by BobA. Troutt
*****
Troubled Waters
The Audrey Moore Scandal
The kiss of spring had enchanted the departure of winter. The trees were adorned in their lavish gowns of flowers and fragrance. A warm gentle breeze moved through the grass, as a touch of leftover winter still bit the air.
But, make no mistake about it, it was spring. It was 1945 in St. Blaise Parish at the close of the war in the South Pacific. Everyone was excited the men were coming home. The war was over. Their long hard work had paid off with victory. That was the talk everywhere, with everyone.
Outside of Baton Rouge, at the Neel’s Lane home of Phillip Moore, another celebration was going on. Phillip was a good man in his own way. He had friends in high places, and he knew how to use them to get the job done. His political clout had helped influence many state and federal decisions. His word was honor among many, respected by others. Today, he was turning 68 years old and his daughter, Audrey, was throwing a big shindig for him. He loved his daughter more than anything. She was just like him. Some say she was a more influential politician than her daddy. But according to her, he would always be the greatest.
Audrey had lost her mother at birth. Her daddy never remarried; it had always been him and her. He taught her all the tricks of the trade, the ins and outs. There was no doubt he had passed his master trade on to his daughter.
All the important people were there: politicians, lawyers, judges, and police, even the governor. It was a big celebration and a time to lie back, enjoy, have fun, and party. It was also a time for some political small talk among the crowd.
The Moore estate roamed across nearly 150 acres with lavish gardens and ponds. There were horses for riding, croquet, and a golf course. There were beautiful gardens that dressed the fields with spring colors and waterfalls. Fountains and stone walkways were embedded years ago. Many times discussions were held while walking through the gardens.
While growing up, politics was all that she knew. Audrey knew the “who” and the “who not” in the innermost circles, and there were three that set the mark as high rollers. They were Audrey Moore, Kenneth Shields, an attorney, and Richard Ryan-Rogers, an attorney who was up for a position as a state Supreme Court judge.
Audrey ran with the best of them. She had the pull. Audrey helped get major laws passed; her work on the two new amendments to the constitution of the state of Louisiana was outstanding. She also saw through the legislation of numerous bills, which were influential powerhouses and high rollers on Capitol Hill. Growing up outside Baton Rouge, Audrey, Kenneth, and Richard were inseparable. Little did they know the bond they had for each other would someday be put to the test.
“Oh, Richard,” said one lady. “I’m so glad to hear you are up for state Supreme Court judge. I bet Shara is so proud of you.”
“I know she is, I would be,” replied another, “if I was his wife.”
“Well, ladies, I haven’t gotten it yet,” warned Richard. “I have only been nominated.”
“Phooey, Richard,” one lady replied. “You know you have it in the bag.”
“Psst, psst, Richard, over here,” cried a voice.
Quickly, Richard turned to see who it was. It was Audrey. Suddenly she grabbed his hand and led him back through the garden to a remote spot.
“I need to talk to you,” she said.
“I told you, Audrey, we don’t need to be seen together. Shara has been asking a lot of questions. Besides I can’t take the chance of messing up my nomination for judge.”
“Listen to me, Richard, will you just take a minute and listen.”
“What is it?” he yelled.
“I’m pregnant,” she replied.
“Pregnant,” he loudly whispered. “Are you sure?” he asked.
“I’m sure,” she replied.
“Sure about what?” spoke up Shara as she walked up with Kenneth. “Is there something here I need to interpret?” Shara asked.
“Oh, no,” said Richard nervously.
“Shall we go back to the party?” suggested Shara.
Richard slowly turned and took Shara by the hand and escorted her back to the party. Kenneth stepped up and took a deep breath and slowly let it out, “Did you tell him?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
“What did he say?” questioned Kenneth.
“Nothing,” she replied.
“Nothing?” he asked.
“Shara interrupted before we could talk,” replied Audrey.
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied as she started to cry.
Slowly, he pulled her into his arms and lightly kissed her on the forehead. “Don’t worry, Audrey, we’ll think of something. How far along are you?” he asked.
“About one month.”
