Big Easy (Cowboy Craze) Page 7

  “Morning, Easy.”

  “Philip. How are you this morning?”

  “Fine as frog hair. Looking forward to getting this started.” They shook hands and Philip allowed him to move indoors first. “How’s your new place? Get moved in okay?”

  “I did.”

  Jed Vincent stood up from behind a desk to greet Easy. “I bet you landed at some apartment complex with a pool full of beautiful women.”

  Easy chuckled. “Nope. I’m a country boy at heart. Rented a place over on Bayou Lafourche, a few miles north of Thibodaux.”

  “How will you get any action out there in the boonies?” Jed teased as he adjusted the window shades to keep out the harsh rays of the morning sun.

  “You’re right, I am in the sticks. Deep in the swamp.” Easy pulled up a chair and sat down next to Philip. “Oh, and I have a pretty landlady too. She’s something else. Her yard is lush with flowers and she dries them to make oils. She has bunches of them hanging from the ceiling. Every time I go over there, my green thumb throbs.”

  Jed chuckled. “I can almost guarantee that’s not your thumb you feel throbbing, Casanova.”

  “Gentlemen, gentlemen.” Philip shook his head as he poured them each a finger of bourbon. “I thought we’d drink to a profitable venture. I have a proposition for you two.”

  This was news to Easy. “Venture? Proposition?” He leaned back in the chair, then laid one booted foot atop the opposite knee. “I thought I was taking on a cowpoke’s job.”

  “That too.” Jed grinned. “We’re going to be wearing multiple hats.”

  “All right.” Easy sounded interested. “Tell me more.”

  In the next few minutes, Philip took a map and laid it out for them to see. “This is the entire ranch. Over fifteen thousand acres. Not all of it is cultivatable, some of it is marshland, but we have plenty of room to do whatever we need to do. In my childhood, my father focused on cattle and oil. In my grandparent’s day, they raised cotton, rice, and sugarcane.” He gave the two men a straight look. “I want to do all of that.” Holding up his right hand, he raised one finger into the air. “However, our work will be complicated by the fact that I’ve verified the existence of some sites worthy of excavation, archaeologically speaking.”

  Easy laughed, repeating what Philip had said, “Archaeologically speaking, huh?” At the odd look he got from his boss, Easy held up both hands in surrender. “Oh, I’m fully aware of how you feel about your digs and your artifacts. I fully intend to give this land the respect it deserves. I’m just glad you’re the one making the decisions about where you dig and where we plant.”

  “Actually…” Philip reached over in front of Jed and picked up a folder. “We’ve done a little preliminary work. I bought some ground penetrating radar equipment.” He showed Easy a picture of the big machine. “We’ve been sweeping the land and Jed has identified some areas we want to preserve and others where I believe it’s safe to cultivate without disturbing anything of significance.”

  “Shoot, that’s some fancy outfit.” Easy held the sheet close enough to read the fine print. “So, there’s enough acreage to begin planting crops and grazing cattle?”

  “Oh, yes,” Philip assured him. “Plenty. Someday, I may expand the dig sites, but right now it’s a small percentage. There are other possible sites, but nothing close enough to the surface to be disturbed by cattle or crops.”

  “So, what’s the plan?” Easy looked from Philip to Jed. “How do you want to start?”

  “By hiring some workers,” Jed answered. “You’ll be interviewing ranch hands and I’ll be looking for people who can operate largescale farming equipment like tractors and planters.”

  “Right,” Philip agreed. “We’ll be readying the soil for the next planting season. Easy, you’ll also be sowing a cover crop and hitting all the local sale barns to buy stock.”

  “We’re going to be busy.” Nothing sounded out of the ordinary to Easy.

  “Exactly.” Philip leaned back in his chair and laid one booted foot on his knee. “Now, let’s get to the profitable part. What I’m proposing is not just a job for you two. I’d like to offer you an incentive.”

  “An incentive? What do you mean?” Jed asked, clearly interested.

  Philip seemed more than happy to reveal his plan to the two men. “A stake. Part ownership. If Belle Chasse succeeds, so do you.”

  “Sounds amazing.” Jed was all for it. “Right, Blackhawk?”

