“No! Don’t do that.” Janey let out a shaky breath. “I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell a soul. Not anyone. Junior is... Junior has a... Junior used to...”
Horrible fill-in-the-blank words danced in my head. Sadist. Polygamist. Serial killer. Psychopath. “Janey, spit it out. I can’t take the suspense.”
“Junior has two children with a black woman.”
I was so relieved I nearly slid out of my chair. “So?”
“So, Aunt Fay and my stepdad always assume we’ll marry anyone we date.” She held her silence for a long while. “We’ve never had a person of color in our family before.”
“Then it’s time we did.” I reached over and took Janey’s hand. “If it works out for you guys, fine, or if you move on and fall in love with a black man, a Hispanic dude, or a Chinese guy, it’s okay with me. And I promise you it will be okay with them.”
She placed her other hand atop mine, gripping me tightly. “You’re sure? Because I really like him.”
I spoke from my heart. “Life is short. Go for it, Cuz.”
Chapter 11
The sand gnats and mosquitoes found us at dusk, so Janey and I zipped ourselves inside the tent with my dog Bailey. We talked like school girls, joking and giggling and bingeing on snacks. I hadn’t done a sleepover with my cousin in nearly twenty years. She was the closest thing I had to a sister, and I wouldn’t let so much time go by before we did something like this again. Distancing myself from the family had hurt others.
Take my cousin, for instance. I hadn’t considered how Janey felt about me staying away. We used to tell each other everything. Or we did before my brother’s fatal boating accident. Afterward, I focused on getting away and not thinking about home at all. Now that I’d moved back home, Janey and I had fallen back into our best friends’ mode. My absence had more consequences than I’d imagined. I felt bad for abandoning her for nearly ten years.
I was here now, though, and I’d nurture her dreams and encourage her. After it got dark, I wished we’d ignored Junior’s advice and started a campfire. Janey checked her cell phone a bunch of times, and I checked mine because that seemed to be the thing to do. No calls. No Ike. Did he even know I wasn’t home? It hurt that I couldn’t answer that question.
“When is Cap’n Nick coming back?” I asked at midnight.
“How should I know? Maybe the guys hooked up with someone. They could’ve had beer or wine in that cooler.”
“I don’t believe Cap’n Nick and that young man are friends. Even if the trip was about island romance, it doesn’t take this long to ride over there, have dinner and fun, and return to the mainland. The longer they’re gone, the more I feel like something else is going on.”
“We should call Ike,” Janey said.
“Based on what? A feeling? No way will he go for that, especially in the middle of the night. Nope, the sheriff requires cold hard proof. He waited a day to go look for Selma Crowley because all I had was a feeling.”
“Say the guys come back on the boat. What will we do?”
“We document their coming and going.”
“But nothing else, right? You’re not planning on confronting them?”
“I might’ve in the daylight. But not at night. It feels creepy.”
“No kidding. I’m glad we’re not camped beside the dock, and I’m double glad we’ve got Bailey. Are you thinking to build out here?”
I ignored the personal question. “I want something to happen. That’s what I want.”
“Is it always about the story?” Janey asked, her voice softening.
“It has to be.”
“And what’s your story?”
Janey would dog this topic to death. Might as well get it over with. “My story is a mess right now. I’m a to-be-continued. I thought Ike and I had something, but now I’m not sure he feels the same way.”
“Hmm.”
Bailey stirred, went to the front of the tent, and whined softly. “What is it, girl?” I asked, crawling after her. “Do you hear something?”
“I hear a faint buzz,” Janey said. “A boat motor. They’re coming back.”
“About time.” I fumbled for my shoes, my camera, and my binoculars.
“You’re going out there?” Janey asked.
“I am.”
“Shouldn’t we wait here until Cap’n Nick’s truck leaves?”
“I can’t see anything from back here. If you want to hide in the tent, fine. I’m taking Bailey and observing from that big oak.”
“You’re not going out there alone, but we’ll be careful, right?”
“Absolutely.”
We pulled it together and hustled outside, little flashlights showing us where to step. “If I wasn’t scared,” Janey said, “this would be fun.”
