Chapter Twenty-one #4
Grace completed the prayer. “There’s a metal dish on the table beside the bed.
Bring it here, please and put the potpourri in that.
” She lit the candles, while Luc filed the dish and set it in front of the candles within the seed pearl circle.
He opened the cookie jar, wrapped one in the red paper and placed it inside the circle. Grace set the potpourri afire.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes.”
They waited together, as the aroma of sandalwood, cedar, patchouli and cinnamon filled the air.
She held the paper where he could read the prayer. Together they chanted the words.
“Loa Eshu, we call on you to protect the wearer of this amulet that bears your symbol. Keep safe the wearer who faces great danger. Bless, please this that we do in your name and for your greatness. To thank you for your strong protections, we give you this ginger cookie. I beg the holy spirits, Pierre, Lazar, Anton lend you aid and strength. Amen.”
Grace leaned forward and grasped the amulet by the seed pearls. Lifting it, she stood on tiptoe and placed it over Luc’s head.
“Nooooo.”
He tried to grip the chain, but the seed pearls kept slipping from his fingers.
“Take this thing off me. I can’t get hold of it.” Panic strained his voice.
“Nope.” She stepped back.
“Grace, you need the protection more than I.” He continued chasing the pearl chain across his chest.
“Not so. If anything, you are more at risk. If DeLille is plotting murder, I suspect he knows where to find the gris gris.”
“I doubt Eshu’s amulet will protect me from the strength of the gris gris’ black magic.”
“I guess we’ll find out.” She crossed her arms over her chest and shot him a smug look. She’d gotten away with her plan.
Luc sighed. “Fine. But there will be retribution for the damage to my pride.”
“Keeping you alive is more important than any pride.”
He nodded. “What next, lover mine?”
She looked at the desk clock. The ritual had taken nearly three hours. It had felt like minutes. “It’s nearly one o’clock. We must clean up and complete our preparations to leave.”
“One o’clock gives us a few hours. I’ll take the breakfast dishes and clean up in the kitchen.”
“A man who volunteers to do kitchen work. I’m a lucky woman.” She kissed him.
He kissed her back, a near desperate need flowing from him to her.
Eventually, she pushed away. “Go,” she waved toward the door. “I have a few things left to pack and will follow very soon.”
“See that you do. I don’t want to worry about you.” He gathered everything onto the tray and left.
Grace raced to fill the valise. The music box and the logbook were the last items loaded. She hurried downstairs. As she put the case on the kitchen table the phone rang.
She picked up. “Grace Thibodaux speaking.”
“Miz Thibodaux, It’s me, your land manager.”
She frowned. “You’re using the phone so you aren’t in the fields?”
“No ma’am. Most of my crew couldn’t make it in today because of all the rain. The bayous are rising. I waited as long as I could, hoping I could get a few men out to Sweet Dreams to work. But it just ain’t gonna happen. I need to get my family to safety. I’m so sorry.”
Grace’s heart sank. “I appreciate you informing me. I’m leaving soon myself. Could I ask you to try to stop by and pick up my horses? I can’t take them with me.”
“I’ll make sure someone gets out there for them, Miz Thibodaux.”
“Thank you. I’ll leave the money I owe you and your crew in a saddle bag near the pack horse’s stall.”
“You been real good to us, ma’am. Good luck getting out before the flood.”
“You as well.” She ended the call and turned to Luc.
He strode over and took her in his arms. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“The land manger and crew aren’t coming today.”
“DeLille can’t know that.” He stroked her hair.
Luc’s touch calmed her somewhat. “Yes he can.”
Luc stepped back. “How?”
“My phone is on what we call a party line. A number of other phones use the same line. Anyone who picks up their phone while I’m talking can hear what is said.”
Luc’s face paled. “We both know how gossip flies.”
“Especially here.” Grace kissed his cheek. “If DeLille doesn’t know I’m alone now, he’ll know very soon.”
Luc gave a single nod. “Then we’d best hurry and continue as planned.”
“Right, the amulet was the first step. Now we need to deal with the animals and get the things we want with us to the Only Love.”