  When Easy looked a bit hesitant, Philip waved his hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll explain more of the details in the days to come.”

  Easy didn’t really know what to think, but he was willing to trust Philip. And he was ready to get started. “What can we do today?”

  “Today, I want to take you on a tour of the property.” Philip rose and grabbed his hat. “Jed, go get the mounts. We’re going to take a ride.”

  “Good deal.” Easy rose to join them. “Nothing like a ride to clear your head.” And God knows, his needed to be cleared.

  * * *

  “No, this isn’t a spell. This is medicinal.” Jewel gave Elwood the capsules she’d filled with herbs. “I’m not a doctor. I can’t legally prescribe anything, but this is something you could buy over the counter at a vitamin store.”

  “Yea, but you blessed the pills. Didn’t you?” Elwood asked. “Charged them?”

  Jewel nodded. “I did. Now, this is valerian, lavender, and lemon balm. Take them according to the directions on the bottle. Also…” She gave him a small bag. “Put this rose quartz under your pillow when you sleep at night.”

  “All right, Miz Jewel, whatever you say.” He stuffed the items into his front pockets. “I’m just glad I have my Henry back. He’s as good as a dose of medicine. I’m not letting him out nowadays either.”

  “Good.” Jewel gave him a pat and a smile. “I know changing the litter box is a pain.”

  “Oh, I bought the kind that clumps and comes with the little shovel.” Elwood picked his hat up from off the table and put it on his head. “How much do I owe you for this and our session last week?”

  Jewel did a little mental calculation, gave him a figure, then took the cash he offered her. “Thank you, Elwood.”

  “Have you heard from your mother, lately?”

  The question wasn’t a surprise, but Jewel still flinched. “No, but she’s fine. She’s with family in Sarasota, Florida. I think she’s quite happy. There’s a community of spiritualists there and mother fits right in.” She lowered her voice to add the next bit. “Although, she goes by a different name. If anyone has recognized her, they haven’t given her any grief about it.”

  “Good.” Elwood began to move slowly toward the door. “People need to check rumors out before they judge people. If I was your mother, I would’ve turned this whole community into toads and roaches.”

  Jewel pressed her lips together to hide her amusement. Elwood was serious. He’d always been partial to Hazel and he had no doubt she could perform great feats of magic if she so desired. “She thought about it, I’m sure.”

  After seeing Elwood out, Jewel took the time to pop a frozen casserole into the oven. Living alone, she didn’t go to a lot of trouble for her meals. Most were bought in the frozen food section of the grocery store. Every once in a while, she would get a wild notion to spend a Saturday cooking – but not often. “Lasagna will do just fine. After all, it’s just me.”

  For a few moments, she remembered the two meals she’d shared with Ezekiel Blackhawk. Yea, having someone to talk to had been nice. “And God knows, he’s easy on the eyes.” She couldn’t help but smile at how his nickname snuck into her thoughts about him. “But it’s for the best if nothing like that happens again. We’re just too different.” A sad smile came to her face. “In good ways and in bad.”

  A tap on the door broke her reverie. “Coming!” Hurrying to the door, she found the parcel delivery driver. “Oh, good! You’re here!”

  “You have packages, Miss?�
�

  “I do. Thank you.” She ran to the kitchen counter to gather up the parcels ready to be mailed. Filling her arms with the padded envelopes and small boxes, she hurried back and placed them in the plastic tub he’d brought up the stairs with him. “I’ve paid for everything online and printed out the correct postage.”

  “What is all this stuff?” the middle-aged driver asked with curiosity. “No voodoo dolls or other weird stuff in here is there?”

  His question gave Jewel pause. “Nothing dangerous.” There were a few premade spell kits, but she wasn’t about to give the man that much information. To grease the wheels of progress, she ran to grab a couple of bills from her desk to give the man as a tip. After this gesture, he happily left the premises.

  Locking the door behind him, Jewel returned inside, a bit shaken. She calmed her nerves by shuffling the cards, laying them out in no prescribed manner. An idea came to mind to try and ask about Irma’s condition, but she decided not to do so. At this point, no news was good news. Like any normal person, Jewel was determined to hope for the best in this situation.