Would our snooping amount to anything? My heart said yes. My head said be careful. Janey and I were vulnerable. We had to be smart about this. I clung tightly to Bailey’s leash.
“Shh.” I clicked off my flashlight at the big oak. “They can’t know we’re here.”
Janey grinned, her teeth gleaming in the shadows.
I groaned inwardly at her delight. She’d been born to sneak around at night. I’d rather be home in my own bed, except I needed to get justice for Selma and her turtles.
A lump formed in my throat as I peered around the oak at the moonlit creek and the approaching boat. I tried to clear the lump without making any noise. Not working. I swallowed hard and managed to work it free.
We were fine, I reasoned. They wouldn’t know we were here. This was scary, but we were safe enough. Besides, I wasn’t doing anything wrong. This was my property.
The boat slowed to approach the dock. After mooring his boat, Cap’n Nick caught his passenger by the shoulder. “Not so fast, hot stuff. You owe me another $200 for this trip.”
The sound carried across the short expanse of water crystal clear.
“I’m good for it, bro,” the younger guy said.
“You’re not good for it, and you’re not my bro. You’re paying now, or I’m calling the sheriff about this duct-taped cooler with your fingerprints all over it.”
“You can’t do that to me. You’re part of this too!”
The young man’s voice rose with each word he spoke. Was Cap’n Nick shaking him down or was it the other way around? I caught Janey’s eye and made a motion like I wanted to take a picture. Janey held Bailey’s leash while I tried to get a shot. It wouldn’t take. Not enough light. Inspiration struck. I could use the camera to record the conversation. I switched the camera to video mode.
“Think again,” Cap’n Nick drawled. “I may talk slow, but my brain’s as good as any of you college boys. You want custom transportation to the island like a big shot, fine, but you gotta pay.”
“I’ll catch up next time,” the young man said.
“How do I know there’ll be a next time?’ Cap’n Nick asked. “Your gal got dead.”
“Let me go.”
“Only if you give me your car keys. You get them back when I have the two hundred.”
“Is there an ATM at the dock?”
Cap’n Nick laughed. “Good one, city slicker.”
“Where’s the nearest ATM?”
“The bank in town, which is a pretty far piece. Go ahead. I’ll wait.”
“But my car’s in the other direction, at your place. You made me leave it there so you could shake me down tonight. I should’ve known you’d double-cross me.”
“You have two choices. I keep your car as collateral for the two hundred you owe me. Or I keep the cooler.”
“The cooler stays with me. Thanks to you, the broker knows my name and where I live. I can’t have him coming after me or my family,” the guy said. “Don’t call the cops.”
“And?”
“And you’ll get your money.”
I glanced over at Janey, and she was fooling with her phone again. Bailey lunged on the leash and broke free of Janey’s grasp. The dog made a b
eeline for the dock, barking as she ran.
Fear struck hot as a fire poker, jolting me into action. Swearing under my breath, I tossed the camera to Janey. “Keep this on. I’m taping the conversation. I’ll get Bailey. If something happens, call Ike.”
“Wait!” Janey said.
“I can’t take the chance they’ll hurt Bailey. She’s already been kicked by one bad guy in her life.” I stayed her second protest with a finger to my lips. Honestly, she’d had one job to do, hold onto my Labrador retriever, and she blew it.
I handed my binoculars to Janey. “I’ll be right back.” Clicking my flashlight on, I jogged to the dock, calling the dog as I went. Both men huddled in the speedboat with the cooler, quiet as field mice.
Bailey paced alongside the boat on the floating dock, barking. I hurried down the ramp to the lower dock, apologizing profusely for the dog bothering them as I caught her leash and brought her under control.
“Evening, Ms. McKay,” Cap’n Nick said. “What are you doing out this way?”
“Camping on my property with friends. Bailey must’ve heard y’all talking and that’s why she wanted to go out in the middle of the night. I’m sorry she bothered you.”
“Y’all having a party up there?” Cap’n Nick said.
The hopeful note in his voice irritated me. Was he angling for an invitation? Not going to happen. “A few friends getting together. That’s all. Good night.”
