by Bill H Myers
I pointed to a clearing twenty feet from the front of the nest. “What about over there?”
She shrugged. “I don't know. This kitten is so young it can barely walk. I don't think the others could get that far from the nest.”
“Okay if I go over there and check anyway?”
She nodded. “Sure, go ahead. Just be careful where you step.”
I knew to be careful. I made my way to the clearing and got down on my hands and knees again. Almost immediately, I saw something.
“Lori, there's something here.”
“Did you find one?”
“No, but I found something else. Human footprints. They're not ours.”
Lori, still holding the kitten, made her way over to me. I pointed at the prints. “They're fresh. Someone else was here.”
“You sure they're not ours?”
“Lori, we haven't been over here. These prints lead in from the south. We came in from the north.”
I pointed to the line of prints. “They go right to the nest. Someone got here before we did.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “Are you sure they're fresh?”
“Yeah, pretty sure. They're still damp from this morning's dew. Whoever left them came out of the brush and went right to the panther's nest. Almost as though they had the same GPS coordinates we had. They knew exactly where they were going.”
Lori thought for a moment. “If they got here first and took the kittens, why did they leave this one behind?”
I thought about it then said, “If they were in a hurry and only searched the nest, they could have missed that one. We almost missed him.”
Lori nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. But how would they know where to look for the nest? We're the only ones who had access to the tracking data.”
Before I could respond, the panther kitten Lori was holding opened its mouth and squeaked. She petted its head and said, “I've got to get this little guy some nourishment. I hate to leave without finding the others, but if someone else got here before we did, they might have already taken them.
“When we get back in cell range, I'll call FWC and let them know what we found. They'll still send out their search team; maybe they'll find the other kittens.”
I nodded. “So you're ready to go back?”
“No, not really. I don't want to leave without finding the others. But we need to get this one back. So yeah, it's time to go.”
I pointed at the trail of footprints left by the earlier visitors. “You want to follow them or go back the way we came?”
She thought for a moment. “Let's follow them. See where they lead.”
We followed the footprints. I was leading; Lori was a few steps behind cradling the panther kitten in her arms. We'd gone about fifteen yards and had reached a clump of trees. I was about to push a path through when Lori shouted. “Stop! Don't touch that tree! It's a manchineel. The leaves are like poison ivy, but ten times worse. Don't even get close to it.”
I'd never heard of a manchineel tree. But if it was ten times worse than poison ivy, I didn't want to have anything to do with it. I took a step back and pointed to the tree in front of me. “You're talking about this tree here, with the bright green leaves?”
“Yeah, that's it. You don't want to touch the leaves or get any sap on you.”
“Okay. But it looks like there's more than one. The footprints go right through them.”
She shook her head. “We don't want to take any chances with the manchineel tree. We need to turn around.”
“That's fine by me. We can probably make better time going back the way we came.”
We turned and headed back to the panther nest then retraced our steps to the clearing that led back to the main trail. From there it didn't take us long to get back to the motorhome.
I was relieved to see it was just as we had left it. No one had tried to break in; all the windows were still intact and all the tires still had air. With a little luck, we'd be back at Oasis Station in less than twenty minutes.
Chapter Thirty-One
Mango Bob met us at the door, happy to see we had returned. But when he saw the kitten Lori was carrying, he wasn't sure what to do. He hadn't spent much time around other cats and probably hadn't seen a kitten since he was little.
Lori went over to the couch while I got the motorhome ready for our trip back to Oasis. Bob was curious. He jumped up on the couch to get a closer look at the small creature Lori was cradling in her arms.
He sniffed the kitten's bottom then growled. Not a menacing growl but one of confusion. He couldn't figure out what the little ball of fur was, and he wanted no part of it. He huffed his displeasure, jumped down from the couch and trotted to the bedroom.
Apparently, Bob wasn't ready to deal with a kitten, especially one with feet almost as big as his. After Bob had left, Lori called to me. “Walker, I need your help.”
“What do you need?”
She stood and handed me the kitten then started stripping off her clothes. She took off her shirt, her pants, and boots.
Standing in just her bra and panties, she pointed to the bathroom. “Mind if I take a quick shower?”
No, I didn't mind. Nor did I mind her standing there half naked in front of me. I could understand why she wanted a shower. She'd crawled through the underbrush and into the panther's nest. No telling what kind of bugs she'd picked up.
“Yeah, take a shower. Towels are in the cabinet in the bathroom.”
Instead of heading to the bathroom, she stood in front of me and said, “You like what you see? Is that what you're thinking? Well, don't get any ideas. It's not going to happen.”
She turned and headed to the bathroom. I watched as she walked away.
After she had closed the bathroom door, I flipped the switch that powered the motorhome's water pump. This would give her plenty of water pressure.
Lori's shower was quick. She came out of the bathroom wearing the clothes she had on before we'd gone out in search of the panther. She had a smile on her face.
