Big Easy Escapade

by Joan Rylen

  “That doesn’t match with the gray Mustang from the second girl,” Vivian said.

  Adrienne shook her head. “Nope, and they’ve had no other developments in that kidnapping, if it was a kidnapping.”

  “We’re in a large black SUV,” Kate pointed out.

  Adrienne laughed. “Yep, I’m gonna feed ya to the gators.”

  “So it was you then,” Kate said.

  “Ya got me.”

  Vivian adjusted the air vent. “Surely, after all this, the cops have to know the girl has been kidnapped. Yes, she may have gotten into the car voluntarily, but for her to just disappear. No way.”

  “I know,” Adrienne said, speeding over a short bridge that spanned a waterway. “Too coincidental.”

  Vivian turned to Adrienne. “Don’t know what this means, if anything, but we saw that undercover cop while we were out last night. I texted Antonio and he said he didn’t trust him.”

  “He’s usually good at reading people. I’d heed his advice.” Everyone was quiet for a bit. They passed over another bridge and Adrienne asked, “Y’all ever been on an airboat?”

  “Nope, but I’ve seen ’em on ‘Swamp People,’ ” Kate said.

  “Well honey, you’re about to live like a Cajun for a day in the confines of a swamp.”

  “Are we gonna catch a gator?” Kate asked.

  “Nah, it’s not gator huntin’ season. We’ll catch somethin’, though. That I guarantee.”

  Chapter 36

  Where are we?” Wendy asked Adrienne as they drove down the two-lane road.

  “Right now we’re on the Delacroix Highway, but we’re almost to my parents’ camp.”

  “What do you mean by camp, exactly?” Vivian asked. “As in your mom is making us lunch on an open fire? Are there gonna be s’mores?”

  Adrienne laughed. “No. The houses on the bayou are called camps. Just one of those regional things.” She turned onto a dirt road and went two miles or so, where the road ended in front of a small, wooden cabin on stilts, set back from the bayou. A weathered deck led from the yard out to the water, where an airboat was tied to the pier.

  Vivian stepped out and expected it to be quiet, but the wind rustled the trees and birds sang. Two brown Labradors bounded up to the car, barking.

  “Here’s Rex and Roux, our friendly, drooling welcoming committee.” Adrienne scratched their ears. “Say hey to the girls.” She stood up straight and took a deep breath. “I’ve missed the smell of the cypress. I spent many a day lying on that pier, working on my tan and watching the boys go by.”

  “Hey, cher,” an older version of Adrienne called. She stepped off the porch, followed by Adrienne’s dad, who walked with a cane, though he still looked quite fit.

  Adrienne gave her parents a hug and made introductions.

  “Come on in, girls,” Mr. Robichaux said. He beat them to the screen door and held it open for them.

  Mrs. Robichaux ran into the kitchen and started ladling up bowls of crawfish étouffée with white rice.

  Adrienne gave her mom another hug. “My favorite, you must love me.”

  Her mom shooed her off and said, “Get our guests some sweet tea.”

  They sat around the dining room table enjoying the étouffée and listening to stories of Adrienne’s antics as a child.

  Mr. Robichaux set down his spoon. “I was ready to lock her away when she hit puberty. Those boys were as persistent as coons in the trash.”

  “Daddy, you just called me trash,” Adrienne said.

  “My cher, you know what I meant.”

  Mrs. Robichaux laughed and went into the kitchen. She came back with a hot pan of bread pudding. “Adrienne, go grab the bourbon sauce off the stove, but stir it up first.”

  Oh yeah, Vivian thought. “That was the best crawfish étouffée I’ve ever had. Thank you, Mrs. Robichaux. I can’t wait for the bread pudding.”

  “I hope you like it. I don’t put any raisins in it, Adrienne doesn’t like them.”

  “Me, neither. Perfect.” And indeed, the bread pudding with bourbon sauce was perfect.

  After lunch the girls sat in rocking chairs and a swing on the front porch, letting their food settle. In a bit, Mrs. Robichaux came out with a stack of photo albums. They flipped through Al and Adrienne’s wedding and pictures of Adrienne and Antonio as children. One of Antonio as a teenager showed him in tight shorts jumping off a tree swing into the bayou.

