“How big is it?” I asked still holding Saber tightly in my arms.
“Its not very big, only about two feet long. Its very slender, but it is still freaking me out Emily said suddenly discovering her nakedness. She pulled the sheet up trying to cover herself and Madyson.
Saber sensing or smelling the snake struggled in my arms to be let down. I set him down on the floor and a low growl rumbled out of his chest. He went straight to the bed and peered under, and then shot off like a rocket. There were no sounds except his paws scratching the stone floor. A minute later he emerged from under the bed with the dead grass snake dangling from his mouth, growling loudly letting us know that this was his kill. He strolled out of the cottage triumphantly into the night.
Madyson sank down to the bed. “How the hell did that thing get in here?” She demanded.
Adrienne stared at the thatched roof thoughtfully before speaking. I followed her gaze, as did Madyson and Emily. “Surely you don’t think it came from the roof?” Emily said with a shudder.
“I seriously doubt it.” Adrienne said in a comforting tone. “We have never had a snake in any of the cottages before. How long has your door been open?”
Emily and Madyson exchanged glances. “We opened it about an hour ago. We umm kind of got a little hot and opened it to let the breeze blow through.” Madyson answered sheepishly.
“I don’t think the snake came in through the roof. I think it came in through the open door. It would be a good idea to keep the door closed at least during the night.” Adrienne said as we left them to their business.
When we arrived back out our place I began to study the thatched roof intently. “Adrienne could there be a snake in our roof?”
“I suppose there could be.” She said as she crawled sleepily back into our bed. I yanked the covers completely off the bed to make sure none of the slimy creatures were lying in wait for us. She propped her self up on her elbows and stared at me with an arched brow.
“Feel better?” I noted the sarcasm in her tone.
“No I do not! Why in the hell do we have thatched roofs anyway? They can’t hold up all that well in a storm.” I said as I tucked the sheet and blanket tightly around the bed.
“They add to the tropical appeal of the Inn, and they are treated to repel the rain. We have had very few problems; so don’t get any ideas about ripping the roof out of this place Hayden. Now come to bed or I am putting you outside with the cat.”
I climbed into bed and snuggled as close to Adrienne as I could get. When I heard her breathing become steady I realized she was almost asleep. I had the creeps and if I couldn’t sleep she wasn’t either.
“Adrienne?” I whispered into the darkness.
“Hmm.” She answered, obviously annoyed.
“Why do you suppose Shelby calls me Monkey Chop? Do I have a monkey face?”
“No you do not have a monkeys face, now go to sleep.”
“You think the snake bite is going to leave a scar?”
The lamp next to the bed clicked on, and flooded the room with light. A pair of blue eyes narrowed and glared down at me. I gave my best innocent look.
“Hayden, I love you, but if you don’t go to sleep I will have to kill you with my bare hands.”
I sat straight up. “You love me? Is that any way to tell me for the first time?”
“Honestly, honey my love for you is the only thing keeping me from choking you at the moment.” She said as she lay back down.
I sat there starring at her incredulously. “Are you serious? Not about the choking part, about the loving me part.”
She switched off the light and pulled me down into her arms. I laid my head on her chest and listened to her rapidly beating heart. “Yes Hayden, I am hopelessly in love with you.”
I lay there a moment quietly. I could tell by her heartbeat she was nervous about admitting her feelings. Then I responded as honestly as I could. “I love you too Adrienne. I lay there running the ends of her hair through my fingers and drifted off happily to sleep.
The next morning we woke up in a mass of tangled arms and legs. I had always hated being held by anyone when I slept, but in Adrienne’s case I happily made an exception. When she realized I was awake, she untangled herself from me and looked me in the eyes.
“Did you mean what you said last night?”
Even when she had only just woke up and her hair was a mess, she was the loveliest woman I had ever had the pleasure of being with. “Yes, I meant it. I do love you Adrienne.