  Checking her appointment book, she reminded herself Willie Mae would be returning for a reading. Dreading the appointment, she decided to make herself a cup of tea. “I’ll use an extra dollop of honey. I need all the energy I can get.”

  …Meanwhile, back at Belle Chasse, Easy rode between Philip and Jed as they scoped out the former plantation.

  “There’s a pretty good bar in town called the Blue Goose Saloon. How about we snag a date and get together there Friday night?” This suggestion came from Jed, who glanced at Easy and grinned. “Oh, that might not be enough time for you to hook up with someone, Blackhawk.”

  Easy could recognize a challenge when it was being issued. Pulling back on the reins, he guided his horse around a large bull nettle plant. “I won’t need much time. I work fast. Give me a couple of days scouting around town and I’ll have a date for Friday night.”

  Philip shook his head in amusement. “You remind me of Heath’s friend, Jimmy. Another day, another conquest.”

  “Don’t be jealous, boss,” Easy muttered, wishing he’d taken the time to get the cute girl’s number he’d seen at the crosswalk.

  “I’m not jealous,” Philip insisted. “I do just fine with the ladies, I’ll have you know. Although, my turn-over rate is a helluva lot lower than yours.”

  “Variety is the spice of life, I agree.” Jed put his two cents into the discussion as they rode up to a section of land that was sectioned off with orange mesh wire.

  “Here’s one of the sites I’ve pinpointed to begin excavation,” Philip announced, the prospect of a Friday night date forgotten.

  “What do you expect to unearth here?” Easy asked as they all brought their mounts to a standstill to view the slight mound of earth rising from the otherwise flat area.

  “Here? The usual, most likely,” Philip remarked with a satisfied smile on his face. “Pottery, arrowheads, some bones. In other sections closer to the beach, we could find almost anything - evidence of pirates or maroons.”

  “What are maroons?” Jed asked as he climbed down from his horse to tie the animal to a bush.

  “Runaway slaves. There’s a belief in some circles that a group of runaway slaves hid down here in the swamp for years. I’m hoping to find evidence of them in this area.” Philip dismounted also, then opened a wire latch gate to let them into the closed off section of land. “Come over here. I want to show you something interesting.”

  Easy joined them, feeling a little odd about the whole situation. “What tribe do you think built these mounds?”

  “Chitimacha, we think.” Philip led them around the mound, farther into the brush. “Did you know there was a tribe of cannibals who lived in this region?”

  “No shit?” Jed looked surprised. “They ate people?”

  “Cannibals usually do, Vincent.” Easy chuckled as he watched his step. “Be careful, there are fire ants everywhere through here.”

  “They performed cannibalism ritualistically, as part of their warfare tradition,” Philip mumbled this information as he held back a limb for the other two men to see what lay beyond. “Right next to this mound is an old settler’s cemetery. The graves date back to the early 1800’s. We’ve lost so many of these old burial places. The waters are rising and the land is sinking. Since 2000, Louisiana has lost over two thousand square miles of coastland. The southern part of our state is raveling away like a piece of worn out fabric. We could lose another two thousand square miles in the next forty to fifty years if something isn’t done.” Kneeling next to one of the headstones, Philip took a handkerchief from his back pocket to wipe away the grime from off the name inscribed on the granite. “Francois Guidry, died 1901.” Rising, he shook his head. “There’s no telling how many people were buried here, lost, and forgotten.”

  Easy was listening, but he’d spotted something strange. Stepping a few feet away from where Philip and Jed stood, he moved slowly over to something hidden in the brush that looked very much like a person. “Oh, my God.”

  “What?” Philip asked with concern as he came to see what Easy found so shocking.

  “I think I found one they didn’t bury.”

  “What do you mean?” Jed hurried over also.

  All three men were stunned to see a woman lying on her side in the high grass. Easy hurried over to her, but there was no doubt in his mind she was dead.

  “For Christ’s sake.” Philip was stunned. He turned to Jed. “Ride up to the office and call the police.”

  Jed took off as Easy and Philip moved closer. “I wish I had something to cover her with,” Easy muttered softly. “She was murdered, wasn’t she?”

