Conjurer & The Sacred Lemons (20 page)

“ Could  we revisit all the evidences collected and sealed by us “ Bob suggested.

“ Why not..” Sargent replied.

Tayler asked his one of the officers to bring all the evidences collected from the crime site and asked them to arrange on the two tables,

Within next 30 minutes all the evidences were arranged neatly on the two wooden tables.

Both of them started reviewing the evidences.

“ Murder weapon .. A blunt stone “ Sargent pointed to first main evidence

“ Sargent , we should check last 5 years record and find out similar incidence where stone was used as a murder weapon. “ Bob had taken a note in his diary.

“ Ok.Bob.That is an action item for my team. However in our country when the guns and other weapons are freely available why one should use a stone for murder,? I mean there is no surety that one would be dead by just hitting with a stone” Sargent shared his thought.

“ Probably the culprits purposely avoided using the gun. The sound of the fire could have alerted the community..”

“ Yes ..Or may be some unplanned shuffle happened between them and in a fit of rage the attackers attacked with whatever was available there”

Bob nodded at this observation.

The second evidence was the blood stains and samples collected from the spot. The analysis report confirmed it belonged to Rag Peter’s blood group. In one of the other report there was a mentioned of some other blood group. The attacker might have also suffered some bruise during the scuffle. They decided to skip this proof for the time being.

The third proof on the table was the chit written by Peter and found closely held in his feast.

“ Skip this we are already working on this clue “ Sargent suggested.

Next  evidence was the leather bag and the contents found in the leather bag in Rag peter’s house.

There were old books , some handwritten pages , some needles , some threads , a black doll and some few other items along with the old leather bag.

“ This seems interesting “ Bob observed.

“ This seems to be something related to the black magic “ Tayler observed.

“  Check the last 20 years records in the police station. Find out if someone practicing black magic’s were booked for any offense.” Bob ordered.

“ Second action point for me for the day “ Sargent noted it down.

They went through the other evidences collected but could not find anything that could be further probed.

Meanwhile Sargent Tayler asked his officers to collect information on the murders with stone weapons and the people booked for magic practices in the last 20 years in the area and nearby locality.

In the late afternoon both the reports were available .Bob and Sargent carefully examined the information in the reports.

In last 20 years there were only 6 cases where murder weapon used was a stone or stone like object. All these 6 cases were from the nearby rural locality.

“ Sargent ..Looks like ..The stone weapon link… is not giving any further clue. All these 6 cases are isolated incidences and it’s difficult to connect any thread to our case “ Bob observed.

Sargent just nodded in agreement.

The second report on crimes registered under magic practices was having around 30 cases in the last 2 decades. Some were related to illegal practice of black magic , some were related to exhortation of money by the magic practitioner and 3 were related to murders involving some thread of black magic.

“ Strange. Such a technologically advanced country likes ours.. Still have many who believe in such nonsense things “Bob commented.

“ This big melting pot had accommodated almost entire world in itself so also the practices from other parts of the world “ Sargent commented.

“ Sargent , I think let us start parallel investigation track . Find out the people practicing all sorts of magic in and around. I strongly feel it may give some clue to our case “ Bob suggested.

“ Let us try …. “ Sargent replied.

In the evening before leaving from home ,Tayler asked his officers to collect the information about the all the magic practisoners from various sources such as newspaper ads , shops and information from human intelligence. He ordered them to have names ,addresses ,telephone numbers and all the possible information .

Chapter 18

Lookout for Black magic practisoners

The information collected by the cops on all sorts of magic practitioners in the area was interesting one. Bob and Tayler never anticipated that they would have to gone through 200 odd entries.

The list included almost 25-30 different sorts of magic’s and such practices include African magic, Tantric rituals ,Native Indian magic ,witchcraft and so on.

“ Looks like thriving business “ Bob commented.

“ Bob …where to start from “ Sargent questioned his confusion after seeing the list.

“ No simple answer Sargent…” Bob replied.

“ Let us first try to connect the dots…and then we will filter out the targets “ Bob suggested.

“ The evidence collected from Rag Peter, s house consisted of the black dolls ,needles and threads, the old books found in the bag were related to the Afro-American magic type “ Bob was sharing his dot theory.

“ So we should filter out only Afro-American magic practisoners  as a prime target for investigation “ Bob suggested.

Sargent Tayler started filtering on the list.

“ Bob , that still leaves 25 practitioners in the area “ Sargent replied.

