Big Easy (Cowboy Craze)

by Sable Hunter

  “Look what a beautiful red it is today. Bright. Clear.” While reassuring one guest, Jewel paused to kneel and check on another one. “Hey, you okay?” she asked Eliza who was hiding in the folds of a curtain with a baby doll in hand.

  “I’m good.”

  “Okay. I’ll be through here soon.”

  “What did you say?” Irma asked.

  Jewel jerked up. “I said…the ruby belongs with you.”

  “Huh.” This made Irma smile. “Well, thank…”

  Her words of gratitude were cut short when the sound of a cell phone ringing drew their attention. Tracing the sound to the floor at her feet, Irma picked it up.

  “Willie Mae Hill must have dropped it,” Jewel said as she started moving toward Irma. “Wait…”

  Before she could stop her, Irma answered the phone, “Hello. This is Irma. Yes. I found your wife’s phone on the floor.”

  “Stop, Irma.” A sense of panic rose within her like a storm surge. Willie Mae’s visit had introduced a whole new level of concern in her mind. Who were the two other dead women accompanying poor Julie Davis? Jewel could only assume they were also Everett’s victims. If not Everett’s, then someone involved with the Hill’s on some level. Either way, Willie Mae had ended up with their jewelry.

  “Oh, she left her phone here at Jewel Baptiste’s.” Irma smiled, winking at Jewel. “Must’ve been getting her fortune told or having her palm read. Oh, I’m sure she knows all your secrets by now. Ms. Jewel sees all and knows all.”

  “No, Irma…” Jewel whispered in vain.

  “Sure, she’ll hold it for Willie. Yes, I’ll tell her.” Irma blushed, falling for the slick jerk’s faux flattery. “Oh, you’re welcome, honey.”

  Once she hung up, there was no use for Jewel to castigate her. “What did he say?”

  “That was Everett Hill. He told me to tell you Willie would be by later to pick up her phone.”

  “Later?” Later could be anytime. “Okay. Thank you, Irma.”

  “No problem.” She dug in her purse. “I need to pay you for today and for my last visit.”

  “All right.” Jewel wasn’t in a position to turn down the money. She gave Irma a figure and the woman gladly paid it. By the time they were finished and she’d instructed the grateful woman on the proper dosage of the herbs and elixirs she’d concocted, Jewel was tired and hungry. She’d missed lunch and the afternoon was half over. If she didn’t have the evening with Easy to look forward to and Eliza to deal with – she’d go crawl in the bed – or under it.

  “Oh, Eliza, little Liza Jane.” Jewel began to sing a childhood song her mother had taught her. “Oh, Eliza, little Liza Jane.” The playful ditty had its intended effect. Eliza followed her to the kitchen, giggling all the way.

  While she ate, Jewel calmed the child, playing with her, talking to her. She wanted Eliza to be in a good frame of mind for what was about to happen next.

  When she finished the leftover beef tips and rice, Jewel straightened the kitchen, then went to the armoire to find the old grimoire Hazel had mentioned. “Here it is.” Sitting at the reading table, she glanced at Willie Mae’s cell phone. On impulse, she touched it. When she did, a vision of Everett taking his wife entered unwanted and unbidden into her head. She could see him hammering, holding her hair in a tight fist. There was a look of rapture on Willie’s face, but the expression on Everett’s was one of calculation. Keeping his wife happy and distracted was just a front. When he closed his eyes, Jewel could see the movie in his head – and it was a horror flick, a slasher film – women being threatened, abused, and murdered.

  “Jewel.”

  Eliza’s voice brought Jewel out of the chilling cloud hanging over her. “Oh, hey, you.” She patted her knee, inviting the little spirit to sit. When the translucent tyke took her seat, Jewel giggled at the chill hovering over her skin. “Now, let’s see what this book has to say.”

  “Read to me.”

  “Oh, honey. This isn’t the type of book you’d find interesting.” She thumbed through the contents. “But…it is the type of book that we might use to contact your mommy.” A shaft of pure joy emanating from the little girl sliced through the air like a light saber.

  The pages she studied were old, yellowed. Jewel could remember looking through this ancient tome only once or twice. Several incantations jumped out at her – a chant to stop the flow of blood, a sigil to call forth a lover, directions on cutting the pain of childbirth by placing an axe under the bed of the laboring woman. Although intrigued, she kept looking – until the page turned up – How to Invoke the Dead.

