Voodoo on Bayou Lafonte

by Susan C. Muller

  Why was he worrying with that?

  “No, it’s not safe. Another inch and that trailer will float off its moorings. Adrienne needs a hospital. Come help me. I need to push this boat into the water. I can’t afford to leave any evidence behind.”

  “If you’re worried about Dan Cryer, don’t. He’s in jail.”

  “He’s the least of my problems. I just killed a man. Maybe two.”

  Gabby’s heart froze, not with regret for the two men, but with concern for Remy.

  She worked her way through the water to Remy’s side and shoved on the bow of the boat.

  The muck held the bottom fast. She shoved again and the skiff moved an inch, then two. One more shove and the current caught and freed the skiff, which floated a few yards then hung up in a tangle of debris, tilting toward the bow until water rushed in and dragged it under.

  For the first time in hours, her ears didn’t ring. The silence startled her. “Is the storm over?” she asked, glancing around.

  “Not hardly. We’re in the eye of the hurricane. We have to get moving before it starts again.”

  As he spoke, a dark, funnel-shaped cloud swirled above his head, then swished past them. The weight of the vision filled her with dread. How could a cloud exude such evil?

  “Duck,” Remy yelled. Fear coated his voice. His eyes showed white against his mud-splattered face.

  Adrienne’s scream split the air and both she and Remy swung toward the sound.

  Sebastian Guidry stood in front of Adrienne, his arm raised and a strange, curved knife pointed at her belly.

  His voice carried through the still air as he muttered incantations that made no sense to her.

  Remy vaulted past her and grabbed the old man’s arm. Tugging on the rope still attached to the car, Gabby fought her way up the incline to Adrienne’s side.

  She clung to her daughter’s wrist with everything she had left inside her. Sebastian grabbed Adrienne’s other wrist and Remy tugged on the old man with one arm while the other hung at his side, useless.

  Just as she worried the tug-o-war would injure Adrienne, Sebastian’s hand slipped a quarter inch, then another. A moment later, he lost his grip and she and Adrienne fell back against the Hummer.

  Adrienne appeared to be in shock. Poor thing, she’d been through so much. Gabby wrapped her arms around her and guided her into the back seat. She’d left the motor running and the inside was warm. That should help until they reached the hospital.

  She raced back and saw Remy slipping down the incline, a tenuous hold on the old man’s sleeve with his left hand.

  Sebastian aimed the knife at Remy’s arm and she shoved him to the side before he had time to strike.

  Both Remy and Sebastian slid down the bank and disappeared under the water.

  Gabby tried to follow, but hit the end of the rope before she reached them. She was fighting to get out of the harness when two heads popped up, then disappeared again.

  Water thrashed only inches past her reach.

  First Remy’s, then Sebastian’s back lifted out of the water. Even if she could reach them, what would she do to help?

  She searched the floating debris for a stick strong enough to bash Sebastian’s head, but only twigs and grass swirled around her legs.

  Sebastian’s hand, still holding the curved knife, rose above the water, then slashed down again.

  Gabby stared at the spot where the knife disappeared and the water grew darker. Blood? Or silt from the riverbank?

  She had been holding her breath since they went under and her lungs were bursting. How much longer could they stay submerged?

  Suddenly Remy’s head and shoulders burst out of the water and he struggled to regain his footing against the current. Gabby reached out and he grabbed her arms, hauling himself two steps forward onto solid ground.

  Sebastian was only inches behind him when the water exploded.

  The biggest, ugliest alligator she’d ever seen opened jaws that could have snapped a boat in half. His teeth were as long and curved as Sebastian’s knife. Scars from ancient battles crisscrossed the reptile’s body and his stench overpowered the swamp’s. Muck and dead vegetation hung off his back.

  Remy grabbed Gabby and tugged her up the bank toward the car.

  Sebastian raised his arms and sang out to the disappearing moon. The wind howled in answer and swirled around his head. His body faded into a black cloud just as the alligator closed his massive jaws.