“That won’t take much time or effort, we should be away long before DeLille gets here.”
“Probably,” Grace worried a fingernail.
“You aren’t certain? What might delay us?”
“Since we don’t know when someone will come for the horses, I need to make certain they have enough feed and water to last until someone gets here.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“I wish you could. Given that you still have spectral speed, some part of your curse remains. You’ll frighten the horses, and it will take twice as long to care for them.”
“Then, I’ll get Mars, Mercury and the cat to the Only Love. I’ll be back before you finish with the horses, so you’d better hurry.”
“The dogs should stay. They’re protection against DeLille.”
“If DeLille is prepared, he’ll shoot them before they can act.”
“You have a point. Please take them.”
“I’ll be back for you as fast as possible.”
Grace kissed him. “I know.”
He left to find the animals.
She donned her galoshes and raincoat then dashed out to the stable.
One glance toward the bayou revealed the water creeping close to ten yards from the house.
She prayed her someone would arrive in time to rescue the horses.
All the humidity had swelled the wood of the stable doors causing Grace some difficulty.
She was about to call Luc for help when the soft pine panel broke free.
I have to calm down, or the horses will sense my worry.
She took a deep breath. The light inside was poor, but she had no time for a lantern. Quickly she piled hay into the mangers, then filled the water buckets. The pack horse was happily munching the handful of alfalfa she added to the hay before she went to Maymie.
“You’ve been a great horse. I hate to leave you, but I can’t take you with me.” She laid her cheek against the mare’s muzzle and hugged Maymie’s neck for a few heartbeats. As she headed for the stable door, she halted. The rear door leading to the corral was ajar.
Better close that too.
Grace was less than two feet away when she saw the arm blocking the door. “Oh no.”
The door opened, and DeLille stepped over Guidry’s body. His sheriff’s badge was pinned to his coat, and he held a pistol aimed straight at her.
“Oh no, indeed, Miz Thibodaux. You turn around, now, and face that wall there.” He gestured to his right with the pistol. “Put your hands behind your back.”
She complied. “I didn’t do this.”
“Well now,” he said as he clasped manacles around her wrists. “I suspect you may be right about that, but you ain’t got any witnesses. I’ll have to take you in. Good thing I got my automobile, we can go straight to the parish lock up.”
“You know there aren’t any witnesses, because you did this.”
His laugh had a maniacal edge. “Ain’t nobody going to believe you. ’Sides you probably won’t make it as far as the jail.”
“Why not?”
“Well now, you ain’t a cowardly woman. I know that because of how you ran off some of your trespassers, and how you beaned Guidry.” DeLille snickered. “Got to admire you for that alone.”
“So what?”
“So, a brave woman like you will try to escape. I may even have to shoot you to stop you. Or, you might get caught in that flood coming this way. I got the news that the levee’s breaking just before Guidry and I rode out here.”
“So, you admit you killed him.”
“I don’t admit anything.” He dragged her around, pushing her toward the stable door. “Let’s go into the house. I need to look for the murder weapon.”
She stumbled forward. “Luc,” she whispered. Would it be enough to warn him?
“Shut your mouth. You’re wasting time.”
Grace obeyed, praying for a way to get out of this situation.
Maybe something would dawn on her. At the kitchen door, DeLille reached around her and opened it.
“Get inside.” He followed her. Her valise was on the table where she’d left it.
However, it was open. The music box and log book rested on the table beside the carpet bag.
The key to unlock the box sat in its keyhole.
Luc must have done that, but why?
“Well now, ain’t that nice. You left me a present right where I could find it.”
“What? I didn’t leave anything for you.” Her glare stabbed him.
He backhanded her then kicked a chair away from the table.
Pain exploded in the side of her face and her vision grayed.
She couldn’t cradle her cheek because of the manacles.
She blinked to clear her vision and convinced her legs to remain locked, so she wouldn’t crumble.
“Sit down and shut up,” he ordered. “Guess you thought you could run and I wouldn’t find you.
However, you hadn’t finished packing.” He moved around the table to where he could see her and easily reach the silver box.
