Breaking the Chain Read Online Free

her eyes and she wiped them away. The small house her son had purchased for her didn't seem like home and probably never would. It was as if she'd left a big part of herself behind at the plantation, having lived there for so long as Mr. Ventereux's housekeeper. She longed to walk through the house, to feel its comforting presence, if only for one last time.
              Her heart skipped a beat when cold fingers wrapped themselves around her wrist.
              "Don't you fret none, Justine. You gonna be all right. I done seen it," Sadie announced, patting her hand. "I done seen the signs."
              More disturbed than ever, Justine wondered, not for the first time, if going back was such a good idea after all. Sadie had been restless for several weeks, and had begun to have 'visions' once more. That, more than anything, had prompted their trip. Usually Sadie shared bits and pieces of her visions, but this time all she would say was that she needed to go back home to St. Francisville.
              Twenty minutes after they arrived, Justine unlocked the door to their hotel room and motioned for the porter to bring in their bags. Sadie perched on the edge of the bed nearest the window, withdrew the gray sack from under her arm, and positioned it in the palm of her outstretched hand. Cocking her head to one side, she swayed back and forth.
              Justine's concern increased with every minute that passed. Was Sadie having another vision?
              Sadie jerked upright, eyes wide-open , mouth ajar. Violent spasms racked her body, then all motion stopped. She blinked a few times, stood up, and turned to Justine. "I'm ready," she announced. "I gotta get to the graveyard soon, afore something bad happens. Spirits done summoned me." She started for the door. "I'm going now."
              Justine glanced out the window. "It'll be dark soon. Can't this wait until morning? Aren't you tired after that long ride?"
              "Can't wait none, Justine. I gotta get to the graveyard today," Sadie demanded, slapping her hand against the dresser. In defiance of Justine's suggestion, she jutted her chin forward and reached for the doorknob.
              Justine knew better than to argue with the old woman when she was in this kind of a mood. If she didn't go with her, Sadie was apt to go by herself and get into God knows what kind of trouble. She might as well give in and get it over with. She arranged for a taxi to meet them downstairs. When the cab rolled to a halt in front of the cemetery's wrought-iron gates, she asked the driver to please wait for their return and tucked a twenty-dollar bill into his hand to ensure that he stayed put.
              "You aren't gonna be long, are you?" he asked, fingering the money. "It's gonna get dark soon, and I don't want to be nowhere around here after dark."
              She shook her head. "This won't take long. Please, wait for us."
              He studied her face for a few moments, then glanced at his watch. "Tell you what. It's six thirty now; I'll wait until seven. If you ain't back by then, I'll honk my horn a couple a times, and wait a few more minutes. If you don't come out right away, I'm gonna leave."
              "We'll be back before then," she promised.
              Sadie had already disappeared and she hurried to find her. Together the two elderly women made their way through the weeds and brambles to the older section of the graveyard. Sadie paused in front of a row of cracked, paint-smeared gravesites. Whispering, she opened the gray sack she'd brought with her and emptied the contents onto the narrow ledge of the aboveground tomb. The sound of her chants filled the air as she stretched her arms upwards and swayed to her own rhythm for several minutes, then