“So, if the ward was stopping her from entering, what does that mean?”
“The ward keeps away evil . . . dark souls and negativity. Patrick said she sounded like me.”
Ciarra stopped near one of the open bays. “Really? What was she looking for?”
“Patrick told me she asked for something for pain. He thought it was for her as she didn’t move very fast. I watched her trying to hustle down the street. Wasn’t working for her.”
Was it possible it could have been Kiyana? After all, she was Haitian and seemed to be into Voodoo. But, that didn’t mean this woman Tiesha spoke of was Kiyana. It could have been anyone. Ciarra wondered if the person controlling the ex-mayor’s mind was indeed Kiyana. It had to have been her. “That’s out there. So, she was either very negative or evil?”
“Yes. I didn’t know what to make of it. I had a strong push to tell you about this. What it means or why it had to be you, I haven’t any idea.”
“Thank you. Would you be able to pick her out if you saw a photo of her?”
“Easily. Our eyes locked on one another.”
“I’ll see you over at the farm in a little while.” She pressed the end button and put the phone in her pocket. She approached the ex-mayor and Trent, crouching down behind the confused man sitting on the ground. She uncuffed him and then moved around to face him. “Mr. Pippins, what’s the last thing you remember before I put the handcuffs on you?”
He rubbed the back of his neck with a perplexed look upon his face. “Well, I started to walk over to this young man, but I don’t remember why. The next thing I know, I’m on the ground.”
Trent stood by, rubbing his throat. “You kept saying, ‘He should have lived.’ Who were you talking about?”
The poor man scratched his temple. “I don’t know.”
Trent helped the man stand up. “Do you know me?”
“Can’t say that I do.”
“Have you ever been to Acadia Memorial’s ER?”
He frowned. “No.”
Ciarra tugged Trent aside. “You’ve never seen this man before?”
“No. You?”
“Oh I know him. I’m surprised you don’t.” Trent’s face held a blank stare. “Wow. This man used to be Acres Mill’s mayor before he turned corrupt. He went into federal prison for several years. When he got out, he roamed the streets for days, eventually settling in down here.”
“So, is he insane?”
“No, he’s not. He’s probably the sanest male at the docks.” She turned to the ex-mayor. “Mr. Pippins, you can go. Here’s my card. If this happens again, like losing track of time or anything, you call me direct.”
The man nodded and went back into the garage to the far back wall.
“Let’s get you and Lisa out to that farm of yours.”
“There’s something you’re not telling me.”
He would think she’d lost her mind. Why she cared, she didn’t have a clue. She just didn’t want him to think of her that way. But hell, he already thought she was loony.
Jack, will I ever be able to move on? She looked skyward, but there wasn’t an answer. What was going on between her and the doctor? She fixed onto Trent’s face searching his beautiful blue eyes. They were warm and inviting. But it was also possible this man would die soon. Did she want to go through the anguish and pain of losing someone close again?
She couldn’t move on.
She had a job to do. Snap out of it. So, maybe he does care. What attracted her to this man? The fact that he needed rescuing maybe?
“It seems this episode had something to do with black magic. Kind of like a puppeteer pulling the strings.”
He stared at her for a few seconds before letting out a roar of laughter.
Jackass.
Chapter 7
Trent’s side cramped from his laughing fit. Black magic. What a load of crap. At first, it was Voodoo and curses. Now mind control? Why was Ciarra so damn insistent he had some weird curse over his head? Just another coincidence. Maybe the ex-mayor took him for someone else. Trent had never seen him before.
They’d left the docks after having a fellow officer deliver a car seat from the hospital for the baby and headed for the farm.
He had learned in the past day when Ciarra’s lips were pursed, she was pissed. And those luscious lips were puckered. How could he believe any of this ridiculousness? He had to admit strange crazy things had been happening to him. He chalked it up to a bad couple of days. Well, except for Ciarra’s kiss. The strawberries and peppermint still lingered on his tongue.
