Big Easy (Cowboy Craze)

by Sable Hunter

  “No. A whole mess of cops have arrived though. They’re combing over the plantation for clues now.” He nodded over his shoulder. “I guess they’ll let us go as soon as they…clean up from the accident. Shouldn’t be long. I’ve been here for a while.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” Easy watched in his rearview mirror as the man meandered on down the row of traffic. “Some people seem to enjoy spreading bad news.” He glanced over at Jewel who was staring out her window, every muscle in her body tensed. “What’s wrong? What do you see?”

  “Nothing.” She wasn’t lying, she didn’t see anything. Not with her eyes. There were no apparitions hovering about. Today, the only thing that remained were the stains on time, the faded footprints on the ground. “Laurel Plantation was the site of a massacre in the late 1800’s. Sugar cane workers tried to unionize and the plantation owners weren’t having any of it. When the workers went on strike, the growers and a few lawmen came with a Gatling gun and mowed down sixty people – all because they had the audacity to ask for a living wage of a dollar and a quarter a day instead of forty-two cents.”

  Easy could tell she felt passionately about this. “So many regrettable things have happened in the past. Our home in Kingsland sits in the shadow of Packsaddle Mountain. Can you believe one of the last skirmishes between the Apache and the white man took place on that same mountain? I mean it sits in our backyard! To make the whole thing even more tragic, my father’s grandfather died there that day. And for what? A rancher reported one of his cows came home with an arrow in her haunch. The settlers banded together and tracked an Apache hunting party to the mountain and attacked them while they slept.” He shook his head and laughed sadly. “The state put up a historical marker commemorating the battle – it sits right by the road leading to our ranch.”

  “I’m sorry, that must be hard to live with – seeing where the battle took place every day and driving by that marker so often.” She unbuckled her seat belt and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. “Thanks for telling me.”

  He nodded. “Well, we’ve shared a lot of things and not all of them have been happy. Still…it helps to talk about them.” Easy smiled at her. “You’re a good friend.”

  A good friend. Just? She returned to her seat and buckled herself in. “Thanks.”

  “I feel really close to you,” he told her.

  Better. “Thanks, Easy.”

  “I hope to be even closer to you later. Tonight. In bed.” He cut her a glance and grinned.

  Even better. She gave him an answering smile. “It’s a date.”

  Hearing an engine fire up, Easy’s focus turned to the road ahead. “Traffic’s moving.”

  As the vehicles began inching forward, then gradually picked up speed, they passed some chalk marks on the shoulder of the road. This drew Easy’s attention, but what drew Jewel’s was the fragile figure standing forlornly by. A delicate, unclothed spirit of an African American woman stared at the place where her body had laid only moments before. Raising her eyes to meet Jewel’s, their gazes locked, then her mouth opened in a silent scream. With a quick look over her shoulder, the woman took off running, colliding soundlessly with Easy’s truck, and passing right through it as if they weren’t even there.

  Jewel flinched, gasped, but said nothing. Easy didn’t react, nor did he notice her reaction. Apparently, he’d seen nothing. Considering everything that had happened, Jewel decided to keep this small encounter to herself.

  They were quite solemn for the remainder of the trip to Belle Chasse, speaking in almost hushed tones about various things. His brothers’ families. Her plans for a vegetable garden. Their idea to pick up some takeout on the way home. When they neared the old plantation, Jewel sat up and took notice.

  “Being so close to the coast, I know this place was hit harder by the storm than most.”

  “Right, everything was devastated. Philip has some old photos of the estate in his office. This road was bordered on both sides by dozens of giant oaks with spreading branches, some almost touching the ground. Only a few are left.” Turning onto the property itself, he took the drive that once went to the house and pointed. “As you can see, there’s nothing left but those columns. Eerie, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it sure is.” Jewel narrowed her gaze, half expecting to see the spirit of Christian McCoy’s wife wandering among the sad, stately columns. She looked closely, but saw nothing.