She sat, so she could regain her bearings and her balance.
Her pain faded to a throb. She would curse at him, but he had a gun, and she wanted to survive.
He laid the pistol on the table. “Don’t think you can move fast enough to get away before I shoot you.
You just sit nice and quiet while I look inside my present. ”
“You won’t find anything,” Grace spat.
“You just don’t know where to look, and to think you had it all this time.”
“Had what?” She forced her eyes wide and peered up at him, playing innocent.
DeLille lifted the box, opened it and probed inside. Smiling, he took a pen knife from his pocket and cut open the green velvet. “There you are. I been looking for you all my life.”
The man is insane, talking to a box with torn lining.
Probing the cut he’d made, he pulled something from within the velvet. He held it up to the light, inspecting the gris-gris for any damage. “It’s still in good shape.”
“No!” She gasped unable to remain stoic.
“Yes. Yes indeed. I’m going to have my own personal pirate to steal for me, and no one will ever suspect me. You hear me, Lucien Flynn? I got your gris-gris. You appear to me here, right now.”
Grace felt something shoved into one of her hands in the moment before Luc materialized at her side. “Luc, I’m sorry,” she said.
“So, you know him.” DeLille’s brows drew tight, and he tilted his head. “I didn’t think he’d let anyone see him, or get friendly.”
Luc smiled. “Don’t worry, Grace. All will be well.”
She’d felt out that the thing in her hand was a key, probably a skeleton key that would open the lock on the manacles. “You’re sure of that?” She spoke loudly to cover any sound made while she manipulated the manacle key.
“Sure will.” DeLille smirked. “Flynn, you’re gonna take me and that box away from here.”
“What about Miss Thibodaux?”
“She can stay here. Since the levee’s broken all of Sweet Dreams will be under water. She’ll drown and save me the trouble of having to kill her.”
“I don’t think I like that part of the plan,” Luc said, studying his nails.
“What you like ain’t important.” DeLille raised the gris-gris, waving it in Luc’s direction. “You must do whatever I say.”
“Actually…” the pirate captain looked at Grace. “Are you ready darling?”
She nodded.
“Aw, ain’t that sweet. She’s your darling. Stop wasting time and get me out of here.”
“I’m happy to remove you from Sweet Dreams.” Luc's smile held cruel promise.
DeLille’s body started to rise into the air. Instead of fright, the older man’s face was open and full of wonder. “Well don’t that beat all? Take me home. Remember the box.”
Luc picked up the box and the valise. “Grace, it’s time to leave.”
“What? You can’t leave,” the grocer screamed, fighting empty air, but his body was floating above the floor, and his struggling didn’t release him.
“Yes, we can,” Grace said, her voice friendly.
The manacles flew at DeLille. He hollered, dropping the gris-gris to lift his arms in defense. The manacles locked around his wrists before he could blink.
Grace raced to retrieve the gris-gris from where it’d fallen.
“Flynn,” DeLille screamed. “You can’t do this. I had the doll. You have to do what I say. You have to take me home.”
“The operative word, there, Mr. DeLille,” Grace said. “Is had. You had the gris-gris. You don’t have it anymore.”
“But…” he shifted in the air, but remained hovering above the floor, his legs spread wide. He wore a raging pout, like a defeated toddler.
“Grace, if you’ll put the box and that thing in the valise then hold it, I’ll get us out of here.”
“Certainly,” she said.
As Luc lifted her into his arms, she waved at the man who still hung suspended in mid-air. “Goodbye, Mr. DeLille.” She flashed a sweet smile.
They were on the deck of Luc’s ship before Grace could blink. It’d been the same when he’d taken her home from the Only Love after their first kiss. She dropped the valise. “How long will he be in the air?”
“Oh, he fell the moment we left the house.”
“I hope he hurt his head.”
Luc grinned. “Probably.”
“He won’t drown, will he?”
“I can’t say. He’s mobile, despite the shackles, and the horses are still in the stable. He can probably get away if he hurries.”
Either way, they were rid of him and the trouble he threatened would be drowned in the flood.