Voodoo Summer (LeGarde Mysteries Book 11) Page 6

  Without warning, Willy shot up her arms, raising her voodoo doll with the blonde hair to the sky. She seemed to offer her to the night, cried out, and then brought her to the edge of the fire until the yarn began to burn on the doll’s head. Whipping the blazing doll around and around in a large circle, she screeched and threw her onto the sparking blaze. Seconds later, Willy crumpled to the ground as if she’d lost all strength.

  Elsbeth’s mouth dropped open. Sig didn’t move a muscle. My heart pounded beneath my ribs in concert with the drums that continued to beat. I had the urge to run.

  With a gigantic rush of energy that felt almost like a magical windstorm, the entire group ran forward with arms raised and hands shaking, and yelled a single loud phrase to the sky. Almost as quickly, they fell back silently with bowed heads and clasped hands.

  The old woman stood, her hands outstretched. In the same accent as Willy’s family, she said, “And so be it, my people. Now, let us have some fun.”

  I checked my watch in a panic. It was already almost nine and darkness had taken hold. How had the time flown so quickly? How had I not noticed?

  “Crap. We’ve gotta get home.”

  The twins looked at me with wide eyes, speaking in unison as they often did. “Ja. Auf gehts.”

  We picked our way slowly over the unfamiliar trail, careful not to fall. When we reached Wee Castle, we settled on the steps for a minute. We still had five minutes until curfew.

  “What happened out there?” I asked. “I feel like the night got away from me. It went so fast.”

  Siegfried’s brow creased. “Ja. It felt almost hypnotic, didn’t it?”

  Elsbeth’s eyes glowed. “Exactly. Do you think we were put under a spell?”

  I nodded slowly. “It looked like Willy was in a trance, didn’t it?”

  Siegfried stretched out his long legs. “She didn’t look like herself. That’s for sure.”

  “I think she was trying to get back at Monique,” I whispered, glancing up at my screen door to make sure my mother or father weren’t listening.

  “Me, too,” Sig said. “What do you think will happen to her?”

  Elsbeth frowned. “Maybe she’ll wake up with warts on her nose.” She giggled at the image, and then continued. “At first I tried to be friendly, you know? But then she was pretty cold. I didn’t like her after that. And I saw how mean she was to Willy. So then I really didn’t like her. I hope she has warts. Or maybe boils.”

  I laughed. “Boils. That would be funny.”

  My father came to the door. “Gus? You coming in now?”

  I hopped up and noticed Shadow scratching at the screen door. I felt bad that I’d left him inside tonight, but he would have been trouble over at the cove. “Sure, Dad. I’ve got two more minutes. I’ll walk Shadow, see the twins to their door, and be right back.”

  “That’s a good boy,” he said, completely unaware of how wrong he was.

  I whistled to Shadow, patted him apologetically, and walked the twins to their porch. Their mother was just about to call them when they ran up the stairs.

  “Good night, Gus,” Elsbeth called.

  Siegfried waved over his shoulder. “Guten Nacht.”

  “Night, guys. See you at breakfast.”

  I slowly turned and ran back to my cabin with Shadow sniffing the ground in rapid circles behind me, his tail wagging madly. “Come on, boy. Time for bed.”

  He understood me, clambered up the stairs with toenails clicking on the porch, and followed me into the bedroom where the water lapped lazily at the rocks beneath my floorboards.

  Chapter 13

  The next morning, Siegfried, Elsbeth and I worked steadily through the breakfast shift, helping with dishes, pouring orange and tomato juice, and even delivering a few plates of bacon and eggs to customers when the waitresses were overwhelmed. Staying busy helped me from going crazy with curiosity about what we’d witnessed last night.

  I worried about Willy.

  Would she be okay? Did something happen to her during that ceremony that took away her ‘goodness’? Did casting a spell on a nasty girl like Monique send harsh vibrations to the girl, but somehow diminish Willy’s soul? Did it make her less innocent? Less of a good person? I couldn’t help but wonder.

  I could see Elsbeth and Siegfried were similarly engaged in thought, because they were unusually quiet for the whole hour. Just before the last guest wandered out the door, we exchanged a rushed conversation in the back room.