“You know this scandal will ruin you and may lose Richard the judgeship.”
“I know,” she answered, “but I love him. I never knew it was going to turn out like this. He doesn’t love Shara. All she is after is money and fame. I can hear her now, ‘my husband’s a state Supreme Court Judge, whoopee!’ He needs to leave his wife and help raise our child, together.”
“It’s not quite that simple,” replied Kenneth. “Listen, give me some time. I know some people who might be able to help. Let me talk to them. That will give you some time to talk to Richard about the baby.”
As they headed back toward the party they noticed Richard and Shara leaving. Audrey stared; Richard looked back, paused, and turned his head toward the door to fade out of sight. There came a voice approaching her, “Is everything alright my dear?” spoke up her daddy.
“Yes, Daddy,” she replied. “Everything will be alright.”
“Well, Kenneth, it’s good to have you back in my home again,” said Phillip.
“It’s good to be here,” he replied. “How’s the firm?” asked Phillip. “Are you working on some important cases?”
“Yes, sir,” Kenneth replied, “a few.”
“That is good news about Richard,” he said bragging. “I think he’s doing a fine job, don’t you?”
“Yes, sir, I do,” spoke up Kenneth. “He’s doing well, sir.”
“Come on, son, and let’s get a drink,” coughed Phillip.
“Audrey, I’ll get back with you,” said Kenneth.
“Okay,” she said, and then she disappeared into the crowd.
A few days later Audrey received a phone call from Richard. He told her he was sorry he hadn’t called, but he had been busy. He told her they had to talk, and he would be over later on that evening. As the time slipped by she wondered what he would say. Would he give up Shara and be with her? She didn’t want to face losing him. She wasn’t sure she could take it. She peered out the window of the giant house as tears ran down her face. A light mist of rain had begun to fall as she wiped her breath from the glass. Suddenly, he appeared at the gazebo. She paused for a moment, and in seconds, she stepped into the gazebo into his arms. As they sat down, she began to cry.
“Don’t cry, Audrey,” he said as he took his handkerchief and patted softly under her eyes. “I’m sorry,” he started to say. Then she stopped him from speaking by placing her finger over his lips.
“Richard, what are we going to do?”
“I don’t know,” he replied as he gently released her from his arms.
“Will you leave her?” she asked hopefully.
“Now, Audrey,” he spoke up. “You know I can’t. I have told you and told you I’m not going to leave her.”
“Why, Richard? Why can’t you leave her? What good is she to you?” she cried. “I was the one who got you where you are, not her! Daddy and I created you through political favors, friendships, and under the table secret deals. I’m the one for you. Can’t you see that? I love you, she doesn’t. She loves what you are. I love you for who you are.”
“
Oh, come on, Audrey,” he replied. “Let’s not go into all this again.”
“It’s not about you and me anymore!” she cried. “It’s about our baby.”
Silence fell upon them as they looked at each other. Her tearful eyes said not a word, but spoke of the hurt in her heart. He glanced away for a moment, then slightly turned half way back and stopped. “Do what you have to do.” Then he stepped off the gazebo into the misty rain.
“Richard, don’t leave me!” she cried.
She fell to the floor, crying. In the background Kenneth stood listening. He had heard it all. That day would be a turning point, not only in Audrey’s life, but in the lives around her.
It was weeks later when illness fell upon Audrey. She couldn’t eat, and she had trouble staying awake. She was so depressed; it was as if she had given up on life. Richard hadn’t called. She had not heard a word from him and, to be honest, deep down she knew she wouldn’t.
Her family had a long dark history of mental illness. After Audrey was born, her mother was placed in a mental hospital and, a year later, she died of a toxic dose of medicine from the treatment. But the records showed her mother died at childbirth.
Little was known of Audrey’s childhood. Her daddy was very protective of her. But there was an incident that happened when she was a teenager. She had gotten pregnant by a boyfriend who dumped her, and her daddy made her get an abortion. The trauma of it all caused her to have a mental breakdown. She spent six months in a mental hospital. After she was released, she was never the same girl. There were others in the family down through the years, uncles and aunts. Audrey’s two marriages and two divorces paved the black roads of her long entangled sickness. One minute she was as high as a Georgia pine. The next minute she was bottomed out, confined to bed for weeks at a time. She was put on lithium, a mood stabilizer.
