“Jessica, I have message for you,” I said, watching Mickey.
“Oh yeah?” she snorted. “Hope it’s lottery numbers.” She continued working on Sal’s angel, which was still far from done. I asked Alex, the only one of us not in a chair, to hand me the notepad and pen on my desk. I wrote her a note, then had Alex take it to her.
The veil is inside a suitcase in your best friend’s car.
I watched Jessica as she read the note Alex held up for only her to see, her smug expression quickly changing to one of disbelief. Every pair of eyes on the room were on her as she went white as a ghost, turned off her machine and ripped off her gloves.
“Are you sure?” she said to me, about to jump out of her skin. “Sal, give me five.”
“Was it bad?” asked Mickey, unsure of what to do. “Should I go after her?”
“No, nothing like that,” I said. “The spirits didn’t like the way she was talking in their house, so they passed along a little information that should make her less doubtful.”
“I understand,” said Mickey, wrapping up my tattoo. “She’s lucky that’s all they did. Do they have anything for me?”
“Not right now,” I said, glad to be done and out of the chair. “But I’ll let you know.”
Alex had just slipped into my seat and was deep in conversation with Mickey about his tattoo when all hell broke loose out in the hallway. Sandro motioned to Jude to shut off the machine with the intention of going to the door to see what was going on, but it was too late. It was Lisa, and she was mad.
“Salvatore!” Lisa tore into the room with Agustín right behind her. She was a complete mess, her pale skin red and puffy around her eyes, her clothes rumpled and stained with makeup. Augustin shot Sandro an apologetic look.
“She pushed past me, but I wasn’t sure if I should stop her because of what happened with Mauricio,” he said, motioning toward me.
Sal stood and went to Lisa, grabbing her by the elbow. “We’re not making a scene here. Don’t embarrass us.”
“No!” she cried, her hands on him, dangerously close to the tender, rapidly swelling tattoo. “He’s going to hear me out.”
“Boss?” asked Sandro, approaching.
“It’s fine.” I found my shirt and put it on, careful not to disturb the bandage. I sensed a bad energy coming from Lisa and decided it might be better to listen than give her a reason to act out.
“Rafa, I’m sorry,” she said in English, her Swedish accent thicker than normal, likely because of her stress level. “I didn’t know there was something bad in your coffee.”
“Sal, translate for me,” I said, calmly buttoning my shirt. “Lisa, I know you drugged me, then called the redhead, then Amada, both of whom showed up one right after the other. The whole thing was so perfectly timed, it couldn’t have happened any other way. You have one more chance to tell the truth.”
Sal translated, but to my surprise Lisa answered me in a crude Spanglish she’d picked up here in Miami. “It’s not what you think. I was tending bar with Sal one night, and pretty early in the evening she came up, ordered a drink and asked me where I got my hair done. She said her name was Yoanna and that she was going to school at UIF, like me, so we started talking about hair and clothes, and then she asked me if the owner of the club was single. I told her not to bother because you don’t cheat, and you don’t go for women our age anyway. She thought that was the funniest thing ever and started going on about how all men will cheat with a young, beautiful woman, especially if they’ve been drinking. I told her I’ve never seen you drunk, and that’s when she gave me a muscle relaxer and told me to crush it and put it in your drink, then call her. She had no doubt that between the both of us we’d be able to seduce you, and she even tried to give me a Viagra, too, but I wouldn’t take that one. That’s how it was supposed to happen, but at the last minute I chickened out.”
“What you’re talking about is date rape, which is what I used to worry would happen to you on the ship. It might have looked like a muscle relaxer, Lisa, but it wasn’t, and it could have killed me.” I was trying my best to keep my composure in front of Mickey and Jude, but the sheer stupidity of what she’d done was making me angry, even in the absence of malice. “You don’t give people anything without their knowledge, ever. People go to jail for what you did.”
“I know that now! It looked just like the muscle relaxers I used to take, I swear! I was sure it wouldn’t hurt you. That’s why I refused the Viagra, because I didn’t know anything about it.”
