Ch.16 Bayou Blues

[Mr. Handy]

"I do sympathize with him too," says William. "What do you know about the oilmen?"

[Philulhu]

”They are a rough lot,” said Father Ortega dryly. ”Some of the men are… uncouth. But I’ve spoken to the foreman and things have improved of late.”

[jp1885]

While William keeps the good Fathers occupied, Ivy, in the guise of a curious tourist, takes a look around the church.

Knowing how Nyatanga had infiltrated at least one church, she looks for any signs of worship at odds with the norm - strange scribbles in prayer books or hymnals, sigil carved on walls, odd characters drawn in bibles and so on.

[Philulhu]

Spot hidden, please.

[jp1885]

[31] = 31
Spot Hidden 65 1d100: [ 31 ] = 31

Hard success.

[Mr. Handy]

"Are there any particular places we should see while we're here?" asks William.

[Silver Priest]

Feeling somewhat more confident that the priests were not actively misleading them, Alex thinks on their next move as William continues conversing with the priests.

No infiltration of the church leadership, which seems promising. It seems likely that the town itself is mostly free of their influence. Which leaves the oil men as the most likely to come under the sway of Nyatanga given they lack the connection with the rest of the town. Nashoba may know something, if he can be persuaded to talk. If nothing else, he may have more of an idea as to what we're dealing with.

[Philulhu]

Father Ortega shrugged and glanced at Father Daigle. The older cleric looked thoughtful for a moment. “Most people come here for the hunting but it’s not really the season for that. And if you were interested in indigenous history, there would be the burial ground but that’s in no shape because of the oil. There’s some nice walks… …” he finished with apologetic look.

[Mr. Handy]

"I would have liked to see the burial ground," says William. "Do new people move here often? Other than the oilmen, is there anyone new here in the last year or so?"

[Bullfrog]

"He always takes, and keeps on taking." Lawrence vaguely remarks, his eyes going wide and unfocused for a second before snapping back to reality. "Have you ever seen something strange happen here- you know, out of the ordinary? Ghosts, or anything like that?"

[jp1885]

OOC:   Did Ivy’s Spot Hidden reveal anything?

[Philulhu]

Father Ortega glanced at Father Daigle, deferring to the older man on account of him having lived there longer. “Not many new folk settle here, to be honest,” said Father Daigle.

“We had the oilmen come, mostly single men, though one or two brought there wives and families. Billy Trahan got himself a wife from New Orleans but that didn’t last too long, sadly. A city girl was always going to struggle to adapt to living here. Other than that, Mr Halpert up at the big house might have some of his workers coming and going. They attend church as regular as clockwork, but it isn’t always easy to keep track of who’s who.”

As the men talked, Ivy wandered down towards the main door. Looking back, she scanned the pews and spotted a patch of wood which was lighter than the rest. Slipping between the pews to take a closer look, she found a rough carving of a snake! It had been etched into the timber with a sharp blade and it curved around the leg, disappearing out of sight onto the leg panel. Leaning forward to take a closer look, her fingers brushed the carving and she recoiled in horror as it seemed to move with a life of its own, like the coils of snake expanding and contracting as it pushed itself along!

OOC:   SAN check, please.

The kid stared at Lawrence and shifted uncomfortably. ”Not seen any ghosts, though that old Indian fella says there’s the ghosts of his ancestors up at the old burial site. My daddy says he’s just drunk on moonshine, though,” he replied.

[Mr. Handy]

"I figure you're a good judge of character," says William. "Is there anyone around we should avoid?"

[Silver Priest]

Alex is starting to think William is pressing too hard, and wants to make it less blatant. "Come now William, there's no reason to make the good fathers into our town gossip," he chides jovially. 'I'm sure an area like this has little to be wary of and a low crime rate. Please forgive my friend. We're from the city, which engenders a natural suspicion in folk. It's one reason we wanted to get away from all the bustle and appreciate a slower sort of life. Myself personally I am hoping to do some fishing around here. Are there any good spots around here?"

[jp1885]

[22] = 22
SAN 66 1d100: [ 22 ] = 22

Ivy stuffs her hand into her mouth to supress a scream as the snake carving wriggles under her touch.

"Um, Alex, over here please?" she calls, perhaps a little louder than she meant to.

She will show Alex the same carving, insisting that it moved!

[Silver Priest]

Hearing his "wife" call for him, Alex excuses himself and goes to her. Placing a reassuring hand on her, he examines the mark she points out to him, touching it himself to see if it has a similar reaction.

[Philulhu]

Father Ortega and Father Daigle glanced at each other, unsure as to the direction the conversation was going. ”Everyone has been really friendly since I arrived,” said Father Ortega slowly. ”Some of the oilmen are a bit rough but they aren’t unfriendly. They just work hard and want to let off a little steam from time to time.”

As Alex turned and walked over to Ivy, Father Daigle said, “You can fish for catfish in the bayou. The seafishing’s not the same since they set up those oil wells.”

Alex joined Ivy on the pew as she pointed out the carving, quietly whispering that it had moved when she touched it. He could see it was relatively recent, as the cuts in the timber were lighter than the wood that surrounded it and he stretched out his hand so his fingers brushed the surface, but it remained inert for him.

No SAN loss.

[Silver Priest]

Alex knows Ivy well enough to know that she'd not have imagined such a thing. (He also values living, so was not about to ask.) It was also likely the image of a snake was not a coincidence. Debating for a second, he addresses the priests. "Did you see this, Fathers? Someone seems to have gotten up to some mischief here. There's a carving of what looks like a snake here."

He decides to risk telling them because his read on them indicated the two men seemed on the level, and the detective tended to trust his instincts. Likely as not the men would be confused by the carving, but perhaps they would reveal something that seemed insignificant to them that could prove to be the breakthrough their investigation needed.

[Mr. Handy]

"Let me see," says William, going over to look at the carving. "This looks new. How did it get here?"

[jp1885]

"As vandalism goes it's remarkably lifelike - almost as if it moves..." Ivy mutters meaningfully.

"Still. there's no excuse for such things in a house of The Lord. To follow up Mr. Preston's question - does anyone habitually sit here?"

She takes a look under the pew for any clues - dropped receipts and the like.