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-nake,” 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? With as many buttons as this snake probably had, 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 ceased. 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 feared stepping on another snake. “I want to go home.”
“Good, because I was gonna take you back to town no matter what. I’ve had enough excitement for one night.”
We were okay, I repeated silently. No one was shot. No one was dead. Some of the fog in my brain lifted.
“It sounded like Captain Nick and Ozzie were up to no good,” I said.
“I wonder what was in that cooler,” Janey said.
“We’ll never know. Those guys are long gone.”
She flashed me a sidelong glance. “Maybe.”
“You know something?”
“I called for backup.”
“Some backup. Nobody came.”
“Once the men left, I rerouted our help. I thought it was a simple matter of getting you out of the woods and into your car. I didn’t know we’d encounter a big rattler.”
We veered off the road onto my lot. My skin itched and prickled. Not from the bugs and ticks that were probably crawling on me, but from knowing snakes climbed trees. One could drop out of a tree on us. I wanted a roof over my head right now.
Janey had saved the day. I wouldn’t be walking around right now if not for her. Of that I was quite certain. “You were amazing. I owe you my life. Without you raising a ruckus, that snake would’ve nailed me. I am never living out here. Daddy can sell this property because I don’t want it. I don’t like being so far away from town. Nobody but us heard the gunshot. That’s no good.”
“You don’t owe me anything. I’m glad you’re all right.”
“I am, thanks to you.” Bailey came running, soaking wet and wagging her tail. I bent down and greeted her. We’d barely escaped another ordeal. I should feel relieved. Instead, I felt empty. Spent.
Meanwhile, Janey rummaged in the tent, gathering our possessions.
She tossed our purses and clothes in the car, then she ran back to the tree for the camera and binoculars. When she returned, waving the camera, I was surprised. “Did you tape the guys? Cap’n Nick threatening me and everything?”
“Yeppers.”
“I can file charges against Cap’n Nick. He threatened me with a gun.”
“You can and should file charges. We’re taking this to Ike.” She took my arm, led me to my car, and positioned me in front of the headlights. “Tick check.”
She had me slowly turn around so that she could check my clothing, and then I did the same for her. We checked out okay, so I sat in the passenger seat. With my nerves shot, I was in no condition to drive.
Her words slowly percolated in my head as she spread a blanket over the backseat and invited Baxley to climb inside. “Ike? Why?”
“Cause he’s at the head of the road, reading Cap’n Nick and Ozzie Shaniman their rights for assaulting you.”
I tugged on my ear, not sure if I’d heard correctly. “Ike’s here?”
“Yep. Him and Junior Curtis. Junior told Ike about our campout, and Ike asked to be kept abreast of developments. I’ve been texting Junior all night. Soon as things went sideways, I sent him a SOS, then I scrambled up that oak tree. I got it all on tape. Though the video is too grainy, the audio is fine. I already checked. We’ve got ’em cold.”
Ike. I wanted to see him, but I was a wreck. My emotions were swinging like Spanish moss in a gale. I didn’t know if I’d clobber him for being out of touch this week, or if I’d run to him and hug him because he was supposed to be my boyfriend. Or not.
Between the scratches, bug bites, and wet dog smell, I was no prize. But I was alive. That mattered. Janey cranked the car, and we pulled away from the campsite. Can’t say I was sorry to go.
We edged along the dirt road until we hit the pavement. Then Janey accelerated. A few bends of the road later, I could see the commotion. The head of the road blazed with cop lights. The red truck was there, but Cap’n Nick and Ozzie were nowhere in sight. Good. I’d had enough of them.
Janey eased through the maze of emergency vehicles, stopping when Ike stepped in front of my car. She rolled the driver’s window down. “Got something for you,” she called.
Ike trotted over and leaned down. I couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t bear to see the rejection in his eyes. Janey shoved the camera at him and explained she’d recorded the details of my encounter with the men.
“I need your statement, Lindsey,” Ike said.
“Tomorrow,” Janey answered for me. “Between almost getting shot by Cap’n Nick and then fighting off a rattler, she’s exhausted. Ta-ta.” She hit the gas, and Ike jumped out of her way.
“I could’ve given him a statement,” I said.
“Nah. Let him sweat. He screwed up, and he knows it. You solved one of his cases for him.”
“I did?”
