| |
When Don and I climbed the stairs to our apartments later that night I noticed him looking around the landing.
“What’s up?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Nothing, just checking for Princess. She hasn’t been around as much lately and I think Bridger misses her.”
Princess is actually Petreski’s partner, Perez, in Cat form, but Don doesn’t know that. I, however, knew that Princess wouldn’t be around tonight because she was one of the first calls Petreski made that evening.
“She’ll turn up,” I told my friend.
“Yeah. But I can’t help worrying about her.”
“I’m pretty sure Princess can take care of herself.”
Don let Bridger out and the three of us headed across the landing to my place. I went straight to the kitchen for a couple of beers.
“Duuude,” Don said.
“I knoooow.”
“I mean, like, you know?”
“Don’t even get me started.”
“You had no idea?”
“About what? That the man I dreamed about was related to Miss Nancy? Or Miss Nancy’s father was a whatchacallit? Sorcerer?”
“Bokor.”
“Yeah, that. What is that?”
“I looked it up online on the way home, so grain of salt and all, but in Haitian Vodou a bokor is basically someone who casts spells for hire, I guess. They’re more likely to be willing to use the dark arts. From what Miss Nancy said, I’m guessing her father was willing to do whatever for whoever if the price was right.”
“And this zombie drug stuff? That’s for real?”
“Eh, it’s controversial. It’s true that people believe it’s real.” Don pulled his phone out and started scrolling. “So, as far as I can tell, they – the bokors – rub this powder on the skin of the person to be, for lack of a better word, zombified. It breaks the skin and the ingredients get into the bloodstream and the effects mimic death long enough for the victim to be buried and then dug up again.”
“Ew.”
“Yeah, and the powder can contain anything from powdered glass to human remains. There’s like, some ingredients derived from frogs, but most theories agree that the number one active ingredient is tetrodotoxin.”
“What’s that?”
“The toxin from pufferfish.”
“I thought that was super lethal.”
“Yeah, that’s why the process is so dangerous. The person making and using the powder has to really know what they’re doing. Or not care.”
“Well, all of this is neither here nor there. What I’m afraid of is that Jean Samuel is right, and this Papa Blanca dude has come to Houston looking for him. And if that’s the case, it won’t be long before he tracks down Miss Nancy. But yeah, I had no idea there was anything like this in Miss Nancy’s past.”
“That’s probably how she wanted it. New life and all. It was obvious she didn’t think much of their father.”
“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure my parents had some idea. I mean, they were shocked to see the brother, but not really by anything else. And it sounds like they were at the funeral, too. How could they keep that kind of secret all these years and not tell me?”
“It was the past, and nothing to do with you. It didn’t have anything with how they, or Miss Nancy, live their lives now.”
“I just wish Miss Nancy had a dog right now. Oh geez, and my parents are staying there!”
“Petreski will make sure nothing happens to them.”
My phone rang and Petreski’s name flashed on the screen. “Speak of the devil. Hey, you,” I said, accepting the call.
“Hey. You and Don okay?”
“Yeah, just got home, having a beer and decompressing. Want to join us?”
“Can’t. Just called to make sure you were okay and let you know we’ve got Jean Samuel safe. Right now he’s officially assisting us with our inquiries. He’s given us a viable suspect for three murders and he’s a potential victim, so that will help me keep him safe for now.”
“What about Miss Nancy? Is she safe? What if Papa Blanca finds her and tries to get to Jean Samuel through her?”
“I’ve got Perez on that.”
“Perez? Say what now?”
“I called in a favor, and she’s spending the night on Miss Nancy’s sofa.”
“Oh, man. Is she pissed off?”
“I don’t think so. She wants to catch this killer as much as I do.”
“She’d better not be mean to my parents!”
“Why on earth would she be?”
“Because they’re my parents!”
“Relax. She’s the model of professionalism and she’s there to do a job. It’ll be fine.”
* * *
Petreski’s reassurances meant nothing as far as I was concerned, and I was on Miss Nancy’s doorstep first thing the next morning.
“Jake!” My mom greeted me at the door with a bear hug. “You came for breakfast!”
“Oof. Yeah, Mom. Can’t stay too long, though. I’ve got class at ten.”
I saw a pillow and a folded blanket on the living room sofa as I was dragged through to the kitchen. Miss Nancy was pouring hot water into a teapot and my dad was at the stove flipping pancakes.
“Everything okay after I left last night?” I asked.
“Fine and dandy!” said my dad.
“Oh, yes,” my mom agreed. “Vicki came and slept on the sofa and we all felt perfectly safe.”
“Vicki?” I said, the syllables feeling strange in my mouth. I tried picturing someone calling Perez “Vicki” to her face.
“Yes. Ruben’s partner. You know her, of course?” Miss Nancy asked, looking at me like I was simple.
“Well yes, of course. Just never heard anyone call her Vicki before.”
“What a sweet girl. Ruben is so lucky to have her as a partner,” said my mom, clearly in the middle of a psychotic break.
