by Bill H Myers
“Go where? Where's Lori and my motorhome?”
She shook her head. “I don't know where she is, but you need to go. Kenny's on his way here, and he won't be happy with what he finds. Before Doctor Joy left, she said you need to be gone before he gets here. She didn't say why just that you needed to be gone.”
“So I'm supposed to drive back home?”
“No. You're supposed to read the note Doctor Joy left for you. She said you'd figure it out. And, Walker, she is doing a good thing. You'll understand when you catch up with her.”
Denise gave me a hug. “Take your cat and go. You don't want to be around when Kenny gets here.”
I picked up the animal carrier with Bob inside and headed back out to the van. Bob talked all the way. He was not a happy camper.
Inside the van, I let him out of the carry case and he immediately crawled under the passenger seat. He didn't like the strange surroundings and didn't like being without his food, water, and litter box.
I planned to remedy that as soon as possible.
Then I thought about the note Lori had left for me.
Skunk Ape
I had no idea what she meant. I wasn't even sure what a skunk ape was. Maybe her note meant someone had found an injured skunk ape and they needed her medical help. Or maybe it meant something entirely different.
I tried to call her again, but my phone showed zero bars. I was still in the “no service” area around Oasis.
Denise had said Kenny was on his way back and I should be gone before he got there. I didn't know whether he would have Callie with him or not, but if he did and if she recognized me as the person she gave the panther kittens too, there could be trouble.
Rather than wait and see, I started the van and headed out. I left the Oasis parking lot, turned right on Alligator Alley, and headed back toward my home in Englewood. Except I didn't know if my home would be there. My home was the motorhome, and Lori had taken it.
Other than the mysterious skunk ape reference in her note, I had no clue where she might be heading. My plan was to head west on Alligator Alley until I got back into cell phone range and then start making calls until I found her and my motorhome.
The road west was a continuation of the road I had just driven. Speed limit forty-five, no passing zones most of the way. Traffic was steady, mostly tourists hoping to get a glimpse of alligators and other wildlife.
The tourists weren't going to be disappointed. I had counted sixteen gators in the first ten miles.
Bob was still under the passenger seat and I could tell by the yowling and growling sounds he was making he was upset. I didn't blame him. I, too, would have been upset if someone had taken me out of my home, put me in a bag and left me in a strange place for a few hours.
I could sympathize with him because Lori had taken my home and left me in a strange place. I should have been upset like Bob. But more than being upset, I was curious. What the heck was going on?
I shared this with Bob, telling him we were in it together and that we would soon be getting our home back. But only if I could find Lori.
The more I talked to Bob the more he seemed to calm down. After about ten minutes, he crawled out from under the passenger seat and jumped up on the cushion so he could look out the window.
He wasn't impressed with the view. He yawned, showing his lack of concern, then curled up and pretended to sleep. I could tell he wasn't really sleeping. His eyes weren't fully closed. He was still on alert, not sure where we were going or where he might end up next.
We'd been on the road for almost a half hour and had only covered twenty miles. Traffic was slow, so I checked my phone to see if we had gotten any cell service. The display showed half a bar then nothing. We were on the fringe of the service area. I figured another five miles and we would be good to go.
Six miles down the road, the phone showed a solid two bars. Enough to start making calls. I wanted to be parked when I called Lori, so I started looking for a place to pull over.
The section of Alligator Alley we were on was part of the Big Cypress Preserve with the wilds of the Everglades on both sides of the road. Being a natural preserve, there weren't any businesses or parking lots to pull into. I had to drive a bit further before I found a place.
At the edge of the preserve, the first sign I saw was for Trail Lakes Campground. They had a decent-sized lot, so I put my left turn signal on, letting traffic behind me know what I was about to do.
At the campground entrance, I slowed, and as soon as oncoming traffic cleared, I pulled in. I wasn't planning on camping, so I drove past the office and parked near a large fiberglass statue of a Florida panther. I figured the statue was a good sign. Maybe it meant I was getting closer to Lori, my motorhome, and the three panther kittens.
My first call was to Lori. Instead of getting the “customer out of service” message, the call went to voice mail. This probably meant Lori was in cell range but not answering her calls.
My next call was to Polly. She answered on the third ring.
“Polly, this is Walker. Have you heard from her?”
“Not since the last time you called. You haven't found her yet?”
“No, but I plan to. If you hear from her, call me.”
I ended the call.
Next, I decided to use my phone to search Google for “skunk ape”.
Several items showed on the results page, including one with the headline “Skunk Ape Research Headquarters.” I clicked on the link, and it showed a map with a star indicating the location of the facility. It was on Alligator Alley, the same road I'd been traveling. Maybe that was where Lori was.
I clicked the “Take me there” link, and a moment later the GPS voice said, “You have reached your destination.”
The voice should have provided me driving directions to the Skunk Ape Research Center. Instead, it said I was already there.
I tried again. I clicked on the address and then “Take me there.”
Again, the GPS voice said, “You have reached your destination.”
