Billy: A Tale Of Unrelenting Terror (12 page)

"
Coo-wee
, if it ain’t Deputy Dean Arceneaux!" exclaimed Cap’n Guidry.

"Cap’n," answered Dean. "Mighty fine to see you again."

The two men shook hands, and Dean nodded toward the teenager packing the boat.

"Is that the young'un?" asked Dean.

"Sure is," Guidry answered, "but not so young any more. Soon enough he be gettin’ his own boat, and ‘fore long, his own family to follow."

The men nodded in unison.

"So, who’s your
podna
?" the Cap’n asked nodding toward Nick.

"This here is Detective Nicholas Vizier," Dean answered.

The men shook hands and introduced themselves.

"Vizier?" Guidry recollected. "I remember meeting a Vizier or two in my time. Any chance you from ‘round here?"

"Yes, sir," Nick explained. "My family’s been living in the area for generations. I grew up around here myself, before I went away to college."

"College?" Cap’n asked rhetorically. "Dat’s good. Local college or out-of-state?"

"LSU," Nick answered with pride.

"
Coo-wee
, a tiger in our presence! Dat’s good indeed. Charlie tells me you needin’ a guide to help search for dose missin’ kids. I gotta tell you, dey not goin’ to be easy to find."

"No, sir, I suppose they ain’t," Nick agreed. "But the way I see it, we owe it to their folks to do everything we can to bring them home."

The men nodded in silence. They appreciated the effort their fellow countrymen went to in order to help them out after the terrible storms devastated the area. The sacrifices those children made were not to be forgotten.

"According to Charlie," Guidry said, "dey got lost looking for da St. Pierre clan. Dat was dere first mistake. Even I would have a hard time finding dere place, and I been livin’ here my whole life. We better start by askin’ Jean Landry. His family is da closest t’ing to neighbors da St. Pierres had."

"Yep," Dean said, "that’s what everyone says. Still, I doubt that Jean is going to tell us much of anything, much less take us out there. We were hoping maybe you could have a word with him."

"Yep, I reckon you right ‘bout dat," Guidry replied. "No problem. We can head over dere right now. It’s not too far away and, with any luck, we just might catch him ‘fore he heads out for da day."

Dean excused himself, saying how he had some important errands to attend to and Cap’n Guidry instructed his boy to stay put and finish getting the boat prepared for when he returned. Nick got into Guidry’s truck, and the two men headed down the road toward the Landry place. It was only a few miles up the road, and the pair arrived within minutes. Guidry instructed Nick to stay in the truck while he talked to Jean.

Nick watched as Cap’n Guidry walked up to the tidy little house and knocked. A woman came to the door and pointed around the side; then Guidry strolled around the corner where a middle-aged man in overalls and a fishing cap greeted him.

Nick saw the two men chatting amicably for a few minutes before the other man visibly tensed up and turned his back on Guidry in an effort to dismiss him. Cap’n Guidry stood his ground, awkwardly glancing toward Nick for a moment before turning back and trying to engage Jean in conversation. It looked to Nick as if the two were on the verge of a heated argument; then there was a moment of silence between them. After a brief interlude, Jean appeared to be giving the Cap’n directions before seemingly pleading with him in desperation. Guidry nodded at the man before the two parted, and the Cap’n made his way back to the truck.

"So?" Nick asked as the men drove back toward the boat launch.

"Well, just as I figured. He’s not ‘bout to take us out dere," Guidry replied. "He was adamant ‘bout not wantin’ us to go. He said dere was no reason. He told me he and da boy went out dere after da storm to check up on da St. Pierre’s and dere wasn’t a soul in sight. He hesitated a bit when he told me, and I asked him ‘bout it. Den he got angry and told me he didn’t want to talk ‘bout it. I pressed him, and he said he saw something out dere, but wouldn’t say what. He refused to talk ‘bout it. I let it go, den reminded him dat dere were kids missin’ out dere dat we were obligated to go look for. He said he understood, but we’re just wasting our time. He said whatever is out dere, we don’t want to find it, and he advised us not to go lookin’ for it. I told him we had to, and he just nodded. Finally, he told me more or less how to get dere. He begged me not to go, but I guess he knows we goin’ anyway."

