to the sink. “I’ll be ready in about ten minutes.”
Lally nodded. “Sounds good to me. You’ll have to drive, but I can show you the way.”
“Not a problem.” Lally was the last person Harlow was going to argue with.
Chapter Thirteen
Jewelia’s house was a cute little place located in a neighborhood Lally called Treme. Harlow liked the house’s soft blue exterior finished with white and the front porch with its squared columns. The yard was tidy and pots of flowering plants swung between the columns. The place had a welcoming air that eased her nerves but she was still glad she’d put gloves on. Who knew what she might touch in a mambo’s home?
She stood at Lally’s side and let the older woman ring the bell. This was her family, after all.
The door opened shortly and a much younger-looking woman than Harlow had expected stood on the other side of the screen. “Well, Tante Eulalie, as I live and breathe.” She pushed the screen door wide. “Come in. I had a feeling you’d be stopping by.”
Lally nodded. “I thought you might.” She rested a hand on Harlow’s shoulder. “This here’s my friend Harlow Goodwin. Harlow, meet my grandniece, Queen Jewelia.”
Jewelia’s eyes lit up. “Well now, it’s a true pleasure to meet you, Harlow. Come on in, I’ve got coffee cake and a fresh pot of coffee.”
Harlow followed her into the house as Lally shut the front door. Cake was the last thing she wanted after a breakfast she hadn’t been hungry for, but she got the sense that you didn’t turn down that kind of offer in this kind of situation. The warm aroma of cinnamon and sugar that greeted her made the prospect a little less daunting. “That sounds lovely, thank you.”
Jewelia guided them toward the kitchen table, which was already set for three. “You’re the one that fae boy is in love with. He’s a nice fellow. Very sincere. I take it you being here means your problem is resolved? The one with your sister?” She stared deeply into Harlow’s eyes. “I can’t sense anything improper going on inside you so I’d say yes.”
Trying to hide her astonishment, Harlow nodded and took a seat. “You’re right, my twin sister’s spirit isn’t possessing me anymore, thanks.” Jewelia was definitely related to Lally.
Jewelia glanced at Harlow’s gloves. “You’ve got the touch, too, I see. Best you keep those on in here.”
Harlow tucked her folded hands onto her lap.
Lally swatted the younger woman on the shoulder. “Jewelia, enough. You’re scaring the child.” She took up the silver carafe and began filling cups. “Don’t mind her, Harlow. She’s trying to impress you right from the get-go. That’s what mambos do so they can charge you extra based on how impressed you turn out to be.”
“Now who’s spinning yarn?” Jewelia sliced the crumbly, glazed Bundt cake working overtime as the table’s centerpiece. “You’re far scarier than I am, Tante.” She added a thick slab of cake to Harlow’s plate before dishing one out for Lally and then herself. At last, she sat. “So, Harlow, what sort of help do you need that brings you to my house?”
Harlow hadn’t said anything about needing help, but the woman before her was clearly astute. She stuffed a bit of cake in her mouth to buy some time.
Lally rescued her. “The witches are planning something.”
Jewelia nodded as though she was contemplating that bit of news. “So I’ve heard.”
“The cake is delicious,” Harlow piped up.
Jewelia smiled, taking another few years off her already impossibly young face. “Thank you.”
Harlow took a breath and plunged in. “Have you heard anything else about what the witches might be planning?”
“No, but I’m guessing you have.” Jewelia stirred sugar into her coffee. “What do you know?”
Harlow put her fork down and explained what had happened to her, about the souls, about the number being collected and about the others still trapped beneath the pond. There was no point holding back information now. “We’ve got to rescue those poor people.”
“Ogun can stay in there for all I care, but the rest don’t deserve it. One is fae, you say?”
“Yes. He’s one of Augustine’s lieutenants. And a good friend.” She ached to think of Cy stuck down there.
Jewelia tipped her head to the side, her eyes narrowing slightly. “He may not be affected by the witches’ spell, or at least not affected as greatly, but the humans…” She shook her head. “I’m not sure they can be saved.”
Harlow leaned forward. “Why? What do you think the