For a large man sitting in a boat in the dark of night, Cap’n Nick proved to be amazingly agile. Before I walked four steps, he charged up behind me. Bailey went nuts, lunging back at him, snarling and growling and biting the air. My emotions warred. Save the dog, or save myself? I wanted to do both, but in that instant, Bailey yanked the leash from my hand. Self-preservation took over. No one was taking me captive again.
My heart threatened to burst from my chest. I screamed at the guy and ran the last few steps to the main dock. Thanks to Ike, I knew a few self-defense moves. We’d practiced them over and over. I could confront a larger, enraged man, or I could run and hide in the midnight shadows of the shrimp house.
I ran.
“Come back here,” Cap’n Nick yelled.
Over Bailey’s barking, I heard the younger man yell, “What’s going on?”
“Get off your butt, and hand me an oar,” the captain snapped. “This gal’s the sheriff’s girlfriend. She calls him, and we’re both up the creek.”
Call Ike. That’s what I needed to do. But I didn’t have my phone. I didn’t have anything except the flashlight, which I’d switched off as soon as I hit the shrimp house. From memory, I summoned the layout. The conveyor machine that washed the shrimp and dumped them into a weighing pan was on my right. The ice crusher was on my left. Beyond on the right were large tables used in the past for heading shrimp. Further ahead on the left was a tiny office with a phone.
A phone. I tiptoed to the office as quietly as I could. Outside, Bailey yelped, followed by a splash. I grimaced and hoped she was okay. If I went back for her, I’d seal both our fates. Calling for help was the best plan, but the office door wouldn’t budge. Locked.
My hopes plunged. I was near the front door, and even though there was faint moonlight, making a run for it was my only option. Heart thumping madly, I dashed out, heading straight for the nearby thicket, away from my cleared lot. Maybe that would keep Janey safe.
I darted from tree to tree, fighting briars and palmetto fronds. Behind me, I heard a vehicle door snick open, then the unmistakable retort of gunshot.
Chapter 12
I froze, paralyzed by that sharp blast. I couldn’t move if I wanted to, except for my heart, which beat so loud I couldn’t hear myself think. Despite sweating in the summer heat, an arctic chill turned my blood to slush. Did they shoot my dog? Did they shoot my cousin?
“That was a warning shot,” Cap’n Nick shouted. “Come out of those woods, Ms. McKay, or the next bullet goes in your dog.”
My brain rebooted, and I crouched behind an oak for protection. This stakeout had taken a wrong turn, and I had no idea what these guys were up to.
“What kind of monster are you?” the other guy asked. “I’m not shooting a dog.”
I heard the unmistakable sound of flesh smacking flesh. “You will shoot the dog if the woman doesn’t show herself in the next ten seconds.”
Bailey. I couldn’t fail my dog again. I resigned myself to being captured, but doubts crept in. They didn’t have Bailey. How could they? My dog went overboard. I would’ve heard her yelp if they’d caught her. All I heard was eerie silence. Bailey was brave, to a point. Then she hid. Like me. We were survivors.
Was Janey a survivor? I sure hoped so.
Cap’n Nick swore up a blue storm when I didn’t step forward. “There’s a ten-foot diamondback rattler lives in there, girlio. We leave her alone because she eats rats. You make one misstep near her hole, and you’re dead. I won’t even have to shoot you.”
A rattlesnake? My knees turned to putty. Wait. Was he trying to flush me out of hiding? I wasn’t that far in the tree line. They’d hear me if I moved.
Snakes. Since my property had been cleared recently, if there were snakes out here, chances were they’d moved over here for cover. How fast did snake venom work? I was forty minutes from the nearest hospital.
Think. How could I survive this? Where was Janey? Had she summoned help? We were fifteen minutes from town, but the sheriff’s deputies should be patrolling county roads. I had to believe Janey phoned for help.
“She called your bluff,” the young guy said. “Now what?”
“I’m getting the hell outta here. Get your stuff off my boat, Ozzie, and vanish if you know what’s good for you. This place’s gonna be crawling with cops in ten minutes.”
