Authors: Sharon Sala
The call rang four times, and just when he thought it was going to go to voicemail, he heard a click, then a breathless, raspy voice.
“
Bonjour.
”
“Mama Lou, it’s me, Brendan Poe.”
There was a brief moment of silence and then a shuffling of papers. “Something is wrong in your family.”
It was a statement, not a question, which didn’t surprise him. Whether her knowledge came from the voodoo she practiced, or the fact that she had an ear to everything that went on in the city, it didn’t matter. What she knew, she knew.
“That’s the understatement of the day. I have a need.”
“Who do you want to die?”
It was daunting to know she wasn’t kidding.
“My father, but if and when that ever happens, I’ll do it myself. Today I have a different kind of need.”
Another moment of silence, then a soft moan.
“Ahhh, the pain. LaDelle Duveau has been burned.”
He wondered why she used his mother’s maiden name instead of Poe, but didn’t ask about it.
“Yes, ma’am, she has, and she and my little sister are in a fair amount of danger. I need to go to work and can’t leave them alone. Do you know of someone strong enough to carry about a hundred and five pounds’ worth of woman back and forth to the bathroom, the good sense to call the police, and the backbone to stand up to Anson Poe if the need arises? I’ll pay a fair wage and will need her to come every day by 11:00 a.m. and stay until after 3:00 a.m. every night but Sunday. It would be at least two weeks’ worth of work.”
“Yes, I know of this person. She will be at your door by 5:00 today. You can give her instructions and rest assured your family will be protected.”
“Thank you, Mama Lou.”
“Au revoir.
”
The line went dead in his ear. He didn’t have to know who was coming to know he could breathe easy now. He glanced at the clock. It was almost 4:00 p.m. It felt like a lifetime since he’d driven out to Wisteria Hill, and there was still so much to do before he left for the night.
He got a package of hamburger meat from the fridge and dropped it in a skillet, stirred in some seasonings and covered it with a lid. It wouldn’t be as good as the food his mama made, but it was cheaper and better than take-out. By the time 5:00 o’clock rolled around, he had his version of goulash ready to eat, and a salad in the refrigerator. Linny knew where he kept ice cream and cookies, so dessert was taken care of, and he’d written down the instructions his helper would need to take care of his mother’s meds.
When the knock sounded at the door, Linny bolted up from the sofa and came running into the kitchen.
“Brendan, someone’s at the door. Is it the babysitter? I’ve never had a babysitter before. Lucia, from my class, has a babysitter every Saturday night. Her mama and daddy have date night. Why don’t Mama and Daddy have date night? Maybe if they did, Daddy wouldn’t be so mean.”
He shook his head. “Date night won’t fix what’s wrong with Anson. Go in the bedroom with Mama. I need to talk to the lady first.”
Linny waved her hand into the air in a gesture of queenly approval. “Yes, of course. You should have the first audience with the new handmaiden, Sir Brendan. I will be with Lady Delle.”
He grinned as she flew out of the room; her long ponytail flying out behind her like Superman’s cape. It seems that Xbox game she’d been playing segued into her own game of make-believe quite nicely.
When he opened the front door, it took everything he had not to back up. The woman standing just outside the threshold was so tall she was looking him square in the eyes. She was dressed more like an islander than a native of New Orleans, and for a moment, wondered if this was who Mama Lou sent. Before he could ask, she answered for him.
“I am Claudette. You are Brendan Poe?”
“Yes. Please come in,” he said and stepped aside as she strode in.
He tried not to stare, but it was nearly impossible. She was at least six feet tall and wearing a long, multi-colored dress that hung loosely on her body. With her smooth, tan skin and fine features, she could’ve passed for a young woman, but her hair was completely grey and in dreadlocks hanging down past her shoulders.
“Show me what I am to do.”
He took her to the kitchen, showed her the food and the list with his contact numbers. “Nothing is off limits to any of you. If you want it, it is yours, understand?”
She lifted the lid from the skillet, eyeing the dish of hamburger meat, sweet peppers and pasta and then replaced it gently.
