A Cemetery, a Cannibal, and the Day of the Dead

by CC Dragon

  “Like you did drama in high school,” Gunnar teased.

  I spotted Mary Lou. She was flirting with someone.

  “I’ll get her,” Gunnar said.

  Greg was already gone.

  “Crap,” I said

  Gunnar followed Greg and I walked over, not wanting to see more blood.

  Lester was on the floor, bleeding from the nose. Greg stood over the man with his fists clenched.

  “Greg. Really?” Mary Lou said.

  “He’s bad news.” Gunnar kept himself between Greg and Lester.

  Matt walked over and pointed to Lester. “You want me to arrest him?”

  Gunnar smiled. “Wouldn’t mind.”

  “Please, I can talk to another man. I filed for divorce. It’s officially rolling,” Mary Lou said.

  “He’s the guy who made the zombie, Mary Lou. Bad. Very bad,” I said.

  “Thanks for that.” Lester stood up. “You just made me more popular here.”

  “Fine, tell me who’d mess with dead bodies and I’ll take my crew and go,” I said.

  Lester looked over us. “You’re an odd one. You could so easily belong with me.”

  “Nope, really not.” I folded my arms.

  Security came over.

  “We’re fine,” Lester said.

  “Tell me.” I glared at Lester.

  “You’ll know the night and time. You’ll know when. You must trust yourself to stop these people. You don’t need me or anyone else,” he said.

  “He’s messing with you. Trying to lure you out here. I could arrest you on suspicions of sex trafficking.” Matt got in Lester’s face.

  “Police aren’t very welcome here. You might want to go,” Lester advised.

  “We’re going. Stay away from my friends. There are enough creepy girls in here,” I said.

  It was a lot of work for a quick trip but that was how investigating could go.

  Later that night, I knocked on Greg’s door.

  He opened it and I found he was still in his outfit from the club.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “I punched someone,” he said.

  “That’s not going to get you into hell, if you’re trying. It was Lester. He’s evil,” I said.

  “It didn’t matter who it was,” he said.

  “Okay, you’re still hung up on Mary Lou. You two buried it well. Or tried to. Want to find another place to stay?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “That evil. I felt it. I can’t leave you and Ivy alone. Gunnar is strong but he’s not equipped to fight demons.”

  “I know. We can get Mary Lou another place,” I continued on as if he hadn’t spoken.

  “No. She needs to be protected too. She’s your friend. She’s vulnerable. Lester knows her now. He got close to her. I can’t let her be exposed. I can control myself. I swear, I told Gunnar and Matt to keep me in check,” he explained.

  “Why don’t you talk to Mary Lou?” I suggested.

  He sighed. “She tried to make her marriage work. Over and over. One time, she did come to me and I sent her back. I thought she was too weak to leave him.”

  “This death sort of changed all the rules and norms in that family,” I said.

  He nodded. “Exactly. She didn’t stay for Lance. She stayed to take care of that old sick woman. She kept Mrs. Weathers’ illness and condition a secret. She ran the charity events and cared for her mother-in-law. I didn’t give her the credit she deserved.”

  “Neither did I. I thought she stayed for the money. I don’t see why that’s bad for you two. You both have the martyr sickness deep down.” I poked his shoulder.

  Honestly, his room was what you’d expect of a priest, former or otherwise. It was austere and heavy on religious icons. The room was neat and tidy in a drab way.

  “She deserves someone who can take care of her. I am on your team. We’re doing what we do not for money but for people. Earning a living? Being normal? I can’t do that,” he said.

  “It’s okay. I think she’ll have enough money,” I said.

  He glared at me in stony silence. “I’m not suggesting you need to be a kept man. I keep trying to pay you but you’re stubborn.”

  “I get free room and board. It’s crazy.” He stared at me.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I think you might be a bit of a prophet.” He turned quickly.

  I laughed. “I think you need to stop watching Supernatural.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “Me too. I’m here to help people. Help the cops get the bad guys or help the bad ghosts get sent back for judgement or whatever. These extra angels are weird but I’m still me. Lester is a pain but we need to keep an eye on him. All this escalation happened because of Tanya. She can’t let go of the dark stuff. It’ll burn her too one day and she’ll turn around,” I said.

