Mateo was right. It was abundantly clear that most bars were not taking the curfew seriously. Many were open, but kept their neon lights off. Ophelia entered a café and immediately took a step back with watering eyes from the musk of ancient cigar smoke clinging to the air. Scanning the tables, she spotted Mateo in a back corner booth of the café.
Mateo smiled mischievously like he knew she was hooked. She didn’t love that.Play it cool,she reminded herself.
“I’m glad you came. Hope the others weren’t upset that you skipped out early on girls’ night,” he said as he placed both forearms on the table and flexed, purposefully.
Interesting. Someone is also trying hard.
“Well, they wouldn’t know, since they’re all passed out asleep,” she said, laughing.
“Already?” he exclaimed.
“I know.” Ophelia glanced at the coffee mug in front of him. “I bet you don’t sleep much if you’re drinking this stuff at eleven o’clock at night.”
“It’s a problem for sure.” Mateo grinned, and the waitress, an older woman with brilliant purple hair, walked up to the table and took Ophelia’s order. Not wanting to drink in front of Mateo, she ordered a club soda with lime.
“You can drink, ya know.”
“I know, but I’m still hungover from last night.” She was, and she assuaged it with a little hair of the dog earlier, but she wasn’t sure of the nature of his sobriety and wanted to be respectful.
The waitress returned with Ophelia’s drink and then leaned in, her many plastic bracelets clank against the table. “I’m sorry to interrupt y’all, but not a lot of people know, and I want y’all to be extra careful tonight,” said the purple-haired woman in herthick West Bank accent. Ophelia and Mateo exchanged questioning looks. “There was another murder yesterday. Couple blocks from here, sha. So, ya’ know, watch yourselves, okay, huns?”
“I’m sorry, this was yesterday? In the Quarter?” Ophelia asked, shocked.
“Mm-hmm,” she said, smacking her lips. “Tragic.” She shook her head and sucked her cheek.
Another murder that coincided with a tiger dream. Ophelia felt the blood drain from her face.
“Do you know anything else about what happened?” Ophelia probed, desperate for more details.
“Naw, nothing from the news. All I know is what people been sayin’. And they sayin’ it was that serial killer. They sayin’ he killed a woman, and did some creepy shit to her.”
“Jesus,” said Ophelia.
Ophelia and Mateo thanked the waitress for the news and sat in silence.
“Are you okay?” asked Mateo.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I think. It’s just that…” she said, twisting her hands. “The last victim, who was murdered back in August? Delphine was my neighbor. My friend.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Ophelia,” Mateo said, reaching across the table and placing his hand on hers.
She was suddenly immensely concerned for her sisters, who were completely unaware of the murder in a house that potentially wasn’t locked. She knew at least her window was open because there was no way to lock it from the outside. But what about the doors in the courtyard and the front door?
“Mateo, I’m so sorry, but I think I need to go back to the house we’re staying in. My window is unlocked, and I’m not sure about the rest of the house.”
“Of course, let me walk you,” he said, rising from the booth. Mateo placed a couple of dollars on the table, and the two walked out of the café.
People milled about the streets, but it was nothing compared to the amount of people that were normally out on a Saturdaynight. It appeared that the city’s curfew was being obeyed by some. NOPD had bigger issues to worry about aside from people out past curfew in what was clearly no longer a weather emergency.
Mateo reached for Ophelia’s hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. Like some form of medicine, her worries began melting away with his warm touch and were replaced by that heady lust-filled fog. She was hyper aware of every movement he made—the brush of his arm against hers, the slight film of moisture on their palms from holding hands on a humid night.
The pair reached the house and walked through the courtyard gate. Ophelia made sure to quickly lock it behind her.
“Do you mind waiting for me out here so I can make sure everything and everyone is okay inside? I just want to double-check the locks,” she said, trying to sound cool and not completely freaked out.
Mateo leaned against the brick wall that encompassed the courtyard.
“Take your time.” Mateo openly scanned her body from the top down as she sauntered off to the courtyard doors with an extra swing in her hips.