  Determined to concentrate, Jewel read the directions carefully. She couldn’t miss a thing; she couldn’t make a mistake. This was too important. “All right, I need a mirror. Oil. Honey. Thyme. A candle. And the items belonging to you and your mother.” Rising, she left Eliza standing by the book to go gather the ingredients.

  “Okay. Come sit by me.” Jewel stepped into the circle and placed the items she would need on the floor in front of her. Once Eliza was inside the circle with her, Jewel repaired the formation Willie Mae had marred by shifting the grains of red brick dust and salt back into a continuous line.

  “What are we doing?”

  “We’re going to try and send a message to your mother. Would you like that?”

  “Yes.”

  Arranging her things, Jewel filled a small bowl with thyme, lit a purple candle, then anchored the votive inside the dried herb. Next, she mixed honey and water into another bowl. Finally, she placed the mirror before her and sat Eliza’s baby shoes and the photograph of her and her mother in front of it. “All right, I’m ready to start now.”

  Bowing her head, she raised her hands palm upward. “I adjure you, Criophorus, the Ram-bearer, Hermes who dwells among the dead.” In her mind, she pictured him, the god who bears the sheep on his shoulders. She’d seen the image many times in the Catholic Churches, the painting of the Good Shepherd who cares for his lambs. Little did they know the idea was eons old. Raising the bowl of honey water, she continued, “Accept from my hand this offering, and do my will by bringing Mary Dupree, mother of Eliza, into our presence. Raise her up so she will speak to me without fear.”

  Lifting the bowl over her head, she cried aloud, “Huriel. Shamsiel, angels from the fifth camp, I ask you to bring Mary Dupree to us. You who lived yesterday, I call you from my mind to yours. Come from the shadows into the light and show yourself to me! Come back to your daughter Eliza Dupree!”

  As soon as she finished speaking, Jewel opened her eyes. Everything was deadly still. There was no sound. No wind outside. No bird calls. No creaking of the house settling. Jewel didn’t even dare take a breath. The sound of silence was almost deafening.

  And then the candle flickered and sizzled.

  Jewel’s eyes flew immediately to the mirror. At first, she didn’t see anything – and then the image before her eyes shifted. The reflection of her own face displaced and divided, one side becoming higher than the other. “Mary?” Feeling a cold pressure, she glanced down to find Eliza burrowing into her side. When she returned her eyes to the mirror, she saw another figure.

  Mary Dupree.

  “Mary, you’re here,” she breathed almost reverently.

  “Why have you summoned me?”

  “Mama?”

  Jewel didn’t have to say a thing. Mary materialized in front of them, causing the little ghost at her side to vibrate with excitement.

  “Eliza?” A look of horrified hope appeared on the spirit’s face.

  “Mama!”

  If Jewel ever wondered what true happiness sounded like, now she knew.

  Mary covered her face and sank to her knees. “I shouldn’t be here!” She turned her attention to Jewel, anger shooting from her eyes. “Why? Why? Are you trying to punish me? Haven’t I suffered enough?” As she wailed, her eyes began to glow, and she rushed Jewel – causing her to jump. Fortunately, the invisible wall of the protective circle stopped her. />
  “Mary, please. No one is trying to punish you.” Jewel thought to check Eliza, fearing her mother’s outburst might’ve frightened her.

  On the contrary, Eliza lifted from her place and moved to the edge of the circle – right in front of Mary. “Mama, I missed you so.”

  Before Jewel’s eyes, she saw Mary’s heart melt. “Oh, my baby. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

  Her mother’s angry outburst hadn’t scared her. Eliza wanted only to feel Mary’s embrace once more. As the tiny girl held out her arms, Jewel moved to brush aside the circle. The moment she did, the small ghost flew to her mother’s side. Mary picked her up and buried her face in Eliza’s neck.

  And in the next heartbeat, they were gone. Vanished. Winging their way home.

  “Wow.” Jewel’s smile was big and genuine. It wasn’t that she’d doubted her plan would work…but she was definitely pleased when it did. “Okay.” Taking a deep breath, she cleaned up the mess she’d made and put everything away. Checking the clock, she gasped. “He’ll be here soon!” She needed to get ready for her date!

