In Deep Voodoo Read online

  “I will as soon as we hang up.”

  Gloria made agitated noises. “Okay, I’ll let Maynard know when I talk to him.”

  “One more thing,” Penny said. “I hired a private investigator.”

  “Why?” Gloria said, her voice suspicious.

  “I thought he might be able to poke around where the police can’t.”

  “Be careful. You don’t want to step on toes at the police department.”

  With a pledge to talk soon, Penny hung up the phone and dialed the police station. “Chief Davis, please. This is Penny Francisco.”

  After a minute or two of silence, Chief Davis came on the line. “Hello, Penny. Is your conscience bothering you?”

  Penny pursed her mouth. “No. I called to report something strange that happened this morning while I was running.”

  “What?” Allyson asked in a bored voice.

  “I was shot at.”

  Allyson gave a disbelieving little laugh. “Shot at?”

  Penny closed her eyes briefly. “That’s right. On Hairpin Hill. Two shots were fired, and one came very close to hitting me.”

  “You must have been mistaken,” Allyson said. “Maybe you heard a car backfire, or someone was playing with fireworks.”

  “I don’t think so. A bullet hit a tree next to me.”

  “Then maybe someone was shooting at an animal and the bullet went astray.”

  Penny bit her lip. “I suppose that’s possible, but don’t you think you should look into it?”

  Tension crackled across the line. “Don’t tell me what I should look into, Penny, else I might think you’re trying to send me on a wild-goose chase to distract me from Deke’s murder case.”

  Penny ground her teeth. “I’m telling you, someone was shooting at me.”

  “Why would someone be shooting at you, Penny? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “No,” Penny said through clenched teeth. “I was just on my normal morning run.”

  “And have you ever been shot at before while you were on your morning run?” Allyson’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

  “No. But considering the timing, it might have something to do with Deke’s murder.”

  Allyson sighed. “Okay, I’ll send an officer out there to sniff around. What time did it happen?”

  “Around 7:15 A.M.”

  “And you’re just now getting around to telling me?”

  “My home phone isn’t working. I’m calling you from the shop.”

  “I saw the crowd at your shop this morning when I drove by. I have half a mind to book you for inciting a riot for suggesting that what happened to Deke has something to do with voodoo.”

  “But … I didn’t.”

  “Right. The paper is full of reports of hexes and voodoo rituals. It’s bad publicity for Mojo, especially since Deke’s mother is the mayor. Every half-baked witch in the tristate will be here causing trouble.”

  “I want this to be over more than you do,” Penny said evenly. “Maybe if you were less intent on pinning Deke’s murder on me, you’d find the real killer.” She slammed down the phone, realizing she’d probably nixed any investigation into the shooting.

  Penny inhaled and exhaled several times to quiet her racing pulse, then she picked up the phone to make another difficult call. She dialed slowly, almost hoping that Liz wouldn’t answer, but she did.

  “Hello?”

  “Liz, hi, it’s Penny.”

  “Hi, sweetheart. I’m taking Wendy to the airport—her flight was delayed a couple of hours. Are you hung over this morning, or did you manage to hook up with that hottie from the bar?”

  Penny pursed her mouth. “I guess you haven’t watched the news.”

  “No,” Liz said suspiciously. “Why?”

  “Liz, Deke is … dead.”

  “What?” Liz screeched, then moved her mouth away from the phone. “Wendy, Penny says that Deke is dead.” She put her mouth back to the phone. “What on earth happened?”

  Penny recounted the details for what seemed like the hundredth time.

  Liz gasped. “Stabbed? But that’s just like the voodoo doll.”

  Penny frowned. “I know … and people are drawing comparisons, including the police.”

  “Oh, my God, honey, how awful for you. What can we do—do you want us to come and stay with you?”

  “Thanks, but that’s not a good idea right now. Television reporters are following me, not to mention the crazies who seem to think that I have some kind of magic voodoo powers.”

  “That’s downright spooky.”

