by Jana DeLeon
“Wait!” Neely Kate said, grabbing her purse and digging through it. She pulled out several objects and set them on the bed—lipstick, a can of Vienna sausages, her rhinestone-covered wallet. “This,” she said, pulling out a small red velvet bag. “Madame Serafine shoved this at me as she was shooing us out the door. She snatched it from the purple-haired sales clerk and said I needed protection. That this would help me.” Neely Kate squeezed the bag. “It looks like she was right. It’s protected me.”
“No,” Taylor said, taking the pouch from her. “You’re wrong. This bag is what got you into trouble. This must be what the killer is after.”
Taylor opened the bag and dumped the contents onto the bed—herbs, stones, a chicken bone—certainly nothing worth killing over as far as Rose was concerned.
“I don’t get it,” Taylor said. “Someone is after you for a reason, and I thought this had to be it, but I don’t see anything here that justifies purse-snatching or burglary, not to mention torturing Madame Serafine.” Her shoulders slumped. “It must be something else.”
Rose watched as both Neely Kate and Taylor turned their attention to the empty spot, their eyes wide.
Taylor looked angry. “What do mean, you took one too?”
Rose glared at the two women. “Since I’m the only one who can’t see or hear Helena, can someone please translate?”
“Helena’s just turned things upside-down. As usual.”
Chapter Seven
Taylor forced herself to maintain control. Losing it on a ghost was both inefficient and unproductive. “What if someone had seen a floating gris-gris bag? And why in the world would you take something like that? You bitched and whined the entire way to her shop and then you steal a voodoo item. How does that make sense?”
“It was dark outside and that street had hardly any lights. I didn’t figure anyone would see.” Helena put her hands on her hips. “And I thought it was candy. You know, how people put chocolates in cute bags and tie them up for party favors? The bag was red.”
“Red velvet is for protection,” Taylor said, “and furthermore…you know what, never mind. Where is the bag now?”
“I dropped it on the floorboard of your car. It rolled under the front seat and I didn’t want to retrieve it because you’d gripe like you’re doing now. Then I forgot about it.”
“All of you stay here,” Taylor said. “I’m going to get that bag.”
She left the hotel room, a million things spinning around in her head. The bag had to be the key. What other explanation was there for the attempt to steal Neely Kate’s purse and the search of their room? Unless Neely Kate made a habit of threatening every shop owner she came in contact with, Taylor had to assume the killer was looking for something that he expected to find in Serafine’s shop.
She scanned the street as she walked to her car, glad she’d been able to find a parking spot out front instead of having to use the dark garage. Several times that day, she’d had the feeling she was being watched, but had been unable to catch anyone in the act. It could be Detective Savoy and company, but it was far more likely it was Club Bad Guy.
She hopped in the driver’s seat and bent over to look under the passenger seat. Sure enough, just under the edge of the seat rested the gris-gris bag. She retrieved the bag, grabbing a phone charger along with it, and stuffed the bag in her pocket. Then she climbed out of the car, still clutching the phone charger in her hand. If someone was watching, they’d think she’d returned to her car for the charger. She hoped.
The hair stood up on her neck as she walked up the sidewalk to the hotel, and she knew the watcher was nearby. But was he watching her or waiting on another chance to try to snag Neely Kate’s purse?
She hurried back to the room and rapped on the door. Rose inched the door open a crack, then flung it open and waved her in. Taylor slipped through the door and pulled the gris-gris bag out of her pocket as she headed for the bed. “Pass me a towel from the bathroom,” she said.
Rose grabbed a hand towel and passed it to her. She unfolded it on the bed and turned the gris-gris bag over, dumping its contents onto the towel. The collective intake of breath said it all. In the middle of the herbs, rocks, and bones glittered ten huge diamonds.
Neely Kate grabbed one and held it up to the light. “It’s huge. Is it real?”
Helena stepped next to her and tilted her head from one side to the other. “It’s real all right.”
“Helena says it’s real,” Neely Kate gushed with excitement.