“Yeah. Junior texted me while I was gathering our stuff in the tent. That cooler was full of stolen turtle eggs. Cap’n Nick and Ozzie Shaniman are the turtle egg thieves.”<
br />
Chapter 14
My sleep was fitful, to say the least. Snake heads big as oaks reared and struck at me. Handguns with barrels the size of semi tires pointed at me. I awakened with silent screams and frozen limbs. As I came to my senses, I realized I was safe and that Cousin Janey was sleeping in the next room. The first time I drifted back to sleep. The second time, I tossed and turned until dawn’s rays brightened my bedroom walls.
Janey and I did a second tick check on our skin last night before we showered and went to bed. I had three, while she had none, but I needed to look again. After I reassured myself I was tick-free, I took another long shower. My briar scratches and the monster mosquito bite got treated with anti-bacterial ointment. This was Saturday, so I didn’t have to dress for work. I donned fresh pjs and let my hair air dry naturally.
Padding down the stairs, I heard muted voices. One of them sounded male. My steps quickened. Janey and Junior Curtis looked quite comfy on the sunporch sofa. No Ike. Rats.
“Morning,” I said from the doorway.
“Morning.” Janey glowed with happiness. “Hope we didn’t wake you.”
“Couldn’t sleep,” I said. “Nightmares.”
“Me, too. Coffee’s made, if you want some.”
I nodded and retreated. Coffee. Yes. Coffee would help me feel normal. Cup in hand, I padded out to join them. Neither of them made a move to sit up straighter. You couldn’t have wedged a sheet of tissue paper between them.
I settled into a cozy rocker. “I didn’t know you slept over, Junior.”
“I got here two hours ago to relieve the sheriff.” Junior’s face seemed softer, friendlier. His smile reached his eyes. “Ike spent the night in your yard, watching the house.”
My heart stutter stepped, my hopes spiraled. “He did? Why?”
“He did. Because all the pieces of this story don’t fit together yet. Anyway, I sent him home to rest. He’s got suspects to question today and your statements to take. That was brilliant, by the way, using the movie function of your camera. Stealing turtle eggs is a federal offense. Those guys are going down.”
The fact that Ike spent the night in my yard meant something. Okay, it meant a lot. He wouldn’t do that for everybody. Despite our week-long separation, he cared for me.
Last night crystallized my thoughts. No living in the country for me. No camping ever again. No more fussing with Ike. I could compromise. If he could forgive me enough to resume where we left off, fine with me. We may not have forever, but we had right now. I wanted to make every day count.
I rewound Junior’s last words for an appropriate response. “Cap’n Nick threatened me with a gun. I won’t forget that.”
“All the charges should stick.” Junior stroked Janey’s arm repeatedly. “Ike said a night in jail would loosen their tongues. He’s hoping they’ll roll on each other. The kid was spinning wild tales last night about a sex club on the island. Ike took a preliminary statement from both men last night, and he’ll go at them again today after he talks to you.”
“A sex club? In Morrison County?” I snorted in disbelief. “Y’all believed him?”
Junior shrugged. “Anything’s possible.”
I sipped my coffee in silence. Anything was possible. Junior Curtis was sitting in my house at seven in the morning all cozied up to my cousin. Ike spent the night in the yard watching my house. It was almost too much to take in. Almost, but not quite. Coffee made it seem possible. Pancakes would make the lingering doubts go away.
Decision made, I rose. “I’m cooking pancakes. Who’s hungry?”
“Me.” Janey raised her hand. “Lindsey makes the best pancakes ever.”
“Me,” Junior said, his voice deep and resonant. “I haven’t had homemade pancakes since I was twelve.”
“Coming right up.”
~*~
I doubled the recipe and reserved two stacks in case Ike showed. Junior ate everything I put on the table. Janey and I watched with fascination as he downed nearly a pound of sausage and three stacks of fluffy pancakes.
“You could put the pancake place out of business with cooking like that,” Junior said, pushing back from his empty plate.
“Sure. So long as my customers only wanted pancakes, fudge, or baked wings. Everything else I make is average.”
“I adore her fudge,” Janey said. “It took her years to perfect the recipe. I’ll tell you about that sometime.”
Junior’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the text message. “I’ll look forward to the story, but right now I need to carry you ladies to the sheriff’s office. They’re ready for you, and we gotta arrive before they close the street for the festival parade.”
I policed the kitchen super-fast, stashing Ike’s breakfast in the fridge. Then I stood in front of my closet deliberating what to wear. Dressy? Sexy? Casual? I settled on a pair of flattering capris and the top Ike always complimented when I wore it. No reason not to stack the odds in my favor.
