Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center (18 page)

The voice was clear, distinct, and persistent.  The reporters were listening intently and scribbling notes.

Alex smiled, although she felt breathless.  "I assure you we have no date of any hospital closure.
We do not plan to close.
It is business as usual here at CCMC.
Crescent City Medical
Center
is open for business
. Governor Raccine
has voiced concern
about
the recent events here, as he should,
and has offered the assistance of the Louisiana State Police in an effort to quell any further incidents.
”
 

Elizabeth moved to close the press conference
.  "Thank you for your time and patience.  We'll keep you posted on further findings, but we're confident things are back to normal at CCMC."

Elizabeth and Alex left the auditorium.  Neither spoke as they climbed four flights of steps.

When they reached Alex
's office, Elizabeth collapsed in a chair and said
quickly,

"
What the hell.  How did anyone know that?
Wh
ere's the leak?  There must be a leak
?  We've only known for two hours."

Alex shook her head and said, "I don't know.  Must be
a rumor
in the Governor's Office or
someone
here
must have heard. I
can't imagine anyone on the executive committee talking to reporters. 
It couldn’t be our Board of Trustees.  They don’t even know yet.
I'll let Don and the others know.  I'm more and more suspicious
that
someone's plotting against this place.
Maybe we are cursed!
"

"We
ll," said Elizabeth, as she brightened
a bit.  "Maybe we'll find out
more
at the voodoo museum.  I've got to go
return calls
.  See you at four."

As Alex returned to her desk
,
she had a fleeting thought that perhaps Don could be sabotaging his own medical center
,
and then con
sidering that idea far-
fetched, she discarded it. 

As the minutes clicked by, Alex continued to ponder the idea of an internal leak.  It seemed as though someone was deliberately and maliciously out to get them. But who?  She knew the New Orleans healthcare market pretty well but couldn’t imagine other health care systems who would want to hurt them.  CCMC ha
d
picked up most of the indigent care in New Orleans, a patient population that the uptown hospitals didn’t want to care for.  The hospital’s Psychiatric Pavilion also housed some of the most dangerously mentally ill patients in the state, another unpopular vulnerable population.  What CCMC did have that other local medical
centers
did not
was a
huge
international self-pay population that other
hospitals coveted
.  They also had
the best physicians and surgeons in the New Orleans area. 
The idea of corporate sabotage was becoming a fixed possibility in her mind.  Her thoughts returned to that idea throughout the afternoon.  She even began to wonder if the hospital conference room was bugged. 
She decided the executive team sh
ould meet somewhere else,
at least until this stuff was over.  Bridgett came to the door.

"Martin's on the phone.  He wants to know if you're going to go to that place you discussed this
morning.
"

"
Yes, a
sk him to pick me up a
t five.  Call Elizabeth and tell
her to meet me here just before." 
Alex didn’t dare tell Bridgett that she was visiting the Voodoo Museum in the French Quarter.  That would have sent Bridgett way over the edge.
                               

Martin was
telling terrible Cajun jokes to
Elizabeth a
nd
Alex as
he darted in and out of the rush hour traffic.
Alex couldn’t wait to get out of the cab.  She tried, without success, to get Martin to talk about other topics but he was resistant.  He didn’t seem to want to talk about the events at CCM
C
.  Alex suspected he was
more intimidated by voodoo than
he admitted.

Elizabeth
,
tired of the jokes
,
tried changing the subject
as well. She was more successful than Alex.
“
Martin, h
ave you ever known anyone who practiced voodoo."  I can't
imagine anyone could
belie
v
e in that stuff
in 2012
."

Martin's tone became serious. "
Don’t make fun of it, Elizabeth. It’s life here in New Orleans.  It’s our culture.
I ain't gonna throw you no stuff.  Voodoo's big in this city.  I've known plenty
of voodoos
. 
There are still lots
of white witches all up and down the
Avenue in the Garden D
istrict.  Rich white women conspiring with their servants to do harm
to
each
other
. 
Voodoo means ‘spirit of god’ so these folks are thinkin’ they are practicing their religion, just like you do in church.
Back in the time of Marie Laveau, it's said she had power in every house and every wealthy white family in tow
n.  They say that Marie knew
everybody's secrets and that's h
ow she got so rich and powerful because she hexed and cur
s
ed them when she was angry.
Then they hired her and paid her big money to remove the curses.
She was mighty powerful.
"

"Who was Marie Laveau?" Alex and Elizabeth said simultaneously.