Suspicion had already begun to surface about town. Rumors spoke loudly as lies covered the truth. Gossip of Audrey’s possible baby spread like wildfire. But, the daddy of the baby weighed heavily in the balance of the truth. Talk was it was Richard Rogers, but no lips dared to say. But Audrey, no matter what was said, never exposed the father of her child.
Then one day Kenneth came by to see her. She was piled up in bed covered from head to toe, and it was 80˚ outside. He eventually got her up and talking. He discussed a plan to help her back on her feet, but she had to agree one hundred percent that she would not go back on it. Once the deal was made, he explained it to her. She agreed.
“I want you to get ready; take just a few things. I’m going to take you to meet Helen and Russell Rut. She will take you in and help you. Audrey, you are going to have to trust me and do what she says. When it’s all over, things will be all right.”
Hurriedly, they got ready, and the two took off. She left her daddy a note that she would be out of town for a while. Of course rumors spread like wildfire–where she probably went, who she was with, and who the daddy of the bastard child was. Kenneth and Audrey knew this would happen.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“To Shreveport,” he replied. “You need some time for yourself, a getaway. Time to think,” he said.
“But, I’m so tired and so sleepy,” she mumbled.
“I know, Audrey,” he agreed. “I know.”
After several hours, they finally made it to Mrs. Helen in Shreveport. “All the arrangements have been made,” he said. “Mrs. Helen is going to take good care of you. Trust me, Audrey.”
“Okay, Kenneth,” she agreed, “I trust you.”
“Call me if you need me,” he replied. “I’ll be checking in on you from time to time.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll be fine.”
As Kenneth drove off, Audrey began to cry. “Don’t leave me, Kenneth. Don’t leave me.”
Mrs. Helen took her into her arms and led her toward the house. As Kenneth drove off tears filled his eyes, forcing him to pull over. He couldn’t see well enough to drive. Then he broke down. He wanted to go back for her, but he couldn’t. It’s for the best, he thought. Then he drove off back toward Baton Rouge.
It was a good while before he saw her again. She had finally talked to her daddy and explained to him what was going on. He scolded her, shamed her, and told her never to come back again. This hurt her and caused a major setback. Her mental state worsened. She tried to cut her wrist twice, and would have taken an overdose but couldn’t keep the pills down. Kenneth had been called in three or four different times to help with her. She was out of control.
They moved her to the state mental hospital for treatment. Finally, after six months and a couple of series of shock treatments she began to settle down.
She moved back to Mrs. Helen’s. About a year and a half later, Audrey left Shreveport, and Kenneth moved her to New Orleans. Richard had gotten the state Supreme Court judgeship. Kenneth had told her, but she had already read it in the paper.
She took a few minutes and thought back to a few years ago when Richard was a young lawyer. Richard and Shara had married not long after he finished college. About five years later, Richard started sleeping with Audrey. She had coached him, pushing him to his limit in law school. She was so proud of him when he graduated law school with six top law honors, the highest in his class, class valedictorian, and top of his class on the bar exam. He didn’t know it, but she had gotten him a job with one of the best law firms in the country, Nickels and Kelly Law Firm, in Baton Rouge.
Meanwhile, Kenneth had seen Richard around the courthouse. They had talked a little, but not much. Richard had asked about Audrey. Kenneth always replied she was doing fine.
Back in New Orleans, after Audrey reappeared alone she tried to move back into the inner social crowd, but many of her so-called “friends” had little to do with her. But Audrey brushed it off. Kenneth came down on weekends, and they did things together. They indulged in the Cajun life and food, dined about the French Quarter, and danced at the jazzy bars of Bourbon Street. After the baby was born, she gave him up for adoption. Talk of Audrey and her baby soon passed. But, it would flare up from time to time in small talk. She would always ask Kenneth about her daddy. All he knew to tell her was that no one had seen him.