That morning at breakfast we sat there with goofy grins on our faces. Fortunately, for both of us no one paid us any mind. Secretly, I was thrilled when just about the entire group decided to go on an outing. They had been discussing the old plantation ruins and everyone wanted to go but Annie and Liz who seemed to be at odds that morning. They decided to spend their day at the beach.
Once the van made its way down the drive, Adrienne and I met with our co-conspirators on what task we would assign Hank to. Adrienne came up with the idea. We were going to have Hank inspect the roof of each cottage and spray for pests in view of the snake visit last night. Shelby and I decided that we would be the ones to pay his shack a visit.
Neither Adrienne nor Myra were happy with the arrangements, but I explained that Adrienne was always more persuasive with Hank and would be more likely to get him to do what we wanted. Adrienne sent for Hank while I smoked a few cigarettes in an attempt to calm my nerves. The plan was to let him get started for a while and then
Shelby and I would wander off.
About an hour later Hank stomped into the bar. “Good morning Hank. I am sorry to bother you at this hour, but we had a snake get into one of the cottages last night. Would you please inspect the roofing on each of the cottages for snakes and spray them down for pests today? I don’t want any of our guests having anymore unwanted visitors showing up in the night again.” Adrienne said nonchalantly.
Hank grunted in agreement and mumbled something under his breath about pesticide. He wandered off toward the laundry cottage and emerged shortly after with a canister and a ladder. Once he had mixed the chemicals and climbed up on the first cottage, Shelby and I set off for his place.
I silently prayed when we entered the old dilapidated shack that Hank would not decide to return and find us rummaging through his belongings. It did not come as a surprise to either of us that Hank was a complete pig. His place was strewn with beer cans and containers of rotting food. We did our best not to disturb anything. I was really feeling the fool and I had almost given up the search finding nothing but piles of dirty clothes. We were on our way out of the door when I tripped over a satchel halfway buried under trash and his nasty laundry.
Shelby glanced at me and opened the latch. Our eyes widened at the neatly stacked piles of cash inside. Shelby’s hands trembled as she pulled out a wad of bills. “Hayden why would a man living like this has this much cash laying around?”
What concerned me more than the find was the sand and dirt covering the satchel, we replaced it exactly how we had found it and made a hasty retreat. Taking the long way around to the Inn, we were breathless when we arrived at the bar. It was a few minutes before we could tell Adrienne and Myra what we had found.
“Its money he’s looking for!” I said breathlessly. Apparently, he has money buried on the premises. We found a bag covered in dirt and sand filled with cash. I imagine there are one or more bags buried around here, and the big dumb ass cant figure out where he buried them.”
“If he finds that money he will vanish.” Adrienne said as she handed us a couple of bottled waters. “We have to get busy on our digging.”
When Shelby and I had gotten our strength back we decided to install one of the new flowerbeds. The only problem was that Hank had a bird’s eye view of our work. If we did find anything we would have to discreetly do something with it. We met in the courtyard to go over the sketches that I had made. I had gone to great lengths to come up with something that
would blend in with the other landscaping and not stand out like a sore thumb.
Bless Calvin, he had delivered a dozen fifty pound bags of potting soil the day before, although he did charge me out the ass for them. I took a spray can and marked off the design of the new bed, and we began to break the surface of the ground when Hank approached and inquired as to what we were doing.
My heart skipped a beat, when I heard his voice. “Oh you know Hank. I’ve got landscaping in my blood I couldn’t help but throw in a new bed or two in here. How are things going with the roofing?” I did my best to sound casual.
“I have two more cottages to go and I will be done. Do you ladies need help with your project?” Hank offering to help was something I never expected.
“Oh no Hank.” I waved my hand and my glove flew off and hit him in the chest. “You’ve done more than you know by assuring that there were no snakes up there. We girls are just doing this to keep ourselves in shape, but thank you just the same for the kind offer.”