“You cooked this.”
“Yes, it’s not the best but—”
She put a finger to her lips. “Never apologize for doing a good thing,” she said softly. Then she put a hand in the middle of his chest and briefly closed her eyes. “You are a good man, Brendan Poe. Be watchful.”
“Thank you, I will. Now come meet my mother and sister,” he said, and led the way into the spare bedroom.
When they walked in, Delle was sitting up, and Linny was brushing her hair.
The moment they entered, Linny froze. Her lips parted, but nothing came out of her mouth.
LaDelle was another story. Her eyes widened, and then a big grin spread across her face as she leaned forward about to lunge from the bed.
“Claudette?”
The woman flashed a wide, happy smile.
Brendan stared. “You two know each other?”
Delle was laughing as Claudette slid onto the side of the bed. “Yes, Lord yes, we know each other,” Delle said, clutching Claudette’s hands. “We are within twelve hours of being the exact same age, and we slept in the same bed until Claudette got so big Mama had to get her a bed of her own.”
Claudette was laughing. “For which I was most grateful since you continued to wet the bed until you were almost four.”
Linny grinned. “Mama wet the bed?”
Claudette smiled and beckoned for her to come close. As soon as she could reach her, she pulled Linny into her lap.
“Every child wets the bed at least once, is this not so?”
Linny nodded, fascinated by the woman’s manner and looks.
“Okay, Mama, I’m still waiting for an explanation,” Brendan said.
“Claudette is my half-sister, Brendan. Daddy had two families, which no one knew about until Claudette’s mama died. She was barely a year old when Daddy brought her home. Mama put Daddy out of her bed for a whole year, but she took Claudette in her arms like she was one of her own.”
Brendan grinned. “I have an aunt?”
Claudette stood. “Yes. Yes, you do, Brendan Poe. If it is not to your liking, I—”
She never got to finish what she was saying.
Brendan threw his arms around her, kissed her on both cheeks, and then hugged her again.
“Finally! Family I can be proud of,” he said.
Delle felt shame, but at the same time a relief. This day was long overdue. Her marriage to Anson Poe had separated her from everyone she’d known and loved, and if Anson knew Claudette was here, he’d be livid. The thought made her smile.
Brendan shook his head. “Okay, so now I owe Mama Lou even more than my life. She’s given me back family as well, and she’s never gonna let me forget it.”
Claudette lifted her chin, ready to take charge.
“Go to your job, Brendan Poe, and rest assured I can handle any and everything that might possibly occur.”
He left with a smile on his face and a bounce in his step.
****
The Black Garter was in the middle of a block on Rampart Street. The entrance was painted black, and there were no windows to see what was going on inside, partly because of the semi-nudity of the dancers, and partly because the people who were inside had privacy issues of their own.
The décor skirted gaudy, hinted at macabre, and bordered on just enough reality to be interesting. The undertones of a drumbeat played in the background beneath a constant loop of Cajun music. The cocktail waitresses wore black slacks and black lace camisoles with barely there red bras peeking through the naughty lace. It was meant to keep emotions hot, while the constantly circulating air conditioning kept bodies cool.
There was a raised stage behind a half-circle bar where a nearly naked dancer twisted and writhed to a wild jungle drumbeat. The fact a python, white as the dancer was dark, dangled around her neck was almost noticed after the fact.
The two other bartenders who usually worked Juliette’s shift were Toni and Wynn, and they all worked within the open arc between the bar and the stage.
There were two bouncers on every shift, three if it was a weekend or a convention was in town. Tonight, Brendan was on duty with Deuce, an ex-pro football player who’d grown up in the area.
Brendan stood near a wall in the middle of the room that gave him free access to watch the people on the floor as well as people at the bar. There was no access to the stage from the front of the house, but it didn’t stop the occasional customer from trying to climb the bar to get to the woman and her snake.
Deuce was in the process of removing a very drunk customer from the premises for putting his hand down a waitress’s bra when Brendan saw a heavy-set man come inside and head for the bar. He reminded Brendan of a hairless ape: long arms, short legs, and a bald head jammed onto shoulders too big for his body.
