Only By Moonlight (34 page)

“Lord help us. Lawyers are helping vicious
killers roam free? These are educated people,” Miss Rose said, her
voice rising. The former teacher seemed to find it hard to believe
such a thing. To her education and those with advanced degrees
would find only high and noble purposes.

“Education and morals are not always
connected. How many educated men worked for Hitler? For Chairman
Mao? Remember your history lessons.” LaShaun gave Miss Rose a
consoling pat on the shoulder. “I’m afraid book knowledge doesn’t
equate to goodness in the soul.”

“Oui.” Miss Rose sighed. “I sound terribly
naive for my age. Of course you’re right. So Vermilion Parish
attracts their interest.”

“Manny must have told them about his father.
I don’t know if Manny told him about the Rousselle family. But with
even a little bit of research they could find out. If they visited
the museum in Beau Chene, I know Pete would have been thrilled to
give them more sources,” LaShaun said. As the museum director Pete
Kluger had his dream job. He would probably live at the museum if
his wife allowed it.

“I haven’t been there in a while. I used to
take my students to the old Francois House on field trips when I
was still teaching,” Miss Rose put in with a smile. “That was years
ago. Then it became the first museum, and a bigger, modern building
was put up.”

LaShaun nodded absently as she continued
putting the puzzle together. “Manny gets caught. But Orin Young has
his own cult of young people following him. That was the first
group lured in. Orin Young is killed and the rest captured, so that
little nest is cleared out.”

“Protect us, Holy Father,” Miss Rose murmured
and made the sign of the cross. “Now these children found hanging
in the woods...”

“Imagine a group of angry, bored and
rebellious kids hanging out, looking for direction. These adults
show up more than willing to give it to them, even if that
direction leads to a nightmare.” LaShaun tried to shut off the
flashing images of underage drinking and sex.

“Evil. Pure evil. Giving young folks liquor
and drugs,” Miss Rose said with a scowl.

“They’re smarter than that, Miss Rose. No,
they gave the kids money. Montgomery or his pals don’t have to take
the risks, which is fine with the kids. Taking chances is part of
the rush,” LaShaun replied deep in thought.

Seconds ticked by before Miss Rose broke the
silence between them. “Pauline called. There is only one way to
stop him. Kill the host. I’m sorry, but--”

“I won’t accept that,” LaShaun shouted. She
squeezed her eyes shut. “There’s another way. There has to be.”

“The twins consulted more than one source.
The texts are clear. You must put a sacred knife of silver through
his heart.” Miss Rose sat very still. “Think, dear girl. Your Chase
would not want his body to go on with a demonic spirit inside.”

LaShaun trembled as waves of horror made her
legs weak. She sank to her knees. “I can’t kill the only man I’ve
ever loved.”

Miss Rose no longer looked like the kindly
retired school teacher. She wore a grim and determined expression.
“Satan intends to spread his influence on this earth. Think of the
wars, the insidious climate of hatred between different races,
tribes, and ethnic groups around the world. I don’t usually talk
about the end of days... LaShaun, deadly supernatural forces are at
work. We of all people can’t stand by knowing the source and how to
stop it, but do nothing. Let us handle it.”

“You’ve done this kind of thing before,”
LaShaun replied in a shocked whisper.

“We have.”

LaShaun felt as though all air had been
sucked from her lungs. She fought to find her voice for several
seconds. “Please don’t do anything. Let me try to find another
way.”

“Time is running out, cher. You must know
this, eh?” Miss Rose sighed. She sat frowning for several minutes
as LaShaun watched her anxiously. “Two more days. That’s all.”

“Thank you, thank you,” LaShaun sprang
forward to hug Miss Rose tightly.

Miss Rose held LaShaun for a few moments,
then she stood. “I’m going to fix up one of my guest bedrooms for
you. I might even have a big t-shirt you can wear as a nightgown.
I’ll wash your clothes so they’ll be fresh in the morning.”

“I’m going to use your phone if it’s okay,”
LaShaun called out.

Miss Rose was already halfway down the hall.
“Sure you can.”

“Don’t go to a lot of trouble. I’ll help you
in a minute.”

LaShaun heard her protest as the older
woman’s voice faded. Then she went to the kitchen to make a call.
Miss Rose had given her an idea. Savannah answered on the fourth
ring.

