A Boat, a Banshee, and a Breakdown Read online

  Chapter Two

  “Hi, I’m Deanna. Is Mary Lou home?” I asked.

  “Deanna? Oh, you’re back. Congratulations! I’m Gwen. Can I see the ring?” she asked.

  I held out my left hand. It was a simple white gold band, nothing to fuss about.

  “You’re not wearing your engagement ring anymore?” she asked.

  “I’m just plain married now. I don’t want to lose any gems,” I explained.

  She nodded. “I guess that makes sense. Some women always wear the bling. Come on in.”

  “In my line of work, that would be dangerous.” I walked past the young woman into the old mansion done in a very stately style—with some odd touches from the younger women.

  Mary Lou was in the kitchen, not a normal place to find her. The housekeeper was cleaning up from breakfast while Mary Lou went over a list.

  “Hey,” I said.

  “De!” Mary Lou dropped her pen and hugged me. “Meal planning. I think that should do it from the grocery list.”

  The housekeeper nodded. “Coffee?”

  “Thanks.” I sat down at the big table. “How’s things here?”

  “Fine. Same. Lots of young women who need confidence and a chance. Now how was your honeymoon?” Mary Lou’s grin hinted at the girl talk I’d missed walking into a house of men.

  “Great, I mean I’m not good at traveling but it was nice to get away. Just focus on the relationship. Because that’ll never happen here,” I joked.

  Mary Lou shrugged. “Your life isn’t normal but he knows what he signed on for. You can make the time for each other.”

  “True, but for now I have to get up to speed,” I said.

  “Cases never end. Have you heard from Ivy?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “I texted her several times. I didn’t want to leave a million messages on her voicemail but I’m worried.”

  “We all are. Greg said she’s safe and in Europe somewhere. Or was, the last time I talked to him.” Mary Lou busied herself setting out the cream and sugar.

  “Thanks,” I said as the housekeeper handed me a mug of coffee.

  Mary Lou sipped her coffee and smiled.

  “Mary Lou,” I said.

  “Yes?” She played dumb.

  “When was the last time you spoke to Greg?” She was supposed to be the one keeping tabs on him, or so I thought. They were dating. He couldn’t live here with all the girls; he felt it’d look wrong without them being married—but I lived close enough. He wasn’t there. “Even if he’s living elsewhere, investigating the religious nonsense Eli stirred up, why wouldn’t you be talking to him?”

  She blushed and looked around. “We sort of broke up.”

  “Broke up? You two have been off again and on again. I never thought...” I couldn’t approve of Mary Lou having cheated on her ex-husband. Greg had carried a lot of guilt about being a problem for that marriage but they seemed so drawn to each other that I’d accepted it as fate.

  “I don’t know if it’s just Eli. We’ve been growing apart since I took on the girls, even before—Greg’s life is helping people. Religion is his calling, whatever approach he takes.” Mary Lou shrugged.

  I frowned and let my coffee grow cold. “He left the church. Walked away from being a priest. I know he was working with monks and religious people still involved but you’re making it sound like he’s going back.”

  “I can’t be sure of that. Vows and all that would make it harder for him to work with you. He’s feeling very guilty about Eli. That man triggered some problems for a lot of people, Ivy included. It’s not like Greg to make such a poor choice.” Mary Lou twirled a lock of blonde hair around her finger.

  “Agreed, but Eli fooled me for a while, too. Demons can be so sneaky. They play on our fears, our past, and our flaws. If they can make us blame ourselves, then it’s so easy for them to slip into our lives,” I said.

  “Blame ourselves for what?” Mary Lou asked.

  “Whatever. Everyone has regrets or guilt, even if it’s long in the past and forgiven. This might all be because of Eli. He’s messing with Greg.” I rubbed my neck.

  “This started before Eli. He was gravitating back to the religious end of things. You should talk to him to be sure of what he wants,” she said.

  I nodded. “I just wanted to gather some information before I did. His religious dedication can be persistent and overwhelming so if he wants to resist me...do you know where he’s staying?”

