The sun came up outside of the church. Jewel woke slowly still holding Je'sus and her rosary. Nich and Anna were asleep on the floor. A familiar smell wafted into the room. Frankincense oil. Someone else was here. Someone had come in while they slept. She froze. Madam would know where she was and that something would be different now. They needed to talk. Things had changed for her many years ago. She handed Anna the baby and put her rosary around her neck. She stood up and straightened her clothes. She walked to the door. As she pushed it open, she felt something hard and unmovable touch her ankle. It was a small wooden chest.
She pushed open the lid and inside it was a note: This is for what is to come. A small gold amulet of the Madonna. A vial of frankincense anointing oil and wrapped Palo Santo bundles. A fist-sized piece of dragon's blood resin. A scrawled piece of text that was barely legible on an old map. A page from Psalms from a dingy family Bible she had long since forgotten existed. Bafoe and Namie Romio were the names in red felt tip pen on the edge of the page. Could these people be his ancestors or parents even? A tiny gold silk bag full of Myrrh cone incense. A small baby blanket of white wool and a large scarf of black goat fur. All neatly packed into the oak chest. Like an omen and a gift.
She closed the lid and looked around nervously. Madam had come searching for her and the beacon and had left supplies. Jewel knew that would mean that she would soon be back. Maybe now. Maybe in ten years. Someday she would resurface and take him to the swamp to begin his lessons. Just as she had done long ago. Nich and Anna were going to have to keep him close or move him to a family outside the third ward. Nothing would keep her from searching again.
Chief would have to take her down to that shack on the water one last time to rectify old wounds. She also needed to know who the people were, and Gran was long dead. There was only one place left to look. Calling cards had been left.
She dialed Chief and waited for his gruff deep voice to answer. He knew what she was going to ask as soon as he picked up. She pushed the box into a closet and returned to tell Nich and Anna she was leaving for a while and that she may have a lead on his parent's identities. They shuddered silently as they both held Je'sus close. Jewel climbed into the police car.Siren blaring they drove to the docks in search of that dingy pontoon boat and answers they were not ready to find....
YOU ARE READING
King Cake
Mystery / ThrillerA baby was found in the middle of Mardis Gras covered in cake and beads. No one seems to know who he is or where he came from, but strange occurrences have begun since he was found in the French quarter. A cop, a nun, and a down-on-her-luck street...
