Rising Tides (35 page)

“Are you going to do what I’m saying?”

Ben stared at him. This time he anticipated Davey’s blow, but it was still every bit as agonizing. Davey hit him twice more, then he slammed Ben against the side of his car. He unlocked the handcuffs. “You stay right there,” Davey said, “and don’t you move till we’re gone. You do, you’ll wish you were dead.”

Ben kept his face against the car door. He waited to be shot; he waited for the others to leave. Nothing he could do would affect their choice.

At last he heard the sound of an engine and the squeal of tires as the sheriff’s car pulled away. When the only thing he could hear was the cawing of crows, he straightened as much as he could, opened his door and fell into the driver’s seat. A speeding ticket fluttered off the dashboard and into his lap.

“Daddy, you’re going to like Ben,” Dawn said. She was putting the final touches on a flower arrangement for the dining room table. Orange tiger lilies nodded over daisies and pale yellow snapdragons. Despite her efforts, she hadn’t been able to make the flowers look as if they belonged in the same arrangement. And de spite her bravado, she was afraid the people seated at the table tonight would be every bit as ill at ease together.

“He’s late,” Ferris said.

“It’s a long drive. He may have run into heavy traffic. The bridge can get backed up.”

“So he lives with Hugh?”

“I told you, just for the summer. He’ll be moving to San Francisco in the fall. He’s going to work on a new magazine that’s starting out there.”

“What’s he doing in Bonne Chance, then?”

“He’s from Bonne Chance. I told you.”

“You didn’t tell me what he was doing there now.”

“He’s helping Uncle Hugh with some of his parish duties.”

“Is he studying to be a priest?”

“God, no.” She flashed her father a smile. “Would I be inviting him here if he were?”

“Don’t tell me you’re serious about this man?”

Dawn thought how different this conversation was from the one she’d had with her uncle. “I don’t know what
serious
means, Daddy. I like him a lot. I hope you will, too.”

The doorbell rang just in time. Ben was nearly half an hour late, but she was delighted he had arrived to answer some of her father’s questions himself. She got the door, happily waving Sarah Jane back into the kitchen. One look at Ben and she knew the evening wasn’t going to go well. He was pale, and his shirt was stained and rumpled, although it was tucked carefully into his pants. He managed a smile, but she could see he was in pain.

“What happened?” She stepped out on the gallery be side him and closed the door. “What on earth happened? Were you in an accident?”

“In a manner of speaking. One of Largo Haines’s men worked me over just outside of Bonne Chance.”

“Ben…” She touched his cheek. “Do you need to see a doctor? Should I get you to the emergency room?”

“I’m all right.”

“But you ought to be examined. You’ll have to file a complaint—” She was shocked by the expression in his eyes. “You’re not going to file?”

“There were four of them and one of me. Do you know anyone in South Louisiana who would take my word against theirs? If I complain, they’ll say I was speeding, and when they stopped me, I put up a fight.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. “You’re sure it was Largo’s men?”

“Largo was there.”

She didn’t ask why. She knew all too well. The lines had been drawn. In a way, it was surprising that it had taken this long. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to call Father Hugh to warn him. Then I’m going to have dinner and meet your parents. After that, I’m going back to Bonne Chance.”

“Uncle Hugh says you’re taking too many chances. He says you almost dare people to confront you! Isn’t that what you’re going to be doing by going back? Don’t you think you should lie low for a while?”

“Nobody’s going to be lying low now, Dawn. That meeting your uncle attended today ended with a decision to hold a public one next week. People are tired of waiting. They’re planning to organize, and when they get a little further along, they’re going to invite some of the CORE people from New Orleans to come down and help. The groundwork’s over, and Largo senses it. I was his warning.”

She rested her hands on the side of his neck and drew his face down to hers. “Please! I’m worried about you. Don’t go back there tonight. You can stay here. We have plenty of room.”

“Nothing else is going to happen tonight. But some thing’s going to happen soon.”

“Do you really feel like coming inside now? I can tell my parents—”

“I’m here. Let’s go.”

She wished she had never asked him to come. He was coldly furious. In his view, the world had divided into two camps tonight, and now there was no chance that dinner with her
parents would go well. Ben knew, be cause Dawn had told him, that Largo Haines was a friend of her father’s.