He sighed as he glanced over at her. Could she be right?
No way.
Trent stared out across the blackened landscape, only a couple of lights on here and there as they moved through the countryside.
Ah hell, but what if Ciarra could be right? Weren’t the judge and taxi driver’s deaths just coincidences? Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to entertain the idea of a connection. Other than whenever she spoke of the curse, Ciarra seemed like an intelligent person, and she was beautiful even with her hair up in that ponytail. He caught a glimpse of her gun in its holster butting out from under her jacket. Now, that was a sexy sight if he ever saw one.
He glanced out in front of them and realized they were close. If he hadn’t known where the driveway was, they would have driven right past it. The pitch-black night in the countryside hid the turn off. There weren’t any streetlights lining the side of the road out here in the middle of nowhere.
Trent spotted the telltale pine tree, the only one sitting too close to the roadside, and the large chunk taken out of its trunk. One of Jason’s, his younger brother, stupid drunken and incredibly lucky nights. “It’s coming up on the right here. See the edge of the fence?”
Ciarra flicked on the high beams and slowed the car down to turn into the narrow dirt driveway. “I would have never seen it. You should paint the fence pole fluorescent orange.”
As the car wound through the surrounding trees, the drive widened to a large expanse of land. The old farmhouse with its white clapboard had a long wrap around porch, bright light lining its span, outfitted with rocking chairs and a wooden swing Trent and his brothers had fought over many times in their youth.
His chest tightened, and his breathing began to pick up speed. He hadn’t had a bite to eat since early this morning. It was catching up to him. His stomach was performing flip-flops. It’s just a damn house.
He turned to Ciarra as she put the car in park. She looked on, her face lit up as if she’d never seen anything like this. Trent cocked his head sideways, confused. She had to have seen a farm before. The dashboard lights shown on her face. Her mouth hung open, her rose lips turned upward in a smile. Her head turned his way, her brown eyes glowing.
The beauty before him took his breath away. He fought the urge to reach out, touch her face, and run his fingers along those succulent lips. She reached for his hand and covered it within hers. His heart sped up. The anxiety disappeared.
“So, this is it?” the young mom from the backseat asked shattering his perfect moment.
Ciarra glanced down at the joined hands and pulled hers away. Before he could speak, she jumped out of the car opening the back door.
Half in a trance, he opened the door and one very large Rottweiler greeted him with a mean growl. “Oh shit.” When had Greg gotten a freaking dog? And why hadn’t he warned him?
“Nice doggie.” Trent reached out. The monster chomped at his hand, missing his fingers.
Ciarra shouted from behind the car, “Brutus, down boy. Come here.”
And the mammoth animal listened. Being cautious, Trent climbed out and waited for Brutus to pounce on him. Trent spotted a dark-skinned woman sitting on the back of his brother’s pickup truck with her feet dangling. She sipped on what he bet was homemade iced tea. Trent’s sister-in-law made the best in Howard Parish. No one could resist it.
He made his way around to help Ciarra pull the baby’s belongings out of the back se
at. “I take it the monster is yours?”
She passed him a large diaper bag and a baby blanket never once looking up. “His name’s Brutus. And yes, he’s mine.” Her eyes met his. “He’s not a monster either. He really is a sweet boy.” She snuck around his body and headed for the woman on the truck.
What had transpired between them in the car? His heart still raced a little. That warm and fuzzy feeling hadn’t been there in a hell of a long time. Not since Rachel . . .
With Rachel, it had been different somehow. Whatever emotions were running inside him now ran deeper.
He shook off the thought. No heartfelt crap. All flings, no love.
Maybe it was indigestion.
But, deep down, whether he liked it or not, Ciarra crept into his heart.
“Did you cleanse the house?” Ciarra waved her hand.
“I tried, but we need him,” Tiesha pointed to Trent. “It’s his life after all. I was looked upon rather funky.” She laughed before taking a sip from the glass held in her hand.
