by Sutter, C M
“Should we get out?”
Renz stared at the squad car ahead of us. “They’re wearing the uniforms and have a marked car. There.” He pointed. “It looks like Stillman is going to make the first move.”
We watched out our windshield, and as soon as Stillman opened his door and exposed his left leg, a shot rang out and sprayed up dirt about five feet to the side of the squad car. Stillman quickly slammed the door.
I spun in my seat. “What the hell!”
A voice from behind us shouted out. “What do you want, and why are you here? You’re on private property, and I have signs posted everywhere.”
I shook my head. “The guy is right. None of us were invited here, and he means business. So now what?”
Renz pointed. “Hang on. It looks like Stillman is lowering his window.”
The deputy yelled back to our vehicle. “What do you agents want to do?”
“Let me do the talking,” Renz said.
I snapped my head toward my partner. “You aren’t getting out, are you?”
Renz gave me a concerned look. “We both are. You did put on that vest, right?”
“Of course I did, but it doesn’t protect my head.”
“Okay, just don’t do anything until I tell you to.” Renz opened his car door slowly and yelled out his name and title and said he wanted to speak with Leroy Duggar.
The same male voice responded, and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t put eyes on him. I had no idea where he was watching us from, but he sounded like he was in or near the stilt house.
“What do you want with my pa, and why are those deputies with you?”
“So that’s Zeke talking,” I said.
Renz nodded and continued. “They’re here to assist in case you do what you’re doing—threatening our lives. All we want to do is speak with your father, or you if he isn’t home. We have no beef with either of you. We just want to ask some questions.”
“Get out of the car and go tell those deputies to leave. After they’re gone, you can come up to the house. Pull anything and I’ll shoot you dead and cite the stand-my-ground rights.”
“Shit, Renz, why don’t we have any binos in this damn vehicle, and what are you going to do?”
He shrugged. “We need information, don’t we?”
“Yeah, but I doubt if he or his ‘pa’ are going to admit that they murdered and chopped up people.”
Beads of sweat had popped up on Renz’s forehead. I handed him a damp wipe.
“Thanks.” He ran the cloth across his face then balled it up and tossed it in the footwell. “I guess I’m going to do what he said, but I’ll tell Stillman to wait at the end of the driveway. If they hear gunshots, they better get their asses back here and fast.”
I cursed. We would be on our own with no idea of the Duggar men’s mindset.
“Just keep looking back at the house while I go talk to Stillman and Cassidy.”
“I got your six, partner.” I knew—and I was sure Renz did too—that my handgun would be useless at that distance and against somebody I couldn’t even see. No matter what, I prayed for his safety and watched for movement near the house.
It took only a minute before Renz was back at the car. He climbed into the driver’s seat, let out what sounded like a relieved sigh, then watched out the windshield as Stillman drove away and out of sight.
“So?”
Renz lowered his window again. “I guess we wait for instructions.”
As soon as the dust settled from the squad car leaving, Zeke yelled out to us. “Who’s with you?”
Renz cupped his hand against his mouth and yelled back. “My partner, Agent Jade Monroe, is with me. We came to Louisiana together at the request of the Houma Sheriff’s Office.”
“Relating to what?”
“Has the sheriff’s office gone public with the story?” I asked before Renz responded.
Renz shrugged. “I don’t know about papers or TV. All I know is word of mouth spreads quickly, and I’m sure Billy Bennett and Mark LaFleur told everyone they know about the bones they found.”
“Shit. We’d be showing our hand if we tell them why we’ve come and they actually are the perps. It’s a dangerous thing to do, Renz.”
Renz yelled out the window. “There’s been a rash of Terrebonne Parish folks that have gone missing lately. We were told that you might be able to give us some names that local law enforcement isn’t familiar with who could be engaged in illegal activities.”
“What are you insinuating?”
The voice asking had changed. I looked at Renz. “That has to be Leroy.”
“I’m not insinuating anything, sir. We just want to help the community and get opinions from people who know and hear news that the sheriff’s office doesn’t have access to.”
We waited.
“You aren’t here to bust my chops for anything?”
“No, sir. We just want to talk.”
“All right. The woman gets out first, and she needs to place her sidearm on the ground. After that, you get out and do the same. When I see both of your weapons lying in the dirt, I’ll meet you in front of the house.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“Jade, if we stay calm and don’t come off as confrontational, we should be fine. Remember, he only has a misdemeanor record for bar fights.”
Chapter 36
Apprehensively, I climbed out of the Explorer and faced the stilt house, which I was sure I was being watched from. I slowly lifted my Glock from the holster and placed it on the ground.
“Now, walk forward ten feet.”
I did as instructed.
Renz was told to do the same thing—and did. We were standing ten feet away from our weapons and facing someone we couldn’t put eyes on.
“Come toward my voice and then sit on those stumps by the firepit.”
We walked another fifty feet and sat on stumps that I assumed were meant to be used as seats around the evening fires. A minute later, two men appeared from the back of the house where the door likely was. They took seats across from us and sized us up in seconds.
“Feds, huh?”
