Big Easy (Cowboy Craze) Read online

  “Do you have any reason to think he’s sick?”

  “No.” Easy glanced at her with a twinkle in his eye. “Maybe it’s just a woman.”

  Jewel nodded, a small smirk on her face. “Yea. A woman. Nothing serious.”

  “Right,” he said, then his eyes went wide. “No. I didn’t mean that.”

  Laughing, Jewel shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I understand what you’re saying.” She checked the time on the dashboard clock. “We’ll get into Saint Francisville in about a half hour. Why don’t we grab lunch first, then go to The Myrtles Plantation?”

  “Whatever you say. You’re the tour guide.”

  “Ha! Hardly. We’re just visiting some places I’ve always wanted to go too. My dad did a lot of traveling for his work, but vacations were never a big thing in my family.”

  There was something in her voice that made Easy wonder what she considered to be the ‘big thing’ in her family. “So, you’re an only child?”

  “Right. My parents weren’t together long enough to produce a second kid.” Jewel pulled her hair up, twisting it around her fist.

  “That stinks. Were you close to your dad when he was alive?”

  “Very much.” She frowned, a tiny furrow appearing between her brows. “But to be fair, my mother was always my best friend.”

  “Was?” He picked up on the inflection. “Until the scam ordeal.”

  “Yea,” Jewel admitted, a sad look on her face. “I felt like she let me down.”

  “I can understand that. A child always wants to think his parents are going to protect him.” Even as he spoke the words, a wave of guilt swept over him. A son ought to do everything he can to protect his parents also.

  Jewel jerked against the seat belt as an image of an eighteen-wheeler broadsiding a pickup truck barreled into her brain. She opened her mouth to ask him about it, then stopped. How could she ask him? How could she even frame the question? In this odd mind-link she was experiencing, Jewel didn’t know where to draw the line between a connection and an invasion of privacy. “Uh, I did have one other friend.”

  “Did?”

  Jewel noticed he seemed almost relieved to be talking about something else. “Yea, her name was Anne.”

  “Was Anne a childhood friend?”

  “No.” Jewel smiled in memory. “Soon after my mom moved to Florida, I went to the post office in neighboring Acadia to mail some oils to a customer. On my way out of town, I stopped at a small grocery market for something to drink. As I was leaving the store, I noticed a woman standing at this large bulletin board, a place where people posted notices of things for sale or announcements for meetings. She was a middle aged red-headed lady pulling a portable oxygen tank. I was near enough to see she’d just put a thumbtack in a slip of paper. Since a couple of people were in front of me, trying to maneuver through the crowd with their full grocery buggies, I took the opportunity to read her advertisement.” She laughed softly. “The headline said, Lonely Old Lady Seeking Coffee Buddies. Something just compelled me to introduce myself.”

  “Did you end up being coffee buddies?”

  “We did. For about two years. Due to the steps she would’ve had to climb to get into my house, I always went to hers. She was ill, with an acute lung disease, one that was manageable with medication.”

  Easy let Jewel talk about Anne. She seemed to get lost in the reminiscing.

  “Even though she was quite a bit older than I was, we hit it off. I told her everything. I’ve never been around someone who was so open and nonjudgmental. Maybe, it was because she knew her time to live was short, but she seemed to see people through different eyes. More loving ones.”

  “Was she alone?”

  “No, she had a family, a husband, and three grown children.”

  “Since we’re speaking of her in the past tense, I assume she’s no longer with us?”

  “Yea. She died about three months ago. On her own terms. She just stopped taking the medication.” Jewel bowed her head. “Her decision made me so angry. My mother was gone. The town had turned against me even more than usual – I was alone. And then…I found her and had someone to talk to again. Someone I could be myself with.”

  “I’m sorry, Jewel.” Easy took her hand and squeezed it.