“How can she be sure?” Rose asked.
“Helena was quite wealthy when she was among the living,” Taylor said, “and then there’s the whole murder aspect. People don’t usually kill for fakes.”
“Yeah,” Rose said. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Of all the things I imagined,” Neely Kate said, “I never once considered diamonds.”
“Me either,” Taylor agreed. “I suspected drugs, but if the bags came from Africa, then it makes more sense.”
“Well, none of it makes sense to me,” Rose said. “If Serafine was smuggling diamonds, then why in the world did she just hand one of those bags to Neely Kate? That clerk was countin’ those bags when we walked in like she was doing inventory. She couldn’t have known which one had the diamonds when she grabbed one.”
Taylor nodded. “You’re right. She couldn’t have known which one had the diamonds. When you combine that with the torture angle, it leads me to believe that Serafine wasn’t in on the smuggling. Her shop was being used to get the diamonds into the country.”
“The clerk?” Rose asked. “But she was attacked too.”
“We don’t know that the clerk is the only employee,” Taylor pointed out.
“Well, someone had to order those bags,” Neely Kate said. “They didn’t just appear.”
“What do we do now?” Rose asked. “We can’t stroll down to the police station and hand a bag of smuggled diamonds to Detective Savoy. He’d put Neely Kate in the basement of Angola.”
“And I’m not goin’ to any basement,” Neely Kate said. “Horrible lighting for makeup, and the dampness makes my hair flat.”
“No one’s going to the basement,” Taylor said, “and definitely not one in Angola.”
“Well, what are we going to do?” Rose asked. “My boyfriend is an assistant district attorney back home.” She cast a worried glance toward her friend. “Maybe I should call him.”
Taylor shook her head. “That would be a great idea if you were back home, or maybe even in another state, but Louisiana cops don’t give a hoot about the assistant DA in their own precinct, much less from another state. All it would do is make Neely Kate look more guilty.”
“Hasn’t that horse already left the barn?” Helena asked.
Taylor glanced at Helena and frowned. “There’s something else. I wasn’t sure about it before so I didn’t say anything, but I have to tell you now.”
“Oh, dear. What is it?” Rose asked, her apprehension clear.
Taylor gave Neely Kate an apologetic look. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but I don’t think you have a paranormal gift.”
Neely Kate looked at Helena, then back at Taylor, putting her hands on her hips. “How can you say that? I can see ghosts. Helena’s standing there plain as day and Rose can’t see her.”
“No, you see a ghost. Helena. And there’s some history that goes along with seeing Helena.”
“What does that mean?” Neely Kate asked, her eyebrows pinching together.
“Aside from me, Helena is only visible to people who are in mortal danger.”
“Oh, crappy doodles!” Rose sucked in a breath and covered her mouth with her hand.
Even Neely Kate looked a tiny bit less excited than she had before. “Surely there’s gotta be another explanation.”
Taylor shook her head.
“Well, who was the last person to see her before me?” Neely Kate asked.
Taylor took in a deep breath and blew i
t out. “Madame Serafine.”
Chapter Eight
Taylor waited for her words to sink in. Neely Kate’s expression went from disbelief to confusion, and finally a tiny sliver of fear crept in.
“Oh, Rose!” Neely Kate exclaimed. “Ronnie’s gonna be madder than a hornet if I end up dead and don’t have a chance to explain why I put all that baby furniture on layaway after he told me not to.”
“He might be so upset about you dying that he won’t get mad about the layaway,” Helena pointed out.
Rose patted Neely Kate’s arm. “Stop that nonsense. Nobody’s dyin’.”
Taylor stared. Unbelievable. The woman’s life was in danger and she was more concerned that her husband might be angry about her putting furniture on layaway. “I have an idea.”
“Good,” Neely Kate said, “because Ronnie expressly told me not to decorate the nursery until we found out if we were having a boy or girl and since Rose won’t force a vision to tell me, that means he thinks I’m waitin’.” A guilty look crossed her face. “Especially since I promised him I wouldn’t.”
