by shandal
A sheriff is the most powerful local politician in Louisiana. He arrests criminals, or not, he collects state and parish taxes, keeps the jail, and supports his office with fees from serving civil pleadings, judicial sales of property and a portion of the taxes he collects. He hires and fires deputies at will, and his jurisdiction is parish wide. He would never be bossed around by a small town mayor.
You are an excellent writer and I enjoy your story so far. I grew up in Louisiana heat and you describe it very well.
Interesting beginning - just don't get trapped with the usual - do the unusual with your story progression
Your dialogue for the women is fairly consistent with Southern women of the period, however, both poor whites and blacks of this period when in the company of just men use much more vulgarity. Think the HBO series Deadwood to get a grasp of the common speech. Great start for the series..