Murder in the Marsh Read Online Free PDF Page A

the floor.
    “They’re soaked!”
    “Don’t worry, I’ll pay for them. It’s my fault they’re wet,” he offered, struggling to stand up.
    “No, you can’t. These are my teacher’s manuals. I’m a teacher at Port Sulphur School. Maybe I can dry them out.”
    “If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, I’ll be glad to do it.”
    “Thank you, Mr. Trahan. Don’t worry about it.”
    “Please, call me Daniel.”
    “Okay, Daniel. Books are replaceable, but lives aren’t, and I’m just thankful we’re both alive and safe.”
    “Me too, Ms. Breland.”
    “Rachel.”
    “Rachel. Okay. So you didn’t say, where were you going with such a load of teacher’s manuals?”
    “School is out today because of the hurricane. I was going to check on one of my sick students who has missed a lot of class.”
    “Out here? Really? You have students out here?”
    “Yes, actually I do. In Grand Bayou village. It’s not far. You can see some of the camps across the marsh from here.”
    Daniel looked in the direction Rachel was pointing, and he could see the camps standing in the middle of the marsh. Some appeared to be in good shape, while others looked run down or abandoned.
    “You can only get there by boat?” he asked.
    “There’s a road leading to it from the highway, but even then the kids have to board a school boat to get from their home to the pick up point.”
    “I’d be interested in visiting Grand Bayou. I’d like to know what changes the residents have observed in the marshes over the past decade.”
    “Why?”
    “That’s my job. I study coastal erosion. I’m particularly interested in the effects dredged canals have had on the marshlands.”
    “I’d be glad for you to visit with me.”
    “That would be great. Thanks.”
    “So do you check on your kids often outside of school?”
    “Mostly on weekends. I live in teacher housing provided by the school, so I have a lot of time on the weekend. I’m also a part-time youth minister at Bayview Church, so it’s also an opportunity for me to share God’s Word with the children and their families.”
    The name ‘Bayview Church’ sounded familiar to Daniel. He couldn’t remember where he had heard the name. He would give it some thought later.
    “That’s interesting,” Daniel responded. He had been active in church as a youth up until he went off to college, but had long since stopped attending. Now at age thirty-eight, the only time he went to church was when he visited his mother and stepfather on special occasions such as Christmas or Easter. He didn’t have anything against church; he just didn’t see the relevance of religion for his life. 
    “Why don’t we bail out your boat and tie it off to the back of mine, and we’ll head back in so we can both get cleaned up,” he offered. “After lunch, I’ll go to Grand Bayou with you.”
    She agreed, and they both set to work preparing the boats for the trip back in.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Six
     
    Daniel picked Rachel up at noon from the teacher’s housing near Port Sulphur School. She stayed in a first floor apartment in an older two story wooden building painted light blue. He was renting a mobile trailer just up the road for a month, enough time to complete his study. She slid into in his truck looking much cleaner and even more attractive than several hours ago. He had also taken a quick shower, changed clothes, and grabbed a bite to eat.
    They pulled out onto the highway heading back north toward Happy Jack marina.
    “I take it you’re not from around here?” she asked.
    “Actually, I am. I was born here and lived in Port Sulphur the first ten months of my life, according to my mother. She then moved us to Lake Charles. But this is my first time back. I don’t remember anything about the place.”
    “Your mother lived here? Why did she move?”
    “It’s kind of unclear really, and my mother hasn’t talked about it very