"Do you think you’ll be able to find it?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, I reckon’ so," answered Guidry, "but it won’t be easy. Da St. Pierres lived at some place called
Bayou Noir
, way, way deep in the swamp. Probably have to be right up on it to even see it. Still, I’m guessing we can find it sure enough. We’ll have to prepare properly ‘fore we head out dere. Dat is, if you still want ta go."

"I do," Nick replied. "How long before you think we’ll be ready?"

"Two, t’ree days, I guess," answered Guidry. "I’ll put together a list of supplies we’ll need, including some dat your department will have to supply. We’ll also need at least another boat, maybe two, and some help."

"Why so many?" Nick asked.

"Where we’re goin’ is way out dere. Whole trip might take a couple of days. Dat means more supplies, and means we’ll be overnight in da swamp. Night is not a good time to be out dere, but dat’s where we’ll be. We’ll have to be ready for anything we might come across. Dere’ll be no one we can call for help if we need it. Cell phones ain’t gonna work where we’re goin’. Even if dey did, ain’t much chance anyone’s gonna find us even if dey wanted to. On top of dat, I doubt anyone’s gonna be too anxious to go out dere no how. Nope, we’ll be on our own."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Nick said. "What kind of supplies do you think I’ll need on my end?"

"Body bags," answered Guidry. "Thick, heavy-duty body bags. If we find anything dey’ll not be in da best of shape. Between da heat, da water, and da critters, dey’ll be a might ripe. We ain’t gonna be too happy ‘bout sharing da boats with dem corpses unless we can bag ‘em up tight. Might wanna bring a few extras too, just in case."

"In case of what?" Nick asked.

Cap’n Guidry didn’t answer. Their truck pulled back up to the boat launch, and the two stepped out. Guidry went back to prepare for the day’s hunt before calling back over to Nick.

"One of dem boys over dere will give you a ride back to town," Guidry said, pointing to a group of amateur fisherman hanging out in the parking lot. "I’ll have Frank send over a copy of da supply list so y’all can get da requisition orders. Tell Bobby I’ll put together six or seven crew members on my end and a couple of boats, but he’ll have to pay for it. Tell him no squabbling over da price either; it ain’t gonna be cheap. Nobody’s wantin’ to go out dere unless dey’re being properly rewarded. He’ll bitch and complain, be prepared, but he’ll go along with it. He ain’t got no choice."

Chapter Eighteen

Preparing for the Hunt

F
rank Guidry, Jr. dropped off an extensive supply list, along with a tentative itinerary and possible recruits to aid in the search. Just as Cap’n Guidry predicted, Sheriff Galliano was dismayed at the size and expense of the project. He cursed and bitched and, in the end, relented to their demands. Sheriff Bobby repeated at every opportunity how much he expected results and how Nick’s job, and even career, was on the line if things didn’t go as planned.

Nicholas knew that things were now officially out of his control, and no matter what the outcome, he would probably be looking for another job in the near future. Visions of his ill-fated stent in the Internal Affairs Division over in Orleans Parish repeatedly crept into his head, and Nick tried to dismiss his feelings of impending doom as best he could. At this point, even the best outcome wasn’t going to settle his nerves much. Pulling rotting corpses out of the swamp and notifying bereaved family members was always unpleasant. What the hell was he thinking, moving back home, anyway? There were multiple good reasons why he’d left in the first place, and Nick could see that there were many more that would be added to the list before long. He wondered how the weather in San Diego was at that particular moment.

The next couple of days were hectic. Requisition forms had to be filled out, corrected, refilled out, and filed. Supplies had to acquired, including the heavy-duty body bags that were requested. This aspect of their endeavor made Nick shudder. It brought the goal of their mission into focus. They were officially searching for missing persons; unofficially, they were retrieving the bodies of dead children. With the expense and sheer effort their duties required, Nick was forced to hope that he would be bringing those bags back full. Inwardly, he prayed that he wouldn’t be filling any of the ‘extra’ bags they were bringing along ‘just in case’.

Cap’n Guidry was busy on his end, seeing to the supplies, and recruiting boats and men to help with the search. A small number of possible searchers backed out, even with the extra hazard pay that was being offered. In the end, they procured two boats and five men, not including Cap’n Guidry, Frank, Jr., and Nicholas. It seemed like overkill to Nick to involve such a large amount of resources, but he kept his mouth shut. He was the only one of the bunch who had no experience and no business heading out into the swamp, and he knew it. Realizing that they’d be spending a night or two in the deep, dark recesses of the Atchafalaya Swamp was something that he preferred not to dwell on. Knowing that he was being surrounded with only the best and bravest of alligator hunters in the vicinity made Nick feel a measure of comfort for the time being.