  Penny cleared her throat. “Liz, the police are going to question you and Wendy because you were at the party. I have to ask again—did either one of you bring the voodoo doll as a gag gift?”

  “No,” Liz said. “We brought the blow-up guy. Wait a minute—are you saying that the police think that you killed Deke because of sticking that stupid voodoo doll?”

  “That’s about the gist of it.”

  Liz made an exasperated noise, then stopped suddenly. “You didn’t kill him, did you, Penny?”

  “No! How could you even ask?”

  “Because … well, I wouldn’t blame you if you did. After all, he was a lying, cheating bastard who deserved to die a slow, painful death.”

  Penny stuck her tongue into her cheek. “Still, I didn’t kill him.”

  Liz made fretting noises. “Why don’t you come and stay with me until this all blows over?”

  “I need to stay in town.” The unspoken words hung in the air: I’m the primary suspect. “I have my business to run,” she added hurriedly.

  “Right,” Liz said slowly. “When is the funeral?”

  “I’m not sure, but I’ll let you know.”

  “I’ll be there, and Wendy is saying that she’ll come back, too. We’re both so sorry, Penny.”

  Penny’s eyes began to water. “Thanks.”

  “Promise that you’ll call if you need anything.”

  “I will.”

  Penny hung up the phone, fighting a sudden bout of tears. Telling people that Deke was dead didn’t make it seem any more real—only more unbelievable.

  A knock on the door sounded. She wiped the corners of her eyes and took a deep breath. “Who is it?”

  “It’s me, Guy.”

  “Come in.”

  Guy poked his head inside, his expression forlorn. “You can come out now—they’re gone.”

  She pushed to her feet. “Thanks.”

  When she walked out, Marie stood next to Guy, looking just as distressed.

  “I didn’t do it,” Penny said quickly. “And I’m sorry, but the police will probably be questioning you. Do you know who brought the voodoo doll to the party?”

  They shook their heads.

  Penny sighed. “Okay, don’t worry about me. The best thing is to try to conduct business as usual.”

  They both nodded, their expressions anguished, and she felt a rush of fondness and gratitude. “Guy, where’s the best place to get a cell phone?”

  While he went to write down some information for her, she turned to Marie. “I’m going to be in and out until this blows over. Can you handle things here at the store?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Great—thank you.” Suddenly a thought popped into her head. “Marie, what about the two friends of yours who came to the party, the ones who cut hair?”

  “Jill and Melissa? What about them?”

  “Could one of them have brought the voodoo doll?”

  She shrugged. “I can find out.”

  “Do you know if either one of them is connected to Deke?”

  Marie squirmed and averted her gaze.

  “Marie?”

  The young woman sighed. “I don’t know for sure, but Melissa bragged once that she’d, um, slept with Deke.”

  Penny felt the blood drain from her face. “When?”

  “She said it was when Deke first bought his car—he gave her a ride.” />
  And then she’d given him a ride. Penny fisted her hands at her sides—had the man exercised no restraint?

  “I’m sorry, boss.”

  Penny inhaled to get a grip on her emotions. “Thanks for being honest.”

  “By the way, who was that man you were talking to last night at Caskey’s?”

  Penny hesitated. “Um … just someone I met. He’s in town looking for a missing girl and was asking questions about Mojo.”

  “He looked mighty interested in you,” Marie said lightly.

  The door chimed, and Penny looked up to see the man they’d been talking about materialize.

  “Good morning,” B.J. said.

  Penny straightened under Marie’s probing gaze. “Good morning.”

  Good God Almighty, the man was in excess. He wore jeans and a holey sweatshirt. His hair was shiny clean but looked like it had been combed with barbed wire. And for someone whose specialty was finding things, he seemed to have misplaced his razor.

  He lifted a bag from Benny’s Beignets. The bottom half of the bag was transparent with grease. “Hungry?”

  She licked her lips. “Um, no. This is a health food store.”

  “I’ll take one,” Marie said.

