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That weird feeling when you’ve slept but aren’t really rested? That was how I felt at breakfast. Paul looked fine. He had Greg’s journal with him. It felt like we were violating Greg’s privacy but it was out of concern. Greg left it behind, which was a worry in itself.
“Bet you two didn’t continue the honeymoon in the holy shrine of Greg’s room,” Matt teased.
“That’s what he left behind to get deeper into religion? It’s weird. Why would he leave the church? I don’t get what drove him back either. I’m sort of shocked that he never swapped the queen bed for a twin to feel more austere.” I poured my second cup of coffee.
“Austerity won’t help the fight. You said there are endless demons attacking humans all the time. I don’t see why Greg’s being so dark about things but maybe it got to him,” Paul said.
“Is it darkness or does he just need some alone time?” Gunner asked.
“Pulling away from people he loves and knows? We’re not on the wrong side of this. Eli is the weird wingnut that shook things up. Ivy is hard to rattle and he threw her off. I’m not saying it’s all Eli but it’s no coincidence. Greg is secluding himself for a reason. I’ll find out why that is.” I downed my coffee then put the mug in the sink.
“Hang on,” Matt said, waving a tablet at me.
“What?” I asked.
“You need to eat something,” Paul tossed in.
I shook my head. “I’m not hungry.”
Paul took a Greek yogurt from the fridge and slid it along the long wooden table at me.
“Fine.” I grabbed a spoon from the drawer and gave in to a yogurt for breakfast.
“MacLand has a new video on their channel. They found footage where one of the family members was recording while they heard the banshee.” Matt pushed play.
We gathered around and watched the family together on a boat called the Katrina Marie. It looked like they were having fun. A nice family outing in the bayou with a fog around them. Nothing supernatural.
Then an eerie wail made the group turn. There was plenty of insect and background noise from the bayou but that noise was loud and clear.
“What the—” one of the boys said.
“It’s the banshee, no! No, LeeAnn!” cried a preteen girl.
“LeeAnn?” Gunner went into the dining room and returned with the file. “There is no living member of the family listed by that name.”
“They know the name of the banshee? I guess it makes sense if they’re related to her. But it didn’t sound like a scream,” I said.
“Sounded like a bird to me.” Paul put his mug in the sink. “Be safe. I have to get to the office.”
“Bye.” I kissed him quick and he was out the door.
“Who has time to do all of these YouTube videos?” Matt asked.
“Technology makes it pretty easy if you’re not too hung up on HD quality,” Gunner said. “They could’ve done this one for publicity. If they know you’re back in town and want you to take the case—it’s one more enticement.” Gunner frowned.
I took the tablet from Matt. “Not so enticing. Seems awfully convenient that they were all out on that boat. Let me see it again.”
I watched carefully and while people could be good actors, I noticed that everyone turned at the noise. It might be just a bird but everyone heard it.
“I need to go there first and meet these people. See if they’re really scared. One of them could’ve set up the noise so they’d all react just to get a video. Wow, I’m very suspicious,” I said.
Matt nodded. “Smart. But it could be a setup for someone to get away with murder and blame the supernatural, too. People, can’t trust anyone these days.”
“On that happy thought...Gunner, let me know when you’re ready. I’m going to feed the fur babies and play with them in the library.” I needed a little quiet to clear my head.
Gunner drove and I enjoyed the quiet. Saying they lived in the bayou was sort of like saying someone lived in the suburbs—it covered a lot of area. Luckily the SUV had GPS because my brain kept jumping back to Frankie not setting ghosts loose in my house, as well as back to Greg who should’ve been my top priority if potential murder weren’t an option.
“I’m going to track him down,” I said.
Gunner sighed. “Greg? He’s a grownup. Just like Ivy. They can handle their own stuff.”
“Eli has something to do with this. I’m not blaming him. He might be even more possessed than I thought. I got one out, but he might have more. He might like it, letting demons back in—inviting more. The power that comes with demons. People who feel weak might really get off on it. I just can’t let someone like that hurt my friends. Eli seems to be making them weak and vulnerable. I must’ve let my guard down or something.” I shrugged.
“Don’t start saying that it’s your fault. You’re not the guardian of Earth or even New Orleans. That’s too much for one person. Not fair. And really don’t start with ‘the wedding was a mistake. Paul is good for you. You’re stronger,” Gunner said.
I nodded. “I agree, on all of it. Paul is good for me. I’m not trying to be Superman. But demons have some supernatural power and tricky crap, too. They pick on any opening you have. Self-esteem or addictions—anything.”
“I’m sure they do but most of us stay good. Decent enough. Demon free,” Gunner said.
“Full armor,” I muttered to myself. “Greg must’ve been seeing that, too.”
“What?” Gunner asked.
“Nothing. Just a random thing in Greg’s books. Eli had something. He hinted that I’d be married. It was weird. Like he’s integrated those demons deep into his psyche. It’s so terrifying how a possessed person could fake being a preacher or prophet—use that power to convince people and steal money and souls.”
“Thinking of starting a church?” Gunner teased.
“Please. I’m not a prophet. Prophetic powers aren’t the same thing—basically it’s like my psychic powers come from the Good Place and not demons. I know where my gifts come from and check in on that. If you ever doubt me, dump a bucket of Holy Water on me while I’m asleep,” I suggested.