  “Is it safe to swim out there?” Lucy asked.

  “You just gotta watch,” Adrienne said, “and never swim alone.” She closed the last album and stood. “Y’all ready for a boat ride?”

  ***

  Lunch never came and Sonu didn’t check on her until late afternoon. She sat against the wall, arms wrapped around her legs, and didn’t acknowledge him.

  He took in the mess from breakfast. “The sooner you come to terms with your new life, the better.”

  “This is not my new life. It will never be.”

  He indicated the mess. “This is unacceptable behavior from my wife. You are not to do this again or you will not eat until we get to our destination in a few days.”

  The word “wife” got her attention and she stood. “What? Are you really so insane as to believe I will marry you?”

  “You are not given a choice in the matter. We will be wed in my country next week.”

  She took a step toward him. “I will never marry you, asshole.”

  He slapped her. “My wife will not address me in such a manner.”

  She covered the side of her face and glared at him. “I will never be your wife!”

  He slapped her again and threw her on the bed. He moved on top of her and put his mouth to hers. She tried to twist away from him but he was too strong, even his jaw was strong, and he kissed her harder. She managed to get a knee into his groin. He rolled over on the bed and she hopped up and ran for the door. He grabbed her arm as she went by the bed and shoved her to the ground.

  He stepped close, then kicked her in the legs and back. “Do not ever hit me like that again or you will be killed. I will not tolerate such disrespect and disobedience from my wife!”

  She scrambled away from him and ran into the bathroom and locked the door. He pounded on it but eventually gave up and left the room.

  ***

  Adrienne and the girls were headed down to the pier and a banged-up, 16-foot airboat. It had two elevated pilot seats and a wide bench with handles. A big cage with two spotlights on top surrounded the giant fan on back.

  Adrienne gave them a quick spiel about holding on at all times and keeping arms and legs inside the boat, then she passed out earplugs. Vivian wound up with the big, red earmuff-style.

  Just before Adrienne fired up the engine, her dad walked down the pier, carrying a shotgun, a bag of Cheetos and two fishing poles rigged with lures. “I thought you might want to feed the critters for the girls and show ’em how to catch their supper.” He handed her the bag and laid the poles in the boat. He checked the gun, then gave it to Adrienne. “It’s locked and loaded, safety’s on. Never know what you might run into out there.”

  She took it, double checked the safety, and stored it under her footboard. “Thanks, Daddy. I also have my Lady.”

  “That’s my girl.” He pecked her on the cheek. “Have fun out there!” he called and walked back up to the house.

  “What’s your Lady?” Lucy asked.

  Adrienne reached into the console and pulled out a small, silver and pink Lady Smith revolver with a black handle. “It’s my .38. Al gave it to me as a wedding gift.”

  “What a romantic,” Vivian said and laughed.

  Adrienne put it away. “He loves me.” She maneuvered away from the dock and down the bayou. The deeper in they went, the more pungent the smell of decay, rot and just plain ol’ funk.

  Adrienne pointed out a few pelicans in a cypress tree covered in Spanish moss. Turtles sunned on a log and a crab crawled along the bank. A bullfrog the size of Vivian’s hea
d jumped off a floating log and made a splash as they zoomed past. An egret stood in the mangroves, ankle deep, looking for something to eat.

  Adrienne cut through the marsh, taking them farther into the swamp. She yelled over the roar of the engine, “We’re going to Daddy’s favorite honey hole, where he catches the biggest gators.”

  “I’ve heard them say that on ‘Swamp People’!” Kate said and clapped.

  Adrienne slowed as she drew close to the spot. Sure enough, an eight-footer sat along the bank.

  “That’s a lot of purses,” Lucy said, “and shoes!”

  Adrienne laughed and opened the bag of Cheetos. She tossed the gator a few and he slowly swam to them, raised himself and snarfed them out of the water. Those down the hatch, Adrienne handed the bag to Vivian, who threw out two handfuls, then ate a few and licked the orange powder from her fingers.

  “I knew they liked marshmallows. I didn’t know they liked Cheetos,” Vivian said as another gator swam up on the other side of the boat.

