Night Magic (20 page)

"Did she?" Looking up from Paul's hand on
Savannah's waist to Paul, Devin studied him longer this time.

"Sure did." Paul's stance suggested that he
was ready to go on the defensive.

"Back off, Paul. I can speak for myself,"
Savannah snapped as she pushed his hand away.

"Why don't I give you a call? By the way, are
you the Paul Honorè who wrote the site report?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. Your testimony, the objective
assessment of an African-American engineering consultant, will go
far in helping my client. I'll be contacting you, Mr. Honorè. About
the case, of course. Well, I have to be going. Mr. Trosclair has
invited me to lunch at some fancy restaurant. Savoie's I think is
the name. Savannah, in case I haven't mentioned it already, you
look fabulous as always. I'll be in touch about getting together.
Ms. Collins." He brushed his lips against Savannah's cheek before
striding away.

"What was that about you two getting
together?" Paul whirled to face her.

"He wants to have dinner. Probably to brag
about himself. And you made a real scene with your `she is my
woman' act."

"Oh, well excuse me. I thought he came on too
strong. Didn't you say he was no good and not to be trusted?"

"Yes, but I don't need any help handling
him."

"Oh, sure. You were definitely handling him
when you told him you didn't think dinner was a good idea. Yeah,
that sure set him straight about where you were coming from."

"Wait a minute, are you saying you don't
trust me?"

"For someone who claimed not to be
interested, you seem to warm up to him pretty fast."

"Hey, hey, kids. Cool it; we're drawing a
crowd here. Let's go outside." Charice stepped between them.
Grabbing an arm from each, she led them onto the courthouse
steps.

"I’m sorry. Guess I just lost it when he
started acting so cozy towards you." Paul spoke without looking at
Savannah.

"Yeah, well." Savannah hesitated, the
expression on her face had not yet softened.

"I jumped too fast."

"True," Savannah retorted, but the frown was
gone.

"He’s up to something, but you're right. You
can deal with him."

"Thank you." Savannah turned to him, hand on
one hip.

"Oh, come on. The man has apologized up and
down. Cut him some slack." Charice shook Savannah's shoulders.

"Okay, okay. Under the circumstances, I can
understand your first reaction. But believe me, any contact I have
with Devin is not for pleasure or my choice. He probably thinks he
can finesse me into revealing something he might find useful. What
he doesn't realize is that I'm not the naive little law school
graduate he met five years ago."

"Damn right, babe. Set him straight," Paul
said.

"Will you please kiss and make up, I'm
starving!" Charice clutched her stomach.

"You heard her." With a swift, sweeping
motion, Paul pulled Savannah to him and planted a solid kiss on her
lips leaving her breathless. "Now, let's go before we have to fight
our way into that restaurant."

"I didn't want to get Poppy down about our
chances, but Devin is good. Clayton didn't send him just for window
dressing, you can count on that." Savannah sat with her arms folded
watching the still long line waiting to get in the Fish Net.

As Paul had predicted, the lunch crowd was
heavy. After a twenty minute wait, they were finally able to get a
table. Ordering the lunch special, the salad bar and a bowl of
andouille gumbo, had at least meant they wouldn't have to wait long
for their meal to arrive.

"Listen, don't think this is some classic
case of bad guys versus good guys. Trosclair is not stupid. Any
accidents at Big River and he will have more trouble than profit.
He knows that these days being green is good business," Paul
said.

"Get real, Paul. Trosclair will go through
the motions, but he is not cutting into his bottom line," Savannah
retorted with a sneer.

"He hasn't said no to anything I've suggested
yet. And a few of those changes cost him some big bucks."

"I gotta agree with Savannah on this one,
babe. We know the Trosclairs. Old Claude may be smooth, but he has
a reputation of going for the throat when he gets pissed off."
Charice said.

"The spotlight is shining on everything they
do right now. But as soon as things were to quiet down, it would be
back to business as usual." Savannah leaned forward tapping the
table with her finger for emphasis.