Once the supplies were procured and last-minute arrangements finalized, they all agreed to leave the following morning at sunrise. The more daylight they were able to use, the less chance they would be forced to spend the night hours in the wetlands, which was preferable to everyone involved. Nick packed what few supplies he was bringing in waterproof bags and stowed them into his pack, which he intended on securing to the boat. He brought a couple of extra clips of ammo for his forty-caliber Glock that he put in a waterproof container to keep in his jacket. The handgun itself was not going to leave his side.

After going over everything twice, Nick poured himself a shot of Jack Daniels and sat back in his recliner, trying to relax enough to get at least a few hours of sleep before sunrise. He was going to need every bit of energy he had over the next few days, but even so, he knew he’d be lucky to get more than a few minutes of rest before dawn. He took another swig of his bourbon and sighed. Just what was he getting himself into? An unexpected knock at the door made him jump. Curious as to who would be coming around his place so late at night, Nick put his firearm out of sight and stumbled to the door to greet his unexpected visitor.

"Marie?" said Nick.

"Hi, Nick," Marie replied. "I’m sorry to come over here so late. If you’re already in bed, I can come back another time."

"No, that’s okay. Won’t you come in?"

Nick stood aside to let Marie pass and then closed the door.

"Come on in. I’ll pour you a drink."

Marie sat down on the sofa and fumbled nervously with her purse. Nick poured her a small glass of bourbon and sat beside her.

"So, what’s on your mind?" he asked.

"You. You’re on my mind,
Boo
," answered Marie. "Ever since you came back, I’ve been thinking about you. To tell you the truth, I never stopped thinking about you, even from way back in high school. Oh, Nick, I’m so sorry for what I’ve done. I can’t believe what a mess I’ve made of things."

"It’s okay, Marie. High school was a long time ago. We’ve both gotten on with our lives since then."

"Yeah, well at least you have. I can’t get on with mine. Ronnie won’t let me. He hounds me and harasses me every chance he gets. I wish I’d never met him. And now, you’re back."

"I’m back for now, Marie. There’s no telling how long I’ll be around before I’m out of here again. There’s some truth to what Ronnie said the other night. I do have a history of abandoning those around me."

"Come on, Nick. Don’t let anything Ronnie said get to you. He’s just jealous of you -- always has been, always will be. No, you left because you had good reason to, just like you came back because you had to."

"I should’ve come back a long time ago, Marie, but I didn’t. Now, I only hope it’s not too late."

"Too late for what, Nick?"

Nick sat back for a moment and took another sip of his Jack Daniels. He gathered his thoughts for a moment before continuing.

"It’s already too late for my mom. It’s too late to keep those kids from getting lost in the swamp; maybe even too late for us."

"Too late for us?" Marie asked.

"I’m heading out in the morning to look for those kids. I’ll only be gone a day or two, but depending on what I find, I might not be welcome to hang around. It’ll be like finding a needle in a haystack, and I can’t come back empty-handed. I’m sure I’ll be shown the door in short order. Things aren’t really looking good, I’ll have to admit."

"I don’t care about that, Nick. I just want you to come back. Hell, I don’t want you to even go. It’s not safe, Nick. There’s something out there, something bad. I’ve been having nightmares thinking about you disappearing out there, or worse."

"Now, now. Don’t you worry about me, Marie. There’s nothing going to happen. I’ve been in worse places and come back without a scratch. I’ve faced down real dangers before, not just some made-up bullshit swamp monster. No, the worst thing that will happen to me is nothing. We’ll tramp around the swamp for days without finding jack, and then it will be my ass."

"I hope you’re right, Nick. I really do."

Marie sat quietly for a moment, and Nick just looked at her. She was as beautiful as he always remembered. He could see why it was so easy to fall in love with her back in high school and why it was so hard to fall out of love with her in the years that followed. Looking into her eyes now, he knew that he never had fallen out of love with her. He wanted her as much as he always did, and here she was. He knew he should just let it go and show her out, but he couldn’t help himself. He leaned over and kissed her. She kissed him back, and they embraced with a passion that neither of them ever remembered experiencing before.