  “At one point, she told me she was going to enter palliative care. I’ll admit, I didn’t really understand what that really meant. Some months later, after she went on an extended vacation to visit her children, she told me she was going to discontinue all medication.” Jewel frowned; her eyes stormy with memories. “I still didn’t really get it, you know? She was alive – talking, watching television. Laughing. The last time we were together, she ate chocolate cake with me. And then…her husband called and told me not to come for my regular visit. He said she was comatose. A couple of days later, she died.”

  Easy didn’t say anything, he just rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb and let Jewel take her time.

  “What got me was that she was still living a fairly pain free life – I thought. Anne was never short of smiles or encouraging words.” Jewel exhaled and shook her head. “At the funeral, I saw all of these photos of when she was active – vacations, hikes, going out on the town with friends. I began to understand a little at that point, how different her life was at the end from what it used to be.”

  “Did this change make her life less valuable?” As he spoke, what he said seemed to ring in his own ears.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Couldn’t you have helped her?”

  The question exasperated Jewel. She shifted uncomfortably in the seat. “I offered, but I don’t know that I could’ve changed anything if she’d let me try. I have helped people in the past, but I’m not a healer. I’ve heard of one or two in my time, but those folks weren’t your run of the mill rootworkers. Unfortunately, there’s not enough magic in the world to defeat death. I did see her again, however.”

  “What do you mean?” Easy was surprised to see a peaceful and serene smile on Jewel’s face. “Did you summon her like you did Eliza’s mother?”

  “No. She came to me one morning when I was walking through the fairy garden. I’ll never forget it. When she appeared to me, Anne was young. Vital. Strong. She seemed completely happy.”

  “Wow.” Easy glanced at her, then immediately back at the road. He was totally fascinated with her story. “Did she say anything?”

  “Yea. Anne told me she was glad to finally be able to visit my house, then she said, Be happy, Jewel. I’m me again.”

  “Incredible.”

  His whispered word was completely overshadowed by a vision blazing itself from Easy’s mind straight into hers. She could see an older man dressed in a black suit with long dark gray hair. Jewel could tell by his face he was undoubtedly related to the man who’d come to mean so much to her.

  This time, she couldn’t hold her tongue, she had to ask, “What are you thinking, Easy? Tell me.”

  After a moment’s pause, he spoke softly, “Jewel, do you think you could summon the spirit of my father? I owe him an apology.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Easy wanted Jewel to conjure his father. To apologize. “Yes. I think so.” She could see in his eyes what this request meant to him.

  “Would you need one of his possessions to do the ritual?” He remembered the things she’d used to connect with Eliza’s mother.

  “I’m not sure it would be necessary, but do you have anything?” she asked as they drew near to Saint Francisville.

  “I have his Izze-kloth.” Easy cut his speed as they came to an intersection. “Which way?”

  “Turn left on Commerce. What’s an Izze-kloth?”

  “A medicine cord worn by Apache shaman believed to confer strength and healing to the wearer.”

  His voice sounded flat and emotionless, but Jewel knew this was huge for him. She would need to know more than she could read from his thoughts, but she could wait until he was ready to tell her. “
I thought we’d eat at the Magnolia Café.” She pointed ahead of them. “It’s on the left, next to the 3V Motor Court.”

  At first glimpse of the location she referred to, Easy laughed out loud. “Talk about a blast from the past. I’ve seen places like this in movies.” He pointed to the row of small, identical cabins, painted white with sage green trim. “I’d swear Bonnie and Clyde stayed here.”

  “There are claims of that fact, but I looked it up and it wasn’t true. They were already dead four years when the court was built in 1938, ambushed in a small Louisiana town about three hours northwest of here called Gibsland. I think it would be a great backdrop for a movie about them, though.”

  As Easy parked in front of the café, he gazed out at the quaint town. “You seem to know a lot about this place. Have you eaten at The Magnolia before?” When Jewel started to open her truck door, he stopped her. “Just stay seated, let me be a gentleman today.”

  Jewel smiled, liking the idea very much. Once he came around to her side to help her out, she answered him, “No, I haven’t eaten here. At one time, I planned to.” She held his arm as he walked her to the entrance of the rustic restaurant.