It was the same man who’d been coming in every night for a month and making a point to take a seat at the end of the bar where Juliette worked. He wouldn’t look at her, or anybody else, until he’d had at least one drink. After that, he stared at her for hours on end, watching her like a mongoose watches a cobra, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Brendan knew the man made Juliette uneasy, but he’d never said or done anything that would get him removed from the premises. And, until he did, he had free range to come and go and look all he wanted.
****
Julie saw the man approaching and shuddered inwardly. The moment he sat down at the bar, she looked for Brendan across the crowd. Once she caught his eye and realized he’d seen the man come in, too. She relaxed.
The man she privately referred to as “the troll” tapped the bar loudly to get her attention.
She turned, her voice cool and business-like. “What’ll it be?”
“The same,” he said softly without looking at her face.
Julie sensed he liked knowing she was familiar with his tastes, and detected a small glint of satisfaction when she put the first gin and tonic down in front of him. Even though she quickly moved on to the next customer, trading wit and quips with her regulars, the silence between her and the troll grew ominous by the absence of conversation.
Sometimes she would get busy and forget he was there, then hear that sharp
tap,
tap,
as he rapped the bottom of his empty glass against the bar for a refill. But it was the second drink he ordered that got to her, because once the first was gone, he watched her non-stop.
He always stayed until fifteen minutes before closing, at which time he paid his tab plus a ten-dollar tip, and walked out without a stumble, even with five drinks and a bowl of pretzels in his belly.
What Julie didn’t know, and Brendan had yet to find out was that, when Chub Walton left the bar, he stood in the shadows of a nearby alley, waiting to see her come out. He also knew where she lived and followed her home every night. He knew she had a thing with the big, dark-haired bouncer, but that didn’t bother him. He didn’t want her forever. He just wanted her once. Women didn’t last beyond that. Growing up, his mama had always accused him of being hard on his shoes. She’s had no idea he would be hard on his women as well.
For now, Chub was satisfied to anticipate. It was part of the game, which made it better for the main event, and this night was no different. When closing time drew near, he paid up, left, then went to the alley to wait.
A short while later, the big bouncer and the little blonde walked out hand-in-hand to where their cars were parked. After a quick kiss, the guy got in his SUV and followed behind her all the way home.
Chub followed a distance behind them, cruising past only after they went inside, and then made his way home.
****
Two days later
Anson was doing a walk-through of Wisteria Hill with a pad and pen, making notes of things that needed to be fixed or replaced. He hadn’t looked at the place like this in years and it had long since lost the connotation of home. It was just the place where he ate, slept, and fucked. He’d left the child rearing and the house to Delle, and made sure the money he gave her was barely enough to clothe and feed them. But if he was going to get her back, this had to be done. She had to come home on her own to make the rest of his plan work.
When he finally sat down to a solitary supper, it was to the last of Delle’s gumbo. After this, he was going to have to cook his own food, or buy it in town. Once he finished eating, he began making phone calls, wasting no time in getting started.
Within two days, he had a crew repairing the roof, another repairing the exterior in preparation for a paint job, while a third crew was tearing out the old kitchen flooring to install new tile. The last crew was prepping the interior walls of the house, readying them to be painted as well. Once all that was completed, he had a local interior designer on standby to hang new curtains and drapes. His family and neighbors would view it as a much-needed renovation, but to Anson, it was nothing more than a very expensive trap.
****
When Sam and Chance showed up for work that morning and saw what was taking place, they were in shock. They stood on the threshold in the kitchen, staring in disbelief.
“What’s going on?” Sam asked.
“What’s it look like?” Anson asked as he circled the work crew and headed for the door.
“You’re fixing the floor?” Chance said.
“Good observation, but it’s not just the floor. It’s the whole damn place,” Anson said. “Let’s go outside to talk.”
They followed him out and then into the yard.
“What the hell, Dad?” Sam asked.