SEBASTIAN LED THEM INTO A luxurious office. It looked more like an overindulgent sitting room than what it really was, complete with a round velvet couch and a big-screen television. Sebastian gestured toward the chairs across from his mahogany desk, giving Ofelia a look that promised retribution at a later date, sitting in a chair that sort of resembled a throne, and steepling his fingers on his lap.
“And how can I help you?”
Sully arched an eyebrow. He hated the man on sight. He had no idea what went down between him and Ofelia, but it was obvious they knew each other well. Only individuals who had been intimate with one another could push buttons that easily. The thought made Sully’s eye twitch.
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t play games with me,” Sully responded. “You know why we’re here and I’m too old for middle school games.” He slid his eyes to Ofelia, who was busy silently gloating with her tongue sticking out of her mouth. “Stop baiting him.”
She had the grace to look abashed and quickly sobered. “Sorry. He brings out the worst in me.”
“So I’ve noticed.” Sully turned his attention back to Sebastian, who looked a little too pleased with the reprimand. “I don’t know why you’re being so smug. We’re not leaving without the information you dangled in front of Ofelia. Talk.”
Sebastian made an exaggerated face before adopting an air of contrition. “I do apologize. She is a terrible influence on me. I think you can see why we didn’t work out.”
“You didn’t work out because you’re not good enough for her.” The words were out of Sully’s mouth before he could think better of them. He didn’t offer a retraction despite his embarrassment, though. “What do you know about Henrietta’s death?”
“I don’t know anything about her death,” Sebastian reassured him. “I do, however, happen to know that one of her former students is in town ... and going by another name. I thought it might be of interest to those investigating the case, especially since this individual and Henrietta ended on bad terms.”
Ofelia shifted in her chair. “What students? I don’t remember Henrietta having students.”
“It was for a brief time about five years ago. She plucked students straight out of high school and tried to teach them the way of the grift. She found relatively quickly that not everyone could lie as well as she could.”
Sully stroked his jaw as he considered the information. “How long did this teacher-student dynamic last?”
“Only a few months.”
“How many students?”
“Five or six. Only one was considered to be a true student of the grift, though, and that’s the individual I saw yesterday. I was, of course, surprised by the turn of events. My understanding is that this ... woman ... tried to steal Henrietta’s clients and was banished. I saw her before I learned of Henrietta’s death. If it had been after, I would’ve restrained her.”
“Leave the restraining for law enforcement,” Sully suggested. “What was this student’s name?”
“Azalea Rivers.”
Ofelia stirred, drawing Sully’s attention.
“What is it?” he asked, instantly alert.
“I recognize that name,” she admitted. “I didn’t realize she was a student of Henrietta’s or anything, but I know the name. Her mother was friends with my mother. They were part of one of those little tea groups that wears the hats. You know the ones I’m talking about, right?”
“Vaguely,” Sully confirmed. “Did you know her?”
“I knew of her.” Ofelia swallowed hard. “She didn’t have the best reputation. She was younger than me and considered wild. She slept with anyone who had a fat enough wallet and wasn’t discerning when it came to trading sexual favors for physical possessions.”
“She was a prostitute?”
“I don’t think she called herself that.” Ofelia was thoughtful. “She studied witchcraft for a time. She hung out with the coven down by the river. The ones who are always doing spells on the other side of the aquarium.”
Sully spared a glance for Sebastian, who didn’t seem surprised by the news, before clearing his throat. “Perhaps we should talk about that later.”
It wasn’t hard for Ofelia to pick up on his worry. “You don’t have to worry. Sebastian is familiar with the paranormal element in the Quarter. His mother was a Voodoo priestess who liked to dance naked while worshipping the serpentine god.”
Sebastian’s glare deepened. “Leave my mother out of this.”
“He used to cry out for her during sex,” Ofelia added, just to be vindictive.
“That is a lie!” He jabbed his finger in her direction. “You take that back.”
“Never.”
“Knock it off,” Sully warned, pinning each of them in turn with a dark look. “I don’t want to hear another sniping comment from the two of you. This is a serious situation. Two people are dead. I need to know more about this Azalea Rivers. Why would she kill Henrietta?”
“Because Henrietta decided to bind her powers in retribution for what she did to her,” Sebastian replied.
“And just so I’m clear, this was over a stolen client?” Sully pressed.
“A rich stolen client. He was responsible for bankrolling Henrietta for a full six months and Azalea tried to snipe him. He was loyal enough — and worried enough about the types of curses that Henrietta could cast — that he tattled on Azalea. That resulted in Henrietta laying down the law.”
“Binding her powers would’ve been significant,” Ofelia mused. “I didn’t even know Azalea had real powers.”
“I don’t believe they were anything extraordinary, but she dabbled a bit. She might’ve been able to grow over the years. Who knows? Anyway, before leaving, Azalea threatened Henrietta that she would come after her one day.”
“Why did she leave?” Sully queried. “It seems to me that she would’ve been better off remaining behind and trying to change Henrietta’s mind.”
