by Reid, Terri
Sally opened the freezer and pulled out an ice pack and placed it on Eloise’s cheek.
“Looks like she’s pretty pissed,” Sally said.
Eloise nodded. “I’d say so.”
“I could call tall, dark and military,” Sally suggested.
Eloise placed a firm hand over Sally’s that held the ice pack in place.
“Sally, we don’t call Paul,” Eloise said, “You saw what Delphine is capable of – she’s going to try and destroy anyone who gets in her way. I can’t risk Paul and, since she’s seen you, I don’t want you going back to the plantation again. Since we weren’t connected through my dream, I think you’ll be safe here at base.”
Eloise released Sally’s hand and Sally dropped the ice pack on the counter.
“Don’t you understand that the people who care about you are willing to risk their lives in order to help you?”
Eloise nodded. “Yeah, I do,” she said, “But if you were in my shoes, would you accept their help?”
Sally turned away. “I don’t know, yes…, no…,” she shook her head, “All I do know is that I would gladly go back to that plantation with you and run until my lungs burst, if that would help.”
Eloise stood up, walked around the counter and gave Sally a hug.
“Thanks, I appreciate that, I really do,” she said, “But perhaps we’ll find some information in those journals that will help us get her without going back.”
Sally sighed and then moved away from Eloise. She flipped the burgers and stood at the oven for a moment and then said, “You don’t really believe that do you?”
Eloise went back to the stool and sat down, propped her elbows on the counter and lowered her head into her hands. “No, I think that I’m going to have to go back, if for nothing else to release the spirits of those she tortured,” Eloise admitted.
Sally slipped the burgers onto the prepared buns and handed a plate to Eloise. “Well then we better make sure that you have the upper hand.”
Eloise smiled and took a bite out of the burger.
Chapter Fifteen
While Eloise began to read, Sally scanned the pages into her computer.
“Why are you doing that?” Eloise asked.
“Because while you read them one by one, I can convert it to a document and then search for key words,” Sally explained.
“You are amazing,” Eloise said.
“Nope, technology is amazing,” Sally replied, “Hey, I’ve been wondering about something.”
“Shoot,” Eloise said, placing the journal to the side.
“Okay, from what you’ve told me, when you send spirits forward, you have them look for a light in the sky, right?”
“Yes, it’s either a light or a doorway with light shining through it,” Eloise answered.
“But a light is usually connected with something good, heaven or something like that, right?” Sally asked.
“Yes, you’re right,” Eloise responded.
“So what happens when you’re trying to move someone like Delphine from earth to the beyond? Does she go to the light?”
“No, we get the reward that we earn here in life,” Eloise said, “That’s why so many evil ghosts cling to this life – they don’t want to face what is waiting for them in the next.”
“So, what happens?”
“I’ve only had one personal experience with sending a bad spirit to the other side,” Eloise said, “I was fairly new and thought that I could do anything. In 1997 the State of California Park Services decided to allow night tours on Alcatraz.”
“In case you weren’t freaked out enough visiting it during the day?” Sally asked.
Eloise nodded. “But before they allowed the public to go through, they decided to send a team of us in for the night, just to check things out. As I mentioned before, I was pretty cocky and decided that I could handle a place they called ‘The Hole,’ also known as Cell Block D.’”
“Oh, that sounds like a nice, friendly place,” Sally quipped.
“Cell Block D is dark, cold, and probably the most unfriendly place you can imagine. It’s an underground maze of hallways and four-by-eight-foot cells, fourteen cells in all. The Hole is the area of the block that contains no windows or lights, except for a single dim light in the exterior hallway,” Eloise explained, “When Alcatraz was used for a prison, the prisoners were routinely stripped naked, beaten, and tortured prior to being shoved into the blackness of their cells, where they were often left to die of starvation or exposure.”
Sally shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “This doesn’t sound good.”