  “We’ve got to check on her,” Siegfried said, not needing to say Willy’s name.

  “I know,” I said urgently. “I’ve been worried about her all morning.”

  One of Elsbeth’s eyebrows shot up. “Why? Shouldn’t we be more worried about Monique?” She gave us a cute-evil smile. “Remember, the boils?”

  Siegfried didn’t smile. “I just have a bad feeling. Something’s not right.”

  A spike of fear shot up my back. Siegfried’s intuition was almost always on target. “Let’s hurry through the rest of the work and meet down by Wee Castle dock as soon as we’re done. Wear your sneakers, because we’re going in through the woods. I’ll get the boat ready and we can motor over to the cove. It’s the easiest way to sneak up to Willy’s cabin.”

  Elsbeth’s face dropped. “You guys are really worried about her?” She looked from me to Sig. “Now I’m worried. We have to see if she’s okay.”

  We parted and headed to our respective jobs. Elsbeth joined the girls drying dishes, Siegfried took a broom and mop into the dining hall, and I headed for the sink still piled high with china plates and coffee cups, juice glasses, and silverware.

  ***

  Thirty minutes later we met at the dock, hopped into my grandfather’s StarCraft, and headed for the cove. We reached it fast and I turned off the motor, yanking the propeller out of the water. We glided onto the sandy shore with a gritty scraping sound.

  The campfire still smoldered by the water, proving to me that we really had seen the ceremony last night. A wet charcoal smell rose to greet us, and birds twittered and chatted overhead as if still talking about last night’s events. The sand around the fire pit had been raked clean, however, and there was no debris, no burned dolls, or anything else to indicate what had happened there.

  “Come on,” Siegfried said. He jumped out, tied the boat to a big log on shore, and beckoned to us.

  We crept toward the woods that backed up to Aunt Carmen’s cabin.

  When we got there, I put out my hand to stop them. I listened hard to the squeals of laughter from children on the big beach, conversations wafting down from the top of the hill, and scurrying sounds of squirrels and chipmunks in the balsam trees. But nothing came from the cabin.

  Elsbeth grew tired of waiting and bounded out of the woods and up onto the porch steps. “Willy? Are you in there?” She rapped her fingers on the screen doorframe, drawing it open slowly. “Willy? It’s just us.”

  Siegfried and I followed and in a few long strides we stood behind her. I gently eased past Elsbeth and called inside. “Anyone home?”

  A soft murmur came from within.

  “Willy?” Siegfried spoke with urgency in his voice that scared me.

  We tumbled inside now, racing toward the back room where we found Willy lying in her bed, facing away from us. She moaned listlessly.

  Siegfried crouched beside the cot. “Willy. Are you okay?”

  Elsbeth sat on the bed beside her, reaching for her shoulder. “Willy?”

  The girl slowly turned toward us, revealing one purple, swollen eye, so puffy that it was sealed shut.

  “Oh my gosh, Willy,” I said in a rushed intake of breath. “Who did this to you?”

  She began to cry softly, trying to hide her injury with her hands. “Nobody. It’s nothing.”

  Siegfried’s face tensed with the truth. “Someone hit you.”

  She tossed him a panicked look. “Je vous en prie! You cannot say anything. My aunt will lose her job if I talk.”
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br />   “Oh, Willy.” Elsbeth just stared. She’d been through some tough times in her own home, what with the frequent and strict punishments her parents doled out to them. She’d been slapped, spanked, and roughly pushed into her bedroom. She’d been seriously punished with long, hard lists of jobs that took days to accomplish. But she’d never been punched. Or kicked. Or beaten.

  I stood and paced in a circle. “This is not okay,” I said, over and over again. “Nobody can treat you like this and get away with it.”

  “I can handle it,” Willy said, sitting up and putting on a brave face. “I’ve done it before.”

  My blood ran cold. “Seriously?” I paced some more. “This is, uh. This is like child abuse!”

  She seemed to have recovered from the trance-like state at the campfire last night, which was a relief. But I didn’t think this was the right time to tell her we’d been watching behind the bushes.