  “This started with your brother selling his soul. You fought his side. Before that, it was Earthbound stuff. You faced down a demon there for good reason. You put yourself on the map for him. The demons won’t stop. The devil never does,” Greg said.

  “So, he has demons. We have angels. What should I do? Summon Beetlejuice? Death? Voldemort?” I teased.

  “Don’t mock,” he said.

  I laughed. “Don’t mock the devil? Please, I’m on his hit list. I’ll mock him all I want.”

  “You’re not afraid?” Greg asked.

  “He can cause a lot of hell on Earth. But it’s easier to see and fight the big bad evil than the sneaky crap. All those people signed up for our clinic already. We have a waiting list and we’re just starting renovations on the building. Tons of people who had good lives but some low-level demons lured them into some addiction and they’re suffering. Their families are suffering. The sneaky small stuff is much harder to fight. Like these body snatcher wannabes,” I said.

  Greg nodded. “You’re right. A demon is easier to battle than your own pride.”

  “Pride? I’m not stupid. I don’t think I’m fighting this stuff alone. Without you, Gunnar, and Ivy, Gran, the angels and some recharging trips to Heaven, I’d be a wreck. They could destroy me and this work would just fall to someone else.” I’d sometimes dreamed about that when the pressure got too much but I wasn’t a quitter.

  “Now that’s too much humility,” Greg corrected.

  I smiled. “Too much pride or too much humility? Pick one, Greg. No one is perfect but I’ve got too many external things to fight. I can’t fight myself. I’m flawed and trying my best. If you want to be perfect, there is no answer. You will fail.”

  He rubbed his neck. “Listen...”

  “No, I got the warning. That’s why it’s best to have you all staying here. If I’m off track, you’ll tell me. If I’m not myself, you’ll get me there or start an exorcism. I know with the clinics someone has to make the final decisions so maybe that’s just going to my head. Or distracting me. But you and Mary Lou—I’m not the only one struggling with stuff.”

  “You have people there to help and check you if needed as well. Don’t push yourself too far. Rest. Or you won’t be up for a battle when it happens,” he said.

  “Now you sound like a prophet. Predicting battles to come.” I turned and grabbed the doorknob for a dramatic exit. “I declare an unhealthy breakfast of pastries and mimosas. That’s my only prediction for tomorrow.”

  “It’s your mansion,” he said with a smirk.

  Chapter Twelve

  Up early to make good on my pastry promise, I returned home with two boxes of sugar and fatty goodness. I found Mary Lou sipping coffee alone at the kitchen table.

  “Hey, you okay?” I asked.

  “I should move out. Greg...” She shook her head.

  “You’re not going anywhere. Lester now knows you’re connected to me. It’s not safe. You and Greg are adults. You’ll work it out. He needs a little more self-control. You might not want to be flirting in front of him or bringing dates home,” I suggested.

  She smiled.
“I’m not even thinking about dating. Not really. It was just flattering to have people pay attention. Now I find out he’s evil. I have terrible taste.”

  I opened a box and set it in front of her. “Lester is charming. He’s good at getting people to talk and feel comfortable when they shouldn’t be. I have to keep my guard up. Evil is so smooth.”

  “Greg isn’t smooth,” she pointed out.

  “No, he’s honest. He cares. He stays here and fights evil. He could be making money teaching back at Tulane. He left the priesthood to help people who needed exorcism and the church wasn’t moving fast enough to approve things. He gets calls all the time. He’s busy with that. The clinic will help with some of it. Hopefully, we’ll get people help before things spiral,” I said.

  “I want to help too,” she said.

  “Great. I’m meeting with Ambrose and Brody today. Paul will be there. I don’t know if they’ve hired a manager but you and Brody will both have jobs there. I need people I can count on to keep an eye on things.” I smiled.

  She grabbed a pastry. “You don’t want me working with Greg.”

