It was an apartment. Bedrooms. Table and chairs. Kitchen. Bathrooms. I found the light switch next to the door on the opposite side of the room. While Nestor untied the gags from their mouths, I used the screwdriver and the crowbar to pry open the knots that bound their hands and feet. I worked on Aunt Delphine first. She had tears in her eyes. “Phil, I was so despondent at the thought of you fine boys in the clutches of those fiends. I didn’t know what they might do to you.” She hugged me like a normal person, not like a sumo wrestler. “You remember Uncle Antoine? And this is our housekeeper, Belle. She’s been with us for so many years, but I don’t think she was in our employ when you were here last.”
Aunt Delphine turned to Nestor. “I know you’re Phil’s very good friend. I’ve heard so many nice things about you from my niece, Mrs. Williams.”
“Thank you, ma’am. My name is Nestor Ramirez.”
I worked on Uncle Antoine next. It took a little longer.
“Aunt Delphine, who are those people living upstairs?”
“They’re grifters from Texas. Uncle Antoine and I had the misfortune of meeting them a few months ago at an environmental protection rally at Barataria Bay, the location of our gas and oil rights. They befriended us, pretending to share our concerns. They inquired about much more than was polite, but I believed they were in a position to influence government voting in our favor, so I shared much more information than was prudent. I have regretted that decision many times over.”
“Our misplaced trust led to this situation,” Uncle Antoine added.
“That’s true. Our conversations became personal. I even mentioned your visit. Then we discussed how the fracking company set up a meeting with their lawyers to convince us to give up our rights in Barataria Bay. Uncle Antoine is a very successful corporate attorney and handles all our business affairs, so we were not at all worried.”
“We know they have a plan for embezzling our business holdings, but they have not informed us how they intend to accomplish this goal,” Uncle Antoine explained.
“When did they get here?” I asked.
“Those horrid con artists arrived Sunday evening armed with all the information they needed for their swindle. Boo, I don’t expect you to understand any of this.”
“But I do know about it,” I answered.
Uncle Antoine was stiff from sitting and needed help getting up. “Thank you, my boy. But I think I need to sit back down for a while. Feeling a little dizzy, that’s all.”
I worked on untying Belle next.
“I also know about the planned meeting with the lawyers for Friday. And I do understand about Barataria Bay, your oil and gas deeds, and your concern for environmental protection against fracking.”
Aunt Delphine was surprised. “How is this possible?”
I told them about yesterday’s trip to Jean Lafitte Louisiana, and how we had come into the house earlier that morning. “I found the file folders, read the papers, and figured out how the puzzle pieces fit together. We rushed right back here.”
“But what made you first suspect anything was wrong?” asked Uncle Antoine.
“It’s a long story, but they were always in our faces. Nothing they did or said made sense. Everything was a contradiction. The more they hid, the more I saw.”
“Young man, I am ecstatic to see you and astounded by your superior intelligence, but I hope you haven’t put yourself and your friend in undue danger by coming to our aid.”
“Uncle Antoine, I knew I was running out of time. Once I realized that meeting was set for Friday, there was no way I was staying away.”
“But Phil,” Aunt Delphine asked, “why didn’t you just call the police?”
“I wanted to save you myself.”
“Oh, dear.”
“Hmmm…that being said, how did you ever discover a way in here from that direction?” Uncle Antoine asked. “That Angel fellow usually appears from the other tunnel. There’s a secret door in the dining room that permits access to these quarters.”
I told them a quick version of the story from the first day we got to New Orleans to how we found the entrance from the garage by accident. “It looks like we’re ready to leave. There are a lot of huge spider webs in this tunnel if we go that way, unless you’d rather go through the house.”
Belle broke her silence. “F’true, I don’t go where no spiders live. F’sure.”
“Don’t worry, Ms. Belle. You can walk behind me, and I’ll make sure none of the webs get on you,” Nestor promised.
Do you believe him?
“I anticipate that the door to the house is barricaded. It’s a far better decision to leave via the garage. Perhaps Nestor can escort Belle to the exit, and Phil, you can do the same for your great-aunt. I can certainly manage on my own.” Uncle Antoine stumbled into the corner of the room, where his walking cane was propped.
“Are you sure you’re OK, Uncle Antoine?”
“Quite. I don’t have my car keys. It is incumbent upon us to call for a car service for a ride to the police station. Do you have one of those phones I may use?”
I pulled out my phone but had an error message “Searching for Service.” I turned to Nestor. “See if your phone works.”
Nestor put his hands in his pockets and patted his legs. “Where’s my phone? It’s not here. Only this. I brought this for protection.” He pulled out the gris-gris bag. “I know I had my phone when we left Daisy Dukes.”
“It must have fallen out of your pocket when we were crawling around the bushes. I just hope you didn’t drop it in the open.”
“I suggest we leave now before those scammers come back. We can try walking to the road to flag down a passing car for help.” Aunt Delphine put her arm through mine for support.
I pulled out my phone again. “Maybe I can get a strong enough signal to send a text if I stand in another place.” I looked at the screen. “I think I have service. Wait a minute. This doesn’t make sense. Nestor, there’s an incoming text from your phone.”
“What does it say?”
“It says: You shoulda spent more time escaping and less time talking. Love, Angel.
“Angel?” Nestor asked.
“Yeah. It’s me. In the flesh.”
The voice came from the tunnel. “Anybody missing a phone?”
A door creaked open. We were surrounded.
First, the gun. Then the hand that belonged to Angel Not’s mother. “What a fine day for a family reunion.”
Sam was the next one through the door. “Ah told you boys to leave but you wouldn’t listen. Just had to do it your way, didn’t you?”
He walked over to his wife and pushed her gun arm down. “Mabel, no need to scare these boys. They’re just kids.”
“Don’t you go soft on me, you hear?”
“This complicates things, wouldn’t you say?” Sam didn’t look so tough next to his wife.
“Not for me. Angel, Sam, tie them up. Get his phone,” the Chucky doll said. “We’ll keep them down here until we figure out how to get rid of them.”
Get rid of us?
“Aren’t you going to let us go after you’re finished with the attorneys?” I asked.
“Aren’t you the smart one? You think you’ve got it all figured out. Ah don’t leave loose ends. Ah’ve got big plans. But they don’t include you. Angel, gag them.”
“Yes, Mama.”