by Laura Greene
“I doubt it,” says Jessy.
“Maybe we could sell it on the black market...”
“It's someone else's, Mia. We should return it to the Buford family. It's been missing since the twenties. Nearly a hundred years. It will be good to send it home.”
Jessy observes the glass case for a moment and then pulls it up with both hands. Resting the case on the floor, Jessy remarks, “The glass is clean. Not a hint of dust.”
“It's been sealed in here for decades.”
Jessy shakes her head, “No, this room isn't airtight. There should be condensation and dust particles on the glass.”
“How do you know?”
“I felt a breeze on my hair coming from somewhere other than the door behind us. Someone has been cleaning this. Look at the floor. It’s been swept as well, I suspect to hide any footprints.”
Jessy leans in closer to the necklace.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Mia says with impatience. “Grab it and let’s go before whoever's been coming here comes back!”
“Agreed,” says Jessy. She reaches over and touches the necklace. The silver is cold to the touch. As she lifts the necklace from its resting place, there is another loud click.
This time both Jessy and Mia step back, startled. In front of them, the stone pedestal slides back by a foot through some unseen mechanism. Cogs wind somewhere under the floor. A latch releases, and where the stone pedestal once stood, there is now a gaping hole.
“What the...” Mia says.
Jessy cautiously approaches the hole, flashlight in hand. The bluish beam reveals a ladder that goes deep into the ground.
“Okay, we have the necklace now,” says Mia nervously. “Let's go.”
Jessy hands the necklace to Mia and then reaches out to climb into the hole.
“What are you doing?!” Mia's voice is now a whispered shout.
Now only Jessy's head remains above ground. “We're not done.”
“Yes we are! All we needed was the necklace, case closed.”
“Harlan wanted us to find the necklace. It can't be a coincidence that it leads to another mystery.”
“I... I can't go down with you, honey. I get sick when I'm in tight spaces. This tomb is making me feel anxious as it is. Underground... I can't face that. Please, let's just go.”
Looking up at her friend, Jessy smiles reassuringly. “I'll take one look to see what's down here. I'll be right back. Holler if someone is coming.”
“Wait... no...” Mia sighs in frustration as Jessy disappears completely from view. While her friend heads down the ladder, Mia listens for anyone approaching the tomb.
Jessy tries to steady her breath as she moves down the ladder one rung at a time, her small flashlight in her mouth as she continues her descent. The walls around her are smooth concrete, and this does not go unnoticed to Jessy, but she must keep her mind on the job at hand. The surroundings are tight, but she can now see the floor below. Finally, Jessy wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead as her feet feel the solid ground.
Moving her flashlight around, she can see that there is a doorway. It is a large arch with a metal beam across it. Someone has spent a lot of time building this place, she thinks as she moves forward. The room opens up. At first she believes that it is empty, but she soon realizes otherwise. The blue of the flashlight catches something on the wall. Then something more. And something more. Jessy lets out a scream and rushes back through the archway and to the ladder.
From above, Mia shouts down through the hole, “Jessy! Are you okay?”
One hand in front of the other, Jessy ascends the ladder as fast as possible. She cannot comprehend what she has just encountered. Mia reaches through the hole and helps her friend, pulling her up back into the dim world of the tomb.
Jessy is hyperventilating. She cannot catch her breath. She was not prepared for what she just saw.
“Honey! Stay calm, it's okay,” says Mia, but Jessy rushes out of the tomb and into the sunlight. She falls to her knees, grabbing the dirt and grass in her hands as she pulls the fresh air into her lungs.
Running out of the tomb, Mia reaches Jessy and rubs her back as she remains on all fours on the ground, gasping. “What is it? What did you see?”
Her face as white as a ghost, Jessy turns to Mia and answers with only one word, “Death.”
Chapter 2
Jessy sits with a blanket around her in a police car. Mia is beside her. Around them, blue flashing lights pulse everywhere. Several patrol cars and ambulances are at the cemetery. Their lights cast long, haunting shadows against the graves where the evening sun cannot shine.
Someone is approaching the car. The door is opened and a man sits in the driver's seat of the car. He turns to Mia and Jessy in the back of the car. He is handsome, his auburn hair and striking blue eyes a seductive combination. But it is his kindness that Jessy responds to the most. His name is Detective Richard Garrett. He is Mia's cousin, and an ally in discovering the truth behind Harlan's case files.
“Are you okay, Jessy?” he asks, softly.
“Yes. I think so. It was just a shock to the system.” And it was. Jessy has never seen anything like it. Adorned on the wall of the underground chamber, the bodies of seven people were hung. Their skin was emaciated, though eerily preserved.
“I've never seen anything like this,” says Garrett. “Harlan must have known.”