  Siegfried put a finger to his lips, standing suddenly. “Someone’s coming.”

  Willy panicked. “Hide. Vite, vite! In the bathroom, over there.” She motioned to the door with a trembling finger.

  We scrambled into the bathroom and eased the door shut, then, side by side, we laid our ears against the wooden panel.

  “Willy?” The demanding voice of Monique streaked through the air.

  I rolled my eyes at Siegfried, who did the same.

  “Oui, Miss Monique.” Willy sounded like a wounded rabbit; she had no fire, and no spunk. She had gone completely flat in front of the white girl. It seemed to me she had been forced to cultivate this horrible slave-child attitude for years. She was very good at it.

  Monique came closer, for her irritating voice grew loud. “What the hell are you doing down here, sugar? You promised to do my nails this morning.”

  Willy’s response was muffled.

  “What’s that you say?” With a sudden intake of breath, Monique let out a curse. “Oh, mon Dieu! What happened to your eye?”

  “It is nothing. I ran into a tree.”

  “It looks vile. You should see the camp doctor.”

  “Non! I don’t need to. I’m using Aunt Carmen’s special ointment. It will heal fast.”

  Monique huffed. “Hmpf. Can you still see well enough to do my nails?”

  “Non, Mademoiselle. It is still dripping. It might fall onto your hands.”

  “Oh, disgusting!” Monique shrieked. “Well, your timing is just awful. You know we have the camp fancy-dress ball tonight. How am I going to attend with these old things?”

  I pictured her holding out her perfectly manicured hands.

  “Maybe I’ll feel better later,” Willy offered feebly.

  It sounded like Monique was picking up and putting down objects all around the room. “Hey! Where did you get this sterling silver tray?”

  Willy said, “It was my mother and father’s wedding present from your parents. Many years ago.”

  “Oh. Okay. Long as your aunt didn’t steal it. It doesn’t really fit you and your family. I don’t know what my father was thinking, giving them such a treasure.”

  A low growl escaped me. I wanted to burst through the door and shake the wicked witch. Siegfried held my arm and shook his head. “Nein.”

  Monique uttered another huff, and then changed gears. In a beguiling voice, she asked, “Where’s Bosco?”

  “Working.” Willy’s response was short and curt. I wondered what that was all about.

  “Okay. Well, I need some furniture moved in my room. I’m going to find him. If you see him, tell him to find me.”

  “D’accord,” Willy said.

  “See that you do. And come up if you feel better later. I really do need you, sugar.” Without another word, the screen door slammed and Monique’s footsteps clattered away.

  We waited a few seconds and then burst out of the bathroom, gathering around Willy. Elsbeth perched on the cot beside her. She took one of Willy’s hands. “Oh, mein Gott. I hate her.”

  Siegfried stood close. “Me, too.”

  I gave Willy a sympathetic smile. “What was all that about Bosco? She sounded odd.”

  Willy shook herself with a rough snarl. “She is always teasing my brother. Trying to make him want her.”

  I blanched. “You mean, want her like a boyfriend wants a girlfriend?”

  Willy spat the words. “Yes. That and more.”

  “But why?” Elsbeth asked.

  Willy sat up and backed up to the wall, patting the cot for us to join her on it. We sat and waited.

  “Monique likes her power,” she said. “She thrives on it. She is cruel, manipulative, and has the heart of a demon.”

  “But your brother doesn’t like her, does he?”

  “Mais non!” Willy said. She looked around nervously and lowered her voice. “He hates her. But she flaunts her body and flickers her eyelashes and tries to make him get in trouble by asking him to help her with inappropriate jobs. Like in her room. Alone.”

  Holy crap. What she was telling us reminded me of the movie To Kill a Mockingbird, and the way Mayella tempted and teased Tom Robinson, then lied about what he did to her. My heart thudded to my feet. “Your brother better be careful,” I said. “Real careful.”

  Willy grimaced. “I know. I’ve told him so.”

  Siegfried looked toward the door. “Do you want to get out of here, Willy? We’ve got the boat.”

