, Maddock going in straight to the front door while Willis went around the right side of the house toward the back, and Bones the left.
Each of them carried pistols, and they held them at the ready now.
Maddock reached the house first and slipped inside, remaining silent. He stepped past the entranceway into the living room so as to be visible from only one direction. He crouched and listened for signs of an intruder, but heard nothing. He knew Bones and Willis would have reached the back door by now and would be covering that. Maddock moved through the house cautiously, head on a swivel, until he reached the kitchen. That clear, he moved through it into an adjoining laundry room which had a back door out to the yard, open, the window smashed out.
“It’s me, this room clear.” Maddock let Bones and Willis know he wasn’t an intruder before reaching for the door and opening it.
“Clear out here,” Bones said, entering the house. Willis followed, and then Maddock closed and locked the back door, even though the window had been busted out. In a low voice, Maddock explained that he had not yet checked the bedrooms or bathrooms, and to proceed with operational caution.
The three of them spread out throughout the house, first moving to the unchecked areas, clearing them, and then double-checking everything again.
“We’re all clear.” Maddock nodded toward the front yard. “Go get Fabi and bring her in.” Bones left while Maddock and Willis surveyed the damage. At length, Willis shook his head.
“Somebody sure was after something in here. This isn’t the work of an ordinary thief, no way.”
“I agree. Let’s see what she has to say about it.” Maddock looked toward the front door, where Fabi and Bones were walking in, the shocked look still on Fabi’s face.
“Thank you for making me feel safe.” Fabi hugged Maddock and Willis in turn.
Maddock glanced around at the destruction then back to Fabi. “Unfortunately, I worry that b
y us being here looking for treasure, we’re making you less safe. Do you get the feeling that someone knows your cousin may have sent you something before he died?”
Fabi nodded. “Let me check something. Come with me.” She moved to the living room where an old rolltop desk lay overturned on the floor. She frowned as she looked at it. “I’m guessing they’re gone...” She stooped down to the floor and began rummaging through the desk drawers...
Maddock’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell me....”
She looked up from the desk, her eyes red rimmed. “They took the papers that were in the cigar box.”
Bones and Maddock made noises of distaste, but Willis looked puzzled. “Wait a minute. That box wouldn’t fit in those drawers...”
“I took the papers out of the box and stored them in here. I’m sorry, I never thought anyone would go to such lengths to get them.”
Maddock patted his pants pocket. “At least I have pictures of the critical pages, most of them, anyway.”
Bones didn’t look much happier in spite of that news. “Now we’re in a race against...someone...to figure out those clues and get to the treasure.”
Maddock looked to Fabi. “Any idea who that someone might be? Enemies of David’s? Of yours?”
Fabi thought for a moment before shaking her head slowly. “Me, no. Not that I’m aware of, at any rate. David...also none that I know of, but for years he’d been living here while I was in Miami, so it’s not impossible he got involved with something I didn’t know about. He was my cousin, we were reasonably close, but not super-close.”
Maddock nodded. “Okay, so we both have the same information to go off of. But it hasn’t led us to the treasure so far. Hopefully, it will be just as hard for whoever stole the documents.”
“I still think the zombies have something to do with it all,” Bones said.
Maddock shrugged. “Maybe we are overlooking something there. I’ve got an idea. Fabi, where’s the phone?”