  “Not exactly. He’s not taking my calls or texts. Matt tried and hasn’t gotten a reply in days,” she said.

  “They took his phone?” I asked.

  “No, he’s with a Roman Catholic order. It’s not like he’s being held against his will.” She waved it off.

  I tapped softly on the table. “I’m sure you’re right. Unless he’s not. Unless he’s up to something else.”

  “Maybe he’s on a silent retreat so no phones? Voluntarily, of course,” Mary Lou suggested.

  Smiling, I took a deep breath. “I’m sure it’s something like that. I’ll text him and let him that if I don’t hear from him in forty-eight hours, I’m filing a missing persons report and sending Matt.”

  “Legal and humorous, I love it,” Mary Lou replied.

  A crash from the other room was followed by shrieks.

  “Duty calls,” Mary Lou said without batting a false eyelash.

  “I’ll show myself out. Glad you’re keeping busy.” I stood, gave her a hug, then headed for the door.

  Silent retreat? Or did Greg fall into the wrong crowd of religious devotees?

  I went home to check on Frankie and found Darla in my parlor.

  “Hey, I heard you were back. I’m so glad it all worked out,” she said.

  “Worked out?” I asked.

  Darla was a Southern belle with a big smile and a clipboard. She seemed all nice but deep down she was a smart businesswoman.

  “With that spur of the moment marriage. I mean, I can’t imagine just leaping into someone else’s wedding ceremony.” Darla shook her head.

  “That’s sort of my life. Weird leaps when things are right. You haven’t heard from Ivy?” I asked.

  She touched her hand to her chest as if I’d accused her of going behind my back. “No, I have no idea what happened to that poor dear. I feel so bad for Brody, not that I’ve heard from him, either. I told Frankie that I’d do anything at all to help, but I try to mind my own beeswax. My brother always said I was a worker bee. Buzz buzz. I love real estate and this city so that’s all I’ve really been doing. But if you need help with finding Ivy a new place to stay or Brody wants a house, I am your girl!”

  Such a tiny woman, such a lot of hot air. But she wasn’t evil or fake, despite being half owner of a haunted plantation handed down for generations. One of my more recent but also scariest cases.

  “Do you have a haunted property you need help with?” I asked as I headed for the kitchen. “Coffee? Tea?”

  “No and no, thank you.” She followed and kept on smiling. “Just checking in on Frankie and seeing you. Some more distressed and foreclosed properties for us to look at. He’s so handy,” she said with a gleam in her eye.

  I poured myself some coffee and nodded. “I’m glad. But he’s not a certified plumber or electrician. I told him to hire proper people, this house is old.”

  “Oh, of course, and I’d never flip a house without the right team doing the work. Frankie is good at managing people and coordinating things. He’s very flexible.” Darla grinned.

  I didn’t want to think of any double meanings. She liked my brother. Got it.

  “Sorry if I stole my brother away from your project but getting married wasn’t exactly planned. Newlyweds is a weird feeling. Love Paul but I’m not sharing a bathroom. Hotels are one thing but day in and day out, that’s fights I don’t need to have when my house is this big.” I must love him. I’d never really considered a proper remodel of anything unless it’d been destroyed or completely unusab
le, generally from some demonic damage.

  “I don’t mind. Family first, of course. But I hope you don’t mind me pulling him away from your work. He came here to learn from you but he’s so good with houses. He can feel out what’s wrong. He can see if there are spirits or demons,” she said.

  I nosed around my kitchen; the housekeeper had been shopping. I liked this staff thing more and more. “Fruit?” I offered.

  “No, I’m fine, thank you,” she replied.

  “I don’t mind Frankie working with you. He loved working in construction on his summers off. Dad basically forced him into college because that’s what everyone did. There were good arguments for it but Frankie should do what he loves. He can’t escape the gifts he has, he shouldn’t ignore them. The house flipping thing might be a way to combine what he loves and sort out places that need it.” I nodded.

  “Why would parents force their kids into college? It costs so much,” she said.

  “Try a PhD,” I teased.