  Over the next hour, Jewel pampered herself to no end. She made sure every inch of her body was smooth, soft, and sweet smelling. This night, and all it held in store, was a gift and she wanted to look just perfect. Deciding what to wear took time. The evening would be casual, but Jewel longed for it to be special. Finally, she settled on a red dress she’d never worn – a delicate, feminine dress made from simple cotton, but adorned with fine, intricate lace and dozens of dainty buttons.

  “Okay, Juju-Bean, that’s all I can do for you.” She sighed as she surveyed her reflection in the mirror, referring to herself by a nickname her mother often used in the past. Patting on a dab of perfume, Jewel noticed her hand was shaking. “Oh, land sakes.” She made a fist and clutched it to her chest. “Stop it. This is what you wanted.”

  Yes, she wanted to be with Easy – but that didn’t stop her from being nervous. He was a man of the world. Experienced. From the lines in his hand she’d seen he was a wonderful lover. Sensual. Demanding. “And you…” She laughed at her inexperience. “You need some help, girl.”

  Suddenly inspired, she hurried to the living room, taking a moment to note how empty the space felt without Eliza. “I hope you’re happy, baby.” Jewel smiled in satisfaction, knowing she’d helped reunite the child with her mother.

  “All right. What to do. What to do.” Going to her cabinet, she found a carnelian bracelet. Taking the smooth red stones in hand, she anointed them with a bit of rose oil. “I charge thee. Make me sexy. Make me sensuous. Give me the ability to please my lover.” Lighting a red candle, she passed the bracelet through the fire, letting the flames heat the oil, releasing the scent and the power. “I want to bring Easy so much joy, so much pleasure that he never forgets me.”

  Ring! Ring!

  Two abrupt bursts from the doorbell, sent Jewel flying. “He’s here!” On the way, she pulled the bracelet over her wrist, her eyes alight with anticipation. “Come in,” she said breathlessly as she swung open the door.

  To Jewel’s shock, the man standing inside the entrance to her home wasn’t Ezekiel Blackhawk – it was Everett Hill. Taking one step back, she felt her heart go up in her throat. “Hello.”

  Everett didn’t respond to her greeting. Instead, he pushed his way into her home, moving her aside with the swipe of an arm. “So, my wife has been paying you little visits, I understand, Ms. Baptiste.”

  Jewel’s head was spinning. The close proximity of the man gave off signals no human should emit. There were no human spirits clinging to him, no one would want to. What was attached to Everett Hill wasn’t human. She couldn’t discern the being, but she could feel it – dark, rabid, and very dangerous. “She’s been here, yes.” There was no use denying what he’d already confirmed. “I helped her with a love spell. For you.”

  Everett whipped his head around to stare at her. The venom in his eyes was unmistakable. He stared hard at Jewel, as if trying to read her thoughts. “For me? Why would a wife seek out a love spell for her husband?”

  Taking a deep breath, she was determined to throw him off the scent. She was the one with the power – not him. With a coy smile, she looked Everett up and down. “What can I say? She loves you. She wants to…uh…keep your interest. Keep your relationship sizzling.” Bile rose in her throat at the picture she was trying to paint.

  Narrowing his gaze, he stepped closer to Jewel. “Are you sure that’s all? She didn’t bring you something of mine to read?”

  Lying wasn’t something Jewel advocated. The absence of truth was a breeding ground for trouble. However, in this case she sought the illusion of truth. “She brought an item of your clothing and I told her what she wanted to hear.”

  “What do you mean?” he roared.

  Jewel shrugged. “She wanted to know what every woman wants to know. Is their man faithful? Does he love her?”

  “And what did you say?”

  “What I always say. Nothing new.” Jewel licked her lips, trying to keep herself from trembling. “I have my standard lines memorized. How is she acting toward you? Is your sex life good?” She swallowed, endeavoring to keep from gagging.

  “You’re a fake, aren’t you? Just like your mother.”

  As he spoke, the smell of sulphur pervaded the room. An instinct for preservation warred with the desire for justice – self-preservation won out, for the moment. “I do what I have to do to survive. Make a living.”

