Tapestry of Whispers - Scene 6
Just Because You're Paranoid
“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not after you.”
-Joseph Heller, “Catch 22”
On Tuesday, the heat returned with a vengeance. The sun rose as a red blazing orb scorching everything under its glare. From the unseasonably cool weather, it shifted to an unbearable mix of heat and humidity, accompanied by an uncomfortably high pollen count. The heat advisory was reinstated. The lingering humidity from the storm didn’t help matters any.
Fortunately, Daniel was spared another trip to the Eclipse office; his new computer managed decently, and all he had to deal with was the discomfort of itchy eyes and a runny nose. Work unfolded with the usual Tuesday crises, no more, no less.
Outside his window, people cleared away storm debris, attempted to clean out their drains, or carried on with their workday routines. Daniel's cats lounged in contentment. The Garden District appeared to simmer under the heat, yet it remained tranquil for the time being.
As Daniel was working, an alert from one of his apps sounded – a local vendor was selling many items he needed to restock his magic kit. The asking price was higher than he had hoped, yet it was manageable. The seller lacked ratings on YakityYak and P-Bay, which was concerning, but occasionally such items were hard to come by from well-known sources.
He verified the address on YakMaps. He knew the area somewhat, having explored it on one of his many photo walks, and it wasn't a place where he'd want to be caught, dead, alive, or in between. Nonetheless, it was close enough to walk, and as the evening progressed, the idea of making the trip grew slightly more appealing.
The journey was a fair hike. Following the directions, he traversed pothole-ridden streets, bypassed lots choked with refuse and entangled in weeds, and navigated past derelict industrial buildings, arriving at a bulky apartment complex. This place, with its weathered sign declaring "Briar Rose Apartments," made Section Eight housing appear downright luxurious.
The whole area had an eerie aura, as if brujeria might be practiced there. That, Daniel thought, or Meth production. The buildings were two-story structures, each divided into four units, arranged around a small cul-de-sac. Balconies adorned the upper levels, though they appeared too precarious to be deemed an asset. Peeling paint, cracked windows, and the heat-warped pavement added to the dilapidation, while decaying cedar shakes dangled from the building sides. Daniel even spotted what he believed to be a rat emerging from a hole in the wall. Fluorescent lights flickered inside, and the combined odors of weed, urine, and decay were so overpowering that they made even Daniel, desensitized even to the smell of cat urine, feel nauseous.
The atmosphere was even more unsettling than at Eclipse, as it was far from deserted. He felt a reflexive prickling of unease. There was a sense of being observed, a presence that seemed more akin to the living than the spectral. It wasn't long before he discerned the source. While most of the locals moved about with casual indifference, a group of eight disreputable figures loitered near the entrance, visibly ill at ease in the sweltering heat, beneath the sign of the Briar Rose.
They all resembled the typical image of burly enforcers, oddly attired in spandex jackets emblazoned with a logo on the right chest, paired with mirror sunglasses and long pants. All of them were perspiring badly. Daniel believed he caught the glint of a firearm concealed beneath one man's jacket. Judging by their postures, it seemed highly likely they were all armed. Facing eight men of that caliber, Daniel knew he stood no chance in a confrontation.
The bruisers hadn't spotted him yet, but they were keenly observing the traffic, both pedestrian and vehicular, near the apartment. Muttering a swift blessing incantation and feigning disorientation at the last moment, he glanced at his phone once more and strode past them, feigning indifference. The burly men didn't confront him, though a few watched him with suspicion. Once he rounded the corner, their interest in his whereabouts vanished as if by magic.
Daniel doubled back to a spot between two shabby buildings to observe the men. They didn't notice him, but they also didn't leave. After about ten minutes, a gleaming black SUV rolled up. It was bigger than a typical SUV, with tinted windows and smokestacks that puffed out a black cloud. The engine sounded like a dragon in heat, and the men seemed to be expecting it.
Daniel was surprised to see Zarellon Drelassi exit the SUV. He wasn't dressed in his magician's kit, but he still had the same godawful aftershave. Daniel could smell it even at a distance over the vile miasma of engine exhaust and the neighborhood reek. His stint in the pokey clearly hadn’t improved his patience.
"Where is he?" Drelassi demanded of the nearest hulking figure. The bruiser simply shrugged. "You imbeciles! What do I pay you for?" Drelassi's face turned a shade of red, clearly exacerbated by the sweltering heat.
“He never showed up. Nobody tried to go in.” The man spoke in a slight Cajun accent and didn't seem at all nonplussed by Drelassi's tantrum. In fact, he seemed to find it amusing. "There are a lot of folk around here you might call rednecks," the Cajun-accented man said to Drelassi. "Which one you looking for?"
This remark only fueled Drelassi's anger further. "No one attempted to enter," he growled, "because you and your... associates were BLOCKING the entrance. Could you possibly be any more conspicuous?"