Renz nodded. “That’s correct. I assume you’re Leroy?” He looked at the elder of the two then turned to the younger one. “And Zeke?”
“Yep, now let’s hear what you want so you aren’t wasting our night. I was about to make supper.”
My mind went to a dark place when Leroy said that, but I needed to stay focused on the moment. Because this was good ol’ boy country, Renz would do the talking. I was just there as a backup agent without a gun.
“Like I said, we’re looking into the claims of people who’ve gone missing from the parish—more than what is reasonable in that short amount of time.”
“Why’d you decide to come here? We haven’t abducted anyone.”
“To be honest, it’s because we’re outsiders without any knowledge of what local folks hear—the kind of talk that law enforcement isn’t privy to.”
Zeke laughed. “So because you aren’t local law enforcement, we should just blurt out everything we know to you instead? I don’t know where you’re from, but down here in Louisiana, we have a thing called loyalty to our own.”
Renz stared at the charred wood in the firepit. “And we understand that, but we also understand the worries of each family that has missing loved ones. We’ve been here for several days and don’t have a single lead as far as people who are edgy, questionable, or downright involved in illegal activities. All we need are names of other folks we can talk to. Following up on those names could lead us to the perpetrators.” Renz looked from one face to the other. “We’d really appreciate your help.”
Leroy stoked the fire then jerked his head at me. “What do you have to say, little lady?”
Normally, a comment like that would have set me off, but I knew better than to start anything.
“Mr. Duggar, we’ve spoken with some of the families whose loved ones have gone missing, and not know
ing the whereabouts of their own children, sisters, or brothers is killing them. Some of the missing people are kids still in high school. It’s obvious that you love your son and care about his well-being. We just want to help those families find out if their loved ones are alive or dead.”
Leroy drew designs in the ashes while I talked. I hoped I was making an impression on him and his son.
“Uh-huh. Okay, so you’re looking for names of people with questionable intentions? Recluses, I imagine, that the law shies away from or doesn’t know exist?”
“That’s exactly the people we need to speak with, or folks who are into voodoo and the occult. Just like the sheriff’s office, we don’t know who those people are.”
Leroy squinted, looked from Renz to me, and laughed. “You two have big balls, and I like that. You waltz in here without guns and talk civilly to us.”
My thoughts, which I kept to myself, were that we didn’t have much choice.
“Bravery is a quality that I admire, so yeah, we’ll give you a few names, but nobody better find out who they came from.”
Renz nodded. “And you have our word on that.”
Leroy and Zeke said they knew of two local men and two who lived a distance out. We would focus on the ones who lived closer to Houma first then check out the other two if need be.
Leroy began. “I don’t know anyone who engages in the occult, or black magic, some would say, and voodoo is more about sacrificial spiritualism. I can’t help you with any of those practices or people who engage in them, so we’ll start with John Cavanaugh. He’s a pisser of a man if I ever saw one.”
I didn’t know the definition of a pisser, but I assumed it was bad.
Zeke stood. “Before we continue, I’m going to grab a few beers.” He looked at Renz and me, almost daring us to refuse his hospitality. We both thanked him and said we’d appreciate a beer. I took it as a peace offering.
Minutes later and with a refreshing brew in front of me, I listened as Leroy continued with the names. I pulled my notepad and pen from my pants pocket and was ready to write.
“Before I go on, I just want you to know that my boy and me aren’t bad people. Sure, I drink too much and get arrested for it, but I don’t take part in criminal activity, and that’s the difference between us and some other folks.”
“Understood.” Renz tipped his head for Leroy to continue.
Leroy, a gray-haired man who looked like he hadn’t run a comb through his hair in a month and who lisped through the spaces of missing teeth, went on about John Cavanaugh.
“John beats everything and everyone in sight. He’s mean, mad, and malicious. The wife and kids are usually black and blue, and his animals die more often than any animal should.”
Zeke added his take. “He beats his critters and then shoots them. He’d probably do the same to his family if the law wouldn’t find out and throw his ass in prison. He makes moonshine, drinks way too much of it, and sells the rest. He forces his daughters to entertain men for money.”
I winced at the story Zeke was telling us and couldn’t believe the law wasn’t aware of John’s actions.
“He lives just outside Crozier along Bayou Dularge Road.”
I wrote that down then gave Renz a quick glance. Crozier was within a few miles of the last dump site, and John sounded like someone who could be a suspect.
After a gulp of beer, Leroy added Evan Millbrook to the list. “There’s something mentally wrong with that man. I don’t think he does what he does out of spite. I just think he’s crazy. He kills wild game, skins it, and eats the organs raw. Says something about the organ meat giving him power and clarity. Those stories come from bar talk when everyone is three sheets to the wind—including myself—but I know them to be true.”
I felt my face contort and knew Evan could be a suspect, too, even if he was deemed mentally unfit. Zeke said Evan lived on the outskirts of Houma in Mandalay.
“Who else can you think of?”
“There’s Robby Williams from Dulac, about a half hour south of Houma. He owns a lot of land and lives in a stilt house like mine. The man doesn’t work, yet I see him in local bars on occasion. He definitely likes the ladies.”
