by Jim Riley
It was long gone before Niki felt John's arms around her waist. She leaned back into his hard body, feeling comfort in his embrace.
“What the hell was that all about?” Bobby asked, his voice higher than before.
John looked at him, releasing his hold on Niki.
“It's your island, not ours. Don't ask us why we're getting attacked by some of your animals. You might want to keep them on a leash.”
Bobby still had his Redhawk pointed at the last ripples.
“I don't know. Nothing like this as ever happened before. Maybe it's the spirits of the Rougarous.”
John jumped out and tied off the boat.
“Don't you guys call them 'rougis'?” he asked. “I'm talking about the spirits.”
“That's the name,” Bobby replied. “Are you familiar with the story?”
“I've heard about rumors and rumors of rumors,” John replied. “Never believed much of any of them. Way too far-fetched for someone like me.”
“I've only heard bits and pieces,” Niki said. “What's the story?”
Tuesday Morning
Spirit Island
They walked up a muddy trail as Bobby relayed the history of Spirit Island. Back in the early 1900s, the swamp monsters were referred to as Rougarous by the locals. Fishermen and boaters spotted families of the creatures in the shallows on both sides as they traversed up and down the Mississippi.
Then one family that farmed the rich soil next to the river had their crops ravished by wildlife. The local authorities told the Arceneaux family that it was the expanding deer herd that was devastating the corn, peas and wheat in the fields. Arnette, the patriarch of the family, was not buying that theory. He told them it had to be the Rougarous crossing the shallow channel during the nights and eating up his profits.
Early one Saturday morning, Arnette and his four sons gathered their guns and motored across the channel. When they did not return, some neighbors went to look for them. The scene they found was revolting. Sharp talons ripped apart Arnette and all four boys. Bodies of rotting Rougarous scattered the entire island. Many of the dead animals were merely babies.
From that day forward, rumors abounded that the spirits of those babies continued to inhabit the island. The name changed to Spirit Island because of the eerie emanations people felt when stepping foot on its soil.
John, walking beside Niki on the muddy path, asked his friend, “Do you believe that nonsense?”
Bobby rubbed his chin. “To be honest, I don't know. Since my dad and I have been hunting here, a lot of unexplained things have happened. Things have come up missing. We've seen flashes of animals during the night that walk upright like humans. We hear strange noises that can't be explained. Our cell phones and radios won't work on the island even though we're only a stone's throw from Baton Rouge. They work at the ramp on the other side of the channel, but they won't work at the camp. We don't have a good reason why it's that way.”
“Why didn't you tell me all of this before now?” Niki asked John.
“Because you would have thought I was as crazy as Bobby. I hope you're not falling for all this balderdash. It's crazy.”
“You aren't gonna back out now, are you?” Bobby asked the lean detective.
“Not on your life. This is awesome. I'm gonna sort this out no matter how many spirits get in the way. I'll find out what happened to your father.”
Bobby stopped after they had traveled less than a hundred yards. He looked off the trail at the thick brush.
“How do you guys want to play this?”
“What do you mean?” Niki asked.
“If someone is still here, he'll probably be upriver. We need to split up and try to find him.”
“Sounds like a plan. I don't mind taking that side of the trail,” Niki said.
“I'm more familiar with the island. Why don't you two follow the trail up to the camp? I'll work through the woods, and see if I can spot any tracks. If I find nothing, I'll follow a ridge back to the camp.” Bobby replied.
“Fire off a shot if you spot something. Between us, we'll be able to find you and help,” John suggested.
“Same for you guys. If you see someone, shoot him. Shouldn't be anyone on this island but us three. No one else belongs. Fire two shots if you spot something.”
“Or if something finds us,” Niki laughed.
Bobby disappeared in a tiny opening in the briars and thistles that lined the path. John and Niki walked side by side, able to see no more than a few feet into the dense underbrush. They had gone only a few feet when John screamed.
Niki turned, the .38 ready in her hand. Then she laughed. A huge swamp rat scurried off after running across John's foot. The cop turned deep red in embarrassment.
“I didn't know what it was,” he murmured.
“Thought it might be one of those Rougis, huh?” Niki chided. “What's wrong? Is the big macho man that thought a girl shouldn't come along scared of a little mouse?”
John looked for a hole to climb in. “No. I didn't know what it was. I couldn't see.”
Niki put a hand on his muscular arm.
“It's okay. Just for you, we'll keep this little incident between the two of us.”
She kept giggling when they started walking again.
After a few steps, John spoke.
“Thanks. This wouldn't go over real big with the guys in the department. They'd blow it out of proportion and have a good time for the next year.”
Niki stopped.
“I'll keep my mouth shut. As long as you do everything I say and don't argue with me.”
“Hey, that's blackmail.”
“Yep. Sure is,” she grinned.
She turned back to the trail, but her gaze was still on John. A half step later, she let out a blood-curdling scream and clawed at her face.