"
Marie was t
he Queen of the V
oodoos
here in Nawlins’ for
over eighty years.  I can remember my grandmamma talking about her.  She said Marie was as beautiful as a woman can
be; even
when she was old
and she always wore hoop earrings.  People would bow down and worship Queen Marie when she walked through Congo Square.   She was the most powerful Voodooist in New Orleans
, maybe even in the world
.
They say her ghost still walks once each year
on St.
John’s Eve
.
  She is buried over in St. Louis Cemetery 1.  I can take you there if you like.
"

"
How did she know all the rich people? 
What did she do so she knew all the powerful people?" Elizabeth
aske
d.

  "She was a hairdresser.  She
fixed all the rich ladies
’
hair and learned all of their secrets.
Some say she was a maid,
a house servant.  She would charm the husbands and make them cheat on their wives with her.  Don’t know that I believes all of that.
I don't think so."
Martin stopped for a few moments to think
and shook his head negatively
.  "
Rumors says there were
really two Marie Laveau
’
s.  The second was her daughter who took
her place when she died.  Some say the
second Marie was even more beautiful and powerful than her mother.  They say her powers of evil could kill and hurt folk forever, and that she had more potent magic potions and gris than anybody.  She
communed with the
devil e
very night and killed anyone
she thought was her enemy
or was getting too powerful.
  Some say she killed her own mother out of jealously, the first Marie Laveau.
"
Martin paused, and waited
to make a left turn.

"What else?
This is pretty interesting," Elizabeth
was intrigued.  It was much more interesting than Cajun jokes and stories.

Martin loved having the attention of the two lovely women and continued, “
Well, she could charm snakes and spread curses.
My grandmam
m
a had
a
friend that crossed the second Queen Marie.  My grandmother swears that Marie stole
, and sacrificed, my grandmam
m
a
's friend's baby.  She sacrificed the baby at a voodoo gathering out at Bayou St. John.  Others say Marie kept the baby's skeleton in her parlor, as a reminder to any woman who ever crossed her again.  Queen Marie was a po
werful Voodooist, and peoples were scared of her
.  Some say she was full of love, too but I don't know.  I just know what I hear."

Alex was
a bit miffed at Martin.
Wasn’t it only
yesterday that he'd told
her he didn't know much about Voodoo
?
  What was all of this about?
  

"Tell me more about it."  Elizabeth was sitting on the edge of her seat.  "How'd your grandmother's friend know her baby was taken by the voodoos? What happened to the baby?"

Martin considered
her questions for a moment,
and knew
he had to placate Alex and Elizabeth
without
scaring them
.  A look at Alex's face in his rear view mirror alerted him she was unhappy. "I don't rightly know, but I guess that she fed it to a snake.  Course, if the snake ate it, then there wouldn't be no bones, would there?
So I guess I really don’t know.
"

Alex had enough.  She was livid.
“Stop it Martin.  This is crap.
No more of this.
I am sick of voodoo stories.
Just get us there."

Elizabeth was surprised at Alex’s
angry
reaction and gave her a sideways glance.  Martin looked hurt and no one spoke until
the cab pulled u
p in front of the voodoo museum.
Elizabeth
then attempted
some feeble chatter with Martin to try and ease his
obviously hurt
feelings.  Martin was responding in monosyllables, still stinging from Alex's criticism. 
Alex was feeling guilty about her outburst.

"Want me to wait, Alex?"  Martin said as the ladies were exiting the cab.  "Be glad to."

"Would you, Martin?  I'm really sorry I was so abrupt.
Will you forgive me?
"  Alex said meekly.

Martin didn’t respond.
"I'll be back shortly.  I may have to move the cab.  Take care.  Don't get in no trouble.  Museum's about a half a block down."  Martin smiled
weakly
as he pulled from the curb.

It was just turning
dark as Alex and Elizabeth walked the half block to the museum.  Hordes of tourists, some costume
d
and some
obviously
drunk
passed the women.  A juggler had attracted a large crowd of people.
  Typical French Quarter partying
, thought Alex as they were walking down the block.
  If this keeps up, Fat Tuesday would be
sensational;
no matter what the governor said, or his minister
or secretary
of tourism
or whatever he was predicted
.