As the months went by, Audrey sort of got back into the swing of things, but not much into politics. She got a job and went to work. There were moments when she would sit and stare out the window for hours at a time. It seemed like a part of her was missing or gone. Kenneth tried to fill the void, but it wouldn’t go away. Other than her solitude moments, she seemed her old self, crazier than ever. She was always a mischievous girl, flirting to get her way, and dominating to keep it her way until she broke down and gave up.
Life was good for Audrey in New Orleans at that time. She had already received a promotion at work. Richard had stopped asking about her and she had stopped asking about him. It was in the later months of summer, that year after 1949, when she heard her daddy had died. As soon as Kenneth heard, he rushed to her to bring her back home to Baton Rouge. The death of her father took a toll on her. That was all she needed now—a relapse. But surprisingly, she was strong and held her own. The treatments and the medicine seemed to help a lot. At the funeral she saw Richard and his wife. They spoke in passing and moved on.
After the death of her dad, Audrey decided to move back home to stay. Gossip, whispers, and accusations spread.
Audrey made arrangements to move back home to Baton Rouge. She seemed to change a lot after her daddy’s death. She became more withdrawn, stayed to herself a lot. She stayed shut in and rarely mingled with people or friends. Kenneth came by regularly to check on her and see if she needed anything.
Then one day Richard came by to see her. They briefly talked. He asked how had she been and about the baby. She gave him no answer. All that she would say was, “It’s all in God’s hands now.” As he went out
the door he stopped, turned to say something, shook his head, and disappeared out the door. Then she turned and whispered to herself, “You don’t have to worry, Richard, your secret is safe with me.”
Little by little, each day she slipped away. From that point on, she went downhill. In 1951, she bought a riverboat and lived in it on the swamp near Baton Rouge. For the rest of her life she lived in the swampy marsh of the Louisiana bayou. It became her life. People from all around called her Swamp Lady.
As the years passed, no one knew the swamp better than she. She sold swamp medicine, which she made from roots, berries, and bark from around the swamp. People laughed at her homemade remedies. But the same people would come out late in the evening for them. They worked!
She caught baby alligators, snakes, and other swamp critters, moving them to other unpopulated areas of the bayou. She took people on swamp tours in her airboat.
She was once the queen of the political scene, a high roller. The high class polished world of high society, turning favors for favors, and playing political games were over for her. The swamp had come to be her new home and life. Sometimes when she ran into some of her long ago so-called friends, they turned up their noses at her. They were often surprised to wake up with a baby alligator in their swimming pool. Things like that were known to happen.
But Audrey was happy. She got lonely at times, but she was coping with it. She saw it as a choice of spending the rest of her life in a mental hospital or living her life on the bayou. She liked the fresh open air, the smell of the Spanish moss in the spring, and the murky swamp water which forever held a surprise.
Richard was still a judge, and Kenneth had been promoted to District Attorney. Audrey didn’t see much of him anymore. He was so busy in court, but when he could he would drop by.
Then one day, Kenneth got a call from Helen and Russell Rut, old friends of the family. He had handled an adoption for her several years ago. She told him that her son had run away from home. The last account she had was he had been living on the street. He had started rebelling and running around with a bunch of other boys. She said she had lost control of him, and he had gotten way out of hand. He asked if she had any idea where he may be. She said, “No.” Then he told her that he would check into it for her. It may take some time, but he would find him.
After he hung up the phone, he called a private detective, Charles Edward. He was also a good friend who had done work for him before. They made arrangements to meet and discuss the boy. Two weeks had passed and Kenneth hadn’t heard a word from Charles.
Meanwhile, Audrey was living it up on the swamp. She seemed to be happier now than she had been in years. Then one day there was a knock at her door. Opening it slowly, she saw a young man dressed in rags and looking homeless. He asked, “Miss Audrey Moore?”
“Yes,” she answered, “that’s me. Can I help you?”
He looked at her with a quivering lip. “Mama, its Patrick, your son.”
Audrey froze in the doorway as her eyes flooded with tears. “Patrick,” she replied, “my son.”
