“I’m not here to judge you, only to do my job.” Sept stood and Nathan popped up as well. “If I need to talk to you again, I’ll call.”

  “Did she have family?”

  “She had Brandi and the girls here, from what I understand. We’ll find out if she did during the investigation.”

  “Thanks.”

  Sept guessed he had more to say, starting with the desire to help those left behind. As she shook his hand, the memory of him offering the same thing at Noel and Sophie’s memorial services was vivid.

  “I’ll be in touch,” Sept said.

  “About your father…” He left it hanging for Sept to finish.

  “Don’t worry, sir. He won’t find out unless you tell him, but if you lied to me today, my obligation stops there.”

  “I understand.”

  Sept and Nathan left him in the study and headed for the front door, where Brandi was waiting. She’d changed into a business suit and swept her hair up and pinned it. “One thing before you run off. She’s in the parlor,” Brandi said to Sept.

  She then took Nathan’s arm. “While your partner deals with a chore, would you like to try one of Wilson’s peanut-butter cookies? They’re heavenly, Detective.”

  Erica sat on one of the antique sofas with her hands covering her face. When Sept sat down, she raised her head, and the redness of her eyes showed she’d been crying for a while. Sept opened her arms and Erica fell against her.

  “Listen to me,” Sept said as her crying slowed down. “No matter what, you call me if you have a problem with anyone. I brought you here to be safer, but I don’t want you to think of it as a long-term fix.”

  “Where am I supposed to go, back to the idiot who turned me out in the first place?”

  “Think of something and work hard to get it. If you need any motivation, remember what happened to Tameka. I don’t want that for you, and you’ve got too much potential to do this for the rest of your life.”

  “I can really call you?”

  “Anytime you want and for anything you want to talk about, and no walking around here at night alone.” Sept dabbed a tissue under Erica’s eyes.

  “Brandi already warned us.”

  “Have your dates drop you at the door, and when they can’t, you really need to call me.” When Erica nodded, Sept squeezed her.

  “You’re gonna catch him, right? Tameka was my friend.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  *

  When they reached the car, Nathan said, “Lourdes called. They found something they thought we should check out. It’s not far.”

  “Where to?”

  “Mendoza’s House of Spirits.” Nathan read the name from his notes. “On Chartres.”

  The name sounded familiar, but Sept drew a blank. She drove a few streets over and peered up at the old brick building that was probably one of the first built in the city. The person standing on the other side of the street, not the building itself, jogged her memory.

  “What’s to check out?” Sept asked.

  “There was a break-in, and the only things taken were candles and a couple of books. Here’s the missing inventory the owner’s come up with so far.”

  “Red candles?”

  Nathan nodded. “Along with a few other colors.”

  “Uh-huh.” Sept put her hand on the door latch but hesitated.

  “You okay?”

  “I’m fine, but could you wait up a second?” Sept opened the door and crossed the street to where Damien stood rocking from foot to foot. “Out walking again?”

  “Until they let me come back to work I don’t have much else to do.” Damien stopped rocking but started fidgeting. “Remember this place?”

  “It was one of our first calls together, and now I’m back for the same thing.” The last time Sept had seen Damien, he had only looked unkempt. Now he smelled like that was exactly what he was.

  “What’s a homicide detective doing investigating a robbery?”

  “Part of my case led me here. Why don’t you wait, then I’ll take you to lunch.”

  “Sure, I’ll be here.” Damien’s smile didn’t erase the sadness etched in his features.

  She crossed the street again and glanced back to make sure Damien wasn’t leaving. Inside, a woman was standing with Nathan at the counter with examples of the different candles stolen.

  “Detective Savoie,” she said, and held out her hand. “I’m Estella Mendoza.”

  Sept guessed she was Hispanic, and she stopped when the woman pinned her with eyes so light gray they appeared white.

  “Are you the new owner?” The bits of the first time she’d been here were coming back, but she didn’t recognize Estella. “It’s been about five years, but I remember another woman, who resembled you.”

  “Good memory, Detective. I inherited the store from my mother. She told me about you, and when your partner mentioned you, I knew my mother’s watching out for me. You caught the others who violated this place.”

  “I was in a uniform then, and the punks hanging on the corner weren’t that hard to figure out.” Sept bent down and examined the saints embossed on the front of the lined-up candles. “This is all that’s missing?”

  “I took out one of each, and if it had just been this, I wouldn’t have bothered to call it in. The stolen books were the only copies in existence.” Like Dr. Munez, Estella ran a bead necklace through her fingers.

  “What were they?”

  “Works that have been in my family for years. They’re the handwritten instructions of all the rituals to call the Orishas. My great-great-great-grandmother started them, with the help of those who worked the old magic back then.”

  “All the steps were in there?” Sept didn’t straighten up, but she turned her head in Estella’s direction.

  “The rituals can never be completely written down, because they won’t work without advanced knowledge. The masters don’t want the novices to try things they shouldn’t.”

  “Did the books have anything about a sacrifice?” Sept was mentally cursing. The investigating officers probably hadn’t fingerprinted the place over candles and two books. It was a missed opportunity, though she doubted that the thief had left any fingerprints.

