by Emery, Lynn
“Harrison suspects you’re nuts,” Jessi joked. When Charmaine shot a nasty look at her, Jessi shrugged. “Hey, join the club. He already knows I’m nuts.”
“I don’t see how he lives in Louisiana and don’t’ know spirits are for real,” Diamond put in.
“Most of what y’all see turns out to be the living up to no good,” Scotty replied.
“You weren’t in her house last night. If you’d seen a leg come bouncing from upstairs—” Charmaine inhaled and exhaled a shaky breath.
“You’re an expert at reading people, so good it’s almost supernatural. No doubt about it.”
Jessi turned around, a large spoon in one hand. “Oh, so I’m crazy cause I hear voices and see things.”
“I didn’t say there ain’t unexplained things on this earth. But look at it this way, the Forstall woman is shady. Getting you and Jess involved fits into her game. Let’s start there,” Scotty said to Charmaine.
“Yeah, maybe.” Charmaine leaned back in the chair.
Scotty lifted her legs into his lap. He spoke as he massaged he calves. “I’m telling you the rich can be just as gangsta as anybody in the ghetto. More deadly even.”
Jessi raised an eyebrow as she watched his ministrations. She exchanged a knowing look with Diamond, who suppressed a giggle. Charmaine made a note to set them straight at a later date. They’d been reading those damn romance novels again. She took her legs from Scotty’s lap.
“I just came by to make sure you were okay. Gotta go open the club. Stay in and rest your nerves.” Scotty rubbed her shoulders. “I’ll call later.”
“Sure.” Charmaine chewed on a thumbnail.
Scotty paused before opening the kitchen door. “Do I have to say stay away from that woman’s house? I don’t think you wanna find the rest of whats-his-name.”
“Point made,” Charmaine blurted out as she gave a shudder.
“Good. See y’all.” Scotty kissed two fingers and held them up to Charmaine before he went through the door.
“We gotta find out more about Mrs. ‘lying through her teeth’ Forstall,” Charmaine said seconds after the door shut.
“Well while you were playing around with your new pals…” Jessi grinned at the deadly look Charmaine gave her. “I was working the case.”
“And?”
“I went snooping, though I don’t have a connection in the neighborhood,” Jessi said.
“Imagine, you don’t have pals working in the Garden District,” Charmaine said dryly.
“I’m gone let that one pass,” Jessi retorted. “The folks working in those big houses are just as snobby as their employers. I pretended to be waiting for the streetcar. Tried to start a couple of conversations. Nothing.”
Diamond leaned forward, arms on the kitchen table. “My great-aunt Orelia worked thirty-five years for one family. Yeah, they pretty loyal.”
Jessi brightened. “Maybe your great-aunt will talk to you?”
“She died when I was a kid. Working for the same family was passed down through generations. T-Orelia, that’s what we called her, always said she worked all them hours so her daughters could do better.”
“Damn, you answered my next question,” Jessi said as she dropped into the chair next to Charmaine.
“Sorry.” Diamond went to the stove. “This is done. Mind if I take some gumbo home with me? My baby loves gumbo, and so does my brother.”
“Sure. I went light on the pepper.” Jessi waved a hand.
“What about your ghost boyfriend Lucas?” Charmaine said.
“I waited around until it got dark for nothin’. Lucas acted like I was the police, wouldn’t talk. Dude was scared. Freaky, huh?” Jessi frowned.
“A spooked ghost,” Diamond said with a laugh “Too funny.”
“I tried to find other spirits. When I want peace, they won’t shut up. But they decided to play hide and seek yesterday evening. So I went home, probably just a few hours before your boyfriends brought you over for a visit.” Jessi tapped Charmaine on the arm.
“The police found Darrius, but he’s not cooperating. No big surprise,” Charmaine said.
“He had warrants out on him, so he’ll be in jail for awhile,” Jessi said.
“You’ve been busy. Hope you’re not tired because we’ve got more research to do.” Charmaine looked at her.
“Then we go back to visit Mrs. Got Bucks?” Jessi sat straight, eyes gleaming.
“Damn right,” Charmaine replied.