  “Yea, just like your mother. Scamming innocent people. Taking their money and telling them what they want to hear.”

  Calm on the outside, Jewel shook on the inside. Standing still while he studied her like a bug under a microscope was hard. She didn’t know if he killed those women himself, but he was involved. Involved enough that his wife had ended up with their jewelry. “I don’t call it a scam. I prefer to think of it…as therapy. Self-confidence building.” Jewel decided to try a new tactic.

  While he glared at her, trying to reassure himself that she didn’t know his secrets, Jewel sidled up next to him, reaching out one finger to run down his forearm. “I mix up natural herbs that raise a woman’s libido. Make them…want.”

  Everett blinked.

  Jewel saw the moment when he lost control. When his suspicions waned.

  “All right.” He backed off.

  Jewel didn’t know whether to laugh at herself or be relieved. So much for her seductive wiles.

  “Okay.” Jewel hurried to the reading table. “Here’s Willie’s phone.” As she picked it up, a wild impulse took hold of her. “Everett, will you let me read your palm?”

  A moment of total quiet settled over the room. Long enough for Jewel to question her sanity.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?” Shock. “Great. No charge. Sit, please.” As Everett took one of the chairs, she sat down in the one opposite. Her motive in this ordeal was not pure. And pretty stupid. She wasn’t just trying to pacify the man with phony psychic psycho-babble, Jewel saw this as an opportunity to do a little investigation of her own.

  Holding out her hand, she invited him to place his within it. At the touch of his skin to hers, Jewel shuddered. The man was capable of great violence. Peering into his hand, she played a balancing act. Seeking information, even as she sought something innocuous to say to him. Something to pad his ego. Make him think she regularly spouted off useless flattery. As she studied the lines on his hands, Jewel sought her brain for the male equivalent of ‘you’ll meet a tall, dark, handsome man’. “Uh…you’ll live a long life.” Lie. Everett’s lifeline seemed to stop abruptly with a deep gouge in his palm. There were also faint horizontal lines between his lifeline and his thumb. Both were signs of an untimely, violent death.

  “Is that all?” he asked with a disbelieving laugh.

  “You are a good lover.” Barf. Barf.

  “How can you tell?” he asked, leaning closer.

  Jewel could see the flush of arousal on his che
eks. He was enjoying this part. She pressed the flesh part of his palm next to his thumb. “This mound is bulging.”

  “Huh.” A smirk came over his face. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  Jewel swallowed. She could tell him something. She could tell him a lot. His palm betrayed the fact that the man had no soul. No conscience. He enjoyed inflicting pain. Life held no value for him. The names of his murder victims weren’t written on his palm, but the ability to do the deed was evident. “Well, I see there’s a major business opportunity coming your way.”

  “Oh, yea?” This got his greedy attention. Jewel watched the skepticism fade from his face and the desire to believe moved in. “What do you see?”

  “A man will call you with a deal you won’t be able to refuse. Something about…moving something for him. I don’t know what.” She shook her head, as if what she was seeing was too complicated for her to understand.

  “Hmmm. Okay.” Everett sounded satisfied.

  “Looks to be a lucrative deal.” She’d always heard the Hill brothers smuggled goods from the Gulf up the river. Everything from drugs, to guns, to… “Ah!” Jewel cried out when a vision came to her of women in chains. Being herded. Stripped.

  “What’s wrong? What do you see?” He leaned near her, a scowl on his face, his breath smelling like something had died in his mouth.

  Human trafficking. She’d seen human trafficking. Or at least that’s what it seemed to be to her. “Uh. Nothing.” Her mind was blank. She couldn’t think.

  A look of vicious hatred came over Everett’s face. “What did you see, bitch?”

  Jewel’s throat froze up. Her tongue seemed to swell in her mouth, preventing speech.

  “What did you see, bitch?” Everett flipped his hand in hers and clasped Jewel’s wrist in a cruel grip, digging his fingernails into her flesh. “Tell me!”

  Fighting for calm, searching for something to say, Jewel let out a long breath. “I saw someone try to hurt you.” Changing her tactic, she clasped his forearm with her free hand. “You have to be careful, Everett. There are people who would do you harm. Men. Men you trust. Please. Please. Be careful.”