Read Online Hounacier (Valducan Book 2) by Seth Skorkowsky - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Seth Skorkowsky
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The old man never approved of Malcolm joining the Valducans.
Jim grinned, white and broad. "Papa Ghede tells me about you from time to time. He favors you, I think."
"I've heard," Malcolm said, suppressing his discomfort with a smile. The smile faded. "What happened?"
Jim sighed. "Neighbors noticed his door open. No one thought much of it. Then sometime after lunch, a young woman came by. She went inside and found him."
"Who is she?"
He shrugged. "Local girl. Prospective client, probably. Police came. Neighbors called me. Had my number from when Ulises would get onto one of his tears." Jim must have seen the question in Malcolm's eyes. "He'd been drinking a lot more the past few years."
"I see." The old man always loved his rum, but after Hounacier bonded to Malcolm, the drinking only grew. It was part of what made neglecting his mentor so easy, but that didn't help with his guilt.
"Furniture was knocked around. Looked like a robbery, but…"
"They took his head."
Jim nodded.
"Any suspects?"
The priest sighed. "Police don't have any yet."
"What about you?" Malcolm asked.
"Ulises spent much of his time with…questionable people. Maybe one of his gris-gris didn't work as expected. Maybe they thought they could steal his magic."
"A good bokor spends as much time in the darkness as they do with the light," Malcolm said, reciting Ulises' words. "Someone has to help those who've strayed too far. They go into the darkness to save them."
"And sometimes, they don't want to leave. I know this is hard, Malcolm, but you must admit that Ulises was spending a lot of time with very troubled people. Dangerous people."
Of course, it was easy to say that. Houngans and Mambos could afford to live like respectable people if they wished. That's why they needed Ulises. It wasn't all just weddings and blessings. He dealt with the ugly side. "But no suspects?"
The priest shook his head.
"Did you ask the loa?"
"I did," Jim answered.
"And?"
"They told me to find you."
Malcolm snorted.
"Ulises had no will we know of, but everyone knows you're his heir. His house, of course, is yours. Courts won't take very long to decide that."
Malcolm frowned. "Don't know what I'd do with it."
Jim's brow rose. "You're not moving back?"
"No. I'll stay as long as it takes to find his killer, but I have other obligations."
"What did Maggie say to that?"
"I haven't talked to her yet."
The huge man straightened in his chair. "You came here first?"
Malcolm nodded.
"Mal, if the other priests learn you spoke to me before her, they'll become suspicious. A new bokor needs to follow protocol. Especially one of your…" He glanced down at Hounacier's case. "…lineage. You need to pay respect to the queen first."
Malcolm chewed his lip. Voodoo politics didn't interest him. Catching Ulises' murder was all that mattered. Still, he couldn't afford to be making enemies. "I'll go see her next. Pay my respects."
"You need to go now. I'll be here."
"But—"
"Go."
No use arguing. "All right." Malcolm picked up Hounacier's case and stood. "One thing first."
"Yes?"
"I noticed an obsidian mask downstairs. Where did you find it?"
Jim leaned back. Swallowed, like maybe he didn't want to say. "It belonged to Ulises."
Malcolm thought of Ulises' cryptic email. "How did he get it?"
"Wouldn't say. He showed it to me maybe three weeks ago."
"Where did he keep it? Malcolm asked. "Was it in his house?"
"It hung on the wall facing the door. His body was found beside it."
Malcolm's brow creased. A demon couldn't have gotten inside with that thing guarding the door. "Do you know what that thing is?"
The priest nodded. "Demon mask. Keeps them away."
"Did you know there's a demon inside it?
"He told me that too."
#
A trio of laughing children ran past, clutching homemade popsicles, as Malcolm made his way down the cracked sidewalk. Tiny, wooden houses lined the street. Layers of brightly colored Mardi Gras beads hung from porch rails and picket fences, like
Jim grinned, white and broad. "Papa Ghede tells me about you from time to time. He favors you, I think."
"I've heard," Malcolm said, suppressing his discomfort with a smile. The smile faded. "What happened?"
Jim sighed. "Neighbors noticed his door open. No one thought much of it. Then sometime after lunch, a young woman came by. She went inside and found him."
"Who is she?"
He shrugged. "Local girl. Prospective client, probably. Police came. Neighbors called me. Had my number from when Ulises would get onto one of his tears." Jim must have seen the question in Malcolm's eyes. "He'd been drinking a lot more the past few years."
"I see." The old man always loved his rum, but after Hounacier bonded to Malcolm, the drinking only grew. It was part of what made neglecting his mentor so easy, but that didn't help with his guilt.
"Furniture was knocked around. Looked like a robbery, but…"
"They took his head."
Jim nodded.
"Any suspects?"
The priest sighed. "Police don't have any yet."
"What about you?" Malcolm asked.
"Ulises spent much of his time with…questionable people. Maybe one of his gris-gris didn't work as expected. Maybe they thought they could steal his magic."
"A good bokor spends as much time in the darkness as they do with the light," Malcolm said, reciting Ulises' words. "Someone has to help those who've strayed too far. They go into the darkness to save them."
"And sometimes, they don't want to leave. I know this is hard, Malcolm, but you must admit that Ulises was spending a lot of time with very troubled people. Dangerous people."
Of course, it was easy to say that. Houngans and Mambos could afford to live like respectable people if they wished. That's why they needed Ulises. It wasn't all just weddings and blessings. He dealt with the ugly side. "But no suspects?"
The priest shook his head.
"Did you ask the loa?"
"I did," Jim answered.
"And?"
"They told me to find you."
Malcolm snorted.
"Ulises had no will we know of, but everyone knows you're his heir. His house, of course, is yours. Courts won't take very long to decide that."
Malcolm frowned. "Don't know what I'd do with it."
Jim's brow rose. "You're not moving back?"
"No. I'll stay as long as it takes to find his killer, but I have other obligations."
"What did Maggie say to that?"
"I haven't talked to her yet."
The huge man straightened in his chair. "You came here first?"
Malcolm nodded.
"Mal, if the other priests learn you spoke to me before her, they'll become suspicious. A new bokor needs to follow protocol. Especially one of your…" He glanced down at Hounacier's case. "…lineage. You need to pay respect to the queen first."
Malcolm chewed his lip. Voodoo politics didn't interest him. Catching Ulises' murder was all that mattered. Still, he couldn't afford to be making enemies. "I'll go see her next. Pay my respects."
"You need to go now. I'll be here."
"But—"
"Go."
No use arguing. "All right." Malcolm picked up Hounacier's case and stood. "One thing first."
"Yes?"
"I noticed an obsidian mask downstairs. Where did you find it?"
Jim leaned back. Swallowed, like maybe he didn't want to say. "It belonged to Ulises."
Malcolm thought of Ulises' cryptic email. "How did he get it?"
"Wouldn't say. He showed it to me maybe three weeks ago."
"Where did he keep it? Malcolm asked. "Was it in his house?"
"It hung on the wall facing the door. His body was found beside it."
Malcolm's brow creased. A demon couldn't have gotten inside with that thing guarding the door. "Do you know what that thing is?"
The priest nodded. "Demon mask. Keeps them away."
"Did you know there's a demon inside it?
"He told me that too."
#
A trio of laughing children ran past, clutching homemade popsicles, as Malcolm made his way down the cracked sidewalk. Tiny, wooden houses lined the street. Layers of brightly colored Mardi Gras beads hung from porch rails and picket fences, like
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