We quickly gathered our protection charms, potions, and enough holy water to make the Pope weep. A bit later, all of us were piled into my SUV. Adèle was tucked safely away in the special compartment we'd rigged in Dea's cloak. Lucas and Noahwere in his truck following behind us. The sky had clouded over, adding that perfect horror-movie atmosphere to our ghost hunt. That was new. And creepy.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Dani asked from the back seat.
"Evidence of ritual magic," Phi replied in her professor voice. "Disturbed graves, magical residue, strange symbols—anything out of the ordinary."
"In a New Orleans cemetery," Kota said dryly. "That really narrows it down."
Lafayette Cemetery No. 3 wasn't on any tourist maps. It was tucked between newer developments. Its wrought iron gates hung askew, and many of its pathways were choked with weeds. The mausoleums and headstones had that particular New Orleans patina. They'd been mottled with age and bore the scars of countless hurricanes and floods.
Adèle poked her head out from the hidden pocket of Dea's cloak. As soon as we passed through the gates, I could see her fur standing on end."This place has been violated," she projected, her mental voice tight with anger. "Someone has tampered with ancient bindings."
"Cheerful place," Kota remarked as we moved deeper into the cemetery.
"It feels wrong," Dea whispered and wrapped her arms around herself while carefully cradling the pocket where Adèle hid. "The spirits are agitated."
I moved closer to Dea and Adèle. "What bindings are you talking about?"
Adèle's blue eyes narrowed to slits. "Every cemetery in New Orleans has protective wards dating back to the city's founding," she explained to all of us. "They prevent the dead from being disturbed by casual magic. Someone has systematically weakened these protections here."
Lucas tensed beside me, and his nostrils flared. I'd seen that look before. It usually came right before things went to hell. "Something's been here. Recently."
"Human or other?" I asked as I reached for my magic.
"Both," he growled. "The scents are... conflicted."
We moved forward as a group, spreading out while keeping within eyesight of each other. Safety in numbers was more than just a saying when dealing with supernatural shit. I led the way toward the northwestern corner, where older graves were clustered beneath a massive oak.
I spotted the broken angel atop a weathered mausoleum about thirty yards ahead. "There’s the crypt from my vision," I pointed out. The Larousse family crypt had a marble facade that was cracked and stained with decades of neglect. The angel's face had eroded to a featureless oval, and one wing had snapped off completely.
"That matches what I saw in my vision," I said as we approached it together. Our shoulders almost touched as we moved as one unit.
We gathered around the mausoleum's entrance. The iron door’s lock was broken and hung partially open. "Someone's been inside," Lucas observed.
"Recently," I agreed, spotting fresh scratch marks on the metal. "Let's?—"
A terrified yelp interrupted me. We all whirled to see a wiry man in mud-splattered overalls backing away from us. He was clutching a rake like a weapon. Because nothing says intimidating like garden tools.
"Whoa, easy," Dre said, raising her hands. "We didn’t mean to startle you."
"You shouldn't be here at all," the man stammered. Deep shadows beneath his eyes suggested he hadn't slept in days. "The cemetery is closed to visitors."
I stepped forward, keeping my movements slow and non-threatening. "Are you the groundskeeper?"
He nodded jerkily. "For my sins. Name's Earl."
"Earl, I'm Lia. These are my sisters and my husband. We're here investigating reports of unusual activity," I continued.
His knuckles whitened around the rake handle. "You cops?"
"No," Dre answered. "We're specialists. In unusual phenomena."
Earl's shoulders slumped slightly. "I thought I was losing my mind. Been seein' things. Hearing things."
"What kind of things?" Dea asked in that gentle voice that always got people talking.
"The dead," he whispered. "Are walkin’ between worlds."
"Can you describe what’s been going on?" Phi asked with her best concerned expression.