“But Scotty said you should rest, and stay away from the place.” Diamond started to go on, but she stopped at the look the sisters gave her.
Charmaine stood. “I decide where I go and what I do.”
Loose Ends
At nine o’clock the next night, Charmaine and Jessi parked a black Jeep Grand Cherokee one street over from the Forstall mansion. A five minute walk to the small private street would take them there. Jessi had rented the Jeep figuring Charmaine’s car might be recognized. They sipped mocha lattes. Jessi blew smoke from a slender cigar through a crack in the window.
“Thought you quit,” Charmaine said as she continued to scroll through notes on her tablet computer.
“We’re about to face some serious supernatural shit. I need a drink and one of those big Cubans instead of this little thing.” Jessi took another puff.
“Me, too, but no drinking. We gotta be sharp for this one.”
“Okay, Mr. Forstall isn’t in Italy. So where is he?” Charmaine glanced down the narrow street. She could just see the northern corner of Mrs. Forstall’s house.
“According to Alyssa, the daughter, he went to his French mistress instead. Somewhere in the southern part of France. She wasn’t sure where.” Jessi stared at her cell phone.
“Bless you Instagram, Snapchat, and over-sharing teenagers. So maybe the son knows?” Charmaine glanced up from her tablet.
“He doesn’t give a crap about the old man. He told Alyssa to be happy the ‘lying ho sperm donor’ got out of her life while she young,” Jessi said with a snort. She continued to scan her social accounts on the cell phone. “Dang, think of all the great stuff we could have done back in the day with these apps.”
“Yeah, get into even bigger trouble,” Charmaine retorted.
“Like I said, it would have been beyond cool,” Jessi quipped.
“Daddy Forstall isn’t in France any more than he is in Italy. Mama Forstall has secrets as we well know from Darrius.” Charmaine tapped her fingers on the steering wheel.
“Blackmail worthy secrets. So you think…” Jessi glanced at Charmaine sideways.
“What if her husband found out or was on the verge of uncovering said nasty secrets? He could still be in the house.”
Jessi sat silent for a few beats. Then she shook her head. “Some of these rich couples lead separate lives. He’s doing his thang and she’s doing hers. Nah, I don’t think he’d care. But they will get lethal when it comes to their money.”
“Neither one of the kids could be his. That’s a game changer. No inheritance for them or her. But you can’t just get rid of a husband these days. Somebody would put it together.” Charmaine frowned into the darkness.
“Or he could be with the French mistress after all. The son might know,” Jessi replied. She put her cell phone in an inner jacket pocket and zipped it.
“Yeah, get his preferred social media handle and ask.”
“Screw this. Let’s ask her.” Jessi glanced around. “She should be having an after dinner drink right about now. We can catch her off guard.”
“Or we could wait a few more days and get more info,” Charmaine countered. “No rush.”
“And what will change? Harrison won’t budge on a missing husband. Not when he finds out the guy has two mistresses. We got paid, right?”
“The check went through and is in our biz account,” Charmaine said. “But I doubt Mrs. Forstall will pay us that big final payment for ridding the house of her ghost, ghoul or whatever the heck that thin
g is.”
“Hell no. We’ll figure out what’s going on and give her incentive to pay up or else,” Jessi said.
“Umm, that’s called extortion and it’s illegal. All she has to do is call Harrison. We’ll be wearing matching prison uniforms. Forget it.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Did I stutter? We’re not going to hand her ammunition to use against us.”
“Can’t have no fun with you,” Jessi muttered.
“Whatever. Now let me get situated before we go in the house. Smart to get this tricked out Jeep. We blend in with the rest of these fancy SUVs.”
Charmaine checked the bag she would carry instead of a purse. She’d packed four small bundles of dried white sage and cedar. She’d burn them outside the house to weaken any spirits, making them less dangerous. She had three bottles of colloidal silver in liquid form and salt. Last the heavy artillery, a cross and six tiny spray bottles of holy water.
“Stop with that hocus-pocus mess. I packed something useful.” Jessi held up two objects.
“A gun and a taser. You want to get us arrested, huh?” Charmaine heaved a deep sigh.