"Business looks good
. T
he streets are packed," Elizabeth noted wryly.  "Doesn't look like the voodoo scare has decreased tourism
to me
.  Maybe you ought to go call the governor and ask him to come with us."  Alex nodded in agreement as they stopped outside the museum.

It was located in an old building on the south side of Dumaine.  The museum was long and deep, as were most buildings in the Quarter.  As Elizabeth and Alex entered the shop, both were humbled by what was inside.  The museum was narrow and eerie, an effect increased by the candles burning throughout the building.
It also smelled really funny, sort of like burning hair and mold.
Vario
us accoutrements of evil hung on
the wall
s
.  There were
half-burned skeletons, animal heads, stuffed snakes, effigies of humans, animals and other items neither Alex nor Liz recognized.  Against one wall were frightening instruments
that could easily be instruments of torture.  Alex had no idea
. Glass cases lined the other walls and were filled with various charms and magical powders.  Alex saw love powder and boss-fixing powder, but no
black
war powder.

Although the atmosphere was ominous, it wasn't nearly as threatening as the figure in the very back of the room.  Dressed completely in black, she slowly turned to face the women.  Elizabeth grabbed Alex's arm and dug her nails into her wrist.  Alex was
also
unnerved
and
took several seconds to pull herself together.  Then
, using sheer force
she pushed Elizabeth towards the figure in the back of the room.
Alex’s brain was racing with thoughts and the whole thing was scary, surreal. OMG, this was much worse than I had expected.  She pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.  What have I gotten myself in
to?
  My grandfather would
disown me if he knew I had done this.  How stupid I am. Maybe my judgment is crappy.

Alex and Elizabeth
continued to walk
very slowly and make their way to
the darkly clad woman
.
Alex
doubted she'd be able
to talk to her.
Her tongue felt thick, furry,
and paralyzed. 
Her mouth was dry. 
She seemed to have lost all the saliva in her mouth.
The walk seemed endless.  As they got closer, Alex noted with some relief that it was her attire that made her so frightening.  Her face was dead white and was surrounded by a halo of long, black hair.  Her lips were also black and in her hands was a live snake which the woman was stroking.  She continued to stroke the snake as she watched Alex and Elizabeth approach.  Alex was transfixed by the darting tongue of the snake, although the woman's face and countenance didn't change. 
A CD of drum music made it even spookier.  The woman’s eyes never blinked or
never left
Alex's and Elizabeth's faces. In Alex’s opinion, the woman didn’t loo
k happy to see either of them. OMG, doesn’t this person ever blink?  Everyone blinks at some point.  Alex
could feel her heart jumping.

Finally,
Alex and Elizabeth
faced the women and
stood in front o
f the counter.  None of them
spoke
.  The women just
looked at each other.  Alex could hear
the bounding of
each
of her body pulses.
Elizabeth
was immobile,
paralyzed with fear.  After a silence that seemed like a century, Alex finally spoke.  "My name's
Alexandra,” Alex
began, surprised at the strength of her voice.

"I know who you are," the woman responded.  Her voice was low and soft, but hollow.  The voice didn't sound real.
It was kind of like a robot would sounds, Alex thought.
It sounded sort of disembodied.

"I
know why you're here, and I've been waiting
for you.  I knew you would come
."  The woman's voice was
eerie;
it seemed to come from somewhere else.  

"Then you must know what I want. Will it stop?"
Alex marveled at the strength in her voice.

"I don't know.  It's not up to me.
  It is not my curse.
"  The woman continued to stare at them without blinking, her face white and translucent.
  Alex could see pale blue blood vessels in the woman’s neck and her lower face but she didn’t believe she had blood in them.  She looked like a corpse.

OMG, Alex thought.  Maybe she is dead and all of this is voice activated or something.  I wonder if she feels as cold as she
looks.
Alex nearly jumped out of her skin when a black cat
jumped on the counter from a nearby shelf.
"Who's it up to?
  Who can remove the curse?
"  Alex challenged the woman.
Once again she became mesmerized by the movements of the snake
that
she swore was looking directly at her.
Her heart was beating so hard she was convinced it would burst through her
chest wall
.