Krewe of Souls by Elaine Calloway

Author:Elaine Calloway
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ghost stories, mardi gras, parade, krewe, books set in louisiana, carnival float, mardi gras murders, paranormal suspense books
Publisher: Elaine Calloway

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Tristan snipped a piece of chicken wire off from the main roll. He liked the papier-mâché part of making floats, but he’d forgotten about how much he hated the chicken wire for the base shape. Some people used Styrofoam shapes, but those often came out as forced and didn’t look as authentic.

Still, Styrofoam would’ve been easier on his hands.

A jagged piece of wire ripped the flesh on his forearm. “Damn it!”

“You get bit?” his father asked.

“Yes. Again.”

“There’s some bandages in the first-aid kit.”

Tristan pressed down hard on the cut. “Yeah, thanks.”

He finished wrapping the bandage just as his cell phone rang. “Hello?”

“It’s Grace. Where are you?”

“Getting eaten alive by a Louisiana monument.”

“What?”

“At our krewe warehouse. What’s up?”

“You’re not going to believe the conversation I just had with the PI.”

“What’d he say?”

She gave him a brief summation and then added, “Let me tell you the rest in person.”

“I had no idea the DEA was looking into him. I just figured all his companies were a way of being greedy and ADD at the same time.”

“Apparently, they might be shell companies to move drugs,” Grace said. “Hey, are you free for lunch?”

Tristan glanced over at his father, who was busy painting a large section of the float. “Yes. A quick one, then I need to get back to this.”

“How about the Crawfish Tavern where we went before? They have good salads. Half an hour?”

“See you then.”

Tristan held the bandage tighter. He’d long forgotten the pain associated with building the pieces of the float. Yet everything was coming along nicely. They had the Louisiana culture float pieces all planned. Only a few more parts to go, then it would be all papier-mâché. That was the best part. It was a meditative action, something that would take his mind off all things home, Tara, and ghosts.

Dad seemed to be doing better now that Tristan agreed to stay for a month. One bonus to staying in St. Francisville—with so much to do on the float, his dad didn’t complain as much. Didn’t nag.

“I’m meeting Grace for lunch,” Tristan said. “Want me to bring you back anything?”

His father stopped what he was doing and shot Tristan a glare. “I have plenty of snacks in the fridge. Do you have to go? Maybe she could come here?”

Oh, please no. Dad’s request was akin to going on a business trip and then eating at the local cafeteria instead of trying out decent places. Tristan needed a break, and lunch in the warehouse wasn’t far enough away.

“I’ll only be an hour, tops,” Tristan said. “Besides, that cannonball has to dry anyway.”

Dad glanced at the progress. “Well, okay. Just remember we need to keep working.”

“I remember.”

How the hell could he forget?

“See you in an hour.”

* * *

When Tristan entered the tavern, Grace hadn’t arrived yet. No matter. A break from Dad was a good thing.

Choosing the corner table for some privacy, Tristan checked his phone for e-mail and calls. An e-mail from the bank in New Orleans where he worked.

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.