by Lena Gregory
“All right, boy. Hold on.”
First things first. She had to get him out before he had an accident on the floor. But no way was she going out back, and neither was Thor. She grabbed her cell phone, clipped Thor’s leash to his collar, and headed for the front door. She opened it and peered out. Nothing seemed amiss. Of course, anything could be lurking in the woods, or the grass, or just out of sight in the early morning shadows. “Go fast, Thor.”
She hurried him out, searched everywhere at once while he took forever to go, then ran back in and slammed the door. Then locked it for good measure. You never could be too safe. She dialed Hunt’s number. As expected, he didn’t pick up. She didn’t bother to leave a message; she’d already left about ten, and the last time she’d called, an electronic voice had informed her that his voice mailbox was full.
So she called Savannah.
“Hey, there.” If the grogginess in her voice was any indication, Gia had woken her. “What are you doing up so early on your day off?”
“Well, I’m supposed to be going kayaking, but I have a problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“There’s a giant snake on my back deck.”
“Giant?”
How dare she sound so skeptical?
“Well, it’s really big. What am I supposed to do?”
“Leave it alone and go kayaking.”
Was she out of her mind? “And what happens when I come home. I have to let Thor out. I can’t let him out there knowing that thing could be lurking anywhere. And what if it’s poisonous?”
“Calm down, Gia. Take a deep breath.”
Okay. She did have to admit she’d worked herself up into a bit of a tizzy, but in her defense, it was a pretty big snake.
“What color is the snake?”
“I don’t know.” She ran to the kitchen and looked out the door. Sure enough, he was still there sunning himself as if he owned the place. “It’s blackish brown, has kind of like patches on it.”
“Hang up and take a picture of it, then post it in the community page and see if anyone can identify it and maybe relocate it for you.”
“Relo—are you nuts? How do you know it won’t find its way back?”
“Have them relocate it really, really far away. Now, if you’re okay, I’m going back to sleep, because I’m off today too, and I’m not going anywhere this early.”
“Are you really going to—”
Savannah disconnected.
Okay, she’d do as Savannah suggested. She took a picture of the snake, which hadn’t moved an inch since she’d found it. Crazy as it seemed, she considered that a good thing. If that monster disappeared, she’d probably never go outside again. Never mind the fact there was probably a whole family—or flock, or herd, or whatever you called a bunch of snakes—roaming, or slithering as the case may be, all over the place out there.
She tried to ignore her fear while she posted the picture in the Boggy Creek Community group along with a plea for help relocating it. Then she fed Thor, keeping one eye on the offending creature to make sure he didn’t disappear.
Thor finished eating and looked up at her. Of course, he had to go out again.
She grabbed a paper towel and mopped the sweat from her brow. “Okay, boy. We’re going to go out the front again, and you have to make it fast.”
Thor tilted his head, and his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth.
Taking that for acknowledgment, she clipped his leash on and dug the bear spray out of her purse. Who knew? It might work on snakes. She grabbed a plastic bag from a basket in the laundry room and headed out.
She had to walk farther away from the house this time for Thor to find a spot he liked. Figured he’d choose that moment to be picky. As soon as she passed the shelter of the porch, the smell from the fire hit her. Maybe that’s why the snake was camped out on her deck. Perhaps his home had been burned. She walked down the driveway, where at least she’d see a snake before she got within striking distance. She hoped.
A large section of woods had been blackened by the flames. Though scorched, her garage hadn’t sustained any substantial damage. She’d been lucky. It could just have easily gone up in flames. Along with the house. If Hunt hadn’t been there…
She’d have to snap a few pictures later to take to the council meeting on Tuesday. When Savannah had called Tommy and explained the situation, he had agreed to let her speak at the meeting, and she’d already contacted Cole to let him know. Hopefully, he’d be able to get some of the community members to show up and support her.
Thor finally finished, and Gia bent to clean up the mess.
The sun glinted off something in the brush toward the end of the driveway.
After closely surveying the surrounding area for wildlife, then dropping the garbage bag into one of the bear-proof pails by the garage, she returned to the spot she’d seen the reflection from. There it was again. She squinted and moved closer, bear spray at the ready.
A cell phone lay in the brush on the far side of the driveway. Gia picked it up.
“Hey, there.” A man walked down the road toward her carrying a metal rake and a large bucket.
“Hi.” She waved.
“I’m Scott Harper.” He gestured over his shoulder. “I live just next door.”
Thor squirmed a little but stayed put.
“Who’s this big fella?” Scott petted Thor’s head.
“This is Thor, and I’m Gia.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Gia. I saw your post in the community group and came to see if you still needed help.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you. And thank you for coming over to help the night of the fire. I saw you, but I never got a chance to say hello or thank you for your help.”
“Anytime. We’ve got to stick together out here and help each other out. Speaking of, where is he?”
“Out back.” She started toward the house, then paused, not entirely comfortable inviting a strange man into her house. Then again, the snake wasn’t going to relocate itself, and if it did, it might not be far enough away. “Come on. You can go through the house.”
