Black Magic Lover

by Cynthia Cooke

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “To the graveyard.”

  A bird shrieked. A chill snaked along her spine. “What on earth for?”

  “There’s something I want to show you.”

  The path narrowed. Tall weeds encroached. A multitude of noises sounded around them—large insects or small animals scurrying about.

  “Are you sure this is something I want to see?” She turned away from the grasses and looked out at the dark, still waters littered with cypresses standing tall on knobby roots.

  Instead of answering, he picked up his pace.

  “Drew!” She tripped on a rock, or at least she hoped it was a rock. Around here it could be anything. “Can we slow down here a minute?”

  He stopped and turned back to her, the look in his eyes almost desperate.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked, suddenly afraid.

  “I need to know why you’ve come back.”

  “I told you—”

  “No. I mean why right now. Why today?”

  Be careful. Not everyone will want you here. The warning rang through her mind. Could she trust him? She wasn’t sure, but she wanted to. And worse, she could use his help to find her mother.

  She should tell him.

  “I got a call. I don’t know why and I don’t know who from. All the person said was that my mother never left the bayou. That I should come back quickly. And…” She looked him in the eyes, trying to gauge his reaction. “And not everyone will want me here.”

  He looked surprised and slightly disturbed. “Sounds cryptic.”

  She nodded. “Ominous, even.”

  “So you flew right down?”

  “Took a leave of absence from my job and everything.”

  His mouth hardened. “Did you try calling here first? Talking to anyone to see if your mother was actually here?”

  “Who would I call? I don’t know anyone.”

  “Obviously someone knows you.” His eyes narrowed to slits. “Someone who wanted to lure you down here.”

  Suddenly aware of how much bigger he was than her, and how much stronger, she looked around, searching for any sign that they weren’t alone, but saw no one as the sun sank in the sky.

  “Your mother isn’t here and hasn’t been here for a very long time.”

  Laura looked at the brackish water on one side of her and the tall grasses on the other, realizing there was nowhere to run. Why had he brought her there? What was he planning?

  “Are you one of those people who don’t want me here?” Her voice caught over her words, but she had to ask. Shadows lengthened, enveloping her.

  He stepped close, kicking her heart into overdrive as his gaze locked onto hers. “I’m afraid for you.”

  Fear fluttered in her chest. “Why?” she asked, the word coming out in a strained whisper.

  “The last time I saw you, you were floating right out there.” He pointed to an area beyond them about fifty feet into the dark water. A thick tangle of vines choked the surface. How had she gotten out there? Was this what her mind had been blocking all these years?

  “I swam out and saved you and almost drowned in the process. We were both taken to the hospital. By the time I was released, you were already gone.”

  Laura stared at the greenish-brown water and shivered. Deep inside, she felt the truth of his words.

  “You didn’t swim out there on your own that night, and whether you want to believe it or not, someone lied to bring you here now. You need to go back to the house, grab your bag and get out of here as quickly as possible.”

  His gaze hardened, scaring her even more than the darkening waters.

  “And for your sake, I hope you never look back.”

  Laura didn’t know what to say. She stared at the swamp, at the tangle of vines and, for a second, she could imagine them wrapping around her legs, her arms and pulling her under.

  “Why would someone do that? I was just a little girl. And why would someone lure me back here to hurt me now? No one even knows me here.”

  “The reason doesn’t matter.”

  Hearing the hard steel in his voice seemed reason enough, and yet she couldn’t give in that easily. “Even if you’re right I can’t leave, not yet. I just got here. I haven’t had the chance to talk to anyone yet, to find out anything about my mom. I need to know what happened to her.”

  He took a step closer to her. “I’ll ask around for you while I’m here.”

  Yeah, right. Her back stiffened. “I have to stay.”

  He brushed past her quickly, heading back down the path toward the house, leaving her all alone in the darkening swamp.

  Did someone really want to hurt her? Did he want to hurt her? Maybe she should go home. But if she were to leave, than that would mean she’d given up. She couldn’t quit. Not after she’d come this far.

  She walked back toward the house refusing to let Drew intimidate her. She wouldn’t scare that easily.

  She thought back to the whispered phone call and couldn’t help wondering what the caller’s game was. Where was her mother?

  Be careful. Not everyone will want you here.

  Chapter 4

  Laura must have been more tired than she thought. After coming back to the house, she unpacked her bags then fell right to sleep. And from the stiffness in her back when she woke, she obviously hadn’t moved much.

  She got up, showered and dressed, then went downstairs to the kitchen to get a quick bite. She hoped Martha would give her a ride into town. She wanted to ask around about her mom before she ran into Drew again.

  After a boiled egg and some toast, and with Miss Martha’s keys in her hands, Laura stepped out the kitchen door. Unfortunately, Drew was leaning against a large tree staring out at the water. Waiting for her? She hoped not.

  “I can take you into town,” Drew said, turning as she approached.

  “That’s quite all right. You left me alone in the swamp last night. I’d rather go by myself.”

  His eyes narrowed. “I knew you were capable of finding your way back to the house.”

  “Thank you,” she said dryly.

