Cajun Justice(33)

His breathing had slowed enough for him to hear the faint sound of Claude’s plane returning. Cain turned skyward and searched for his father. He saw the plane bank left and position for a landing on the grass strip. Cain had watched his father land at least a thousand times, but it never got old. He always marveled at what a great pilot Claude was. He swooped the plane over the grass in a slow and steady way and touched down like a butterfly with sore feet. He killed the engine about twenty yards from the barn and let the momentum carry him the rest of the way. When the prop stopped windmilling, he jumped out of the cockpit and onto the wing as if he was still a young man.

“You’re still looking good, Pops.”

Claude smiled, showing his teeth. “Ain’t nuttin’ to eet. Dat flying keeps me young. I’ll keep at eet until I can’t do eet anymore.”

“You want me to refuel it?” Cain asked.

“Non. J’ai terminé.”

“That’s not bad—done with work and it’s not even nine o’clock yet.”

“Life’s simpler out here. Not easy, jus’ simpler.”

From the distance, a pickup truck turned onto the long dirt road that led up to the house. After a few moments, it pulled into the driveway.

“Well, dat didn’t take long. News still travels fas’ out here in da country,” Claude said with a smile.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ll see,” Claude said as he walked toward the house, opened the screen door, and went inside.

Cain still didn’t recognize the truck, but he recognized the lady who stepped out. She was wearing cowboy boots, tight jeans, and a smile that could light up a room.





Chapter 31



“Well, well, well,” she said. “Normally, you can’t believe all the rumors you hear in a small town. But in this case…”

“Elise LeBlanc,” Cain said with excitement. They had known each other since elementary school.

“In the flesh,” she replied.

Cain rushed toward his high school sweetheart, and they embraced.

“Oh, you stink to high heaven! Mr. Lemaire working you to death already?”

“I was exercising. Had you told me you were coming, I would have fancied myself up a little bit.”

They laughed together.

“You look amazing,” Cain said.

“You, too. So, what’s a gal gotta do around here to get a flight over the bayou?”

“Well, normally, I’d charge you full price. But I haven’t flown in over a year, so if you’re willing to trust me, I’ll take you for free.”

“Ain’t nothing free in this world, honey, but I ain’t scared to go up with you. It’ll be just like old times.”

“I’ll be right back,” Cain said. “Let me grab the keys and change my shirt—something less sweaty.”

“And less bloody,” she said.

“You’ve gotten more demanding over the years,” Cain joked.

“I just know what I want,” she replied.

The screen door slammed as he ran in and then out of the house, back toward Elise. They walked toward his dad’s low-wing taildragger. Most agriculture planes were designed for only one pilot, but Claude owned the two-seat variant since teaching his children how to fly had been important to him.

Cain held Elise’s hand to help her step onto the wing and into the open cockpit. He buckled her seat belt and handed her a headset.

“Aren’t you going to give me your old scripted safety briefing?” She giggled. “If you throw up,” she mocked, “then I’ll throw up, because I’m a sympathetic puker. And if I start throwing up, then I’ll have to declare an emergency.”

Cain smiled at the nostalgia. “Nah. I have a stronger stomach than I did in high school.” He jumped in, buckled himself, and put on a headset. This is just like old times. He smiled even bigger than he had when she had gotten out of her truck.

“What kind of takeoff do you want?” he asked.

“Like the ones you used to do.”

“Can you handle it?”

“I can handle anything you throw my way.” She was clearly flirting.

“Roger that.” Cain applied full throttle. The turboprop sprang to life and they catapulted into the sky at over 850 feet per minute. Cain leveled off at 1500 feet and they soared over the marshlands while catching up. They had shared many flights together over the bayous, but it had been so many years since they’d been together.

“I heard you got a divorce,” Cain said.

“That’s the thing about small towns. Can’t do anything without everybody knowing your business.”

“I didn’t realize it was classified information.”

“Last year I caught Scottie ‘dating’ a girl that worked at his nightclub in Lafayette, and it was the straw that broke this camel’s back. But we share joint custody of Brandon. Every boy needs a father in his life.”

“How old is Brandon now? Six? Seven?”

“Ten!”

“Wow. Time flies,” Cain said in disbelief.

“It’ll slow down for you now that you’re back home.”

“Well, I might only be here temporarily.”