Rose gave her a hopeful smile. “Technically, you haven’t decorated the nursery, so I think you’ll get off on a technicality.”
Neely Kate nodded, looking happier. “Oh. That’s true.”
“But some bad guy is still trying to kill her,” Helena reminded them.
“How are you gonna fix all of this?” Rose asked, turning her attention back to Taylor. “I can usually see a way out when there’s trouble, but this is a huge mess.”
“I don’t know how to fix it all,” Taylor said, “but I have an idea that might get Neely Kate out of the killer’s sights.”
“Okay,” Rose said. “That’s a good start. What’s the plan?”
“The killer didn’t find the bag in your room, so he tried to steal your purse, right?” Taylor asked.
Rose and Neely Kate nodded.
“He’s out there,” Taylor said. “Somewhere in front of the hotel. I could feel him watching me when I went to my car.”
Rose’s eyes widened. “He’s watchin’ us now?”
“Yes. So I want you to go shopping.”
Rose put her hands on her hips. “Well, that’s the most ridiculous plan I’ve ever heard.”
“You did wanna buy a new dress for tonight,” Neely Kate said.
Rose glared at her friend. “That was before we knew someone was tryin’ to kill you over diamonds you’re not smugglin’. Between dead psychics, lazy cops, and thievin’ ghosts, I’m about done with this so-called vacation. This city is worse than Henryetta.”
“She’s got a point,” Helena said.
Taylor held a hand up. “Let me explain. I want you to go shopping and let him steal your purse this time.”
“No way!” Neely Kate said. “I love that purse.”
“It’s not even a good fake,” Helena argued.
Neely Kate glared at her. “Keep it up and I’ll unfriend you.”
“I’m just saying,” Helena grumbled.
Rose scrunched her brow. “Why would you want Neely Kate to let them steal her purse?”
“Simple,” Taylor said. “We put the gris-gris bag that Madame Serafine gave you back together and put it in your purse. The smuggler steals it, realizes it’s not the bag of diamonds, and hopefully starts looking somewhere else for his merchandise.”
“Oh!” Rose perked up. “That is a good idea.”
“That’s just the first part,” Taylor said. “For the second part of the plan, Helena and I will tail you from some distance—close enough to keep eyes on you but far enough away that the smuggler doesn’t notice me. When he steals the purse, I’ll get pictures and we’ll go after him.”
“I’m not going after him,” Helena said. “Not in this outfit.”
“Then take off the three-sizes-too-small naughty Santa suit and get in decent clothes,” Taylor said. “And shoes. If I see those Gene Simmons dragon boots one more time, I’m going to shoot you.”
Rose cringed. “For the record, I’m glad I can’t see her.”
“Fine,” Helena said and flapped her arms around for a couple of seconds. “What about this?”
Sweat pants and tennis shoes would have been optimal, but at least the camo gear complete with black face paint was something Taylor had seen before. And it had the added advantage of containing no spandex.
“Oh, that’s great,” Neely Kate said. “I sure wish I could change outfits and makeup like that. Think of all the time it would save.”
“She’s dead,” Rose said. “I don’t think she has to worry about time.”
Neely Kate sighed. “Someone is going to owe me a new purse when this is over…unless I could keep one of those.” She stared wistfully at the glistening diamonds.
“Neely Kate!” Rose rolled her eyes. “A woman was killed over those pieces of rock, and besides, what are you gonna do with it? It’s not like you can wear a ten-carat diamond in Henryetta. No one’s gonna believe it’s real.”
Neely Kate pouted. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”
“I’m more worried this will blow up in our faces and we’ll be stuck here instead of being home for Christmas. Aren’t you supposed to take one of your new Chopped gourmet dishes to your granny’s for Christmas dinner? You said you planned to introduce them to culture.”
Neely Kate’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought about that. Oh no! We have to fix this or Christmas is gonna be ruined.”
