“Wanda, what a wonderful surprise, cher. But is everything okay? Uncle Pat and Aunt Mary aren't sick, are they?”
Wanda Dugas, a plain manila folder sitting in front of her, looked across a leatherette booth at her cousin Julie Galjour. They sat in an old-fashioned coffee shop in downtown Baton Rouge, where Julie had suggested they meet after Wanda's enigmatic phone call of the night before. It was just after the morning rush hour, and the place was empty save for a haggard-looking waitress wiping down a long counter still cluttered with coffee cups and egg-smeared plates.
“No, Julie,” Wanda replied, “Momma and Daddy are fine. Everybody's fine. I'm fine except for the fact that I'm insanely busy. In fact, nobody knows I'm here. This is, well, a little strange, and I'm sorry to take up your time 'cause I know how busy you are. But I thought there's something you should know. It concerns a friend of yours.”
“A friend of mine? Somebody you know as well?”
“Well, actually, somebody almost everybody knows in some way, though, yes, I met him once at the farm.”
“Governor Evangeline?”
Wanda nodded, then leaned toward her cousin. “This is awkward, Julie, and it's complicated for me to explain how I got the documents in this folder that I'm going to give you. But it's not some political hit job. They come from a dear friend of mine who had no idea they existed. One of the documents is a copy of an entry from a secret ledger of a big-shot oil guy down in Chacahoula Parish named Tom Huff. It basically shows Huff claiming to have paid a very large sum of money to the governor. It's more than a quarter of a million dollars—$287,697 to be exact. It appears to be a bribe.”
Julie's face went ashen, and Wanda flinched.
“Oh, God, Julie, I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have come, but I—”
Julie raised her hand, as if she was seeking a pause, and then reached for a glass of water sitting before her. She took a swallow and then tried to compose herself. “No, of course, I want to hear this. A bribe? Are you sure? What for?”
“I don't know,” Wanda said. “It's not clear. One entry was for a big pile of money for Governor Evangeline with a notation that says ‘For services rendered.’ Worst of all, it would seem, the governor sent Huff a thank-you note.”
“No,” Julie said. “That can't be. It must be some, uh …” She stopped and shook her head.
Wanda continued. “Listen, cher, this might be all b.s. By reputation, this guy Huff is a total sleaze and a braggart. But, lies or not, this stuff could leak out soon, and I just didn't want you to read it first in the newspapers. I know you're friends with the governor—well, maybe more than that. I, uh—”
Julie, having recovered her composure, looked kindly at her younger cousin. “So, what do you know about the governor and me, Wanda? Have Momma and Daddy been blabbing?”
“No—well, not really. I just saw you two together at the crawfish boil that day, and it was only natural that people talked about it afterward. It's not every day the governor flirts with a girl in our family.”
“Was he flirting that day?”
“You don't know? Of course he was flirting. Everybody saw it.”
Julie allowed herself a half smile for the first time. “Okay, can we speak girlfriend to girlfriend, Wanda? But in a cone of silence at this table?”
“Cross my heart.”
“Honestly, it's not more than friendship—not really. But it's true I've been intrigued by him. He's smart and articulate, and, well, at the risk of sounding totally shallow, I think he's incredibly handsome.”
“Cher,” Wanda interrupted, “even I think he's handsome, and I can't say I'm a fan of his politics. Go on.”
“Well, it's also true we've had a few long and interesting conversations about things—quite personal things. I dunno, for all his brash public persona and for all the crazy stuff you might hear about him, he seems a little lost and lonely and, well, like he's searching for something.”
“Really? But Julie, surely you've heard the stories? He's by reputation the biggest flirt in all of Louisiana.”
“That's putting it kindly. And, yes, I've heard the stories and I'm sure a lot of them are true. In fact, I know some of them are true. I can't quite explain it, even to myself, but I still feel for him. I honestly think Joe's trying, maybe for the first time, to come to grips with all that's wrong with his life.”
“Joe? You call the governor Joe?”
Julie blushed. “Ah, well, only sometimes.”
“Hmm. Mon Dieu, cher. It sounds like you really are friends—good friends. And what's he like otherwise?”
“He's witty, though his wit tends to the sarcastic side, and a very quick study. He's got a bit of a temper—he's not fond of criticism though he seems to get over things pretty fast. Truth is, most of my dealings with him have been over state business, and I must tell you we haven't always agreed. But he's proved so far to be quite reasonable and open to persuasion. He's—”
Julie stopped, realizing how the last part of that statement might have sounded. “By persuasion, I mean based upon reasoned argument, not anything else. I don't mean bribes, and I don't mean that I've applied, uh …” She found herself blushing again.
