Tupelo Gypsy by Vito Zuppardo

Author:Vito Zuppardo [Zuppardo, Vito]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781722794026
Publisher: Vito Zuppardo
Published: 2018-06-27T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Annabel made the decisions for Vivien’s funeral, and Lucy paid the bill from the salon’s account. Vivien’s wishes were clear from a handwritten note Lucy had found in some personal items in a keepsake box under her bed. Cremation was Vivien’s choice, along with a simple procession by a few friends carrying her remains in a black box. Her ashes were to be spread around the garden area of the grave of Marie Laveau, the Queen of Voodoo buried in Saint Louis Cemetery.

The day of the funeral was perfect. Late evening, dark cloudy skies, rainy, just enough to break out umbrellas, and thunder rumbling a short distance away. Vivien’s dream was to have the day be as creepy as possible. Without a doubt, her wish had come true.

When a chilly gust of wind unexpectedly shook their umbrellas, Lucy glanced at Annabel. It might have been a coincidence, but Lucy took it as Vivien indicating her approval, and Lucy felt Vivien’s presence among them on the dirt road leading to the crypt.

It was a sad day. They all wished their friend off to what they hoped was a better place. More than once, Lucy was moved to tears. Vivien had been a true friend, and she’d given Lucy the knowledge and the means for a better life. Lucy had looked forward to a long partnership with Vivien, and Vivien hadn’t deserved to die a violent, horrible death.

If Lucy accomplished nothing else in her life, she’d see Felipe in prison for Vivien’s murder.

A few days turned into weeks, and Lucy still had not heard anything more from Zack and more importantly, she’d heard nothing from Picklehead or any of Felipe’s thugs. Mario started each morning off with a tap on the salon window before he took a seat at Café Beignet. Lucy often joined him for a cup of coffee, and they chatted. She appreciated that he made himself visible as a cop and her friend. In her mind, he was more like a bodyguard. People looked at her differently when she walked down the street, respectfully saying good morning, some of the men even tipping their hats when passing. Mario the cop brought respect to a woman who now operated a brothel.

Mario walked a beat encompassing a twelve-block square, and he knew all the business owners. On his breakfast, lunch, and restroom breaks, all the merchants welcomed him. Having a cop walk the area gave the owners a feeling of security, but that still didn’t stop Felipe’s protection scam. The merchants knew Mario couldn’t protect them twenty-four hours a day, so they paid up, and business went along without interruption.

The only person who wasn’t paying Felipe was Lucy.

The morning started off well when Ava Weber came in for her appointment. Overhearing another woman’s problem, she recommended the woman talk to Lucy. Ava was still riding a high from Lucy’s tarot card reading months earlier and had been having dinner every night with her husband since then. A credit she gave wholeheartedly to Lucy.

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