“ Sargent filters out those from Mandeville and close neighborhood “ Bob suggested.

“ Ok.it is down to 6 now. It is manageable “ Sargent had a sigh of relief.

They had a close look at those 6 filtered names. The list had atelast 3 nationalities included in it.

“ Sargent , put 6 cops for next  2 days on these 6 prime targets and keep a tab on their activities , their clients and also asked to collect as much information as possible for all these 6. “

Sargent Tayler instructed his staff in detail about the job and asked them to start acting right from the moment.

Next day saw some hints coming in.

Chapter 19

Looking for more hints

The policemen in plain cloth were keeping a close watch on the 6 prime targets practicing the Afro –American magic form.

The policemen were collecting information from the neighbors, visitor or clients who were visiting these targets.

The received inputs were shared with detective Bob and Sargent Tayler in the afternoon and the evening. They were giving further directions to these cops on further probe to be done.

The probe zeroed on two targets at the end of the day one. Both these prime suspects were practicing Voodoo in the locality and staying in the town for last two decades.

Bob started exploring further on Voodoo till he waited for further intelligence.

Voodoo was brought to the
French colony Louisiana
from Africa and from the Haitian exiles after the
Haitian revolution
. From 1719 to 1731, the majority of African captives came directly from what is now
Benin
, West Africa, bringing with them their cultural practices, languages, and religious beliefs rooted in spirit and
ancestor worship
. Their knowledge of herbs, poisons, and the ritual creation of
charms
and
amulets
, intended to protect one or harm others, became key elements of Louisiana Voodoo.

The slave community quickly acquired a strong presence in Louisiana. The colony was not a stable society when slaves arrived, which allowed Africans to maintain a prominent position in the slave community. According to a census of 1731-1732, the ratio of African slaves to European settlers was over two to one.

The ownership of slaves was concentrated into the hands of only a few of the white settlers, facilitating the preservation of African culture.
  Unlike other areas of active slave trade, there was little separation in Louisiana between families, culture, and languages  The Embargo Act of 1808 ended all slave imports to Louisiana.
  Authorities promoted the growth of the slave population by prohibiting by law the separation of families. Parents were sold together with their children less than fourteen years of age  the high mortality of the slave trade brought its survivors together with a sense of solidarity.

The absence of fragmentation in the slave community, along with the kinship system produced by the bond created by the difficulties of slavery, resulted in a “coherent, functional, well integrated, autonomous, and self-confident slave community  As a result African culture and spirituality did not die out, but rather thrived in French Creole culture.

The practice of making and wearing charms and amulets for protection, healing, or the harm of others was a key aspect to early Louisiana Voodoo  The ouanga, a charm used to poison an enemy, contained the poisonous roots of the figure maudit tree, brought from Africa and preserved in the West Indies. The ground up root was combined with other elements such as bones, nails, roots, holy water, holy candles, holy incense, holy bread, or crucifixes. The administrator of the ritual frequently evoked protection from
Jehova
, the
Christian God
, and
Jesus Christ
. This openness of African belief allowed for the adoption of Catholic practices into Louisiana Voodoo

Another component of Louisiana Voodoo brought from Africa was the worship of ancestors and the subsequent emphasis on respect for elders. For this reason, the rate of survival among elderly slaves was high, further “Africanizing Louisiana Creole culture .

Bob and Tayler could now understand why the black magic is still popular. The information collected from the history  was informative enough. Both of them till that point were not aware about this historical aspect of the Voodoo.

During collecting the information they also came across information about so called “ Voodoo Queens “

During the 19th century, Voodoo queens became central figures to Voodoo in the United States. Voodoo queens presided over ceremonial meetings and ritual dances. They also earned an income by administrating charms, amulets, and magical powders guaranteed to cure ailments, grant desires, and confound or destroy one’s enemies.

Most noted for her achievements as voodoo Queen of New Orleans in the 1830s was
Marie Laveau
. Once the news of her powers spread, she overthrew the other voodoo queens of New Orleans. She acted as an
oracle
, conducted private rituals behind her cottage on St. Ann Street of the New Orleans French Quarter, performed exorcisms, and offered sacrifices to spirits.

Also a Catholic, Marie encouraged her followers to attend Catholic Mass. The influence of her Catholic beliefs further facilitated the adoption of Catholic practices into the Voodoo belief system.
Today, she is remembered for her skill and compassion for the less fortunate, and her spirit is considered one of the central figures of Louisiana Voodoo.