Page 28 of Broken Bayou
“Did you get your car towed?” he says. “Margie, inside, can help you with that.”
That’s not the question I was expecting. “No. I ...” I’m about to say I was just leaving when Raymond nods, says, “It’s okay. I know why you’re here.”
My stomach drops. Has he talked to Travis? If so, what has Travis told him?
“Everyone in town is curious about that car.”
I breathe out a raspy laugh. “Yeah. I just had to see it.” I lean closer. “But it’s hard to get a good look from here.”
He scans the area behind me, shuffles on his feet. I don’t say a word. I let him sit with his thoughts about me and about how his friends acted in our past.
Raymond’s eyes finally come back to mine. “I mean, I guess if you want to come in and have a look-see real quick, it’d be okay. As long as you don’t touch anything,” he adds firmly.
Maybe being recognized by someone harboring old guilt isn’t so bad after all. “I don’t know, Raymond. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
He swats his hand. “Ah, no. Everybody’s down at the bayou anyway. It’s fine.”
“Well.” I pause. “If you’re sure? I would like to take a look.”
He grabs a key ring from his pocket and opens the lock. The gate swings open. “No touching, though, remember?”
“Got it.” I give him a thumbs-up in a lame attempt to be casual. My pulse is anything but. It’s pounding in my neck like a jackhammer.
I ease into the yard, past the other cars. Raymond walks with me. As I approach the convertible, I cover my mouth and nose with my elbow. It smells like death.
“Should have warned you about the smell,” Raymond says. “Clams. And God knows what else.”
The car’s frame is dented and rusted. The red paint shows in some places but just barely. It’s completely rotted. Back to front. I head for the driver’s side and study the base of the windshield. No VIN number.
As I stare at it, my mind rewinds the clock to Mama and Mabry stumbling into Shadow Bluff well after midnight. Even though Mama told me not to bother, I’d been up waiting for them. Mama had snapped a heel off and was holding the shoe in her hand as she limped upstairs. Mabry followed, feet bare and covered in mud. She shuffled past me to our room. I followed Mama into her bedroom. She climbed into bed in her clothes, lit a cigarette. Smoke swirled around the bedside lamp. In the light, I saw one eye was swollen shut.
“What happened to your face?”
She exhaled a plume of smoke. “Nothing.”
“What happened to Mabry’s shoes? Why are her feet covered in mud?”
“We walked home.”
“Walked home? Where’s the car?”
She took a long drag.
“Where’s that fancy new car, Mama?” I repeated, completely out of patience.
She snubbed her cigarette out and motioned for me to come closer. “I’m gonna need you to do your mama a favor.”
The decayed car in front of me transforms into its shiny new version, sitting alone in the parking lot where Krystal Lynn told me I’d find it. Key in the ignition. The faint smell of Cinnabar in the leather seats. I’d wrapped my fingers around the steering wheel and thought about Mabry and the money we’d get. And I told myself whatever I did, it’d be worth it. Mabry would finally get the help she needed. That’s when I noticed the security camera, high on the wall in front of the car, pointing directly at me.
“That’s too close,” Raymond says, and I jerk back, gasping. I’ve moved around the side of the car, and now I’m staring at the open trunk. My heart rate racing.
Raymond cranes his neck. “Not sure what’s going on, but they had a whole crew working this car when it came in. Even the state boys. My guess is, they found something good.”
“Good?” I say as something cold dances over my skin.
“Well, bad,” Raymond corrects, looking embarrassed again. “You know, I was an EMT in Baton Rouge before I became a cop. I thought I’d seen it all, doing that.” He grimaces at the trunk. “Not even close to what I’m seeing now.”
I follow his gaze to the trunk, my heart clamoring in my chest, unsure if he’s referring to it or the barrels. I back away, slowly at first, then pick up speed as I turn and head for the gate. With my back to him, I say, “Thanks for letting me have a look, Raymond.”