Scott followed her inside and through to the kitchen. She unclipped Thor’s leash and draped it over a chair. “It’s right out those doors.”
Scott looked out the window. “Yup. Just what I expected. I couldn’t really see the head on the picture you posted, but I had my suspicions.”
“You know what kind of snake it is?”
“A cottonmouth.”
“Cottonmouth?”
“Some people call ’em water moccasins. Either way, you don’t want to get bit by one of those babies.”
“They’re poisonous?”
“Yup. You can tell by the triangular shape of the head.” Scott pointed and traced a triangle in the air around the outline of the snake’s head.
At least now she’d have a way to recognize one if she ever came across it again.
Scott gripped the doorknob.
Gia grabbed his arm to keep him from opening the door. “You won’t let it get in, right?”
He patted her hand, amusement sparkling in his kind eyes. “Don’t worry. It won’t get in. Promise.”
She nodded and stepped back, clinging tightly to Thor’s collar so he wouldn’t charge through the doorway with Scott. “And you’ll relocate it really far away, right? Like, really, really far away. So he can’t find his way back?”
Scott laughed out loud, his cheeks turning bright red with the strain. “Don’t you worry, ma’am. I’ll relocate him too far away for him to ever find his way back.”
“Thank you.” She shut the door behind him and watched him take the lid off the bucket, scoop the monster up with the rake and drop it in the bucket, then slap the lid back on nice and tight.
When he opened the door and walked back th
rough the house with the snake, she kept her gaze firmly riveted on the top of the bucket. She didn’t even blink until he was out the front door and standing on the porch. And even then, she kept one eye on the bucket. “Thank you again, Scott. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you coming over to help. If you’re ever in town and you’d like to come into the All-Day Breakfast Café, I’ll treat you to breakfast.”
“That sounds great. My wife has been saying she wants to have breakfast there. All the women in her book club talk about how great the food is.”
“Thank you. I’d be happy to treat you and your wife.”
“Why, thank you, ma’am.” He nodded once and left.
Gia closed the door behind him, turned around, and leaned her back against the door. Though having the snake gone did bring some relief, she wasn’t sure she’d ever feel comfortable walking out the door again. On the other hand, Scott Harper had come to her rescue only minutes after her plea for help. She’d have to call it a tie. One big, fat check in the minus column for the snake and one in the plus column for Scott. Of course, she could give Scott two checks—one for removing the snake and the other for taking it very far away—and tip the scales in favor of staying. Then again, the snake was not only a snake but poisonous too. Tie again. Of course, Scott got a plus for helping put out the fire too.
She sighed and shoved away from the door. If she didn’t get ready soon, she was going to be late. Wouldn’t want to be late for kayaking. As if she hadn’t already witnessed her fair share of wildlife this morning.
She started toward the bathroom, then remembered the cell phone she’d found and detoured to the kitchen. She’d go nuts without her phone. The least she could do was let whomever it belonged to know she’d found it.
Maybe one of the firemen had dropped it. Or one of the police officers who’d also responded. She pushed the button and the home screen popped up—no password required. She brought up the contact list and scrolled through for a familiar name or something labeled Home, Hubby, Mom, Dad, anything that would give her a place to call.
She stopped when she reached the name Floyd. Coincidence? Probably not. No last name had been listed, but how many Floyds could there be in Boggy Creek? She continued scrolling, searching for any more familiar names. She passed her own name. Then Hank.
That was enough. With no doubt in her mind it was Maybelle’s phone, she hit the button to return to the home screen. She’d have to give the phone to the police. It proved Maybelle had been on her property, if nothing else. Very close to where the fire had started. But wouldn’t the police and fire investigators have searched the area the night of the fire? The trampled grass surrounding it made it seem impossible they’d have missed the phone lying where it was.
Which could only mean one of two things. Either everyone had somehow managed to miss the phone lying on the ground in a spot they must have walked over a hundred times. Or, Maybelle had come back after the fire.
Gia only debated for a fraction of a second before bringing up the call log. The way she figured it, the phone was found on her property, which made it fair game. She needn’t have bothered. The history was blank. Either Maybelle didn’t speak to anyone by phone, which Gia found hard to believe considering Hank must have called her for a ride—of course, he could have called the house—or Maybelle had deleted her call history.
Gia dialed Hunt’s number and got the same result she’d gotten the last few hundred times she’d tried. No answer. Full voicemail box. She disconnected and dialed Leo.
“Hey, Gia, what’s up?”
“I’m not sure, but I think I found Maybelle’s cell phone in the brush beside my driveway.”
“What makes you think it’s hers?”
“I scrolled through the contacts and it seemed like people Maybelle would know.”
“All right, hang tight, make sure your doors are locked, and make sure you stay observant and keep your bear spray with you if you take Thor out before I get there.”
“Get here?”
“To pick up the phone.”
“Oh, well, I’m headed out anyway. Why don’t I drop it off and save you the trip out here?” she said.
“That would be great, thanks. I’ll be at the station for the next couple of hours.”