“Not just any gun and not just any old taser. First, I’ve got actual silver bullets in this bad girl.” Jessi kissed the small semi-automatic pistol. She stuck it back into a jacket pocket.
“Great in case we run into a werewolf,” Charmaine replied. “What’s that other thingamabob?”
“Spirits are matter, well subatomic particles. I read up on the history of psychic scientific research. An electrical charge will disrupt the particles, sorta like kicking a ghost in the nuts.” Jessi grinned.
“Let’s hope the thing is a guy,” Charmaine clipped.
“Hey, I got science, not superstition. While you wave burning leaves, I’ll take the thing out.” Jessi gave a sharp nod. She stuck the device into a holster clipped to her waist. “I’m ready for his ghostly ass. Let’s go.”
Charmaine got out of the Jeep and waited as Jessi came around from the passenger side to join her. “I’m ready because Mrs. Forstall is alone, except for a troll or whatever it is.”
“Darrius killed Zed and put on a show just for you. Maybe those two cooked it up.” Jessi scanned their surroundings.
“He never went upstairs. Judging by the way he reacted, I’d say he wasn’t in on it. This way.”
Charmaine nodded as she shined a flashlight on the ground. The small paved alley, called Jasmine Lane, was just wide enough for one vehicle. Tall shrubs bordered either side of it. The lane widened several yards in to allow two vehicles to pass, then narrowed again.
“He could have been acting. Darrius ran up the stairs, killed Zed and got back down. Those sounds had you freaking out, too. Mrs. Forstall was chattering away about being scared. Think about it,” Jessi whispered even though no one seemed around.
“Okay, say I looked away. That gruesome racket upstairs did rattle me, no lie. But Darrius would have had to be superhuman to move so fast,” Charmaine whispered back.
She walked several feet before she realized Jessi had vanished. Her heart did several back flips as she gazed into shadows. Charmaine called her name in a low raspy voice. Rising panic fought with her need to keep Mrs. Forstall or the neighbors from hearing them. Then her flashlight winked off.
“Damn it.”
Charmaine struggled to keep her imagination from seeing menacing figures everywhere. A row of boxwood hedges marked the border of the property next door. A darker shape to her left moved. Charmaine raced ahead and got scratched by a large holly bush.
“Owee, damn,” she hissed.
“Keep quiet. You want the entire Garden District to come out here shooting?” Jessi said.
“What the—”
“I’m fine. Lucas showed up and wanted to talk. He apologized for the way he acted the other night.” Jessi grabbed Charmaine’s right arm to steady her.
“Make up with your ghost boyfriend some other time. I don’t want to be in that house too late at night.” Charmaine glanced at the mansion. There was one lighted window on the second floor. The first floor seemed more lit up.
Jessi pulled Charmaine into an opening. A stone bench faced a small bird bath. “You want to hear what Lucas told me. The Forstall how has a couple of nasty spirits. Unpleasant is how he put it. But the real scary thing chased them off. Lucas says evil in the family has grown for over one hundred years.”
Charmaine forgot to be annoyed as she sat down hard on the bench. “Fits with the family history I found. One ancestor made his money in the slave trade. Another tortured a series of mistresses. There were rumors he killed a few. But I’ve never heard of evil turning into an entity.”
“Maybe it’s like static electricity. With the right conditions friction creates energy, static electricity that can cause pain. Could be the ‘thing’ has had enough time to move on its own,” Jessie said with a frown.
“And become deadly. Damn, you’re starting to make sense,” Charmaine murmured.
“Lucas is glad they sent the kids away. Lucas hates these folks after the life he had, so if he’s relieved…” Jessi’s voice trailed off as she looked toward the Forstall mansion.
“Then it’s bad,” Charmaine said.
“Exactly.” Jessi stopped talking suddenly. “Hold up. I see two people looks like. Come on.”
Jessi yanked Charmaine to her feet. She ran at a crouch across the back lawn, with Charmaine being dragged along. She jerked free from Jessi’s grasp as they got close to the house. Silhouettes against the expensive draperies did indeed show one taller and a shorter figure. Charmaine and Jessi looked at each other and then at the window again.