“Um, sure,” I said. I had slipped into some kind of alternate reality. That was the only possible explanation.
We all settled into the familiar family routine of breakfast. Dad was the first to bring up the subject of Jean Samuel and Papa Blanca.
“Nancy, Monica and I were thinking that maybe you could come stay with us in Austin for a few days. What do you think?”
I liked that idea. Miss Nancy did not.
“Thank you, Lee. That’s very kind, but I can’t get away right now.”
“But Miss Nancy –”
“No, Jake. I know you’re all worried about me, what with this Papa Blanca fellow on the loose and Jean Samuel turning up out of the blue. But I think it’s best if I stay here. No.” She held her hand up when we all tried to object. “Now please, let’s not ruin a lovely breakfast by arguing over this. Jake has to get to school, and the rest of us have plans that I don’t want to change.
So off I was sent to school while they all got ready to drive down to Galveston for the day. Must be nice, I thought to myself as I parked on campus, ninety minutes early for class. I texted Don, “Perez has brainwashed my parents.”
“Huh?”
“My mom called Perez a sweet girl! Her exact words!”
“So?”
“And she called her Vicki. She called Perez Vicki! So weird!”
“I’m going back to sleep.”
“Don’t forget you have to make your decision today.” I texted, but he didn’t reply. He must have turned the ringer off. He’d remember. Don wasn’t the kind of guy to forget something like that, so I wasn’t worried. I just hoped he make the right decision.
* * *
“Well?!” I asked as I opened my apartment door that night. “Oh, it’s you.”
“That’s a hell of a welcome for the man you claim to love,” Petreski replied as his foot hit the top step.
“I thought you were Don,” I said, stepping back so he could enter the apartment. “You know I’m always happy to see you. It’s just that he had to make his decision today and he’s been at work so I haven’t heard from him”
“He said yes.”
“Oh thank God.”
“Did you really think he wouldn’t?”
“He’s so proud, and so terrified of debt, that yeah, I was actually worried he’d say no.”
“I’m surprised you’re not spending the evening with your parents.”
“They went down to Galveston for the day with Miss Nancy. I’m not sure they’re even back yet, to be honest.”
“They’re back. Got back around eight.”
“What? How is it that you know that and I don’t?”
“Perez told me. She’s staying there again tonight. I think they were playing dominoes when I checked in.”
“Seriously? What kind of freaky alternate reality is this where you know more about my parents’ comings and goings than I do and Perez is hanging out with them playing freaking dominoes?”
“You could call them, you know. They are your parents, after all.”
“I was studying!”
“See? They’re safe and keeping busy. You should be happy.”
“And they’re calling her Vicki. That’s just so wrong.”
“It’s her name.”
“It feels wrong.”
“Only to you because you’ve got some kind of hang-up about Perez.”
“I do not have a hang-up. She has the hang-up, and you know it.”
Petreski shrugged. “You two are like oil and water. It happens. But just because y’all don’t get along doesn’t mean she can’t get along with other people – including your parents.”
“They were supposed to be here to meet you, not hang out with Perez.”
“I thought you’d be grateful for the distraction.”
“Well, yeah. But if they’re going to be here then they should be getting to know you, not gushing over Perez, of all people.” It made no sense, I knew that, but when had that ever stopped me?
“I’m surprised you haven’t asked me about Jean Samuel or Papa Blanca yet.”
“Well, obviously I want to know, but I do have other things on my mind as well.”
“Mm hmm.”
“Urg! Tell me! Tell me!”
“That’s more like it,” Petreski laughed. “Well, we were able to confirm that Odelin Belzir – aka Papa Blanca – was released from prison about a month ago. Beyond that, though, we don’t have much information. We’re trying to find out if he left Haiti, but it’s complicated.”
“Because it’s a foreign country?”
“That, and so much of Haiti’s infrastructure has been damaged in the last few years by flooding, earthquakes, and hurricanes. Records have been lost. They’re still trying to recover and rebuild. Keeping track of released prisoners who’ve completed their sentences isn’t exactly a priority.”
“What about Miss Nancy’s father? Is he still around? Maybe he knows something.”
“Samuel says he hasn’t had any communication with him since he left Haiti – that it was safer that way. And I don’t get the impression that the family was particularly close to begin with.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“But based on what we do know, we haven’t been able to find him. My gut tells me he’s dead. Right now we’re trying to build a profile of Belzir and a forensic artist is working on a projection of what he might look like now. The most recent pictures we have are over fifteen years old. Hold on.” He pulled his buzzing cell phone out of his pocket. “It’s Vicki.”
“Ha ha.”
“Petreski,” he answered, accepting the call. “Who? Yeah, Fortunat mentioned her. Okay. I’m on my way over.” He put the phone back in his jacket pocket.
“Who? Where? What’s going on?”
“Fortunat’s girlfriend showed up on Miss Nancy’s doorstep.”
