The inside of the little square house was clean but disorganized, and I could see the influence of her recent, hectic move in the boxes stacked in the corners and along the walls. The house held a faint hint of smoke, something she was trying to bury under air fresheners. There was a couch, TV, and a coffee table in the living room and not much else. The little round table in the kitchen nearly swallowed the room. But the place was in good repair, just in need of a fresh coat of paint.
I kept Cali close and safe while we brought in groceries, sleeping bags, and luggage. She didn’t say much to me and that worried me as my little cousin was generally a chatterbox. I wished I’d had a chance to get something for her, a toy of some sort, but we’d not had time.
“I brought you strawberries,” I told her, hoping to get a smile back on that little face.
She lit up and startled wriggling. “Where? Berries, where?”
“You’re such a fruit bat,” her mother laughed. “I’m sure they’re in one of these brown bags. You hand me stuff to put in the fridge and we’ll find them together.”
Brandon took an exaggerated breath inwards. “God, I don’t know what that smell is, but it’s killing me.”
Amused, I answered, “That, cher, is jambalaya.”
He looked down at me doubtfully. “I’ve had jambalaya before. It didn’t smell that way.”
“That’s because we haven’t lost the recipe down here,” Edmée assured him dryly.
“Berries!” Cali exclaimed in triumph, seizing the box.
“Well, I know what you’re having for dinner,” Edmée drawled. “Here, food’s put up. Everyone grab bowls, get settled. What’ll you have to drink?”
“Water, please,” I requested. “I feel dehydrated after so long in that car.”
“It sure is a fine one,” she told me in admiration. “The FBI pays good, I see.”
“Well, it does, but that’s a company vehicle.” I ladled up a bowl, passed it to Brandon, then fixed myself some. Food and drinks were dispensed, all of us easing around each other in the galley kitchen.
We said grace around the table, Cali vibrating with the need to eat her strawberries, then dug in.
Brandon moaned in bliss around the spoonful in his mouth. Swallowing, he demanded of me, “You know how to make this?”
“Of course I do,” I answered, laughing. “Eat, cher. I promise to make some for you later.”
Edmée beamed at him, pleased he enjoyed her cooking so much. “Well. Seems jambalaya was a good choice. Have plenty, Brandon, I made a stew pot full.”
“I will,” he promised her gravely.
“Mack, you be careful while you’re down here not to get your maman’s hopes up,” Edmée cautioned suddenly. “She’s awful excited you’re here.”
I grimaced, despair rising in me. “Why? I’ve told her repeatedly I don’t want to move back down here.”
“Well, she didn’t take it seriously. She’s of the mind that with you back, you’ll realize you’ve missed the place. Not that you have much reason to.” Edmée looked at Brandon pointedly. “And I don’t think you two would be well received down here. Brandon can’t keep his hands off you and people won’t react well to that.”
“I know,” I grumbled, trying to not let this affect my appetite. Everyone around me could clearly see the situation for what it was. A Federal Agent, gay man, medium, and on top of that dating someone of a different culture? That would not go over well at all with the more prejudiced members of this community. Hell no. But my mother, of course, only saw that she had her baby boy in reach again. “I’ll make it clear. Again.”
“I’ll reinforce it.”
“Thanks,” I said with a crooked smile at her. Conversation flowed into what had been going on with friends and other family, until Edmée’s curiosity couldn’t take it anymore.
“But how did the two of you meet?”
“Spookem,” I answered with a laugh. “Brandon went through Arkansas on vacation, same town I was training in with Beau. He bought a snow globe for a friend for Christmas, and it turned out to be haunted. They called up the FBI to figure out what to do with it, then brought it up to Arkansas for me to handle.”
Edmée had a knowing look on her face. “And you two met and that was it?”
“More or less,” Brandon agreed between spoonfuls. “I took one look at him and absolutely knew I had to try for him. Then I realized he was the medium I was supposed to work with, and he went from attractive to downright sexy.”
Seeing Edmée’s doubt on that, I assured her dryly, “He truly loves anything supernatural. He’s not pulling your leg. But yes, after working the case together, we wanted to really give it a try. So I stayed with him as he finished up the training. It’s been a busy thirteen weeks, to say the least. But sounds like you were just as busy down here. Bed bugs, cousin, really? Were they that hard to get rid of?”
“Oh don’t get me started,” Edmée moaned, pulling a face. She started in on the disastrous situation in a joking manner, but it was clear it had been a nightmare to move out of the infested rental house and into this one, forcing her to lose most of her furniture in the process.
The conversation turned to other things, a happier note. It remained all light and easy until we had dinner eaten, dishes washed, and such.
Then Edmée turned to her daughter and said, “Time for PJs, mon trésor.”
Cali balked, her face turning both mutinous and scared. She shook her head firmly no, arms crossing over her chest.
Edmée looked up at me helplessly, hands splayed.
I couldn’t say I blamed the child. I wouldn’t want to go to bed either.
Brandon turned in his chair, leaning towards Cali with a serious face. “Cali, have you seen Ghostbusters?”
She tentatively nodded.
“Well, Mack and me, we’re real-life Ghostbusters. That’s what we’re here for. We’re going to find that mean ghost that’s scaring you and take care of him. I’ve got a special gun that can shoot him. You want to see it?”
Intrigued, she nodded again. Brandon scooped her up in one arm and carried her to the living room. As I watched from the doorway, he opened up one of the holsters, unsnapping it and showing her the Glock. “See? Looks dangerous, huh.”
Cali nodded again, touching the gun lightly with her fingers. “Shoot bad ghost?”
“I sure will. If Mack gives me a chance. He’s plenty mad, you know, said he wants to get rid of the ghost himself. So tonight, you’ve got protection. If that ghost comes to you again, you can scream, and we’ll come shoot it.”
Vicious satisfaction crossed Cali’s face. “Okay.”
“Okay? Good.” Turning his head, he informed Edmée, “I’ve got another pistol with holy water in it. I’ll let you have that for the time being, just in case.”
Edmée turned to me and said, “I can use it?”
“Sure. Anyone can. It’s the holy water doing the job.”
“Mama shoot it?” Cali liked this idea too, bouncing a little in Brandon’s arms.