Evil in Hockley (13 page)

There was silence while Marie stared at
Shelley.

“I’m going to make a brew. I can help
her but it will take time.”

Marie left for the kitchen and Karma
followed.

“Mom, Lenea threatened to kill me last
night after we killed John. I don’t want to fight her. One of use
will die.”

“You may have no choice. I taught her
more than I taught you. Your gift is closer to a witch’s. I
honestly didn’t know how to train you. Lenea is a born Voodoo
priestess.”

Marie mixed herbs in a pot adding
leaves and bones that hung on a wall. She retrieved a brown liquid
from a cupboard and added that as well.

“Boiled cow urine,” she
said.

She sprinkled in a little yellow
powder.

“Dried ear wax from a pig,” she
said.

“Mom, you’re joking right?”

Marie gave her a look but didn’t
answer.

She put the mixture on the stove to
boil.

She added more bones.

“The bones of a fox.”

She added another bone that appeared to
be from a human finger.

“Jimmy Dean’s middle finger. He had the
nerve to give mother the finger when she told him she didn’t
approve of his conduct. You know after he impregnated me. Mother
could be vicious where family was concerned.”

Marie stirred the brew.

Karma watched as she tasted some from
the spoon.

“Eew.”

Karma almost lost her
breakfast.

Marie could see her reaction and
said,

“If you do upchuck a meal do it in the
pot. It could use a little more fibre.”

Karma ran to the washroom, hand over
mouth. She could hear Marie chuckle as she fled the
kitchen.

Karma sat in the living room while
Marie spoon fed broth to Shelley. It was a laborious process: it
was obvious the woman didn’t want the brew.

“You know what they say; you are what
you eat,” said Marie.

Then added,

“And sometimes it’s not what you’re
eating but what’s eating you.”

She gave Karma a knowing
glance.

“You know what Lenea did to her don’t
you?”

“No mom, other than a
spell.”

“The spell was a mere formality. She
gave this woman a brew that is slowly embalming her. Her blood is
turning to vinegar. The drug deadens the nerves as well so she
couldn’t feel pain. Your spells interfered with the process but
didn’t stop it. You do have talent in a different way than Lenea
and I. We couldn’t have done what you did.”

On the second day of being spoon fed
Shelley, Marie chanted in the woman’s ear. Colour came back to
Shelley’s skin and she started to rock back and forth. Finally she
pushed the spoon away and said a single word.

“No.”

“She’ll be all right,” said
Marie.

Chapter 23

Days earlier Lenea was in a car not far
away watching John Dean kick the crap out of Harry Tanner. It
happened so quickly she didn’t have time to respond. Tanner pulled
a gun from under his car and shot John to death.

Lenea was able to spell Tanner because
she had something very special of his. Before John had met with
Tanner the first time she and John had found his mother’s grave. In
the dead of night she had three of Joe Sharky’s men dig up her
remains. She retrieved only the skull then they covered the grave
again. No one would be any the wiser.

Lenea held the skull and chanted into
the boney mouth then kissed it. Not because she had to but because
she could feel the rush of power when she defiled another person’s
dead kin. Tanner went out like a light. She grabbed his Beretta and
pulled the trigger but the gun jammed.

Lucky bastard.

She would have found another way to
kill Tanner but time was of the essence with regards to giving John
a second life. It would be an artificial one but she wouldn’t
completely lose him. Life was for the living after all and if the
dead could help then so be it.

On hindsight she realized she should
have taken an extra minute to cut Tanner’s throat. But then
hindsight is one hundred percent accurate. One can’t dwell on the
past.

Lenea, Joe Sharky, and John, or what
was left of him, flew to New Orleans to deal with Tanner. She
watched her mother’s house knowing that’s where they would go. She
saw Karma leave her mother’s house where she met Tanner. She and
John had a mind to mind connection so she sent John a message to
attack Tanner.

That night in the alley she didn’t take
the skull thinking that John would easily kill Tanner. She would
keep her sister busy but the bitch surprised her. She shoved a
split board into John’s chest. She wouldn’t have had the strength
to shove it into his heart but Tanner did. John’s heart was crushed
and it would in no way pump blood through his system. Not even with
her drugs and a spells.

Her plan was simple: next match she
would, through the use of the skull, make Tanner kill Karma. It
would be the perfect ending for big sis. Then she would take
Tanner’s life.

Joe Sharky was a whiner. She stood
beside him as he cried on his uncle’s shoulder. Sal Bejenco ran all
the dock workers unions, three of them. He had his hand in every
illegal operation in New Orleans all the way to Baton Rouge. He was
untouchable owning politicians and police officials. People who
stood in his way somehow disappeared. Lenea had respect for Sal but
not an ounce for Joe.

“They killed Bobby for no reason at
all,” cried Joe.

“So you’re here because you can’t
handle two broads and a guy?”

“Uncle Sal, this guy’s lucky as shit
and hard as hell to pin down. I need help. Just this
once.”

Sal eyed Lenea then said,

“So what’s your part in this
deal?”

“To kill Tanner like I’ve been paid to
do.”

Sal laughed.

“Then why’s he still
walking?”

Lenea didn’t answer.

“I asked a question, bitch. Answer
me.”

“Like Joe said, he’s lucky. And he has
help.”

Sal Bejenco sat rubbing his chin then
said,

“All right. I’ll have a couple of the
boys rub him out. Just let me know where they’re staying and I’ll
take care of it. This one time, Joe.”

