Bayou Moon - Andrews, Ilona [73]
“Good enough.” Dobe waved his hand. “Proceed.”
Kaldar cleared his throat. “The Mar family owns a two-acre parcel named Sene, consisting of land and the Sene Manor house.”
Kaldar passed the maps to Clyde, who passed them to Dobe. Dobe squinted at them for a while and waved his hand again. “Proceed.”
“On the seventh of May, Cerise Mar, Erian Mar, and Mikita Mar traveled to the aforementioned manor house and found Lagar Sheerile, Peva Sheerile, Arig Sheerile, and several men in their employ on the premises. Cerise Mar voiced a polite and a nonviolent request that they get the hell off our land, which was refused.”
Dobe peered at Cerise. “And you let it go why?”
Cerise rose. “We’re a peaceful family, and we let the court handle our disputes.”
The spectators guffawed. Dobe cracked a smile. “Come again?”
“They had rifles and we had riders,” Cerise said.
Dobe’s silver-dusted eyebrows performed some sort of wiggling maneuver. “Noted. And why do you look like something an ervaurg stored for a lean day?”
“Tough day in the swamp, Your Honor.”
“Noted. Sit your behind down.”
Cerise sat.
Dobe glanced at Kaldar. “So what do you want from the court today?”
“We want the Sheeriles off our property.”
“Fine.” He looked at the blonde. “Your turn. Just to be fair, I’ll bring you up to speed. I run a clean hearing, no long speeches. Don’t quote me precedent, argue from the law. I don’t give a pig’s ear for precedent—they let any idiot be a judge nowadays.”
The blonde muttered, “No kidding,” under her breath.
Chuckles raised his head and hissed. His yellow eyes locked on the blonde. William smiled to himself. He’d seen that intense look before. He wore it from time to time. If he could crack the big cat’s skull and search it, he would come up with one clear thought: How fast can you run?
“You said something?” Dobe asked.
“No, Your Honor.”
“Good, then. Proceed.”
The blonde’s lips stretched in a flat smile. “The property in question was legally sold to the Sheerile family by Gustave Mar. Here is the Deed of Sale and the Deed of Ownership to the Sene Manor and the land attached to that dwelling.”
She held up two papers. Clyde ambled over, took them to Dobe. Dobe squinted at them and waved the papers at Kaldar. “Looks good to me. And I don’t suppose Gustave is around to dispute it since his daughter is sitting at the table.”
“We haven’t seen him since that morning,” Kaldar said. “But we’ll find him.”
“That’s fine and dandy, but meanwhile we have these deeds here. You got anything to say about this?”
Kaldar looked down.
The room fell silent.
So that’s it? William wondered. This was how it ended. She’d risked the Hand and raced through the swamp for this?
“Well?” Dobe asked.
Kaldar’s dark head drooped. He rummaged through the tangle of his hair.
“Answer the court,” Clyde boomed.
Kaldar raised his head. “Your Honor, Gustave couldn’t have sold Sene.”
“And why is that?” Dobe asked.
“Because this parcel was purchased by the Dukedom of Louisiana from Angel Roost County twenty-seven years ago under the Exile Relocation Act. It was subsequently awarded to an exile, one Vernard Dubois, who then became related to the Mar family through the marriage of his daughter, Genevieve Dubois, to Gustave Mar. As such, Sene Manor and its land constitutes a nontransferable Senatorial grant. It can’t be sold, in whole or in part, only inherited by the exile’s offspring. Since both Vernard and his wife had passed away, and their offspring, Genevieve, is missing, the parcel rightfully belongs to her daughter Cerise Mar. Even if Gustave did sign those deeds, his signature has no power. He doesn’t own the parcel. Cerise does and she isn’t selling.”
Someone gasped.
Kaldar raised his arms, holding folded documents in a fan. “Copy of original Deed of Sale to Louisiana, signed and stamped. Copy of Senatorial Grant, with Genevieve listed as an heir. Copy of Gustave’s and Genevieve’s marriage certificate. Copy of Vernard Dubois