Gloria’s Secret

by Robin Alexander

  “Excellent idea.” Adrienne began combing the tangles out of my wet hair. “Don’t even get dressed, just climb into bed and sleep until I wake you up.”

  “With kisses?” I asked as I turned down the bed.

  “With many kisses. Now go dry your hair before you climb in.”

  “Deal.” I pecked Adrienne on the lips and headed for the bathroom before she caught me by the arm and stopped me.

  An odd look flittered across her face for a split second before she said, “I love you.”

  “I know, and I love you, too.” I pulled her into my arms and she clung to me. “You’re worried about me being out there tonight.”

  She pulled back until she could look me in the eyes. “I just have a real unsettling feeling about it all. If anything happened to you—”

  I opened my mouth to reassure her, but she put a finger to my lips.

  “If anything happened to you, it would kill me, so remember that tonight if you’re tempted to break your promise.”

  “I will.”

  Chapter Nine

  I could hear music and laughter coming from the bar. Our guests decided to have a limbo contest just as Colie and I started our night watch. I managed to watch Toni begin her attempt of going under the pole. Even with Diane and Lucy holding their ends of the pole at chest height, Toni still wound up on her ass.

  “The guests don’t seem troubled by the recent events,” Colie said.

  “Fortunately for us, they all seemed thrilled to be sharing the inn with a ghost,” I said as I scrubbed the sandy ground with a bare foot.

  “Ghost?” Colie chuckled. “Better to have them think it’s a ghost than some nut with a grudge.”

  “Is that what you think?”

  “It’s not a ghost, and it’s not teenagers playing pranks. No, this is someone that knew Hank and knows how he died.” Colie looked at me. “They’re making a statement.”

  “So they want us to know what?”

  “That’s what I’m waiting to find out,” Colie said with a shrug.

  “I’m not a particularly patient woman, so ‘waiting’ is not high on my list of things to do.” The more we talked, the more aggravated I became. I was being kept out of my bed at night and tired of being the butt of someone’s joke.

  As the night wore on, the inn fell silent as each of the guests retired to his or her cottage. Adrienne and Iris brought out fresh coffee to Colie and me as we patrolled the grounds. And then we walked Adrienne to our cottage and Iris to her house. Once they were tucked inside safe and sound, Colie and I stayed in the shadows waiting for our nuisance to make the next move.

  I was beginning to think it would be another fruitless stakeout when we heard it. A shrill scream pierced the night and nearly made me wet myself. Colie bolted off in the direction of the scream with me close on his heels.

  Instead of staying on the trail, he took the more direct route straight through the foliage. Banana leaves slapped me across the face as I trailed behind him, and before we made it to the next trail, a stalk of young bananas slapped me in the chest, sending me to the ground on my ass.

  When I recovered and emerged from the brush, I noticed Colie talking to Diane and Lucy in front of their cottage. Lucy was shaking like a leaf, and Diane, who had obviously been brushing her teeth, still had a foamy goatee.

  “I was lying in bed, and the door just opened!” Lucy exclaimed.

  Colie put a reassuring hand on her arm. “It could have just been the wind.”

  “No, no way,” Lucy shook her head vehemently. “The door was closed and locked. I checked it just before I laid down.”

  We were soon joined by the rest of the guests and Adrienne, who looked as though she had just gotten out of the shower. She looked at me, her brow raised in question as she approached. The others gathered around Lucy as she repeated the story.

  “This is giving me chills,” Barry said as he scrubbed at his arms. “I love it.”

  Lucy shot him a look; apparently, she was not enjoying the ghostly antics as much as he was.

  As the guests began to disperse and return to their cottages, we assured them that Colie and I would remain on patrol throughout the night. “You have nothing to worry about,” I said with a smile while my mind shouted, Liar!

  When everyone was tucked behind locked doors, Colie and I walked Adrienne back to our cottage. The three of us were debating who or what could have caused that door to open. Our discussion came to an abrupt halt when we noticed that our own door stood wide open.