“So I went down to Cell Block D and decided that I was going to contact spirits and help them go forward,” she continued, “The first thing I noticed is how cold the area was – much colder than anywhere else on the island. The second thing I noticed is that when I entered Cell 14 – a place where a man was supposedly murdered by a creature with red glowing eyes – there were several spirits.”
“Several?” Sally asked.
Eloise nodded.
“Of course, even I was smart enough not to try to take them all on, but I decided I’d try to help this very large, very angry looking spirit. I walked right up to him and explained that I was from the PRCD and that I was going to help him relocate,” Eloise laughed, “I was such an idiot.”
“Anyway he laughed right in my face and then suddenly he was holding me up in the air by my neck, not a comfortable situation. Obviously he was not intimidated by me. I felt my breathing passage constricting and I started to see black spots before my eyes. But I continued to tell him that he needed to go forward, that he needed to move beyond.
“Suddenly, on the side of the cell, the bricks started to fade away. At first I thought that I was finally fainting, but only some of the bricks had vanished, the rest of them were right were they should be. The fellow holding my neck turned toward the bricks and I saw a look of fear on his face I have never seen since. He dropped me onto the floor and tried to back away – moving to the furthest corner of the cell.
“I watched as this grey smoke started rolling out of this hole in the wall, then suddenly, it wasn’t just smoke, it was arms and hands. They circled around the spirit while he screamed in agony and then they closed in and pulled him back into the hole with them.”
“What did you do then?”
“I ran upstairs and outside as fast as I could and quietly got sick on the lawn outside the Visitor’s Center.”
“Whoa, that is so bizarre,” Sally said, “So where do you think they took him?”
Eloise shrugged, “I don’t know, but it certainly wasn’t a place where I ever want to go.”
“Well, let’s see if we can book a one-way trip for Delphine to visit your Alcatraz friend,” Sally said.
“I think that’s a great idea.”
Eloise went back to her reading. Her journal was from 1835, the first year of exile for Delphine. The first entries were Delphine’s attempts to convince her in-laws that she needed to continue her experiments. It was obvious from her writings that the entire family wasn’t crazy – only Delphine. She wrote about her daughters and the time she was able to spend with them; walking around the estate, boating on the lake and horseback riding in the barnyard, but now only under the careful watch of her husband or another male relative.
They don’t trust me, she wrote. They don’t trust me with my own daughters. What fools! Don’t they realize that the knowledge I have has been passed on to my lovely daughters. Don’t they understand that I had to teach them so the work could go on? Someday soon, they will find out how smart I am.
Eloise shivered and turned another page.
“Oh, I can’t believe it,” she cried.
“What?” Sally asked, pausing in her work.
“She killed them, she killed all of them,” Eloise said.
“Who did she kill?”
“Let me read this to you,” Eloise replied, “It’s incredible.”
Today is the day. My sweet daughters have brought me the graveyard dirt; I was lacking for only this and now the Goofer Dust is complete. Now those who will not listen to me will die.
Tonight as they sleep I will sprinkle the dust around their beds and in the morning they will be dead. Farewell my sweet husband, farewell my sweet sister, farewell my sweet brother – I am sad that you have to go, but at least this death will be quick. Then I can be free to pursue the noble calling to which I am destined.
Eloise flipped the page to the next day.
Hallelujah, the dust has done its deed. The poor doctor was so confused, never had he seen so many people die in their sleep. He is worried about swamp gas – stupid fool. He will never suspect Hoodoo – he is too ignorant to believe.
My girls have been so clever. Not only did they help their dear momma, they also took some initiative and sprinkled the dust in the bedrooms of their dear cousins. Now there is no worry about who the heir to the estate is – we are the only ones left.
The funeral will be tomorrow. We will all dress in black and cry piteously. And then, after the company departs, we will review the inventory. There are quite a few specimens that seem very interesting. I can hardly wait!
Eloise put the journal down and wrapped her arms around herself.
