The Undead Uproar

by Amanda M. Lee

  Laura, who was caught between wanting to flirt with Leon because she thought it would make Jack jealous and annoyance, pinned him with a biting look. “They’re not sweet. They’re only doing this to get a rise out of me.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “I know so.”

  The conversation made me uncomfortable so I decided to change the subject. “What’s good here? I want to try something new.”

  Leon, seemingly happy to escape from Laura’s anger, offered me an indulgent smile. “They have gator bites on the menu. That’s what I’m getting.”

  I frowned. “Gator bites? Is that like a special name for something?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. It’s what we call bites of alligator.”

  My stomach turned as I looked toward Jack. “Is he kidding?”

  Jack chuckled. “No. I’ve seen him eat gator bites before.”

  “People really eat alligator?” Just the thought made me gag. “What’s it taste like?”

  “Chicken,” Leon automatically answered.

  “Does it really taste like chicken?” I wasn’t convinced. “Wait. It doesn’t matter.” I vigorously shook my hand. “I can’t eat alligator.”

  “What’s the difference between eating alligator and chicken?” Leon asked. “I’m not trying to be a pain. I genuinely want to know.”

  “I ... don’t ... know.” That was the truth. In theory, he’d already won the argument. That didn’t mean I could eat alligator. “It’s just different.”

  “You mean it’s not something you’re used to,” Leon countered. “Everything is new to someone at one point or another. I’m sure chicken was new to you when you first started eating solid foods. You still chose to eat it.”

  “Actually, I have no idea when I first ate chicken. I do know there was a notation in my state file that I absolutely hated liver. My adoptive mother tried to make me eat it because she loved it but I never grew to like it. I don’t know that you can train someone to like something.”

  Jack’s head snapped in my direction. “They made you eat foods you didn’t like?”

  His reaction made me laugh. “Um ... they asked me to try things even if I said I didn’t want to. I didn’t grow up in a restaurant family or anything. I never went hungry with them. I might’ve before they adopted me, but I don’t remember much about that time.”

  “But ... .” Anger briefly pulsed over him and then he pulled it together. “I hate stories about how much you’ve suffered through the years,” he grumbled. “You don’t have to eat alligator. They have salads and soup. Try something else.”

  I didn’t see it as suffering as much as he did but he had a very definite opinion.

  “I don’t understand,” Leon countered. “Why are you so upset?”

  “Charlie was abandoned by her parents,” Laura explained. “Even they knew she was a loser and didn’t want her. She grew up in the system ... and somehow we ended up adopting her. It’s tragic ... for us.”

  Before Jack could jump all over her I grabbed his wrist and gave it a squeeze. “It’s not worth it. Besides, I got adopted by wonderful people. I don’t remember my life before them. If there were bad foster homes before that or something, I can’t recall. It’s okay.”

  I was determined to turn the conversation to something more pleasant. “I’ll try the shrimp fritters. Just ... don’t start yelling. I like this place. It’s cool. I don’t want you to start yelling and ruin things.”

  Jack glared at Laura for a long moment before turning to me and smiling. “Shrimp fritters sound good. What do you want me to get so you can try more than one thing? I’ll eat anything.”

  “I suggest gator bites,” Laura drawled.

  Jack was so close to the line I thought he might lose it. Instead, he focused on the menu. “I’ll get the turtle soup and a salad.”

  I was horrified. “You’re going to eat a turtle?”

  He burst out laughing at my expression. “I’ll get the gumbo instead. How does that sound?”

  “Better than eating a turtle.”

  “You’ll have to make a list of things I can and can’t eat.”

  “I’m more than willing to do that.”

  “Good.” He rested his hand on top of mine. “That’ll make dining so much easier for the foreseeable future.”

  WE DUMPED LAURA ON LEON. He planned to question several people who supposedly saw the late-night conga line walking around in the cemetery. Jack thought it best that we not go with them because we might risk running into Thibodeaux. Instead, we headed to the nearest library to conduct further research. He was fascinated with hoodoo and wanted more information. Because the library was air-conditioned — and we were away from Laura — I readily agreed.

  “Where do you want to start?” I asked when we found the appropriate stacks. “There are a lot of books ... and they look interesting.”

  “Right here.” Jack slid in front of me and dipped his head to give me a kiss. It was a soft moment, almost sexless, and it calmed me.

  “What was that for?” I asked when he pulled back.

  “I’ve been wanting to do that since we left the cemetery with Laura the Hun.”

  I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing too loud and drawing attention. “She’s convinced herself she’s in love with you. I don’t think she means to be as difficult as she is.”

  “Oh, she knows exactly what she’s doing. Don’t kid yourself.”

  “Fine. Let me rephrase that: She knows that she’s hurting me. She doesn’t want to hurt you.”

  “Well, when you’re hurt, I’m hurt. I’m pretty sure that’s how this relationship thing goes.”

  “And that’s why she wants you so badly. You’re ... gallant.”

  “Gallant?”

  “Like a knight.”

  “I guess I can live with that.” He turned toward the shelf. “Let’s grab some books and sit down. I want to hear more about this hoodoo stuff.”