“Relax, cousin,” Wanda said. “I didn't take it any other way. That he's put so much trust in you already makes me think better of him.”
“Oh,” Julie added, “and did I tell you the funny little business with Joe and Daddy at the crawfish boil?”
“No, what?”
When Julie had spun out the tale, Wanda was incredulous. “What? He swapped the channel for Uncle Myo's crawfish recipe?”
“Yes. And apparently Daddy told him this would make me very happy.”
“Julie,” said Wanda, “God, he really was flirting with you!”
Julie shook her head. “Well, I still don't know whether to be flattered or mortified.” She looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then said, “Can I tell you something else? Double zip on this, all right?”
“Sure, I promise.”
“We had lunch recently and—”
“A date?”
“No, no. It was something his secretary had set up to, uh, clear the air about things, ostensibly some of it business—the channel and other issues. Anyway, I got the feeling at the end of it he was trying to tell me something— tell me about some mess he was in. But then he dismissed it, saying it was some trivial political issue that would probably never come up. So I let it drop.”
“Hmm, interesting. Maybe this is the same thing, but a quarter-of-amillion-dollar bribe isn't a trivial political matter.”
“No, it's not. But there's something weird about that amount. I'm not trying to defend the governor, but what I know about his ego, I think surely if he were going to sell out, it would be for a lot more money than that.”
“Well, that's a point,” said Wanda. “If you're gonna risk disgrace, why not go for millions?”
“But there's something else,” Julie went on, “something that made me think better of him.” She then related the story of Tracy Breaux's abrupt confrontation with the governor at the working lunch that day. “When Joe pressed me to say something,” Julie continued, “the only thing I could think to say was that he needed to go see this woman and get things straight with her. At our lunch he told me he'd done so and that it had been painful, but that it had been the right thing to do.”
“So he took your advice?”
“Yes, it seems he did, but I already knew.”
“How so?”
“Because she called me.”
“Who called you?”
“The woman, Tracy Breaux. She called me at my office. She was very matter-of-fact. She said the governor had come to settle things with her and that during this brief time she'd done her best to seduce him. But he'd pushed her away.”
“Jesus, Julie. Why on earth would she tell you that? Does she even know you?”
“She clearly knew who I was. She knew where I worked and what I did. And she was calling to tell me this because she thought the reason the governor had fended her off was that he was, well, in love with me.”
“Julie!”
“Well, Wanda, that's preposterous. And remember, this is not a particularly mature person. But I suppose the bigger point is, Joe was telling the truth. And by the way, he never told me that part.”
“You mean, about her coming on to him and him resisting?”
“Right. And he might well have, since it could have earned him brownie points.”
“Ah, geez. Well, this is complicated. Do you think it's possible that the governor is in love with you?”
Julie blushed again. “No, no, it can't be that. I think he's seeking some truth about himself, and maybe he actually thinks I can help him in some way—as a friend.”
Wanda looked at her cousin thoughtfully. “Well, cher, I'm no expert— God knows I've got no love life to speak of and very little real experience with men save for fending off a lot of lowlifes at the Alibi. But it sounds to me like Governor Evangeline may have more than friendship in mind, even if he doesn't quite know it himself.”
Julie shook her head. “Oh, well, who knows. But it may be a moot point now. If this gets out, it will be devastating—in all kinds of ways. Strangely, you know who I'll feel bad for? Momma and Daddy. They really like him, and they will be very disappointed if it's true. But, of course, if he's guilty of this, then so be it. He should be unmasked, and I will simply have been proven a poor judge of character.”
There was a long silence. Wanda looked intently at her cousin and saw a kind of sad resignation in her eyes. Now she wished she knew none of this. Jesus, my cousin, the star of the family, and the governor of the state of Louisiana were falling in love! And now this!
Another silence ensued, then Julie spoke again. “Wanda, I just can't believe the worst of him quite yet. Maybe I'll do my own sleuthing. His longtime secretary, Minna Cancienne, has become a friend of mine, and she's totally trustworthy. I think she knows a lot more about Joe than she normally tells, so it would be worth asking her if she's heard anything like this. If that's okay with you?”
“With me? Julie, I'm on your side. You're a good judge of character, and so I hope you're right. I'm sorry to have been the bearer of this bad news. I just didn't know what else to do.”
“No, cher, you did the right thing. I'm grateful. You're right—I would've been mortified to read about this for the first time in the papers.”
Julie stopped and looked sadly at her cousin. “Well, worse than mortified.”