  “No.” I poured myself some coffee and got a plate for my own sugary treat. “You’re not trained. Exorcism isn’t just a movie or TV show. It’s real. It’s dangerous. I don’t want you to be in on those. You’ve got people skills and know how to run things. If there is a doctor not being professional or some lapse in security, you’ll tell me.”

  “Fine. Brody is nice,” she said.

  “You really want to work with Greg?” I asked.

  Mary Lou stuff the pastry in her mouth to avoid the conversation. Gunnar and Greg were downstairs before I could push the issue.

  It was Saturday and Greg mixed orange juice with sparkling wine since we had no actual champagne.

  Matt came down dressed for work while Ivy and Brody both were in robes.

  “Matt, you’re sure?” I asked.

  “I have to get back to normal. I need to check on this case. I know it’s not a murderer or the same. But I just buried my mother and the idea of someone trying to break into her grave or bite her...” His jaw clenched.

  “Just don’t take all that to work. It’s not personal,” I said.

  He nodded and grabbed a bear claw. “Have a good day everyone.”

  We waved as Matt headed back to real life.

  “I’m going to get dressed. When is our meeting?” Mary Lou asked.

  “Let’s say ten,” I said. “Right, Brody?”

  Brody lifted a glass. “Ambrose is there with a team. Paul confirmed. Brimlow is busy but we’ll live without him.”

  “I’ll drive.” I stuck to coffee.

  “Greg and I will find a cleaning lady or something,” Ivy said.

  “You can even call a service for now. Thanks,” I said.

  “This isn’t exactly a normal house and I’m not talking about the size,” Greg teased.

  “Right. And I don’t want someone who’ll play or get off on the haunted part.” I didn’t like the idea of someone I didn’t know in my house. But I wasn’t going to clean a house this big with this many people in it.

  At ten, I pulled up to the building that looked normal on the outside except for the permits for construction. It was mostly a gut and redo internally.

  Mary Lou sat in the passenger seat but Brody took his own car. We all got out and headed inside. Paul and Ambrose were already there.

  I made the introductions and Mary Lou charmed everyone, as usual.

  “You have a silver streak in your hair,” Paul said.

  “Oh.” I reached over and removed the clip-in extension. “Ivy did it. I totally forgot. It was a late night.”

  “We went to this weird vampire bar last night. But De, you’d look adorable in silver streaks. What’s that trend? Graying your hair,” Mary Lou gushed.

  “That’s dumb. I’ll go gray when it happens,” I said.

  “Vampire bar?” Ambrose asked.

  “It was part of a case. It was a lead,” I said.

  Paul looked at me oddly. “Any luck?”

  “Not exactly. Brody was right, though. There is evil there. Not just people playing dress up and roleplaying vampire and victim,” I sighed.

  We went over the progress and the plan. I was happy with Brody keeping an eye on things. Mary Lou asked a lot of questions of both Ambrose and Paul. I saw that her flirting was automatic. She didn’t keep a lid on it at all.

  “Mary Lou is interested in volunteering right now. We might take her on as part of staff once we’re there. She’s good with people and New Orleans,” I said.

  “Great. We’ve been referring critical cases to other places. The wait list is packed. I’d like someone to follow up and make sure they’re getting treatment in the meantime,” Paul said.

  “Can do.” Mary Lou smiled.

  “Hopefully, I’m earning my money,” Brody said.

  Ambrose laughed. “He’s on top of everything. If we’re not exceeding code, he’s not happy.”

  “If the budget will bear the top grade, we do top grade,” Brody said.

  “Excellent. I’d rather do it right the first time,” I agreed.

  “We can take the tour and then grab some lunch. I want to hear more about this club,” Paul said.

  That night, we pulled together and took out the trash. The dishwasher hummed and people were planning to sleep in on Sunday. There were plenty of leftover pastries for the next day.

  “We found the perfect houseboy,” Ivy said.

  Greg sighed.

  “I said you could just use a service for now,” I said.

  “We won’t be here forever,” Matt agreed.