  She laughed. “I’m sure. Real estate school was totally worth it. I like people, I like homes. The market goes wild every so often and Katrina was a real test, but it was for everyone.”

  “Real estate is safer than construction. Those guys can get hurt. Accidents happen or just wear and tear on the body. Frankie is probably feeling that he’s in his mid-thirties and not twenties anymore. But if he’s happy, good. I’m around if you get any big cases you need a hand with,” I offered.

  “That’s so sweet. So far, nothing is dangerous or worrisome.” Darla looked around. “I should probably run upstairs and check in with Frankie, then get out of your hair.”

  I shrugged. “Today is pretty slow, but don’t tell Gunner. He’ll be here with a case file or ten in a minute.”

  “That’s so cute. I thought your cases showed up in your head.” She headed for the backstairs.

  “Sometimes. Sometimes people ask for help. Generally, the right case for me to work on now will present itself in very clear and demanding way. Until then I’ll take a quiet day to catch up.” I sipped my coffee and wondered what I’d do with myself.

  As Darla headed up the stairs, I pulled out my phone. I checked and no texts from either Ivy or Greg.

  I hadn’t texted them either but others had, no doubt. I didn’t want to pushy or nosy or annoying. Having a friend with weird abilities was already a bit imposing. But I was worried.

  I texted Ivy: Back home in NOLA. You okay? Not bugging, just need to know you’re safe.

  Then I texted Greg: I’m back. Where are you? What’s up? Let’s catch up, whatever is going on...

  I plugged my phone in to charge and hoped it’d ding with a reply. After finishing my coffee and no ding, I called Matt.

  “Hey, De. Bored?” Matt teased.

  “Did you ever find Eli?” I asked.

  “Checked his passport, he followed Ivy to Paris. No reentry as of yesterday. You think he’s back?” Matt asked.

  “No, I don’t know. What’s Greg doing if he’s not with Eli and Ivy?” I asked.

  “Trying to find out what or how Eli went off the rails. Religious zealots are a big problem. If anyone gets extreme on any side and people get nervous. You say Jesus, someone else says Buddha on the wrong day, in the wrong place and it’s a riot,” Matt said.

  “I get it.” I didn’t want a fight. I wanted my friends safe.

  “Then it’s religious freedoms versus personal rights. Believe me, I hate Eli as much as you do. I don’t want to let him shame or hurt Ivy but she wasn’t kidnapped. She’s not been brainwashed.”

  “We don’t know that,” I corrected.

  “Darlin’, I pulled the video feed from the airport. She wasn’t drugged or scared. She looked like she was going to Mardi Gras. I’m sure Eli told her whatever she wanted to hear or needed to hear to get her to let him come along but she wanted to go to Paris. I can’t chase her down across Europe.” Matt was gay, so if anyone was in Ivy’s freedom corner it was him.

  “I can’t,” I paused.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I can’t believe I went on a honeymoon for a week when my friend up and ran off. She blew up her life and I went on vacation.” The guilt poured out of me like a confession.

  He laughed. “If you felt she was in danger, you’d have hopped on a plane to Paris and dragged her home by one of her beehive wigs. She was there by choice. Eli, he’s human. Humans can make mistakes. They can go down a wrong path.”

  “Demon infested path,” I muttered.

  “Demon possessed. Doesn’t make the person evil,” Matt replied.

  I sighed. “Thanks. I needed that. But this is going on too long. We have to get her back home.”

  “And Greg?” Matt asked.

  “I can track him down,” I threatened.

  Matt chuckled. “Don’t. Let the man have his space. He’s got things to figure out.”

  “I’ve been saying that for how many years? He and Mary Lou are done? He’s moved out of the mansion? He’s not living there? Where is he?” I felt abandoned.

  “You want to vent to me and Gunner, do it. You want to talk our ears off like you did Ivy and Greg, it’s cool. But they’re adults. You’d sense if they were in true danger. Now I’ve got to get back to work. Gunner should be around there somewhere,” he said.

  “Right, thanks. I texted Greg that if he didn’t reply in forty-eight hours, I’m filing a missing person’s report,” I informed him.

