Kent Conwell - Tony Boudreaux 02 - Skeletons of the Atchafalaya Read Free Page B

thoughtful, the consummate gentleman who lets his genteel
lady drink from a soda bottle. On a table under a nearby
oak sat a collection of fruit jars filled with a clear liquid.
With a shrug, I grabbed a pint jar.
    Uncle Bailey arched an eyebrow. I patted my stomach.
“Nowhere but Louisiana,” I replied.
    He laughed. I never could figure out why, but all you had to say to make Uncle Bailey laugh was repeat those
words, “Nowhere but Louisiana.”

    Leroi and I roared across the two-mile bridge. He took
a large swallow from the jar and handed it to me. I hesitated, then rationalized. What the heck. One can’t hurt. But
guilt was playing havoc with my conscience. I glanced
sidelong at Leroi and turned up the jug. Instead of a large
gulp, I barely sipped it. We popped open our sodas. I took
one sip and stuck mine between my legs.
    Leroi scooted around in the seat and looked straight at
me. “You got no idea how good it is to see you, Cuz. I
was planning on leaving, but now I’m looking forward to
three days of family fun.”
    I discovered when we returned that not even in Cajun
Louisiana do they spell the word fun, M-U-R-D-E-R.

     

At 1-10, we cut east.
    Leroi patted the dashboard. “Nice truck.” A gust of wind
slammed into us, causing the truck to swerve. “Whoa,”
Leroi exclaimed, glancing in the direction of the Gulf.
“Getting strong.”
    The concrete bridge was even with the treetops, which
were swaying in the gusts. “Yeah. You look like you’re
doing okay in the tube business. What’s that Dodge you’re
driving, a 2500?”
    He sipped the beer. “Yeah. I bought it when I opened
the fourth shop.”
    I whistled, truly impressed. “Four? I didn’t know about
the last two.”
    With a sheepish grin, he replied, “Yep, I’m a chain now.
A small one, but Catfish Lube has four locations in Opelousas. Getting ready to expand to Lafayette next year.”
    “You don’t mean it?” I looked at him in surprise.
“Sounds like you’re doing great, man.”
    He shrugged. “Well, I’m trying. It gets a little tough now
and then.”
    I failed to catch the nuance in his tone. “Where’d you
come up with a name like that, Catfish Lube?”
    Leroi laughed. “Name of the town, Opelousas. You
know, like the catfish. How about you?”

    I brought him up to date. He already knew about the
brief career I had teaching English to kids who didn’t want
to learn in schools that didn’t want teachers to teach or
administrators to discipline. It was always a toss-up
whether you would leave school each afternoon in your car
or in an ambulance.
    “Then I tried insurance. That was a bust. Of course,
that’s where I met Janice, the one we’re going to pick up.
I helped her out of an insurance jam. Neither of us were
interested in getting serious, but we have fun together.” I
chuckled and took a sip of soda. “She’s rich, too rich for
someone like me. I’m just a dependable escort and confidant.”
    Leroi arched an eyebrow. “Sounds intriguing.”
    “Not really. We’re good friends, and we like being with
each other.”
    “Ummm. And that’s it?”
    I glanced at him, picking up the suggestive tone in his
question. “You know me, Cuz. I never kiss and tell.”
    We both laughed.
    A wrecker out of Lafayette was hooking up to the Miata
when we drove up. Janice waved. With her other hand, she
held her hair to keep the gusty wind from whipping it into
her eyes. She hugged me.
    I introduced her to Leroi. “You’ve heard me talk about
Leroi.”
    She looked from me to him and back, clearly puzzled,
but too much of a lady to ask the question on her mind.
    I played innocent. “My cousin. Remember?”
    “Your-your cousin?”
    Leroi stepped forward and offered his hand. “I’m the one
nobody wants to talk about.” He laughed. “You know, the
black sheep in the family.”
    Janice cut her eyes toward me in surprise, then reasserted
her self-control and took his hand. “Well,