Page 30 of Witch
“Yes, Mama. It’s a great feeling.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
With daylight traffic, it took Marcus twice as long to get to the shack. He passed it three times before realizing that it had crumbled into the water. Pulling to the side of the road, he smiled to himself as he approached the water, looking down to see if there were any remains.
Frowning, he was disappointed to see nothing. Not even a piece of the t-shirt or those terrible blue panties the woman wore. He looked around to see if anyone was watching, then knelt beside the water, running his fingers through the murky surface.
Tilting his head, he thought he saw something but wasn’t sure. Just as he was about to put his hands back in the water, a large snout and bulging eyes came toward him, mouth open with a line of razor-sharp teeth.
“Ahh!” he screamed, falling back on the grass. The gator started to come at him from the water, and he leaped to his feet, scrambling backwards toward his car.
When he heard laughter, he turned to see three men leaning against another vehicle.
“You gotta be careful. Them gators don’t like strangers,” said Rafe.
“You. You knew the gator was there!”
“What gator?” frowned Baptiste. “I didn’t see a gator. You see a gator, Luc?”
“Nope. You see a gator, Rafe?”
“Nope. Nobody seen a gator, mister. Maybe you’re losing your mind.”
Marcus desperately wanted to ask where the woman was, but that would implicate him, and he couldn’t take that chance. He felt certain that she was long gone, especially given that the news said she hadn’t been found. But he couldn’t take the risk.
“What mischief have you been up to, Marcus Hopkins?” asked Baptiste.
“You stay away from me,” he said, wagging his finger at the men. “Stay away!”
He yelled the last statement, hoping to get the attention of those around him. Several men were gathering their nets from the fishing boats and looked up. As they started to come toward him, he felt sure they’d come to his aid.
“Hey, what’s goin’ on over here?” asked one of the men.
“These men are threatening me!” he said with his chin jutting out.
“Dat true, Luc?” he asked. Marcus’s jaw dropped, realizing his fatal mistake. Everyone knew this family. Everyone.
“Not bothering him. Yet,” smirked Luc. “Man thinks he can accuse women of being witches and have them killed.”
“Is that right?” laughed one of the men. “I got me a mean ex-wife. You think you can convince everybody she’s a witch.”
“You are making light of a serious situation!” he said, beginning to sweat profusely.
“Listen here, boy. There ain’t no witches or warlocks round here. Now, you wanna mess with the voodoo, we can talk, but ain’t no witches. You best move yourself along, or you’re gonna find yourself in a mess of trouble.”
“You’re in on this. All of you are hiding something about them and their evil, vile family.”
“Best watch your words, boy,” said the big fisherman standing in the back. “I wouldn’t have no job, no fishin’ boat if it weren’t for this family. Don’t be talkin’ bad about ‘em, or I’m gonna have to show you the way outta Louisiana.”
They watched as he practically ran to his car and peeled away from the docks. One of the men looked at Baptiste.
“You want us to follow?” he asked.
“No, that’s okay, Auggie. We got this one. Just watch for him. We think he had a young woman tied up in this old shack for a few days. I don’t think he’ll come back this way, but he seems to be long on gumption and short on brains.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
By the time Marcus pulled into his motel, his hands had stopped shaking and his heart rate was back to normal. With the shorter days, he was battling darkness in an area that wasn’t forgiving for those who didn’t know their way. He stepped from his vehicle and felt the rough hands of someone shoving him against the car.
