Ch.16 Bayou Blues

[Philulhu]

Mrs Hebert nodded. ”Yes, he’ll be there tonight,” she said. ”He’s always telling Father Ortega what he would do differently, if he were still leading the service.”

Her daughters reappeared in the doorway. ”Are the rooms ready?” she asked, to which the eldest daughter replied, “Yes, mama.” She smiled and said ”The girls will show you to your rooms and, given the time, I suspect some breakfast wouldn’t be out of order, would it?”

- - -

The rooms were neat but comfortable, and the breakfast of pancakes filling. By 10.30am they were feeling better and ready to go out and explore…

[jp1885]

Ivy didn’t realise how hungry she was until she demolished a stack of pancakes. Replete, she stretches out the lingering effects of the boat trip.

“If we’re holding off meeting the good Father, shall we take a stroll along main street? Perhaps we’ll bump into this Nashoba character?”

[Silver Priest]

Slightly bemused by Ivy's unladylike way of eating, Alex quietly enjoys his breakfast before turning the conversation back to their mission.

"I admit that I was expecting the old father to have met with foul play if the church had been infiltrated, so this may be a good sign our quarry's interests lay elsewhere. He's still worth speaking with though. I'm also interested in meeting Nashoba-- taking a walk through town like Ms. Ripley suggests, perhaps we can inquire on meeting with him."

[Mr. Handy]

William savors the pancakes, eating them slowly to enjoy them all the more. "Yes, that sounds good to me," he says. "I'm a good judge of character, and I believe the new priest can be trusted, so we can feel free to talk to the old priest in his presence."

[Bullfrog]

Lawrence has never looked so unenthusiastic while eating pancakes. It wouldn't be unfair to say that the light has gone out in his life, but it would be terribly rude to bring it up over breakfast.
"I'd like to talk with that Nashoba guy, myself. Him and his tribe got dealt a bad hand- you never know what bad sorts may try and agitate them into doing something reckless." Lawrence suggests, vaguely alluding to Nyatanga's plans of divine vengeance.

[jp1885]

“Quite,” Ivy replies, “the disaffected would be an easier target than contented townsfolk. We should also gauge the mood of the oil workers. Newcomers feeling out of place with the local community? Another prime target.”

She turns to William.

“Are you suggesting we confide in the priests?”

[Silver Priest]

"That's a very good point, Ivy. It sounds as though any infiltration here has been more subtle. While we can't discount that the townsfolk feel too intimidated to talk to strangers, I'm not sensing any fear so far. In a close knit community like this, everyone knows everyone, but I imagine they don't keep up with the outsiders. The native tribe or oilmen may be prime targets where Nyatanga could spread his influence unaware. If we speak to the priest first and judge him reliable, we may be able to bring up our concerns and learn if he's noticed any concerning behavior among these communities."

[Mr. Handy]

"I think we can trust the new priest," says William. "I won't know if we can trust the old priest until I've met him. While priests often believe in the supernatural, I think we should still be careful what we tell them. Although, there is one advantage of confiding in them. Anything we say under the confessional seal, they are not allowed to divulge to anyone. As a lawyer, I have a similar restriction when talking to my clients."

[Philulhu]

There was a warming breeze and brisk wind when they emerged from Mrs Hebert’s. Looking around, it was clear that most of the homes were in the same condition, worn but looked after. Mrs Hebert had commented that when drilling for oil started in the area it was hoped that this would lead to greater local prosperity. She said it was true that some of the local men had switched from fishing to working in the oil fields, but it didn’t seem that anyone was making their fortune just yet.

From her front path, the rough road lead back into town, where a church steeple could be seen beyond the general store. In the fields nearby, predominantly black workers - men, women and even some children - were tending to the cotton crops. Beyond the fields could be seen some rough shacks and some larger outbuildings. Away in the distance could be seen the oil derricks, with the occasional flame as gas was burnt off into the air.

[jp1885]

Ivy takes Alex's arm, settling all too comfortably into the role of doting wife despite knowing all too well that the whole thing would be a sham even if they weren't on some kind of furtive mission.

Chiding herself for her weakness, she tuts audibly and, as they promenade into town, takes the occasional furtive glance at her surroundings.

[Mr. Handy]

William looks around, keeping an eye out for anyone matching the description of Nashoba.

[Philulhu]

They was no one else out for a stroll that morning and they saw no one who matched the description of the Indian elder. They soon found themselves back in small town square, in front of the general store again. A sign on the door said ‘Back in 10 minutes’ but there was no indication as to how long it had been there, other than to say it hadn’t been there when they first arrived.

Behind the store and down the coast road they could hear children playing. Given the time of day it was safe to say it was recess at the local school. As they watched, a couple a trucks trundled by, heading west, bearing the livery of the Vacuum Oil Company.

[Mr. Handy]

"Shall we head to the church next?" asks William. "It's far too soon for services, but maybe we can talk to the priest if he's there."

[Silver Priest]

"Seems as good a move as any," Alex says. "Let's sound him out, get abetter feel for how much he knows-- and how much we can trust him." He seems ignorant to Ivy's unhappiness, proving that not even detectives are always perceptive.

[Philulhu]

The church was a five minute walk to the east along the coastal track. It stood in the midst of a small cemetery which had a curious combination of a number of older gravestones lying down, a clump of very similar gravestones together in one place and then more recent gravestones just filling in the gaps.

The church itself was constructed of wood on stone foundations. It appeared to have been recently painted, although it obviously hasn’t been rubbed down properly as the final effect was patchy in places.

A board beside the path to the church bore signs of also having been repainted, showing the name of Father Ortega as the Reverend, with details of the services underneath.

[Bullfrog]

"You three can talk to him, but I think that I'll be going for a little walk around the premises. Just having a look around." Lawrence states to the others, just barely starting to peel away from the group.

[Mr. Handy]

"Before we go inside, I want to take a look at these recent tombstones," says William. "Let's see who died in the last several months, and then we need to find out why." He examines the gravestones for any deaths that happened after the last time he was in Louisiana, and he checks out the clump of similar ones as well.

[Philulhu]

Being a small, isolated settlement it perhaps wasn’t surprising that the same names cropped up on the gravestones again and again; Billiot, Constance, Daigle, Jinks and Trahan all made regular appearances.

The grouped gravestones showed whole families who had died on one single day. The inscription read “Taken by God - 12 October 1886”. The two most recent graves belonged to Mary Daigle - “Beloved wife, mother and grandmother” - who had died in November 1929, and Brian Tucker, who died earlier in March 1930.

[Mr. Handy]

"The new priest may not know the details of these, having only recently arrived," says William, "but someone in town will. Almost certainly the old priest. Brian Tucker's death was around the time we were in Louisiana before. And I'm curious what happened on October 12, 1886. This place has a history. If Nyatanga came here, he had his reasons for choosing it. Let's go inside now."

[Philulhu]

Pushing open the door, they could see the interior of the church that was well-used but neat and tidy, with room for around 100 people. Sat on the pew nearest the alter, they could see Father Ortega in conversation with an older, white-haired man.



”…and don’t be forgetting about Easter, Frank. It’s less than two months away,” said the older man, to which Father Ortega laughed easily and replied, ”Don’t worry, Father! I think it’s on the calendar!”

Hearing the door he looked up and beckoned them into the church. Standing, he said, “Hello again. Welcome to the church. This is Father Daigle, he just popped in for a chat and to remind me about some major ecclesiastical festivals coming up that I may just have forgotten about…”