  “Do you think hoodoo is behind what’s happening?”

  “I think that I’m intrigued by what you told me earlier,” he clarified. “It makes sense that something is going on here. I think someone wants the public to believe the dead are rising.”

  “Why?” I wanted to hear his answer. “You saw the guy in the hallway. He was dead on the road, Jack. We both saw it. Then, suddenly, he was alive. He somehow found my room only to die again. How do you explain that?”

  He worked his jaw. “I can’t,” he said finally. “I like that stuff Hannah was talking about. The drugs. Maybe someone injected him with drugs.”

  “And the missing bodies? Where do you think those are going? The ones taken last night weren’t even fresh. I read the dates on the tomb plaques. They all died at least ten years ago. In some cases the bodies were fifty years old. What’s the point of stealing bodies that old?”

  “I don’t have all the answers, Charlie.”

  “And here I thought you were Superman,” I teased him ruefully.

  “If I’m any superhero, it’s Batman ... and not Ben Affleck’s Batman either.”

  “Are you Christian Bale’s Batman?”

  “I was thinking more like Michael Keaton’s Batman.”

  That was ... interesting. “He was before your time, wasn’t he?”

  “Sometimes I think I was born out of my time. I probably should’ve been born before I was.”

  “Yes, you have action hero written all over you,” I said, enjoying the conversation. “You would’ve been great in Top Gun and Commando.”

  “Ha, ha.” He tapped the end of my nose. “I’m just saying that sometimes I don’t feel as if I fit in this world.”

  The admission caught me off guard. “Sometimes I feel that way, too. Maybe we were displaced together.”

  “Or maybe we didn’t fit until we found each other.” He looked momentarily wistful and then pointed toward the books. “I’m going to take these to the table. Why don’t you get us coffee at that kiosk at the front of the build
ing?” He dug in his pocket for money. “I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

  “What if I have something girly?”

  “Then I guess I’m drinking girly coffee. I don’t care.” He briefly rested his forehead against mine before separating. “We have to focus on work. I find you distracting on a lot of levels today. However, I refuse to be the guy who ignores his job because there’s a cute girl in the room.”

  “And I refuse to be the girl who goes gooey because you called me cute.”

  “So, we’re agreed.” He didn’t pull away, instead giving me another kiss. “I just have to find the strength to be a grown-up. I don’t know how it came to be that I would rather be a teenager.”

  “I think it’s just a hormones thing. We’ll get used to it.”

  “That would be nice.” One more kiss and he released me. “I’m serious about the research. I think there’s something here. We need caffeine to go through all this.”

  “I’m on it.” I offered him a mock salute before moving toward the front of the building. I pulled up short when I caught sight of a familiar hoodie. The man from the cemetery hovered near the front row where the new releases rested. He was watching us, but he was too far away to make out his expression. “Son of a ... !”

  I stormed in his direction, ready to make a scene if necessary. I didn’t appreciate being followed. The library was surprisingly busy, though, and I had to duck around several people as I stalked toward him. I was ready to throw down when I rounded the corner, but the man in the hoodie was gone.

  I was certain I’d seen him. There was no way I imagined it. He was so pale as to be distinctive, and I had a feeling that was somehow important.

  I had a lot of questions.

  Who was he?

  Why was he following me?

  Was he trying to isolate me from the rest of the group? Is that why he tried to draw me away?

  On instinct, I turned to look over my shoulder. I could just make out Jack as he sat at a table. He was already engrossed in whatever he was reading.

  I thought about calling to him. He would come running and insist on searching for the man. The problem was, I was starting to wonder if I was imagining things even though that seemed ridiculous. Still, I couldn’t be sure Laura caught sight of him at the cemetery. She didn’t acknowledge it. I was positive Jack didn’t see our friend here. That meant I was the only one ... and I was terrified at the thought of Jack believing I was losing my mind. That seemed the wrong message to send given what I had to tell him when everything was settled again.

  Instead of dwelling on it, I circled a few racks to make sure my new friend wasn’t hiding and then made my way to the coffee kiosk. If he’d really been here, he was gone now. And if I was imagining him I had to figure out why. Perhaps he was a harbinger of sorts.

  And that right there was chilling enough that I turned back to the matter at hand. Jack didn’t want to believe in zombies but I wasn’t sure I could believe in anything else. For once, I had no doubt that paranormal forces were at play. Figuring out which ones was the ultimate problem.

  I couldn’t give up. It was important. I believed that to my bones. The only thing left to do was sort out all the pieces of this particular puzzle. It felt like everything was there, waiting to be arranged into the right picture. Somehow I was missing something, and I really hated that.

  It was time to dig deep.

  Nineteen

  We spent hours digging through books. At a certain point, we kept reading the same information over and over. That’s when Jack insisted that we head back to the hotel.

  “We’re not getting anywhere. We need to take a break.”

  “Okay.” Arguing seemed unnecessary. “What kind of break were you thinking?”

  He shrugged, noncommittal. “I don’t know. I don’t think a nap would be out of the realm of possibility.”