“Get him off of me. He's on my nose. Help me.”
It was John's turn to laugh.
“Relax. It's only a banana spider. They're big and colorful, but they don't eat humans.”
“Then get him off of me. He's in my hair somewhere. I can feel him.”
John plucked the big spider from her mane and held him out for her to see.
“See. He's harmless.”
“I hate all spiders with a passion,” she said. “Especially when they're trying to get inside my nose.”
John picked strings of cobweb from her strawberry-blonde hair.
“Why did you have to pick the biggest web in the swamp to walk into?”
“I'm just lucky that way,” Niki said as she picked more strands from her face.
After a few minutes, they had removed most of the spider's creation. John stepped back.
“If you don't mention the rat thing, I'll forget the spider thing.”
Niki shuddered as she pulled a remnant of silky thread from behind her ear.
“It's a deal. I'm not sure we're welcome on this island. I'm getting a strange feeling that someone or something doesn't want us here.”
John feigned shock.
“Just because someone tried to kill you with a .243, you don't feel welcome. I can't imagine.”
“Getting shot at has a way of making me feel unwelcome,” Niki said.
“I understand. Maybe being at the camp will make you feel better. It's not far up the trail.”
Niki shrugged and picked up her revolver. She had dropped it when running headlong into the spider web.
“Okay, but no more rats and spiders.”
“Works for me,” John nodded.
When Niki looked back at the trail, she saw a huge mud puddle right in the middle. Hunters had forged a path through the briars off to one side.
“Ladies first,” John said, pointing at the opening.
“Gee, you're such a gentleman.” Sarcasm dripped from Niki's tongue.
Halfway through, the path narrowed, close to the water. Niki tried to keep one eye on the ground and the other looking ahead. Spanish moss, hanging from the giant live oak
limbs, blurred her vision. An animal erupted from one of the low limbs, creating a “swish” that startled the detective.
The owl's enormous wings clipped the back of Niki's head. With a spin to fight off the yet unidentified attacker, the strawberry-blonde struggled to keep her balance on the slippery terrain. Instinctively, one leg kicked out at the bird. The other slipped in the mud.
Down she went. John tried to save her. He failed.
The long-legged detective splashed mud all over him when her rear end hit the middle of the mud hole. Like a rag doll, she sunk up to her perky nose in the mire. Only one hand remained above the mess. It held the S&W .38 revolver.
Tuesday Morning
Spirit Island
John gaped at the fallen detective, then burst out laughing. He doubled over before offering Niki a hand out of the morass. Her bottom did not want to come out. The suction of the thick mud kept a tight hold on her derriere. Still laughing, John gave a big heave. It worked. The mud gave way and Niki extricated herself from the wallow.
Slime and goo covered her entire body. She spit a wad of muck from her mouth. The detective was tempted to break her self-imposed ban on cursing. Especially with John finding such amusement in her predicament.
“This is gonna be a little hard to keep between us, don't you think?” he grinned.
“I think I want to get off this God-forsaken island before it kills me.” Niki futilely tried to wipe the grime from her face and clothes.
When John reached out to help, she stepped back. Again, down she went. This time was even more embarrassing than the first. With a huge smile, John grabbed her hand before she settled in the mud.
“You wouldn't be the first victim of Spirit Island,” he told her. “But you might be the first to come here for a mud pack. Don't you go to the spa for that?”
“I think the Rougarous are trying to tell me something. Like leave them alone.”
“Too late for that,” John replied. “We're at the camp now.”
“Do you think the spirits protect this island?”
“I don't know, but I know one thing.”
“What's that?” Niki asked.
He pointed at the mud dripping from every inch of the detective's body.
“You could use a shower.”
Niki slung a handful of mud at the cop.
“You aren't the cleanest man around. You could use a shower yourself.”
“Is that an offer?” John grinned.
Niki's mouth dropped open. “I—just. I—”
John could not contain his amusement at her awkwardness. “Just kidding.”
He brushed mud from her shoulders. Then he whispered, “Unless you want to.”
She groaned while raking mud from her stained blouse.
“Only men would think of sex at a time like this. I'm sure that I'm the most alluring and sweet smelling female you've met today.”
“You top the list for the ones I've met on this island today for sure,” he continued to grin. “So what do you think?
“I don't feel so sexy right now.”
John reached over and removed grime from her long hair.
“You could be covered in horse droppings and wearing a potato sack over your head and you would still be sexy. You have the 'it' factor that all women wish they had.”
Then he stepped back and stared into her sky-blue eyes.
“If I have so much of the 'it' factor, as you call it, why did you spend four years with that bimbo instead of me?” she asked.
John brushed some muck from her long left leg.
“I wish I had an answer for that. I always knew you were the one I wanted, but somehow I lost my way. I don't know how to better explain it.”
She looked up at his eyes and took a stepped next to his hard body. He did not step back. Instead, the cop put both arms around her. Niki reciprocated and pulled him tight against her chest, feeling the warmth of his masculine body. Her heart rate hit new highs.
