A Birth day

Ruby heard Angus and nodded " kinda like I use to do" she said and chuckled " but not so much now" she felt his hand in her own and took hold of it smiling as she sat and listened to Beau recommend foods they could have " oh ribs sound delishious," she said as she saw the country flash past the windows as Beau drove them to the restaurant. " I wonder if Aria and Marcus have found out anything new " she asked looking over at Angus.

Ari walked up to the shop and opened th door walking over to the counter looking like she was looking at the peices again but spotted some fliers for Marie impersonaters " I wonder if any of these will be any good dear" she said tking a flier and showing Marcus the flier. " we saw these last time we wer here right" she said loud enough the man behind the counter heard her.

"Yeah," Marcus agreed.

"Oh, yeah. You were here last night. I remember," the man said. "You want to speak to the owner don't you? I'll get her." He walked to the back and a moment later, a woman came out.

She was clearly not the Marie Laveau impersonator. This woman was a white woman, with a slightly stocky build, with long, thick graying hair that half pulled back. She was wearing a light blue dress with a pink floral print. It was cut in a bohemian style, and she was wearing a number of the same jewelry pieces that the shop sold, but for this dress, it really did seem to work for her.

"Joe tells me you're interested in a Marie Laveau interpreter? They don't work for us, you understand, but they do leave their contact information here in case someone comes in asking for one. So what did you have in mind?" she asked them.

"My wife and I are looking into opening a slightly upscale restaurant here, but we want it to capture, as best we can, the magic of New Orleans. We love it here, and we really like the unique mix of southern comfort and hospitality with the mystery and magic of New Orleans itself. So, we have a number of Fortune 500 investors coming for a meeting where we hope to impress them into investing with us for this venture. So we need the very best Marie Laveau you can recommend. Someone who does some sort of slight of hand or something would be nice. Something authentic looking."

"Well, that narrows the search down considerably then," she said. She opened a drawer behind the counter and started going through a stack of business cards she had in the drawer. She finally decided on three and handed the cards to Aria. "Those three are the best that I know of. I've seen their gigs, and they're good. They're cheap, though."

"I'm not looking for cheap. I'm looking for good," Marcus said.

"Then one of these three is who you want," she said. "Anything else I can help you with?"

"Maybe," Marcus said. "A friend of mine is a chef, and I promised to bring him home a cookbook from a local author. Something with some great creole recipes. Can you help me?"

"Absolutely," she said. "I've got just the thing." She went to the shelf and got out a big thick cookbook. "This one is actually an antique. It's a real collector's item. It's a bit expensive but it's one of a kind." Marcus looked through the book and decided Angus would love it.

"We'll take it," he said. He looked at Aria. "Anything I'm forgetting, Dear?" he asked her.

Aria watched as the man went to the back and a woman returned with him she watched and listened as they spoke to Marcus when handed the cards she looked at them then let the woman take the ones she felt were not who they were looking for and replace them with ones of better quality " hum, thank you" she said then loked as Marcus mentioned the cook book " oh yes , he'd love that" she said smiling then thought about if there was anything else " not that I can think of we could look around again, something might catch your eye" she said smiling at him.

Aria walked around the shop and saw a scarf one she knew was called A tignon. Moving to look at it she looked to Marcus knowing the patchwork of material was made to appear festive but some even had hidden messages in them. " is it true these have hidden messages in them, acording to th history books I have read?" she asked innocently.

"Some of them did,' the owner said. "Back in the day, when blacks were slaves here, which was certainly in Marie Laveau's time too, black women were forbidden from showing their hair. The law said they had to wrap it. Some of the wraps did apparently have some hidden messages at that time. I mean, think about it. An oppressed people needed to find a way to communicate. It only makes sense that they would send messages using whatever they had available to them. That one is a pretty one. That print also comes in a teal color that some splashes of coral and some other bright colors. I think there's also one over there that just came in that is black and gold. I actually bought one of the black and gold ones for myself to go with an evening gown I have."

When Angus and Ruby and Beau and Iya got to New Orleans, Beau parked only a block or so away from the restaurant. Angus was glad. It would allow them a short stroll on Bourbon Street to see some of the most iconic views of the French quarter. And it was going to take them right past the House of Voodoo. They were unaware that Marcus and Aria were in the House of Voodoo at that precise moment.