  “Randal’s rally is this morning. Both he and Jeanne will be there along with some of the store owners who knew your mother.”

  “Great.” She walked toward Martha’s old sky-blue sedan.

  “I have to see Randal anyway. There’s no reason for us both to drive in separately.”

  She kept walking. Yes, there was; she didn’t want to be alone in the car with him.

  “Do you know how to get there?”

  She stopped. He had her there.

  He stepped up behind her. “Although I believe you’ll find no one has seen your mother in years.”

  She spun around, facing him. “If you believe that, then why the pretense of wanting to help me?”

  He reached out and gently ran his fingertips along her jaw. She stiffened. She felt unsure and annoyed even as awareness tingled through her.

  “I just don’t want anything to happen to you,” he said, his eyes tender, his voice soft.

  Was that it? She wished she could trust him. She wanted to trust him, but just because he acts like he cares for a nanosecond doesn’t mean he actually does.

  He arched a brow. “Well?”

  “All right,” she agreed. There really was no reason to take two cars into town; she just hoped she wouldn’t regret it later. She took Martha’s keys back to her.

  As they drove down the road with neither one talking, Laura stared out the window to keep from looking at him. His cologne permeated the air. She couldn’t ignore it any more than she could ignore the imprint of his touch still lingering on her jaw. He had an intense physical affect on her and yet, she couldn’t help wondering, if he wanted to help her, to be around her, then why was he so insistent she leave?

  Could she trust anyone? Someone had lied to her, called her on the phone and brought her here promising the one thing she’d always longed for and hadn’t
had—her mother. It was cruel. And according to Drew, it was dangerous.

  She had to find someone who’d known her mother, who’d been close to her, someone who could help her discover what had happened to her all those years ago.

  They drove across Devil’s Walk Bridge that stretched across the bayou and passed by the large white manor house she’d seen earlier from the cab.

  “That’s Randal and Jeanne’s place,” Drew said.

  The Larames.

  “I’d like to talk to them. They are the closest people to family I have.” Her mother had been married to their son. They had to know something about her, maybe even something that could help Laura find her.

  “What do you remember about Paul?” Drew’s voice didn’t sound quite right.

  She turned to him. He was looking straight ahead though a muscle twitched in his jaw.

  She thought back to her adopted father, and tried to bring up his face, but had trouble.

  “I can’t get a clear image, but I remember his smile and how much I cared for him.”

  An uneasy silence stretched between them. Laura shifted in her seat, wondering if there was something about Paul she should remember. They passed a man standing off to her right, his weathered face gaunt with chiseled narrowness, his eyes sunk deep into his skull. Spindly arms hung limp at his sides. In one hand he clutched a dead animal with a long, hairless tail; in the other he held a rusty hatchet. He watched her as they passed; his cold, hard gaze boring into her made her skin crawl.

  “What is that man doing?” she blurted, louder than she’d intended. “Possum hunting.”

  Laura watched the man step onto a flatboat and drift silently across the glassy waters back toward Lionsheart. He tilted his head toward her in a slight nod. The gesture puckered the flesh on her arm.

  The road widened slightly and they entered a small town. Drew parked the car then gestured toward the quaint shops surrounding a grassy town square. A large gazebo sat in the middle of the square.

  “So what do you think? The town hasn’t changed much—do you remember it at all?” Drew asked.

  Laura looked around her but felt nothing. She squashed her disappointment. She couldn’t expect all her memories to come back so soon. “It’s very charming. Much more so than I’d expected.”

  “How about we stop at Mabel’s Diner. You must remember Mabel’s milk shakes?”

  She didn’t. “You’re trying to cheer me up.”

  “I am.”

  Her gaze perused his face as she tried to understand him, but she could read nothing behind his guarded eyes.

  He held out his hand. Hesitantly, she took it. Warmth spread through her at his touch. How could her body respond to him even when her mind warned her not to? They passed a sewing shop, an antiques store and a barbershop as they walked toward the small diner. Now that she was back in civilization, the air wasn’t as cloying, nor did everything seem so sinister.

  Even Drew didn’t seem so dangerous. Perhaps she was jumping at shadows that didn’t exist.

  “Your mom used to bring us down here to play in the park.” Drew waved toward a small park across the street.

  She scanned the weathered playground equipment and the gazebo, wishing something looked familiar. It would be nice to be able remember her mom pushing her on the swings or spinning her on the merry-go-round, rather than living with this dark empty hole of nothingness.

  She looked at Drew’s hand clasped within her own. To the casual bystander it must look like the most natural thing in the world to be walking down the street, holding hands, going to get a milk shake.

  When in fact, it was so surreal she could barely comprehend it.

  Drew opened the door to the diner. She walked in and was immediately taken in by the old-fashioned red vinyl booths and the long soda counter forming a horseshoe around the kitchen.

  An older woman with the name Mabel embroidered on her shirt approached them, rubbing her hands on her apron.

  Perhaps this woman knew her mother.

  Mabel’s gaze caught Laura’s. The woman stopped short, a look of stunned disbelief fixed on her face as her mouth dropped open.

  Laura stiffened, her friendly smile freezing.

