Chapter 3-Home Coming
 
Sheriff Renee sat twirling a pencil between his fingers.  It had been a quiet rainy Monday morning; the Friday and Saturday drunks had sobered up and gone back to work. Confessions had been made to the priest on Sunday and forgiveness granted… all was right with the world.  But it wasn’t in Renee’s world.  He had dealt with newsmen all the past week regarding the body found in the bayou.   The ‘Houma Daily' news   ran it first ,then the New Orleans press got the story and it made front page. He knew it would all die down after a little while.  It wasn’t the first time a body had been found in a bayou.  Renee was a very patient man.  He would wait.  Meanwhile, his nightmares had returned.  He’d had them the first six months that his friend Gene had been killed, but they stopped as abruptly as they   began.  That is until last night.  He woke with cold sweats and yelling “call an ambulance”.  Renee leaned back in his office chair and let his mind remember the dream. The dream always started out pleasant with him back in Shreveport. He thought it strange how he could remember so many details. It always ended with Gene lying in that back alley bleeding to death.  Renee on the cold blacktop holding the bloody mess the 357 Magnum had burned into Gene’s skull. Blood pooling onto the filth covering the ground, sweat rolling off Renee’s face, and him sick with shame and guilt. He promised Gene when they were kids that he would never let him down. He failed him.

Renee  lit a cigarette and watched the smoke swirl up toward the tin ceiling of his office. “Damn Gene, I am sorry man. It should have been me.” He stubbed out his Lucky Strike.
 
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Evangeline is coming home soon from New York.  I’ve got to get my shit together. . I’m going to tell her that two months is too long to stay away.  I’m lonely without her. I need her body close to me at night. 
Just at that moment, Evangeline came bursting through the door.  She wore a beautiful stylish dark blue suit with three buttons down the front and patent leather shoes to match.   She was the picture of perfection.  Renee found himself  speechless.  He stood up quickly.
“Well, hello, darlin’ I’m sorry if I surprised you.  Your boy out there at the front desk told me he’d tell you I was here…but of course I wasn’t going to wait on him.” Evangeline flicked her hand quickly across her long chestnut bangs, rolled her brown eyes back and smiled coyly. “Don’t you just love my new hairstyle?  It’s called a Peek-a-Boo, just like Veronica Lake wore in her last movie.”

The thought flashed through Renee’s mind, she has a lot of gall, that man she’s calling a boy is at least 52 years old.  “I…I didn’t expect you for another few weeks. What happened?”

Renee ran over to give her a big welcome home hug and kiss, but Evangeline brushed him off by side stepping him and flopping herself down in the only other chair in the room.  “Is this that old chair that used to be in my daddy’s office?  Why, I can’t believe you don’t care anymore about appearances than to keep this old thing. The leather is just about worn out.”

He walked over to the old brown leather chair that he happened to love and kissed Evangeline full on the lips.  “I’m so glad to see you.  I really missed you. I’m glad you came home early”

“Oh, darlin’ you will smear my lipstick.” Evangeline took her compact out and looked at herself briefly then put it back into her large matching purse.  “You just can’t believe what a wonderful time I had in New York.” she began to rattle on. “But it was beginning to bore me. All Daddy’s friends are so old, and all they want to talk about is this silly war.”

As he sat back down behind his desk ,he hadn't heard much of what Evangeline had said. “I’m glad you had fun. I missed you.”

“I’ll tell you all about my trip when we get home, right now, I’m starving.  Daddy dropped me off; he was going to the bank.  He told me to tell you to take me home.  I wonder what Maybelle will be cooking for supper? I hate riding in that old police car of yours, but I guess that’s the only way I’m going to get home.  I’m exhausted.  Can we go now?”

“Yes, I’ll put things away and let Deputy Pierre know I’ll be taking the afternoon off.”

The drive home was uneventful.  Evangeline continued to rattle on about the war and how it had affected the styles and how she just could not understand this dire need to ration everything by the government. 

“Why, did you know that the government is asking us to give up our nylon stocking for the War Effort?   I saw signs everywhere: ‘Mend and Make Do.’ Evangeline gave a loud audible huff.

