by Melissa Good
Marie smiled. “You brought up in the church, that what you mean? My daddy was a preacher here in N’awlins. Didn’t stop him from consorting with the spirits. He used to hire out for exorcisms. Made some good money at it.”
Kerry blinked at her. “Exorcisms?”
“Sure,” Marie said. “You got people who come here and buy them a house, you see? Old houses. They like that cause they’re pretty. But they find out there’s creaks and bangs and stuff moving round. They hear voices, so they call up the local priest and he takes care of all that.”
“Really?” Dar asked.
“Honey, I seen things,” Marie said. “I done grew up in this town, and things I seen. You can believe or not believe but I don’t doubt. You said yourself you saw something last night. You know what it was?”
Dar considered the question. “No, I don’t. But it looked like a tall male figure wearing an old style hat and a trench coat. Couldn’t see a face, just the outline.” She paused. “I thought it was someone trying to break in our room at first.”
“Ah huh.” Marie frowned. “You sure it wasn’t?”
“If it was, he jumped off the balcony after I went to the window,” Dar replied. “There was a big crack of thunder and lightning. Blinded me a little, then he was gone.”
Marie and Charles exchanged looks. “They got some ghosts up at that Sonesta, but the ones I heard, ain’t like that one,” Charles said. “They got the library ghost and the butler one, walks up and down those big stairs they have, and then the cook what done hung himself in the kitchen. They don’t like to be in that kitchen after hours.”
Marie nodded. “That tall one sounds new,” she said.
“Is it possible it was just imagination?” Kerry asked. “We took that night ghost tour earlier in the night.”
“Could be,” Marie said. “You all see anything on the tour? Some of that, you know, ain’t all together on the up and up.” Her eyes twinkled a little. “We got a living to make, after all.”
Charles chuckled. “That rooftop woman, and they do have a projection they do in the garden.”
Kerry’s eyes widened. “That’s fake?”
Dar patted her leg and grinned. “There ya go, babe. I figured there was a logical answer.”
Kerry suddenly felt like she’d been cheated. “Wow. That’s a bummer. So I guess they were probably blowing cold air down your neck from that alley.” She looked chagrined. “But I don’t get it. You said before that ghosts were real, and that New Orleans was full of them. Why would they need to fake it?”
“Well now—” Charles put his cup down.
“Because ghosts don’t perform on schedule,” Dar said. “And those tours depend on people seeing them.”
Marie lifted her hands and put them back down. “All those stories have a grain of truth, see. But like your crusader friend here says, you can’t depend on them. Those tour companies, they need consistent visions so that people get on the Internet...you know the Internet?”
Both Dar and Kerry chuckled. “We’re familiar with it,” Dar said. “But I get it. People see those things and take pictures and that kind of thing, and the word spreads. Good marketing.”
“Yes,” Marie said. “But this thing you saw? That’s new to me. You?” She looked at Charles.
“Never heard of that one,” he said. “So what you say, Marie? You going to tell these ladies their fortunes?”
Marie studied them thoughtfully in silence. “I don’t think I can,” she said. “I think you and I could lead them to some beautiful place for lunch, but when I look to see what road these two are taking, I don’t see anything at all.”
Kerry felt a weird prickle go down her spine and she felt Dar’s thigh twitch under her fingers. “Is that good or bad?” she finally asked.
“For me? Terrible.” Marie laughed. “Honey please don’t be telling everyone I said that. I got my reputation to think of.” She sobered and paused briefly. “But you? I talk to people and I kind of guess where they’re going, if you know what I mean. What they said, what they do, what they want. When people come to ask for their fortune, they want what they want, you know?”
Dar nodded. “Yeah.”
“That’s what she asked me,” Charles said. “If I told people their future, or what they wanted their future to be.”
“But people who go chasing off big scary ghosts? I don’t know where to begin to tell you what you’re going to get yourselves into,” Marie said. “So what about that lunch? I got me a place you can get the best fried chicken in New Orleans. That do you?”
“Fried chicken? Always,” Dar amiably agreed. “Let’s go.”