  “Nothing about a sacrifice, but there wouldn’t be any reason to record that. Those who know would make that before they began the ritual.” Estella put her hand on Sept’s forearm. “Why do you need to know that to find whoever robbed me? Or better yet, how do you know to ask that at all?”

  “I’m not here to investigate your robbery, Ms. Mendoza, but I’ll do whatever I can to find your books.” Those were the most important because they’d already found part of what was stolen. The red candle burning near Tameka’s body came from these store shelves, but the books were well hidden somewhere. She’d find them only when she found her killer.

  “God bless you,” Estella said, then shivered. “You’ll need it. Whoever stole my books is opening doors he’s got no business with, and it’ll burn him in the end.”

  Julio Munez said he had no idea why the guy had killed Tameka, but Sept believed everyone had a theory, if given a chance to share it. Selling charms and hex dolls to tourists might have paid the rent, but this business thrived by selling to those who believed in the power of the Orishas.

  “Why would someone kill in the name of Elegua?”

  “Kill a person, you mean?”

  Sept nodded.

  “Killing’s never acceptable, no matter how important what you seek is. It’s a sin.”

  “I realize that, no matter who or what you pray to, but what if they did?” Sept persisted.

  “They want Elegua to open the door so they can talk to the other Orishas, since Elegua is the gatekeeper.” Estella shut her eyes tight. “That’s what’s usually done, but if someone was killed, I can only guess that’s why. What the killer wants will come only with the next sacrifice.”

  “Thanks anyway, ma’am,” Sept said, and handed Estella a card. “And if you could keep this conversation between us for now, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Of course, and good luck, Detective. Hopefully you’re wrong about the killing. Like I said, no novice with a book should be attempting to wield that kind of power.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  The smudged mirror was cracked in the upper left-hand corner, but Novice didn’t care. He stared at his sweat-covered naked body and repeated his wish. He wanted his vision to come true here in front of the mirror so he could relive some of his favorite memories, but so far there was only silence. The silence and his reflection, and that wasn’t what he expected.

  “I did everything asked of me, and nothing,” he said as he tapped the glass with the tip of his knife. More than anything, he wanted to smash the mirror into tiny pieces, but he couldn’t. It was the door he’d asked to be opened.

  “If you don’t have the guts to see this through, tell me now so I can stop wasting my time,” Teacher said in a low, menacing voice. “Who are you to question me or make demands? Like I found you, I can find someone else who’s more worthy.”

  “Wait,” Novice said, dropping his hand with the knife to his side. The blade was sharp enough to open a small cut on his outer thigh. “I only thought that I would be given a small glimpse.”

  “You’ll get that after you do as you’re told. You act like a spoiled and selfish bastard, and you wonder why you lost so much?”

  Novice clenched his free hand into a fist. “I don’t care what you promised me.” He was so angry that spit landed on the mirror. “Don’t say that again. My family was stolen from me. I loved them and did everything I could to keep them safe.”

  “If you want to be left alone…again, all you have to do is say ‘Go,’ and I’ll disappear.”

  The anger that had pulsed through Novice so strongly just moments earlier shattered like a plate falling on marble. “Wait, please, you’re all I’ve got, and now they’re hunting me.”

  “Question me again and I won’t give you the choice. I’ll be gone and you can shout your wishes to the wind. I can guarantee, if that happens you’ll never get the answers you’re so desperate for and the wolf on your trail will devour you, because we both know she’s more than capable.” Teacher stopped long enough for the silence to close in, and Novice started crying. “Stop it, and get ready. We don’t have much time and we have an altar to prepare.”

  “What about my wolf?”

  “As long as you have me, nothing and no one can touch you. If the wolf gets too close, we’ll set a trap she won’t walk away from.”

  “Thank you, Teacher,” Novice said with his head lowered.

  *

  “Son of a bitch,” Sept muttered when she stepped out and Damien was gone. The interview hadn’t taken that long, but she saw no sign of him in either direction. He’d been on foot, but something had spooked him, and Sept made a mental note to drive by his place and check on him.

  Starting their careers, then working in a patrol car together had forged their friendship to the point that Sept had a hard time imagining Damien not being a part of her life. When he’d married Noel, Sept had stood up for him, and they had truly become family that day. She’d driven him to the hospital the day Noel went into labor and held Sophie the day she was baptized. All that history meant nothing, because when she saw him now she had no clue what was going through his mind. It was like staring at a stranger.

  “What’s wrong?” Nathan asked.

  “My brother-in-law disappeared on me.”

  “Want to track him down?”

  “We don’t have time.” Sept scanned the area again, trying to find some sign of Damien. “Let’s go visit our favorite coroner and see if he found anything.”

  “How’s Ms. Blanchard?”

  After Sept keyed the ignition, she turned toward Nathan before she put the car in gear to try and figure out if he was being sarcastic. “She was great the last time I saw her. Why?”

  “It’s an innocent question people ask when they’re trying to get to know each other.” He laughed, and to Sept he sounded nervous. “After you ruled her out as a crazed killer, she seemed nice.”