“What do they expect us to do?  Mend and Make Do, well, I never!  And I tell you dear; all the ladies in New York were dressed so fine. Why, I felt like a country mouse.  I had Daddy march right to midtown with me and we bought a proper wardrobe for the city.  We were invited to several parties at Senators’ and Congressmen’s homes.   It was just delightful to mix with real gentry for a while.”  Evangeline droned on.            “I just didn’t know my daddy knew so many important people.”      
                                                                                  
“That’s great dear, I’m glad you had fun.” Renee replied.

“Ohooo, there’s our beautiful home.”  Evangeline squealed just as they rounded the bend in Bayou Road.  Standing before them was an enormous red brick plantation home built in 1787 in the French Colonial style with six white Doric columns.   Large old oaks with their limbs reaching almost to the ground surrounded the front of the property.  In back two old charred wood structures; the remaining traces of what had once been slave cabins back when the Duhon Plantation had been one of the richest sugar plantations in Louisiana. Mr. Duhon liked to brag that this plantation had been in his family since before the Civil War.  He especially loved to tell the story of what he called the ‘Battle of Houma’.   He would tell it to anyone who would listen about the four Union soldiers in route to Houma from New Orleans in a wagon in 1862. They were caught by the Houma ‘guard ‘and two killed and the other two severely wounded. He would then swear and tell how the Union Army swooped down on Houma with four hundred troops and began a wholesale arrest of residents.  They burned the home of Doctor Jennings and two other houses were torn down; the Negroes were set free.  The part he liked to tell the best was how they tried to burn his plantation, too, but it didn’t burn down completely.  All their livestock was ran off and they had to survive like the Native Houma Indians and the Creole people…off the land.   After the war, they restored the fine old home and the Duhon family fared well in the new Union economy buying up land and raising sugar cane and cotton. 
Renee just shook his head.  This wasn’t their home. He would have never left the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Department in Shreveport if Evangeline had not worn him down with her relentless crying and pleading about her daddy needed her since her mother had died last year. She was Mr. Duhon’s only child.  Renee knew she was spoiled but he could not say ‘no’ to her. 
 
  Later that night after a fine supper of Crawfish Etouffee and Tarte a la Bouillie, Renee and Evangeline retired to their forest green and pink bedroom. Maybelle had put fresh air dried scented sheets on their big bed.   Pink rose bouquets lavished in Wedgewood crystal vases on both bedside tables.  A rose had been placed on Evangeline’s’ pillow. A bottle of imported red wine chilled on the desk with stemmed crystal glasses. Renee smiled and secretly thanked Maybelle for being so thoughtful. As Renee bathed and got himself ready for bed, Evie sat at the dressing table and removed her makeup. 

Renee appeared in the steamy bathroom door wearing only his pajama bottoms.  His dark chest hair formed little ringlets from the moist bathroom air and his cheeks flushed from excitement.  Walking over to Evangeline he stooped down and kissed the back of her neck. “Oh Evie, I missed you so much.”

“Sweetie, not now…I’m just filthy from my trip. Let me freshen up.” Evie rose from the dressing table and headed for the bathroom .“My goodness, dear, you left this bathroom a steamy mess. I’ll just be a little while.”

One hour later, Renee still  waited anxiously for Evangeline to finish her bath.  He could hear the water splashing in the tub and visualized her white smooth silky skin and the warm water splashing across her shoulders and breast.  It had been a long time since they had been together.                       
Evangeline  entered the bedroom dressed in a pink silk dressing gown of floral design. Her long flowing chestnut hair gleamed in the faint glow of the antique bedside table lamp. 

“Evie you are so beautiful.” Renee’s voice was husky as he handed her a glass of wine.

“Why, thank you dear.” Evie chirped. She took the wine and took a long sip.  “Hmm, this is good.” 

Renee walked up closer and ran his fingers through Evies’ silken hair. Then he leaned in to kiss her. Hmmm, you smell so good.”

“Renee, you feel damp.  Go dry off some more.” Evie scowled.  She poured herself another drink and sat down again at the dressing table to comb her hair as he went back into the bathroom.

He came out of the bathroom and tossed the fluffy pink towel across to a chair, she was still brushing her hair.  He crawled under the satin quilt. “Hmm, this feels good, smiling playfully “Evie, come see how much I’ve missed you.”