“Who?” Charmaine mouthed.
“Let’s find out,” Jessi whispered back.
Before Charmaine could stop her, Jessi disappeared around the corner of the house. Charmaine cringed at the faint crunch of her sister’s footsteps on the gravel drive way. She fought to control her breathing from their sprint across the wide lawn. Then she followed Jessi’s presumed path down the side of the house. She kept low and close to the outer wall. Then Charmaine froze at the muted sound of voices. A thick arm wrapped around her body pinning both arms to her side. Her feet flew off the ground. Wet lips pressed against Charmaine’s left ear lope.
“Come join the party, bitch,” a familiar voice said. “Don’t disturb the good neighbors if you care about your little sis.”
Triple Cross
Charmaine tried and failed not to tremble when Darrius dragged her inside. They retraced their steps from the fateful night Zed met his end. She would have screamed or at least whimpered, but Charmaine had trouble breathing. The big man’s tight grip didn’t help. He shoved her hard into the library, which caused her to fall. Quick reflexes saved Charmaine from landing face down. Instead she remembered her gym days at school and caught herself, both palms flat on the Persian wool carpet. She looked up to find Mrs. Forstall holding a gun on Jessi.
“Much as I like a woman on her knees…” Darrius licked his bottom lip. “Get up and stand over there next to your sister.”
Mrs. Forstall stepped away from Jessi. “Do as you’re told.”
“I just thought of something. The psychics didn’t see this one comin’.” Darrius snickered at his own joke.
Loretta smiled. “Good one.”
Jessi beat Charmaine to the burning question. “Your triflin’ ass supposed to be in jail.”
Darrius took an automatic pistol from the back waistband of his jeans. He struck a relaxed pose against Mr. Forstall’s massive desk. “The police didn’t have enough to charge me with murder. I got bonded out on them other little charges.”
“Who…?” Charmaine glanced at Mrs. Forstall.
“We have mutual interests,” Mrs. Forstall replied mildly.
“Yeah, we sure as hell do. Loretta figured out helping me was in her best interest.” Darrius winked at the sisters.
Charmaine twitched at the powerful desire to punch the smug grin from h
is face. “Dude, you can’t trust her.”
“I can’t trust anybody in this world. But I got insurance.” Darrius held the gun loosely without pointing it at them.
“I’ve got them under control. Go up and get your share of the gold coins from the safe. It’s open.” Mrs. Forstall smiled as she gave him a quick sideways glance.
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about,” Darrius replied.
“Aren’t you worried about meeting that people eater? Think what happened to your friend,” Charmaine darted a fearful glance at the ceiling.
Darrius and Mrs. Forstall laughed, but he spoke. “C’mon, you fell for that bullshit? Ain’t no monster up there.”
“Damn, you killed your friend. You’re right. The monster is down here,” Jessi said. Her expression hardened.
“Zed and me did business a few times, but he wasn’t my friend. I told him about this job, and he jumped at the chance.” Darrius laughed.
“You set up the poor fool,” Charmaine spat at him.
“Zed wasn’t was a stone cold killer, a thief and he liked little girls. I did the world a favor the way I see it. Sick fuck.”
“Oh sure. You’re a damn hero cleaning up the streets of New Orleans. Now I see the cape,” Jessi said with a snort.
“Hey, I kinda like that.” Darrius smiled nastily. “Call me Street Sweeper.”
“I can think of a few other things to call you.” Jessi hissed and started to illustrate, but Charmaine held up a hand. She stopped but glared at Darrius.
“You didn’t have time to go up stairs and kill him. I was looking at you the whole time,” Charmaine said.
“Loretta set a booby trap with sharp blades. That noise you heard? That was gears working when Zed opened the closet door where the safe is. Whoosh, screech, and bye-bye gangsta.” Darrius waved a hand then snickered.
“Quite an ingenious tool left by one of my ancestors. We found it when we cleared out the attic for renovations fifteen years ago. The thing has no practical use except getting rid of inconvenient people. Apparently the whispers about my great-great grandfather were true.” Mrs. Forstall shrugged. “Oh well, everyone has a few crooked branches in their family tree.”