"I just don't see it that way." Paul shook
his head.

"I know you think that you can influence him
to do the right thing. Maybe you can, for a while. I doubt that it
will last though."

"Well, I hate to see the hard feelings this
thing is causing here in town. If the plant does stay open, we need
to have some common ground to get people back together. A way both
sides can come together. Safety measures and jobs. I think it can
be done, that's all I'm saying."

"Yeah, but if it closes--" Charice looked
around her, watching the faces. Like them, many of the diners were
discussing the case.

"If it closes there will be bitter feelings
for a long time. Losing jobs and the money pumped into a depressed
local economy won't be easily or soon forgotten." Paul finished the
thought that came to all of them.

*****

Savannah felt as though the weight of the
whole world was on her shoulders. She was tired all the time, her
sleep still disturbed by frightening dreams. After so many weeks,
she didn't jump when she found gris gris at home, in the shop, or
on her car. She threw them away with grim resignation. She was
determined not to let it get the best of her, but the strain was
wearing her down. One afternoon, Tante Marie found some of the gris
gris stuffed down in the trash can. In her weakened state, it only
took seconds for Savannah to confess all when her aunt demanded an
explanation.

"Uh-huh, that's what I thought. I knowed
something was goin' on." Tante Marie picked up the telephone
receiver. "Shirleen, we got some work to do."

Tante Marie and Nenaine Shirleen sprung into
action. Over her objections, Nenaine Shirleen collected the gris
gris. She would perform some ritual to counteract the curses then
burn them.

"Tante Marie, will you talk to Nenaine
please? What she's doing is silly. What's more it's unnecessary."
Savannah stood watching Nenaine Shirleen sprinkling dust of some
sort on the sidewalk in front of the shop.

"She believes what she believes. Can't hurt I
say, cher. Some of them gris gris is powerful." Tante Marie moved
around the shop examining things.

"What are you looking for?"

"See if that wench done left anything
lately."

"She hasn't, I checked. Oh great, look at
this."

Savannah watched as several tourists stopped
to observe Nenaine Shirleen. With an audience, her gestures began
to take on a dramatic tone as she took an old straw broom and swept
the brick while she began a colorful explanation of what she was
doing. It was clear that the tourist thought this was a performance
for their benefit alone. After having her pose for pictures, they
applauded before moving on.

"Nenaine, I wish you wouldn't do stuff like
that." Savanna took the broom from her hand and took it to the back
storeroom.

"You got to fight fire with fire, darlin'. A
woman, I can't tell y'all who 'cause she don't won't it known
generally, is advisin' me just what to do. Ain't nothin' gonna
happen to you if I can help it."

"But nothing will happen anyway. This voodoo
stuff is all psychological. If I let it get to me then she wins.
You spreading goofer dust or whatever that is, is just making me
even more nervous."

"That ain't goofer dust, it's brick dust to
protect you. And Marie say you can't sleep at night, so it is
gettin' to you."

Looking at the determined expression both
women wore, Savannah gave up. It was apparent that they would never
be convinced that these measures were useless. As much as she
could, she ignored Nenaine Shirleen's activities. Like a tuning
fork, Savannah also felt the tension brought on by the fight
against Big River. No matter where she went these days, she found
herself defending the actions of her father and the others who
opposed the plant. Even being with Paul became an exercise in
walking on egg shells. They avoided talking about the case or Devin
which meant there were no arguments, but they both knew how close
they were to the edge. Savannah felt stretched to the limit. She
hoped that things would at least get better between them once Paul
testified. Later that evening went to Charice’s house. At least
there she could share of anxieties with a trusted friend.

"I’ll be glad when this case is over. Then
Paul and I might be able to relax around each other." Savannah's
only relief these days was confiding in Charice.

"I'm not so sure about that. You may not like
what he says." Charice pushed a stuffed rabbit out of her easy
chair so she could sit down. The girls had left their toys
everywhere in the tiny den next to her kitchen.