“Hey, you two need to get a room for that.”
Bobby's voice startled both of them. They had been so engrossed in each other, they did not see him exit the edge of the woods. As if stung, they jumped back from one another.
John tried to explain. “She—uh. She fell, and I was trying to help her up, you know.”
“Any more help and she's gonna be asking for child support,” Bobby laughed.
John had no reply. He picked up Niki's gun and handed it to her. He again attempted to explain the situation to his friend. “The mud—she fell. I—uh. I tried to get her up.”
“You got something up, all right. Of that I'm positive.” Bobby did not let up.
“This place has tremendous scenery,” Niki tried to change the subject.
“It does.” Bobby took a cursory sweep of the surrounding swamp. “But you're not supposed to wear it home with you.”
“Did you find anything?”
John was ready to talk about anything but him and Niki.
“I went over three hundred yards up the river and then circled back to the camp. When I saw that you guys weren't there, I thought you might be in trouble. Thought you might have seen a moccasin or something. I came back down the trail looking for you. I didn't know you guys were making mud pies together. Guess that's better than making babies, though I prefer the latter.”
John regained some of his composure.
“We didn't see any snakes, but we've seen just about every other critter on this island.”
“Looks like you got up close and personal with them,” Bobby laughed as he pointed at the muck on both of them. “I mean, before you got up close and personal with each other.”
Niki holstered her weapon and faced Bobby.
“We were getting reacquainted. Something about this island brings out strong feelings.”
Bobby winced. “Dang, I should have brought all of my dates out here if it has that kind of effect on girls. It'd be a lot quicker and cheaper than getting them drunk.”
“That's not what I meant,” Niki said.
“Anyway, if you two are through getting reacquainted, why don't we go on up to the camp? We need to find out what happened to Dad.”
Bobby turned and picked his way up the path. Niki reached over and squeezed John's hand before following. Less than fifty yards later, the woods opened up. In the middle of a clearing sat a huge metal building on twenty foot pilings. The surprise at the enormity of the building showed on the lean detective's face.
“Were you expecting a pup tent put up by the Girl Scouts?” John placed a hand on her shoulder.
“No, but I wasn't expecting the Super Dome in the middle of the swamp.”
“It's smaller than the Dome,” John grinned. “But not by much. It's impressive for a camp.”
At the base of the stairs leading to the door were two rooms made of concrete blocks. Bobby pointed at them.
“Those are the mud rooms. Got a shower in each of them. If I were you guys, I'd shuck the clothes and start with them. Hard to get the smell off them if you let that stuff sit too long.”
“Uh, no offense, but I don't want to walk around this island naked,” Niki said.
“Don't worry. We've got all kinds of clothes up there,” Bobby pointed up to the camp. “I bet I can find something close to your size.”
“I think I left a camo jump suit over here the last time I hunted with you guys. That'll work for me,” John said.
“Good. Niki, why don't you take the first room and John can take the second.” Bobby paused. “Unless you only need one room.”
One glance at the detective told John all he needed to know.
“No, we'll take separate showers for now.”
When Niki stepped into the first room, she saw with surprise that it was actually two rooms. The outer room with a large hose and a drain in the middle of a concrete floor. She shucked her clothes, grabbed the hose and washed off most of the muck. The power of the hose was another shock. The force was enough to wash almost every
bit of the mud down the drain.
Then she stepped into the shower. The stall was spacious and clean. The hot steamy water refreshed her in a way that only it could. She enjoyed the bath so much that the noise of the outer door opening almost got by. She assumed that Bobby had found some clothes for her and was placing them on the hooks inside the mudroom.
After several more minutes, she went out and grabbed her original outfit. She brought it into the shower and thoroughly washed them one at a time. The detective wrung them out and repeated the process again and again. Half an hour after starting the process, she and her clothes were as clean as ever. She felt better than she had since stepping on Spirit Island.
The clothes that Bobby brought were not bad. Not the same that she would have picked out for her wardrobe, but they were decent. After dressing, she hung the wet clothes on the same hooks inside the mudroom door.
Tuesday Morning
Spirit Island
Niki stopped at the base of the stairs. A full green field surrounded the structure, most of it in rye grass. A large swamp rabbit nibbled on the ends of the blades less than twenty feet from where she was standing. Even as she climbed the stairs, the bunny seemed unconcerned.
At the top of the stairs, the door opened and John stepped out on the landing. He held a smoking cup of coffee in his hand.
“We thought we might have to send out a search and rescue team for you. We were getting worried.”
She accepted the hot coffee and took a sip before speaking.
“I never realized how relaxing a hot shower could be. I feel like a new woman.”
John shook his head. “Just when I was getting somewhere with the old one. Now I have to start all over again.”
She took another sip of the java laced with chicory.
“This isn't a bad start. Community Coffee if I'm not mistaken.”