He grunted in his usual fashion and handed me my glove. “If you need anything just holler.” He said as he walked off.
We breathed a collective sigh of relief when he was far enough away. “Do you think he is on to us?” Myra said as she scraped away the sprouts of grass within our work area.
“I think he is a little suspicious. We rarely ever do things like this when we have guests.” Adrienne said as she helped Myra.
“Once we had cleared the area of brush and grass, we began to plunge our shovels deeply into the sandy soil. We broke up every inch of dirt within the perimeter of where I had marked off and found nothing. I had no desire to finish the project when all of our labor turned up zip. Although, the new bed turned out excellent, at least all of our hard work produced something positive.
That night after dinner we sat around the bar. Each of us were drained from the hard labor and being in the sun all day. Thank God, our guests were equally tired from their adventure as well and went to their cottages a little after midnight.
Adrienne and I lay in bed exhausted. “He was stoned when he buried the money.” Adrienne said suddenly.
I turned to look at her as she stared off into the distance. “I can hear him cursing himself for it in my mind. Hayden there is a lot of money buried out there.” She said turning to look me in the eye.
“This is like searching for a needle in a haystack. We don’t have any better of a chance of finding it than he does at this rate.” The frustration was wearing me thin.
Adrienne looked as though she was about to speak, when she stared off again. “He is bothered by our sudden interest in gardening. He plans to get a metal detector.”
I was amazed at her ability to eavesdrop into Hanks ponderings. Once he got that detector there would be no stopping him. He however, would have to be very creative in finding a way to use it without being noticed.
“Shit! I wish there was some way we could get Colie to have him under surveillance when he went on the hunt. Right now I am certain he thinks I am some paranoid nutcase.” I said as I got up and began to pace.
Adrienne watched me for a moment. “We will have catch him in the act, then we can get Colie to do something about it. Myra and Shelby have a video camera, we can take turns keeping an eye on him. Now come to bed I am in a cuddling mood.” She lifted the covers inviting me in, and I wasted no time jumping into bed and her arms.
The next day began like any other, we all met for breakfast in the dinning room. Billy was especially in an antagonistic mood and decided to rail on me. Of course, in the interest of being a good hostess I gave as good as I got.
He sat with a smirk on his face as he drank his coffee. Looking directly at me the whole time as if daring me to say something. “I don’t know if I can recommend this place to anyone back home. After all you’ve had a guest turn up missing, the plumbing has backed up and a snake found its way into one of the cottages. Tell me Hayden, is it always this exciting here?” He chuckled nervously after he finished speaking.
I pushed my plate away and leaned back in my chair taking a calming breath before responding to his snide question. The entire room fell silent and all the occupants of the table watched us as though they were watching a tennis match. “I have to agree with you Billy it seems we have had quite a few problems this go around. I guess you’re like a bad luck charm.” I chose not to chuckle, but stared straight into his eyes.
“I think you ladies need a man around here to run things, someone who can take care of the up keep of the place.” Again he let loose a chuckle, and refused to look me in the eye as he spoke.
“I would think you being a gay man would realize that we no more need a man to take care of us than you and Chris need a woman around your home. I assume the two of you get along just fine without female assistance. I do have to say, I figure you to be the type to still be living at home with his mommy.” I grinned at that one.
He set his cup down and chuckled again. The chuckle was really getting on my nerves. Was he unable to have a conversation without that idiotic little laugh? He never looked me in the eyes either. This told me that he was insecure, and it made me despise him all the more.
“It’s a proven fact that men can survive without a woman around, but women cannot always do what men can do.”
“Such as?” I had to ask.
“Repairs, heavy lifting, and of course peeing while standing.” This time Richard joined in on the chuckling.
“Most of the repairs around here are done by Adrienne, Iris and myself. Anything we chose not to do, we delegate to Hank. In regard to heavy lifting there is always a work around for that when you use your head. I always pee standing up in public restrooms, so you will have to come up with something better than that.”
