Ch.8 Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down

[Philulhu]

Oscar raised a questioning eyebrow but said nothing as he opened the car doors to let the men in.

Ten minutes later they were turning onto South Foster Drive. Oscar pulled over to the kerb, stooped the engine and turned around in his seat to address them. ”If you don’t mind, ah’m going to park here,” he said. ”Some of those cops can get a might... over-enthusiastic... when they see a black man driving his own car. Ah’ll be waiting for you here when you’re done...”

The headquarters of the Louisiana State Police was a large red brick building, halfway down South Foster Drive. There was a steady stream of people going in and out the front door and the entrance hall was a hive of activity. Local and State Police came and went, with a couple of apprehendees taken down to cells as they waited to be seen.

Eventually, the Police sergeant at the main desk beckoned them forward. A stocky, well-set man who appeared to be approaching retirement age, he looked them up and down and said, “Out of towners, eh? I can tell by your clothes! What can I do for you, young sirs? Cabby driven off with your luggage? No clean sheets at your hotel?” He laughed at his own joke while he waited for a reply.

[Mr. Handy]

"No, Sergeant, I'm afraid it's much more serious than that," says William Preston. "You're right that we are from out of town, though. My name is William Preston, and my friends and I are from Massachusetts. A few months back there were some serious crimes committed there, including kidnapping and murder. They were committed by a couple of men running a hotel at a place called Squatters' Lake. The Massachusetts State Police can confirm all the details. We've managed to track these fugitives down to Louisiana, more specifically to a hotel they've opened up called 'Brown's Hotel.' It's located in Pointe-aux-Chênes, far to the south. They're operating under the names of William and Robert Brown."

[Philulhu]

The sergeant reached below the desk, pulled out a notepad and started taking notes. He recorded William’s name and that of the others, and jotted down the the names of William and Robert Brown/Brodie.

”Murder and kidnapping, you said?” as he wrote. ”And you look like private citizens to me. So what’s your involvement in this?

OOC - Mr. Handy,It was the Arkham PD you were dealing with.

[HoneyDog]

"They were involved in the kidnapping of a mutual friend of ours. His father tasked us to help locate him" replies Howard.

[Philulhu]

The sergeant nodded as he wrote. He asked for the name and a description of their kidnapped friend and ascertained that he was still missing. He took the name of Captain Keats at Arkham PD, and added that to his note. He passed it behind him to a passing patrolman with instructions to make some telephone calls.

”Thank you, gentlemen,” he said. ”We have the address of where you are staying so we will be in touch if we find anything.” He nodded and then looked past them to the next person in the queue.

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you, sergeant," says William. "Be very careful, they're extremely dangerous, and they've already pulled up stakes once when they realized they were under suspicion. Is there anything else we can do to help? We'd recognize these men if we saw them again. Of course, they'd also recognize us."

[Philulhu]

The sergeant’s eyes flicked back to William. ”We’ll ask the local PD to run past and see who’s there. If there’s someone there and we need you to take a look then we’ll be in touch.” He looked back to next person in the queue, indicating that the conversation was over.

[HoneyDog]

"We're wasting our time here" Howard mutters in William's ear. "Let's drive down and visit the PD ourselves."

[Mr. Handy]

William nods and prepares to leave.

[Philulhu]

OOC,I’ll wait for Peper757 and Bullfrog to chip in before we move on.

[Bullfrog]

"Well, now that we've got this over with, what next?" said Lawrence, quizzically. He wasn't particularly confident in the state police, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to go speak with the local force.

[peper757]

”I’m not sure that he was entirely convinced. Well, perhaps we should call it a day, and we can head down to Pointe-aux-Chênes in the morning. I’d like to write this letter when we go back to the lodging house anyway.” Thomas says to the others.

[Philulhu]

Oscar had obviously been looking out for them as they emerged from the Police Station, as he was pulling up at the kerb not 30 seconds later. He studiously avoided the gaze of a loitering trooper as they climbed into the car, and was on his way as quick as they settled into their seats.

”Where to next, gennelmen?,” he asked. He smiled over his shoulder and followed up with, ”You do know that there's more to this town than State House and the State Police, don’t you? Too much work makes Jack a dull boy, ain’t that right?”

[Mr. Handy]

"That sounds good to me, Oscar," says William. "Where would you recommend?"

[Philulhu]

Oscar glanced at his watch. It was approaching 3pm. ”Well... ah reckon it’s a bit early to being looking for a juke joint,” he grinned. ”But Baton Rouge has some beautiful parks, if that’s your bag?”

”What are plans, gennelmen?,” he asked. ”You planning on staying around Baton Rouge for a few more days?”

[HoneyDog]

"We plan to head to Pointe-aux-Chenes tomorrow morning" says Howard. "Can you take us there? Do you know anything about the place?"

[Philulhu]

”Pont-o-Chain?” said Oscar. ”Ah don’t think ah’ve ever heard of that. That down in Cajun country? It sounds French.”

He pulled the car over to the side of the road and took a travel atlas from the his seat pocket. He flipped back and forth, checking the index and comparing the map, until he found its location, down in the bayous. ”Ah ain’t never been down that way before but ah can drive you. Ah reckon that’s a hundred miles so you’re looking at four hours either way, allowing for a break. Are you thinking about going there and back in one day?”

[peper757]

Thomas suggests that "We could be there for a couple of days, depending on what we find while we're down there. We're looking for the people running a particular place.".

[Bullfrog]

"Say, Oscar, what other kinds of places can we find around here, aside from juke joints and parks and such?" inquired Lawrence, curious.

[Philulhu]

”A couple of days? Ah need to think about where ah can stay. We’ll find a boarding house for you gennelmen but most houses ain’t open to the likes of me!” said Oscar, with a concerned look on his face.

He looked over to Lawrence. ”That depends on what sorts of places you wants to see. If you’re wanting to catch up with the news, the library will have had the afternoon editions by now, or you could go for a stroll down by the river and there’s Elk’s Theater on Third Street, but that don’t open until later tonight. There’s the Knights of Columbus Hall too, but ah don’t reckon we’d here having this conversation if that was your bag.”