  Easy didn’t stop, but drove slowly around the old circular drive that once passed in front of the grand old home. “As a tribute to their mother, Philip and his family built an exact replica of their home on the shores of Lake Buchanan in Texas.”

  Ah, no wonder there were no sad spirits here. Why remain behind, when you could be with your family? “He plans to rebuild here, at some point?”

  “I think so. Right now, reviving the pasture lands and the crops is consuming all of our attention. Plus, Philip is determined to preserve whatever archaeological relics may be on the property. We’re being very careful to not disturb any areas that he feels are important to his research.” Easy continued on past the mobile offices, Jed’s trailer, and the barn where the horses were kept. “Not knowing what we’ll find, I think we need to save the horseback ride for another day.”

  “Of course.” Jewel was a little relieved. She’d only ridden a horse twice in her life.

  The farther they went, the narrower the lane became. When the road forked, he took the more overgrown side. “I’ve been through here once, and I know Philip has visited Wren a couple of times – other than that, I don’t think a vehicle has covered this ground since Katrina.”

  “I presume Wren and her father moved out here after the plantation was abandoned in 2005.”

  “Squatters, yea,” Easy said the word with a hint of disdain. “Do you know where they lived before?”

  Jewel kept her eye on the thick brush next to the road. Undoubtedly, a half dozen alligators were watching their vehicle roll by. “I can remember Hazel talking about Prosper Rabalais. He owned some land near Grand Isle and made his living off the marshland. Regrettably, he lost it all to rising water. The family was forced to move when the canals eroded, allowing more seawater to flow inward. The bayous turned brackish, the ecosystem failed, and the land sank beneath the waves.” Her voice had taken on a withdrawn quality, as if she were repeating something she’d heard often before. “Like many others, the Rabalais family lost everything they owned.”

  “So, the old man just moved onto someone else’s land.”

  “Well, it was abandoned for fourteen years.”

  Easy frowned. “Doesn’t make it right. He just threw up a shack and called it home. Trespassed. Stealing every time he trapped, hunted, and fished.”

  Jewel could sense Easy’s attitude stemmed from the fact that his people, the Apache, lost their land to settlers who just moved in and claimed it. “Well, what does Philip think about this? Has he made any move to evict her?”

  Easy shook his head in the negative. “No, he said something about Prosper being dead and this being Wren’s home for most of her life.”

  Jewel laughed softly. “So, instead of asking her to leave, he bought her a satellite phone so he could stay in contact.”

  “Yea, I guess.” Easy slowed even more, trying to maneuver the deep ruts in the road. “Wait until you see this place, I don’t know how she’s existed out here. No running water. No electricity. No way to get to a grocery store.”

  Jewel was listening to Easy, but she was also taking in what she could see. Once they emerged from a particularly dense thicket, the area opened up into what she would define as an enchanted wonderland. “Oh, how marvelous,” Jewel breathed at the sight of myriad flowers, blooming vines, fruit trees, and vegetable beds. “Wren lives in Eden.”

  Easy grimaced, not sure he could agree with Jewel. “The shack looks like it could fall on top of her at any moment.”

  Once he was parked underneath a large tree, they climbed from the truck to look around. “
Wren!” Easy called. “Wren! Are you here? It’s Easy Blackhawk. Philip asked us to check on you!”

  Moving across the yard to the ramshackle porch, they listened for a few moments to see if she would answer. “Maybe, she’s inside. Maybe the phone batteries died.”

  Easy reached the steps first. “No, here’s the phone.” He found the oversize mobile phone lying on the second step, as if it had been dropped.

  Jewel reached the door first, tapping on the wood. “Wren? Are you here? Philip McCoy is worried about you!”

  When there was no answer, she tried the knob, finding the door wasn’t locked. “Easy, it’s open.”

  “Let me go first.” He put a protective hand on her shoulder. “Watch your step. I’m afraid you might crash through the floor at any moment.”