Frustrated, I put the phone away. I reached for the van door but remembered Bob was with me. I didn't want him jumping out when I opened the door, so I spoke to him.
“Bob, you stay here, I'm going to the campground office to see if they know anything about skunk apes.”
He opened his eyes, blinked once, and then closed them. He'd had a hard day and apparently his plan was just to stay put.
I picked up my phone, climbed out of the van and headed toward the campground office.
Chapter Fifty
Before going inside, I tried calling Lori again.
This time, she answered.
“Walker, where are you?”
“I'm in the parking lot of Trail Lakes campground. Where are you?”
“I'm here. Same as you. I guess you figured out my Skunk Ape clue.”
“What do mean, figured it out? I have no idea what you're talking about.”
She laughed. “You said you're at the Trail Lakes Campground, right?”
“Yeah, I'm in the parking lot.”
“Okay, look to your right and tell me what you see.”
I looked to my right. “I see a statue of a panther.”
“Okay, that's good. Now turn and look to the other side of the parking lot. What do you see there?”
I turned and was surprised to see another large fiberglass statue. This one was of an ape-like creature with one arm up in the air, kind of like he was waving at tourists as they drove by.
“Walker, tell me what you see.”
“A statue of an ape. With his arm up in the air.”
“Good, that's a skunk ape. It means you're parked in front of the International Skunk Ape Research Center. That's why I wrote 'Skunk Ape' on the note. I wanted you to meet me here.
“Now, drive through the campground gate and follow the road all the way to the back. I'll be waiting for you.”
She ended the call.
Somehow, out of p
ure luck, I'd found her. Now I just needed to find out why she had taken my motorhome and what she was doing there at the International Skunk Ape Research Center.
I walked back to the van and got in. Bob was still on the passenger seat. He looked up at me when I opened the door. He blinked and said, “Murrph?”
“Yeah, Bob, I know. It's a mystery. But I think we've found Lori and the motorhome.”
I started the van and drove across the parking lot until I reached the road that led into the campground. A sign on the open gate said, “Registered Guests Only.”
If Lori was there in my motorhome, I figured I qualified as a registered guest. I drove through and followed the road as it wound its way through the various campsites. The sites on the right side of the road fronted a small lake while the ones on the left bordered the Everglades.
All the sites were numbered and seemed to have full hookups. About half were occupied.
I kept going until the road got to the back of the campground. There were no campers. Just a metal fence marking the boundary between the campground and the Everglades.
The road curved to the right, making a slow loop back to the front gate. I followed the curve and saw Lori. She was standing in the middle of the road waving at me. Behind her, my motorhome, parked in the grass.
Just behind the motorhome, a chickee hut, a stilt house with a thatched roof. Just like the ones the Seminoles used to build. It looked authentic—except for the screens on the windows. I wondered why Lori had parked in front of it.
I would soon find out.
She walked up to the van with a smile on her face. “I'm glad you made it. Park over there, in front of the chickee hut.”
I parked the van, gave Bob a reassuring pet, and got out to talk to her. I had a lot of questions and needed answers. But before I could say anything, she said, “Follow me.”
She walked over to the chickee hut and went up the stairs. At the top, she turned and said, “I've got a surprise for you.”
She opened the door and ushered me in. Inside, in the center of the room, there was a king-sized bed covered in white linen. Over the bed, a ceiling fan turned slowly. To the right of the bed was a large window with a panoramic view of the Everglades.
She turned to me. “You like?”
“Maybe. What is this place?”
“It's where you'll be spending the night tonight.”
I shook my head. “It's nice, but I'm not spending the night here. Tonight, Bob and I are sleeping in the motorhome.”
She reached out and took my hand. “No Walker, tonight you'll be sleeping in here. With me.”
I wanted to argue, to tell her that I was definitely sleeping in the motorhome. But I didn't want to be hasty. Especially since what she had just said sounded like an invitation.
The chickee hut was pretty nice. The view was spectacular, and the bed looked very inviting.
But there were still some things I needed to know. Like why she had taken my motorhome and why we weren't sleeping in it.
And what the heck was a skunk ape?
I asked her. “Lori, what's going on? Why'd you run off in my motorhome?”
Still holding my hand, she said, “There's something you need to see.”
She led me out of the chickee hut, down the stairs and over to the motorhome. She stopped at the door and said, “Before we go in, promise you won't be mad.”
“Mad? Have you done something I should be mad about?”
She shook her head. “No, not really. But there is one little thing inside you might not like.”
“Okay,” I said. “Show me.”
She unlocked the door and went in. I stepped in behind her and she stopped. She turned and put a finger to her lips. “We have to be quiet. She's sleeping.”
“Sleeping? Someone's sleeping in here?”
She nodded. “You'll see. Just remember to keep your voice down. You don't want to wake her.”
She pointed to the back bedroom. “Go see for yourself.”
I looked around. The inside of the motorhome was pretty much the way it had been before Lori had taken off in it. It was a little dark inside because the blinds were drawn. And there was an earthy smell that hadn't been there before.
