vapros
Verified Member
Here's another item from the archives. It's pretty long and isn't even a story. It's a slice of life from the edge of the salt marsh in south Louisiana. Don't expect more than that. It will probably take about four entries - one a day. Welcome -
MISSING PERSON
“Deputy, you in there?”
“I'm here, Victoria. Come on in. I'm just before closing up the office and going home. What brings you out?”
“Missing person case for y'all.”
“Druby again, most likely – is that it?”
“Druby again, you got that right. Day before yesterday he left, and I hadn't seen him since.”
“What makes you think something has happened to him?”
“I ain't seen him, that's what happened to him. I need for y'all to find him for me.”
“Victoria, you ain't seen Druby for two days, and he's a grown man and he ain't really your husband, anyway. This ain't no missing person case. It's a fugitive case. Druby has took off for a couple days, is all. Domestic matter.”
“So. Y'all are going to find Druby, or you're not?”
“We're not, Victoria. Come back when he's been gone a week and you got reason to believe something has happened to him, or he's broke a law. Just 'cause you want him found is not a legal reason for us to saddle up and go look.”
“I tried to call him a lot of times already, and he don't answer. I figure that means something has happened to him.”
“Victoria, maybe Druby don't want to talk to you right now. When he's ready, maybe he will call you up and then y'all can talk. Or maybe he will just show up at the trailer like nothing happened.”
“Well, maybe it's not the law, but he's supposed to talk to me when I call. Maybe when he does call, I might not want to talk to him, by that time. How about that?”
“I hear you, Victoria, but that wouldn't be my business. That's you and Druby. Work it out for your own selfs.”
“Well, Deputy John Law, if I don't hear nothin' from Druby tomorrow, I'm sending Luke and Sostan to find him, and that will be his ass; don't worry about it. Them two will do your work for you while you sit on your butt.”
“I'm making a note, Victoria. You go on home.”
Weldon Braud turned off the department radio and computer and turned out the light. He stood in the doorway of the little trailer office and watched Victoria walking away in her rubber flip-flops. It was slow going in the loose gravel. She was on the downside of forty and on the wrong side of two hundred twenty pounds, and the rubber shoes did nothing to improve the sight. He wondered why Druby would come back to Victoria at all. He shrugged and locked the door and fired up his patrol unit and took the drive out to the hard road. After a pause, instead of turning left to his own trailer in the little community of Foster Canal, he turned right and took the Little Bayou Go To Hell road. The map said Colyell, but the people said Go To Hell.
He wanted to talk to Luke and Sostan before Victoria did. Sostan's right name was Celestin, but few people knew that. He had been Sostan since before he could walk, and he and Luke were Victoria's brothers. Braud turned off the road onto a long driveway that stopped just before the marsh. There were two small houses on his left and a workshop on his right. It was open on both ends and there was a small Lafitte skiff on a boat trailer in the shop. Luke and Sostan were loading some stuff onto the boat. They watched him approach.
“Comment ca va, bro?” called Luke. He shook Weldon's hand. “How 'bout if I read your mind, cuz? You're looking for Druby Benoit.”
“Not exactly, man. I'm looking for you and Sostan. Victoria came to the office to tell me that if she don't hear from Druby tomorrow she's going to send you guys to go and get him, and I don't want to see nothing happen.”
“She's a day late, bro. We just fixin' to dump the boat and go see Druby today. He's making a shrimp stew. You can come if you want.”
“You know where he's at?”
“Yeah, we know. Everybody knows but Victoria. Druby's at a camp and he's making a shrimp stew and me and Sostan is taking some beer, and we're gonna get us some stew this evening. Druby can cook, bro, and we got room in the boat, no shit, and you mo' than welcome.”
“Did you know that Victoria was looking for him?”
Both brothers chuckled. “Well, we know Druby's at the camp for a couple of days already, so you can bet your ass Victoria is looking for him. Night follows day, you know what I mean?”
“I could eat some good shrimp stew,” said the deputy.
“That's where we going, bro. Watch your feet, there – we fixin' to dump the boat.”
Luke checked the drain plug at the stern, and Sostan backed up a pickup truck into the shop and they connected the trailer to the truck, and backed up another thirty feet. The wheels went into the water and the cradle tilted backward and the skiff slid into the bayou. “I hope you holdin' the line, bro, or somebody gon' have to swim.”