  Stepping inside, Jewel was surprised to find the interior spotless. Wren might not have every advantage – or any, for that matter – but she did the best with what she had. There was a large wooden bowl for washing dishes, an empty whiskey barrel she used to hold drinking water, and a beautifully carved cabinet which held what appeared to be a few precious dishes. A woodburning stove sat in one corner and a neat pallet occupied the opposite space. A trunk sat next to the makeshift bed, which Jewel imagined held Wren’s meager store of clothing.

  “The floor looks clean enough to eat on,” Easy mumbled with reluctant admiration.

  “True.” Jewel moved across the room to open another door, finding it led to the outside. “This is just a one room cabin.”

  “No place for her to hide.” He turned to go. “She has to be outside some place.”

  “Easy, she could be anywhere.”

  “I know, but Philip’s worried. I need to find her if I can.” He held the door for Jewel, then followed her out. “Wren! Wren Rabalais!”

  As Easy moved across the clearing, Jewel chose to go in the opposite direction. As she did, she couldn’t help but notice a raised coop for chickens and a beehive for honey. Wren seemed to have everything she needed to survive. “Wren! Wren!” she added her voice to Easy’s.

  After they made their way around the cabin, even foraying into the edge of the woods, they had to conclude she was nowhere around. “What now?” Jewel asked, holding her hair off her neck to keep cool.

  Easy sighed and shook his head. “I guess we need to drive around a bit. I don’t relish telling Philip she’s missing.”

  As they started for the truck, he stopped. “You go ahead,” he told her. “I’m going to run back and get the satellite phone. We might need it.”

  Jewel shivered a little at the thought. She didn’t relish the idea of them being the bearer of bad news. “All right.” Retreating to his truck, Jewel tried to tune in to what might have happened. She closed her eyes, attempting to pick up on any residual vibrations. All she could hone in on were the emotions of surprise and determination.

  When Easy returned, she held out her hand. “Could I see it? I presume that’s one of the last things she touched.”

  “Right.” He gave it to her, then started his vehicle, and backed out. “I’m going to put this thing in four-wheel drive and we’re going off-road for a bit. If you pick up on anything, let me know.”

  Jewel held the phone, concentrating on what she might read from the object. To her consternation, she reaffirmed a previous belief that electronics weren’t the best conductors of psychic information.

  “Can you sense anything?”

  “Not really, I…” Just as she was about to explain the problem, Easy slammed on the brakes as Wren Rabalais darted out in front of the truck, waving her arms.

  “Ye, gods,” Easy muttered, his heart in his throat. Throwing open his door, he yelled at the woman, “I almost plowed you down!”

  Jewel opened her door in time to hear Wren apologize.

  “I’m sorry. I was on my way home when I heard you calling. I wanted to catch you before you left.”

  Easy held out the satellite phone. “Philip tried to call you. He was worried.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t consider that possibility.” She took the phone and cradled it to her breast. “I guess I dropped this when I left so quickly. I didn’t think about going back for it.”

  Jewel moved around to the front of the truck where the other two were standing. “Hey, Wren. I’m Jewel Baptiste.”

  Easy threw his hand in the air. “Hell, I’m sorry. I should’ve introduced you two.”

  “I know who Miss Baptiste is.” Wren held out her hand congenially. “Nice to know you.”

  “Likewise.” Jewel couldn’t help but study the other woman’s appearance. She was beautiful. Neat as a pin – even though her dress was worn and obviously handmade. “Why were you in such a hurry to leave?”

  “Yea, is something wrong?” Easy asked, sharing Jewel’s concern.

  “There was a group of men here in the predawn hours Saturday morning. I could hear loud talking. Screams.”

  “Someone screamed?” Jewel could read fear on the other woman’s face. “Did it sound like a woman?”

  “Yea, it did,” Wren murmured. “I crept over to see what was going on, but I only got a glimpse or two before I was detected. There were at least three men and one woman – maybe more. When they heard me in the brush, one man shone a spotlight on me and I ran.”

  “Did they follow you?” Jewel asked.