“Didn’t you find it strange that some twenty-one-year-old chick was walking around with boner pills?” asked Alex. “You know damn well no one gives a shit about Viagra because you can’t get high on it. Give me a fucking break.”
“Watch the language, man.” said Sandro.
“Sorry, but I’ve never been able to stand her,” smirked Alex. It was true. Even though they were about the same age, he’d never been comfortable in Lisa’s presence.
“I told you,” said Lisa, hysterical again, “there’s pills all the time at parties. It wouldn’t have surprised me if she’d pulled out an entire bag. Anyway, maybe sluts carry Viagra around for emergencies!” Out of the corner of my eye I could see Sal about to say something when I held up a finger.
“Lisa, calm down and think back. Whose idea was it to call Amanda?” asked Sandro.
“Hers.” She rubbed at her eyes, smearing the mascara even more. “Mine? I don’t remember. Maybe it was hers. When I called and told her to come over, that it was the perfect time, she said I should call Amanda while I was at it so that she’d walk in on it and dump him. No more girlfriend in the way.”
“Lisa,” I said directly to her in Spanish, “Aside from the highly illegal act of putting drugs in my drink, I can’t believe you would break up a relationship so callously, just for fun. Or let her do it. Why?” She started to answer in Spanish, but having too much trouble, she quickly switched to English, the gist of which I understood thanks to Amada’s relentless English lessons.
“Some girls my age think of rich married men as trophies. They get them to cheat and leave their wives, then end it when they get bored. It’s an ego thing, like if you’re hot enough you can have any man, no matter what. That’s what I assumed it was about with her. But as for me, Rafa, you know I’ve wanted you for a long time, way before Sal. I sure as hell would have kept you.”
“And the fact that I loved you didn’t faze you one bit, huh?” shouted Sal. I’d never seen him quite so distraught. He was one of the most even tempered people I knew, so seeing him this way was particularly upsetting. “You just used me as an excuse to stay near Rafa in Miami. In fact, you’re not here for me. You’re worried about losing him for good. He tried to warn me, but I didn’t listen.”
“You’re wrong,” she said. “I have feelings for you, too. That wasn’t fake.” Lisa wiped her nose on the back of her hand and tried to go to him, but he stopped her cold with a look.
“Don’t. I can’t be with you after what you did.” He sat down in his chair, dejected. I wanted to end this whole mess now, for his sake, but I needed to know one more thing, even if it hurt Sal to hear it.
“I need an honest answer from you, Lisa. Do you think about me a lot? I mean romantically or sexually.”
“I—” She glanced at Sal furtively, who by now had checked out of the entire conversation, raising his head only when Jessica entered the room.
“Interesting,” she said under her breath, giving Lisa a nasty look.
“It’s important. We’re all adults,” I warned. Lisa studied Sal again, unsure of what to do.
“Yes,” she said, blushing. “All the time, especially when you’re around.”
“Were you thinking about me when she approached you?” I had a good idea of how Demarais targeted Lisa, but I wanted to be sure exactly how he’d done it and how close he had to get to her.
“No, because I was working on a large order when she sat down. I’d made four martini
s with gin instead of vodka and I was trying to fix my mistake before anyone noticed. She was really nice and patient while I finished up, which is why we started talking.”
“Did a tall, dark man talk to you that night too? French accent. Maybe wearing a hat?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, someone like that ordered a drink just before she came up.” She smiled to herself. “He was super handsome. I thought he had great eyes.”
“What were you doing when he approached? Were you thinking about me?”
“I was wiping down the bar, watching you across the room. I’d just cut my finger and was going to ask you to look at it.”
“That’s all? Nothing sexual?”
“I didn’t say that.” She twirled her long, platinum blond hair, so unkempt it probably hadn’t seen a comb in two days. “Of course I did. I even thought about a threesome for the first time, which is why it was so weird when Yoanna brought it up later.”