  Gabby watched in disbelief as the alligator vanished under the raging water, carrying what was left of Sebastian with him. Only a few wisps of smoke hung in the air, marking the spot where the old priest had been only moments before, then those, too, became scattered by the wind.

  Remy stood motionless in front of her, his arms hanging at his sides, as she struggled with the harness clasps. Her fingers felt frozen and waterlogged.

  “Leave it,” he mumbled. “Just unfasten the carbineer.”

  The metal fastener sprang open on the first try and she tugged the rope loose.

  Remy shook his head as she started for the passenger side. “You’ll have to drive. And hurry, the storm will be back on us any minute.”

  He stumbled onto the seat as she shifted into gear. “Nice car. Where’d ya’ get it?” He might have been smiling. She wasn’t sure.

  “I stole it,” she admitted.

  “I always did like a girl with a reckless streak.”

  Then he passed out.

  Gabby couldn’t decide if the drive to the hospital was worse in the dawn’s light. This time she could see all the obstacles and debris in the road.

  Before, she’d only been worried about Adrienne and Remy in an abstract way. Now she saw how near death they both were.

  She was still five miles from the hospital when the first drops of rain splattered on the windshield. By the time she reached the cover in front of the emergency room door, the storm had returned in full force.

  She leaned on the horn until an orderly appeared with a wheelchair.

  “We’re going to need two of those.” She glanced at Remy. “Or maybe a gurney.” She had to shout over the wind. Her hair whipped around and threatened to slap her in the face.

  Adrienne’s skin was pale and clammy, and her head slumped forward as the attendant eased her into the chair.

  In moments, two men in scrubs rushed out with a gurney and lifted Remy onto the clean sheets. Gabby jumped out of the car, leaving the door open and the lights on. She ran to keep up with them as they wheeled him inside.

  When they left to find a doctor, Remy opened his eyes and grabbed her wrist, his hand icy on her already cold skin. “Ditch the car as soon as you can. One of us has to stay out of jail long enough to take care of Adrienne.” His voice was a faint whisper.

  A nurse rushed over with a clipboard, her shoes squeaking on the wet tracks of the gurney. “What happen to him?”

  Gabby glanced at Remy and didn’t know what to do. How much trouble was he in? She needed his advice, but he’d passed out again.

  “I’m not sure. Our daughter’s in labor.” She nodded toward the double doors where Adrienne had disappeared. “Her father was bringing her here when the storm hit and he crashed into a tree. They were both caught outside until I could find them.”

  The next hour was a whirl of doctors, nurses, and questions Gabby tried to avoid answering. Someone brought her a set of scrubs and she changed out of her wet clothes.

  The electricity had gone out and only dim, widely spaced emergency lights worked off the generator leaving large portions of the hallway dark. Footsteps echoed off the tile, and Gabby kept expecting some new horror to spring out at her.

  Orderlies wheeled Remy into surgery and Adrienne into a labor room. Since she couldn’t follow Remy
inside and he’d be unconscious anyway, she stayed with Adrienne.

  She knew she’d made the right decision when she saw the blank look in her daughter’s eyes.

  “We won’t be able to give her any drugs with her blood pressure this low.” The doctor spoke to Gabby as if Adrienne wasn’t there. Maybe she wasn’t.

  A nurse rushed in and wrapped a warm blanket around Adrienne’s shoulders, careful to avoid the IV already attached to her arm.

  The doctor watched the monitor tick off vital information. For some reason, his salt and pepper hair and the crinkles around his gray eyes reassured Gabby. Surely he had enough experience to handle this.

  Who was she kidding? No one had experience with anything like this. Raped, kidnapped, drugged, used in some kind of voodoo ritual, out in a hurricane. Would her baby girl ever be the same?

  “How far along is she?”

  The doctor’s words caught her off guard and she snapped her head around. What had Remy said about the drugs those monsters had pushed down her? “I’m not sure, but definitely not full term, so be prepared.”