  “It’s an ancient Cajun secret,” Adrienne joked.

  Kate took the bag and dumped the rest in for the new guy. “I heard a tour guide lost his hand feeding a gator and got a fine. I’m not risking it!”

  Feeding time over, Adrienne pulled up to the bank, where the grass was matted down. She hopped out. “This must be one of the gator’s favorite spots. I gotta tell Daddy.”

  Vivian caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned in time to see something splash into the water, next to the boat. “What was that?”

  Adrienne squinted. “Just a nutria. They won’t mess with ya.”

  “Get back in the boat!” Wendy yelled.

  Adrienne looked around. “Why?”

  “You’re making me nervous. What if one of the gators comes out of the water real quick?”

  She laughed. “Then grab the shotgun!”

  “We might be from Texas, but we don’t know what to do with a gun.”

  Vivian heard the hum of an engine and turned to see an airboat with two guys in overalls. Their long hair and scruffy beards waved in the wind as they rounded the bend and sped right at the girls. A Confederate flag waved off the back of the boat.

  Adrienne got back in and pushed off the bank. “I hate these guys, the idiot Breaux brothers.” She grabbed the .38 out of the console and tucked it into her waistband, then handed the shotgun to Wendy, who sat in the other co-pilot seat. Adrienne gave a quick demonstration, flicking the safety on and off a few times. “If I give the signal, take the safety off, aim anywhere in their direction and pull the trigger.” She cranked the engine and yelled, “Y’all need to hang on!”

  Chapter 37

  The airboat with the two bearded men flew on top of the water, headed straight toward the girls. Adrienne took off, cutting across tall grasses in the marsh.

  “Who is that?” Vivian yelled and glanced back. The guys were following them.

  “Coupla coon-asses,” Adrienne yelled. “Trouble.”

  The guys were in a smaller airboat and closing in. Adrienne banked a hard right, cutting through more tall grass. The guys didn’t anticipate the turn and lost some ground but soon caught up.

  Adrienne swerved hard to miss a gator and Vivian lost her grip. She jerked and hit her ribs on the metal handle on the side of the boat.

  Kate reached out for her and pulled her back. “Don’t fall in! They’ll run over you!”

  “I’m trying not to!”

  The coon-ass boat flew up behind them, only inches away. Adrienne, unable to go any faster, yelled to the girls, “I’ve got a plan. Hang on!”

  The other boat rammed them. Adrienne held up her left hand and gave them the finger. They were so close Vivian could see one of the brothers smirking to the other with a yellow-toothed grin.

  Adrienne swerved hard to the left toward an open-water pond lined with cypress trees.

  “We’re trapped!” Vivian yelled, but then she saw what Adrienne was aiming for — a three-foot wall of sticks and mud, the work of a busy beaver. On the other side of the dam lay more open water.

  “Get ready!” Adrienne said as they neared. “This might hurt!”

  The airboat launched through the air and Vivian yelled, “Aiiiyyyeeeeeeeee!” She held on for dear life.

  The airboat hit the water hard, jolting everyone, but no one flew out. Adrienne let off the throttle and turned to the left.

  The coon-asses didn’t fare as well. They attempted the dam but went over at an angle and landed too far to the right. The driver couldn’t maintain control and veered off course, crashing onto the bank amongst the trees. The airboat landed on its right side, and the brothers flew into the grass.

  Adrienne shot them the finger again while the girls cheered.

  “Take that, suckas!” Lucy shouted.

  Just to show off, Adrienne swung the airboat around and jumped the dam again. The girls yee-hawed as they went by. Adrienne steered them back to her parents’ and the girls got off, glad to be on solid ground.

  “That was some ride,” Vivian said, giving Adrienne a high-five. “Bravo!”

  She grinned. “I’ve been piloting since I was old enough to climb up in the chair. Those guys may have had a faster boat, but they didn’t stand a chance. Sorry we didn’t get to go fishing, though.”

  “That was almost like Deliverance,” Lucy said. “I think I heard banjos.”

  Adrienne laughed. “I wasn’t that worried. I never had to give Wendy the signal.”

