Death’s Excellent Vacation (Sookie Stackhouse #9.5)(41)
Author: Charlaine Harris

"Baby girl, lemme tell you . . . There’s a lot of mess up in that bayou that ya need to leave be. My daughter was carrying him, " she added with a quick jerk of her head toward Justin. "I tol’ her not to do no readings while she was carrying that boy . . . But money was funny and my daughter didn’t listen. She took a client–a man. His wife was a hussy, was cheatin’ on him, and my daughter didn’t have the sense she was born with not to tell him so. " Justin let out a groan and walked away. "Grand, would you please stop. " "No, ’cause this chile fixin’ to do somethin’ that don’t make sense, so I’m gonna tell her how mess goes ’round and comes ’round. " Grand squared her shoulders and walked up to Jessica. But Justin seemed so uncomfortable that Jessica glanced at him, torn. Part of her wanted to know what had happened, and the other part wanted to stop the story that seemed to be causing Justin so much pain. "Don’t look at him, " Grand said. "He’s closed-mouthed about everything, always been that way. So you need to give me your undivided. " Grand nodded as Jessica’s attention was wrested back to her. "Now, like I was sayin’ . . . My daughter told and that husband went home as mad as a caught thief. Lef’ his no- good wife. After gettin’ caught in two-timing ways, the wife blamed my daughter. Have you ever?" Grand sucked her teeth and let another grunt of disgust pass her lips. "But you know hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. " Grand’s gaze softened, and then she looked at her grandson. "Sooner or later you gonna haf’ta tell somebody . . . Maybe somebody who got a good heart and who can accept you for who you is. " "If you violate my privacy, Grand, I swear, I’m out. " Justin stared at his grandmother, his eyes holding a promise to never forgive the offense. "This girl here got a good heart and it involves her, you know?" "How?" Justin shouted, spinning on his grandmother and talking with his hands. "Don’t do this, Grand!" "Wasn’t till she walked in here and I got up close that I could see . . . But her daddy was the one messing with that swamp witch. " "What?" Jessica shrieked and then tried to adjust her tone. "Ma’am . . . ?" "Spells and counterspells–they was gun-slinging juju like it was the wild, wild West, " Grand said, waving an arthritic hand for emphasis. "First bad dose came when the wife hit my pregnant daughter . . . Tried to make her have a monster–but as you can see, Justin is fine. " Grand raised an eyebrow and stared at him hard. "Satisfied?" "Thank you, " he muttered. "You just gifted, is all, " Grand said with a dismissive wave toward Justin before turning her focus back to Jessica. "But then, once my daughter realized what that hussy had tried to do, she did a reverse double-deadbolt spell on that cheating wife . . . Sent that hatred right back where it came from. And you do know that a mother trying to protect her baby is stronger than a she-devil trying to do dirt, right?" Grand waited for Jessica to nod and then squinted and pointed at her, vindicated. "Uh-huh, you know I’m tellin’ it right. Word is, that swamp witch, who by the way was quite a Jezebel, had a lot of bad IOUs out there, jus’ nobody would challenge her. But when my daughter did, the Lord worked in mysterious ways . . . All that bad she had out in the world came fer her all at one time. Turned her into what she was trying to make Justin. Your momma had a hand in it, too, " Grand said, nodding. "Uhhuh. That woman had worked roots on your daddy to get him to leave y’all . . . He was a lawman, had morals and principles, but once that she-devil got her hooks in him, it was all she wrote. So whatever your momma sent back her way added a little topspin on my Lula’s spell, and probably everybody else’s, too. It’s bad business to start root-slinging down here in New Orleans–never know how the juju is gonna ricochet. " Jessica turned slowly and slumped against the counter, hugging herself. "Your daddy loved your momma dearly, baby . . . Loved you and your brother. But that bayou witch . . . " Grand shook her head. "She was built the way that’d make even a churchgoing man turn a blind eye to the Lord. Big bosom, " Grand added, using her hands to demonstrate. "Long legs, big ole Creole backside, tiny waist, pretty face, long black hair . . . And them green eyes–pure evil in ’em, though. " "They said my daddy run off when we was young and they found him dead, tore up by gators. Sheriff Moore found him on the Louisiana side of Sabine Lake. " Jessica looked into Grand’s ancient eyes and blinked back moisture. "Wasn’t no gators, baby, " Grand said gently. "Just like it ain’t been no gators eating people like they say on the news, and it sure wasn’t no hurricane that kilt my girl, no more than it was feral dogs that ravaged her body. " Grand lifted her chin. "For all them years, she couldn’t get to my daughter, because Lula had put down protections and barriers . . . But the storm, oh, Lawd, that storm washed it all away. " "My momma got sick around then, but she passed two years ago, " Jessica murmured, her gaze going from Grand to Justin. "The doctors could never tell why she was getting weaker and weaker . . . Never found out exactly what it was. They just said she was sick. " "Uh-huh . . . That’s an old-time spell. Jus’ make a person waste away for no good reason. Mean. Your momma probably put something down here to keep that Jezebel and her evil ways kept here and away from her young’uns . . . Just like my Lula did. Even evil got an uphill battle when going against a mother’s love. " Grand let out an angry sigh. "She prob’ly just sent evil your momma’s direction, seeing as how your momma died from sickness, not from gettin’ ate. " Jessica’s hand flew to her mouth. "This witch cast spells so bad that she made werewolves?" Her eyes darted between Justin and Grand, and yet she couldn’t read Justin’s frown. "No, baby, " Grand said gently. "She didn’t cast no spell, she became her own spell. " Jessica’s body slumped against the counter again as though someone had punched her. "But you said there was a whole den of them now . . . " "Uhmmm-hmmm . . . All them men she does her dirt with. All it takes is a scratch, a nip, sharing some spit. By now, who knows how many men she done swapped spit with? If I was younger, I’d go out there and spell-battle her myself!"