Still drying her hair with a towel, she said, “Walker, I could get used to traveling like this. Think you might be available for my next trip?”
I smiled. “It depends. Will I still have to be your pretend boyfriend?”
She laughed. “The jury's still out on that.”
I was still holding the kitten. “Should we give him some water?”
She shook her head. “No, he needs Esbilac, a powdered milk supplement. I don't have any with me, but I know where to get it. Get the motorhome started and let's head back to Oasis.”
I gave the kitten back to Lori, moved up to the driver's seat and started the engine. Out of habit, I checked the side mirrors before pulling out. I was surprised to see a small white pickup pulling up behind us. The driver flashed the headlights and waved to get my attention. I didn't know who this was but figured we'd find out soon enough.
I killed the motor and waited.
The driver's door opened, and a woman stepped out. About five foot four with graying hair, wearing dark green slacks, a light green button up shirt, no hat. A clipboard in her right hand.
She walked up to my window and introduced herself. “Hi, I'm Janet, the campground host. It looks like you folks had a nice long walk.”
I nodded. “Yes, we did. It's a good day for it.”
She smiled. “The reason I stopped you is I wanted to see if you'll be staying the night. We still have spaces available in the campground.”
Still smiling, I said, “That's good to know, but we're not staying tonight. In fact, we were just about to leave.”
“Well, if you do decide to stay, check in with me, okay?”
She started to walk off then stopped and came back to my window. “Are you folks traveling with the other couple that was here this morning?”
“Other couple?”
“Yes, a man and a woman. In a silver pickup with a camper on the back. They parked here, went up that trail and were gone for about
an hour and a half. Came back carrying a picnic basket.
“They were just leaving when I caught up with them. Nice couple. Said they were from Florida. Not staying the night though. I figured you might be with them.”
I nodded. “This other couple, you said they were in a truck? Did you by any chance get their plate number?”
Janet looked down at her clipboard then back up at me. “We try to get the plate number of every vehicle that comes into the park. And, yes, I got theirs. But I can't give it to you. We try to protect the privacy of our guests.”
Lori had been sitting on the couch listening to our conversation. When she heard the campground host say she couldn't give us the plate number, she came up front, holding the panther cub in her arms.
Leaning toward the window, Lori introduced herself. “Ma'am, I'm Doctor Lori Joy, and I'm working with Florida Fish and Wildlife. They brought me in to help with the panther that got hit yesterday morning.”
The campground host nodded. “I heard about that. How's the panther doing?”
Lori smiled. “It's doing well. But here's the thing. When we examined her, we discovered she had recently given birth.
“Our tracking data showed her nest was about two miles down that trail. That's why we came out here this morning, to look for her kittens.”
The campground host looked surprised. “Kittens? The panther had a nest back there? With kittens?”
Lori nodded. “Yes, a nest and kittens. We hiked out there and located the nest but only found one kitten. This one.”
She lifted the kitten and showed it to the campground host.
“We think someone else came out this morning before we got here. They may have gotten the other kittens. That's why we need to know more about the people you saw.”
“Would you like to come in and see this kitten?”
The host smiled. “Yes, I’d love to get a closer look.”
Lori pointed to the side door. “Come around to the side, and I'll let you in.”
Lori walked over and opened the door for her.
The woman came in, and Lori showed her the kitten. She said, “It's so small and fragile. Can I touch it?”
“Yes, just be gentle. Stroke its head lightly.”
She reached over and gently touched the kitten's head and ran her finger between its ears. The kitten, who up until that moment had been sleeping, opened its eyes and blinked at her.
“Look at those eyes. It's beautiful.”
Lori nodded. “It is. But there should be more than this one. We think the people who came in earlier may have gotten the others. That's why we need their plate number.”
The campground host stroked the kitten again then looked at her clipboard. “It was a Ford F250 pickup. Silver with a white Lance camper on the back. Florida plates. Get a pencil. I'll give you the number.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
After getting the plate number from the campground host, we thanked her and followed her truck as she led us back toward Alligator Alley. She pulled over when we reached the campground gates and waved as we drove by.
We continued on until we reached the stop sign at the main road. After checking for traffic, I pulled out, turned left and headed back toward Oasis.
Lori was sitting in the passenger seat beside me, the panther kitten in her lap. With her free hand, she checked her cell phone. “Still no signal. Can't call out.”
She wanted to call Oasis and let them know we had recovered a kitten and ask if they had any of the powdered milk supplement she needed for it.
She also wanted to call her contact at FWC to see if maybe they had sent out an early search crew. Maybe the people in the Ford truck with the camper on the back were part of their team.
Without a cell signal, Lori couldn't call anyone. I could see she was frustrated, but there was nothing I could do. Except to drive. Which I did.
Traffic was light but not moving very fast. We were at the tail end of a long line of cars being held up by a motorhome going fifteen miles under the speed limit.
