Big Easy (Cowboy Craze)

by Sable Hunter

  * * *

  “So, they didn’t take anything?” Jewel asked incredulously.

  Easy couldn’t help but chuckle. “I don’t guess they had time. I surprised them while they were rummaging around upstairs and after Cotton got through with them, all they wanted to do was escape.”

  “Saved by the ghost, that’s wild,” Jewel muttered as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “I wish you would’ve got me up before you left. I don’t like to wake up alone.”

  Her admission made Easy smile. “I needed to leave early. Didn’t get a lot done yesterday. Philip is on his way now and we should be able to make up some lost ground once he’s back on the job. In all the excitement last night, I neglected to tell you that they found his sister and her husband with only minor injuries.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful! See, things are looking up. Now, all we have to do is keep our fingers crossed that Willie is able to contact someone and put an end to this horror.”

  “How will we know?”

  “I’m sure news that big will be everywhere, Easy. Not even Sheriff Hill would be able to keep it quiet.”

  “He’s covering for his brother; he has to be.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.” With her coffee in hand, she moved to look out the window. “What are you doing now?”

  “I came in to process payroll. I’m about to head out to move some of our new mamas and their babies to higher ground. We’ll administer some vaccines and put tags in their ears.”

  “Aww, that sounds painful.”

  “No more so than a girl getting her ears pierced, treasure. What does your day look like?”

  “Oh, I have a client hunting his father’s will and I have some work to do on a court case. I’m not sure what else will crop up. Tonight, if you want, we can reach out to your father – that is, if you haven’t changed your mind.”

  Easy paused, as if thinking. “Oh, no, I haven’t. I still want to try. There’s just been so much confusion, I haven’t given it much thought.”

  “We can wait, it’s entirely up to you. The Izze-kloth is still safe and sound. I checked this morning.”

  “No. I want to do it,” Easy insisted. “I need to do it.” He’d never be satisfied unless he tried. He just hoped this didn’t backfire. His father’s forgiveness meant everything.

  “All right. I’ll prepare a place for us to work tonight. After we finish supper, we’ll perform the ritual.”

  “Sounds good. Well, I’d better go, treasure. You take care and I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Okay, Easy. Be careful.”

  “Just remember to keep your door locked. I don’t think those thugs will be back, but it’s better to be safe. I’m going to see about putting in some security safeguards for you. There’s no use taking any chances.”

  “Thank you, Easy. You take good care of me.”

  “My pleasure. Be sweet, love.”

  “Bye.” Jewel pressed the end button with a smile on her face. There was much to do, but none of it seemed daunting. After all, she had the evening and Easy to look forward to.

  To begin the day, she put on a roast for supper. This would be something she wouldn’t have to stand over or watch too closely. After browning the piece of beef, she added spices, cut up some potatoes and carrots, then topped it off with a little broth to give it some liquid to cook in. Turning the dial, she set it to slow cook for six hours. “Now, that should be tasty when the time comes to eat.”

  Leaving the kitchen, Jewel took off an apron she’d donned to cover the purple sundress she wore. Lately, she’d gravitated more toward dresses instead of jeans. Having Easy around made her feel more feminine and she wanted to look nice for him. She knew her looks were really nothing special, so Jewel really had no explanation for his interest. The man could have any woman he wanted. Yet, for some reason he chose to spend this time with her. Every day she half expected him to call on his way home to say he wouldn’t be coming over anymore…but, so far, that hadn’t happened. So far, he acted like there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

  Pushing the doubts out of her mind, Jewel set out to tend to the business of the day. First off, she needed to help Tad Barker find his father’s will. She didn’t know all the details of his situation, only that there was some disagreement between his siblings over the splitting of the estate. After speaking with him on the phone, Jewel had decided the best way to start was to scry. She needed to envision a place to start looking for the missing will. While awaiting his arrival, she laid out the black bowl she used for scrying, a pitcher of water, and a white candle to help her focus. Now, all she needed were the items of his father’s she asked Tad to bring along.

  When the clock showed the time for her guest to arrive, Jewel went out on the front porch to wait for him, determined to find some joy in her beautiful home. The day was warm and the sun was shining brightly, glinting off the nearby waters of the bayou. To look around at the Edenic surroundings, one would think nothing bad could ever happen in such a place. But Jewel knew better. At least five women had been killed and no telling how many others were being kidnapped or hurt. To think she knew the source of this nightmare and had done nothing to stop or prevent it from happening again made her queasy. She kept expecting the phone to ring and Willie be on the line to tell her it was all over – that she’d phoned the police, confessed her husband’s sins, giving them Marion’s necklace as proof. So far, no such message had arrived. In all probability it was too early to expect anything, and Jewel wasn’t even sure Willie would think to let her know when she did go through with her plan. “We’ll know something soon enough,” she told herself.

  When Tad drove up, he looked nothing like she’d expected. He was a really big guy to be so soft-spoken. “Come on in, Tad. I hope you’re well.” She waited for the tall redheaded man to mount the stairs.

  “Doing good.” He smiled at her with resignation. “I’m just ready for all this family feuding to be over. I know Dad didn’t want the house he shared with Mom to be sold. I just need the will to prove it.”