MISSING PERSON
“Deputy, you in there?”
“I'm here, Victoria. Come on in. I'm just before closing up the office and going home. What brings you out?”
“Missing person case for y'all.”
“Druby again, most likely – is that it?”
“Druby again, you got that right. Day before yesterday he left, and I hadn't seen him since.”
“What makes you think something has happened to him?”
“I ain't seen him, that's what happened to him. I need for y'all to find him for me.”
“Victoria, you ain't seen Druby for two days, and he's a grown man and he ain't really your husband, anyway. This ain't no missing person case. It's a fugitive case. Druby has took off for a couple days, is all. Domestic matter.”
“So. Y'all are going to find Druby, or you're not?”
“We're not, Victoria. Come back when he's been gone a week and you got reason to believe something has happened to him, or he's broke a law. Just 'cause you want him found is not a legal reason for us to saddle up and go look.”
“I tried to call him a lot of times already, and he don't answer. I figure that means something has happened to him.”
“Victoria, maybe Druby don't want to talk to you right now. When he's ready, maybe he will call you up and then y'all can talk. Or maybe he will just show up at the trailer like nothing happened.”
“Well, maybe it's not the law, but he's supposed to talk to me when I call. Maybe when he does call, I might not want to talk to him, by that time. How about that?”
“I hear you, Victoria, but that wouldn't be my business. That's you and Druby. Work it out for your own selfs.”
“Well, Deputy John Law, if I don't hear nothin' from Druby tomorrow, I'm sending Luke and Sostan to find him, and that will be his ass; don't worry about it. Them two will do your work for you while you sit on your butt.”
“I'm making a note, Victoria. You go on home.”
Weldon Braud turned off the department radio and computer and turned out the light. He stood in the doorway of the little trailer office and watched Victoria walking away in her rubber flip-flops. It was slow going in the loose gravel. She was on the downside of forty and on the wrong side of two hundred twenty pounds, and the rubber shoes did nothing to improve the sight. He wondered why Druby would come back to Victoria at all. He shrugged and locked the door and fired up his patrol unit and took the drive out to the hard road. After a pause, instead of turning left to his own trailer in the little community of Foster Canal, he turned right and took the Little Bayou Go To Hell road. The map said Colyell, but the people said Go To Hell.
He wanted to talk to Luke and Sostan before Victoria did. Sostan's right name was Celestin, but few people knew that. He had been Sostan since before he could walk, and he and Luke were Victoria's brothers. Braud turned off the road onto a long driveway that stopped just before the marsh. There were two small houses on his left and a workshop on his right. It was open on both ends and there was a small Lafitte skiff on a boat trailer in the shop. Luke and Sostan were loading some stuff onto the boat. They watched him approach.
“Comment ca va, bro?” called Luke. He shook Weldon's hand. “How 'bout if I read your mind, cuz? You're looking for Druby Benoit.”
“Not exactly, man. I'm looking for you and Sostan. Victoria came to the office to tell me that if she don't hear from Druby tomorrow she's going to send you guys to go and get him, and I don't want to see nothing happen.”
“She's a day late, bro. We just fixin' to dump the boat and go see Druby today. He's making a shrimp stew. You can come if you want.”
“You know where he's at?”
“Yeah, we know. Everybody knows but Victoria. Druby's at a camp and he's making a shrimp stew and me and Sostan is taking some beer, and we're gonna get us some stew this evening. Druby can cook, bro, and we got room in the boat, no shit, and you mo' than welcome.”
“Did you know that Victoria was looking for him?”
Both brothers chuckled. “Well, we know Druby's at the camp for a couple of days already, so you can bet your ass Victoria is looking for him. Night follows day, you know what I mean?”
“I could eat some good shrimp stew,” said the deputy.
“That's where we going, bro. Watch your feet, there – we fixin' to dump the boat.”
Luke checked the drain plug at the stern, and Sostan backed up a pickup truck into the shop and they connected the trailer to the truck, and backed up another thirty feet. The wheels went into the water and the cradle tilted backward and the skiff slid into the bayou. “I hope you holdin' the line, bro, or somebody gon' have to swim.”