Swamp spirits, p.25
Swamp Spirits, page 25
“What do you mean ‘people like us’?”
“Poor people, uneducated, not Christian or connected with New Orleans society.”
“So you think all of this was Karmin’s idea and Elijah just went along with it without even thinking? Was he that weak? After all, he stole the journal from you and used it to help him find a way into the house.”
Her jaw flexed and I knew I’d made her angry. “I think she led him down a dark path…like Lucien did Lovelie. Money is the great corrupter. But so is love. When you’re offered both, it’s a hard temptation to resist, especially for a young man who left the protection his family offered. If you’ll excuse me, I have things to do. They’re releasing Elijah’s body today. I have to prepare what I need for the purification. The evil that infected him can’t be allowed to spread any more than it already has.”
We headed out and climbed back in the SUV. I watched as Destiny exited the shop and locked the door behind her. She carried a box of God knows what, and I assumed it was all needed to treat the corpse before another curse descended on the family.
“So?” Ida Belle asked as she started the car.
“Home, I guess.”
I wasn’t sure if I’d accomplished what I wanted there. I hoped Destiny was right about Abel not pursuing the jewelry any longer, but ultimately, that remained to be seen. As far as Destiny was concerned, it was all over except for the curse protecting part, and I suppose for her, it was.
I slumped back against my seat and closed my eyes, both my body and my mind tired from everything that had transpired in the last couple days. I must have lapsed into a state of light sleep, because I could see Destiny in front of a coffin, holding sticks of incense and chanting.
He thought our culture outdated and fanciful.
The evil that infected him can’t be allowed to spread.
His lack of belief was his end.
It’s my responsibility to be the spiritual guide for the family here.
Abel serves only himself.
He would never kill a Charitte.
He’s also a coward.
I jolted awake, my heart racing. I whipped around toward Gertie.
“That bag that the bath salts came in? Do you still have it? Crap! Never mind. Your purse blew up last night.”
“That was my waterproof purse that exploded,” she said. “It was supposed to rain so I changed handbags. I still have the bath salts bag right here.”
She held up her purse.
“You thought of something,” Ida Belle said to me.
I nodded. “I thought of a lot of something. We have to get that bag to Carter right now. I think Destiny is the one who shot Elijah.”
What?
No way!
They both responded at once.
“Where the heck did that come from?” Ida Belle asked.
So I took them down the rabbit hole—Destiny’s deep belief in the Leroux house curse and the risks Elijah took by going there, her knowledge of where he was living, her insistence that both Lovelie and Elijah were led astray by love then corrupted by evil, and the things Destiny had said about Abel.
“She was practically disgusted when she said Abel wouldn’t dare kill a Charitte,” I said. “It felt odd when she said it, but I couldn’t but my finger on exactly why.”
“But if Destiny killed Elijah to protect the family, then it makes sense,” Ida Belle said.
“You really think she’s that deep into what she believes?” Gertie asked. “That she would kill over it—and a family member? One who lived with her during his childhood?”
I nodded. “I think Destiny absolutely believes that what Elijah was doing would bring the wrath of the spirits onto the family. My guess is when Karmin first approached him, he started asking questions about the Leroux estate and that made her suspicious. That’s about the same time as Big says she started paying the rent late.”
“She thinks her financial problems were because of the curse Elijah had brought onto the family,” Ida Belle said. “I suppose anything is possible, but how did she know how to find him that night?”
“Remember she made that comment about being led astray by love in regard to Elijah and Lovelie. But none of us ever suggested there was any romantic overtures involved with what was going on, and Carter wouldn’t have either. So there was no way to know unless…”
“She was following him,” Ida Belle said. “And saw him with Karmin, who was playing up the romance angle to keep Elijah doing her bidding.”
I nodded. “Remember how guilty she looked at the house last night when I questioned her about that?”
“Oh yeah,” Ida Belle said. “She was definitely playing him.”
“But if Destiny figured out what they were up to, then why not kill him in New Orleans at that sketchy motel?” Gertie asked. “Why would she risk going there when she thinks the house is evil?”
“I think she would have killed him at the motel, but I’m guessing by the time she figured out what they were up to, Elijah was squatting at that camp,” I said. “Remember, they had full access with a key before Harrison and Cassidy moved in. That changed everything. Someone needed to be on-site to know when the house was empty.”
Ida Belle nodded. “The timing makes sense. When Harrison and Cassidy made the offer, Elijah started asking questions about the house, trying to narrow down where the jewels were before they moved in. Destiny knew something was up because Elijah didn’t have any interest in their family history and only contacted her about money. So she followed him and saw him with Karmin. But before she could get to him in NOLA, he bounced.”
“That’s what I think,” I said. “And I don’t think she ever went into the house or ever would. When Elijah disappeared from NOLA, I think she followed Karmin and saw her meet him in the woods and go into the tunnel.”
“And she would have known about the tunnel from her grandfather’s journal,” Gertie said.
“Exactly,” I said. “So she just waited, hoping she could get Elijah alone. And she got her chance because after Cassidy fell, Karmin left—whether she fled or they argued and he refused to go, we may never know but at some point, Elijah decided to clear out as well.”