“Paul might not like that wet T-shirt contest approach,” Gunner laughed.
I smiled. “He won’t care about me. You’re gay. He might not like the wet look but he’ll hop in the shower fast enough.”
Gunner parked the car. “Looks like that’s it. The boat is probably docked a ways away but that’s the house.”
It looked like a big two-story rundown shack. A couple of hound dogs started barking as soon as we opened our car doors.
“Nothing weird here,” I muttered.
“Matt knows where we are. Don’t worry, I’m armed.” Gunner was a former police officer and former stripper so he could be as charming or intimidating as the situation required.
“No, I’m not afraid. It’s just weird. And not bayou swamp people weird. The mix of people and feelings I’m getting is weird.” I watched as a dozen people walked out of the house, some openly carrying shotguns.
“It’s Deanna!” shouted a preteen girl.
“Will that episode of ‘Ghost Tamers’ never die? Always in reruns on random cable channels?” I asked.
“You’re a New Orleans celebrity. Can’t change it, so use it for your good,” Gunner teased.
“Ms. Oscar?” An older man stuck out his hand.
“Deanna, please,” I said.
His hand was rough. He wore a white stained T-shirt and worn jeans. His hat showed love to the Saints. “I’m Butch.”
“Hi, Butch.” I nodded. “This is Gunner. He helps me out on cases. I understand you have a bit of a ghost problem.”
“Can you really stop a banshee?” a young guy asked.
“George, manners. Sorry about my son. I’m Butch’s wife. Everyone calls me Mrs. Butch.” A middle-aged woman with black hair in a ponytail shook my hand while her eyes darted around the yard at the kids.
“Not Mrs. MacLand?” I asked.
“No, nothing that formal. Would you like some sweet tea?” she offered.
“No, thanks. I’d love to see the original video of the banshee cry, though. We saw that video just went live overnight,” I replied.
“One of the grandbabies did that on his daddy’s phone. That’s my oldest, Kev. His wife Mary Jo and him have a bunch of kids around. George, you’ve met. Nick is my baby boy and Flo is my last baby baby. There are a couple of cousins around here too, but never mind all that.” She tried to usher me into the house.
“Could it have been a bird or animal making that noise?” Gunner asked.
“What?” Butch acted insulted.
“Are you sure it was the cry of a banshee? Outside there are plenty of sounds from all areas. Animals and people,” I explained.
“We’ve lived our whole lives around here. Bayou critters we know, I know everything around here. That sound didn’t match or come close to anything I’ve ever hunted or ran over with my truck,” he said.
I smiled. “Good to know. No chance we could see the raw footage?” I asked Kev.
“Kids run out the space on my phone fast. I loaded it to YouTube and deleted it off my phone. What you see is what you get.” Kev shrugged.
“Proving if a video is real or not isn’t why we asked you here. My kids are scared. The grandbabies can’t sleep.” Butch moved in closer to me and I felt Gunner step in behind me. “I know people die, Miss Deanna. It happens every day. My work is mighty dangerous, I lost a finger to a gator when I was a teen but I didn’t stop. If it’s my turn, I’m not afraid but I don’t like seeing the little ones scared. The kids think it could be them and that’s not right. One year, we had three people die.”
“How often does this happen?” I asked.
“Every five years, more or less. What good is a warning if you don’t know who? You feel so helpless. It can take weeks or a month. But within a month, one person will die. We all heard LeeAnn,” Mrs. Butch said.
“LeeAnn is the banshee? How recently did she die?” I asked.
Butch shook his head. “Long time ago. My great-grandma’s baby sister. Died at sixteen. She was a sad girl always. Started five years after the girl died. But she’s not on the video so guess we can’t prove any of it.”
“We just wanted to see if there were any other clues.” Gunner tried to smooth it all over.
“This isn’t about a video.” Kev headed for the house.
“I understand that. We just need to make sure this isn’t about publicity or attention. I’ve had people play games before and it’s not fair,” I replied.
Butch spit into the grass. “If you’re really what you say you are, then you know it’s real. Ain’t got to prove nothing. Or else you’re the fake. You don’t want to help or can’t, that’s on you missy. Thanks for coming out.”
The banshee fear was real enough but the video was crap. No way was it taken on a cell phone. The distance would mean one of the kids was on shore while everyone else was in the boat. Or it was a rigged camera.
“I wasn’t born yesterday,” I said. “I won’t be a joke on YouTube or help you get a reality TV show with some more exposure. A banshee is just a warning, she’s not the killer, so I’d say for now just be careful and look out for each other.”
I turned and headed for the car.
The family went inside, cursing and muttering about me under their breath.
In the car, I closed the door firmly and turned on the A/C.
Gunner climbed in and locked the door behind him. “You sure you want to blow it off this fast?”
I shook my head. “It got heated. We need to cool things down. Too many of them all wanting to be heard or sticking up for each other, we’ll never get a straight or full story from one of them. We need to conduct some private interviews. What was that Ms. Oscar thing?”
“I should’ve corrected him. You’re Dr. Oscar.” Gunner nodded.
“No, I’m not that hung up on titles. I just never thought much about...I’m technically a Mrs. but I’m not changing my name. It’s weird.” I fastened my seatbelt. “Let’s go up the road about a block. We won’t get far before someone wants to talk. The case is real enough.”
Someone would be coming after us before we got to anything like a main road.