“Henrietta was a vindictive soul. I believe she informed Azalea there would be no changing her mind so Azalea took off for parts unknown, determined to find a more powerful witch or Bruja to break Henrietta’s binding spell.”
“And you saw this woman yesterday?” Ofelia asked.
Sebastian nodded. “I did. I was quite surprised. She looks nothing like she used to, blond hair and boring clothes. Even her face looked a little different. She recognized me, though, and didn’t deny her identity.”
“I don’t suppose you know where she’s staying, do you?” Sully pressed. “It would help if we could track her down.”
“The Grand Laveau.”
Ofelia stilled, surprised. “Wait ... .”
“You’re saying this Azalea Rivers is at the Grand Laveau?” Sully leaned forward in his chair, intrigue lighting his features. “Is she staying under her name or an alias?”
“That I cannot say.”
“I can,” Ofelia said blankly. “I don’t know why I didn’t see it before. It was right in front of me.”
Sully fixed her with a penetrating look. “Would you like to share with the class?”
“Kim Dixon. She’s Azalea. They don’t look all that much alike — the hair is different and the makeup is way different — but the bone structure is the same. It’s been five years, but I’m sure it’s her.”
“Well, that answers that question.” Sully got to his feet. “We need to track her down. I think she has a few questions to answer.”
“Yeah.” Ofelia pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. “This isn’t good. You realize that, right?”
“I figured. We’ll talk more outside.” He cast a pointed look in Sebastian’s direction. “As for you, if I find out you’re sitting on information that can solve a case again, I’ll make it my life’s mission to crush you.”
“That’s quite the threat,” Sebastian drawled. “You might want to make sure you can back it up before issuing it.”
“I’m not worried in the least.”
“You sh
ould be.”
Eighteen
“That guy is a putz.”
That was the first thing that came to his mind when Sully exited Envie. His frustration was on full display as he fumbled for his phone.
“He definitely is,” Ofelia agreed without hesitation. “He’s always been that way, though.”
“Then why were you with him?”
The question caught her off guard. “I didn’t say ... I ... how did you know that?”
“Because it’s obvious you hate him and he enjoys toying with you. Oh, and he referred to you as a vindictive ex.”
He was more perceptive than she thought, she realized. She’d underestimated him, which was on her. Also, she’d missed the part where Sebastian had referenced their past relationship. “I was in a difficult place in my life at the time.” She chose her words carefully. He was a virtual stranger and yet she felt the need to explain herself. “The truth is ... I don’t have a good answer. I was feeling down and he paid attention. This was before my father sold Krewe to me. I’ve since figured out that he only dated me because he thought there was a chance he could get the bar from me.
“I might’ve been down, but I was never that out,” she continued. “You don’t have to point out what an idiot I am for being with him. I already know it.”
Frustration bubbled up as Sully typed on his phone. “I’m not trying to insult you,” he said finally. “I just ... don’t like him.”
“You’re preaching to the choir.” She moved to the corner so she could stare at the limited foot traffic. “What do you think we should do?”
“Find her,” he replied simply.
“Then what?”
“I don’t know. I’ll take her in for questioning.”
“What if she doesn’t want to go?”
“Then I’ll use force.”
Slowly, Ofelia tracked her eyes to his ridiculously handsome face. “If she has somehow managed to build up her power base then you might not survive a fight with her.”
“I’ve fought witches before.”
“Witches who use hexes to kill people? Because that’s what’s happening here. We were wrong about Henrietta killing Brett. It was always Kim ... or Azalea. Whatever you want to call her — and I personally prefer Kim because Azalea is a stupid name — she’s the one who set this in motion.”
Sully cast her a sidelong look. “You don’t think Henrietta was paid to kill Brett any longer.”
“Of course not. Kim did it. The reason her hex bags looked like the ones Henrietta put together is because she learned from her. Henrietta recognized right away when I showed her that hex bag that her former student was in town.
“She didn’t tell me, of course, because she planned on handling it herself,” she continued. “She thought she could take down Kim without owning up to being her teacher. That was a mistake.”
Sully was fascinated by her process. “Why do you think Kim killed Brett?”
“I don’t know. Money. That’s the easy answer. Maybe she killed him because she could. She’s going to have to fill in the blanks on that.”
“Fair enough.” Sully hit “send” on his phone. “I messaged the researcher at the precinct. She’s going to send me everything she can on Azalea Rivers.”
Ofelia was dubious. “How long will that take? Researchers in this town must be overworked. I think I read something about that in The Advocate a few weeks ago.”
He gave her an appraising look. “I’m glad to see you’re knowledgeable. That’s absolutely delightful. This particular researcher has a crush on me, though. Summer. She’ll bump me to the head of the line.”
“Of course.” Ofelia rolled her eyes, a gesture Sully didn’t miss. In fact, it made him laugh ... which was enough to have her scowling. “What?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “We’re just morons. When I say that, I mean we’re both morons. We can’t change that right now. We need to find Kim and put a stop to whatever she has planned. For now, though, we need a place where we can hunker down and go through the information that comes our way.”