“Girl, what the hell is going on? I’ve been
calling you all night. Your cousin Azalei came by my office saying
you’re missing and...”

“Azalei? Why is she looking for me?” LaShaun
frowned at the latest twist.

“She wouldn’t tell me, but when she called
over here looking for you, I got worried. Then I called the
Sheriff’s station this morning. They say Chase hasn’t been in to
work. M.J. is beside herself,” Savannah took a deep breath.

“I’ll call M.J. in a minute,” LaShaun cut in
before Savannah got going again. “I want you to hire a professional
to do a discreet investigation. I don’t want anything bouncing back
on you.”

“Sounds like some serious crap is about to
hit the fan,” Savannah said, her voice lower.

“I’ll tell you about it later.”

LaShaun withheld the seriously creepy facts.
She asked Savannah to find out the how, when and where of
Montgomery’s first meeting with Manny Young, aka The Blood River
Ripper. Not that LaShaun needed confirmation. Her vision had shown
her clearly that Manny had played a key part in drawing Montgomery
and Juridicus to Beau Chene. Knowing more would help LaShaun
prepare.

Savannah finally hung up, but only after
repeated reassurances that LaShaun was safe. LaShaun glanced at the
digital clock on the kitchen counter. She and Chase had gone to the
Sweet Olive Bed and Breakfast on Thursday evening. Now it was
Friday night. LaShaun guessed M.J. might be on the verge of calling
out a full-fledged search with a Louisiana State Police helicopter.
She might even use the new air boat the Sheriff’s office just
bought. That might cause Montgomery’s crew to do something
desperate. Fighting the dread sitting in her stomach like a rock,
LaShaun dialed M.J.’s direct office number. M.J. picked up on the
second ring.

“Hi M.J. It’s LaShaun. I just called to let
you know I’m ok, but Chase has been a bit under the weather. He’s
going to need an extra few days off,” LaShaun said. Then she held
her breath for M.J.’s reaction.

“Chase called to let me know he needed an
extra day, but he’s on duty now. And he didn’t say anything about
being sick.” M.J. went silent on the phone for a long time. “You
wanna tell me the real story?”

***

LaShaun had managed to put M.J. off with a
hasty explanation. Chase had promised to take more time off, but
apparently changed his mind without telling her. LaShaun had
improvised M.J. sounded more than a little skeptical. Luckily
another call came in and M.J. couldn’t press LaShaun on her
story.

Despite Miss Rose’s comfortable bed and
motherly attention, LaShaun got no sleep that night. Aside from
trying to figure out her next move, LaShaun was alert to any sound
or movement. The night passed quietly. No human or spiritual attack
had been directed at Miss Rose’s house. Through the heart. A sacred
silver knife through the heart. Those words slammed around in
LaShaun’s mind for hours until her head throbbed with pain.

The next morning, LaShaun put fresh sheets on
the bed and carried the used bedclothes to the laundry room. At six
o’clock she cooked breakfast. Miss Rose and her husband woke to the
smell of coffee, biscuits baking, and grilled Cajun sausage.

“Good morning, LaShaun. My, oh my. Your new
husband is one lucky man.” Mr. Pierre smiled as he poured himself a
cup of Louisiana dark roast. He paused to take a whiff of the rich
scent before sipping.

“It’s the least I can do since y’all were
kind enough to let me bust in here. I’m sorry for bringing my
troubles to your doorstep.” LaShaun kept busy loading a serving
platter with food. Then she got plates down.

Miss Rose stood in the doorway with both
hands on her hips. “Girl, what you think you’re doing up in here?
You’re a guest.”

“I’m repaying your hospitality. Now have a
seat.” LaShaun got busy washing the pots and pans she’d used.

“You sit down and eat, too. You’ve done
enough,” Miss Rose said gently.

“I’ve got to keep busy. Keeps me from
screaming,” LaShaun said, trying to make a joke. She failed.
Instead her voice shook, betraying how close she was to the
edge.

Miss Rose and Mr. Pierre looked at each
other. They both sat down without another word. For thirty minutes
they ate in silence. All the while they stole glances at LaShaun.
At some signal, Mr. Pierre wiped his mouth with a napkin and
stood.

“I got to go check on those grandchildren.
Promised I’d take them with me on errands today. Being it’s
Saturday, we might go to the zoo. Then I’ll take them back home to
their parents. Is that a plan, Rose?” Mr. Pierre looked at his
wife.