  “Thank goodness for that,” Wendy said. “Last time I held a gun, I shot my brother in the butt. It was just a BB gun, but still!”

  This got a round of laughs as they walked to the house. The Robichauxs greeted them on the porch and Adrienne told them about their coon-ass adventure.

  “I’ll have a talk with their daddy,” Mr. Robichaux said. “Not that it’ll do much good. He’s a piece of nutria rat shit, too.”

  “Those boys are just into all kinds of things lately,” Mrs. Robichaux said, wringing her hands on a dish towel. “Just the other day I was at the grocer and somebody they’d been talking to almost hit my car in the parking lot. I waved, trying to be friendly, and tell him it was okay, and you know what he did? He shot me the bird.” She raised her middle finger in display.

  “You didn’t tell me about this,” Adrienne’s dad said, getting more pissed by the moment and gently taking her hand down.

  “Oh, Billy, it was fine.” She rubbed his shoulder.

  “That’s no way to treat a lady,” he said.

  “Well, it turned out all right. But that boy in the hot rod, I’ve seen him parked over at the Benoits’ camp, which surprised me since it’s usually empty. Maybe the kids finally sold it?”

  “I don’t remember seein’ a for sale sign or hearin’ anybody talking about it. That kind of stuff usually comes up.”

  “Well, it’s over now, Billy. Don’t go messin’ with that man in the hot rod or those two Breaux boys. They’re trouble.”

  Wendy, a car buff, asked, “So what kind of hot rod was that guy driving?”

  “It’s the one that’s still real popular with the kids. Antonio had one when he was a teenager.”

  Adrienne looked at the girls. “Mustang.” She turned to her mom. “What color was it?”

  “Dark, almost black but not quite. Looked real pretty. Very shiny.”

  “Damn kids these days,” Mr. Robichaux said. “Gets my blood pressure going. I gotta sit down.” He went inside and Mrs. Robichaux followed, the screen door slamming behind her.

  Vivian turned to Adrienne. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

  Adrienne pulled out her phone. “I’m calling Antonio.” He didn’t pick up so she left him a message, describing their mother’s encounter with the Mustang guy and seeing the same car at the Benoits’ place. “I’m driving by there on our way out. I’ll call ya after. Love ya, little bro.” Click.

  “Don’t say a word to my parents,” Adrienne whispered. “Let’s get goi
ng.”

  They all went inside and the girls thanked her parents again for the delicious meal and the hospitality. Rex and Roux followed the SUV down the drive, barking and wagging the whole way. Adrienne took the girls back to the highway but turned the opposite direction from where they’d come, and soon after she turned down a different dirt road, one that was bumpier and full of holes. Overgrown brush and trees lined the path.

  The SUV bounced along and Adrienne said, “The Benoit camp has been mostly unused since Maggie and Burt passed away a few years ago. For a while the family would come out around holidays, but lately the place has just sat. I can’t imagine the kids selling it without letting folks around here know. A lot of times, neighbors will buy up places like that to expand, you know.”

  She parked in the grass just after pulling into the drive. “We’ll have to walk, need to maintain our element of surprise. It’s only a quarter mile, maybe less.” She pulled her Lady out of her purse and popped open the glove box. She dug around for a moment, then took out a Swiss Army knife. “Never know.”

  The girls walked slowly down the road and went around a bend. A dilapidated trailer sat on cinder blocks, right along the banks of the bayou. A sleek, gray Mustang was parked in the grass out front.

  Adrienne hustled the girls into the trees, where they ducked down, and pulled out her phone. “I’m texting Antonio the license plate.”

  Vivian, using her 20/20, called the numbers and letters out to her.

  “Let’s give Antonio a few minutes to get back with me.”

  Two or three quiet minutes passed, then a tall man wearing a grungy wife-beater and camouflage shorts walked out onto the stoop. He had a large potbelly, pale bird legs and carried a shotgun. He looked around, then yelled, “I know you out there, motherfuckers, I heard ya. There ain’t nothin’ here for you, so get the hell out.” He cocked the gun and lifted it up, scanning the perimeter.

  The sound of glass breaking came from the side of the trailer and he took off in that direction. “Goddammit, sonofabitch!”