I wonder how this is going to play out.
I wonder if I’ll ever be able to get her out of my blood.
I wonder if I want to.
Chapter Fourteen
The small woodenhouse crouched in the shadows under the sprawling boughs of a large cypress tree. Inside the abode, there were four rooms and an enclosed back porch where Madame Germaine Vincennes kept various concoctions for spells and potions. Customers usually came over in the evenings, under cover of the darkened sky, to pick up a healing salve, a love potion, or a mojo bag to bring them whatever relief they desired.
For over forty years Madame had offered her services to help others. She believed God had given her the gift of healing and warding off evil spirits, as she’d had an uncanny sixth sense ever since she’d been a young child. She charged only what it cost her to make the candles, powders, mojo bags, and spells. It never occurred to her to make money from her gift; it was enough that she could help an unsettled person find comfort and meaning in his life.
The small house was where she’d raised her children, laid out her husband when he was killed in a mining accident, and gave tea leaf readings for the distraught. She was a great-great-grandmother and lived alone, fiercely proud of her independence.
On a side table, among the numerous pictures of her children, stood a framed black-and-white wedding photograph. The bride sat in a chair with a bouquet of roses resting in her lap, and the groom stood behind her looking so handsome in a black suit. Upon waking each day, Madame Vincennes took the portrait in her hands and held it to her heart as she wished her husband a good day. After a half hour of prayers and recollections, she’d place the wedding photograph back in its place, knowing that one day she and her husband would be reunited.
The perimeter of the largest room was chock-full of mason jars stuffed with various herbs, stones, animal bones, and powders. Small vials of oils filled several curio cabinets. The scene was repeated on the back porch.
That evening, the old fortune teller rose from the chair, her knees cracking, when her doorbell rang. The wooden cane in her hand clacked on the wooden floor as she went to answer it. Peering out the curtained window on her door, her face tightened.What does he want?She paused, debating on whether she should let him in. A gust of wind rattled her windows at that moment and her cat skedaddled across the floor, disappearing under a worn couch.
“Germaine, I know you’re in there. I have to talk to you. It won’t take long.”
Pushing down the apprehension that clawed at her psyche, she turned the lock and opened the door. He walked in and smiled at her. His suit was perfectly pressed, and there wasn’t a hair out of place. “How are you?”
“I’m doing okay. Why are you here? You already gave me my money for the month.”
“You’re all business, aren’t you? I came over to talk to you about something. Come on, let’s have a seat.” The tall man threw her a toothy smile, and she didn’t trust him at all. Evil surrounded him.
He sat down when she did, then spread his hands on his thighs. “We have a slight problem here.”
Madame Vincennes tucked a loose strand of silver hair into the bun on top of her head. She stared hard at him, her sharp blue eyes clear and young. Her orbs held the echoes of her youth, unlike the rest of her. The lines in her face were deep and saggy, like the skin no longer had a connection to the skull underneath it, and age spots gave her skin a coffee-stained look. She gave him a twisted smile. “What’s the problem?”
“You’ve not been entirely silent about that night, have you?” His stare was piercing.
“I have. You made it very clear what would happen to my children and grandchildren if I told anyone.”
“And receiving two thousand dollars a month hasn’t been too shabby.” He crossed his leg and smoothed down his pants.”
“Mon Dieu, just tell me why you’re here.”
“Why did you send Rock the mojo bag?” His face was taut, his eyes narrowed into slits. A damp chill gripped her like a hand from the grave. “You didn’t think I’d find out about it, did you? And the note telling him that his father didn’t kill his mother was stupid.” He pressed his lips together and they looked like a slash across his face. “Actually, it was… suicide.”
This is the night I’m going to leave the Earth. Mon Dieu, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have chastised Delphine this morning. I would’ve told my family I love them.Her eyes misted as she stated to her would-be killer, “I’ve been having what happened on my conscience and in my soul for too long. I couldn’t let a son go to his grave thinking hispèremurdered hismaman. I need to have peace.”
“I understand.” He rose from the chair and moved behind her. “And now that you cleared your conscience, I’ll clear mine. I can’t have any loose ends. You understand.” Then he placed his cold hands around her skinny neck and squeezed.
Her hands flew up to her neck as she tried to pry his away, but she knew she was no match to his strength so she let them fall to her lap. She noticed the soil beneath her fingernails from constantly digging in her garden for her mojo bags and healing spells, and she was ashamed that her children would see it on her corpse. She would’ve cleaned them had she known.
As he choked the life out of her, her gaze drifted to the wedding portrait, a surge of joy filling her as she realized she’d see her François again. Then the pictures of her children and their families danced in front of her, and a heavy sadness weighed on her. She’d hoped to be around for a few years longer.
Dark spots shrouded her gaze.
The clawing panic of not being able to breathe began to dissipate until it was all gone.
Chapter Fifteen
They parked infront of a nice two-story brick house in a neighborhood where everyone had well-maintained lawns and shrubbery. Before he turned off the ignition, Isa and two children ran down the concrete walkway toward him. He grinned and his eyes sparkled when he saw his niece and nephew.
“Rock, you’re really here,” Isa said as she threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheeks. “I kept telling Charlie I wouldn’t believe it until I saw you in the flesh. Let me look at you.” She pulled back and gave him a quick assessment, then threw her arms around him again.