  “Has she had any prenatal care?”

  “Not that I’m aware of, but she doesn’t drink and eats pretty healthy.”

  The hostile glares from the doctor and nurse made her want to crawl into a hole. She didn’t know how all this happened, and she certainly couldn’t explain it to these strangers.

  But Danny Cryer was gone, and his father in jail, so there was no reason to let any of his family even know the baby existed.

  She sat by Adrienne’s bedside and held her hand, keeping up a constant stream of encouragement. By the time the doctor delivered a squalling baby boy, Adrienne’s eyes had begun to focus.

  “Pretty decent size for a preemie,” the doctor said. “But we’ll get him to NICU and keep him under observation till we know how he’s doing.”

  “Wait.” Adrienne struggled to sit up. “Can I hold him for just a minute before you take him?”

  Gabby gazed at the baby, with his thatch of dark hair and his pink, wrinkled skin. Her flesh and blood, no matter how he got here. “Are you sure you want to, honey? Once you hold him, everything gets harder.”

  “He’s my baby, Mom. I want to hold him.”

  Chapter 36

  Pain surrounded Remy before he opened his eyes. He tried to move but decided it wasn’t worth the effort.

  He inhaled and recognized Gabby’s perfume. The delicate scent competed with an unpleasant antiseptic smell. A florescent light buzzed and flickered overhead, and he closed his eyes against the glare.

  “Are you awake?” Gabby’s voice came from his side, but turning his head caused a new wave of pain.

  “I think so. If this has been a nightmare, it’s the worst I’ve ever had.”

  She leaned close, her body pressing against his arm. He opened his eyes again and her face floated into view. “Adrienne was in labor and you were rushing her to the hospital when you ran into a tree. They think part of a metal sign hit you because you have several severe wounds.”

  He cut his eyes around the room. A tall woman in a white lab coat over blue scrubs studied a monitor full of flashing lights. She scowled at the numbers and made a notation on her clipboard.

  “Yeah, I got out of the car to try and flag down a ride, but no one was around. Things were flying everywhere.”

  The doctor gave him a patronizing half smile. “We had to debride a large area on your back and another on your arm. The cuts were long, the one on your back requiring enough staples to float an office supply store.”

  Fucking doctors. Everybody thought they were a comedian.

  “Nothing too deep, but you lost a lot of blood. In fact, you were a thimble full from bleeding out. We’ve given you a transfusion and have you on an IV antibiotic. What did you do, try to swim for help?”

  “After I got cut so bad we decided to duck into the woods for protection. I slipped in the mud and fell in the ditch.”

  If she didn’t quit asking him questions, he was likely to screw up. The constant beeping of some machine kept him from focusing. He sent a mental SOS to Gabby for help.

  “We can’t thank you enough for your help, Doctor Childs.” Gabby was all smiles. Her voice dripped with honey. “I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t been here.”

  “I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow. I think everything’s going to heal just fine, but there’s a chance you’ll need physical therapy on that arm.” The doctor clicked the end of her ballpoint pen several times. “Don’t lift anything over five pounds, stay out of the swamp, and you’ll be okay.”

  She spun on clunky plastic shoes and disappeared out the door.

  Remy tried to lick his lips, but he didn’t have any spit. “Did the Wicked Witch of the North say I could have any water?”

  Gabby didn’t answer, but leaned against him as she held a straw to his lips.

  She felt so good he almost forgot to swallow.

  “You don’t look too bad,” she said. “For an old grandpa.”

  His heartbeat spiked.

  “Did Adrienne . . .?”

  “She’s just fine. A little weak, but getting stronger. The nurse promised to bring her in here as soon as you woke up.”

  “And the baby?” If he hadn’t managed to save the baby, would Gabby or Adrienne ever forgive him? Would he be able to forgive himself?

  “A little boy. Six pounds nine ounces. The doc thinks that’s not bad for a preemie. If he only knew.”