  “I slammed that door when I came to see what was going on.” Adrienne took a tentative step forward when Colie and I grabbed her by the arms and pulled her back.

  “Give me just a moment,” Colie whispered as he stepped over the threshold to take a look around.

  Adrienne and I stood silently waiting on Colie to give us the all clear. “Are you sure you closed it when you left?” I whispered.

  “I’m pretty sure she did,” Colie answered for her as he poked his head out the door. “Come look at this please.”

  Colie’s tone unnerved me, and Adrienne and I exchanged worried glances before stepping inside. On each of our pillows lay a doll. I reached out to touch one before Colie pulled me back. “Not yet,” he whispered.

  The dolls were fashioned out of what looked like clay for the body and head, with twigs used as the arms and legs. Both were sporting what appeared to be ponchos made of familiar fabric.

  “Please tell me that’s not part of my favorite shirt.” I rushed past Adrienne to our closet. She joined me, and we rifled through our clothes.

  “Maybe they’re in the laundry hamper.” Adrienne began digging with both hands and slinging our dirty clothes around the room. “Son of a bitch!” she exclaimed when we ran out of places to look. “Someone came in here and took our clothes. They’ve invaded our home!”

  “They’ve taken some of your hair, as well,” Colie said calmly as he studied the dolls without picking them up.

  “Our hair?” I asked.

  “Yes, probably collected from a brush or comb,” Colie said before flipping open his cell phone and stepping outside

  Adrienne’s face was red, and her hand shook as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Someone’s been in here going through our things,” she said between clenched teeth.

  I pulled her into my arms and held on to her. Different emotions were flowing through me so quickly I couldn’t articulate what I felt. First anger, then bewilderment, then finally fear. I couldn’t tap into her thoughts, but I could only imagine that Adrienne was feeling the same, as she trembled in my arms.

  “I have some help coming,” Colie said as he stepped back inside. “They’ve assisted me before when you started having problems at the inn.” He smiled faintly at us for a moment.

  “I’m from New Orleans, but I’ve never seen a real voodoo doll,” I said. “Am I to assume that’s what those are?”

  Colie sighed and rested his hands on his hips. “Yes, and someone is trying to make a statement like I said before.”

  Adrienne pulled from my embrace and turned to Colie. “And what are they telling us? They can come into our home and invade our privacy?”

  “I think it may be more than that,” Colie said. “Someone is angry with you two, and they want you to know it.”

  “Then why not come out and say it? This voodoo hoodoo shit and carving up our clothes is doing nothing but pissing us off.” I made a move toward the dolls with the intent of tossing them out the door before Colie stopped me.

  “Let me bag them up. Maybe I can find something useful.”

  “Doesn’t someone who uses things like this normally keep the dolls?” Adrienne asked.

  “Yes, and they probably still have a pair. These,” Colie pointed at the dolls, “are just to let you know that someone has issues with you.”

  “I’ve got some issues with them, too, cowardly bastards,” Adrienne snapped.

  “Ladies, I strongly suggest we keep
this between us. It will do no good to have your staff hearing about this, and it may make your guests more than a little uncomfortable.”

  “What are we going to do about them?” Adrienne asked. “They have a few more nights with us.”

  “That’s why I called for help,” Colie said. “I’m going to have enough men here to keep watch on all the cabins, including yours.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but Colie held up his hand before I could get a word out.

  “I know you don’t want to leave Adrienne alone, so why don’t you stay with her? I’ll watch your cabin myself.”

  I wasn’t happy being relieved of my watch because I really wanted the chance to get my hands on the assholes who were making my life miserable. On the other hand, I didn’t want Adrienne sleeping alone in our cottage. It no longer felt safe.

  “My men will be here as long as it takes,” Colie said as if sensing what was on my mind.

  “Thank you, Colie,” Adrienne said for both of us.

  “I’m going to make a few rounds while I wait for them. If you need anything, just shout.”

  I followed him out while Adrienne made a trip to the bathroom. “Colie, I truly appreciate everything you’re doing.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” He smiled and disappeared into the foliage.