  “Me, too,” Guy said, emerging from the stockroom. He handed Penny a page of notes on where to buy a cell phone. “He’s cute,” he whispered.

  Penny’s mouth quirked to one side. She awkwardly introduced B.J. as “a person who’s helping me” and left Marie and Guy to figure out what he was helping her with.

  “Nice place,” B.J. said, walking around.

  Penny frowned. “You’re getting powdered sugar on the floor.”

  He looked down and used the toe of his boot to scatter the white stuff, as if it would help. Marie and Guy both looked at him with dreamy eyes until Penny stared them down. She nodded in a “get lost” movement, and they scattered to straighten shelves.

  “I tried to call you,” B.J. said.

  “My phone isn’t working,” she replied, then held up the sheet of paper that Guy had given her. “But I’m going to buy a cell phone.”

  “I’ll go with you,” he said. “It’ll give us a chance to talk.”

  She nodded, although the dark tone of his voice made her chest tighten. What had he discovered?

  The chime sounded as the door opened, admitting Jules Lamborne.

  “Hi, Jules,” Marie called loudly.

  But instead of her regular cheerful greeting, Jules lifted her carved walking stick and pointed it at Penny. “I told you that voodoo isn’t for amateurs.”

  Penny blinked and held out a calming hand. “Jules, I know what everyone is saying, but Deke Black’s murder had nothing to do with me sticking that voodoo doll.”

  “That’s what you think,” Jules said, her voice crackling with strain.

  “Maybe it was a random killing,” Marie said, munching on her beignet. “Maybe someone here for the festival got carried away.”

  “Nothing is random,” Jules declared, then looked back to Penny. “Someone put a hex on that doll, and used you as a carrier.”

  Penny frowned. “A carrier?”

  “Or someone could have put a hex on you.”

  Penny started to deny Jules’s words, then she remembered the masked priestess in the shelter who had singled her out. Penny asked Jules about the woman and the rattle.

  “It’s called an ason,” Jules said. “It’s a gourd filled with snake vertebrae, to honor Danbala, the Great Serpent spirit. Only voodoo priests and priestesses are allowed to use the ason. They can be used to bring forth good … or evil.”

  For a few seconds, Penny was riveted, then she shook herself. “I don’t believe in voodoo, Jules.”

  “You should,” the old woman said, backing toward the door. “I told you that people were going to die, but you didn’t listen.”

  Cool air settled over Penny’s arms, raising gooseflesh across her shoulders. “I’m listening now.”

  “Good,” Jules said, then stabbed the air with her stick. “Because the dying isn’t over yet.”

  17

  You might need to test

  alternate formulas …

  “She’s a spooky old gal, isn’t she?” B.J. asked, holding open the passenger door of his faded green sedan, which was parked in the store parking lot. Homemade and mass-produced voodoo dolls littered the ground, many with notes attached.

  On impulse, Penny scooped up one of the dolls at her feet and nodded as she slid by him. The scent of strong soap tickled her nostrils, and she suddenly had doubts about being with him in such a confining space. The fact that she’d known him for such a short time niggled at the back of her mind. On the other hand, she’d known Deke for years, yet her trust in him had been utterly misplaced.

  The crude doll was made from wax and straw, wrapped in a white cotton strip that looked to be part of a dingy T-shirt. The attached note read, “My husband is a pain in the neck—please give him one back.” The T-shirt no doubt belonged to the annoying husband.

  “Do you think there’s any validity to what Jules Lamborne said—that Deke’s murder has something to do with voodoo?”

  He quirked a dark eyebrow. “There are a lot of things in the world that are unexplainable—love at first sight, vegetable pizza, and potpourri, for instance. But I doubt that your ex’s murder is one of them.”

  He closed her door. She was immediately overcome with the stale scent of French fries and rolled down the window, then studied him as he walked around the front of the car and climbed inside.

  “Sorry about the mess,” he said, reaching over to remove the fast-food bags from the floorboard beneath her feet. He tossed them in the backseat, which was piled high with newspapers, manila file folders, and athletic equipment.