Kerry slid off the stool with a strong sense that the two fortune tellers were diverting their attention away from the arcane. She could tell they were both a little uneasy with her and Dar. As she followed them out the door, she also had the sense that someone inside the store was still watching them.
Or maybe it was just her imagination again.
KERRY SUCKED ON a bit of sugar candy as they walked down the sidewalk toward Jackson Square. “That was, for sure, the best fried chicken I’ve ever had.”
“For sure,” Dar agreed wholeheartedly. “And I’m willing to bet I’ve had more of it than you have.”
“Probably true,” Kerry said. “Wow, it was good.” She felt pleasantly stuffed, and equally pleasantly surprised at the southern style sides that even seemed new to Dar. “I’ve got to try making that corn bread.”
“You can try any of that on me any time you want,” Dar said. “So, more shopping then back to the hotel to get ready for our Boos and Booze tour?”
“Now that I know it’s all fake, I’m going to have a much better time,” Kerry admitted. “That was fun, Dar. I’m glad we ran into those two. Except it was kind of weird that they just decided to go to lunch with us and left off all the fortune stuff.”
“Did we freak them out?” Dar wondered. “Hey, want a cup of coffee?” She pointed. “There’s a cafe, and I think there’s a parade coming.” She pointed down a side street, where the sounds of music were suddenly loud and present.
“Mm. I see cheap plastic beads in my future.” Kerry contentedly followed her over to the cafe, mounting the steps and taking a small table off to one side. “Have I told you how much fun I’m having at our Valentine’s Day celebration? I’m going to have to work my butt off to match this next year.”
She sprawled in a chair, glancing around at the rapidly filling up cafe as others heard the approach of the parade and decided to get a good spot to watch it from. “I think you freaked them out,” she said after the waiter left with their order. “With all that old soul stuff. What did you think about that?”
Dar leaned back in her chair and hiked one boot up onto her opposite knee. “I don’t know. I’m not sure what that was about. I don’t feel like an old anything right now.” She rolled her head to one side and gave Kerry a grin. “Didn’t make sense to me. I think they were trying to tie that into reincarnation, but I don’t think I’ve been here before.”
Kerry considered that as she watched a young couple at the next table sharing a kiss. The other onlookers watched with wry bemusement, but she wondered if that would still be the case if she and Dar were to copy them.
“I don’t feel like I’ve been here before either,” she mused. “Well, except for when I met you.”
“Me?”
Kerry nodded. “Remember when we met, we were racking our brains to figure out where we knew each other from?” She reached over and curled her fingers over Dar’s. “But we couldn’t, because we’d never met.” She watched Dar’s pale eyes intently study her. “But when I met you I felt like I’d always known you.”
The parade was getting closer and louder and the street was filling with watchers. Dar’s gaze went internal for a few minutes until the waiter came back with their café au laits accompanied by small crunchy biscuits. She nodded absently, then returned her attention to Kerry. “Yeah, maybe,” she conce
ded. “I definitely felt a connection to you. Always have.”
Her phone rang and she pulled it out and answered it, holding her other hand over her ear. She rolled her eyes at Kerry. “Yeah, I’m here. It’s loud. Sorry about that.”
Kerry leaned back and watched the parade, the crowd near the street all cheering and reaching toward the floats, who were again tossing things at them with cheerful abandon. Rather than stand up and attract them, she settled for watching the street side participants as she listened with one ear to Dar’s conversation.
“Alastair, they’re out of their minds,” Dar said after a long period of listening. “There is no way I’m going to agree with that, much less the client. Why should we? You know perfectly well how I got involved in that. Hell, Hamilton was there.”
She listened again. “They did? Okay, well, then they’re more brainless than I figured.” She shook her head, and glanced at Kerry. “They fired Hamilton.”
Kerry wasn’t surprised to hear it. After the last round between the Louisiana lawyer and ILS she’d figured him for short term. “Is he coming here for Mardi Gras? Maybe we can have dinner with him.”