“I can imagine. Where’s your gram?”
“Granny was inside showing the lady of the house how to debone a chicken the correct way. But, she had to leave. You know her. She takes over all the time.”
When Trent approached the back of the truck, Ciarra’s body stiffened a bit. His hand extended beyond her to Tiesha. “I’m Doctor Moore.”
Tiesha gripped his fingers with her own and was quick to pull away. “Merry meet, Doctor. I’m Tiesha.”
“And this must be Brutus?” Trent held out an unsteady hand for the dog to inspect. This time Brutus did so with his tongue, instead of the mouthful of teeth. Slobber clung to his fingers. Tiesha offered him her napkin.
“See? Not a monster.” Ciarra pulled a photo from her pocket and showed it to Tiesha. “Do you recognize her?”
“This looks like the woman who tried entering the store this afternoon. But she appeared much thinner and she had shorter hair than here in this picture. But this looks much like her.”
Ciarra turned to Trent. “Mrs. Montreuil.” She handed him the photo.
“Yes, that is her from what I remember.”
Tiesha reached behind her and produced a small cloth bag with drawstrings. She pulled out an amulet. “This is for you. You’ll need it for protection.”
Trent held the small gemstone amulet in the air rolling it over several times between his finger and thumb. “For what?”
“Doctor Moore, you’ve been cursed. You need cleansing and protection. I started on the home, but you need to participate even if you are not a true believer. Please do this, even if it is only to ease Ciarra’s mind on the matter. Now, is this your home?”
“Well, it belonged to my father. My brother, Greg, is the one trying to save it.”
“It does not matter. The curse is upon you, not him. If you ever decide to return to your home in the city, we’ll need to do the same there.”
“What do I do with the stone?” He tossed it in the air with one hand and caught it in the other.
“It’s an amulet. Keep it on you at all times. It will help with protection when away from your home. I’ve charged it.”
Ciarra spotted the perplexed confusion in his drawn face and narrowing of his eyes. “Meaning she blessed it with energy for protection.”
Rubbing his face with his hands, he snorted with laughter. “Are you for real? Come on, you believe in this hocus pocus?”
Tiesha stared hard at him and then closed her eyes. Ciarra counted Tiesha’s three deep breaths. Upon opening her eyes, Tiesha said, “It’s your life, not mine.”
Tiesha’s stiff shoulders and clenched fists were never a good sign. Ciarra grabbed a hold of Trent’s arm and dragged him toward the porch. “Trent, if you don’t want to die, you’ll stop.” She paused at the steps. “This is serious business. The clock has started and there’s no turning it back. We have to reverse the curse.”
Trent raked his hand across the top of his head. “I think you may have lost it. Reverse the curse? Really?”
Brutus barked, wagging his stub of a tail.
Ciarra wanted nothing more than to stomp on his foot.
Samantha, Trent’s sister-in-law, greeted them on the porch. “Dinner is almost ready if anyone is hungry.” She turned to Ciarra. “Hi. I’m Sammy. I was crazy enough to marry Trent’s brother and have been blessed into this wonderful, insane family.” She gave Trent’s arm a gentle slug. “Play nice or no dessert for you.”
“But Sammy, she seems to think I’ve been Voodooed.” He chuckled.
Ciarra didn’t bother to respond. She turned her back on the pathetic doctor and entered the home.
“I have to chant?” Trent scowled as he flipped the gemstone in the air one last time and placed it in his pocket.
Ciarra had the urge to smack him, but kept herself in check. After all, he was just a man, one with a hard head. Stubborn. Sweet. Gorgeous.
Jack. Jack. Jack.
Tiesha interrupted her attempt at clearing Trent from her head. “Not chant, you stubborn man. You don’t have to say a blessed word if you don’t want to. I’m going to cleanse your home. You will follow me through each room. Of course, I could simply leave you to the curse.”