"I already know that. But then we could
discuss it. Now he can't. Besides, it isn't as bad as I thought
anyway. He's just going to say that they are taking precautions and
following industry safety standards."

"What about Devin? Have you been out with him
yet? That's another unexploded bombshell you're playing with if you
ask me."

"Paul understands now that I have no feelings
for Devin. If we did see each other it would only be to scope him
out, about the case that is."

"Uh-huh." Charice puckered her lips

"He does!"

"Sure he does. Let me ask you this, have you
told him that you are definitely going to have a date with dashing
Devin?"

"No-oo, but-"

"Have you discussed it since that first day
at court?"

"No, but see-"

"So as far as you know, Paul may be assuming
that since it hasn't happened yet it won't. I mean, that was almost
two weeks ago."

"Not necessarily. I think we just haven't
discussed it because it's not an issue." Savannah picked up the
rabbit and began playing with its floppy pink ears.

"Hey, this is me you're talking to
girlfriend. You haven't discussed it because you know what would
happen. Boom!"

"So what do you think I should do?"

"Honey, don't ask me. The last time I was
caught between two gorgeous men that wanted to see me was, let me
think-- oh, never," Charice said.

"Some help you are."

For several days Savannah had a reprieve from
being forced to make a decision about Devin. Every time the phone
rang, the bell jangled over the shop door, or there was a knock on
the front door at home, she jumped. She was beginning to think he
had changed his mind when her father tapped her shoulder one day as
she sat engrossed in completing sales tax papers at his desk in the
shop.

"That fella is out front for you." Antoine
jerked his head towards the open office door.

"Devin." Savannah knew from the scowl on his
face who he was talking about. Taking a shaky breath, she went out
to greet him.

"Hi, Devin. How's it going?"

"Not too bad, sweet. I would ask how you are
but I can see for myself. You are fine." The same line from anyone
else would have sounded phony, even ridiculous. But Devin with his
famous gentle smile and modulated baritone voice could carry off
even the most worn out come on lines.

"Uh-huh. The trial is keeping you busy I
guess." Savannah was now immune to his charm.

"You guess correctly. Simmons has done his
homework, but then so have I." With practiced smoothness, Devin
switched gears to follow her lead.

"So you're not worried about the case? I
mean, the issue of whether or not Big River can legitimately claim
to be a recycling site is serious enough to jeopardize its future,
but then there's the question of the plant operating in violation
of its permit."

"Got my work cut out for me, that's for sure.
However, as you well know for every point there is an equally
effective counterpoint. Now, what have you got planned for dinner
this evening?" Devin performed another lightning fast subject
switch, this one caught her before she could prepare.

"Well I'm not sure."

"I tried to get in touch with Honorè to go
over his testimony coming up day after tomorrow, but his partner
said he was on-site doing some work in Breaux Bridge. He won't be
back until late tonight. So I'm free." He gave her that smile
again.

Savannah agreed, at least she would not be
tense worrying Paul would show up. At her suggestion, they went to
a small restaurant in the tiny town of Lebeau that was renowned for
its steak and seafood. Yet the reputation or atmosphere of Petite
Maison was not reason she chose it.

"Nice place. Quiet and out of the way, even
further into the country." Devin wore an amused grin.

"It's packed on Fridays and Saturdays."
Savannah settled in the chair across from him. She pretended not to
pick up on what he was implying.

"It's obvious Tuesday is a slow night. Not
many working people would drive here from Beau Chene to get
dinner." Devin pressed.

"I guess." Savannah pushed down the urge to
wipe that conceited smirk off his face with an insult. Instead she
changed the subject. "So, how are things at the firm?"

"Never better. We hired a new associate to
replace you about two weeks after you left. Not as sharp as you,
but a hard worker. We needed the help what with taking on two major
new clients. We have been working like crazy. By the way, Clayton
sends his regards."

"I have a lot of respect for that man. He's
not only a smart lawyer, he's got integrity." Savannah said.

"Not like me?" Devin raised an eyebrow at
her.