She opened the door, and Ben held it for her. Her parents were standing in the hallway to greet him. She looked from her mother to her father, at their carefully polite smiles and their judgmental eyes, and once again she knew that someday in the near future she, too, was going to be required to prove where she stood.

N
o breeze swept through the
garconnière.
Even the storm seemed to wait for her explanation. Dawn was so caught up in the past that she didn’t notice the sweat trickling down her back, the skirt clinging damply to her legs. “The night you came to my parents’ house, I knew I was going to be asked to choose between you and them.”

“I remember that night. Your parents didn’t want me there. Your father was barely civil.”

“And you antagonized him every time you opened your mouth. Largo Haines had you beaten, but you punished my father.”

“Your father and Largo Haines were friends!”

“My father didn’t touch you!”

“So what are you saying? That your father’s mind was open? That he wanted to get to know me?”

“You never gave him a chance.”

“But I gave
you
a chance. I asked you to come to that meeting at the AME church and lend your support.”

“You gave me a
choice!
Can’t you see the difference? You had dinner with my family, and then you condemned us all. I
realized later how much you changed in the next week. You looked at me like you were trying to see inside my soul. I hadn’t changed, but you re fused to see that.”

“I watched you with your parents, and I was frightened.”

“You didn’t trust me then, and you still don’t. If I tell you what happened the night Uncle Hugh died, you still won’t believe me.”

His face was grim. “There’s one way to find out.”

“I’ll tell you, but not as some sort of test, Ben. I’ll tell you so we can be done with this forever.”

She turned her back on him and walked to the window. The sun was sinking, and storm clouds were forming again over the water. Very soon there would be darkness, more rain, more wind. She thought about the night more than seventy years before when a woman and her children had been set adrift in the eye of a hurricane. Dawn understood too well how quickly life could change, and how sometimes nothing could be done once fate had been set in motion.

She knew that Ben had come to stand behind her, but she didn’t turn around. “I’d been waiting all summer for the moment when my father would confront me. It came that Wednesday afternoon.”

Ferris came out of his study just as Dawn passed. She had spent the morning in the darkroom she had improvised in one of the guest bathrooms. Surprisingly, her mother had been enthusiastic. She had even spent a morning in the darkness, watching Dawn turn black-and-white film into negatives and prints. Cappy hadn’t said much, but she had stayed until the work was completed. And she had asked for one of the prints to show her friends.

Ferris greeted Dawn; then he put an arm around her shoulder
and steered her into his study. “Tell me what you’ve been doing,” he said. “We haven’t talked in a while.”

They hadn’t talked because she had avoided him after the dinner with Ben. Ferris’s dislike had been obvious, and Ben had gone back to Bonne Chance right after dessert. He had held her close on the front gallery first, but his mind had been in other places. She had felt him slipping away from her, and she had been frightened all over again.

Now she sank into a soft leather chair and scrambled for a neutral subject, scanning the dark paneled walls, the framed diplomas and certificates of appreciation. “I’ve been saving for a new camera, and I got it yester day. I’m trying to accumulate all the basics I’ll need to be a free-lancer.”

“What’s the hurry? You’ve still got a year of school.”

“I’ve been thinking I might just take a couple of courses next year and work full-time. I need experience.”

“You’re still young. You might change your mind about a career, and then you wouldn’t have a college degree.”

“I’ll get the degree, I promise. It’s just that there’s so much happening….”

“What’s happening that’s so important?”

She sensed more to the question than fatherly concern about her education. She hesitated, aware that he wasn’t going to like her answer. “The kinds of things that are happening here and in Plaquemines Parish.”

He raised one brow. “That’s a little vague.”

“All right. The way Negroes are being denied their rights.”

“You’re talking about your uncle’s voter-registration drive, aren’t you?”

She wished she could start the conversation again. “Voter registration is part of what’s going on. I can’t ignore it.”

“You
won’t
ignore it.”

“Is that why you asked me to come in here?”

“What are you trying to do to me, darling?”

“I’m just concerned that American citizens are being denied their rights. That’s all.”