  “That’s your right as a citizen,” he replied officially.

  “Thanks.” I ended the call. I missed my friends. I was worried about them.

  I could remotely view them but that felt like spying if they weren’t in danger. I didn’t sense any life-threatening danger. I could spy on Eli but it’d only make me angry.

  There was one other option...

  I marched upstairs into the spare room where the guardian angels assigned to me hung out. Amy, my personal guardian angel, was always with me but I tuned that out. Nothing like the thought of an angel watching you on your honeymoon to creep you out!

  As I entered, Amy came into view.

  The other angels turned and stared at me. It was a deep stare like they could see right through you. They showed no emotion, didn’t talk much at all. I’d dubbed the extra trio of angels Moe, Larry, and Curly.

  I pointed at Moe. “You, go be with Ivy.”

  I moved to Larry. “You, stay with Greg.”

  “They have their own angels,” Amy replied.

  The angels were all still here. “I’m sorry, was I unclear?”

  “God commands the angels, not you.” Amy tilted her head.

  “Right. You guys have no free will. But God sent you to help and protect me. I’m good for now and I do have free will, so I’m instructing two angels to go watch over my friends and help them. I still have two angels on me. Curly can watch the construction,” I said.

  “Curly?” Amy asked.

  “What do you care what I named them? Names mean nothing to you. Do as I ask or give me an actual reason not to...and let me add, if you refuse without a really good reason—I will send you three to the attic where the evil spirits who refuse to cross over are kept. You can cleanse them, rehab them while I summon Death to try to clear all that out. Give me something to do while I worry about my friends,” I threatened.

  The fab four huddled and two disappeared.

  I grinned. “Curly, go, watch out for my brother.”

  The third angel left and it was just me and Amy.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  Amy looked away. “You summon Death far too much.”

  “When it involves dead people, it seems relevant. I deal with a lot more dead people than most. Part of the job.” I shrugged and headed for the door.

  “You do annoy Death.” She followed me and slowly faded from view.

  “Angels get annoyed? You’re supposed to just follow orders from the Big Guy. Oh wait, you have no free will anyway. I don’t care if you’re
annoyed.” I walked into the hall.

  Darla and Frankie were staring at me.

  “Sorry, had a little meeting with the angels. I need to find Gunner.” I pulled out my phone and texted.

  “He’s been helping with the clubs. They’re short-handed. Brody is still working but also at the rehab so he’s busy,” Frankie explained.

  “Got it, thanks.” I started down the stairs.

  “Angel meeting? I thought I had a handle on the dead,” Darla said.

  I kept walking and ignored the conversation. Her powers would grow, so would my brothers—just like mine had.

  Before I could text Gunner, I saw a text from Ivy.

  Ivy: Talk soon. Hugs. Kiss Pearl for me. Chill, Sadie, got you a silver sixpence!

  I stared at my phone, rereading the message. “What the heck does that mean?”

  Chapter Three

  My reply to Ivy’s text had been ignored. While I tried to figure out the meaning of the weird second half, I’d spent the midday in the library with Tish and Pearl. They were safe from getting underfoot of the construction, had food and water, and a litter box was in there somewhere. Luckily Pearl was a tiny dog that had adapted to the cat box well.

  Playing with them lifted my mood but not hearing from Greg annoyed me more than I’d annoyed my angel posse. But the angels had gone.

  A knock on the door made me realize the sun was low. I flipped on the lights and opened the door.

  Darla stuck her head in. “Hi you, oh, sweet animals. The construction stuff is all put up so you can let them roam as long as they won’t chew on the cords of some of the power tools. And dinner is ready.”

  “Great, thanks. I’ll wash up,” I said.

  The animals bounded out to enjoy their freedom.

  We sat down for dinner and Paul wasn’t there. I texted him.

  Matt and Gunner brought the food to the table. Frankie and Darla poured some iced tea.

  “Thanks, I didn’t realize how much time passed. I got lost in the library,” I said.

  “You missed Tish. She missed you,” Darla said sweetly. “Now tell me about this angel meeting.”