  His voice caught. “Does he have a name?”

  “Hakan, after your mother’s great-grandfather. It’s a Native American name meaning fiery.”

  “Hakan Hough?” The name had a ring to it. He could get used to that.

  “Hakan Steinberg. If that’s okay with you.”

  Remy’s heart lodged in his throat and he managed a nod.

  “He’s a doll. I swear he looks just like you. They’re going to keep him in the Nick-U overnight, just to be sure, but he’s fine.”

  “The Nick-U?” Was he missing something? His head wasn’t clear enough for any kind of puzzle.

  “NICU. Neonatal Intensive Care. I’m up on all this hospital jargon now.”

  “Do we know what she wants to do?”

  “Not yet. I’ll stand behind her whatever she decides, but if she chooses adoption, I’ve got to tell you, it’s going to kill me to let that little guy go.”

  His chest tightened. He hadn’t even seen the baby yet, and he felt the same way.

  Remy tried to coax his plastic spoon under a square of lime Jell-O one-handed, but the wiggly green stuff wouldn’t cooperate. He slammed the cup down and muttered, “Fuck,” when his eyes fell on a black suit and a white clerical collar.

  “Need some help with that?” The priest couldn’t have been more than thirty-five. All the ones Remy had ever known were in their eighties and looked like they’d been weaned on a pickle. This one was smiling.

  That didn’t fool him. Not after the way he and Gabby had been treated.

  “Nah.” He shoved the cup to the edge of his tray. “Not worth the effort.”

  “Do you mind if I eat it? I’ve been from one end of this hospital to the other today. Lots of broken bones and cuts from flying debris. Not to mention one cute little baby in the Nick-U.”

  “Knock yourself out, but don’t blame me if your pee turns green tomorrow.” Why was he so intent on pissing this guy off?

  The priest laughed. “If a couple of pints of green beer on Saint Paddy’s Day doesn’t do it, I think I’m safe with two ounces of this stuff. I’m Father Donavan, by the way.”

  “Nice to meet you, Father.” Did he mean that? Maybe. If this was the guy who’d made Gabby feel better, he at least owed him a chance. “I’d shake
your hand, but I seem to be incapacitated at the moment.” He nodded toward his bandaged arm.

  “I’ll let it go this time.” The priest smiled again and scooped up the lime treat. “Gabby tells me you’re quite the hero.”

  “I doubt she said that.”

  “No. All she said was that you had gone after Adrienne. I looked out the window at Hurricane Addie and made the connection myself.”

  “It wasn’t a hurricane when I left the house.”

  “Would that have stopped you?” Father Donavan upended the cup of Jell-O and let it slide down his throat.

  “With Adrienne out in it? Not hardly.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about. I did a lot of praying for you that night, but you’re the one who did all the work.”

  A tiny green dot sat on the corner of the priest’s mouth and Remy debated mentioning it. Could he carry on a conversation with the guy while that thing stared back at him? He lifted the napkin from his tray and handed it to the man.

  Father Donavan eyed the napkin and grinned. He wiped his mouth, balled up the paper, and threw it into the trash with an exaggerated basketball toss. “Adrienne was worried about the baby and about you. I gave Hakan a blessing just to calm her mind. The doctors all agree he’s going to be fine. Now, is there anything I can do for you?”

  Remy opened his mouth with every intention of saying no. “Would you hear my confession, Father?”

  “How long’s it been?”

  “About fifteen years.”

  The priest leaned back and crossed his legs. A smile played around the corners of his mouth. “This may take a while.”

  Remy turned the page of the newspaper using his left arm. His right still remained in a sling. The skin across his back pulled with every breath, but he found the constant tugging more an annoyance than actual pain.

  The door to his room swished open and Gabby bustled in. “I got the Hummer returned before anyone missed it and hid my car in the garage. With Sheriff Guidry handcuffed to a hospital bed, no one is wondering what happened to the station door.”