“I think so,” answers Jessy.
“I still don't get why Harlan's case files have to be so much of a puzzle. Why doesn't he just write the truth, rather than giving us these weird breadcrumbs to follow, ya know?”
“I agree, Mia,” says Garrett. “But right now, we have to deal with what happened here. How did you get into the tomb in the first place?”
Jessy looks out of the window, watching the blue lights swirl around. She finds a beauty in them, but then Jessy finds at least a slither of beauty in most things. “I saw a gap around the underside of the tomb. When I felt underneath, I could feel an electrical cable. I asked myself, 'why would a tomb need electricity?' Then, I saw a cigarette butt squashed into the grass at the rear of the tomb. Someone had been there before. I figured there was some reason a person would be hanging out at the back of a tomb. That’s when I found a switch in the gap under the tomb and, hey presto, the door opened.”
“Why didn't you speak to me before coming here?” Garrett says, almost annoyed. “If whoever did this was around, you might have found yourself up on the wall with the others.”
“That was my bad,” offers Mia. “There was no mention of murder or anythin'; just a stolen necklace. We figured we could handle it, and we didn't want to bother you after all the heat you took the last time.”
Jessy reaches out her hand and pats Garrett on the shoulder. “It was foolish of us. But we figured we'd call if anything got out of hand.”
“So, what do we know about the bodies down there?” asks Mia.
“We'll need to run tests,” answers Garrett, “but it looks like they were embalmed, so who knows how long they've been up there. They also seem to have had their teeth and fingertips removed, so other than with DNA, we can't ID them.”
Jessy's phone rings. “Oh no, I forgot...” She answers the phone.
“Where are you?” Danny says, his voice stern on the other end of the call.
“Danny... I... I'm really sorry. Something happened...”
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“I don't know, to be honest. I need to come home.”
“I'll take you,” Garrett offers.
“Is that Mia's cousin again?” Danny sounds riled up.
“Yes,” answers Jessy.
“Great.”
“I'll explain everything when I get home.”
“Fine.” The call ends.
Mia holds Jessy's hand. “I'm sure he won't stay mad once he knows what you've been through today, honey.”
“I hope so,” Jessy says somberly. She then looks at Garrett. “I'd
like to go home now, Detective.”
“No problem.”
*
Jessy has arrived home. The house smells of roast beef and rosemary. It's been a long time since Danny has cooked like this. “Hello?” she says, stepping into the living room.
Danny steps out of the kitchen wearing one of Jessy's aprons, which is far too small for him. Behind him, delicious smells seep from the kitchen and disperse throughout the house.
“You look... great...” Jessy says, giggling.
“Don't laugh, I couldn't find my BBQ apron. How can you wear anything like this?” Danny points to the apron, tight-fitting around his stomach.
Jessy moves over to him. “Only because you're three times my size, you big goof.”
Danny grins. Jessy is delighted. She was concerned he would be in a bad mood. Instead, he seems jovial and happy. Danny wraps his arms around his wife and holds her close. Jessy nestles her head into his shoulders. Danny reaches up and caresses the back of her head with his hand. “Are you okay?”
“I.. I think so...”
“You want to talk about it?” asks Danny.
“You know what?” says Jessy. “Later. I'd love to just have dinner. It smells good.”
“I can't promise it'll be up to your standards, but I did follow your pot roasted beef in red wine recipe.”
“It doesn't matter... I'm just happy you came home early. I'm sorry I didn't come home straight away earlier. I should have. I just got caught up and...”
Danny gently touches Jessy's cheek. “It's okay. Clean slate tonight. Let's eat!”
Putting on some Thelonious Monk, one of Jessy's favorite jazz pianists, Danny sits Jessy at the table. The food is good. It is a little overdone, but Jessy says nothing. She's impressed Danny has gone to all the trouble.
As they clear their plates, Danny says, “I'm not sure I trust that Richard Garrett.”
“Why?” asks Jessy, surprised.
“I get a vibe off of him. I think he likes you, and I never trust a guy who sniffs around someone else's wife.”
“It's in your imagination, Danny,” says Jessy. “You've got nothing to worry about.”
“I know, I know. I trust you. I just have a bad feeling about him. With me being away so much and...”
Jessy walks over to where Danny is now seated on their couch. She sits in his lap. “The only man I want is you, Danny. That's why I'm still here, despite...”
“Despite our problems?”
“Yes. I know what day is coming up. I just don't want things to get out of hand like before.”
When Danny was 21, his sister died in a car accident. Each year when the anniversary approaches, he grows distant. Jessy has feared this year's anniversary more than the others. With their marriage already strained, she is worried that his grief will be enough to push them both over the edge into apathy. This is what Jessy fears the most. An apathetic marriage with no passion and, in the long run, no love. Danny and Jessy were always fiery together in the past, but that has waned. She hopes his usual grim mood around his sister's anniversary, though understandable, does not weigh down on him to the point that he detaches completely from what matters.