I could see Lori shaking her head. She understood our situation. There was no way I could pass a long line of traffic on this two-lane road. Especially in a motorhome. All we could do was follow.
Fortunately, we weren't going far. Oasis was just eight miles ahead. We'd be there in a few minutes.
Or maybe not.
When we passed the “Oasis one mile ahead” sign, Lori said, “Don't pull in. Just keep going.”
“We're not stopping?”
“No, we're not. I think it'd be better if we headed on into Miami. It's just forty minutes. There's a pet store just past the Miccosukee Casino, and they have Esbilac.”
I nodded and checked the gas gauge. We had more than enough to get to Miami and maybe even enough to get all the way back to Englewood. Even so, I'd want to fill up before we headed back into the Everglades.
At the Oasis turnoff, the long line of cars in front of us came to a full stop. The motorhome leading the pack was waiting for oncoming traffic to clear so it could pull into the parking lot.
When traffic cleared, the motorhome pulled into Oasis and just about every other car in the line followed it in.
We didn't. We kept going straight. To Miami.
Twenty minutes later, as we closed in on the western edge of Miami, Lori's phone chimed with an incoming call. We were finally back in cell range.
Lori answered.
“Hey, Denise.”
“Yeah, we found one. But it looked like someone else got there before us.”
“Not sure who it was. I'm hoping it was someone with FWC.”
“The kitten is dehydrated and hungry but otherwise in good health.”
“No, we're not headed back to Oasis just yet. We need Esbilac, so we're going to the pet store.”
“Yeah, that's the one. Just past the casino.”
“Is there anything we can get for you while we're there?”
“No, just the one kitten. The droppings in the nest looked like there should have been more, but we only found one.”
“Yeah, that's what we were thinking. Someone got there before us.”
“The ranger at Monument Lake said a man and woman in a silver Ford pickup were there earlier and had gone down the trail. They'd already left when we got there.”
“We have their plate number, and I'm going to call FWC to see if they know anything about it.”
“Yeah, we should be back at Oasis later this afternoon.”
“Okay, I'll tell him.”
Lori ended the call and turned to me.
“You heard what I said?”
I nodded.
“Good, I won't have to repeat it. Denise said to be sure to tell you she said, 'Hi.'”
I smiled and shook my head.
“Walker, do you and Denise have something going on?”
“No, Lori. We don't. I only have one pretend girlfriend on this trip. And that's you.”
“Good. You'll want to keep it that way.”
She pointed ahead. “When you get to the stoplight at the casino, keep going straight. The pet store will be four miles past the light and on your right.”
I nodded and kept driving.
Lori still had her phone in her hand. “I'm calling FWC.”
She punched in a number, and after a moment reached someone.
“Hi, Tom. It's Lori.”
“Yes, we went out there. Found the nest and rescued one kitten. I've got it with me now.”
“It's healthy. But I'm concerned that we only found the one. There should have been more. We looked and didn't find them. But we did find fresh human footprints around the nest. We think someone got there before we did.”
“Did you send out a search team?”
“So they're going out there this afternoon?”
“That's good. Maybe they'll find the others.”
“I'm still worried someone may have gotten there before we did.”
“Could have been, but the only
people who had access to the tracking data were you, me, and Kenny.”
“No, I didn't tell anyone.”
“Are you sure no one else at FWC knew?”
“You're positive?”
“Okay. If you hear anything, let me know.”
“No, we're not at Oasis. We're on our way to Miami to pick up some Esbilac. We'll head back to Oasis after we get it.”
“Yeah, you too.”
She ended the call and turned to me. “He wasn't much help. Said they didn't send out a search team and didn't release the tracking data. He had no idea who might have been out there this morning.
“So unless we find a silver Ford truck with a white camper on the back with the kittens inside, they may be lost forever.”
Lori's phone chimed with an incoming call. She answered then handed it to me. “It's Denise. She wants to talk to you.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Hi Denise, what's up?”
“Walker, it may be nothing, but I figured you'd want to know. You remember what we talked about this morning? About Kenny and his date?”
“I remember. Is this about that?”
“Kind of. When I was on the phone with Doctor Joy, she mentioned a silver Ford pickup. It didn't register at first, but now that I think about it, that sounds a lot like Kenny's truck.
“It has a camper on the back, and I know for sure the truck is a silver Ford.”
“Is he back at Oasis?”
“No, he's not. No one has seen him all day.”
“What about Callie? Anyone heard from her?”
“No. They're both still gone.”
“Denise, if you hear from either one of them, call me.”
We ended the call, and I handed the phone back to Lori.
“What was that about?”
“Kenny.”
“Kenny? What about Kenny?”
“He's missing. And so is the girl he was with last night.”
“Missing? What do you mean missing?”
“According to Denise, Kenny didn't show up for work this morning. And neither did Callie.”
“Callie?”
“One of the student volunteers that came down with Denise. She was with Kenny last night.”