One Blood (13 page)

Randy Lafitte stood to greet her. “Glad you could make it on such short notice,” he said, looking her up and down appreciatively. “I’m sure you hear this often, but you look just like your mother. My sincerest condolences for your loss. I imagine it hasn’t been easy for you.”

“
Thank you,” she replied demurely, ignoring his outstretched hand. As she took a seat across from him, her eyes were drawn to Lafitte’s bald, freckled head. He used to have a movie star coif, but the brain malignancy had taken care of that. She wondered why he hadn’t grown his hair back like so many other cancer survivors.

Still, he looked a whole lot better than the last time she’d seen him this close…

* * * * *

It was June 1994, and Jhonnette had just passed her six-month anniversary working as a nurse at the Oschner Cancer Center in New Orleans. One afternoon, she and her colleagues learned they would be receiving a VIP—the recently elected Governor of Louisiana. He was coming in for a series of tests to see if his brain cancer was spreading.

Curious, Jhonnette took a peek at the Governor’s chart. It certainly looked like Lafitte’s term was going to be cut drastically short. He had a malignant tumor the size of a plum in the pineal region at the base of his brain—one of the worst regions for a brain tumor. The pineal gland not only controls the body’s hormonal systems, it also regulates the sleep-wake cycle. As the body’s internal clock, its timer was rapidly counting down to zero for Randy Lafitte.

He was receiving a debilitating amount of pain medication for the vicious headaches associated with his condition, as well as meds to help him get some semblance of regular sleep. Jhonnette was covering for a fellow nurse the next evening when her curiosity got the best of her again. After all, Lafitte’s story was famous. He’d lost both his parents as a young man and his only son had been killed the same year Jhonnette had buried her mother. Her heart ached for the suffering he’d endured, and since she knew she could make him more comfortable, she cautiously entered his room.

As a young girl, Jhonnette learned she was an amplifier, blessed with the ability to magnify the unconscious thoughts of others and manifest their deepest, darkest secrets. She could also boost the body’s curative capabilities, a trick that always worked to endear her to whomever was blessed with her healing. Having the Governor as an ally could come in handy down the line.

She stood next to his bed, pretending to check the telemetry monitor. His eyelids twitched in the midst of R.E.M sleep. Gently, she placed her hands on his shaved head, sending energy through her palms to the diseased area. If she could just shrink the tumor a little bit, she might be able to alleviate some of his pain.

Beads of sweat broke out on the Governor’s forehead from the increase in temperature. She was about to remove her hands when he forcefully grabbed her wrists. His eyes opened wide.

As she struggled to get free, she noticed that the white of one of his eyes was completely bloodshot.

“
So you’ve come to finish me off, Madame Deveaux,” he slurred.

Jhonnette froze.
How does he know my mother?

“
Do it. Finish it!”

In her panic to get away from him, Jhonnette felt a tremendous quantity of energy pour out of her.

Lafitte’s hands dropped back to his sides, his tense neck relaxed, and his eyes closed again.

Jhonnette ran out of the room as fast as her feet would take her. Unfortunately, she couldn’t outrun the memories she’d just lifted from Lafitte’s subconscious mind.

One of the side effects of her ability was that she tended to receive trace information from the subjects of her healing. In her mind’s eye, she had seen a much younger Randy Lafitte sitting across a table from her mother.

Her mother had said,
“You’re just a boy. Who could have possibly hurt you so deeply you feel the need to hurt them in return?”
She heard Lafitte’s reply.

“
My father.”

* * * * *

She’d quit her nursing job the next day. Every action she’d taken since had been leading up to this moment—her reunion with Randy Lafitte. Only this time, she felt no sympathy for the man whose life she’d unwittingly saved. If she’d known then what she knew now, she’d have slit his throat.

He doesn’t remember me. But he will.

“
The resemblance really is uncanny,” Lafitte repeated.

Jhonnette smiled thinly. “Mother said you would say that.”

“
She knew we would meet?”

“
Karen had to turn eighteen eventually.”

Lafitte’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know my daughter’s name?”

Jhonnette met his gaze. “Mother kept tabs on you,” she lied.

“
What do you mean, ‘Karen had to turn eighteen eventually’?” Lafitte pressed.

“
You know exactly what it means.”

Lafitte sighed. “So, I’m guessing it’s no surprise to you then that she’s been kidnapped.” He stared at her intently. “I assume you know about the curse.”

“
Why else would I be here.”

Lafitte leaned forward. “How do I save Karen’s life?”

“
You already know the answer to that question.”

“
I want to hear you say it,” Lafitte demanded.

“
You have to sacrifice yourself for your daughter. Or find a substitute that they will accept.”

“
What do you mean a substitute? And who’s this ‘they’?”

Jhonnette allowed herself to smile internally. She had him. “They are the spirits you invoked when you resurrected the curse to kill your father. And they demand the blood of a Lafitte, or else
they
will take you both.”

“
Bullshit,” Lafitte spat.

“
If you’re so convinced it’s bullshit, then why did you bring me here?” Jhonnette reached for her purse and stood up.

“
Alright. Okay. Let’s start over,” Randy backpedaled, motioning for her to sit. “You know I met your mother on my eighteenth birthday, right?”

Jhonnette settled back into her seat. “I know you did your best to ruin her.” After his father’s death, Randy ran every fortune teller out of New Orleans. His own version of the Spanish Inquisition, minus the burning witches.

Lafitte fidgeted. “I regret that. I truly do. I was young and angry.”