“This is a journey into insanity,” she said, “Could she actually believe that some dust mixture she created actually killed all of those people? I wonder if she just got up in the middle of the night and strangled them herself?”
Sally shook her head. “Nope, I’ve read about Goofer Dust – it’s a combination of graveyard dust – or the dust from decaying corpse – and some other herbs and minerals.”
“But Goofer Dust? It sounds like a Disney character.” Eloise said.
“Actually, the English word “goofer” is derived from the African word “kufwa” which means to kill. African slaves brought that word with them and integrated it into the English language,” Sally said. “Goofer is the verb form which literally means to kill, but actually means to put a particular curse on someone.”
“So people have actually died from this Goofer Dust?” Eloise asked.
“Yes,” Sally replied. “While Voodoo is a religion, Hoodoo is a natural alchemy incorporating herbs, roots, and oils - it is a practice used to control people – whether it’s a love potion or a death sentence.”
“Does it work?”
Sally shrugged. “It sure sounds like it worked on the late Lalaurie family.”
“This sheds a whole new light on Delphine.” Eloise said. “If she gained some knowledge of Hoodoo, we really don’t know what we’re up against.”
Sally nodded. “I think we need to make another field trip. We need to talk to a Hoodoo expert.”
“So, where are we going to find a Hoodoo expert?”
“Well, it stands to reason that most of the Hoodoo shops in New Orleans are either under water or abandoned, so I vote for a trip to Baton Rouge.”
“So how do we escape Bert and Ernie?” Eloise asked.
“Tell him that we are going shopping for some female products,” Sally said with a grin. “Do you really think they’ll want to come in?”
“They might,” Eloise said, staring down at her hands for a moment, then looking up at Sally with a grin she added, “But if we tell them that you need to do grocery shopping – they’ll never come.”
Sally stuck her tongue out at Eloise and then turned back to her work.
“Fine, you go sweet talk them and I’ll finish scanning this journals,” she said. “Then I suggest we go to bed. I’m wiped out.”
“Good idea,” Eloise said, opening the door and walking down the metal steps.
The night air was cool and the night was clear. She could see a sky full of twinkling stars. She walked over towards the tent and called out.
“Hello, Sergeant Turner and Anderson, are you there?”
Immediately the two men were outside, their automatic weapons in their hands. Turner turned towards Eloise and Anderson scanned the area.
“I’m sorry to disturb you,” she said, not moving until they were a little calmer. “But I just didn’t want to break the rules again, so I thought I’d ask permission.”
“Yes, ma’am, we appreciate that,” Turner said.
Anderson, his perimeter scan finished, turned to Eloise, his weapon at ease.
“What can we do for you, ma’am?” he asked.
Eloise came closer to the tent. When she stood within the glow of the safety light, she heard Sergeant Turner inhale sharply. She looked up and saw that his gaze was focused on her cheek.
“What happened?” he asked sharply.
Unconsciously, Eloise brought her hand up to her still tender cheek. “Oh, it was just an encounter with an unfriendly,” she replied.
She dropped her hand and fingered her amulet. “Not to worry, I’ve got protection now,” she said with a smile.
“Ma’am I’m afraid that I’m going to have to report this to the Major,” he replied.
Eloise shook her head. “I’d really rather you didn’t, Sergeant,” she said, her calm voice contradicting her pounding heart. “If the Major hears about it, he’ll just make a big deal over nothing. Really, it’s just a scratch.”
“She shouldn’t have done that,” Sergeant Anderson said, staring at Eloise’s face.
“Oh, no, it wasn’t Sally,” Eloise explained. “Really, it’s no big deal. And if you tell the Major, he’ll feel responsible and he’ll leave his new post and get in trouble. You don’t want to get him in trouble do you?”
Both men immediately shook their heads and Eloise was pleased at the loyalty these men had for their commanding officer.