One of the thugs noted that subtlety wasn't part of their pay. "Speaking of which, do you have our money?" Drelassi pulled back his cane, poised to strike. His stint in jail hadn't softened his temper. However, Drelassi's rage subsided almost instantly, possibly because he understood that his anger wouldn't aid in locating Daniel, or maybe he feared the big man's reaction if he were to actually hit him.
“Of course I have your money. Never let it be said I don’t pay my debts.” The man counted the money that Drelassi handed him, then doled it out to the others. They didn't seem entirely happy with the split, but they took it.
Suddenly, Drellassi's eyebrows seemed to prick up, and he looked around the street suspiciously. Daniel held his breath as Drellassi scanned the area, but fortunately didn't spot him hiding between the squalid buildings. “I do have a feeling that he may yet make his appearance. The winds are favorable. Look lively.”
Daniel stayed put for two reasons: first, he didn't want Drelassi to spot him if he moved; second, he was curious about what they were up to. Unfortunately, he couldn't hear much of their conversation over the roar of the SUV's engine.
Finally, Drelassi pulled out his cell phone and talked to it for a few minutes. Then the men piled into the SUV with him, filling it with his horrible aftershave. The SUV's smokestacks belched forth another noxious fume, and they roared off down the street. People in various apartments opened their windows and peered out, curious about the tremendous noise.
Daniel's trip to the Briar Rose Apartments was a bust. He didn't find what he was looking for, and worse, now he seemed to be a target for Zarellon Drelassi and his goons. Daniel took a long and circuitous route home, hoping to avoid being found by the SUV. He didn't want to lead them back to his house.
Suddenly, he heard the roar of the SUV's engine. He ducked into an alley, but the SUV stopped at the entrance. Drelassi put his head out the window and sniffed the air, but he didn't see Daniel. Daniel kept moving, figuring that if they did spot him, he wanted to be as far away as possible.
Daniel ran down another side street, looking for any sign of the SUV, and again he heard the engine's roar not far away. His footsteps thudded on the sidewalk, and his lungs, unused to this much exercise, burned in his chest. He wasn't sure if his blessing was still in effect, and he didn't think he could cast another on the run.
Suddenly, the SUV roared by, and Daniel stopped, looking down and hoping they didn't see him. The SUV slowed, but only because it was turning right, and Daniel took off running again.
Daniel made it back home without running directly into Drelassi or his goons. His heart was racing, and he was exhausted from the heat and exertion. He was relieved to be safe at home, but he knew that Drelassi was still out there, and he didn't know what to do next.
Deliberately, Daniel continued his online search for supplies. He needed the supplies, but he also wanted to maintain the appearance of normality in case Drelassi was somehow monitoring his online activity.
Puzzled as to why Drelassi was pursuing him, Daniel scoured the internet for information but only stumbled onto a site for booking Drelassi's magic shows. Drelassi's reputation as a magician was less than stellar; many of his past clients found him to be dull and conceited.
Daniel's feelings of apprehension were not assuaged by his narrow escape from the bruisers. He thought he heard the SUV's roar several times in the neighborhood, and once was sure it was right outside his house.
Daniel was reasonably sure the thugs couldn't track him, but he had no idea what abilities Drelassi had. He hadn't needed any weapons for a long time, but it looked as though it might be time to prepare some. A few of the extras he knew how to make wouldn't hurt either. He wasn't sure what he had collided with here, but it appeared eager to reciprocate the action.
When Beth came home, Daniel asked her if she had seen anything unusual in the neighborhood. Beth said she hadn't, and Daniel asked her how Buford was doing. “Buford's daughter came by the store looking for him. Apparently, he checked himself out of the hospital, and now no one knows where he is.”
Beth sounded concerned, and Daniel really couldn’t blame her. Buford was either sick or haunted, and either way he shouldn't be wandering around Monroe alone. Or perhaps not alone as the case might be.
"Has Buford encountered any peculiar antiques at work? Have there been any strange visitors to the store?"
"Let it go, mister. All you need to know is that nothing out of the ordinary is happening at that store," Beth interrupted.
"All I need to know? I'm worried about you if there's something dubious going on there." Daniel felt a rush of anger. Perhaps she really didn't trust him anymore.
"Nothing is happening that security can't manage. If you interfere where you're not wanted, I could lose my job. Buford is fortunate he hasn't been fired for all this. And that's final."
"I almost ran into some very strange people today while looking for ritual supplies. One of them was that guy the police arrested when they questioned me. He was with some burly friends, and they looked like they were armed. I think they've been driving around the neighborhood. That's why I asked if any strangers had come to the store."
"Buford is seriously ill. For the love of God, let's leave this alone for our own sake," Beth pleaded, on the verge of tears. "We've turned a blind eye to this for twenty years. We can keep doing it. It won't affect us if we don't allow it. That's the purpose of your rituals, isn't it?"
Daniel replied "Understood" to Beth, but he didn't really understand. As Beth went to change out of her work clothes and get something to eat, Daniel heard the distant roar of the dragon engine again. Absently, he picked up his Tarot deck and turned over the top card. The Devil. "Swell," he muttered. "Now they tell me."