Voodoo Remoulade

Chapter 3: Fifolet

Gabrielle's shop was a tiny hole-in-the-wall filled with voodoo dolls, oils, and candles. Neal suspected most of her business consisted of selling candles and incense to tourists. He wondered if she was the one who'd taught Richard about voodoo dolls. Richard kept one dangling from the whiteboard in his art studio and another in his fencing locker. He claimed he used them for good luck, and that might be something to it. Their fencing team was so far unbeaten this year.

Gabrielle was about their age with delicate features and a soft Cajun lilt to her voice. Her light brown skin hinted of mixed ethnicities. Richard had attended high school with her and afterward participated in a few séances she'd given with her mother.

When Richard explained the purpose of their visit, she reversed the handpainted sign hanging on her front door to indicate the shop was closed. "It's best we talk undisturbed in the back," she explained.

"Do you conduct readings?" Neal asked.

"Not often. There are so many charlatans in the Quarter that they've given the trade a bad name. My mother, though, is a famous psychic."

"Your mom assured me you're even more talented," Richard said.

She shrugged modestly. "These days I use the gift mainly as a tool for myself. Then, if I'm wrong, I'm the only one affected."

Neal noticed Travis eyeing the round table uneasily. Travis hadn't been present for any of the séance sessions with Peony. This would likely be an uncomfortable experience for him. Dean, though, was used to it. The crystal ball in the center probably wasn't disconcerting at all.

Gabrielle's first step was to light incense. She said it would help keep evil spirits at bay. "Who has the doubloon?" she asked.

"I do," Dean said. "I touched it first. I figured if it has any bad mojo, I'm the one who's the most tainted."

Good try, but privately Neal had his doubts. He was the one who'd cleaned it. If this was going to be the start of another long curse, he was going to place Chloe on speed dial. Just the possibility made him wish she was accompanying Sam on the plane.

Gabrielle placed a crystal plate on the table and directed Dean to lay the doubloon on the center of its surface. As she studied it, she began murmuring in a foreign language. The words sounded French but the accent threw Neal off. His best guess was that it was a version of Creole patois. As she continued to chant, a wooden rattle on the wall began to shake. The air felt unsettled. Her warm brown eyes grew intense as she studied each of them in turn. Neal tensed as the hairs on the back of his neck prickled.

Gabrielle then took out a deck of cards and shuffled them. She placed the top five cards face up on the table and studied the cards for a minute before turning to Richard. "You were right to come to me. The doubloon is cursed."

Travis cleared his throat, a skeptical look on his face. "How can you tell? I've heard the tales and I agree something caused those men to die, but is there any way to document the curse?"

She smiled ruefully. "I'm not surprised you have doubts. True voodoo has been given a bad reputation by all the charlatans who prey on the gullibility of others. The depictions in movies haven't helped. Don't get me started on the damage done by movies like Live and Let Die."

Neal noted Dean's wince. Sam mentioned Dean loved movies with car chases. There was a classic one in that movie. "Could I see your tarot deck?" Dean asked, perhaps to change the subject. "It doesn't look like any I'm familiar with."

She handed it to him. "This is a voodoo tarot deck. There are many tourist versions, but this one was created by my grandmother." She stood up and retrieved a portable fluorescent light. "The cards tell me that Travis, Neal, and Dean have all been marked."