“Now, what I came to talk to you about is tomorrow,” she said, changing the subject. “Sally and I need to go into town for some supplies. Sally needs some more ingredients for her, er, her special recipes.”
Both men grimaced and Eloise hid a grin.
“We also need some, um,” she looked around, feigning embarrassment, “some feminine supplies.”
Both men looked very uncomfortable.
“So, would you like us to give you a list of what we need?” she asked innocently, “Or can we just buzz quickly into town and pick it up?”
“Where are you planning to go?” Turner asked.
Eloise shrugged, “We were thinking about heading up to Baton Rouge. It’ll probably take all day while we walk through the shops. Would you like to come?”
Eloise could see that neither man looked forward to a day of following two women through a shopping spree in Baton Rouge.
“We thought we’d stop for lunch in this great organic food restaurant,’ she added, hoping to seal the deal.
“Of course,” she added, “I suppose I’m a little concerned about the equipment here at the base. It’s pretty valuable and if we left it for the whole day, perhaps I should stay and you two should go with Sally.”
That was the clincher. “Actually, ma’am, I think it would be better if Sergeant Anderson and I stayed here and guarded the base,” Turner said, with Anderson nodding in agreement at his side.
“I’m sure the Major would agree that driving to Baton Rouge does not institute any kind of a threat,” he added.
Eloise nodded. “I’m sure you both know what’s best,” she said, “Thank you for your help. I’ll feel so much better knowing that you’re here guarding the base. Good-night gentlemen.”
“Night, ma’am.”
Eloise let herself back into the motor home and quietly shut the door behind her. Sally sat next to the window, obviously enjoying a session of eavesdropping.
“You know, you’d be dangerous if you decided to turn your powers to the side of evil,” she grinned.
Eloise smiled. “I just hope they don’t decide that the Major needs to know about my little scratch.”
Sally nodded, “Yeah, he’d be here with both guns blazing.”
She paused and then added, “K
ind of like a fairy tale prince, isn’t he?”
Eloise and smiled sadly. “Sally, I don’t believe in fairy tales anymore.”
She wished Sally goodnight and walked back to her room.
Sally watched her walk slowly away and shook her head, “Sweet dreams, Eloise.”
Chapter Sixteen
Eloise stepped warily down the lane between the crypts. Her last experience in the cemetery had taught her that not only the dead haunted the shadows around her. She walked slowly, looking around. The night was still clear, the stars shone brightly and the few streetlights that worked in the French Quarter cast odd shadows within the confines of the cemetery.
“So you wonder why you walk the cemetery this night?”
Eloise turned to see Maria Leveau standing in the lane behind her.
“I thought the amulet would protect me from being snatched,” Eloise responded, fingering the small pouch at her neck.
“Oui” replied Maria. “Lalaurie cannot snatch you, but I do not snatch. I call to you because your lover, he is in danger.”
“Paul? What’s wrong?”
Maria shook her head in disgust. “Always so wise, try to protect and in doing so open him to danger,” she said. “Will you come with me?”
“Yes,” Eloise agreed instantly. “Please let me help him.”
Maria held out her hand and Eloise grasped it. She could feel the power within the spirit transferring to her. In a moment they were no longer in the cemetery, but in a small apartment. Eloise glanced out the window and could see the Capital Building.
“We are in Washington,” Eloise stated, surprised.
“Oui,” Maria said, shrugging her shoulders, “That is where you wanted him, was it not?”
Eloise nodded her head, “Yes, it was.”
“So, we come here to protect him.”
Eloise heard the sound of keys unlocking the door. She frantically looked around for a hiding place.
Maria laughed, her low voice echoing in the room. “Non, ma petite, do not fear so, he cannot see us. We are here as spirits only.”
Eloise took a deep breath and relaxed. The door opened and Paul entered, flicking on the light. Eloise inhaled sharply when she saw that Paul was not alone. A tall, blonde had her hand on Paul’s arm and was following him through the door. Paul paused for a moment and looked around the room.