As they walked down the street from the car to the restaurant, Angus glanced over at the House of Voodoo across the street, and he wasn't actually thinking about anything or anyone. But all of a sudden he got that ice in his veins feeling again, and he stopped in his tracks and started looking around. Then he realized what had caught his eye a moment before. Coming out of an alley just a door or two away from the House of Voodoo was the woman. It was her. She wasn't in her Marie Laveau get up--not really. She had a broomstick skirt on, and her hair was done in braids that hung down her back. He drew out his muggle phone and took several rapid fire pictures of her. At that moment, she glanced over and saw him. That made her laugh. It was a cold, icy, diabolical laugh. She seemed truly amused to see him there.

"Pssst!" Beau was calling to them in a bit of a whisper. He and Iya had ducked down behind a car. "Get out of there. Go inside!" He pointed to the souvenir shop right behind Angus and Ruby on their side of the street. "Get out of her view!"

Aria walked over to where she saw the tignons in black and gold she picked one up and showed Marcus. " I like this one," she said walking over to him and leaning closer to him "it's the same one the Creole woman wore." she said showing him it closer " Maybe we could unravel her message." she said softly to him " its worth a shot if shes truly recreating Marie" turning back to the woman she smiled " I'll take this one," she said placing it down and taking out some muggle money to pay for it.

Ruby slipped out of the car and watched Angus loking where he was loking and hearing Beau she wrapped her arm around his and gently walked him into the shop " hey Pippa, James its good to see you again " she said to make Angus look over and get his mind off the woman " oh thats nice" she said to Aria seeing the tignon she'd just bought " we were about to go eat , would you care to join us" she asked smiling at them while her eyes glanced outside of the shop.

Hide? Why did Beau want him to hide? He didn't bloody want to hide. He wasn't afraid of her. He wanted to catch the bitch.

"Stay with them," he told Ruby quietly, letting go of Ruby and putting her hand in Marcus's. "Be right back." He took off at a dead run to go after her. She slipped back into the alley, and Marcus rolled his eyes.

"Well, shit," Marcus said. "Hold that thought. I'll be back. See if she has any obvious followers with her. If she does, get pictures for Lee." He dashed off after Angus.

"He doesn't listen fit for shit, does he?" Beau asked Iya.

"Nope," Iya said. "The boy's a fighter, through and through. Frankly, I'd like to see what he does if he catches her."

Angus was able to keep sight of her for about seven blocks at his top speed, but that meant jumping over the trash cans that she tossed in his way, and everything else she tried to put his his path. And then she turned to face him, and he saw her flick her fingers.

Suddenly there was a chuckhole in the pavement right in front of him, too late for him to stop himself. He twisted his ankle hard in the hole when his shoe hit it, and he fell, hearing a loud crack. Pain raced up his leg and down his foot, and when he looked up, the woman was gone. He cussed at himself for his own stupidity.

Marcus caught up with him finally, and out of breath, he stopped.

"Did you hurt yourself?"

"No, she did. That hole wasn't here five seconds ago," Angus said, clutching his ankle.

"Let me see," Marcus said, setting aside the package they'd bought at the House of Voodoo.
so he could make a quick check. "Looks like it's probably a sprain." He thought a moment. "Here. This will do for now." He took Aria's new scarf and pressed it into service as an impromptu wrap for Angus's ankle."

"She's gonna be pissed."

"Nah, I dont' think so. I don't think she wanted it to wear. I think she wanted it to check it for subliminal messages," Marcus said.

"For what?" Angus frowned. Marcus got up and helped Angus up. He helped Angus back the seven blocks they had covered when they'd gone after the woman. Angus was having a lot of trouble walking, period. But he definitely wasn't doing it without Marcus. They found the girls where they left them.

"Honey, we're home," Marcus called to Aria, with a grin on his face, trying to make light of it. "Look who I found--Mr. Hopalong Martin Cooper."

Ruby watched as Angus broke from her ahdn headed out the front door she shook her head. Aria watched as Marcus with her scarf took off after him " come on lets look around here" she said taking Rubys arm as they looked at shirts and shoes and more scarfs even the jewlery it was after amonet that they heard the two return. Aria moved to help Marcus and lookeddown at his ankle to see her scarf. " okay" she said and chuckled " thats not what I wanted it for but good use there" she said to Marcus as Ruby brought a chair for Angus to sit in " did you at least see her leave?" she asked him.