“All right, I’ll see you in a little while.”
“See ya then.”
“Wait.” As much as she didn’t want to put Leo in an awkward position, she had to ask.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“Have you talked to Hunt at all lately?”
“Yes.”
Surprised by his answer, she hesitated, unsure what she wanted to know. In the long run, only one thing really mattered. “Is he all right?”
“He’s fine, Gia. He had to go out of town.”
“For what?” She regretted the words the instant they left her lips. “Sorry, it’s none of my business. I just—”
“It’s fine, Gia. He had to follow up on a lead.”
“Thanks, Leo.”
“No problem. Just make sure you’re careful until we get a better idea of what’s going on. Two bodies in one week are more than enough.”
“Two bodies?”
“Oh, uh…”
“Leo.”
“I’m hanging up now, Gia. Gotta go dig my foot outta my mouth. Just be careful.”
Chapter 15
Gia called Trevor to tell him she was running late, then got ready, dropped Thor off at day care, and dropped Maybelle’s phone off with Leo—who adamantly refused to elaborate on whom the second body might belong to.
Once she’d finished procrastinating as long as she possibly could, she sat in the parking lot at the river Trevor had talked her into meeting him at and rested her head on her hands on the steering wheel. It was now or never. If she wasn’t going to kayak, she may as well head on home. To her house. Where someone had started a fire and a wacko, stalker, ex-employee might be lurking in any shadow just waiting for a chance to…
To what? Gia had no clue. But she figured she might be better off braving the wildlife than going home. At least critters didn’t carry guns. The memory brought an instant chill. She shivered and turned off the air conditioner. Going home wouldn’t help her escape the critters. Unless it was home to New York. And New York had muggers.
A knock on her window made her jump. She whirled toward the sound.
Trevor waved.
Okay. I can do this. Gia plastered on a smile, opened the door, and climbed out. “Hi?”
“Hey.” Trevor backpedaled to get away from the door, tripped over a root, and regained his footing as if nothing unusual had happened. Jeez. And she was going into a lake full of monsters with this guy? “I got a little nervous when you didn’t get out of the car right away. I thought you might have changed your mind.”
“Of course not.” Definitely. “Why would I change my mind?” Just because I don’t want to get eaten?
“I don’t know why you would, but I’m glad you didn’t. You’re going to love it.”
Somehow she doubted that.
He held out his elbow and smiled, and she hooked her arm through his. Maybe he was afraid she’d turn tail and run if he didn’t hold on to her. It seemed he knew her better than she realized.
He guided her toward the river. “I already have the kayaks in the water and tied to a downed tree. Yours is the blue one.”
“Thanks.” She worked hard to show some level of enthusiasm, but it wasn’t easy with her stomach twisted into a knot.
“There you go.” Trevor indicated two kayaks, one red, one blue, resting on the shore.
She scanned the river and the shore. No alligators that she could see. Of course, they could easily be lurking just below the surface. Maybe she should just stick to staying on land. Then again, she’d seen video of alligators running. Who’d have expect
ed those giant, lumbering creatures could move so quickly? Okay, maybe she’d be safer in the boat.
She sucked in a deep breath, the humidity weighing heavily on her chest, and wiped the sweat from her brow with a shaky hand. “Is it always this hot here in the winter?”
“Not always. This is actually a really warm winter. They’re talking about severe storms later, though.”
“Storms?”
“Thunderstorms. A cold front is supposed to come through.” Trevor leaned over her kayak and grabbed a long paddle with two flattened ends. He held it out to her.
“It gets cold here?”
“Oh, yeah. Sometimes really cold. Especially overnight, but it usually warms up quick enough once the sun comes out.”
It wasn’t too late to run for it. Instead, she held her hand out and took the paddle. “Thanks.”
To his credit, Trevor refrained from commenting on how badly her hand trembled. He moved behind her and reached around her with both arms. He tilted the paddle horizontal and guided her hands into position to hold the paddle properly. “You hold it with your hands apart, like this. Make sure you have it right side up, with the concave side facing you. Line your knuckles up with the top edge of the blade. Hold it about a foot in front of you. Then you alternate one side,” he said as he guided the paddle through a stroke as if in the water, then repeated the motion in the opposite direction, “and the other side. It’s easy once you get the hang of it. You just need to get a smooth rhythm going. And don’t just use your arms, you’re going to twist your body a bit with each stroke.”
He guided her through a few more strokes, then stepped back. “You try it.”
“Okay.” She tried it on her own.
“That’s it.”
It didn’t seem too hard.
He bounced up and down, clearly excited to get started. “Got it?”
“I think so.” While standing on dry land anyway. Once she had to balance herself in the kayak and stroke through water, who knew?
“Great.” A huge grin lit up his face. “Let’s go.”
She looked out over the lake’s smooth surface. She could do this. Trevor was as clumsy as a bull in a china shop, at least, according to Savannah. If he could kayak, she could too. She followed Trevor to the kayak, and he waded into the water. “You want to hold the kayak parallel to the shoreline. I’ll hold it for you this time.”