  Jewel held open the door, allowing him to go inside ahead of her. “Hopefully, I can help you. Did you bring something that belonged to your father?”

  “I did.” He held out a plastic bag containing his father’s glasses. “He never took these off. I hoped it might help us see things through his eyes.”

  Jewel was impressed by Tad’s insight. “Very good. This will be perfect.”

  As they moved to the reading table where she’d set up the scrying bowl, the man didn’t try to hide the fact that he was taking in everything he saw. “You have a very interesting place. All the books, jars, dried flowers. Makes me think I’m stepping into fairy tale territory.”

  “Hardly. I’m not immune to reality by any means.”

  “No happy-ever-after for you?” he asked with a grin as he took his seat.

  The question seemed like an omen to Jewel. “I don’t know, I guess I’ll have to see how the story pans out.”

  “Okay, so what’s next?”

  Jewel sat across from him. “Take out your dad’s glasses, hold them in your hands, then focus hard on what is lost. If you know what it looks like, picture the document for me. Also, concentrate on your father. What was his name?”

  “Bertrand Barker. He preferred to be called Bert.”

  “Okay. Now, picture in your mind what Bert might’ve looked like while he penned his last will and testament.”

  “Okay. Here goes.” Tad shut his eyes, squeezing them tightly as he followed Jewel’s directions.

  In the meantime, she lit the candle and poured the water into the black bowl.

  After a few moments, Jewel held out her hand. “Okay. Give them to me, Tad.” When he did so, she held them as she gazed into the reflective surface of the water in the bowl. “Now, while I attempt to see your father’s memories, you keep thinking about him. Let all the images you just recalled flow through your mind like a home movie on a continuous loop.”

 
“All right, Ms. Baptiste.”

  Centering herself, Jewel stared into the water, imagining that it wasn’t mere inches deep – but miles and miles. The secrets weren’t hidden in the depths, merely concealed behind a shadowy curtain. As she attempted to pull back that curtain, she let the energy from the old man’s glasses permeate her being. Jewel truly sought to see through his eyes. “Show me, Bert Barker, where did you store your will for safe keeping?”

  As Jewel continued to peer into the scrying bowl, the waters jumped. Something unseen disturbed the surface. Beside her, Tad gasped. Jewel didn’t flinch, she knew this meant a vision would soon appear. Slowly, she could see more than blackness, colors began to become visible, shapes formed. In a few moments, an image appeared. “I see a garden. A walled sanctuary. A fountain. A courtyard.”

  Tad leaned closer. “Oh, God. I didn’t think of that. I’ve searched his bedroom, the kitchen, the library – even the attic. The old man didn’t hide his will in the house. He buried it in the backyard. Can you tell where?”

  Jewel watched as the vision unfolded. Unfortunately, the perspective kept shifting, not settling in a particular place. “No, I’m sorry. All I can tell you is what I see. A lush, private haven that someone cared for meticulously.”

  Tad grunted. “Well, not anymore. Since Dad died, I don’t think anybody has mowed the grass or pulled a weed.”

  “That’s a shame.”

  “Damn, I guess we’ll have to dig up the whole garden.”

  From somewhere outside herself, Jewel felt a panic. Bert Barker didn’t want his beloved garden destroyed. “No, your father wouldn’t want that to happen.”

  “But how can I get around it?”

  Jewel rose to go to one of her cabinets. “If we could go to your father’s house, I might be able to pinpoint the location for you.” She held up a pair of dousing rods and smiled.

  The next couple of hours proved to be very interesting. She followed Tad Barker to his dad’s house. Jewel wasn’t surprised to see that, although the home was modest, it was evident the old gentleman had loved his garden. Even the neglect of his children couldn’t hide that fact.

  Once she was past the courtyard gate, Jewel could see it was the same place she’d envisioned. Not wanting to waste Tad’s time, she took out the dousing rod and began to walk the garden in a grid like pattern. Holding an L-shaped copper rod in each hand, Jewel waited for the familiar tingle that would tell her what she sought was near. With measured steps, she moved past water features and plants that had been cherished for years. Jewel picked up on vacations Bert had enjoyed with his wife where she’d taken tiny cuttings from plants and brought them home to carefully nurture them until they took root and flourished. She passed the bench where they used to sit in the evenings and hold hands. What she picked up on more than anything was his desire for this garden to be maintained in the manner he would’ve done it if he lived. Drawing near to Tad, Jewel couldn’t help but see his vision of the backyard – a large deck and an even larger pool. All of his father’s beloved plants would be no more. “I understand, Bert. I can’t make any promises, but I’ll certainly pass on your wishes.”

  “What did you say?”

  Tad’s question came at the exact moment she felt the rods turn down, pulled by a force most wouldn’t understand. She stopped in her tracks, kneeling to see what might be at her feet. “Here, Tad, come here.”

  The young man came over to join her. “Have you found it?”