“That’s how he did it,” I said. “He read her mind and knew she’d go for it, then planted a few suggestions of his own. Amada says he can do that.” I went to Sandro. “But he has to get close, otherwise he wouldn’t have risked coming back in the club. We have to make sure he never gets in here again, even in disguise.”
“Facial recognition technology at the door. I’ll have the software updated,” said Sandro. “Is she leaving now?” he asked with distaste. “I need to finish this tattoo and get home.”
“Yes!” said Alex and Sal in unison.
“Rafa, please, I don’t know why I did it,” said Lisa, taking a step closer. “Give me a second chance. I can just work as a waitress, not in the office. I know Sal will never take me back, but I can’t go back to the ship. I hated it so much.”
A day ago, there’s no way I would have considered her request, but now I was convinced she’d been unfairly influenced by Demarais’ mind games. However, I still couldn’t get past the level of deception, nor the fact that she drugged me, with no concern for my well-being at all. “I can’t, Lisa. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t do this to me,” she begged. “You have to let me stay!”
“Get lost, bitch,” came a voice from the back of the room. It was Jessica, her New York accent dialed all the way up. “No one needs a cheating whore like you around, especially not Sal.”
“Who the fuck are you?” spat Lisa in English, turning toward Jessica, who now stood toe to toe with her. Lisa was almost half a foot taller, but there was something about Jessica’s energy that was no match for Lisa. Instinctively, Lisa took a step back, then another.
“None of your fucking business, skank, and unlike these gentlemen, I have no issue whatsoever kicking your ass.” She walked toward Lisa, using her entire body to force the other woman to back up all the way to the door, then out into the hallway. “Stop begging for shit you don’t deserve. It’s pathetic!” called Jessica after her.
“Make sure she makes it all the way off property,” said Sandro to Agustín, who nodded and took off right behind her.
“Problem solved,” said Jessica. “Can we get back to work now?” Pulling on her gloves, Jessica said, “Rafa, I apologize. I just made a call and it was exactly where you said. My mom and I have been looking for it for twenty years.” She patted Sal on the back and turned on the tattoo machine. “Looks like we both lost a friend today.”
“What, did you finally find the damn communion veil?” asked Mickey, now hunched over Alex’s forearm. “Thank god, maybe your mother will find something else to obsess over now.” Three tattoo machines turned on at once, but just before I could excuse myself, Sandro surprised me by giving out some well-deserved, albeit rare praise.
“That was beautiful, Jessica,” said Sandro in awe. “You want a job?”
***
Mirtha was due to arrive in a few minutes, so I took the envelope she’d dropped off and made myself as comfortable as I could in Doña Delfina’s consulta. The space had a special significance and I wouldn’t dream of changing a thing, but her preference for hard wooden armchairs always made it difficult to get comfortable.
Knowing I should have looked at Mirtha’s blood work before she arrived, I sat on Doña Delfina’s side of the coffee table and tore open the envelope. Instead of the lab reports I was expecting, it was a stack of sheet music titled “Filomena’s Dance.” This had to be the gift I’d requested, but to commission an original composition just for her was such an extraordinary tribute that I was speechless. I shuffled through the pages, wondering what it sounded like and thinking which musician would be willing to get up in the middle of the day and play it for me.
“Dr. De Leon?” It was Mirtha, at the door of the consulta. “Someone said you were back here. I hope you don’t mind that I just let myself in.”
“Of course not,” I said rising. “Come in.”
“What do you think?” Mirtha gestured toward the pages scattered on the table. “Will she like it?” Unable to articulate what I was feeling, I broke my usual protocol and came from behind my side of the table to Mirtha with open arms.
“I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” I gave her a heartfelt embrace, then led her by the hand to the chair across from me, for the first time noticing how well she looked.
“I’m so glad,” she said, settling into the stiff wooden chair as best she could. “I had no idea. We talked about shoes or an outfit, even a headdress of some kind, then my aunt suggested we call my cousin in Lima. She’s a composer.”