“And Destiny was waiting for him when he came out of the tunnel,” Gertie said. “That’s cold.”
“She wouldn’t see it that way,” I said. “As the eldest, she sees it as her responsibility to protect the family.”
“So she shot him and he ran back into the tunnel to get away, because he figured Destiny wouldn’t follow him there,” Ida Belle said. “But what if he hadn’t died? Wasn’t Destiny worried that he’d get away and identify her as the person who shot him?”
“I think Destiny believes she was on the side of righteousness and doing the spirits’ bidding, so they would take care of the rest,” I said. “Remember, she said Celine wouldn’t tolerate a traitor in her midst.”
Gertie nodded. “And even if Elijah had managed to get to the hospital, I doubt he would have given up his cousin when he’d have to admit what he was doing as well.”
“So why hide in that tunnel room when he ran?” Ida Belle asked.
“My guess is he couldn’t make it up the ladder. He’d lost a lot of blood and would have been in shock on top of it. I mean, his cousin had just shot him. He was probably in panic mode and figured he should hide, just in case Destiny came after him.”
“That would also explain why Karmin didn’t know Elijah was dead,” Gertie said. “Because although she denied knowing who he was, her shock at a body being found there looked genuine.”
“And it explains why she didn’t bring the gun with her into the house last night,” I said. “That one has really been bugging me.”
“I would have never put that together,” Ida Belle said. “But it tracks—in a Destiny sort of way. So what’s up with the bath salt bag?”
“I’ll tell you all inside,” I said as she pulled into a space in front of the sheriff’s department.
I ran inside and grabbed the arm of a startled Carter, who was talking to the dispatcher, and pulled him back to his office. “I need you to lift and run some prints.”
“What prints?” he said.
I motioned to Gertie and she pulled the paper bag out of her purse.
“It will have Gertie’s prints, of course, but I want you to lift others off and run them against the prints you pulled off the rounds in the murder weapon.”
I felt my chest tighten when without question, Carter put on gloves, took the bag from Gertie, and started lifting prints. A couple minutes later, he loaded them into his software and I clutched Ida Belle’s shoulder as we all bent over the desk, waiting for the results.
It was a short wait.
“There’s a match,” he said and stared at me in disbelief. “Who do they belong to?”
“Destiny.”
Carter shuffled into my kitchen late that evening and plopped into a chair at the table. He looked as though he needed a shower and to crawl in bed for the rest of the year.
“Rough day?” I asked in my best sarcastic voice as I got him a beer.
“Ha! You don’t even know. First, I debated on do I approach the ADA first or Destiny. I mean, a volcano couldn’t blast either from their beliefs, so it was a rough call. I figured I’d just get in my truck and start driving to the city and I’d figure it out on the way, but when I hit the city limits, I got a call from the NOLA medical examiner.”
“You had the body transferred?”
He nodded. “The local ME had an issue with his cooler.”
I cringed. “Gross.”
“Could have been…hence the transfer. But anyway, apparently Destiny wanted to do some incense and prayer thing before the body was moved out of the building. The ME said she couldn’t access the body because it was stored with others so she’d have to do her thing outside the freezer door. He left her in the hallway to arrange transport to the funeral home and you’re not going to believe what she did—”
“Tried to burn the building down.”
Carter blinked. “I don’t know why I’m surprised anymore. How did you know?”
I shrugged. “Destiny, voodoo, curse…fire is a traditional purification method in many belief systems. And since you smell like smoke and accelerant—lighter fluid?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to be a detective? Because your deduction and observation skills are off the charts.”
“I’d be a liability as a government employee.”
“You spent most of your adult life as a government employee.”
I grinned. “And look how that turned out.”
“Good point. Anyway, I got to arrest Destiny and that stunt got me a pass with the ADA for not closing the file on the case.”
“So he’s dropping the charges against Karmin?”
“The murder charge, yes, but he won’t let it go completely. She’ll be looking at everything from trespass to criminal mischief because of Cassidy’s fall. There’s only her word that Elijah cut the carpet, and honestly, I’m not convinced. It seems too active a role for the person everyone described.”
“Well, without Elijah to say differently, Karmin can claim whatever she wants. She’s a professional-grade liar so it will probably play out well for her.”
He gave me a curious look. “I thought you were disappointed when she was arrested.”
“Because I couldn’t convince myself she’d killed Elijah. Not because I think she’s a stellar human being. But there’s still a big gap between playing people to steal something and murder. And while I absolutely think that whole marriage thing her parents are pushing is archaic and gross, the reality is, if she hadn’t taken advantage, Elijah would still be alive.”
“True. Well, at least it’s finally all over. I can write this up and close the file.”
I just nodded. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that Karmin’s whole arranged marriage thing had sent me off on another avenue of thought—one even thinner than Destiny being the shooter—but one I thought I was equally right on. I’d just have to make sure I was right before I tossed another curveball at him.
“I’m going to get out of here,” he said. “My plan is to take a long shower and then go to sleep for at least twelve hours. Rain check on dinner?”
