Voodoo

Chapter 5

Iberville was a short bus ride and Miles had been able to get out of helping her father settle into the house by claiming she needed to study for her final tests. The school year was winding down and she didn't quite know what she wanted to do with her life but she knew for a fact she didn't want to stay in St. Claude. Maybe she could work for the CIA too, she thought to herself as she watched the homes grow more colorful and festive along the route. Sydney was out on his mission to talk with Mr. Bottoms. He was going to act like a student seeking a donation for a senior trip. Miles told him they'd split whatever money the old man happened to give him as their first paycheck on the job. The both laughed heartily at the implication but deep down, Miles felt a small stirring in her of excitement.

Iberville was not what Miles imagined when the second bus dropped her in front of the Iberville Projects.

"This can't be right." She muttered to herself, looking at the home address that she'd pulled from the article on where to send donations to bury Adele Martin. It had Adele's father, Ronnie Martin, as the recipient.

Miles couldn't wrap her mind around the way the girl was dressed, how she looked so well put together and justify her staying in the projects. Miles had improperly assumed that Iberville was affluent. By the looks of the cars lacking hub caps and men in tank tops sitting on a nearby front porch smoking cigars and laughing loudly, she was mistaken. She followed the address to a brick building with four units and knocked on the second unit.

A short, burly man dressed in a green, button down shirt answered. He had three buttons undone showing his dense chest hair cushioning a gold cross. His eyes bulged from the socket and Miles could smell the faint whisper of liquor when he said a brief "Yeah?" as she waited on the concrete stoop.

"Sorry to bother you, sir. But I'm a friend of Adele's from school and just wanted to come pay my respects." Miles lied. She dropped her eyes to her sneakers to avoid his penetrating stare.

"A friend, huh? Well, come on in. You want something to drink? I got grape soda." He walked away from the open door before Miles could answer. She stepped into the darkened space feeling uneasy.  The blinds were drawn tight, windows had no dressings and the room was small and filled with furniture too large for the space. This wasn't what she was expecting when she set out that morning. She thought she'd get to see a mansion and meet affluent people that would offer her donuts and hot tea. Wasn't that what rich people ate, she thought. She stood just inside the doorway and eased the door closed behind her with a soft click. The home seemed shadowy and dingy from the brown faux leather couch to the scratched coffee table littered with mail.

Ronnie Martin entered the room carrying a grape soda and placed it on a pink envelope on the coffee table.

"I'm glad you came by. Adele's other friends haven't even stopped by since she went missing." Ronnie shook his head and sat in a well worn leather chair. "Seems like everyone is believing what the cops are trying to make up about me."

"What do they think?" Miles felt uneasy but standing at the door was making it even more awkward. So she sat at the edge of the closest couch and popped open the can of soda. She mentally evaluated how far she was from the front door. Just an arms distance she told herself.

"They think I had something to do with it, of course. But I didn't. I swear it." He said, his eyes large and watery. "I'd never hurt my baby girl."

Miles felt a strain on her heart seeing a father love his daughter so much. She put the drink back on the envelope and looked at him intently, "what do you think happened to Adele?"

Ronnie looked as if he was holding his breath. As if no one had ever asked him that question before and he was bursting to get it out. "You know, you're the only person to ever ask me what I thought about this whole thing. All I've been getting is folks telling me what they think happened." He rubbed a hand down his face and shook his head. "I think Rosemary had something to do with it. She'd been down in the quarter lately meeting up with some crazy ass healer that had her spending all our damn money to get her pregnant again."