Jhonnette stared back at Lafitte and thought of her impoverished childhood. The multitude of men she laid beneath as a teenager to put food on the table after her mother’s paltry fortune telling business dried up, along with her health. “That’s no excuse,” she said, her voice laced with bitterness.

“
Well, now I’m in a position to make good,” Randy grinned. “You have information I need and I’m willing to compensate you handsomely. What do you say?”

Jhonnette sighed. “I don’t even know why I agreed to see you today.”

“
I’ll tell you why,” Lafitte replied. “Because you don’t want to see an innocent girl die.”

“
Let’s get one thing straight, Governor,” Jhonnette said. “I don’t give a shit about what happens to your daughter.”

Lafitte flinched.

Jhonnette smiled slightly. “You should’ve thought of this day before you got your wife pregnant. But since you don’t believe in the curse anyway, I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.”

Jhonnette locked into Lafitte’s hazel eyes and subtly pushed energy at him. Her palms tingled with the release.

Lafitte’s face shifted. One second, he was a reasonably charismatic politician; the next, he was a man on the brink of collapse. His eyes lost their focus and he started grinding his teeth, only stopping to offer a savage grin. “You have no idea what I’m capable of,” he spoke slowly. “Your mother was a far more reasonable woman. Smarter, too. She knew her place. Am I going to have to teach you yours?”

I’d like to see you try.

Still, Jhonnette knew in Lafitte’s amplified state both his bite and bark would be bad news. She steadied herself. It was time to play her trump card.

“
There is someone else carrying your blood. Someone who could be sacrificed.”

“
You’re crazy,” Lafitte said. “I am an only child and my son is dead.”

“
Maybe Kristopher and Karen weren’t your only children.”

He raised his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

“
I inherited my mother’s gift.”

“
Your mother was a scam artist. I’ve believed her lies for too long.”

“
Then why are we still talking?”

Lafitte held his breath, and then exhaled in a rush. “Go on.”

“
To save your daughter’s life, and your own, you need to remember what you’ve done before it’s too late. The timing of your daughter’s kidnapping suggests her abductors know as much as I do about your family history. They are using that knowledge to their advantage. Narrow down the list of people who could possibly know about the curse and you’ll find your daughter’s kidnappers. But remember, finding them won’t save Karen.”

Lafitte smiled grimly. “Punishment, right?” He straightened in his seat. “Ms. Deveaux, why do you think I brought you here?”

Jhonnette went along. “Excuse me?”

“
I needed to rule you out as a suspect, and there’s only one way to do that.” He paused and then yelled, “Come on in, boys!”

A moment later, three large men surrounded Jhonnette. She mock-struggled as they lifted her from the couch and tied her to a straight-backed chair. One thug wrapped a tourniquet around her forearm while another produced a large syringe filled with clear liquid.

“
Psychic, huh?” Lafitte stood as the man handed him the syringe. “Bet you didn’t see this coming.”

Jhonnette squeezed her eyes shut as Lafitte plunged the needle deep into her arm. She hated needles.

Lafitte continued. “You see this Ms. Deveaux? This is sodium thiopental, otherwise known as truth serum. You’re going to help me find my daughter, whether you want to or not.”

Jhonnette looked deeply into Lafitte’s eyes, projecting a final thought before the drugs took hold.

Believe
.

* * * * *

Chapter Seventeen

Sunday

New Orleans, LA

Randy positioned himself in front of Jhonnette Deveaux. With his guards gone, he could get started. He was desperate for answers he was certain this woman possessed.

Even though he’d removed the needle a long time ago, she still sat with her eyes clenched shut. He felt a familiarity with this woman that extended beyond the resemblance to her mother, but couldn’t place where he might know her from. Slapping her face lightly, he said, “Open your eyes.”

She complied.

“
Where is my daughter? Where is Karen?” he asked.

“
I don’t know.”

Already off to a bad start.

“
Who has my daughter?”

She replied without hesitation. “Amir Barber.”

“
Who is he?”

“
Panama X’s son.”

Randy suspected Panama X was behind this, but it was good to have confirmation. “Where is he keeping her?”

“
I don’t know.”

Randy swallowed his frustration. “What has he done to her?”

“
She is a vessel.”

“
A vessel? What kind of vessel?”

“
A vessel for the baka,” she replied.

Randy was more confused than ever. This woman was speaking gibberish. But he had to persist—she was his only hope. “What is a baka?”

“
A very powerful, evil spirit. It usually manifests in the form of an animal, but can also appear as a human.”

So Panama X and this Amir person are trying to curse me? What do they expect to accomplish by doing that?

“
What is this
baka
supposed to do to me?”

The woman had been responding with her eyes half open, but they suddenly widened. “The
baka
will destroy you and your family.”

We’ll see about that
. “How do I stop it?”

“
You can’t.”

“
Who can?”

“
Only Panama X is strong enough to control the baka.”

A new question occurred to Randy. “How does Lincoln Baker fit into all this?”

The woman started to speak, and then purposely bit down on her tongue. All that escaped was a pained wail.

Randy repeated himself. “Tell me what Lincoln Baker has to do with this kidnapping.”

“
He…He is Juanita’s son. Panama X promised to find him.”

She had to be talking about Juanita Simmons. Randy hadn’t heard that name in years. And this Baker thug was her son? Impossible.

The next question rolled off his tongue, propelled by the flood of resurrected memories. “Is Lincoln…my son?”