Dar paused in mid-word and her eyes twinkled. “Good point. Is he coming to visit the family? He know we’re here?” She grinned. “I’ll text him. Anyway, Alastair, they need to just move on. They probably don’t want any part of it anyway. It could get a little squirmy for them from a publicity standpoint.”
She listened for a minute. “Because the contract involves domestic surveillance,” she said. “That enough for you?”
Kerry heard the exasperated sound coming from the phone. “Didn’t he know that?” She frowned. “Have him tell them from me that as the ex-VP of operations, I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole.”
“That’s what Kerry just said,” Dar said into the phone. “Or better yet, have your friend the vice president explain it to them, because I saw that memo about who could or couldn’t bid. Doesn’t he owe you one?”
“Poor Alastair. Isn’t he retired yet?” Kerry sipped the rich, fragrant coffee.
“Exactly,” Dar said. “It’s a contract based on delivery objectives. They’re not funding anything. I just gave them a framework and brought on some programmers. I don’t even know how much margin it’s even going to end up having.”
“You sound so sexy when you talk like that,” Kerry said.
“They did?” Dar sounded surprised. She looked back at Kerry. “Mariana and Duks resigned,” she told her. “That’s why Alastair’s still around.”
“Poor Alastair.” Kerry shook her head. “Maybe they’ll open their own accounting and HR firm and we can outsource to them.” She winked at Dar. “Hey, didn’t you say Alastair was a pilot? He want to come be our private plane guy?”
“Are you listening to this?” Dar started laughing. “Kerry’s got a business plan for everyone.” She gave her a fond look. “I don’t think Alastair wants to move to Miami, hon.”
Kerry saw another float heading their way and stood up and went to the rail to see better. “Oh, wow. Look at those costumes.”
Dar leaned back and admired Kerry’s profile. “So anyway.” She said. “I’m sorry it’s such a Mongolian, Alastair. Seriously, anything I can do to help?”
“Well, Dar,” Alastair said. “Call me crazy, but I did think of suggesting they contract you as a consultant.”
“Oh fuck.” Dar clapped her hand over her eyes. “Kill me now.”
“No, listen,” Alastair said. “It’s really not so funny because the problem is these people just don’t know what to do. They leaned for so long on you, and probably me a little, that they’re striking out in panic now, Dar. If I could get you to come in and talk to them, maybe that’ll help.”
“How? So I can tell them what to do and they can throw their cobalt blue ceramic cups of piss and vinegar at me?” Dar asked. “Alastair, I’ve got my own company to run here.”
“Whooo!” Kerry snagged a tangle of beads out of the air, then grinned as one of the men on the float hopped off and danced through the crowd, ducking and weaving as people thrust their hands out to him begging for the trinkets he carried.
“Well, that’s the point, Dar,” Alastair said placidly. “You start a company and before the paint’s dry on your business card it’s a success. Remember what we said about them figuring out how much of ILS’s success was you?”
“Oh for Pete’s sake. I’m just one person.” Dar sighed. “Ker, watch out!”
Kerry had her thighs braced against the railing and was leaning over as the float runner danced over to her and leaped up, handing her a coconut as he grabbed onto the rail to hold himself in place for a moment. “Thanks!” Kerry grinned at him, pulling herself back.
“I know you’re just one person, Dar, but you made a difference.
Maybe if you talk to these guys, they’ll figure out how to move along instead of sitting there stewing and plotting to send lawyers after you,” Alastair said. “Worth a try?”
Dar sighed. “Sure. You’re the one suggesting it and in the line of fire.”
“Atta girl.”
“Anyway, let me go grab hold of Kerry’s belt before she ends up being pulled onto a parade float,” Dar said. “Whatever you want to do, Alastair, I’m good with it. Just don’t promise I’ll come back to work there.”
“Will do, lady. Have fun.” Alastair sounded pleased with himself. “Talk to you next week, and if you see Ham, buy him a bourbon on the rocks for me will ya?”
“Will do,” Dar said. “Later.” She closed the phone and got up, tucking her fingers into the back of Kerry’s jeans waistband as she leaned over to talk to the still hanging float man. “Complications, Ker.”