“Of course.”
He gave me a kiss and headed out. I waited until I heard the door close before picking up the phone and placing a call to Morrow.
“I need a background check—former military. Just a date and battle location of death.”
Morrow didn’t even bother asking me why because he was always better off not knowing what I was up to. And since the request seemed innocuous enough, he simply tapped in the information on his keyboard and a couple seconds later, confirmed what I’d already suspected.
My second call was to Clotilde. I gave her a brief description of everything that had transpired since we’d visited, and she was amazed at all that had happened over jewelry that had been sold long ago. Then I got around to my real reason for calling.
“The day Lucien died,” I said, “did any of the women from town bring food?”
“Yes,” she said immediately. “That strange woman brought those horrible fig cookies. I remember because we always joked about her obvious crush on Lucien.”
“What woman?”
She told me.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ida Belle looked over at me as we pulled into Mudbug just after midnight. Ida Belle had told Walter that we were having a girls’ case-solving celebration at my house and since our plan was to indulge heavily in both food and drink, they were going to stay over.
“You sure about this?” she asked.
“No,” I said. “If I was sure, I’d have told Carter. But since there’s no evidence to get a warrant, we need a fact-finding mission.”
“I get it, but if Mary comes out that back door with a gun, we’re getting the heck out of there,” Ida Belle said.
“It’s pitch-black,” Gertie said. “She won’t be able to see where to shoot.”
“And you think that somehow makes it less dangerous?” Ida Belle asked as she parked at the curb a couple houses down from Mary’s.
We pulled on our gloves and grabbed flashlights and trowels and headed off. We dipped into Mary’s neighbor’s backyard and crawled through the azalea bushes until we reached the stretch of roses at the edge of the lawn. I pulled out a couple of glow sticks and placed them under the bush. It gave us just enough illumination to work with. I looked over at Ida Belle and Gertie.
“Here goes,” I said and we started to dig.
About twenty minutes in, I heard the clink of a trowel striking something hard and solid. I looked over and saw Gertie staring back at me.
“I didn’t want to doubt you,” she said, “but this one was out there, even for me. I should have known better.”
Ida Belle nodded. “Rambo has his work cut out if he’s going to beat you at finding bodies.”
I heard the sound of creaking hinges behind us and cringed when I heard the neighbor’s dog come barking into the lawn…and the barking was headed straight for us. The owner started yelling at the dog—an enormous German shepherd—to come back inside but he’d barreled into the bushes and latched onto Gertie’s foot. She was trying to shake him off when the voice of the one person I was praying slept through the night boomed out.
“What’s going on out there?” Mary yelled. “If you Jesus people are in my rosebushes, I’m going to send you off to meet him.”
I heard the sound of a shotgun pump and flattened myself just as shot peppered the bushes above me. I’d had Gertie bring fireworks in case we needed a diversion but we were well beyond that point. What we needed now was divine intervention. The only plus was that the shot had scared the dog into letting Gertie’s leg go and he’d run off yelping.
“Dial 911!” I heard the neighbor yell. “Mary’s shooting again.”
Another blast tore through the bushes and I felt shot hit the bottom of my shoes. We didn’t have time to crawl back through the bushes. Not without catching a load of shot in our backsides, so I did what any good soldier would do in that situation.
“Run!” I yelled.
We scrambled up into half crouches and took off through the bushes, me bringing up the rear so I could cover. When we burst through on the neighbor’s side, the German shepherd got us in his sights and broke into a snarling run. We made a hard turn and ran for the front of the house, and I was praying the cops showed up before Mary made it out the front door and onto the street.
The dog was barking as he ran, and I knew there was no way we would make it to Ida Belle’s SUV.
“Throw a sandwich or something!” I yelled, because there was exactly zero chance that Gertie didn’t have something to eat in her purse. Or her bra.
As we barreled through the hedge that separated the front and back yard, I saw Gertie fling something off to her right…where it hit an approaching Harrison right in the face. The dog shifted direction and jumped, slamming into Harrison so hard he knocked him down, then the dog grabbed the coveted item off Harrison’s chest and took off running to his backyard.
Harrison scrambled up and stared at Gertie. “Did you just throw a human hand at me?”
“When Mary started shooting, I panicked and took off with it,” Gertie said, wheezing as she talked.
“A human hand?” Harrison demanded. “And a dog just left with it.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I know where you can find the rest of him.”
No one wanted to risk going after Mary with her sitting on the front porch with her shotgun, so we just waited behind the bushes with the cops until she fell asleep, then Harrison disarmed her and two other deputies sat with her in her living room to make sure she didn’t move. Harrison brought in the forensics team to finish what we’d started and by the time Carter crawled out of bed and got over there, they’d unearthed the entire body.
When Mary saw them carrying the body bag down the driveway, she collapsed and the paramedics collected her and took her to the hospital. The Mudbug deputies dismissed Ida Belle, Gertie, and me with the condition that we show up the next day to give our statements. They also decided we could do that in Sinful—for our own convenience. Harrison just smirked. Everyone knew they didn’t want any part of what had gone down here and were tossing it all back to Carter.