“Things will be okay. I know it's been hard on you, but I have some news.” Danny looks into Jessy's eyes from a few inches away from her face.
“Is it good news? I don't know if I could handle bad news today.”
“I'm getting a promotion.”
Jessy instinctively kisses Danny and embraces him. “That's great, babe. I'm so happy for you.”
“Yeah... it's... great... I'll be overseeing a new construction project.”
“Where?”
“New York.”
There is now a stone cold silence. Jessy has forgotten to speak. She simply does not know what to say. “But we moved here, to New Orleans?”
“I know, I know. And, if I take the promotion, I'll be away for a few days at a time here and there.”
Jessy's heart sinks. She feels the cold withering of her marriage just beyond the horizon. As though a dreaded divorce is haunting their tracks, no matter where they go or what they do. “Why haven't you taken it yet?”
“Because I wanted to speak with you first. I know things have been hard, and this means I'll be away more.”
Jessy stands up. “Is this what all of this was for?” she motions towards the table and empty plates. “This is why you came home early – to soften me up for your good news?”
“No,” says Danny, unconvincingly. “I just want to talk it over with you.” He stands up and gently holds Jessy's hand. “If you tell me not to take it, I won't.”
Jessy pulls away. “That's not fair, Danny! You can't put that pressure on me. If I tell you not to take it, then I'll always be the one who crushed your dreams. But I can't be happy about it. It feels like you're abandoning me all over again.”
“Wait a minute; I've never abandoned you, Jessy.”
“You abandoned me here,” Jessy says. “In this house. Can't you see that?”
“I... I'm sorry... I'll turn the promotion down.”
Jessy walks towards the hall and stops in the doorway. “No. You should take it, Danny. But I don't know what will happen to us down the road.”
“I love you,” says Danny softly.
“And I love you,” replies Jessy, before leaving the room and heading to bed.
Upstairs, Jessy lies in bed for a few minutes until she hears the footsteps of her husband coming up the stairs to join her. He enters the room quietly, changes into his pajamas, and then curls up beside her. They kiss.
“I'll fix this. We'll make it work,” Danny says gently into her ear as they embrace.
“I know,” Jessy says. But deep down, she does not believe her own words any more.
Chapter 3
“Nice cafe,” Garrett says as he sits down at a table with Mia and Jessy. It is, of course, ‘Donna's Cafe', a quiet, rustic coffee and pastry place, ably managed by Tiff. “I'm not so sure we should be having this conversation here though.”
“It's okay,” Jessy says, reassuringly. “Tiff isn't due to open for another hour, and she can be trusted. Isn't that right, Tiff?” Jessy shouts loud enough for her friend to hear.
A voice from the kitchen behind the counter shouts, “Huh!?”
“She said,” Mia booms twice as loud as Jessy, “you can be trusted, can't ya!?”
“Sure! Whatever you want, just be out of here in an hour for my customers!” Tiff remains unseen in the kitchen, preparing pastries.
Quieter now, Mia says, “What customers; am I right, Jessy?”
Jessy laughs.
“I've got to be at the station in an hour, so let's get to it.” Garrett pulls out a file. “You know I can get into trouble for sharing this sort of stuff with you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” says Mia. “Hand it over.”
Jessy gladly handles the file. “What's in it?”
“Our tests suggest the bodies in the chamber were killed and then embalmed about five or six years ago.” Garrett taps the file in Jessy's hands, “This is a list of everyone who went missing two years either side of that, just as a margin for error.”
“I see...” Jessy peruses the file.
“But you know, it's like finding a needle in a haystack of needles,” says Garrett.
“What do ya mean?” asks Mia.
“Well,” he explains, “three of the bodies were wearing tailored suits from different places across the country. Another had handmade shoes that were from Spain.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Mia asks, not quite grasping the point.
“Mia,” says Jessy, “I think what Garrett is saying is that if the people in that chamber are from all over the country, or even the world, then they might not be in this file. Correct?”
Garrett leans back and smiles, “Not just a pretty face, eh Jessy?”
At that, Jessy blushes. She instantly feels guilty. She's promised there is nothing between her
and Garrett to Danny. And that is true, but she would be lying to herself if she said she didn't at least find him attractive. The wrong person at the wrong time can break a marriage asunder, and this is something Jessy doesn't even want to remotely entertain.
“So, how do we find out who they are?” Mia asks.
“We might never find them. DNA came blank; there's nothing on file.” Garrett rubs his forehead as if the puzzle is causing him worry.