  “She’s better than nice, and I can’t believe you’re a gossip hound.”

  “Is that bad?”

  “That depends on if I hear from anyone else at work how nice Keegan Blanchard is. Get me?”

  “Can I tell you something and not have you think I’m a geek?”

  Sept laughed as she turned into the parking lot across from the coroner’s office. “Sure, but you’re working on the assumption that I don’t already think you’re a geek.”

  “Funny,” Nathan said. “I know this is a temporary assignment, but I want to work with you. So if I’m slacking in any area, let me know. I want to prove that I’ll be a good partner, and that means I’d never betray your confidence.”

  “Relax, Nathan, you’re doing fine.” Sept reached into her pocket and took out a roll of mints and handed them to him. “Here, this should make this visit easier. It did for me at first.”

  When they arrived, Gavin was putting Tameka’s body back in a drawer. He explained the wounds on the body and how he figured Tameka had sustained them, from the cuts on her wrists to the gash that had gutted her.

  “I’ve been doing this for a long time, Sept, and if I never see anything like this…” It took Gavin a few seconds to flip through the pictures to find what he wanted. “The cut, if you remember, was done in what seems to be one swipe, but her heart”—he pointed to a spot on the picture of Tameka’s heart as it sat in a pan—“was ripped out of her chest. That takes a degree of cruelty I’m not familiar with, and I don’t want to be.”

  “Did you call Brandi Parrish?”

  “I still have to gather some evidence, but I’ll release Tameka to her as soon as I’m done. She’s at peace now, but that was a hell of a mountain to climb to get it.”

  “You’re a good man, Gavin.” Sept handed him the photo back and nodded. “You’re the side of the scales that keeps the world balanced.”

  “I don’t know. These days it seems like there’s more of them than good guys. Best of luck to you, because I don’t want another one like this one on my table.”

  Nathan popped another mint in his mouth and offered one to Sept. “What are we missing?” he asked on the way back to the precinct.

  “It’s something, because as meticulous as this guy is, he’ll do something that’ll trip him up.” Sept glanced at her watch and noticed it was after five. Another long day where she felt like she’d walked in small circles that got her nowhere but frustrated. “For all his careful planning, he’s crazy. And crazy people have a tendency to do crazy shit.”

  “What if he’s not?”

  “God help us,” Sept said, and meant it.

  *

  “Make sure you order extra veal.” Jacqueline sat in Keegan’s office with papers spread out everywhere. “The private party next week offered it as a choice of entrée, and no one went with the chicken.”

  “Smart group, and I’ve got it covered. Just remember that after that, we need to shut down for at least a week. The lights in the center room upstairs keep flickering, and I’m sure it’s the wiring.”

  It was their weekly meeting, and Keegan always really looked forward to it since, aside from business, she got to enjoy Jacqueline’s company for hours without interruption. Today, though, she couldn’t help but glance at the clock every few minutes, and because she was anxious for the day to end, the hands of the damn thing seemed to be nailed down.

  “Earth to Keegan.” Jacqueline snapped her fingers in front of Keegan’s face. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, sorry.”

  “Tell me or I’ll pin you until you squeal.”

  “You’re wearing a skirt and you haven’t done that to me since I was five,” Keegan said, and scooted back when Jacqueline made a halfhearted lunge toward her. “And I’m worried about Sept.”

  “I know you are, but you’re going to have to learn to live with what she does or move on to someone safer.”

  Keegan stared at Jacqueline’s mouth as she said it and still couldn’t believe she had. “That somehow makes me sound shallow.”

  “No, it doesn’t. This is new to you, which makes me worry.” Jacqueline stood and put her arms around Keegan from behind. “I already know you care, or else you wouldn’t have been ironing so early this morning. You don’t even do that for me.”

  “Maybe you don’t bring out the mother hen in me,” Keegan said, and lifted one of Jacqueline’s hands and kissed the back. “Like I said earlier, she had a rough night and I was trying to help out.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be fine, but don’t forget that I’m right down the hall from you most nights. I’m your favorite sister, I love you, and I’m available for conversation at all hours.”

  “Thanks.” Keegan sighed and picked up one of the menus in an effort to change the subject, but dropped it quickly. “Why couldn’t she have been a chef?”

  “That’s an easy one,” Jacqueline bent over and whispered in her ear. “It’d be like dating yourself, and no one in the kitchen would be able to concentrate. They’d all be looking at her ass all night, including you.”

  From the window they saw Sept standing in the middle of the kitchen with her back to them and her fists on her hips. She’d changed clothes, wearing her leather jacket, and three of the wait staff were talking to her.

  Her stance telegraphed her confidence, but Keegan knew she had a vulnerable side as well. “You know I’m not into looks,” Keegan said, but her eyes followed the path from Sept’s shoulders down her back to the long legs covered by black slacks.

  “I know, you like her for her mind”—Jacqueline moved so she was behind Keegan again, “her sense of humor”—she raised her index and middle fingers—“but that’s not what makes your pulse race, is it?” She placed her fingers on Keegan’s neck. “There’s a little hedonist in all of us, and thank all that’s holy that’s true when the right opportunity comes along.”