CHAPTER NINE: Know When To Hold 'Em, Know When To Fold 'Em
Cay was down deep in a narrow well and the damp cold walls were pressing against her. Suddenly, she realized that the well was squeezing her up toward the spot of light at the top, as if a giant hand was squeezing a tube of toothpaste. It pressed hard against her stomach and hurt, but inch by inch she was pushed toward the top of the well. Toward the light. Toward consciousness.
She heard hushed conversation and began to slowly open her eyes. Bright fluorescent lights blazed painfully. She could tell she was in a hospital room. Her head pounded and her stomach ached. She felt a hand holding hers and she gave it a squeeze. She followed the path of the slender arm and eventually saw the face of Marcy wearing a wide, estatic grin.
"Girlfriend!" Marcy said loudly. "My God, you're finally waking up!"
"Quiet! Quiet, please!" Cay tried to joke. Her throat was dry and raw. "Cayenne is dead."
"Don't even joke about that!" Zydee Bob was there, too, sitting in a visitor's chair in the corner. He got up and moved near the bed. "We've already planned your funeral march. Everyone's going to be there."
"Hush, now!" Marcy laughed. "The doctor said that once you woke up, you would feel a little queasy, but you'd be out of the woods. They had to pump your stomach out, you know."
"That explains how bad I feel," Cay said. She pushed her hospital gown down around her hips and covered up her naked butt. She was self -conscious with Zydee Bob in the room.
There was a flutter, then a heavy plop at her feet. Mambozo strutted across the bed and positioned himself in Cay's vision. "Ah, chere, we have been keeping watch for your health. The fates be praised and honored." He leaned over and gave a gentle peck on the cheek.
"What happened? The last thing I remember is listening to the accordion and watching Marcy shake her booty with the guy from the booth next to us, " Cay asked, her hand flying to her throat because it was hard to talk.
Marcy filled up a glass with water from a plastic pitcher and arranged a straw so Cay could drink from her lying position. Everyone rushed to fill in the details in a mumbo jumbo of voices.
"They think Bernard tried to poison you!"
"It was the same poison that killed that girl up in Mamou."
"Thank God that guy I was dancing with was an emergency paramedic!"
"No one has seen Nicolette since yesterday. The police think she is hiding. But no one has heard from her."
"We were so worried. We thought you, well, you know…"
"You were out for almost a full day."
"The police have arrested Bernard for trying to poison you!"
"What!" Cayenne sat straight up in bed. Her stomach cramped strongly. She took a sip of water from the plastic cup Marcy had prepared. Her stomach pain subsided a bit. She tried to work her way through all the information.
"Bernard didn't try to kill me." Cay insisted. "He would never do that."
Everyone started to talk again, but this time Marcy held up her hand and won the battle for the floor. She explained. "Joy came in on her off day to test those boudin balls and girl, they were laced heavily with the same kind of rat poison that was in Elena's daiquiri. Bull wasted no time coming up with some dim-witted theory. He says that Bernard was trying to clear the way for Nicolette to be queen, so he faked Penny's suicide and took her out to the swamp he knew so well and then somehow got Tommy to put the poison in Elena's daiquiri to make her go off the road and appear like an accident. He tried to blame the Krewe du Lacquer by hiring you and pushing you in that direction. The police want to question Nicolette but she has disappeared. Bernard tried to explain that Nicolette had been kidnapped, but Bull thought he was making it up, so they think she is on the lam."
"I've never heard such bull shit in my life." Cay responded. "All of the sudden, the Lake Charles Police is Johnny-on-the-spot and all over this as a murder? They wouldn't get off their fannies before and now they are wrapping it all up in neat little bundle that's totally wrong!"
"You are right, Cayenne. This is all bullshit!" Francisco agreed as he walked into the hospital room. "God, it's good to see you awake and okay!"
He looked worn, wearing a rumpled shirt and wrinkled jeans. He looked gorgeous with his tired, lined eyes and a very sexy shadow of a beard accenting his relieved smile. He was carrying a tray of cafés au lait from the coffee shop Cay knew was located across the street from the hospital.
"Have you guys met?" Cay asked Marcy and Zydee.
"Frank has been here most the night." Marcy took the tray from his hands.
"He is teaching me those songs that his father taught him, " Zydee Bob said, extending his hand and high-fiving Frank. "I think with Bang's accordion and a rubboard back beat, I think they would love some of those old songs down at Tipitina's."
"But don't forget that our friend cheats at cards," Mambozo said with a little chicken smirk. "Otherwise, how can I owe him $273 and a promise of a voodoo spell of his choice? No es possible!"
Frank tousled Mambozo's feathered head. "No tienes razon! You owe me $375 and two spells. I'll forgive your debt if you give me a lesson in making Cuban coffee along with a pound of green coffee beans."