Ciarra watched Trent’s frown turn to a smile. “Of course not. You’re the expert. Do whatever you have to do.”
“Do I need to do this also?” Sammy asked. Upon meeting her, Ciarra found her to be a sweet, kind woman.
“No, only the doctor.”
“I’ll return to my cooking then, and help Lisa with the little one. Everyone should be here at any moment.”
Ciarra turned to Trent. “Who’s everyone?”
“It’s family night. Actually that’s not for another few days. It’s a special night.” The sarcasm was unmistakable.
“Something you don’t approve of?”
“Depends. My brother, Jason, is coming home from Europe. He crashed in the last race and messed himself up plenty. My sister’s bringing him here to recuperate.”
“And that’s bad?” Ciarra wondered why. As much as Sean drove her nuts by following her around trying to get the next juicy story, she would never feel anything but major concern and love for him if he was hurt.
“Like I said, depends on Jason. As long as he doesn’t take advantage of everyone here, then things will be fine. Now, are we ready for the almighty cleansing?”
Ciarra wasn’t going to push the issue, but the resentment Trent seemed to hold was apparent. And his snide question earned him negative points with Ciarra and Tiesha.
Tiesha glared, but moved forward. She mixed some dry ingredients together in a metal bowl and set it on the fireplace mantle. She moved to the coffee table and set down a single candleholder containing a simple white candle. After lighting it, she then lit the dry mixture causing an aromatic smoke to flow into the air. “Follow me.”
Walking into the kitchen, Trent and Ciarra stopped just beyond the doorway as Tiesha took her time circling the table. “In the name of the Eternal Mother and Father, I bid thee part. I consecrate this space. Let nothing but joy linger here. So mote it be.”
Trent gave Ciarra a look which screamed, you can’t be serious.
“I get it, but just go with it.”
They followed Tiesha through every room in the house where she repeated the spell over and over, and then they returned to the living room where she repeated her spell one final time. She set the bowl beside the candle on the coffee table and walked over to Trent. “We’ll let it burn out. It shouldn’t take too long. Come, let me show you something.”
They approached the back doorway, and Tiesha opened the door. She pointed to the threshold. “We placed salt and tobacco upon every doorway and window sill and also the fireplace.”
Before Ciarra had the chance to thump him, he snickered and within seconds was in the throes of a full laughing fit once again. Tiesha rolled her eyes.
Ciarra nudged the back of his knee with the tip of her boot causin
g him to buckle a little. She knew what Tiesha was thinking. Something along the lines of non-believers not becoming one with their universe.
He threw his hands up. “What?”
“You’re an ass.” Ciarra turned on her heel. How could he laugh? His life was in danger. Why couldn’t he see that? Or that someone in this world gave a damn? Ugh. Men were idiots. Except for Jack. Sweet, loving Jack.
“Ciarra, I . . .” Trent’s voice trailed off when Ciarra spun around.
She held up her hand. How could he treat this so trivial? And the way he was disrespecting Tiesha was unforgivable. Her heart sank as the realization came to her that maybe Trent didn’t care after all. Maybe she was reading things wrong. And no doubt she needed to step back and squash the emotions. “Don’t. My friend blew off her class to help you, and you’re going to mock her?” She rubbed her temple. “Do you even know how good you have it? How lucky you are? Look around you.” The overflow was coming, and she struggled to stop the emotional build up from taking over. Unwanted tears blurred her vision. She would not cry though. She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that she gave a damn anymore. She closed her eyes briefly. She opened them and the gathering tears were held at bay. “Do you even know how many people are allowed a second chance? Very damn few.” She couldn’t look at his ungrateful face any longer. She followed Tiesha out the back door.
The dinner table at the farm had a tendency to become quite festive, full of talk and laughter, and sometimes disagreements between Trent and Greg about holding on to the farm instead of selling the place off.
But tonight, all remained quiet. Trent couldn’t figure how that had happened seeing as how there were a few new people at the table.
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