The wardrobe choice paid off. Ike’s eyes heated when he saw me. It took every bit of self-restraint I possessed not to jump him as he held the door for me. Every eye in the lobby watched us. My skin prickled, and I clutched my purse like a lifeline. My breath trembled.
Ike looked terrible. Dark circles ringed his eyes. He caught my hand as I passed and leaned in close so no one could hear. “Are we good?”
Not trusting myself to speak, I nodded. He pulled me close, and I lost it. Absolutely lost it. He drew me into his office to give me privacy. I cried for nearly losing him, for being so scared last night, and for nearly dying.
The whole time, he made soft sounds and rubbed my back. Finally, my outburst ran dry. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled into his chest. “I have a habit of crying on you.”
“You can cry on me anytime you like, but we’re never doing this again.”
I didn’t know how to take that. The silence stretched out wafer-thin. Our entire future hinged on what came next. I’d survived close encounters with armed men and a snake, but could I survive if he rejected me? I held my breath.
He cleared his throat gently. “I don’t know if I can be the man you want me to be, Linds, but I want to be with you. I’ve been miserable all week, not knowing how to make things right. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. You’re under my skin. Please tell me it’s like that for you.”
“It is.” Relieved, I cupped his face. “Whether you admit it or not, Ike Harper, you love me, same as I love you. One of these days you’ll say the words.”
He stiffened. “Don’t corner me.”
“I’m not. I’m telling you I want you just as you are.”
“Thank God.”
He kissed me, and it felt like I’d come home. When he broke off the kiss, regret filled his eyes. “I know,” I said, feeling the same longing. “We’ll make up properly later.”
“Damn straight. Meanwhile, let’s nail these bad guys.”
Chapter 15
Janey and I wrote our statements in Ike’s office, then Junior Curtis joined us to watch the interviews through the observation window. Ike started with the young man. Ozzie Shaniman claimed Cap’n Nick was a criminal who forced him to do his bidding. Ozzie admitted he knew eggs were in the cooler, but reiterated he had no choice. His “Nick made me do it” defense was all Ike got out of him because the next word out of Ozzie’s mouth was “lawyer.”
After Ozzie was escorted to a cell, Cap’n Nick sat in the interview room. At first he denied any knowledge of the turtle eggs, but Ike played him a few audio clips from last night, and the fisherman realized he was snared.
“It’s not my fault,” he said. “I’ve got a disease.”
“You committed a federal crime. What kind of disease makes you steal turtle eggs?” Ike asked.
“She made me do it.”
“Who made you?”
“The witch.”
“I need a name.”
“Lady Jay.”
“Real name.”
“I never knew her real name.
Didn’t want to know. Once she got her hooks in me, I couldn’t stop seeing her.”
“Go on.”
Cap’n Nick hesitated. “It’s embarrassing.”
“As embarrassing as spending time in federal prison for stealing turtle eggs?”
“My family can’t know.”
“Shoulda thought of that before you cut loose and broke the law. What’s the deal?”
He shook his head. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. I got you cold on the federal crime, and you’re my top suspect now for killing Selma Crowley. She catch you stealing the eggs?”
“I didn’t kill nobody.”
“Try again.”
“I did wrong, but I never intended to hurt that gal. She wouldn’t let anyone touch her. That was the problem. She wouldn’t play along.”
“With what?”
Cap’n Nick clamped his lips together.
“Is this about the sex club?” Ike asked. “Is that why you’re embarrassed? You don’t want to be caught with your pants down?”
“I like sex. Sue me.”
“And there was plenty of sex on the island.”
I inched closer to the speaker because I needed to hear every word.
“For a price,” Cap’n Nick said. “I used my shrimping profits to buy time with the girls, but the madam was something else. She cost four times as much, but she was worth every dollar. I can’t get enough of her.”
“She lives on the island?”
“She’s there most weekends. But she’s booked way in advance. I begged her for more time, but she laughed. Said I’d have to grovel and do her dirty work and then she’d think about it.”
“Where’d you meet her?”
“I ferry her and her after-hours customers back and forth. That’s how I discovered she had a sex club over there.”
“How’d it work? You drop the johns off at the ferry landing?”
“No, I’d haul her guys to the back of the island. A golf cart would be parked near the drop site, and the GPS was programmed to her location. Customers knew the drill, but business fell off when the new Turtle Girl wouldn’t play along.”
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