When Houston went through its last crash in the late 1980’s some desperate people who got behind on their mortgages and buried in debt started burning their houses down to collect insurance. It became quite a fad for a couple of years. I investigated a lot of those arson cases and I have a ton of stories.

The Call

During one investigation, my legal assistant rang my office and said, “You have a call.”

“Who is it?”

“They said they were afraid to say, but had to talk to you for your own safety.”

I took the call. “Hello.”

“Yes, Mr. Little?” said a hoarse, raspy woman’s voice with a deep Southern drawl like you’d find in New Orleans.

“Who is this?”

“Can’t say. Gotta stay ‘nonymus. Scared. You should be too.”

After she mentioned the woman’s name I was investigating she said, “She’s hoodooin’ ya.”

Normally, I might hang-up on someone like this and assume it’s a harassment call. You get those when you investigate desperate people. But, not being normal, I couldn’t help myself.

“Now, who are you?”

“I’m ‘nonymus. I called to warn ya. You’re in danger, and I’m afraid.”

No. No way I’d hang-up now. I was amazed someone thought this type of call might frighten me. It must of worked against someone sometime in the past, or they wouldn’t be trying it now. I was excited to hear what she’d say next.

“You’re in danger.” ‘Nonymus said, “You’re against someone and they hoodooed ya.”

“What?” I’d never heard of hoodoo. Voodoo, but not hoodoo.

“She got hoodoo on ya. She has a doll and it looks just like ya, and she gonna hurt ya ‘cause what your doin’.”

Of course she meant voodoo. I discovered later that the Houston Voodoo community referred to voodoo as hoodoo.

Scared for You

‘Nonymus worked hard to scare me now, you could hear the stress as the rasp of her voice grew higher as she talked. “I’m just so scared, ya know? For you. I’m so scared for you that I had to call….”

I couldn’t wait to hear what she said next. “Now you need to tell me who you are for me to take you seriously.”

“Can’t. I’m too scared she’ll find out. I keep tellin’ you, I’m ‘nonymous. And I’m so scared. You should be too, she got a doll and hoodooed ya.”

She spoke faster now. “They goin’ do things to that doll, and it’s gonna hurt you.”

I had to ask. I couldn’t stop myself. “After they finish, can I buy the doll?”

“What?” She squealed.

“After they finish sticking the doll or whatever they’re going to do, can I buy the doll?”

Silence from her for a moment, and then she said, “No. This is serious. I’m scared for you.”

“I appreciate that, but I’d like to buy the doll when she’s finished. You said it looks like me. Does it have hair?”

She hung up frustrated. She never called again, and it didn’t save her friend.