Kent Conwell - Tony Boudreaux 02 - Skeletons of the Atchafalaya by Kent Conwell

Author:Kent Conwell [Conwell, Kent]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery: Thriller - P.I. - Hurricane - Louisiana
ISBN: 0803496281
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: 2003-10-05T03:52:12.031000+00:00

Everyone around the radio grew silent. After a moment, a few men cursed. Janice spotted me and hurried from the crowd.

“What’s going on?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know exactly. All I heard was that the hurricane went back offshore.”

I stared at her. “You sure?”

She gestured in the direction of the radio. “That’s what the weatherman said. What does that mean, Tony? It must be bad because everyone seems upset.”

“Well, it might not be all that bad,” Leroi volunteered. “The problem is that when it goes back offshore, then it can move up or down the coast.”

“Where it was heading,” I explained, “was east of us, maybe Baton Rouge, or even New Orleans. Wherever it went, we would be on the west side of the eye.”

“That’s the good side,” she said.

“Yeah. But offshore, she could move west.”

A woman’s voice sounded behind us. “And still come in right on top of us.”

We looked around. It was Giselle. “In fact, if you look outside, you’ll notice the wind and rain is slacking off some.”

Janice slid her arm under mine. “So, it isn’t over yet, is it?”

I led the way back to the kitchen. “Hard to say. She might move on down the coast. We might wake up in the morning and the sun will be out. It’s just hard to say.”

Opening the back door, I peered through the glass insert in the storm door. Water was in the generator shed. Only about a foot or so, I guessed. That meant we had another three feet to spare before the water reached the generator.

Sally and Leroi came into the kitchen. “You better find some more of that bleach, Giselle,” she said, gesturing to the parlor. “George Miller looked out one of the storm doors and said the steps and veranda are covered with all sorts of animals.”

Janice gasped. I patted her hand and tried to reassure her. “It’s natural. Don’t worry. Once the worst is over, the animals will be just as happy to get out of here as we will to see them go.”

“You sure?” She looked up at me hopefully.

I nodded. “Bet you wish you were back in Austin, huh?”

“Yes.”

“I wish we were both back there.” I leaned over and touched my lips to hers.

“Think I’ll get me something to snack on,” Leroi said.

The others joined in. Janice looked up at me. “You want me to make you a sandwich, Tony?”

“No. You go ahead. I’ll be in there after I talk to Aunt Ezeline.”

Aunt Ezeline was nervous. At first I figured she was still edgy from her husband’s close call, but later I realized I hadn’t seen her around the window during our rescue efforts, another puzzling detail.

I explained what I was doing and the fact I just wanted her to tell me what she could remember. She shook her head. “I don’t like this, Tony. It make me nervous. I don’t know nothing to help.”

I laid my hand on hers to reassure her. I truly felt sorry for Aunt Ezeline. She’d worked hard all her life.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.