A Whisper

4: Black Magic Woman

The Empire Diner was a New York City staple. It was up there with Radio City Music Hall or the Brooklyn Bridge. Unfortunately, when I got to the diner it was closed. Not just for the day, but permanently. The sign on the door explained it away citing rent problems. Maybe it had something to do with charging $30 for a salad. The food was good, but come on...

So I pulled my phone from my bag in the hope of catching my source to see if there was an alternative spot. I was supposed to be meeting a guy named Jesus. He was a CNA who worked at a convalescent home in Brooklyn. Why he didn't have me come out there I wasn't sure. I had been pointed to him by a friend of mine named Tara. Her cousin, Lafayette, was Jesus's long-time partner.

"Sookie?"

I turned to see an attractive Latin man walking toward me in a pair of hospital scrubs and a leather jacket. It was quite a look.

"Yes. Jesus?" I extended a hand to him.

"That's me. Tara showed me your picture," he explained. "It's nice to meet you, finally."

"Same here. I didn't know this place was closed or I would have suggested somewhere else."

"I'm sure we can find another place," he said as we shook hands.

"Yes, I'm sure we can." I slipped my phone back into my bag. "Rail Line Diner isn't too far if you don't mind the walk."

"Fine with me. I'll let you lead the way. I spend most of my time in Brooklyn and the Bronx."

"Are you from New York originally?" We started walking north toward 23rd Street.

"Yeah, I lived in Hell's Kitchen for the first year of my life before my parents bought a place out in Queens. My mother always wanted to live on Long Island, but we never made it out there. She died when I was seven."

"I'm sorry. My parents died when I was ten. It sucks not having them around."

"Tara told me that you were hoping I could help you. I have to be honest, unless you believe in magic, it won't work. You strike me as the skeptical type."

"I do, huh? We just met."

"I know, but I'm pretty good at reading people. I'm not turning you down outright, but I'm not sure I'm the right one to help. Maybe Lafayette–"

"No," I cut him off. We were stopped at the corner of 10th and 23rd, waiting for the light to change. "No, I... if my sister is dead, I'm not ready to know that yet. I just need to find her. Just... could you imagine if for all these years you just thought maybe your mom abandoned you, that maybe she left you by choice? I don't know if Hadley left because she wanted to or if she was taken or if she's dead. I'd like to believe that she's sipping fruity drinks on a beach somewhere, having the time of her life. Until I know for sure I can't stop and I would rather not get caught up with phony psychics who are stringing me along."

"Sookie, I'm touched by your situation, believe me. I just don't want you to get your hopes up in case it doesn't work out," he said.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take. I went to a hypnotist a few months ago, hoping I could reach out to her myself, but nothing happened. I'm tired of waiting for the police."

Jesus gave me a sympathetic look. I'd seen that look before and it drove me crazy. According to Tara, Jesus was a brujo, a man who practices dark magic. I didn't know too much about it, but I had done a little research. I was hoping he could work a locator spell for me. It sounded absolutely absurd, but it was only crazy if it worked. I had no guarantee that he could do what I was asking, but it was worth a shot.

We walked up 23rd Street to the corner of 9th Avenue and went into the diner. Right away we were seated at a cozy booth for two. We both ordered coffee and I got my phone out so I could record our conversation for my notes. I was writing about my journey to find my sister. Whether it ever got published remained to be seen, but I wanted Hadley to know that I never gave up on her.