"Una promesa, mi amigo," Mambozo said.
Frank leaned over and kissed Cay on the head.
Cay felt a warm feeling wash over her but it was quickly replaced with alarm. "Frank, is Bernard in jail? I know he didn't try to poison me. Those balls I ate didn't look like the others and they weren't stuck to the pan like the others. I think someone planted them there. They tasted different, they were awful…" She started to cough violently.
"Slow down! Slow down, girl! You are going to make yourself sick again!" Marcy said, reaching for Cay's glass to fill it up again.
When she was able to continue, she said, "I'm just sick about Bernard. And where is Nicolette?" She relayed that one of the last things she remembered was how the pirate on horseback from Krewe du Lac person rode by so recklessly and grabbed Nicolette.
Zydee Bob and Marcy exchanged looks. Zydee Bob answered. "No one at Krewe du Lac ever saw that man before. He wasn't part of their group. And no one has heard from Nicolette. The police think she is in hiding. There is a warrant out for her arrest."
Marcy leaned over and took Cay's hand again. "I am so glad that you are okay, girlfriend. We were so worried!"
Cay choked on her dry throat again. Her eyes filled with tears. She whispered hoarsely. "Thank you all for staying and watching over me. I've missed you all so much…." Her words choked.
On the other side of her bed, Frank affectionately squeezed Cay's shoulder. "The rest of the Krewe have been in and out, but they are all over at Kenois's, finishing up their shoes for the parade on Tuesday. And of course, getting ready for the Mardi Gras ball tomorrow night."
Marcy jumped up and down, pumping Cay's hand. "Jacques Teutite is coming in tonight with the queen's dress. He says it's to die for."
"What are we going to do without Nicolette?" Cay asked, " Looks like Star was right, the Krewe du Lacquer comes out of this looking like a rose and Daphne is a shoo-in for queen."
"Stop right there, girlfriend. Nicolette is not dead, just missing. We are hoping she is going to roll in here pretty soon, or that her Phantom of the Stallion is going to scoot her back here, but if worse comes to worse, we got a plan B."
Zydee Bob started to laugh and jerked his head in Marcy's direction. "That B for Bombshell!"
Marcy stood up straight and saluted. "Size 6 ready to report for duty, sir. If Nicolette can't make it, God forbid, Jacques can let the seams out a teensy bit and I'll cover the rest with a feather boa." Marcy shrugged, "I ain't French but, girl, after being the flambeaux in the parade, it'll be a piece of cake to strut in Lake Charles. I'll make the Krewe proud." She stopped, then back up. "Of course, it's only if we can't find Nicolette. I hope she has called someone."
"You are too much!" Cay said. The friends laughed easily now and chatted about events, the close call at the chicken run, and the overwhelming response that Bang and the Quest Playboys got at the Saturday night zydeco dance at the Lake Charles Center. The groups talked until Zydee Bob and Marcy needed to leave to pick up Jacques at the Regional Airport. Mambozo decided to leave with them since it was freaking out the floor nurses that the patient in room 37B had live poultry in her room. Frank offered to help gather her things and check out of the hospital to go back to Raven's to finish her recovery.
Frank filled her in on a few more details. "They also disqualified Bernard from his first prize in the gumbo cook off. I think that pissed him off more than being arrested. I think his pride is hurt the most of all. He swears those little misshapen ones weren't his. He kept saying that he would never enter nasty looking little drops like that and he was offended that anyone could even think he'd go out in public with such horrible food, but the police didn't believe him. Bull was pretty rough on him."
He looked at Cay, a concerned furrow between his brows. "Cay, I'm worried about Nicolette. She hasn't called anyone and that is not like her."
"I'm worried, too, Frank, " she said as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and pushed herself out of bed and into a standing position. " I know that Bernard and Nicolette are innocent. I don't know what else to do."
"To begin with, how about getting you out of here?" Frank looked over her backside, then grinned impishly. "And how about finding you some underwear?"
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It had been an exhausting day for the Krewe of Muses. The Mardi Gras Gala was just a day away, the Downtown Krewe of Krewe parade was two days away. On top of anxiety of Cay's poisoning, the shock of Bernard's arrest, the worry of Nicolette's disappearance, and the anticipation of the Jacques Teutite's visit to Lake Charles, the Krewe of Muses spent a stressful sweat shop afternoon at Kenois's studio painting, beading, counting, stacking, sewing, and decorated what seemed like a million shoes.
By the time the evening rolled around, the Krewe members were exhausted, slightly bitchy, and tired of that distinctive, musty smell of old shoes. It was decided to take the night off and go have some fun at the Isle of Capri Casino. Kenois begged off to continue to glue for a few hours longer, but Marie Marguerite and Marie Katerina decided to go. They called Cay at home, delighted to find out she had been released from the hospital, but Cay also declined because she was still feeling queasy and her throat was still dry and raw. Raven was up for an evening of chat and gambling and she invited Frank and Bryant to meet them at the Casino.