“Sounds good, honey. Call me later,” Miss
Rose replied. She accepted his peck on her cheek.

Mr. Pierre grabbed his jacket from a hook in
the hallway and headed for the back door, his truck keys jingling
in one hand. “Thanks for that good food, LaShaun. I’ll see you
later.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Pierre,” LaShaun called
back, still moving as she wiped crumbs from the granite
countertop.

“LaShaun,” Miss Rose started, but stopped
when LaShaun whisked the dirty breakfast dishes from the table.

“I’ll load these in the dishwasher.”

Miss Rose watched her a few minutes and then
stood. “Stop now. In a minute you’ll be cleaning my entire
house.”

“If you need me to,” LaShaun wisecracked.
“I’m so grateful that you took me in and...”

“I know, baby. I know.” Miss Rose took the
dish cloth out of LaShaun’s hands, put it down on the counter, and
hugged her.

“I don’t want to think, but I can’t stop...”
LaShaun let a few tears flow. She leaned into the caring arms of
Miss Rose, but only for a few seconds. Then she stood straight and
wiped the tears away. They gazed at each other solemnly for a long
moment.

“The demon can only be banished with a strike
to his heart. Spirits can’t be killed because they’re not alive in
the first place. The sacred knife will dilute his strength enough
to help us cast him out. Now the tricky part is finding a sacred
knife made of silver.”

“Miss Rose, I...”

“No, baby. Stay here and let us take care of
the beast,” Miss Rose said firmly.

“Us?”

She stood to her full five feet eight inches.
Her dark brown face had a set expression of resolution. Gone was
the worn down elderly woman. She now looked like a wise, formidable
opponent. Though battle weary from years of struggling against
evil, Miss Rose would take on this latest challenge. Age meant
nothing. LaShaun felt her energy, her power and the force of her
will. And LaShaun was afraid.

“The twins and I will do what’s necessary,”
Miss Rose said.

“We agreed, two days,” LaShaun said. “I’m
going home.”

“But--”

“Chase knows I’m here since I called M.J.
Which means the demon knows. I can’t put you and your family in
danger. Besides, the sacred silver knife we need is at my
house.”

“So you accept that there may be no other
way,” Miss Rose replied softly.

“He’s my responsibility,” LaShaun said with a
tremble in her voice.

Miss Rose nodded, but LaShaun sensed the
older woman’s doubt that she could carry out the ultimate solution.
Miss Rose insisted on packing up a generous plate of leftovers from
breakfast. She fussed over LaShaun, wrapping her in a flannel lined
denim jacket. She made sure LaShaun had on warm socks. Finally
LaShaun stopped her grandmotherly attention.

“I’m leaving now, Miss Rose. I need to start
making preparations. Chase will get off work by six o’clock this
evening,” LaShaun said more to herself than to inform Miss Rose. “I
have hours to be ready.”

“Tonight then.” Miss Rose nodded her
understanding. She gave LaShaun one last tight hug before letting
her go.

***

Thirty minutes later, she arrived at her
house. She wasn’t surprised to find her Honda CRV gone. No doubt
Chase had driven it to work. An extra day off, arriving in her
vehicle for work, and going about his normal tasks. None of it
would have seemed unusual to M.J. or anyone who knew them. LaShaun
entered through the kitchen door. She stood quietly for several
minutes. Nothing came to her. She found it odd, but went through
the entire house to check again. Then her heart skipped at a
thought. She raced to the antique desk in what used to be called
Monmon Odette’s “Ladies Parlor”. When she opened the ornately
carved teakwood box LaShaun shuddered with relief. And dread. There
it lay. The silver knife handed down from her ancestors. According
to family legend, it had been used hundreds of years ago to defeat
demonic forces. LaShaun lifted the knife from the blood red velvet
lining that cradled it. The six inch silver blade felt warm to the
touch. She put it back in the box and closed the lid.

“There must be another way. Please help me,”
she whispered.

For hours LaShaun read page after page. Some
of the books were so old that she stopped to put on cotton gloves
before touching the delicate paper. She didn’t want the oils from
her hands to damage them. By noon LaShaun’s tired eyes felt like
someone had tossed sand in them. Standing to stretch, she decided a
walk might do her some good. Just as she opened the back door,
LaShaun gave a yelp.