  I lit a cigarette and took a long deep drag. The nicotine soothed my nerves for a moment. Adrienne joined me and plucked the cigarette from my fingertips and inhaled a lung full.

  “I thought you quit.” I pulled it from her grasp.

  She shrugged as she exhaled the smoke with a little cough.

  “Sweetie, this has me by the tail.” I held up the cigarette. “It’s an addiction that I wouldn’t wish on anyone…well, maybe on the punk-ass doll maker. I just don’t want you to get hooked like me, and you came close a few months back.”

  Adrienne gave me a smile. “I promise not to get hooked if you promise to try and quit.”

  “You said try, you didn’t say quit.” I returned her smile.

  “If you’ll truly try, I think you’ll quit.”

  “I’m glad you have faith in me. I have to warn you, though, when I do decide to try, it won’t be pleasant. I may need to be shipped off for the safety of others.”

  “Whatever you need, my love.” Adrienne sealed it with a kiss.

  The following morning, Adrienne and I joined the guests for breakfast. They were abuzz with the events of the previous evening. All of them were complaining that the trip was going by too quickly, which made me feel good. Even with the weird happenings, they were still enjoying themselves.

  I busied myself with various chores that took me through the morning. I was on my way back to the bar when I heard something strange coming from the courtyard. Our guests and a couple of members of the staff sat in a circle, while a stranger performed some sort of ritual. He hummed and chanted while setting piles of indistinguishable items on fire in a bowl.

  “Adrienne, why is some chucklehead wearing a bed sheet entertaining our guests and staff?” I called out as I entered the bar.

  Iris met me with a scowl. “He claims to be an Obeah man, but he’s a fake.”

  “Why isn’t his fake ass marching down the street?”

  “Because the guests find him entertaining,” Adrienne said as she joined us. “It can’t hurt.”

  “What exactly is he supposed to be doing?”

  Adrienne looked at Iris and chuckled. “He’s cleansing the inn of evil spirits.”

  The theme to Ghost Busters played in my mind. Who ya gonna call? Baba bed sheet.

  Adrienne burst out laughing, causing Iris to look at her. “She’s singing a modified version of the Ghost Busters theme in her mind,” Adrienne said to Iris, who rolled her eyes.

  “I’m guessing that someone on our staff called this guy in,” Adrienne said as she fixed us all a glass of tea.

  I sank down into a chair with a sigh. “Well, if it makes them feel better, I guess it’s worth it.”

  The three of us enjoyed a rare moment of peace, but Iris was uncharacteristically fidgety. I reached over and put my hand over her drumming fingers.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Are you? Aren’t you troubled about last night?”

  “I’m angry and I feel violated,” I said honestly.

  “Dis worries me, Hayden. Someone is dabbling in tings they ought not.”

  “I don’t believe in voodoo. Besides, if people were as proficient as they claim to be, half of this island would be dead or zombies. And my ex would be sporting a tail.”

  Iris didn’t appear comforted by what I had to say.

  “Colie has enough help now, so he’s going to be staying with Iris at night,” Adrienne added.

  I gave Iris an evil grin. “You two randy rascals will use any excuse to get together.”

  “Hush, child,” Iris said with a chuckle, then sobered. “It’s someone who knows dis inn as well as we do. Colie has plans to casually question each one of the staff.”

  “It’s a good place to start,” Adrienne said. “We’ve had a lot of turnover, but it could be someone who is no longer working here.”

  “Do you hear anything at all? Maybe a random thought that might lead us somewhere?” I asked Adrienne.

  She looked around, making sure no one else was near and listening. Adrienne was uncomfortable with her gift and feared that others would learn of it and chastise her for it. I hated that she felt so ill at ease, but I also knew that something so rare was better left a secret.

  “It’s odd,” she began and nervously tucked an auburn lock of hair behind her ear. “I can sense Iris’s worry about the dolls. I can also hear her wondering if the chicken is thawed out for dinner.” Adrienne smiled and gave Iris’s arm a pat.