Anna Marina was dealing that night. Since Penny and Elena, both dealers at the Isle, had been killed, Anna Marina had been sitting in as a dealer on Sunday nights to help with the labor shortage. She commandeered a table near the back and filled the seats with her sisters and her friends. They filled up the table and ordered a round of drinks from the cocktail waitress.
Even though traffic was light at the casino tonight, business was still brisk. Gambling profits were up in at the Isle of Capri since the two hurricanes. Lots of construction workers had flooded the area and they were anxious for a little fun in their down time. Harrah's Casino, on the east shore of the Lake, was still closed even though five months had passed since Rita. The Isle of Capri was built on the west side of Lake Charles and the evening was beginning to quicken to its normal nighttime pace.
As the group assembled and Anna Marina started to deal the cards, the group invariably began to talk about the upcoming Mardi Gras Gala.
"I can't believe that someone kidnapped Nicolette and the police just think that she staged it to go into hiding." Marie Katerina tapped her cards. "Hit me."
"If I hit you, sister, you'll just tell Mom," Anna Marina smirked. "How about another card?" Marie Katrina stuck her tongue out at Anna Marina.
"I wonder what would happen if we took old Daphne for a little ride. I bet old Bull would get his regulation undies in a regulation bundle," Marie Marguerite said, waving her hand over her cards to stay. She showed a queen of hearts on top and Anna Marina frowned.
Francisco relayed a message from Bernard. "Bernard says that it is still okay if you need his truck camper to let Marcy get dressed for the ball. I have an extra key so I can pull it around tomorrow so you can load it up and I'll find a parking spot near the back door of the Convention Center."
Marie Katerina smiled and flirted. "Francisco, you are a dream. Damn, I'm out." She flipped her cards over. They totaled 24.
"Thank God, Marcy is around. I can't remember the last time I was a size four. " Marie Marguerite looked at all her sisters, " and that goes for the rest of my genetic companions as well."
"Speak for yourself. I still have the ankles of a 17-year-old," Marie Katerina said, as she placed a few multi-colored chips in front of her place to begin the next round of Black Jack.
"Jacques is working with Marcy on her outfit right now at my place," Raven said, tossing her cards back toward Anna Marina and anteing up again. "He had three suitcases with him filled with about a ton of gossamer, lace, chiffon, tulle and God knows what that other fabric was. He also had these think little tube things that he was assembling when I left. Whatever it is going to be, it's going to look fabulous!"
"What ever it is, we are going to have to open both of the doors to the Convention Center to fit Marcy through the door." Bryant added, putting two chips in front of his place. "Deal me in."
There was a commotion near the entrance and the gamblers at Anna Marina's table looked up to see a slight, well dressed man talking excitedly to what looked like a manager. The man was gesturing at the wad of cash in his hands, as if trying to convince the floor manager to let him play.
Anna Marina expertly dealt another set of cards to each of the players. "Now there's a guy who really needs his own Gambler Anonymous meeting. He's known throughout the casino for his penchant for gambling and worse yet, his penchant for losing. Nice enough guy, but he definitely has a problem."
Frank frowned in his direction. "He looks a lot like this inspector who has been hanging out at Harrah's this week." Francisco looked again. "Except the inspector had a big ugly moustache. Some parts of the Harrah's are off limits even to the construction workers because the sections are so unsafe. Got that yellow tape up all over the place."
"Hard to believe that the casino is still closed down after all this time." Raven said.
"I don't think it's the same guy, "Anna Marina commented. then nodded in Raven's direction. "Got a black jack going over here… That guy is Anthony Blaine. He works over at the Lake Charles Convention and Visitor Bureau. We all know him too well. He used to hang around Penny's and Elena's table a lot."
Raven took a good look at him after she heard the name. "He was hanging out with Star Chamblee Phipps at the Krewe du Lacquer booth. I guess he is some big whig with the Mardi Gras gala. Looks like he is Star's errand boy now."
"He was banned from the casino for a month because of his debts but looks like he either found himself a sugar momma or that job with the Visitors Bureau pays pretty good." Anna Marina flipped a few more cards at Bryant who went over 21 and folded. She clucked her tongue and shook her head. "Good Old Tone. "
Francisco stopped Anna Marina from tossing another card his way by grabbing her wrist. "What did you just say?"
"Good Old Tone," Anna Marina answered, stopped short by the serious look in his eyes. "Just a nickname that Penny and Elena used to call him. You know, Tone. Short for Anthony. Short for Tony. "
CHAPTER TEN:
Pour Yourself Some "Southern Comfort"
Copyright by Aileen M. McInnis, 2006. All rights reserved. Contact the author at aileen_mcinnis@yahoo.com .