“They’ll wait for Monday.” Kerry handed her the coconut. “Say hi to the Zulu folks. They like to party.”
Dar smiled and toasted the man with the coconut, getting a waggle of his eyebrows and a stuck out tongue in response. “I guess it’ll wait for Monday,” she agreed. “Cheers!”
Chapter Seven
SEVERAL HOURS LATER they were back in the hotel and free of beads and bangles and mostly drunken tourists that had accompanied them on their tour.
“That was way more Booze than Boos.” Dar was flat on her back, regarding the slowly circling ceiling fan. “Way funnier than last night, though,” she admitted. “That guide was hilarious.”
“He was. My stomach still hurts from laughing,” Kerry said. “That one story about the pub owner who told everyone he heard voices telling him to tap the kegs...”
Dar chuckled.
“I didn’t see any ghosts. Did you?” Kerry emerged from the bathroom and joined Dar on the bed, squirming over and using her as a pillow. “Like, not even one.”
“Nope.” Dar stretched her body out, then relaxed again and closed her eyes. “Hungry?”
Kerry shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m still full from lunch.”
“Good. Me too,” Dar said. “Maybe later I’ll be up for ice cream.”
Kerry chuckled. “Dar, I’ve never heard you not be up for ice cream regardless of what we’ve eaten.”
“But they had cappuccino mint chip hand churned on the menu and it caught my eye.”
Kerry gave Dar an indulgent look. “Uh huh. Should I get an ice cream churn for the cabin?”
Dar’s brows hiked up and she returned the look with interest. “We can get one that actual real people can use, not chefs?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Hot damn.”
“Done deal. It’s healthier to use all fresh ingredients anyway.” Kerry glanced up and seeing the devastatingly droll look had to laugh. “Well, that’s the theory.”
“The front desk said they could get us tickets to some ball somewhere. You interested?” Dar listened to the derisive snort in response and smiled. “Okay, so we’ve had our fortunes not told, been on two ghost tours, seen parades, have throws from at least five different krewes, eaten the best fried chicken on earth and had around a hal
f ton of beignets. What next?”
“You forgot the picture I bought.” Kerry stifled a yawn and snuggled closer, wrapping her arm around Dar’s. “How about we just hang out here together and listen to the music coming from outside.”
Dar began scratching Kerry’s neck gently, moving along her scalp as she squirmed in pleasure. “That sounds good to me. We can chill out on our balcony, too.” She smiled as she felt Kerry’s breath warm the
skin on her stomach through her shirt. “Or we could just lie here.”
“We could do that.”
Dar gave her a hug. “You’re so easy.”
“I love you,” Kerry said simply.
Dar lifted her head a little and peered down at her. “I love you, too. And I think this is a completely appropriate discussion for Valentine’s Day, don’t you?”
“You bet.” Kerry sighed contentedly. “You know what’s cool, too? That we’re both here and we don’t have to worry about anything or anyone saying something because we’re both here.”
“Did they ever do that?” Dar mused. “Not after the first year or two, right? No one cared after that, did they?”
Kerry pondered that for a minute. “Well, I cared,” she admitted. “I was always thinking about what people would think if both of us took off at the same time. Which doesn’t make sense now that I’m hearing myself say that, but I think there was always a little bit of guilt there for me.”
“You mean how you got the job?” Dar asked.
Kerry nodded. “Even though you told me a thousand times.” She gazed up at her partner. “I’d been in that spotlight too long.”
Dar nodded. “Yeah, I know. When I actually pressed all the buttons to hire you, and sent you that email, I thought about that.”
“You did?”
“For about five seconds.” Dar grinned sheepishly. “I knew you’d be rock star at the job, so that never bothered me. But I also knew if we ended up where I thought we would, it would be a little awkward.”
Kerry smiled in response. “I remember being in a meeting one day, after we’d started sleeping with each other and I swear I was convinced everyone was staring at us because they knew. Then I realized that everyone probably did know because we were wearing each other’s necklaces since we’d gotten up late that morning and just grabbed and ran.”