Unsympathetic Magic - Laura Resnick [129]
“White darkness,” Max said. “I’ve questioned, examined, and hypnotized Shondolyn—”
“You’ve done what?” Jeff blurted.
“You missed a lot,” I said. “I’ll explain later. For now, suffice it to say that we got Shondolyn out of town and away from all this.”
“But—but—”
Max continued, “I am certain Shondolyn has no conscious knowledge of attending that service, or of any other involvement in Vodou, dark magic, or Petro worship. But what Frank saw does explain the poor girl’s nightmares.” He nodded slowly as he met my eyes. “Her subconscious mind has been trying to process the terrifying things she has seen and experienced while in a possession trance. And it appears to have been going on for some weeks now.”
“Was the bokor trying to convert her?” I wondered.
“I think it far more likely that the bokor intended to use her for some evil purpose and was preparing her for it,” Max said. “Attempting to ensure her cooperation by conditioning her to obedience when in the thrall of possession.”
“Or using her to kill someone?” Frank said sourly.
“That may have been the ultimate intention. A well-behaved girl would be an ideal tool for murder, after all, since she would almost certainly catch her victim unaware,” Max said. “But I believe we intervened before that could occur. Apart from her nightmares and the resultant insomnia, Shondolyn’s life seems to have been proceeding in its normal fashion so far, with no major disruptions and no pattern of long, unexplained absences.”
“So what do we do now?” I asked. “I’m tired and want to go home. And since it’s probably not safe for me there until we stop the bokor . . .”
“The first thing we must do,” said Max, “is destroy the bokor’s private altar and purify that space.”
“But there could be zombies in that room!” Frank protested. “And who knows what else?”
“For that reason,” said Max, “we will prepare ourselves for battle.”
“What?” Frank said.
Max put a hand on his shoulder. “This work is not for everyone. You may prefer to remain here.”
“Well, I’m going,” said Jeff. “I want to find Puma.”
“I’m going,” I said. “I want my poppet.”
Looking around at the three of us, Frank gave a defeated sigh. “Fine. I’ll go, too.”
“Good man!” Max beamed at him.
“But if I’m going back to that place . . .”
“Yes?”
“I’d really like a stiff drink first,” Frank said.
“Actually,” said Jeff, “that’s not a bad idea.”
“Ah! I happen to have some rather good aqua vitae here . . .”
While Max poked around his overcrowded shelves, I decided to go upstairs to check on Nelli.
I found her lying by the front door of the shop, groaning softly and panting in distress. I knelt beside her and stroked her head, promising we’d take her straight to a vet before doing anything else.
She growled at me.
“You need a doctor,” I said firmly.
Nelli’s body started heaving, as if she were having trouble breathing. She was trembling all over. We had waited too long. We needed to take her to the clinic immediately!
“Max!” I called. “Max! Come here!”
I heard his footsteps a moment later. He was carrying a cloth bag—probably full of supplies for the purification he had mentioned—and a machete. His eyes grew round with alarm when he saw Nelli’s condition.
“She needs help right away,” I said urgently. “I’m going outside to hail a cab. I hope you have a lot of cash on you.”
Max nodded as he called over his shoulder, “Jeffrey! Frank! Esther and I must leave immediately! Nelli is in distress!”
Jeff called out that they were coming right away, and I heard their footsteps on the stairs.
Nelli groaned again. Max seized her pink leash from its hook by the door. “Come Nelli. Let’s go to the doctor.”
She growled again. Her whole body went tense. With my purse slung over my shoulder, I opened the door to step outside.
“I know you find the clinic upsetting,” Max said, “but you’ll feel much better after they treat you.”
He reached down to her prostrate form,