  She stood, swayed a little, and then gave him an affectionate smile. “Why, yes, Siegfried. I would really like that.”

  Chapter 14

  We headed down the steps, but were instantly stopped by a gruff man’s voice.

  “What the hell’s going on here, Willy? Who are these kids and why were they in your cabin?” A tall man in a fancy yacht-owner’s hat and white canvas jacket strode toward us.

  Willy blanched and fell back against me. “Mr. LaFontaine.”

  All heads swiveled in his direction. “Well? You know guests are strictly prohibited from entering the help’s quarters.”

  “We are not guests, Mr. LaFontaine,” Elsbeth said with great clarity of diction. She matched him word for word with attitude and high-society manners.

  It made me smile.

  “We are from the next door camp, Loon Harbor Resort. This is Mr. Gus LeGarde, grandson of the owners.” She briefly waved to me. “We are friends of Willy and want to play with her. Is there a camp rule against that?” She boldly strode to his side, planting her hands on hips.

  “Not per se,” he said, studying us carefully. “You sound like a foreigner, mon cherie.”

  “These kids are American citizens,” I said coldly. “They have lived in New York for eight years now. And this young lady’s name is Elsbeth Marggrander.” I gave him what I hoped was a steely-eyed stare. “And this is Mr. Siegfried Marggrander. He is a math genius.” I couldn’t help but show off Sig’s talent. I always used that when challenged by jerks like this man.

  “I see. Loon Harbor, eh? Seems like I’ve been meeting a lot of your former customers lately.”

  I shrugged. “They come and go. But they always come back to us.”

  He backed up a little, tossing a narrow-eyed glance at Willy. I drew in a quick breath when I noticed the color of his eyes. Deep indigo, almost violet.

  Just like Willy’s.

  “Well, you’d better come back to help Carmen with the linens later. You know I expect the whole family to pitch in.”

  She scurried away with us after promising to return later to help with the laundry. He watched us for a long time, until we vanished into the woods.

  We stopped at the cove, putting on our life vests and preparing to take off in the boat. I took Siegfried’s arm in mine, pulling him aside. “Hey. Sig.”

  He studied my face. “Ja, Gus?”

  “I’ve gotta ask you something.”

  “Go ahead,” he said.

  “Did you notice that Mr. LaFontaine wasn’t shocked by Willy’s black eye?”

  He solemnly nodded. “Ja. I did
.”

  “He didn’t flinch when he first saw her, ask her about it, or even comment on it.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you know what that means?”

  “Ja, naturlich. It means he already knew about it.”

  “And why?” I asked, pushing him.

  He just stared at me.

  “Because,” I said in a harsh whisper, “I think he’s the one who hit her.”

  Siegfried stopped in his tracks, shushing me. “Let’s talk over on Moosehead Island some more. Let the girls have fun. We need to think about this.”

  “Right.” I slid the boat into the water, helped the girls step over the sides and get settled onto the middle bench seat, and then climbed in myself. With an oar, I pushed on the sandy bottom until we floated freely in the calm lake, then lowered the prop and started up the motor. “Moosehead Island, here we come.”

  ***

  When we beached the boat at the island, the girls immediately wandered off to slosh in the shallows, disappearing around the corner in minutes.

  I tethered the boat carefully, stacked the discarded life vests on the seats, and turned to Siegfried. “Something’s really wrong with this whole picture, Sig.”

  He nodded thoughtfully, sitting down on the sand with his knees up and hands clasped over them. “Ja. For sure.”

  “Is it normal for colored folks to have blue-ish eyes like Willy’s?”

  “I don’t think so. Unless some white blood is mixed in.”

  “She is very light-skinned. More so than her aunt and brother, don’t you think?”

  “I do.”

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I shivered and sat down beside him. “I’m thinking something terrible.”

  “You think that Mr. LaFontaine forced himself on Willy’s mother thirteen years ago.”

  I nodded glumly. “Yes. And that poor woman is dead. She died in childbirth and can’t say a word about what happened to her.”

  “I know.” He gazed off into the distance.

  “That would mean Mr. LaFontaine is Willy’s blood father.”

  “I know,” he said, shaking his head.