  Once they were seated at a table overlooking the street with menus in hand, Jewel finished her explanation, “I rarely talk about my mother and our relationship with anyone. She’s not like other mothers, but...”

  “Hey, you can tell me anything.” Easy could tell she was embarrassed. “Let me tell you something about my mom and me that might make you feel better.”

  “What’s that?” Jewel liked the way he leaned in to confide to her. She loved looking into his eyes. They reminded her of tiger eye jewels.

  “Well…Mother was close to each of us in her own way. I’m not saying she played favorites, but we did spend a lot of time together. She loved to travel, and Dad didn’t, so I went places with her. It all started when I took some college course in high school, before I got my driver’s license. She’d take a book to read, drive me the hour to the place where the class was being held, and wait for me. On those trips, we became close. She listened to the music I liked, and we learned we had more in common than we thought. After that, I went with her on several vacations, just she and I. We went to Nashville, Little Rock, Memphis, New Orleans, San Antonio – all over. Road trips were our favorite, trying out new restaurants, talking and laughing every mile of the way. After I became twenty-one, I even took her to the casino. She loved to play the penny slots.”

  As Jewel listened, she rubbed her palm down his forearm, appreciating the strong muscles and beautiful bronzed skin. “You and I sound a little bit alike.”

  They paused in their conversation long enough to place an order for two spicy shrimp poboys with fries. Once their drinks were served, Jewel nodded toward the window. “In all the travel brochures, they describe Saint Francisville as the little town of two-thousand people that sits on a high ridge over the Mississippi, a town two yards wide and two miles long.”

  “You sound a little like a travel brochure.”

  Jewel laughed. “I do. I’ve read so many. You see, Hazel got called out on some wild cases. She…had quite a reputation before the scam. Once, she was brought in as a consultant on a movie about a family of witches. Hazel gave them all sorts of tips and guidance. By the time she was through, the interior of the stage house looked just like our kitchen and parlor – a wall full of glass fronted cabinets showing rows of glass bottles full of herbs and potions, flowers hanging from the ceiling, floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with ancient tomes of spells and incantations.”

  “What was the movie?”

  She placed her fingers over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you. We had to sign a non-disclosure. At some point, they insulted Hazel and she ended up cursing the movie, the writers, and directors. After some crazy things started happening to these folks, they settled with Hazel on the condition that she remove the curse.”

  This information made Easy laugh. “Did she?” When Jewel nodded, he shook his head. “That’s just crazy. What other kinds of cases did she take?”

  “Well, one week she packed her bags, kissed me goodbye and headed to Mississippi, where she met a well-known politician at a dirt crossroads between the small towns Itta Bena and Leland.”

  “Whatever for?”

  She lowered her voice. “He wanted to win an election. Have you ever heard of selling your soul to the devil at a crossroads?”

  “No, I can’t say I have.” Easy’s tone was equally soft, like they were sharing some marvelous secret.

  Jewel giggled. “Well, there’s an old tale about a blues singer by the name of Robert Johnson who met the devil at this very crossroads in order to become a great guitarist. He came to that spot a so-so musician and left a master. The musical community was stunned by the change in his ability. His short talented life was almost as much of a mystery as his death – but I digress.”

  “Digress some more,” Easy told her, having the time of his life.

  Encouraged, Jewel picked up her story. “Well, the ritual at the crossroads is an ancient hoodoo practice, but the entity you meet there isn’t the Christian devil, it’s either Papa Legba or one of his emissaries. If the summoning is done correctly and the request will be granted, the news is brought by a man wearing black or by a black animal showing up out of the blue, a big dog or a cat, sometimes a bird like a raven or a crow.”

  “Wait, now, who’s Papa Legba?”