Ruby looked down at Angus " we should get him back to the hosue so we can get a good look at that ankle" she said and loked to Marcus " before it swells any more" she added Aria nodded.

"we'll help " she said and looked at Marcus " you take his left I'll take his right" she added knowing aperating out while in a muggle shop was a no no.

"No, no," Angus said. "Someone promised me a prime rib lunch at the Red Dog. We're going to lunch." Marcus burst out laughing.

"That's still five doors down the street, Mate," Marcus said.

"We've already come seven blocks. Five more doors is nothing," Angus said. "Come on. Mush--that way." Angus pointed in the direction of the restaurant.

"He's going to lunch with or without us," Marcus looked at the girls and laughed. "We might as well go along and try to keep him out of trouble." He glanced over at Iya and Beau and looked forward as a subtle signal that they were going ahead anyway. Marcus had hold of his left side, and he knew Ruby had the other. They went down the street to the Red Dog, and since it was early, they got a table for six straight away.

"I'm starving," Angus said, after they were seated.

"So clearly, you didn't catch her," Iya said.

"No, she tricked me," Angus said.

"How so?" Iya frowed.

"Cast a chuckhole in the alley right in front of me," Angus said.

"Of all the nerve. A witch casting a spell. How cheeky of her," Beau teased.

"Yeah, rub it in. I was only this close to catching her though," he held up his fingers to show just a couple of inches of distance.

"It was more like six feet, not two inches," Marcus teased.

"Are you two like this all the time?" Iya asked.

"Constantly," Marcus said. "Someone has to keep him in check."

"Well, I'm afraid I don't have any voodoo remedies for ankles," she said.

"We'll have to report it to Robert anyway," Marcus said. "I'm sure he'll want to tend it himself. He doesn't like a team member having an injury that he hasn't tended himself."

"So what are you all having?" Angus asked. "I'm doing the prime rib melt, the roasted beet salad, and the cherry almond bread pudding."

Aria who held Angus other side looked to Ruby and shook her ehad " typical man thinks with there stmach first" she said and Ruby chuckled " well if you have one side Mr James lets go, " she said as they walked slowly to the restaraunt and sat Angus down with Ruby following beside them both. Hearing Angus and Marcus Aria laughed " too true" she said and saw Ruby sit down with them.

" I sent a mesage to Robert he'll be here as soon as he can, mostlikly after we've eaten" Ruby said looking at Lya " hes very paticuler about Angus with all the complications from old injuries." she said to her. Aria looked to Marcus .

"that include you too or are you a bit more careful?" she asked " and is that my scarf?" she asked noticing it wrapped around Angus ankle.

When the server came, they had a chance to place their orders, and then she brought them their drinks. Angus ordered a southern sweet tea, and so did Marcus. Lunch orders tended to come very quickly in America because most of the lunch customers were working people who only had an hour to leave their jobs, go eat, and get back. So their server told them that their orders would be ready in just a couple minutes.

"Me?" Marcus looked at Aria. "I'm the rescuer, not the rescue-ee." When she asked if that was her scarf, Marcus laughed. "Not anymore," he told her. "Now it's a really nice ankle wrap."

"It'll wash just fine," Angus said. "Or I'll buy you a new one."

"So is Robert going to be irked with you?" Beau asked.

"Nah," Angus said. "Especially when he knows I got pictures."

"You are placing entirely too much importance on those pictures you took with that muggle phone," Marcus said. "I rather think he's going to be more impressed by all the new information we've gathered since yesterday. I think we have some helpful bits. So, now, you know we're going to have to see if any of these three impersonators is our Marie. Or if she won't lower herself to make muggle money."

"What?" Angus asked.

"We have leads on three possible Marie impersonators," Marcus told him. "With a little luck one of them will either be our Marie or will know her."

"So, you're doing to interview them and, do what? Ask them if they know a homicidal maniac that is impersonating her too?"

"Just about," Marcus replied, "but maybe not quite like that."

"Speak of the devil," Angus said, glancing up and seeing Robert and Michael coming in together, looking around to find them. "They're early. I wonder where Kate is. Surely they didn't leave her alone, did they?"