“Thanks, Uncle Sal.”

Lenea wasn’t so sure about the
certainty of the hit. The targets were at her mother’s house and
Marie was not someone you fucked with. Not even the mob. People
that messed with her somehow wound up in her broth. She’d keep that
to herself for now. Not because she loved mom, the woman that threw
her and John out on the street. The reason was simple: the harder
the kill the more money she’d be offered to make the problem go
away.

Lenea sat in the rear seat as two
hit-men, Matt and Kevin drove toward the French Quarter. She was
there to point out the targets. Joe was dining with Sal. It would
all go down tonight, one way or another.

Chapter 24

Everyone’s eyes were on Shelley as she
explored her skin, her hair, and clothes as though she’d never
known them before. Her skin was almost white but still had an
unhealthy tone to it.

Marie said,

“She’s healing inside out. The skin is
the last to change.”

Harry was getting impatient.

“Can you understand me
Shelley?”

Her yes were bandaged again but her
face turned in his direction. There was a hint of what may have
been intended as a nod.

Marie spoke,

“Harry, I can feel your frustration and
know the urgency of the answer you seek. Shelley will speak when
she’s ready. If you prod her she may only be confused and retreat
deep inside herself. If you want to do something go out and get us
all some ice cream. Butterscotch I think.”

At that Shelley straightened and the
hint of a smile tugged at the edge of her lips.

Harry and Sandy left the house and
walked along the street.

Sandy said,

“Now I know what it feels like to be a
fifth wheel.”

“Not much we can do Sandy. That’s why
we came here to turn Shelley’s healing over to Marie.”

“Yah, I know, but…”

Harry eyed Sandy who was
preoccupied.

“Four, six, two.”

“What’s up girl?”

“The plate of the car that just passed.
Last three digits. It went by the house when we came out the door.
Now its passing us again. Two guys and a woman in the back seat.
None of them looking directly at me but I felt as though I was
being watched.”

“Good girl. You’re no fifth wheel.
We’re going to separate for a little bit but we’ll stay on parallel
paths. Let’s see what they do. The idea is for me to get to your
car and get my Beretta.”

“You brought it? A hell of a risk at
the border or if we got pulled over and searched.”

“Better than having to stand against
hit men with a Swiss army knife. Joe has connections here,
remember? Got you cell?”

“Yup, I’ll keep in touch.”

“Okay girl, take this alley to the left
and I’ll take the next.”

Harry and Sandy were separated as they
moved toward her sedan. He could see a woman in the distance but it
was too far to make out if it was Sandy or not. Harry’s cell phone
rang.

“Sandy, what’s up?”

“Why Harry you know my name’s not
Sandy. It’s Lenea.”

“How did you…”

“Oh Harry don’t ask. Go pick up your
gun. It’s still under the spare. I haven’t tampered with
it.”

“What’s the reason for this
call?”

“To remind you I’m still here and we
have a date. Being the woman I’ll pick the time and place. Bye for
now and stay alert. I want you all to myself.”

She hung up.

Harry couldn’t see the figure in the
distance. He was only a few feet away from the sedan so he popped
the trunk, moved the spare, and retrieved his Beretta. He stuck it
in his belt and covered it with his loose blazer. He then searched
for Sandy who should have made her way to the parking lot by
now.

He found her crumpled in a heap a few
feet inside the alley. His heart skipped a few beats as he ran to
her. She was alive and beginning to stir when he reached
her.

“You okay Sandy?”

She held her head in both hands. Harry
checked but there was no visible trauma.

“I’m all right but I’ve got a killer
headache. I was walking toward the end of the alley, then bingo. It
felt like a lightning strike in the back of the head.”

Harry helped her to her feet and held
her tight. Sandy’s cell was on the ground not two feet away. It
would have Harry on speed dial. It wasn’t magic or some cosmic
method of communicating. Lenea had commandeered Sandy’s cell. The
woman must have been close when they split.

Harry walked Sandy back to the house,
dropped her off, then went out for ice cream. He wasn’t worried
about Lenea with both Marie and Karma in the house.

Shelley had a visible smile on her face
when Marie spooned ice cream into her mouth. When some dropped in
her lap she giggled like a little girl. She was coming
around.

Harry waited for Marie to finish then
said,

“I want to thank you for helping
Shelley, no matter how it turns out. If she can’t remember anything
then so be it. She’s alive.”

Marie didn’t answer only stared. The
woman knew there was more and waited.

“Lenea called and told me to stay
alert. That she wanted me all to herself.”

Sandy cut in,

“The two goons in the sedan. They’re
coming. And maybe more.”

Marie said,

“She warned you. There’s more to her
game. She wants personal revenge for killing John Dean.”

That evening Harry broke down his
Beretta to make certain it was still functional. Lenea knew where
it was but true to her word she hadn’t tampered with it. He was
reassembling it when he noticed Marie stiffen. She gave him a
knowing look then eyed the front door. It was dark outside and
unusually quiet. He heard a pop and through the curtains could see
the streetlight near the house went out.

Harry sat at the dining room table
facing the doors and windows. He finished reassembling his gun then
snapped in the clip and chambered a round.

As he did the front door blew open and
two men entered, guns drawn. Harry fired two shots striking his
attackers in the head. He fired two more into their throats as they
sank to the floor.

His cell rang.

“I’m impressed.”

It was Lenea.

“It’s what I do for a
living.”

“We play the same game, you and I,
Harry. Can’t wait to dance with you.”