  She fastened her seat belt, then reached beneath her hip and removed a woman’s lime green stiletto pump.

  He grinned. “Wonder how long that’s been there.”

  She smirked. “I wonder.”

  He tossed it in the back, too, then started the engine. “Have you seen today’s Post?”

  She nodded. “And I talked to Chief Davis this morning—she wasn’t in a good mood. She said this murder was bad publicity for the festival and for the town, and she blames me personally.”

  “She called to tell you that?”

  “Er, no. Actually, I called her.” Penny told him about the shooting incident.

  B.J’s expression darkened. “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “No phone at home,” she reminded him. “And I was going to call you … soon. Anyway, I reported it to Chief Davis, but I got the feeling that she thought I was making up the story for sympathy.”

  B.J. was quiet for a few seconds, and she wondered briefly if he also thought she was making up the story for sympathy. “Speaking of shooting, did you ask her about the gun that was removed from your place?”

  “No, my attorney is going to handle it.”

  “That’s probably best,” he agreed. “What do you know about this Chasen guy who picked you up this morning?”

  “He’s worked for Deke for a couple of years. I don’t particularly like him, but he’s never really done anything to me.”

  “Just a feeling?”

  Penny nodded. “At the party he told my employee Marie that Deke hid assets during our property settlement.”

  “So he wasn’t completely loyal to your ex.”

  “Plus he could have been gossiping to cozy up to Marie. I asked him this morning if Deke had any enemies, and he said that Diane Davidson had threatened him.”

  “Her name was on the party list, too.”

  “Right. She’s a customer of mine, but I don’t know her very well. Apparently, she was fired from teaching at the high school because she’s Wiccan.”

  “What’s her connection to Deke?”

  Penny told him about the lawsuit Diane Davidson had wanted to file.

  He put the car into gear. “I say we pay Diane Davidson
a visit. Do you know where she lives?”

  Penny squinted, trying to remember. “In a new subdivision—all their names sound the same to me. Something Heights, maybe.”

  “Where?”

  She stopped, then the realization hit her. “On Hairpin Hill, where I was running this morning.”

  “Okay, let’s get that phone, then we’ll start asking questions. Where can we find Steve Chasen?”

  “He said he was going to open Deke’s office today. It’s just a few doors down from the cell phone place.”

  B.J. smiled. “I love small towns.”

  But Penny was having different thoughts, since another group of women bearing voodoo dolls was descending on The Charm Farm. She sank lower in the seat. “Get me out of here.”

  He obliged, and she told him which way to turn.

  Deke’s office was on the far end of the city limits, away from the square, past the new high school and the Bi-Lo grocery and the car wash, close to the interstate. Deke’s parents had constructed a small strip mall with brick fronts and elegant entrances, primarily to house his father’s law practice. The structure, which they had dubbed Charmed Village, had turned out to be a cash cow, however, when the other spaces had quickly filled up with Primo Dry Cleaners, Tam’s Electronics, Lewis Taxidermy, S&C Upholstery, Quinto’s sub sandwiches, and the Looky-Loo bookstore.

  “Tam’s Electronics sells phones,” she said, pointing. They parked and walked in, armed with the notes Guy had given her. The clerk appeared to still be in high school. He stared at her, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he answered her questions. He’d obviously seen the article on Deke’s murder in the newspaper.

  “This is the one you want,” B.J. cut in, setting a slim phone on the counter.

  She looked up at the matter-of-fact certainty in his eyes and was struck by his self-assurance. It was nice to have someone who made her life … easier. Deke had always been full of promises and good intentions, but in truth, he’d rarely made good on them. He’d bought the Victorian with assurances that he would help with the restoration, but when the time had come, he’d always been working late or too tired, or he’d needed to spend time with his mother. Meanwhile, Penny had worked at his office full-time, restored the house, and taken care of the details of their life, allowing him to concentrate on his career.