Voodoo River - Robert Crais Page 0,106

his head. Still with the attitude. Champagne and Berry were younger than Willets. Boudreaux introduced everybody, and I stayed with the group while Pike went off by himself and stood against the wall. Both Berry and Champagne kept glancing at him. A little tray of Fig Newtons and sugar cookies was on the coffee table, and Edith Boudreaux offered us coffee in fragile china cups. She seemed anxious that we accept, and she hovered at the edges of the room, as flighty as a mayfly trapped behind glass. I thought that, in a way, this might be harder on her than on anyone else. Jo-el said, "I've told everybody that we're goin' after Milt Rossier tonight. I told'm about the illegals and Donaldo Prima and Frank Escobar and what we're tryin' to do. You wanna tell'm what you saw out there?"

I went through it about the towboat and the pumping station and the old man and the little girl, and then I told them about backtracking on Prima to uncover the scam. When I was in the middle of it Willets sat forward on the couch and stopped me. He said, "You saw a damned murder you shoulda come in right away."

Jo-el said, "He had his reasons, Tommy."

Tommy Willets was staring at the sheriff. "Not reportin' a crime is against the law, Jo-el. Jesus Christ, who made this guy the goddamned sheriff?" He shot a glance at Edith. "Sorry, Edie."

Jo-el Boudreaux was looking embarrassed when Dave Champagne said, "Oh, put a sock in it, Tommy. We're gonna finally take down ol' Milt Rossier. Ain't that a hoot?" He was grinning so wide his face looked like a fuzzy pink pumpkin. I looked at Pike, and Pike shook his head. We were making this bust with a Boy Scout troop.

Lucy said, "How is this thing going to be staged?"

I said, "I'm going to meet Milt Rossier and Frank Escobar at the Bayou Lounge at eight, and then we're going to the pumping station to meet the boat. The boat's due in at ten. Prima is supposed to arrive with the boat."

Jo-el looked at Merhlie Comeaux. "How we doin' with this? We clear on entrapment?"

Merhlie nodded. "I don't see a problem, sheriff. It looks clean. We give the state a clean bust with Rossier in possession of cash and a truck full of illegal aliens, and they'll put his name on a double occupancy suite in Angola. I guarantee." He said it gah-rawn-tee. Cajun.

I said, "Rossier may not actually take possession of the cash. It could go to Bennett. That's what happened last time."

"Same thing," Merhlie said. "Bennett works for Rossier, and Rossier holds the lease on the land." He looked back at Boudreaux. "I'll wait by the phone.

Just lemme know when it's done and I'll call Jack Fochet at state and we'll have of Milt arraigned by tomorrow noon. Jack Fochet is a good boy."

Berry was looking concerned. "I know the old Hyfield Oil station. How are we supposed to see any of this if it happens inside there?"

"Prima flags the towboat in from the shore, then they bring the trucks into the building through a couple of barn doors," I said. "They leave the doors open. You won't have any problem. That's how we saw the old man killed."

Jo-el said, "We're gonna be in the weeds, so we may not be able to see what's going on. Maybe we oughta have a sign or somethin'."

Merhlie frowned. "Well, hell, Jo-el, what do you want him to do, wave a red bandanna? Those sons of bitches have guns and they like to use them."

When he said it, Lucy sat forward in her chair. "You're going to be with them when the arrests are made?"

"Yes."

She looked at Pike, and then back to me. "Is that necessary?"

"I'm what holds it together. I'm putting Rossier and Escobar together, and they're going to want me with them all the way. Rossier's nervous, and Escobar's only going along because he thinks he's going to kill Prima." I looked at Boudreaux. "Prima isn't expecting Escobar, so when these guys see each other all hell's going to break loose. You'll have to move fast."

Jo-el nodded. "Sure. You bet." He was pale and he kept rubbing at his jaw.

Willets hooked a thumb at Pike. "Where are you going to be, podnuh?"

Pike said, "Watching."

Willets didn't like that. "What in hell does that mean?"

Jo-el said, "Don't worry about it, Tommy. He'll be there."

Willets stayed with it. "We should know where everyone is.