A well-stocked bar stood in the corner. He crossed to it and filled a glass with Scotch and ice. “I’m going to make a bid for higher office. Did you know?”

Dawn suspected this wasn’t going to be a short conversation. She crossed and uncrossed her legs. “I knew the time was coming.”

“I’m not sure what I’ll run for yet, but I’ll run. Do you know how important the support of some of those people down in Plaquemines will be?”

“I guess we’re not talking about the Negroes, are we?”

He laughed. “You were such a solemn little girl. I never guessed you were going to have a sense of humor.”

“How can my interest in voter registration keep one of those cracker-barrel politicians from supporting you?”

“You remember Largo Haines?”

“Don’t worry, if I ever take my camera down to Bonne Chance, I won’t take pictures of Largo.”

“It’s not in Largo’s interest to have his Negroes voting.”

“Of course not. They might give his kind the old heave-ho.”

He wasn’t laughing now. “Stop with the smart-aleck cracks and listen to me. I’ve talked to your uncle about this. He refuses to see reason. I told him that if I get elected to the governor’s mansion or the U.S. Senate, I’ll be able to improve life for those people he cares so much about. Things are changing. You’ve seen how much and how fast. But colored people won’t have the vote in Plaquemines for a while, no matter what your
uncle and that civil-rights-worker boyfriend of yours try to do. Leander Perez is going to see it’s white-only, and Largo will back him all the way. The best that can be done right now is to put people in office who’ll try to do what they can.”

“And you’re one of them?”

“I am.”

“Why? Do you care?”

“I care. Do you think I don’t have feelings? You’ve got everything confused.” She
was
confused. Some of what he said made sense. Plaquemines wasn’t Orleans Parish, where change had come despite an outpouring of protest. New Orleans was a cosmopolitan city, and despite a wealth of states’ rights advocates and outright bigots, there were others who were willing to speak out for change. Just as important, cushioning the two extremes and keeping them apart, there were businessmen who could see the future and understand what the city had to do to be part of it.

Plaquemines, on the other hand, was oil-rich, its natural wealth both immense and essential for commerce. The oil companies might utter a mild protest about segregationist policies there, but in the end, their own financial interests would take precedence.

“I told you before that I like things the way they are,” Ferris said. “And I do. I guess that’ll happen to you one day, too. You’ll look around, and things will be moving too fast.”

“Like this conversation.”

“But I can see change coming. Eventually things are going to change in Plaquemines, too. In the meantime, the best we can do is to make sure nobody gets hurt.”

“Hurt?” This seemed like a new subject entirely. “Ben’s already been hurt. Largo had one of his men take a few swings
at him the night he was on his way up here. Did you know? Is that what we’re talking about?”

“No.”

She wasn’t sure which question he had answered, but a more vital one had to be asked.

“Who’s going to get hurt next?”

“Not you. And I’m going to make damned sure of it. I want you to stay out of Bonne Chance. I want you to stay out of Plaquemines, period.”

She got to her feet. “What?”

“I mean it. And if you don’t do it on your own, I’ll have to forbid you to go.”

“You can’t forbid me to do anything! I’m almost twenty-two. Maybe you weren’t looking, but I grew up a while ago.”

“Tempers are short, and people are looking for scapegoats. I don’t want you to be one of them.”

“This is about the election, isn’t it? You don’t want Largo Haines to know that my ideas are different from his.”

“Anybody who can read already knows whose side you’re on! You made a damned visible choice between me and my brother when the schools here were integrated. Now the fuss has died down a little. You’re not going to stir it up again.”

“So this isn’t really about my safety?”

“It sure is.” He set down his glass and covered the distance between them. “If you make another fuss, you could get hurt! There are some feisty old swamp rats scurrying around down there. They’re not above hurting anybody who gets in their way.”

“What about Uncle Hugh? And Ben? Are they going to get hurt?”

“I’ve warned your uncle. He knows the dangers.”

Her heart was pounding hard enough to make her chest ache. The thought of Ben in real danger frightened her. Her uncle had the protection of the church. Even Plaquemines’s most flagrant bigots, Largo included, were Catholic, and she didn’t really think they would harm a priest. But Ben was a local boy, and he would be seen as a traitor.