  Wren grinned. “He tried, but I’m fast. I led him to the deeper part of the swamp. He didn’t come after me. I waited awhile, before I came home another way.”

  “It was kids, probably,” Easy muttered. “Ganging up out here to drink beer and make out with girls.”

  Easy’s explanation sounded reasonable, but to Jewel – it just didn’t ring true. “So, why did you leave your house? Did you feel threatened?” she asked Wren. Looking into her eyes, she could already see the truth.

  “About an hour after I looped back home, someone came on my porch and fiddled with the door.” She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. “I called out to ask who they were, but no one answered. I told them I had a gun and knew how to use it.”

  “What happened then?” Easy asked, wondering if he should ride around to see what he could see.

  “I heard his footsteps leaving. I thought he was gone…until the back door started rattling. I panicked and ran out the front, dropping the phone on the way.” Wren bowed her head and stared at the ground. “This is the first time I’ve ever been scared in my own home.”

  “So, you don’t know who the men were or what they were doing?” Jewel couldn’t rid herself of the feeling that there might be more to this than a late night gathering of local teens.

  Wren backed up a step and shook her head. “Like I said, I didn’t get a good look. Neither time.”

  “Neither time?” This question came from Easy. “What do you mean?”

  “I tried to go home yesterday. When I was about fifty yards from my house, I heard voices. The same voices from the night before. They were looking for me.”

  Easy had heard enough. “You need to come with us.”

  “No. No.” She backed another two steps away from them. “I’m fine.”

  Jewel didn’t sense fear coming from Wren – she felt reluctance. “Why not? We have plenty of room.”

  “No. I have a very safe place to be.” She gave them a small smile, meant to be reassuring. “I don’t like to leave the swamp.”

  “You went with Philip to the hospital,” Easy reminded her.

  “I know.” She conceded. “But that was an emergency.”

  “And a possible threat to your personal well-being isn’t an emergency?” he pressed Wren, knowing how important her safety was to Philip.

  Jewel touched Easy’s arm, silently letting him know he was raising his voice, then addressed Wren herself, “You have a safe place, you say?”

  “Yes, an abandoned sugar mill not far from here.” She pointed eastward. “No one ever goes there. Most people don’t even know it exists, but I’ve played
there for years. There’s a hiding place within its walls that’s completely undetectable and equipped with everything I need.”

  “Are you sure you won’t come with us?” Easy asked again. “I think Philip feels responsible for you. After all, you helped him.”

  “No. Thank you. I’ll be fine.”

  Seeing Wren was adamant, Easy sighed. “All right. I won’t force you, but call Philip, Wren. As soon as possible.” He touched her shoulder gently. “Are you planning on returning to your house now?”

  “No. I think I’m safer at the mill. For now.” Wren gave them a gentle smile. “I’ll be fine. I’ll go home once Philip returns from his trip. His presence on the land will discourage any visitors.”

  Easy nodded. “So, you intend to continue living in a house built on someone else’s property?”

  “Easy…” Jewel softly chastised him for his question.

  “I know. None of my business.”

  The look on Wren’s face went from surprise to guilt. “I forget sometimes. I’ve been here so long.” She lifted the satellite phone into the air. “But I’ll call…”

  Before she could finish her sentence, the phone rang.

  “He beat you to it.” Easy smiled amiably. “Be careful. I’ll check with you tomorrow.”

  Wren nodded as she pressed the answer button. “Hello?”

  They stood for a moment, watching the young woman turn and walk down an almost imperceptible path.

  “Well, at least we know she’s safe.”

  “For now,” Jewel muttered under her breath as she followed Easy to his truck.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “You’re very protective of Philip, aren’t you?”

  Jewel’s observation brought Easy out of a daze. “Oh, I don’t know - maybe,” he murmured as they left Belle Chasse and pulled onto the paved road. “I just can’t condone people trying to move in onto someone else’s land.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “Chalk it up to lessons my people learned from history.”

  “I can’t deny Prosper was guilty, but Wren is just a victim of circumstances.”