  “Jesus, Mary and Joseph,” Mabel said, crossing herself. “What are you doing here?”

  Drew stepped forward. “Mabel, it’s Laura Larame. Don’t you remember her? She’s come home.”

  Laura looked at him then back to Mabel. No, not home.

  Mabel stared hard at Laura another second before her expression changed into guarded wariness.

  “I’m looking for my mother, Delilah Larame,” Laura said, annoyed when her voice broke.

  Mabel’s eyes widened. Her mouth hardened. “That woman ain’t showed her face round these parts in a long time.”

  Stunned by the venom in her voice, Laura steeled herself for the confrontation. “Why not? What happened?”

  “She’s a murderer, that’s why.” Mabel’s face reddened and spittle formed around the corners of her mouth. “That’s what happened!”

  Laura gasped, her eyes widening.

  “And if you find her, you send her back this way so I can get me some justice for what she did to my Georgette.”

  Her nasty tone turned Laura’s blood to ice as a chill swept through to her bones.

  “Merde, Mabel. It was an accident. A tragedy for both our families.”

  “Was it? You Larames are the only ones who think so.”

  With a hand to the small of her back, Drew led Laura out of the diner. They stood on the sidewalk as Laura tried to gather herself.

  “You all right?” Drew asked.

  No, she wasn’t all right. “What was she talking about? What accident?”

  “The one that killed Paul. Mabel’s eighteen-year-old daughter, Georgette, was in the car with him. They both died instantly.”

  “And she thinks my mother had something to do with it?”

  “The townspeople here can be a little strange. They’re a superstitious lot who are always expecting the sky to fall. But like I said, it was an accident, nothing more.”

  “Then why did she call my mother a murderer?” She searched his eyes, trying to determine how much he was keeping from her. There had to be more. Before she could say another word, an elderly couple heading for the diner stopped and stared at her, their faces filling with trepidation. The woman clutched her husband’s arm, and he hurried past her inside Mabel’s place.

  The fine hair on Laura’s neck prickled. “People are looking at me like I kill puppies or something. Is it because of my mother? Because I look like her? What aren’t you telling me? And why did you bring me here if you knew how people were going to react?”

  “I haven’t been here in a decade. I could only guess how people would respond. Many here believe Delilah killed Paul and Georgette. It’s one of the reasons you shouldn’t stay. Why people won’t be too happy to see you, to remember the past. You needed to see that.”

  Be careful. Not everyone will want you here.

  To Laura’s dismay, she began to tremble, though she didn’t know if it was from anger or pure emotional exhaustion. Drew stepped forward and pulled her against him. She didn’t want to stand within his arms. He said he wanted to help her, but at every turn he did the exact opposite. Stiff in his embrace, she knew she should pull away, she should turn and run, but instead, she stood still, clinging to him until the warmth of his skin, the smell of his cologne, the feel of his strong, hard male body reached inside her. She relaxed as his hands moved lightly up and down her back, sending erotic shivers cascading through her.

  She blew out a deep sigh. “You’re right. My mother couldn’t still be living here surrounded by all this animosity.” Laura looked around her, searching the faces of people passing by and found nothing to welcome her. The small town had lost its charm, its quaintness, and instead had become something ugly.

  Drew’s bayou-green eyes held hers. “People here have had more than their
share of tragedy for a small town. It’s made them wary and suspicious. Are you going to be okay? Do you want to go back?”

  “I’m fine. And no, I don’t want to go back. Not yet.” She forced a smile and, though she was reluctant, she let him go. Why was it he suddenly seemed to be the only normal person in a world gone insane?

  And he didn’t want her there. She took a step toward the curb and glanced across the street at the park he’d said they used to play in as children. She tried to recall happier, more innocent times, when she was young and her mother was there to watch out for her.

  “There must have been a reason she left you behind,” he said against her hair, standing close behind her. Was it the heat of his breath or the deep timbre of his voice that caused her heart to race?

  “I only hope I can discover what that reason was.”

  A child laughed as her mother pushed her high on the swing.

  Because mothers who love their children don’t abandon them.

  A large white Mercedes passed them and pulled up next to the town square. Drew blew out a breath as he glanced at his watch. “They’re early.”

  Laura stared at the top-of-the-line car and her stomach flip-flopped. The Larames. Would they remember her? Would they be pleased to see her? Or would she remind them of her mother? She hoped they didn’t blame her mother for Paul’s death, too.

  With a gentle touch on her arm, Drew led her across the street toward the car. “Randal’s running for senator again and he’s holding a small pep rally. Not that he needs to. He already has this town’s votes.”

  “Do you think they’ll be happy to see me?” Whatever they felt, she hoped they didn’t look at her in shocked disbelief and fear like the rest of the townspeople.

  “I think they’ll definitely be surprised.”

  As they approached the car, the driver’s door opened and a well-dressed man stepped onto the pavement. Drew shifted in front of her, blocking her from the man’s view.

  “Hello, Randal,” Drew said, stepping forward.

  “Drew!” Randal grabbed Drew’s offered hand and pulled him into a warm embrace. “It’s good to see you.”