“No one is going to ruin Christmas,” Taylor said, “especially a criminal.”
“What about her wallet?” Rose asked. “If he steals her ID and credit cards, that creates a whole other problem.”
Taylor’s mind whirled for a couple seconds, then she latched onto a solution. “Hit a few clothes shops, keeping the purse close. Stop at the nearest coffee shop with outdoor seating. Pull your wallet out to go order and leave the purse in the chair across from Rose.”
“You’re sure he’ll take it, even if I’m sitting there?” Rose asked.
“He tried to wrestle it from me before,” Neely Kate said. “If he can run by and grab it that would be easier than what he tried the first time.”
“Look,” Taylor said, “maybe it won’t work. But it’s worth a try to get the target off of Neely Kate.”
Rose nodded. “Then we go shopping. Neely Kate, you better take everything out of that purse that you can’t replace.”
Neely Kate grabbed her purse and pulled out her cell phone, which she slipped into her pants pocket. “The rest is okay—ChapStick, lotion, aspirin, a pen, a can of Vienna sausage, and two packets of crackers—that sounds normal enough, right?”
“For a pregnant woman, yeah,” Taylor said as she tied Neely Kate’s gris-gris bag back up with the string. “Put this gris-gris bag in there and let’s get this show on the road.
“What about this?” Rose waved her hand at the trashed room. “If this was an ordinary circumstance, we would have reported this to the hotel manager and called the police. But after this morning, I wasn’t looking for more socializing with the police.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Taylor said. “Let’s just get out of here. Take the Do Not Disturb sign off your door, and housekeeping will find it and report it while you’re gone. You won’t be here to deal with any of it. If the smuggler steals your purse, then you can come back here and report both at the same time.”
“Won’t the police check the security cameras and see we came back?”
“Yes,” Taylor said, “but I know someone who can handle that end of things. I’ll make the call as soon as we get outside.”
Rose grabbed her purse and pulled it over her shoulder. “Then I guess it’s time to go get robbed. Which seems so wrong after all the time I spend trying to keep it from happening back home.” She shook her head as she walked out the door.
“Helena and I will go out the side door,” Taylor said, “but don’t worry, we will be watching.”
“We got this,” Ne
ely Kate said, her enthusiasm back in full force. “Cheer up, Rose. We’re gonna catch a bad guy.”
“If we don’t get ourselves killed first,” Rose said as they piled into the elevator. “But if we do, maybe you can hang out with Helena.”
Chapter Nine
The girls had already shopped earlier, but Neely Kate’s short nap in the restaurant had invigorated her for a second round.
They found a clothing store, but Rose had a hard time distracting Neely Kate long enough to tuck several black dresses in the small dressing room. Shopping was limited in Henryetta, and she knew she’d need the dresses soon enough, even if she wasn’t ready to tell Neely Kate why.
Neely Kate said she was hungry for beignets, so they walked to Café du Monde, and during the entire stroll, the hair on the back of Rose’s neck stood on end. Taylor had said she felt as though she was being watched, and Rose felt the same way. But she kept her concerns to herself
Rose and Neely Kate picked an outdoor table, next to the wrought iron railing separating the restaurant seating from the sidewalk.
Neely Kate sat in a chair across from Rose, but looked uncertain. “This place has waitresses, so there goes Taylor’s plan for me to go inside and order. Do you think we should go somewhere else?”
“No, I think whoever wants the gris-gris bag is close. How about you go inside and go to the bathroom? I think that’ll work.”
“Okay,” the blonde said, digging her wallet out of her purse and handing it to Rose under the table. “Take this. I know our original plan was for me to carry it inside, but it’ll look strange if I take my wallet to the bathroom.”
“Good point.”
Neely Kate put her purse on the table, giving the bag a look of longing. “I still say someone’s gonna owe me for this.”
Rose leaned forward, narrowing her eyes. “Focus, Neely Kate. Christmas. Incarceration.”
She sighed. “Yeah. You’re right. If the waitress comes, get me a double order.”