“You can’t abandon me in the middle of nowhere. I’ve done everything you asked. I won’t let you ruin my life.”
The gun rang out again. The young man screamed. “You nearly shot me.”
“Get in my way again, and I won’t miss,” Cap’n Nick said. “Forget you ever saw me, that you ever did any business with me.”
“What are you doing?”
Metal creaked. “I’m taking the cooler, and I’m making a run for it. No one will believe I was here. My wife will alibi me.”
“That woman in the woods knows you were here.”
“Not worried about her, she made a beeline for the snake den. If she survives, it’ll be her word against mine. I pay my taxes and keep my nose clean. Plus, the sheriff owes me a favor.”
“What about her camping friends?”
“No one followed her to the dock. No one came when I fired the gun. She’s here alone, and rumor says her and the sheriff are on the outs. I like my chances. Keep your trap shut, and you’ll have that future in politics.”
“Take me with you,” Ozzie begged.
“You’re on your own, college boy.” A vehicle door opened and slammed. An engine roared to life, and the truck left. I heard a sob, then the sound of someone running after the truck, away from the dock.
That must mean Cap’n Nick left and the kid fled on foot. Or were they tricking me? It sounded like they were partners. One of them had a gun. I wanted to believe I was safe, but I wasn’t sure of anything. Dare I turn on my flashlight? No. It might give away my position.
My knees ached from crouching for so long. My heart raced out of control, and my hands trembled. Sweat made an interstate highway down the channel of my spine. My skin felt as if a thousand bugs crawled on it, and mosquitoes buzzed my ears.
I had to get out of these woods. I didn’t feel safe here.
“Lindsey?” Janey said in a near normal voice. “You can come out now, they’re gone.”
“You sure?” I asked.
“Cap’n Nick left in his truck. The other guy chased him.”
So great was my relief, I sagged into the oak, and my wobbly legs gave out. I sank to the ground. We were alive. “Bailey? Is she okay?”
“
I watched her from the tree I climbed. Bailey swam to the bank and ran to the campsite. Everyone and everything’s safe. Come out of there.”
“I’m shaking all over.”
A flashlight beam shone my way. “Shock. Move now before you can’t.”
I moved one foot and planted a hand on the ground, but a rustling sound beside my left hand stopped my heart.
Chapter 13
“S-s-s-snake,” I managed to get out.
“Don’t move. Don’t even breathe,” Janey said. “You hear me? You are not dying on my watch.”
I heard her stomping her feet and yelling as she came my way. The rattling continued, but the intensity lessened. I’d lived twenty-eight years. Was this the end of me? The sound of the rattles made me think the snake had a lot of buttons, and she could be full of venom.
A mosquito landed on my neck and dug in. I tried twitching my skin, but the critter stuck fast. What was a mosquito bite compared to a snake bite? I’d survive a mosquito bite.
I started to see stars. I had to take a breath, but I made it as slight as possible. Between the mosquito bite and Janey raising cane, I’d forgotten to listen for the snake. The rattling had stopped. It’s working, I said to myself. It’s working.
Janey stopped yelling, but she kept stomping hard on the ground. “Lindsey?”
“Still here,” I whispered.
The flashlight moved in an arc. When it passed near me, I whispered louder, “Right here.”
Janey went nuts yelling again, stomping the ground, and flashing the light in my general area. Moving my other hand ever so slowly, I squashed the mosquito feasting on my neck. I listened intently for rattling again, heard nothing. Emboldened, I switched on my flashlight and checked the ground. I saw movement on the ground, but it was headed away from me.
I scrambled to my feet, ran around the pine, and smacked into Janey. “Thank God for you,” I said, clinging to her. “Otherwise, I’d be a goner.”
“I’m glad you’re all right. Let’s get out of these woods.” With that, she dragged me to the dirt road.
I tried to get my head right to be conversant and grateful, but I couldn’t. I kept my flashlight beam on the ground because I didn’t want to step near another snake. “I want to go home.”
Happy Homicides 4: Fall Into Crime: Includes Happy Homicides 3: Summertime Crimes Page 80