  “Undoubtedly.” He shook his head. “And raped. Violated.”

  Easy swallowed, bile rising in his throat at the waste. He couldn’t bring himself to look too closely. He was just thankful her long blonde hair covered most of her face. “Who would do something like this?” He’d seen some cruel things in the world, but he’d never imagined hurting a woman in such a vile way. “Looks like the bastard took a limb and…”

  “Yea.” Philip cut him off. He turned in a circle to look all around. “We need to move away. We might be destroying evidence.”

  “All right.” Easy followed his boss out of the enclosed area. They returned to where their horses were tied. “This is not what I was expecting to happen today.”

  “Me either.” Philip took off his hat and hung it on the saddle horn. “I know you remember when I had my trouble. I’m not looking forward to this.”

  Easy had to think for a minute, then he remembered when Philip had been accused of murdering a man. “Yea, but you didn’t do it. You were acquitted.”

  “I was framed,” Philip said, his voice hoarse with emotion. “Talk about an ordeal.”

  “This isn’t the same,” Easy protested.

  “No, but there’ll be questions. We’ll give the authorities our full cooperation.” Philip looked at his phone, then cursed. “I need to get a cell phone tower put up out here ASAP.”

  Easy agreed. “Yea.” He looked at his own phone. “No bars at all.” Glancing around at the desolate area, he tried to make a weak joke. “Around here, it’s not telephone or even telegraph, it’s tell-a-Cajun.” Seeing no reaction from Philip, he apologized. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. This isn’t our fault.”

  “Nope.” Easy gazed toward the dead woman. “This is the fault of whatever maniac killed that poor lady and dumped her here.”

  * * *

  Jewel closed her eyes and inhaled the fragrance of the drying herbs. She could also smell the faint scent of jasmine from the vine growing on a trellis near the window. In her hand, she clutched another piece of Everett Hill’s clothing, a plaid pair of boxer shorts. She held them near the waistband, unwilling to grasp the portion he’d worn over his cheating dick.

  “What do you see? Is he stepping out on me?”

  The images f
loating behind Jewel’s eyelids were confusing. She did see Everett with other women, but she also saw him doing much more. Drug deals. Drunken brawls. Poaching. Breaking and entering. But no hint of what she’d seen before. The woman on the ground in the cemetery...being violated in such a horrendous way. “How long ago did Everett wear these? Recently?” Jewel opened her eyes to peer at Willie’s face.

  “No.” The woman shook her head. “I got those out of the bottom of his underwear drawer. I was afraid he’d know I was pilfering in there. I do the laundry often enough; he just wears the same two or three pair over and over again.” She looked confused. “Does that matter?”

  “I don’t know.” Jewel tried to think. Her hand was shaking. She’d been so nervous of what she might see. Now, that the vision was different, she didn’t know what to think. “Sometimes, I can connect to the person. Sometimes, I can only connect to things directly related to the object I’m holding.”

  “Well, what do you see?” Willie persisted. “Is he cheating on me?”

  Jewel sighed. “Yes.” There was no use denying it. Willie Mae didn’t really need confirmation of this fact. She’d known it all along. “He’s cheating on you. I told you to leave him. I still believe it would be best.”

  “No.” She shook her head, as if denying what she’d been told. “Give me something to change him. Make him want me again.”

  “Aw, Willie Mae.” Jewel wanted to shake some sense into her. “You could do so much better.”

  “Jewel, this is what I want,” the woman stated emphatically. “Will you help me?”

  The lines of worry on her face made Willie Mae look older than her years. “All right. We’ll do something to sweeten him to you.” Jewel rose to gather what she’d need to make a honey jar. “Next time, if you come back…”

  “I’ll be back,” she insisted. “You know I’m becoming addicted to what you can tell me.”

  Jewel didn’t know why. She rarely was able to tell her anything good. “Anyway, next time bring me some graveyard dirt from the resting place of someone you trusted.”

  “Why?”

  Holding a mason jar, a magnet, some dried rose petals, a knobby High John the Conqueror root, a bag of herbs, and a piece of orange citrine, Jewel returned to the table. “I want to make you a protection jar.”