The next morning the investigators met at Floyd’s Diner, a great little mom and pop diner with good coffee, breakfast and lunch. They even have homemade doughnuts, very appealing to police officers.
Mac and Ella were the first to arrive, and the others weren’t far behind. A round of coffee, breakfast orders done, they were now ready to begin to compare notes and determine the day’s work.
Everyone was pleased to hear that Kansas City had two of the hobos and they would be returning to St. Louis today.
Someone needed to go back to Dr. Baker’s residence to talk with the stableman and the butler.
Someone else should go to the Durham residence and speak to everyone who saw or may have seen Inez Baker arrive on the night she disappeared. Mac and Adam would go to the Latino district and try to locate the Bokor Inez had dealt with. Ella would tag along with Mac and Adam.
To speed up their work, Mac, Adam and Ella obtained a carriage from the police livery, and the others saddled horses.
Adam was the only one of the three who spoke any Spanish at all, and he could just get by. And get by they would.
They had no name to locate the Bokor, so it was very difficult. When asking if someone could help them locate a Black Magic Bokor, the people would almost run away from them.
It was pretty clear the people feared the Priest and any association or contact with the bad juju, they called it, even to the point of talking about it.
After asking and being denied and folks shunning them, a Latino man by the name of Emilio approached Mac. Speaking fairly good English, Emilio spoke to Mac, "You are policia? You look for the Bokor?”
“Yes we are trying to find him to ask him some questions. We don’t wish to harm him or trouble him, just ask some questions.” O’Hara explained.
“I can take you,” Emilio said, and began to lead them down the street, turned down several alleys, but not because this was the way to the Bokor, but to confuse the investigators, so they could not return to the Bokor’s temple. Emilio led them down another very narrow alley. Finally they were brought to a plain black door.
A gas lamp to the right side of the door looked like it hadn’t operated in years. The glass was broken out of the lamp also.
On a ledge above the lamp a large raven was perched, as if he was guarding the door.
As they stood before the door, the door suddenly opened. A short, slender, sickly looking older man stepped through the door. “El policia?” he asked.
“Yes, uh si. El policia. The old man stepped back inside the door motioning the investigators to follow. Emilio stepped back, not going in.
Mac, Ella, and then Adam and the door slammed. Instinctively Adam turned and tried the door…locked. Mac and Adam reached inside their jackets, placing their hand on their weapons.
They followed the old man down a dark, narrow hallway that seemed to be filled with a pungent smelling mist. The hallway opened up into a room that was very dark and had only three candles burning.
When they reached what they thought was the center of the room, the old man ordered them to stop, and remain there.
After about ten minutes the old man reappeared with two females, scantily clad and wearing masks. Each one carried a lighted lamp. The light drastically increased the visibility in the room.
Adam looked up and around, then down at the floor. “Holy Mary,” and he stopped abruptly.
Mac and Ella also looked down. They were standing in the center of a pentagram. The pentagram was elevated several feet above the floor level. The area around the raised pentagram was filled with snakes. Some of the snakes would try to climb up on the raised pentagram. Mac and Adam would kick them back into the pit.
Suddenly, Mac stopped kicking at the snakes. He stepped up to the edge of the raised pentagram, ignoring the snakes. He stepped from the raised portion onto the floor and the reptiles disappeared.
He walked toward the old man, and Adam and Ella looked shocked to see there were no more snakes on the floor.
“What in the world?” Ella began.
Adam managed a chuckle and shook his head. “Drugged, we were drugged. In the hallway, the mist that was floating around, we were drugged.”
“Things that seem real may not be real.” Mac said. Mac walked right up to the old man and only a couple of inches from his face, looking into his eyes, and said, “Are they old man.”
A door opened to the left side of the room and a figure appeared, completely covered with a cloak and a hood over the head, obscuring the face. Mac, Adam, and Ella all turned to see the figure, as it came closer to Mac.
The figure stopped, and began to remove the hood. In the dim light, Mac began to get a look at who he thought to be the Bokor. The hood removed, they saw a quite beautiful female face. Long black hair, tan colored skin, with dark, haunting eyes and a piercing stare.
Adam was thinking how beautiful she looked. She was mesmerizing in her beauty, with a haunting mysticism, and an ominous presence in the room. The old man, and the two females, lowered their heads and avoided looking at the priestess.
The Priestess turned toward Adam and Ella, who were still standing on the pentagram. She removed the cloak, revealing a beautiful body, like an angel had just appeared.
The priestess walked to one of the young female attendants, removed her mask, and dropped it to the floor. She placed her hand on the female’s chin and raised her head and placed her other hand on the female‘s lower back. They engaged in a passionate kiss.
The priestess then moved back toward Mac. He stood stoically as the Priestess raised her hand and stroked his face. She then leaned toward Mac apparently intending to kiss him.
Under her breath, Ella mumbled “bitch.” The Priestess immediately turned toward Ella, pointed her right arm to her and said something indiscernible. Ella clutched her abdomen and fell to the floor.
Mac reached out and grabbed at the Priestess, but she turned quickly, waving her arm at Mac. He also fell to the floor.
She then turned her attention to Adam, who stood very still, with his hand on his weapon under his coat. The old man and two females had fallen to their knees and again lowered their heads to avoid seeing what was happening.
Adam remained standing where he was, and intently stared at the Priestess, as she stared back at him. Suddenly the Priestess spoke to Adam. “What is it you wish to ask me?” Adam was quiet. Again she spoke, “What do you wish to ask, you may ask anything you wish?
Adam looked directly into her eyes. Ella and Mac were stirring around, trying to stand.