“We can head to the bar,” Ofelia offered, her mind working a mile a minute. She really wanted to know what Sully was referring to when he said they couldn’t change it “now.” That seemed to indicate he had a plan for how to shift things later. She was intrigued despite herself ... and then annoyed because she was intrigued. “I think that’s the best place for us to get some privacy.” She inclined her chin toward the second floor of Envie, toward the window from where Sebastian watched them. “He’s going to want payback against me before this is all said and done.”
Sully cast her a sidelong look. “Are you afraid of him?”
“I’m ... leery of what he comes up with,” she replied finally. “I’m not afraid of him, though. I’m more powerful than he is.”
Sully found he fervently hoped that was true. “We’ll deal with him later, too.” He put his hand on her shoulder and prodded her in the opposite direction. “For now, he’s not a concern. We need to worry about Kim and what she has planned. She’s not at a disadvantage in the city like we thought she was. She’s had our number from the start.”
“I can still take her.” Ofelia was adamant. “I can stop her before she kills someone else.”
The offer had Sully’s heart skipping a beat. “Let’s find her first. We’ll come up with a plan after.” And that plan won’t include you putting yourself in danger, he silently added. He couldn’t express that sentiment to her, though ... at least not yet. She wouldn’t take it well. “Come on. Let’s head to the bar. We’ll see what we can find in the information they send.”
It was the only thing they could do so Ofelia readily agreed. “Sure. If we cut through the alley over here, there’s a shortcut.”
“Then let’s go. The sooner we’re away from your ex, the better.”
On that they could both agree.
OFELIA HEADED BEHIND THE BAR as soon as they got to Krewe while Sully hopped on a stool and started reading off information to her.
“It seems Azalea lived with Henrietta for a time in an apartment around Orleans and Royal.” He was thoughtful as he stared at the screen. “That’s interesting, huh?”
“It’s right by Pirate Alley,” Ofelia stated as she dropped ice in glasses. “Maybe we had it wrong. Maybe Henrietta didn’t trust the person she turned her back on. Maybe she didn’t see her. Maybe Henrietta knew Kim was in town and went looking for her at their old stomping grounds and Kim managed to surprise her.”
“That’s a possibility,” he mused, nodding in thanks when she passed him a fresh iced tea. “This isn’t sweetened, is it?”
She absently shook her head. “I think I’m the only Southerner who doesn’t like sweet tea. I prefer it unsweetened ... like the tourists. It’s the only thing I’ll claim to have in common with them.”
He grinned at the statement. “Me, too.” He sipped and then turned back to his phone. “I still don’t know how Henrietta managed to stave off death. I assumed — and I think you did, too — that she struck a deal for money and a spell from someone stronger than her to ensure she would survive. In exchange, she killed Brett. Now it makes more sense for Kim to have been the one to kill Brett.”
“Unless the hex bag wasn’t what killed him,” Ofelia mused. “I mean ... maybe the hex bag only weakened him. Maybe Henrietta played a different part in his death.”
“Or maybe she found someone who could help her over on Frenchman Street. You said that Grandma was acting weird when you questioned her. Maybe that warrants a follow-up ... after we find Kim, that is.”
“What about the apartment they used to share?” Ofelia queried. “Is it rented right now? Maybe Kim went home.”
“I’m glad to see you’re thinking the same way I am. The researcher is running a check right now. Maybe we’ll luck out.”
“Yeah. Did you discover anything else today?”
“Just that there was a break-in at Marie Laveau’s tomb. I wen
t over with another detective — incidents at that cemetery are taken seriously — and we’re not exactly sure what happened. The door had been forced open, but it’s impossible for us to know if anything was removed from the scene. Craig is calling the cemetery manager down to take a look.”
Ofelia furrowed her brow, surprised. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.” He watched her for a bit and then pressed further. “Why is that so important to you? You reacted really strongly to the news.”
“Because ... it’s Marie Laveau. She’s the queen of modern Voodoo.”
“And that matters because?”
“Because there’s a mysticism surrounding her that can’t be shaken. She’ll always be one of the central magical figures in New Orleans. She started as a simple hairdresser and grew into a queen. She was believed to be more powerful than any ten witches combined.”
“So ... why would Kim want to get in the tomb?”
That was the question plaguing Ofelia. “I’m not sure,” she said, thinking. “There are certain spells — dark spells, mind you — that suggest you can steal power if you use the earthly remains of a powerful being in a spell.”
He frowned. “Does that mean Kim believes she can steal Marie Laveau’s power and use it against you?”
“Perhaps.”
“Perhaps?” He arched a challenging eyebrow. “That seems to be the only reason to defile a tomb if you ask me. Marie Laveau has been gone a hundred and fifty years. Why else disturb her final resting place? There had to be a reason.”
“We can’t know the answer to that until we find her,” Ofelia insisted. “Right now all we have are theories. We need confirmation ... and a place to look. I don’t suppose your researcher has texted back with information about the apartment yet, has she?”
“You’ll be the first to know,” he replied dryly. “Literally. We’re the only two in here. Calm yourself for a second. Wait ... here is more information on Azalea Rivers. Let’s see what we’ve got here.”
The Hexorcist Page 17
