Dead Harvest: A Paul Ondragon Mystery by Anette Strohmeyer

Author:Anette Strohmeyer [Strohmeyer, Anette]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Podium Publishing
Published: 2025-03-18T00:00:00+00:00

He woke up because he had the feeling someone was staring at him. He jerked open his eyes, but there was no one but Rod and the Madame in the seats in front of him, and they seemed to be engaged in an animated conversation. Ondragon could hear their murmuring voices well, despite the noise of the turbine. That was one of his special abilities, that and the centrifuge. He could filter different sounds so that he only heard what he was focusing on. Probably came from the hated cello lessons his father had insisted on when he was young. But because of that, he was now able to block out the howl of the turbine and let the voices of his two companions come through as clearly as if he were sitting right next to them. They were talking about Haiti and the Madame’s childhood, when she had attended a private school in Cap-Haïtien. Nothing especially exciting.

Ondragon yawned and looked at his watch. Another hour. He could safely sleep a little longer. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and closed his eyes.

Shortly before he dropped back into the world of dreams, he heard Rod ask the Madame why she had moved from Haiti to the States of all places to work as a Voodoo priestess. That aroused Ondragon’s curiosity and he listened to the conversation with half an ear.

The Madame laughed, he wasn’t sure why, then replied, “I attended Harvard Business School when I was twenty and got my MBA there.”

The Madame had been to Harvard? Now Ondragon pricked up his ears and he gave the conversation his full attention. He was surprised, not only because she had studied at an elite university, but also because studying there was damn expensive. As a poor Haitian child, how had she been able to afford it?

“After that, I worked for a consulting firm,” the Madame continued, “but only for two years. My father became very ill, and I had promised to follow in his footsteps. So I flew to Haiti and underwent several years of training to become a priestess. I am deeply attached to the traditions of my country, you must know that, but I knew then that I would not be able to live there any longer. I was, as they say, spoiled. Nevertheless, I wanted to make my father’s wish come true; and it makes me very proud to be able to do so. My father was a very influential and very wealthy man in our town; he was not only a houngan, a priest, he was also the head of the Shanpwel.”

“Ah, I’ve heard of those,” Ondragon heard Rod say. “They’re secret societies, most comparable to Masonic lodges. They exist beneath the surface of the Haitian state apparatus, dispensing justice in their own community, independent of state jurisdiction. They are feared, but they also take care of their members when they are in need.”

“That’s right, Mr. DeForce. You’re well informed.” The Madame’s voice sounded appreciative.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.