“This is truly an exquisite gift.” I put my hand on the sheet music. “You outdid yourself. Filomena will be very happy.” Mirtha beamed with pride, delighted to have succeeded in her mission to please me. She looked so different than the last time she’d been here, forlorn and crazy with jealousy and lust. Today she was almost glowing, the lines on her face all but gone, her long, straight hair shiny and thick. I couldn’t help but think how pretty she was, and I told her so. “Mirtha, you look wonderful. What’s been going on?”
“Sam and his wife are getting a divorce. It turns out she was having an affair too.”
“So you’re with Sam now?”
“No. After I came to see you, I went to my doctor and asked him for those tests. Everything you suspected was correct.”
“How’s the anxiety?” I started to feel the beginning of a little cramp, another warning from Babalú-Ayé to stop thinking like a doctor.
“Gone. As soon as I broke it off with Sam, all of it disappeared. The rollercoaster of emotions was too much, so one day when I couldn’t stand it anymore I decided to be kind to myself and end it. I don’t know how I found the strength, but I did. Maybe I started thinking a little clearer when I started to feel better, or vice versa. I’m not sure. Although I’m grateful you gave me the tea and sent me to the doctor to correct those other things, I know in my heart it was mostly the relationship that was torturing me, not to mention the guilt over being involved with a married man, and once I pulled myself out of it, everything improved. I can’t even imagine what would have happened if you’d done as I asked that day and made Sam mine. What a disaster that would have been.
The final piece came when I opened myself up to the idea that there’s more than one man out there, and that’s when I noticed someone who had been under my nose the whole time. There’s a single man who lives a few doors down from me in my apartment complex, and one day we started talking about these rare ducks that live in our community. The more I talked to him the more attractive he became, and after a few days he kissed me. One thing led to another, and now we spend a few nights a week together. We’re good friends, and we meet each other’s needs for now. The sex is satisfying enough that we can both take our time finding the right relationship.”
“I’m so happy for you, Mirtha. And you didn’t need me for anything.”
“Dr. De Leon—” She sat forward, excited, her barely buttoned silk blouse revealing ample, shapely breasts. I could sense that her sexual energy was at an all-time high, but I had to wonder if
that particular force wasn’t having far too much of an effect on other aspects of her life.
“Please, call me Rafa.”
“Rafa. I’m inspired now. I feel so good, finally unburdened by that horrible, addictive relationship. I know I’m in the right place to find true love. That’s why I brought the gift for Filomena. Do you think she’ll help me?”
“Yes, we can ask now. I’ll give you a blend of herbs for a series of baths you can take at home, and I’ll give you an oil that you’re to use at certain times of night, preferably outdoors, but if a spirit chooses to help you, it can happen very fast. Are you prepared for that?”
“I’m ready.” Mirtha’s eyes shined in the already dim light of the consulta, her femininity voracious and consuming. I felt it, the lack of balance around her, her uber-femininity eclipsing its natural opposite. I didn’t answer right away, doing my best to channel her essence, so that I would understand what was needed. Above all else I could feel an overarching dominance coming from her, its character unfriendly in nature. My initial impression last time had been correct. I was certain there hadn’t been any men in her family for a long time, and that condition had created a disconnect between her and prospective mates. Essentially, they were interpreting the lack of male energy around her as a preference rather than a circumstance, then internalizing it as a sign of being unwelcome. I had no doubt, but I wanted to confirm before I created the elixir.
“Tell me about the men in your family.”
“What do you mean?” She was visibly surprised by the question and unsure of how to answer.
“Your father, uncles, brothers. Are you close to them?”
“No. I was raised by my mother, my aunt and her four sisters. I’m an only child, and all my cousins are female. Only a couple of my aunts ever married, but it never lasted long, like my mother’s marriage. My father left before I was born.” She looked down at her hands. “I don’t usually discuss it with anyone.”
“I’m sorry if the question is upsetting Mirtha, but as your counselor I need to know certain things. Thank you for sharing it with me.” I stood and went to her, extending my hand. I walked her to the center of the room and indicated that she should sit down on the floor.
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