“And why would you include him?” Renz asked.
Leroy swatted at a pesky mosquito. “Can’t put my finger on it, really. He’s just sketchy as hell and an opportunist. He’ll steal your car out from under your nose if he has an extra second, and has done it a number of times. I’ve seen him steal purses off the barstool backs when ladies go to the restroom, and he’ll steal tip money right off the bar and pocket it. Best to look the other way, because if you confront him, he’ll beat your ass.”
I wrote the name down. “Okay, and what about the last guy?”
Zeke took that question. “Who do you think, Pa? Destin Orly?”
“Yep, Destin for sure. He lives outside McBride, north of here. He’s bragged about the number of times he’s held guns to people’s heads.”
I frowned. “But why? What’s his reason?”
“He owns an auto repair shop, and if you don’t pay your bill in cash on the day the repair work is done, he pulls out that Smith & Wesson .45 he keeps behind the counter and sticks the business end of it against your temple then empties your wallet himself. I’ve heard plenty of stories about him and keep my distance from him and his shop. He has a hair-trigger temper, and that’s not what you want when a gun is pressed into your face.”
I let out a long breath. “You guys have certainly been helpful. We don’t know if any of these men are who we’re looking for, but the more people we talk to the better. We’ll narrow it down in the next few days. I’m sure of it.” After we took our final gulps of beer, Renz and I thanked them for their help and returned to the Explorer, where we picked up our guns and left.
“Well, that was a first for me.” I groaned in relief.
Renz laughed. “I’ve been in the FBI for years, and it’s a first for me too.”
I shook my head as I thought about the names that Leroy and Zeke had given us. “If our greeting from those two was a warning shot, what do we have in store for us from the real scary people?”
“Don’t know, but we’ll find out tomorrow. There’s no way in hell I’m stepping foot on anyone’s property at night. Let’s head back in and see what we can find on the two guys who live closest to town.”
Chapter 37
It was nearly dark by the time we took our seats in our office space. We each had a drive-through restaurant hamburger and fries in front of us, and I was famished.
Renz called Conway in to update him, and it sounded like he’d already heard Stillman’s account of what took place before they headed down the Duggar driveway.
After popping a fry into my mouth, I shook my head. “Yeah, that was unexpected and definitely started our visit off on the wrong foot. Thank God it didn’t get any more serious than that.”
Conway held up his hand. “I just want to be clear on a few things so you don’t have the wrong idea of southern Louisiana folks.”
We gave him our full attention.
“Sure, go ahead,” I said.
“We have our fair share of bad apples in the bushel basket, no different than in any other state. Look at all the crime and murders that go on daily in Chicago. It’s every weekend, for Pete’s sake.”
I knew that far too well. At Jesse’s wedding reception, he’d mentioned how the murders in Chicago had increased dramatically over the last year, but anyone who watched the news would know that.
“Louisiana is a great state to live in, and the people are mostly friendly, law-abiding folks. They’re good people. We have outcasts here, recluses, and just downright crazy people, but they’re the exception, not the rule.”
“We understand that completely and couldn’t agree more. We’ve met some very nice individuals, and we definitely aren’t biased. Our job takes us to areas where we’re actively searching for the worst of the worst. It’s what we do, and we hold
no animosity toward anyone. All we want is to find the killer and bring him to justice, nothing else.”
Conway nodded. “Good. I didn’t want you to think our state was filled with bad characters.”
Renz said his peace. “And we don’t. Actually, after the dust settled earlier”—he looked at me and grinned—“it turned out that Leroy and Zeke Duggar were decent, helpful people.”
I chuckled. “Zeke even offered us a beer. Who would have thought?”
Renz continued. “Anyway, we got four names from them, and two of those four live in the area. We’ll talk to them tomorrow. I wasn’t about to trespass on a stranger’s property at night.”
“Smart thinking,” Conway said.
I added my opinion. “I still think it might be helpful to sit Bob, Mark, and Billy down together. Maybe they’ve come across another hunter in the woods who seemed a bit off. Anything they could give us would help. We need a lead and damn soon since we can’t stay here forever if we have nothing to work with. Leroy didn’t know anyone who is into the occult, so that angle will have to sit on the back burner unless your deputies can ask around.”
“I’ll task some of them with doing that tomorrow.”
Renz took over. “Do you know John Cavanaugh or Evan Millbrook?”
Conway rubbed his chin. “Can’t say that I do. People come and go, especially when property remains in the same family for generations and gets passed down to out of the area nephews, cousins, and the like. If they’re bad folks and we don’t know of them, then they’re deliberately staying under the radar.”
“Sounds that way. We’ll call on them first and then check into the others who live a distance out of town. There’s still more people to talk to that your deputies said they’ve also had run-ins with. Tomorrow is going to be a full day of interviews.”
“And my guys can pitch in anywhere you need them.”
“Appreciate it,” Renz said before he took the last bite of his cheeseburger and licked his fingers. He looked at me and shook his head. “I should have ordered two.”