“I am aware you have a weapon, Mr. Owens. I will not hurt your friends.” The Priestess told him. He was surprised she knew his name.
“Do you know Inez Baker?” Adam questioned.
The Priestess walked to Adam, reached out and took his hand. She led him to the door where she had entered and Adam went reluctantly. Once they passed through the door, it closed with a boom.
The old man and the two women went to Mac and Ella and assisted them to their feet. Though still dizzy, Mac went to the door, but it was locked.
“Where did she take Adam?” Mac demanded. No one spoke. Again Mac demanded to know where she had taken Adam, but no one spoke.
“Mac, he will be okay.” Ella said, though she wasn’t sure.
Holding Adam’s hand, the Priestess led him through several rooms and hallways. They entered a well lit room, containing two chairs, a small table, a canopy type bed, a vanity and an armoire.
In the well-lighted room, Adam could see that the Priestess was more beautiful than he thought.
“Please sit, Mr. Owens.” The Priestess directed, waving her hand toward one of the chairs. “You asked if I knew Inez Baker. Yes, Mr. Owens. I know a woman who said her name was Inez Baker. Why do you ask?”
Adam was starting to relax slightly, and he leaned back in the chair. “Mrs. Baker has been murdered.” Adam replied.
“Oh, how terrible. You are trying to find the murderer?” the Priestess asked.
“Yes,” Adam said, “I understand she came to visit you on occasion. Is that correct?”
“Yes, occasionally. She was here about two weeks ago.”
Adam reacted to her comment, “two weeks ago?”
“Yes, it has been about two weeks.
She came to purchase some religious items.”
“Religious items? What were these items?” Adam asked.
“As for items, all she desired were four black candles. She said she had the remaining items needed. She also purchased the incantation chant for the spell.”
“What was this spell she wished to cast?” Adam inquired.
“It was a spell to break up a marriage.” The Priestess said.
“Do you mean to get out of a marriage, to break up with her husband?”
“Oh no, Mr. Owens. The spell is to break up someone else marriage.”
Adam looked puzzled. “Not her own marriage, but someone else. Hmmm.”
“Could I get a copy of the Incantation chant? I will gladly pay you for it.”
“No need to pay, Mr. Owens. I will help you.” The Priestess replied.
“Thank you, Ma’am. What is your name, what should I call you?” Adam asked.
“I am Madame Desiree, Adam.” the Priestess answered. Madame Desiree left the room, but returned a few moments later and handed a paper to Adam. Almost at the same moment, the old man appeared. “You will be led out now.” The Priestess said.
Adam followed the old man as they wound around through the building, room after room and hallway after hallway.
“Where are Mac and Ella?” Adam asked the old man, but he did not reply. The old man opened a door to bright sunlight. Adam stepped through the door and it immediately closed.
“Adam!” He heard his name called. He looked around as well as he could in the bright sunlight.
“Mac, Ella.” he called.
“Adam, are you okay? We were ready to get backup and come find you.” Mac said.
“Yeah, I’m okay. This case just keeps getting stranger and stranger. Let’s go somewhere, get some coffee, and I’ll fill you in.” Adam said seemingly out of breath.
Emilio showed up and they made their way back to their carriage and headed back to the Police Station.
They traveled along River Road to Depot Street to May’s Coffee Shop, just a short distance from the old mill. May’s once was a booming little restaurant until the slaughterhouse and feed mill closed. Now it’s just relegated to being a small coffee shop, frequented by homeless people and police officers.
The owner of the shop, Mavis Bell, would not charge officers for coffee, so some of the officers placed a bucket on the counter, and all the officers would drop money in as they could. Mavis or May, as he was known, would take the money, buy supplies and prepare meals for the homeless people.
The three investigators compared what they had learned and discussed what happened at the Bokor temple.
“Mac, where did the snakes come from? Why were we so frightened?” Ella wanted to know.
“It was the mist, the smell in the hallway; it was a drug of some type to cause hallucinations. Great way to gain control over someone. Fear is a great persuader.” Mac explained.
“It worked really well, huh?” Ella lamented.
“Mac, I am really leaning toward Kara and Doc Baker as having something to do with the murder.” Adam said.
“You’re a little slow young man. One comment last night at Doc Baker’s house that Kara made really started me thinking. Adam, did you mention that we found three bodies at the mill?” Adam shook his head, no. “Well, neither did I, but Kara told the Doc were found three bodies. How did she know we found three?”
“Another thing, Mac,” Adam began, “Madame Desiree,”
“Whoa,” Mac interrupted.” now we’re getting personal.”
“Aw Mac, that’s her name. That’s what she said to call her. Anyway, did you notice that she knew a woman who said her name was Inez Baker? And, then the spell. The spell is to destroy someone’s marriage, not end your own.”
As Mac, Ella and Adam sat in the coffee shop, Bobby Pitt burst through the door. He stopped, looking around, until he saw Mac and the others. He had seen the carriage outside.
He rushed over to them. “Mac! Adam! Come on, we gotta go, hurry.”
“Whoa, slow down, Bobby. What’s wrong?” Mac asked.”
“Somebody just tried to kill the hobos.” Bobby managed to get out. “Come on and I’ll give you the details on the way.”
The three got up from their seats. Mac went by the bucket on the counter dropping money inside. Adam did the same. Bobby nervously dug in his pocket pulled out some change and dropped it in the bucket.
Ella took the horse, and would catch up with the others later.
The three officers loaded in the carriage and hurriedly started toward Hill Street, and the train depot, where the crime reportedly occurred.
Attention turned away from Doc Baker and Kara, at least for the moment.