  “And, Hayden, you’re wondering if Baba bed sheet is going to try and demand payment for his services. Tara is wondering right now if she’s being bit by insects while sitting in the grass. What I hear is like when Hayden flicks through the channels with the TV remote. Constant voices, I latch onto the ones that I’m familiar with.”

  “So you don’t recognize the voice of the person or persons responsible for the break in?” I asked.

  Adrienne’s brow wrinkled in frustration. “What I just described goes through my head all day long. I’ve learned to tune it out, just like you do when you walk through an airport, for instance. People are talking all around you, but you don’t concentrate on what they’re saying unless it’s something that applies to you.”

  Adrienne paused and took a sip of her tea. “You walk past people complaining about the long lines to the bathroom or griping about a late flight. It’s mundane and it doesn’t mean anything to you. But if you walked past someone who was talking on their cell phone and said, ‘I have a bomb in my briefcase,’ that would stop you in your tracks.”

  “No, that would make me shit my pants,” I interrupted. “But I understand what you’re trying to say.”

  Adrienne nodded and continued. “I hear things like, ‘my shoelace is untied’ or ‘I’m hungry.’ But I never hear anyone thinking, ‘I’m going to break into Hayden and Adrienne’s cottage.’” Adrienne shivered and I watched goose bumps appear on her arms, despite the warm temperatures. “Sometimes, I sense or feel a rage that runs so deep it drowns out everything else. Those times, I try real hard to concentrate on where it’s coming from, and it’s as though they can tell what I’m doing, then my mind just goes blank.”

  “Like they jammed your frequency,” I said.

  Adrienne sighed and scrubbed at her arms. “Yeah, like that.”

  “Maybe dis person knows about your gift and can shut you out when dey please,” Iris added.

  “I doubt it,” I said with a snort. “I try that all the time and she still manages to get into my head. Not that I would ever cheat on Adrienne, but if it even crossed my mind, she’d know.”

  “Yes, I would, love,” Adrienne said, looking pointedly at me.

  Our brainstorming
session came to an abrupt halt when the guests, led by Tara, rushed into the bar.

  “The Obeah man has put up a ‘screen’ all around me!” Tara exclaimed as she approached. “I don’t have to worry about germs anymore, I’m protected.”

  “Well, congratulations,” I said. “You’ll save a fortune now that you won’t have to by all of those disinfectants and hand sanitizers.”

  Tara ignored my playful jab and continued to tell all about the Obeah man and how he cleansed the inn of Hank’s angry spirit. And when she noticed that he had joined some of the guests at the bar, she darted off to spend more time with him.

  Toni and Tarsha were the last to arrive and settled in at the table with us. Toni lowered her voice so as not to be heard by the others. “I read a lot, you know? Obeah men are highly respected and typically people seek them out, from what I’ve learned. They rarely drop in and offer their services.”

  “I don’t think they drink a lot, either,” Adrienne added. “This guy has downed two shots since he walked in.”

  “We know he’s a fake,” Iris said.

  “What tipped us off was the outfit.” Adrienne nodded toward the man in question.

  He was sporting a bed sheet plain and simple. The tag proclaiming it to be one hundred percent cotton was visible. The ensemble was topped off with a belt made of rope. Dangling from the rope were roots tied on with string, but the clincher was a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 tucked inside the belt.

  “He put on quite a show,” Tarsha said with a laugh. “Especially when he put up the ‘screen’ around Tara. He chanted and rubbed those roots all over her body, but his focus was mainly on her breasts.”

  “Well, that does it,” I said, scooting away from the table. “It’s time to send Mr. Magical Root on his merry way.”

  “Hayden, let me handle this.” Adrienne placed a hand on my arm.

  “Very well then, but I’ll be right here if you need backup.”

  “Me too,” Toni said. “My height is intimidating, but it’s Tarsha that will put on an ass whipping.”

  Tarsha nodded with an evil grin. I watched in amazement as her angelic features took on a menacing appearance. “They’re always focused on Toni,” she said, “and they never see me coming.”