“Will Uncle Hugh warn Ben, Daddy? He isn’t the kind of man who runs when things get tough, and you know Uncle Hugh isn’t.”

“Your uncle’s been trying to be a martyr since he was still in knee pants.”

“What do you mean?”

He slashed his hand through the air. “We’re not talking about Hugh or his little helper. We’re talking about you. I want your promise that you’ll stay out of Bonne Chance. Starting now. Starting right this minute.”

“You can’t forbid me.”

“Please, listen to me!” He dropped all pretenses of a calm conversation. “There’s more going on than you know. You can’t go down there. Not tonight. Not ever.”

“Tonight? You know about tonight?”

He grasped her shoulders and stared straight into her eyes. “Doesn’t that tell you something?”

“It tells me I’d better get on the telephone right now.”

“No! You can’t.” He looked stricken. She had never seen him look this way. “You can’t telephone, and you can’t go.”

“Daddy, what’s going to happen?”

“Can’t this be enough? Can’t you just trust me?”

“No, damn it! I want to know what’s going to happen. If you won’t tell me, I’m walking through that door and I’m getting in my car.”

He dropped his hands. She felt as if he were still touching
her. “Largo and his men know about the meeting. They’ve got somebody on the inside. Largo’s going to make sure that the meeting never takes place. The building will be surrounded after they get there, and everybody is going to be arrested.”

“No!”

“He told me this morning. He said he owed me a favor, and he told me so you wouldn’t be there. He knows you’re involved in what your uncle’s doing. The only reason he hasn’t gone after you is because of our friendship.”

“We’ve got to call. We’ve got to tell them.”

“Foolish girl! It won’t matter to them even if they know! Your uncle’s been anticipating this. He’s ready, and so are the others. They’re hoping to get arrested. If they do, there’ll be publicity. They’ll look like martyrs.”

“At least they should have that choice!”

“And if you give it to them, Largo will know exactly who warned them. He called me and warned me. He did it as a favor. And if you or I warn anyone else, he’ll know where it came from. I’ll be dead to him, and so will my career. My chance of helping anybody will go up in smoke.”

“Someone could get hurt, Daddy. Someone could get killed! Isn’t that more important than your career? Isn’t that more important than anything?”

“Nobody’s going to get hurt. Largo’s adamant about that. Maybe some arms will get twisted. Maybe a few heads will be knocked together. The sheriff and his men aren’t going to be gentle if the people inside refuse to come out on their own. But nobody’s really going to be hurt! Think about it. Violence would be just the excuse the federal government needs to go down there and clean up the parish. Largo’s got too much to lose. He wants to succeed Leander Perez. He’s greedy. They’re all greedy! He’s not going to jeopardize a goddamned thing!”

“What happens if I go down and let them arrest me, too?”

She saw him tense. “What’s happened to you?”

“I already told you. I’ve grown up. Maybe you didn’t notice.”

“I notice everything.”

“No. I’m part of the scenery, Daddy. That’s all. Right now I’m like a room that’s been painted a color you don’t like, so you want to have it painted the same old color again. But you can’t change me back into what I used to be.”

“You’re not part of the scenery.” He stepped closer and reached for her hand. “You’re my daughter. Don’t you know what that means? You’re the whole future of this family. I’m like every other daddy in the world. I want you to understand and agree with me, but I know you can’t. Not always.”

“If that’s true, you understand why I have to be there tonight.”

“Differences are one thing. I’m not demanding that you agree with me about everything. But you have to let me take care of you. That’s the only thing I’m asking for now. I know better than you do what’s happening down on the Delta. I need you to stay out of Plaquemines.”

His expression was desperately sincere. “I want to go,” she repeated. “I want to do this.”

“I know you do. But please, please, can’t you believe me when I say you don’t belong there? Nothing will be different whether you go or stay, except that I’ll go silently crazy here tonight.”

“Are they going to put the people who go to that meeting in Leander’s concentration camp?”

“I don’t think so, but I can’t promise they won’t.”

She evaluated his answer. A lie would have been better for
the case he was trying to make. “Uncle Hugh’s your brother. Don’t you owe him as much as you owe me?”