  “He’s a Caribbean deity, the powerful guardian of all crossroads, the gatekeeper between this world and the next. He adores dogs and he’s normally depicted as an old man on crutches smoking a pipe. Anyway, Hazel met this politician at this intersection of two country roads, bordered by corn fields on one side and bean fields on the other. And in her hand, she held an open coconut.” It was getting hard to talk because Easy’s laughter was contagious. “If you want to hear this, stop laughing.”

  “I can’t help it, you’re a marvelous story teller.” He looked at her with adoration. “Go ahead, why was she holding a coconut?”

  “Coconuts are one of the containers of choice to hold a hoodoo spell, especially in the Caribbean.” She cupped her hands as if she was holding the big nut shell. “In this coconut, she placed some of the politician’s hair, his fingernail clippings, a photo of him, some red palm oil, and some sugar. On the ground, she poured an offering of rum and burned some sage to open the way. Once that was done, she petitioned Papa Legba on the man’s behalf and lo and behold, this big black pig came wandering out of the cornfield and right into the crossroads.” Jewel covered her face, her laughter almost as hard as Easy’s. “That politician almost soiled himself at the sight of that pig. At any rate, once Mom calmed him down, she buried the remnants of the spell at the crossroads.”

  “What happened?”

  “Why, he won the election, of course.”

  “Can you tell me his name or was there another non-disclosure agreement?” When she nodded, he whispered in reverence, “Wow.”

  “Oh, that’s nothing.” Jewel waved her hand. “When I was researching Saint Francisville in hopes of coming here for a visit, she’d actually been summoned to nearby Zachary to check out the grave of a supposed witch.”

  Easy shifted in his chair, seeking the optimum comfortable position. He was having a good time with the stories and he loved watching the animation on her face. “Who asked her to come?”

  Jewel gave him a mysterious smile. “The cemetery maintenance board in Zachary called her because they couldn’t seem to keep the remains of a woman named Alice Penny Taylor in her grave.”

  “What?” Easy laughed a bit nervously.

  “Oh, it wasn’t what you think.” Jewel waved her hand, then sat back to give the waitress enough room to place their food on the table. When the woman was gone, she continued, “Even though the talk was that she was rising from the dead, it was teenagers who were taking the lid off her aboveground burial vault and placing what remained of the woman�
��s skeleton on the ground. This happened three different times and the town was in an uproar. On the third incident, they called in a forensic anthropologist from LSU and Witch Hazel to settle the rumors of who she might be and if she was really a witch.”

  “What did the woman of science think about being teamed up with Witch Hazel?”

  Jewel took a sip of tea and gave his question some thought. “I think she was thrown at first, but the lady was a good sport. She told mother that she’d been raised in the hills of Arkansas and how her family would sit around the fireplace and tell stories about mysterious lights in the corn fields and a hanging tree that would spook the horses if they drove the wagon by it at night. Anyway, after an investigation, they found enough information to confirm Alice died in 1859 at the age of nineteen, probably of yellow fever. At first, they thought they might confirm the idea she was married to a nephew of President Zachary Taylor, but that didn’t pan out. There was no historical evidence, however, that she’d ever been a witch or even accused of being one in her lifetime. When all was said and done, the forensic specialist carried the bones back to her lab for a facial reconstruction, while mother stayed at the graveyard to speak to her spirit.”

  When Jewel paused to take a bite of the shrimp sandwich, Easy prodded her to go on. “And…?”

  After swallowing and wiping her mouth, she said, “And nothing, she wasn’t there. The disturbance of her bones hadn’t disturbed her spirit. In fact, mother said the cemetery was very peaceful. Once Alice was reinterred, the maintenance committee put iron bars over the lid to protect her grave from vandals.”

  Easy looked disappointed. “That’s all? You made it sound like this story was going to be more exciting.”

  Jewel smirked. “Well, it’s what happened next that was really crazy.” At his wide-eyed interest, she giggled, enjoying the telling as much as he was enjoying listening. “We’d stopped at the cemetery maintenance chairman’s house on the way out of town for mother to collect her fee. I think he was a bit hesitant to pay, having expected her to perform some type of exorcism or something.”