Her arms quickly opened and he fell into them, tired and wore out. His search had finally come to an end. In the meanwhile, the detective was finally getting ready to move in when he talked to Kenneth. He told him that he had traced the boy back to Baton Rouge. Kenneth then knew where he was. He thanked the detective and told him he would handle it from here.
Hurriedly, Kenneth took off to Audrey, only to find the boy with his mother. They all sat down and talked, filling in the gaps, and putting together the missing pieces of time from the past. Audrey was so happy. Kenneth had not seen that sparkle in her eyes in years.
The boy who was almost eighteen was a nice good-looking man, very proper and loving, but had a dark side. There was a lot of anger and rebellion in him, especially toward his dad. The Ruts had been abusive. They were very hard and overbearing. That’s why he ran away. He had taken all the verbal abuse he could take.
They all spent the evening together. Kenneth didn’t have a whole lot to say. He listened mainly, but there were legal matters to also attend too. Not only was he a runaway, Patrick had a serious robbery charge against him, according to the detective. He had one misdemeanor, a theft of a man’s billfold, and a felony of an armed robbery charge.
“Patrick,” spoke up Kenneth, “you get a good night’s sleep here with your mom, and I want Audrey to bring you by the office tomorrow.”
“Why?” she asked.
“There are some things we need to work on,” he said. “It won’t take long.”
It was early the next morning when Audrey and Patrick entered Kenneth’s office. He sat the young man down and explained to him the seriousness of the crimes. He was willing to help him if he could. He would try to work things out for him to stay with his mother. Patrick agreed and said he would cooperate as long as he didn’t have to go back to the Ruts’ house.
Then Kenneth asked for his side of the story of the armed robbery. Patrick began: “I had been up all night wandering the streets. I had found out that my girlfriend was pregnant, and I was upset. When I came to this market, I decided to go in and spend some of the money I had gotten off the stolen wallet. I was starved. To beat it all, as I entered the market, three other boys came in at the same time and began to look around, like me. Then one of them pulled a gun out and yelled out, ‘Give me all your money.’ The other boys began to grab things, throwing them and waving their guns in people’s faces. Then the boy at the counter yelled for everyone to hit the floor and don’t look up. As I started to lie down the other boy grabbed me and pulled me outside into the car. He forced me to drive at gunpoint. Luckily, down the road, I escaped, and I’ve been wandering since. The wallet I had stolen fell out of my pocket and was kicked up under the counter. The police found it and took my prints and tied me in on the robbery. They had found my prints on a shoplifting charge from a few months back. The wallet had been reported earlier. The owner’s money, licenses, and photo ID were still intact.”
“So what you’re saying is you were at the wrong place at the wrong time?” asked Kenneth.
“Yes, sir,” he replied.
“Okay, Patrick, let me see what I can do,” said Kenneth. “You can stay with Audrey for the time being.”
He called Charles and put him back on the case. After filling him in on Patrick’s side of the story, he called Helen and Russell Rut. He explained to her that he had found Patrick, and that he was doing fine. But when he made mention of the abuse and the armed robbery, they changed their story.
“Patrick will be eighteen next month,” she said. “Maybe it’s time for us to let him go. We don’t want any trouble. There’s no need for you to even call back.”
“That was easy enough,” he giggled.
For the next few weeks Audrey and Patrick were inseparable. She showed him the bayou, began to teach him the ways of the bayou, and for the first time in a long time, she had a reason to live, something to get out of the bed for each day, something to hold, to love, and to take care of—her son. Kenneth came by every day to see them. They went on picnics together and horseback riding. Things were finally looking up.
About two weeks later, Charles contacted Kenneth with an update. According to Charles the same three boys had attempted another armed robbery that went bad. Two of the boys were killed in a shootout, and the other boy was killed in a high-speed chase. Patrick’s story about the first robbery was looking good, until witnesses said they had seen Patrick hanging out with the boys before the robbery.
“What about his girlfriend?” asked Kenneth.
“No one has seen her,” replied Charles. “Some say she left town, possibly to get an abortion. She’s only fifteen.”