  “It’s not about you two. The house ghost that had done most of the cleaning is gone. We need human help,” I said.

  “Pedro is sweet, hardworking, and his sister is a nun. He’s respectful of all the ghosts and stuff. No mocking or disrespect. Best of all, his mom cooks like crazy. She has a business called Meals for Busy Moms. She makes up big meals with instructions on how to heat them up. Pick up or delivery. Pedro could bring stuff when we want some meals and don’t want to cook,” Ivy said.

  I looked at Greg. “And?”

  Greg shrugged. “The guy is nice. He’s young. He could handle this place. He happens to be a drag queen as well on his off hours.”

  “Ah.” I tilted my head at Ivy.

  “Yeah, well, he works part-time as a bartender too. But that’s the beauty. He already works for us. We know him. We trust him. He’s a good guy and just needs more hours. I’ve been to his mother’s house. He knows how to clean. She taught him well and he’s clean at the club,” Ivy defended.

  “Fine. Twenty hours. Morning but not before nine. Focused on bathrooms, kitchen, and floors. We can all do our own laundry. And before you ask, no, I won’t pay him cash under the table. Add it to his hours at the club so he’s full time and get him benefits,” I said.

  “That’s even better,” Ivy said.

  “I know and legal.” I pulled my vibrating phone from my back pocket.

  It was Paul.

  I answered. “Hi, what’s up?”

  “This place is full of fetishes and fears acted out. It’s fascinating,” he said.

  “What? Where are you?” I asked.

  “The club you mentioned. Mary Lou was kind enough to give me the address. I could write entire papers on this place. The blood metaphors. The power exchanges. Symbolism. The sexual and sexist components, then the role reversals. I’ve read and studied some but seeing it at play... You didn’t like it here?” he asked.

  “Like it? Am I going to have to get you off blood?” I asked.

  “What?” Greg asked.

  “Mary Lou gave Paul the name of the vampire club. He’s there. I’m not sure if he likes it with his psychiatrist brain or his other head,” I snapped.

  “It’s purely professional. The need to amp up or kink out sexual acts only makes one prone to wanting more. Like an adrenaline junkie,” he s
aid.

  “I’m sure your girlfriend will be glad to hear that. Are you okay there?” I asked.

  “He doesn’t have a girlfriend,” Mary Lou chimed in.

  “She’s right and I’m fine,” Paul said.

  I suppressed my annoyance at the two getting so friendly.

  “Why did you call?” I felt like he wanted me there.

  “I am getting some odd attention. I attempted to fit in but it’s not really working,” he admitted.

  “What’s the problem?” I grabbed my purse and nodded to Gunnar.

  “I’m going too,” Mary Lou said.

  “I’ll have to call you back later,” I said to Paul and ended the call. “You sit down and behave. You want to date him, date him. Don’t encourage someone you don’t know to go to a club like that. He’s interested in the mental predilections of those people and not seeing the danger. And men don’t like being rescued by women, not that I care about that part.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t want to date him. What’s so dangerous? Greg only punched that other man because of our history.” Mary Lou looked down.

  “You didn’t even see the real dangers. That’s the problem. You’ve gotten used to people taking care of you. Ivy, meet your new waitress. Part time at the club so she can get a taste of working again. And reading people,” I said.

  “I don’t know how to waitress,” Mary Lou said.

  “Good news, they train. Work there in exchange for room and board. Don’t worry, you’ll still work part time with the clinic. If you’re too busy, you won’t have time to stir the pots, I hope.” I headed out the door.

  Gunnar drove. He could tell I was too mad.

  “She means well,” Gunnar said.

  “I know but she needs something to keep her busy or she’s going to meddle and make my life crazy. I can’t run around after her stuff and my own work,” I said.

  “You don’t have to rescue this guy,” Gunnar added.

  “He’s not in real trouble yet but I don’t need him getting in trouble or beaten up. Mary Lou was there because of me. I brought her to the meeting. It’s all my fault,” I said.

  Gunnar cleared his throat.

  “Don’t. Let’s just get him out of there,” I said.