CHAPTER NINE

Holiday decorating was full-on at Belle Fleur. The trees had been placed on the porches as well as inside the cottages and cabins. The big house was being decorated, and even the island with the animals on it had lights on the trees, wreaths, and a number of festive signs.

Gaspar stared at the animals from the dock of the island, shaking his head. It looked like Santa’s village, with all of the animals donning red ribbons around their necks.

“Red ribbons? Seriously? We’re putting red ribbons on their necks,” he frowned.

“Mama insisted,” smirked Antoine. “She said the animals feel better when they’re decorated like everything else.”

“I cannot fucking believe this. How much did ribbon cost for the necks of bison and elephants?”

“Does it matter?” laughed Rafe.

Gaspar punched his brother’s arm, sending him stumbling as he laughed. He turned to stare at the menagerie and shook his head again. Then, seeing something strange, he looked back at the men.

“Are those live turkeys?” asked Gaspar, opening and closing his mouth in shock.

“Uh, yes,” said Sly.

“Explain. Why do we have live turkeys? Are we serving them for dinner?”

“Not those,” said Jean. “Mama wanted to give them a pardon, sort of like the president does every year. You know, it’s her kingdom and all, and she thought it was a good idea considering Mr. Babin and his sons were hunting them, and they wandered onto our land. They asked permission to hunt them, but Mama refused. Instead, she brought them here.”

“So, we can’t eat them. We can’t hunt them, and we can’t let Mr. Babin have them. Why the hell are they here?”

“I guess so they can have a good life,” smiled Baptiste.

“On my tombstone, I want it to say, ‘driven mad by his mother.’ Everything else okay with the animals?”

“Babies.”

“Fuck!”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!”

“Shit!”

“Trak, I swear I am going to shoot you one day. I’ve been saying it for years, but I’m getting too old for that shit, and my trigger finger is itchy as hell,” said Gaspar. “What babies?”

“Two of the bison are pregnant, and Alvin is expecting with Tammy.”

“Well, please congratulate them for me. Are they registered anywhere? Should I buy them something specific for their dozen baby alligator eggs!” yelled Gaspar. Trak just stared at him, shrugging.

“Maybe they’d like matching Crocs for their kids. Get it,” smirked Code.

“I will beat the hell out of you,” said Gaspar. “How many eggs?”

“Eight.”

“Shit. Eight baby alligators. That’s dangerous, y’all.”

“They will find their way in the bayou,” said Trak. “They won’t stay with their parents for long. Do not worry. All will be well.”

“Sure. Sure, I won’t worry about baby bison and baby alligators. Why would I worry about that?” said Gaspar.

“You seem stressed. Perhaps you should attend one of Cait’s yoga and meditation classes. They’re quite helpful,” smiled Trak.

“Hey, wait a minute,” frowned Gaspar. “Didn’t Cait and Ashley do a joint class for the VA hospital? Cait taught meditative yoga, and then Ashley was able to get them to sleep and talk through their trauma.”

“They weren’t asleep,” said Antoine, “but I understand what you’re saying. Maybe we could get Cait to submit a proposal to the team, help them with the stress of Butch’s death. We won’t mention that she’s connected to us.”

“I think it’s worth a shot. Trak? I want you there with them. You seem to get a good sense of when someone is telling the truth. Bring Noah as well. If Butch’s ghost is there, he might be able to tell him what happened.”

“I’ll see if Trevon can help us. Maybe if he makes the suggestion, they’ll be less suspicious,” said Antoine.

“How are things going in Tucson?” he asked Mac and Gabe.

“Great, from what we hear. The house was falling apart around them, but it was all things that could be handled fairly quickly. The cosmetic stuff is happening now. The contractor understood the need to get Ed back into his own home,” said Mac.

“That’s good news, and we needed some good news. Trevon gave us tickets to the game tomorrow. None of the wives want to go, so we have ten altogether. I say we go and do some casual observing of the team. I want to see which players are actually protecting the QB and which ones are ignoring their position. I also want to see how that owner reacts to the plays and the game overall. There is something seriously fucked up here, and we’re going to find out who killed that man,” said Nine.

“I’m game,” said Tailor. “It’s been years since I’ve been to a game, and I could use a good dose of sweat and testosterone. Plus, I want some game food.”

“Same,” said Alec. “Nothing like a stadium hot dog loaded with onions, relish, mustard, and if they have it, chili.”

“You know how bad those things are for you, right?” said Sly.

“Yep. And I’m gonna eat five if I have the time. Five dogs loaded with everything and fries to go with it, loaded as well. If they’ve got popcorn I want popcorn, nachos, peanuts, and some of those red licorice string things. I’m in the mood for some serious junk food,” nodded Alec.

Tailor laughed, grinning at his best friend.

“Okay. Game tomorrow, and let’s see if we can’t get Cait, Ashley, Noah, and Trak into the locker room to help everyone out.”