Chapter Twenty-four

Four

ALTHOUGH Grand sometimes got on his last nerve, he had to admit that she was very, very wise. Talking frankly had loosened Jessica up enough that she agreed to come home with them for a real down-home meal. Crawfish over grits with gravy was Grand’s specialty, but she didn’t pull out all the stops for just any ole body. He could tell that Grand had taken a shine to Jessica . . . So had he. If she passed Grand’s tough inspection, then what else was there–the problem was, nobody had ever come this close to finding out his secret. But he couldn’t worry about all of that now while listening to the wonderful sound of Jessica’s voice. Plus she smelled so good, a light citrus mixed with baby oil coming off her legs mixed with a little perspiration. Add in Grand’s kitchen magic and he was done. "So, if this witch is a werewolf, how in the heck do we get to her?" Jessica asked, leaning closer to him and dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "She did your momma, mine, my daddy . . . And now she’s got a bunch of lovers- turned-wolves out eating people? She’s gotta be stopped. " The challenge was in Jessica’s eyes, the unasked question lingering there–Why haven’t you tried to shut this bitch down a long time ago yourself, especially when you have all the tools and a grandma that can see? Guilt stabbed him; what could he say? There was no way to explain that without exposing what he was. "The only way to get to her is during the day when the moon isn’t in full phase, " Justin said quietly, now allowing his knee to brush hers. He loved the way she leaned in, the way her eyes lit with passion. Loved the urgency in her voice and the way she hung on his every word. "Then . . . We can do that. " Jessica took a quick sip from her lemonade and then clasped her hands together tightly in her lap. "If you shoot her while in human form, you’ll go to jail for murder one, Jess. " Jessica sat back and blew out a long breath. "Maaaan . . . " "Lock her in her house with brick dust, " Grand hollered from the kitchen. "Silver shavings go down next, and then bar all her windows and doors with holy water, pour it over her threshold. Follow up with salt. " "Grand, I thought you was cookin’, " Justin called out. "I am, " Grand fussed back. "I can walk and chew gum!" Jessica smiled and then leaned forward and touched his arm. "Ever since I was little, I always felt so strange . . . Do you know what I mean?" All he could do was nod; her touch had dried the saliva in his mouth. "I knew I wasn’t like other kids, knew my momma wasn’t like other mommas. Until today, I haven’t run across anybody that made me feel like I was home, like I was with family. Like it was okay to be different. Even extended family shunned us. " He knew exactly how she felt and exactly what she meant. Without even thinking about it, he gathered her hands within his, as though that were the most natural thing to do in the whole world. "I think your difference is beautiful, Jess, " he said quietly, hoping his grandmother would mind her beeswax for a while. "I’ll help you trap that swamp witch and her pack in her house, if you want . . . They can’t keep killing innocent people. " A warm, soft palm slid out of his to touch his cheek. He almost closed his eyes at the sensation that it sent through his body. "Why can’t I see you?" she murmured, studying his face with her liquid brown gaze. "Ya needs ta answer that girl!" Grand called out from the kitchen, making them both laugh. "And ya best go home to be taking care of your dog. " Jessica hid a giggle behind her hand. "You have a dog?" "Kinda, " Justin hedged. "But this is why I don’t live here, " he said, shaking his head. "No privacy. " He took her hands within his again and let out a heavy sigh. "You know how old folks can be. " Jessica sat back, extracting her hands from his with a smile, glancing around. "I hear you . . . I thought you lived here?" "With Grand . . . Oh, noooo. Got my own apartment close to Xavier. " They both laughed, and he was glad that his grandmother’s intrusion had broken Jessica’s spell. Two seconds more and he would have told her all that she wanted to know. "Then since you all find me so funny, " Grand said in a peevish tone, "y’all go wash up and come eat and stop sitting on the sofa making goo-goo eyes at each other. "