  I almost tripped over my feet as we crossed the threshold leaving the library. “Really? In the middle of the day when we’re supposed to be working?”

  He smirked. “I meant an actual nap. We didn’t sleep all that much last night.”

  He had a point, but still ... . “I think you were talking about something else.”

  “You’ll have to wait until we get to the hotel to find out.”

  “Okay, but if you’re not careful you’re going to get a reputation as a pervert.”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  THE REST OF OUR GROUP WAS gathered in the lobby when we arrived, and Jack’s plans for a private nap flew directly out the window. He swore viciously under his breath, but pulled it together when Chris gestured for us to join them.

  “How did your meeting with Thibodeaux go?” Jack asked as we sat.

  “He wasn’t happy.” Chris looked more amused than worried by the encounter. “He demanded to know where Charlie was because he was convinced she had something to do with the discovery. We managed to hold him off, but he seems obsessed with her.”

  “Obsessed is a good word.” Jack rubbed his chin, thoughtful. “I don’t understand why he keeps fixating on her.”

  “I think it’s because that guy’s body was found outside my room,” I offered. “He’s convinced that the story I’m telling can’t possibly be true — because if it is, then he’s going to have to accept a wild potential horror movie as the truth — so he’s basically decided that I’m lying. It’s easier for him to believe that than the fact that zombies are running around.”

  “I don’t believe in zombies and I still believe you,” Jack argued.

  “I believe in zombies and definitely believe you,” Chris added. “Right now, he’s not doing anything. I’m not sure things will stay that way. I suspect he will come sniffing around with questions, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to back Charlie into a corner.”

  “Then we need to make sure Charlie isn’t alone.” Jack was firm. “If his goal is to isolate her from us, we need to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

  “I agree.”

  I thought about the man in the hoodie. Was that what he was trying to do? Isolate me so the cops could interrogate me without my colleagues there to back me up? That seemed unlikely, yet I couldn’t rule it out.

  “We’ve been doing some research on hoodoo,” Jack explained. “There are parts of it that I find intriguing. For example, hoodoo practitioners believe they can influence things like luck, money and protection through spells. I also think that hoodoo is sometimes practiced by people who feel oppressed. What if that’s what we’re dealing with?”

  “You mean you think someone is trying to build an army for a battle?” Chris was obviously intrigued by the theory as he leaned back in his chair and stretched out his legs in front of him. “To what end? I mean ... I agree that it’s a possibility, especially since these zombies aren’t biting people.”

  Jack exhaled heavily, his eyes flashing. “I don’t believe in zombies.”

  “That doesn’t mean they don’t believe in you.”

  “Can we not argue about this?” Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re not going to make me believe in something I don’t believe in.”

  “And vice versa. You’re not going to make me a non-believer.”

  “Which means we have to compromise.” Jack adopted his most rational tone, which made me smile even as I tried to hide my mirth from both men. I didn’t want them thinking I was taking sides. I had my own beliefs, and they tended to land somewhere in the middle. Sometimes I felt like a dog’s chew toy when they got going.

  “Then let’s compromise,” Chris suggested. “We need to talk to a hoodoo practitioner. This city must be bursting at the seams with them.”

  “I’m fine with that.”

  I glanced between their resolute faces for a moment before shaking my head. “I think you guys are the wrong ones to send.” In typical fashion, I spoke before I gave much thought to what I was going to say. Once I opened my big mouth, though, I figured I should continue. “A hood
oo loa will see Chris coming a mile away. They’ll feed into what he wants to hear ... for a price.”

  Jack’s smile was victorious. “I agree. Charlie and I will visit a hoodoo store to see if we can get some information.”

  Again, I shook my head. “You can’t go. A true believer will find your attitude off-putting and not share any information. I find you delightful, but I can see where you would grate on others. You can’t go either.”

  Jack’s smile disappeared so fast I couldn’t be sure it was ever really there. “Well, you’re not going alone. I can already guess what you’re planning and there’s no way I’m letting you wander around by yourself.”

  “What could possibly go wrong?” Chris challenged. “She’s an adult.”

  “She is,” Jack readily agreed. “She’s also been targeted by these people. How else do you explain how a guy we saw mowed down by a car found her? I don’t know why she’s a target. I just know that she is and I want her safe.”

  “I understand that. Perhaps we can take her to the store and wait outside. Then we won’t influence the outcome.”

  That sounded like an uncomfortable trip that I wanted no part of, which is why I picked that moment to focus on Millie. She sat at a table with Bernard, both of them laughing. She was a gregarious soul who managed to charm people even when she didn’t believe in something. She had an open mind, which is exactly what I needed for this particular trip.

  “No. You guys can’t be around. Chris won’t be able to stop himself from asking questions and Jack will start yelling because ... well ... he’s Jack.”

  “I haven’t yelled at you this entire trip,” Jack pointed out. “I take umbrage with that statement.”

  I didn’t bother to hide my smile. “You’ve been very good, even when I might’ve deserved a bit of yelling. I still think you guys both create different problems with this endeavor. I think it should be Millie and me.”