“Caleb didn’t want to believe either.”
“Is there anyone besides yourself who can vouch for this wild story?”
“I’m not certain. Would you believe Mambo Ayezan? Mawu, the woman who cursed me was her ancestress.”
Grace shook her head, making her hair scatter and tickle her neck. “She’d only be telling me some family legend. My experience as an appraiser has taught me that family legends are very unreliable sources of information.”
“There is no one else.”
“Then I don’t think I can speak with you again.” She set her mouth in a hard line.
“I agreed if I failed that I would leave and never come back. I did not fail.”
“You did not.” She drew the words out, reluctant to say them. “But succeeding doesn’t make it real, or at least it doesn’t make me believe you.”
“My experience with most people who have learned about my curse is they need time to be able to believe. I’ll come back when you’ve had more time.”
“If that ever happens, how will you know?” she asked.
His lips twitched. “You’ll call for me, and I’ll hear you. My hearing is very sensitive, regardless of the moon phase.” He left the way he came.
Grace listened for his footsteps on the outer stairs. When she could no longer hear him, she put the book away. This time, she locked it in the antique chest at the foot of her bed. She wasn’t going to let any curse, real or fictional, drop on top of her again.
The dogs slept by the door. They’d never made a sound while Luc was present. That should be proof he did not exist. Mars and Mercury always made noise of some kind when someone new came to the house.But then Luc isn’t new to them, is he?
She sighed, shut off the lamps and got back into bed.Will I sleep?Will I dream?
Would she believe it all a dream when she woke?
Chapter Seventeen
March 11, 1912 Waning Crescent Moon
Sweet Dreams Plantation House
Luc heard Mars and Mercury begin to growl, just as Grace called his name before dawn. Much sooner than he’d expected.
The pre-dawn darkness was quiet, with a slight breeze. Luc had just settled at the ship’s rail with his whiskey when he heard.
“Luc, is that you?” The words were nearly inaudible over the noise of the dogs.
He set the whiskey aside and ran. For once, grateful that even in a full moon he retained spectral strength and speed. Whatever Grace and the dogs had heard wasn’t him. He listened as he ran.
“Down. Stay.”
Grace’s voice.
Dog whimpers.
“You sure all we gots to do is search the house and the boss’ll pay us two hunnerd dollars each?” A familiar raspy voice asked, from somewhere near the plantation drive.
“That’s what he tol’ me. But we gotta find the Voodoo thing first, that means we gotta search the house. Best time for that is when everyone’s gone. Next best they’re sleeping.” That voice too was familiarly nasal.
Inside the house, Luc heard soft shuffling sounds that must be Grace trying to be quiet. He assumed she took the servants’ stairs to the ground floor.
I’ll get to the intruders first.
Luc kept to the trees, heading in the direction of the voices coming from the lane. Once the lane came into view, his spectral vision spotted two men carrying lanterns. Their shapes were enough to confirm that these two were the men sent by Guidry to install Grace’s phone and assess the property.
