Bella Flores Urban Fantasy Collection by R.D. Martin

Author:R.D. Martin [Martin, R.D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: RRSL Publishing Inc
Published: 2021-05-22T22:00:00+00:00

14

Gray, low-hanging clouds covered the city in a cold drizzle that chilled everyone to the bone as even the sky seemed to mourn the passing of the old gris-gris woman.

Funeral arrangements took less than twenty-four hours. The longest part of the process was getting the body released to the family. After that, things happened fast.

When Mama Ade said she had a big family, Bella assumed she meant five, maybe ten people. So she wasn’t prepared for more than a hundred members to show up at the little church on the outskirts of the city. She was even more surprised when another hundred people not related at all just showed up to pay their respects. Apparently, the woman had a lot of friends, too.

Bella had expected some kind of Voodoo funeral ceremony for the sendoff, though she wasn’t sure how much more she wanted to do with the religion. She was relieved then to learn the final services were being held in a church. The funeral was like any other she’d attended before, with a preacher giving a eulogy and people rising to tell their thoughts about the deceased. d When she asked Ray, all he would say was that’s how it goes in the South.

Her heart broke for the man as she watched him dealing with his grandmother’s passing. She hadn’t known the Voodoo Queen as much as she would have wanted, but having mourned the passing of her own father, she understood what he was going through. As much as she felt for him though, the death of the woman was a reminder her own neck was on the line.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ray said when she brought up the subject of retrieving the artifact. His voice didn’t betray any anger at the question, but she still felt tacky bringing it up. “I talked with Cousin Frank. He’s got an air boat he can lend us, just has to put the motor back in first. We’ll be able to go out tomorrow.”

That was cutting it closer than she’d have liked, but it still put her inside the three-day deadline the Finder gave her, if only just.

A group of mourners coming to speak with her interrupted them. The story of her attempt to save Mama Ade, unsuccessful as it was, had spread enough that random strangers kept coming up to give her thanks. The first few times embarrassed her, but by now it was becoming old hat. She just had to hope the story didn’t make it back to Karina.

Turning her head, she looked at her friend sitting in a metal chair against the wall. The way she looked sunken in was like nothing Bella had ever seen from her, and truth be told, it scared her somewhat. She hoped the woman’s boundless energy and enthusiasm would return, but only time would tell.

Karina raised her head and, locking eyes with Bella, jerked her head away as if to avoid looking at her. The action made Bella’s heart ache and stomach twist.

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