“Thanks, Charles,” said Kenneth. “I’ll take it from here.”
It was time he needed a favor, and it was one of the hardest things he had to d
o. He had to get Audrey to talk to Richard about pulling some strings for Patrick, to get him cleared of all charges. When he told her at first, she held back, but she changed her mind when she remembered all Patrick had already been through.
“Go ahead and make me an appointment,” she told Kenneth, “and you can go with me.”
A couple of days later they went to Richard’s office. As Audrey began to explain the whole story about Patrick, the judge’s eyes began to water as he listed to both of them. Richard sat a few moments in silence and, as he leaned forward, he assured them that things would be taken care of for Patrick. As they were leaving, Audrey paused, and told Richard if he wanted to come by and see Patrick he could at any time. He looked at her and said, “Thanks, but I’d better not.”
A week later, Patrick and Kenneth stood before a judge from the lower court. Patrick was put on probation community service for one year and was put into Audrey’s custody.
Things were good for a while. Spring had passed over into summer. Audrey, Kenneth and Patrick were on a picnic out in the country, skimming stones across the creek and being lazy in the meadow. You could barely see the top of Audrey’s head when she sat down in the field of waving reddish yellow sagebrush. As the warm breeze kissed the top of the sage, it sent out an echo wave throughout the field. Kenneth and Patrick were casting stones across the creek. “One, two, three, four skips,” counted Kenneth.
“Hey, you’re pretty good at that.”
“You’re not bad yourself,” replied Patrick. “One, two, three, four—five skips.”
“There has been something I wanted to tell you for a long time,” said Kenneth.
Suddenly, one of Kenneth’s friends from the office pulled up.
“Kenneth, Kenneth!” he yelled as he raced across the field.
“What is it?” cried Kenneth.
“It’s Richard! He’s had a massive stroke!”
“Oh my, God!” cried Audrey.
Kenneth raced over to her. Immediately, they went back to town. By the time they got there, Richard was in intensive care. He was paralyzed on his left side and his right leg. Kenneth and Audrey didn’t know what to do. He was pitiful and so helpless. A few years ago he had been in the prime of his life. Once full of vigor and life, now he was no more than a friend’s broken vessel. Kenneth and Audrey couldn’t believe it. They didn’t want to believe, but they had no choice.
Shara stood by his bedside as Kenneth and Audrey came in. She popped out a few slurs at Audrey, and then told her she could have him now. Then she laughed. Kenneth took Audrey from the room. As Audrey began to cry, she said, “Take me home, Kenneth,” she said, “please.”
Eventually, Richard went home where his wife took care of him. They never had any children. Politics was always the important part of their family. For health reasons, he gave up his judgeship and his political career, and lived in solitude the rest of his life. Shara finally moved out, and Richard was taken care of by a nurse.
Kenneth and Audrey came by from time to time. Patrick came some. He would help Richard with his physical therapy and keep him company. Toward the end, they became very close. The bond between them grew strong. Richard saw in Patrick the son he never knew, and Patrick looked up to him as a father figure he had so longed for. Richard told Audrey he thought it best to leave things as they were. “I can’t change a mistake I made in the past.”
A few weeks later, Richard took an unexpected turn for the worse and passed. His loved ones, friends, political buddies, judges, and lawyers paraded the streets of Baton Rouge with his funeral procession. After all was said and done, only a few things had been mentioned. He was survived by his wife. He had no children.
That Indian summer that Richard died would be remembered for a long time in the hearts of Kenneth and Audrey. His grave held a lot of secrets that it may never let go. It holds true to this day, the key to the life of a young man name Patrick holds the hearts of three. When Richard and Audrey had broken up after one of their many fights, they had a one night stand after drinking at a bar. Kenneth and Audrey’s love for Richard and a child would bind the three together for times to come. Audrey never tried to find out who the daddy was. She could only speculate.
*****
A Cry in the Wind
Beyond the Truth
Thistles and Thorns
Dead Limbs and Leaves
To read other works by Bobby A. Troutt, visit bobbybooks.8m.com