  “I think so.” She moved aside some leaves to find a drain pipe. Upon closer inspection, Jewel found a metal tube inside the drain pipe and within that tube was his father’s will. “There you go.” She stood and handed him the rolled document. “I have to ask you, Tad. Why did he feel the need to hide it?”

  “This was not the original will and I think he expected my older brother to conveniently lose it, so the one that left him the house would still be in force. My dad found out that Chad intended to sell the house. He was in a bind for money, you see. Since, Dad didn’t trust lawyers, he hid the new will with the full intention of telling me where he’d put it, but he died of a massive coronary before he could relay the information.”

  Jewel knew it wasn’t her business to ask, but she did anyway. “Why not file it at the courthouse?”

  “Chad’s wife is the probate court judge.”

  “Ah, I understand.”

  “I don’t know how to thank you,” Tad told her as he pulled out his wallet to pay the designated fee. “I would’ve never thought to look in the drain pipe. Hell, I didn’t even know the drain pipe was there.”

  Jewel took the cash and stuffed it, along with the dousing rods down into her oversize bag. “Thank you, Tad.”

  As he turned to lead her out of the backyard, Jewel stopped him. “One more thing, Tad. I have a little message from your father.”

  This got his attention in a heartbeat. “What did you say?”

  “I have a message from your dad. He doesn’t want you to build the deck and the Olympic sized pool. He wants this courtyard to stay just the way it is, just the way your mother loved it to be.” With that pronouncement, she left him standing with mouth agape, staring at the garden he’d planned on destroying.

  On the way home, Jewel noticed her gas tank was nearly empty. With a sigh of resignation, she pulled into the next filling station she passed. She was glad it was a self-serve pump; she wouldn’t even have to go inside. Yes, she knew she was being cowardly. The clerk behind the cash register probably wouldn’t have a clue who she was.

  As quickly as she could, Jewel paid for the gas with her credit card, then inserted the nozzle into the tank. She stood with head down, just intent on doing what she needed to do, then heading out of town.

  Unfortunately, this particular pump was as slow as Christmas. She leaned on the car and willed the fuel to flow faster.

  “Hey, look, it’s her.”

  Jewel stiffened at the comment. Surely, they were speaking of someone else.

  “Yea, it’s Witch Hazel’s girl.”

  Glancing up, she noticed an older couple, not one she readily recognized. They were fairly well dressed, most likely church-going, middle-class Americans. Hoping she could forestall a confrontation, Jewel nodded at them politely, hoping to high heaven the gas pump would click off signaling the transaction was complete.

  “Why are you still living in our town? We’re God-fearing people here in Thibodaux. We don’t need the likes of you dirtying up the place.”

  Jewel couldn’t help but look up again. The venom in the woman’s voice was unmistakable. “I’m sorry.” What else was she supposed to say?

  “Come on, Mildred. Let’s go.”

  “No, Harvey, I’m not leaving. This is my town. My sister was taken in by her evil mother and I am offended she’s still living anywhere nearby.” Wrinkling her face into a knot, she spat in Jewel’s direction.

  Jewel jumped back, shocked at the woman’s vitriolic attitude. Desperate to get away, she slammed off the gas, jerked the hose out of her car, and tossed it in the general direction of the pump.

  “You’re a fake. A fraud. You and that charlatan mother of yours should both be behind bars.”

  Jewel didn’t look back, she just opened her car door and jumped in. Just as she was cranking the engine, the old lady began to beat on her window with her fists. Her husband was doing his best to stop her, but he didn’t seem to be having much luck.

  Despite her upset, she managed to get the car in gear and drive away. Behind her the woman still shouted, “Sham! Impostor!” And another word that could’ve either been “Witch!” or “Bitch!” Jewel didn’t think it much mattered which. Both were meant to hurt.

  As she drove, her chest ached. She didn’t expect people to forgive, she just wanted them to forget.

  * * *

  “I offered to let them search the entire property,” Philip said as he urged his mount to go faster. “The only thing I asked was that I accompany them, just to ensure no a
rtifacts were disturbed.”

  Easy figured his boss’s suggestion didn’t sit well with the authorities. “Did they take you up on your offer?”

  “The sheriff wasn’t interested in searching.” At Easy’s expression, he nodded. “Yea, I thought that was strange.”

  “There are still women missing. Looks like they’d want to find them.”

  “I don’t know.” Philip shrugged. “Maybe they already have a lead. I’m sure they don’t feel obligated to share their investigative tactics with me.”

  “Still, two bodies have been found here. Like we’ve said before, this could be a dumping ground of sorts.”

  Philip shuddered. “Mother would hate this so much. She would’ve felt the land had been desecrated by people’s hate.”

  Easy wanted to say something, but he chose not to. Still, he couldn’t help but think of the slaves who’d lived and died on the land. Didn’t that desecrate it? “How about Wren? I can’t help but think she might be a target. Especially if they think she recognized anyone that night.” Hearing a bleating calf, they stopped their conversation long enough to find the mother cow to put a rope around her neck. Easy tied the lead to his saddle horn and they continued on their way.

  “To answer your question, she might know more than she’s telling. Wren is distrustful of authority. She said she didn’t see anything, but I think she might’ve recognized someone’s voice.”