I continued cutting him off in Julia Sugarbaker fashion. “Don’t misunderstand me Billy. I do not dislike men in general. I respect a man that can look me in the eye and say what is on his mind, but I have no use for weak men or women for that matter.”
“Hayden I can show you a real man if you want.” The nervous chuckle was a little louder on that one.
“Well Billy, when you go into town to pick up a real man, let me know I need a few things from the market.” A broad grin broke across my face, and I continued to stare at him waiting for him to meet my eyes. The room was silent except for Billy’s nervous chuckle. The women of the group all stared at Billy in contempt waiting for him to say something else. Chris being the more polite of the two came to his rescue when he asked about snorkeling.
“Um Hayden, is it true there is a pretty decent reef to snorkel on that we can access from the beach here?”
Adrienne nodded. “There is a beautiful reef right off the beach here. We have plenty of snorkel equipment for anyone who would like to have a look. Hayden and I have snorkeled it many times and would be happy to show you around.”
I was not happy about being volunteered to snorkel with Billy. I figured the chubby bastard would pee in the water anytime he was near me. I was not willing to let Adrienne suffer alone though, so I went with the group.
Myra and Shelby opted to take the van since the guests did not express and interest to go anywhere. They wanted to see more of the island and hopefully talk with the Mayor of New Bight to see how the locals would react to a new medical clinic being run by outsiders. They had hoped to gain his support by speaking with him about it before they tried to put their plan in motion.
As I had suspected Billy was lazy and laid on the beach while the rest of us explored the reef. It was his loss. Some of the most beautiful scenery in the Caribbean was found beneath the crystal clear waters. I never tired of admiring the beauty of the corals and sea life.
I stood on a sand bar and adjusted my mask, when Chris swam over and joined me. “Hayden I really am sorry about Billy’s remarks earlier. He gets in these moods and he tries to find someone to bully. Personally, I think the Inn is beautiful, and you ladies do a fine job of managing it. Maybe some day I wil
l come back without Billy.” He said with a laugh.
“That’s really sweet of you to say. I hope you will forgive my bluntness, but I am amazed at how different you and Billy really are. I guess it is true about opposites attracting.”
“He’s a different person altogether when we are alone.” Chris ran his fingers through his thinning hair. “I will be honest though, those times are far and few between. I don’t want to break his heart, but I am having a problem coping with his bravado in public. He’s really not the jerk he pretends so hard to be.”
Chris and I stuck close together as we explored the reef. I really enjoyed his company, and with his obnoxious mate sleeping on the beach we all got to see the vibrant personality that Chris had. It saddened me to know that such a sweet person was overshadowed by someone hell bent on being an ass.
In the hottest part of the day the group dispersed to nap or lounge on the beach, Adrienne showered and then fell asleep across our bed. Normally, I would be first in line for a nap but I just couldn’t make myself lay down. I paced around the cottage for a little while and then decided to pay my beloved aunts grave a visit.
I grabbed a small basket and filled it with fresh flowers I picked along the road to the cemetery. Aunt Gloria’s grave and tombstone were covered in flowers. I cleared away some of the wilted ones and replaced them with the fresh ones that I had picked. I had never seen a gravesite so adorned with flowers. My aunt was greatly loved.
“Hi aunt. It sure would be nice if you were still here with us. I could use your wisdom in this situation with Hank. I am to the point of wishing he would just find the money and be on his way. I know that is not fair to Brandon, but I am worried about the safety of those who I have come to love. You always said everything happens for a reason, I hope one day I will understand why all of this happened.
I wanted to thank you for all you left for me. The Inn is great, but I think you know I am talking about Adrienne. Sometimes, when I wake up before her I lay there looking at her face. She is so beautiful. There is nothing more intriguing to me than a woman that likes being a woman and is not ashamed of all of her feminine qualities. Of course I am sure you know that.”
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