A Wishing Moon Read Online Free Page A

designed to draw love, money or give the wearer protection from their enemies.
    Evangeline pushed her long, dark hair off her shoulders. The black dress and floor length cape she wore was, definitely, a costume, but she didn’t mind wearing the outfit at all. Her eyes were Creole black, actually the darkest navy blue. Tall and curvy, with light olive hued skin, Evangeline carried herself proudly. After checking out the customers who had chosen to purchase a few magical items, Evangeline consulted the schedule to see when the next tour group would show up.
    The Walk of Magic, a two-hour tour, carried the group from the Voodoo Museum on Dumaine to the tomb of Marie Laveau at St Louis Cemetery #1, to Congo Square in the Louis Armstrong Park, with many other interesting stops along the way.
    Evangeline had been working for Cherline part-time since she turned sixteen, and now worked full time upon graduating high school. Full time for Evangeline meant the night tours, a schedule she could easily handle and still maintain her full class load at Tulane. Nanette had been pushing her to stay the full four years at the prestigious New Orleans university, but she had her heart set on attending the University of Texas and living near her first cousin Arabella, whom she adored. From what she had read, Austin had the reputation of being one of the few places in the South where her chosen lifestyle would be as readily accepted as it was in New Orleans.
    The curtain to the back room shifted and Cherline emerged. “Nanette said for you to come home. There’s a family emergency.”
    “ Is she ill?” Evangeline reached under the counter for her purse.
    “ No, but she said you would all be going to Texas for a few weeks, at least. She asked for a leave of absence for you.”
    “ Will I have a job when I get back?” Evangeline had no doubt Cherline had at least three other girls anxious to step into her shoes. Regardless, she did not want to burn any bridges or hurt Cherline’s feelings.
    “ Of course,” Cherline knew the other girls might be adequate tour guides, but they would not have the intimate knowledge of the topic Evangeline possessed. That firsthand knowledge, as the television commercial professed, was priceless. “Nanette seemed to be upset. I hope nothing is wrong.” Cherline walked Evangeline to the door of the shop.
    “ I’m sure we can handle the trouble, whatever it may be—but thanks.” Evangeline hurried to her car, which she kept in a public garage a few blocks away. An uneasy feeling flooded her body. What had she done? Two weeks ago she had begun a seven day ritual using small seeds called Job’s tears. She had prayed over them, asking to be allowed to move to Austin. Nanette had been adamantly against her leaving New Orleans for any longer than just a few days. Evangeline was all Nanette had left of her beloved daughter Aimee.
    For seven days, she had carried the seeds in a red flannel bag next to her heart. At the end of the week, she’d taken them down to the bridge and thrown them over her left shoulder into the Mississippi. She stood there and recited the 23 rd Psalm and then walked away without looking back. This would be the seventh night since the culmination of the ritual and now the answer had come. She was heading to Texas for more than a few days, but at what cost?

    * * * *

    Arabella had taken care of Rachel as best she could. She made meticulous notes of all the information she’d managed to garner from her readings. Rachel wanted her to come over to her house and see if she could pick anything else up, but Arabella had insisted she have the police investigate first. If the house and yard was truly a crime scene, she surely did not want to be the one who contaminated or obliterated crucial evidence. Rachel had said she understood and had gone home alone—lonely and scared. There wasn’t too many more hours before the police would consider the situation more seriously and come onto the