Other than that, everything seemed to be the same.
But, apparently, someone was sleeping in my bed. Thinking she'd picked up a hitchhiker, I walked to the back to take a look.
Chapter Fifty-One
The mattress of my bed was leaning up against the far wall, and in its place there was a wire crate on the wood platform that had previously supported the mattress.
The crate was about two feet wide and four feet long. At one end of it, an IV bottle with a drip tube led to the crate's occupant—the female panther from Oasis.
As I stood staring in disbelief, the panther opened its eyes, looked at me and let out a huff. Not a growl, not a purr, but a single huff. It sent shivers up my spine.
The panther closed her eyes and relaxed. Stunned, I stepped back, bumping into Lori, who had come up behind me.
She whispered, “Now you understand why you won't be sleeping in your bed tonight?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but why? Why is there a panther in my bed?”
She motioned to the front of the motorhome and walked away. I followed, wanting to hear her explanation.
But then I remembered Bob. He was still in the van parked outside. He had no food, no water, and no litter box. I couldn't leave him like that. I turned and went back to the bathroom and grabbed his food bowl and water dish. I'd come back for his box later.
Lori was waiting for me when I walked up front. “You have Bob with you, right? I didn't want to leave him at Oasis, but he freaked out when we brought the panther in. He didn't know whether to hide or attack.
“I was afraid he'd get hurt, so I grabbed him and gave him a sedative to calm him down. I found your cat carrier, put him in it, and left him with Denise.
“You have him with you, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, he's out in the van. And he's not happy. I going to take him his food and water and then you can tell me why there's a full grown panther in my bedroom.”
I took Bob his food and told him I'd be back with his litter box. When I stepped outside the van, Lori was there with his litter box and his favorite blanket.
Without saying anything to her, I took the litter box and put it, along with the blanket, in the van.
Bob might not have been happy about his accommodations, but at least he'd have the basic necessities. The van was parked in the shade; the temperature inside was in the mid-sixties and Bob was safe. It would get cooler overnight, but Bob wouldn't mind. He liked cool weather.
When I was inside the van with Bob, I told him not to worry. I said, “Bob, you've got everything you need; your food, your water, and your litter box. Lori brought your blanket, so you'll be comfortable. I'll be back to check on you in a little bit.”
He looked up at me with a questioning expression and said, “Murrph?”
He didn't understand what was going on and I felt bad about leaving him in the van. But at the moment that was the best place for him.
Back outside, Lori was waiting for me. “How's he doing?”
“He's okay. But he'd rather be in the motorhome. Without the panther. You want to tell me about that?”
Chapter Fifty-Two
We were standing outside between the motorhome and the van. Lori was about to explain why there was a panther sleeping in my bed.
She started by saying, “You remember how this morning I was going to take a nap? And you were supposed to be gone for two hours, and then we were going to drive to Oasis?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Well, before I took my nap, I closed all the blinds so it'd be nice and dark. I turned on the overhead fan and stretched out on the couch.
“Three hours later, I woke up. You weren't there. I figured you were probably just outside, trying to let me sleep.
&n
bsp; “I opened the blinds so you'd know I was awake. But you didn't come in. You hadn't come back yet. I was about to call to you, to find out where you were, but when I reached for my phone, it rang.
“I figured it was you, but it wasn't. It was Denise from Oasis. She said FWC had given the go-ahead to move the mother panther to Big Cat Rescue in Venice.
“She said the panther had to be moved today. All the veterinary students were leaving, and there would be no one left to care for it.
“Normally, Kenny would be in charge of arranging transport, but he wasn't around. So they needed to get someone else to move the panther. And it had to be done today, before two o'clock.
“So I volunteered. I figured we could put the panther in the van and I could drive it while you drove the motorhome.”
“Denise said that would work. But we absolutely had to be there no later than two, or they'd get someone else to move her.
“I told her we would definitely be there.”
“After that, I tried calling you so you'd know the plan. But you didn't answer. While waiting for you to show up, I saw a yellow cab go by. It was strange seeing a cab in the RV lot, so I watched to see who was in it.
“It turned out to be Kenny and Callie. The cab dropped them off at their camper. They paid the fare then started walking back in my direction. I ducked down so they wouldn't see me.
“They walked right on by and then into the casino.
“A few minutes later, Denise called back. She said Kenny had called FWC and had arranged to pick up the panther himself. She said if Kenny got to Oasis first, he'd have the panther loaded and be gone before I got there.
“I didn't know what Kenny was planning, but I knew it would be better if I picked up the panther. I tried calling you to tell you to get back here, but you didn't answer.
“I didn't want Kenny to get to Oasis first and take the panther, so I did the only thing I could think of. I took the motorhome. And that's why there's a panther in your bed.”
I shook my head. “You didn't have any problem driving it?”
“No. It was easy. The hardest part was remembering to bring the slide room in. After that, it was just a matter of making sure everything was put away and then driving off without being seen by Kenny.
