Deadly Touch

by Heather Graham

  “You’re early!” he told them.

  “Yeah, we’re going to go over the place with a fine-tooth comb,” Axel said.

  Jeremy nodded. “The dog will certainly help with that.”

  “There’s nothing like a dog,” Raina assured him.

  Axel offered Jeremy a shrug and a rueful smile.

  “Kids are coming,” he said. “We want to teach them about the incredible and unique wonder of our river of grass, and the history of the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes. This is an important program. Fun ghost stories are one thing, but potentially stumbling upon a body is another matter.”

  Jeremy nodded strenuously, having grown serious at Axel’s words.

  “I hear you, my friend. I can help you in another thirty minutes if you’d like.”

  “Every bit helps,” Andrew said.

  Jeremy pointed to one of the chickees down something of a straggly path. It was built up with a platform several feet above the ground as they had been in the past, a bit of safety from the things that wandered the Everglades at night.

  “That’s still the storyteller’s space. All yours.”

  “Thanks!”

  “The old concrete-block-and-stucco structure has been kept up through the years. Bedrolls, blankets, stuff you might need—all still in there in case you want to hunker down for the whole shebang,” Jeremy told them.

  “Great. They still have showers, right?” Axel asked.

  “Is it still ninety degrees plus on many a day?” Jeremy said. “Hell, yes, there are still showers!” He smiled at Raina. “Not sure about dog food, but I’m guessing Titan would be fine with some frankfurters! We do weenie roasts. Not to worry—we still do native cooking demonstrations.”

  “We should get to it,” Axel said, waving to him, and heading out.

  “They’re already here, you know,” Andrew said. “The teacher chaperones, Loretta Oster and Frank Peters.”

  “Yeah, I noticed,” Axel said. “You think it’s them? Angela checked out their individual finances—neither seems to be living above their means. Then again, I don’t always think money is the motive for those who want people dead—maybe getting ahead is the motive.”

  “For the people who want people dead. Possibly, as you told me, Peter Scarborough’s estranged-wife-now-widow, and the young fellow working at the dentist’s office. I know your Krewe offices are scouring records.” He hesitated. “The only ones with real money are the attorneys.”

  “Attorneys,” Axel said. “If Jordan Rivera would just come to, we’d know more. Andrew, I know you know this hammock like the back of your hand. Six finger areas heading off the central site, the dirt road entering through the largest, to our west?”

  Andrew nodded. “Storms come and go and the landscape changes. But yes, basically, same six finger areas you know. How do you want to do this? Clockwise and counterclockwise?”

  Axel nodded. “You start with the rear southern finger, I’ll take the rear north, and we’ll meet up back at the main road.”

  “It will be dark by then,” Andrew noted.

  “Then we’d best be really careful,” Axel said. He looked at Raina. “You going to be okay? The ground is going to be soggy. Out by the swampy areas, we could encounter all kinds of things.”

  “You do know how to shoot that gun you carry, right?” she asked him.

  “I do,” he said.

  “Then let’s go.”

  She hunkered down and talked to Titan, stroking his head.

  “Now, don’t you go after anything out here—they can be dangerous. You bark, let us know what’s happening.”

  As she spoke to the dog, Axel’s phone rang. He answered it and then swore softly.

  “Hung up on me,” he said, shaking his head and looking around. “Cell phones are still iffy out here.” He frowned, looking at the number.

  “The hospital!” he told her, dialing the return number.

  She waited, saying nothing.

  He was put on hold several times. Then he listened, nodding.

  He looked at Raina. “They’re going to bring Jordan out of his coma tonight or tomorrow morning. He’s doing well. They’ll let me know when he’s able to talk.”

  “There’s a break!” Raina said.

  “Yeah, hopefully,” Axel agreed. “Okay, Titan boy, see where we are now? Decent-size area. There’s lots of solid ground beneath us here, and out into those little snippets of land. Don’t try to bite an alligator if you see one. And give a wide berth to any snake you see. Most of the time, they’ll slither away from you, and there’s been a lot of activity going on here, so any of the big guys should be off. That leaves the rattlers and the pygmy rattlers and little coral snakes and the moccasins. Sometimes they bask in the sun, so walk around them, too, huh?”

  Titan barked as if he’d understood, word for word.

  “Let’s do this. We’ll check back with the hospital as soon as we’re through. The doctor said that he may be talkative soon after he’s brought out of the coma—or it may take some time. But we may be taking a drive back tonight.”

  “I’m up for anything,” Raina assured him.

  And so they started out.

  * * *

  An hour later, Raina was hoping they didn’t have to go anywhere in public anytime soon. She surely smelled worse than any living creature.

  She thought she’d done fairly well, ignoring the heat, swatting away mosquitoes and even managing not to scream when she was convinced a low-hanging branch was an evil reptile.

  They did see a large snake sitting in the middle of a path, but she and Titan dutifully skirted it and all was well. The snake just continued to bask.

  They searched, and they searched. And there was nothing. They finally reached the spot where they were to meet back up with Andrew.

  Titan let out a little growl, but just settled at Raina’s feet, close to her, as if uncertain. Axel didn’t notice; he was looking for Andrew.

  She looked around but didn’t see anything. Then she felt a touch. Soft as the breeze against her cheek. She closed her eyes tightly, not afraid, but trying to understand.

  Jennifer Lowry?

  Andrew met them along the road, shaking his head as he approached them. He looked tired, hot and worn, as well.

  “Nothing,” he said simply. “Nothing I could find.”

  “I think that’s good, isn’t it?” Raina asked. She looked from one man to the other. “Do you think that maybe, just maybe, Brandon Wells is still alive?”

  Neither man replied.

  Axel sighed. “Let’s head back, see how the setup is coming along.”

  “What’s the possibility of a shower?” Raina asked. “Not that I have clean clothes, but...”

  “If you can live with the jeans, we have some fantastic Indian blouses,” Andrew said. “And skirts, too, but out here, I tend to suggest pants for everyone. Mosquitoes can bite through denim, but it’s a little better than simple cotton.”

  “I’m down with that. I love the patterns and the colors and the beading,” Raina assured him.

  When they arrived back, there was a fire going in the pit just outside Jeremy Gray’s chickee. Folding chairs had been brought out. Frank and Loretta and Jeremy and a few of the other Miccosukee volunteers had joined them.

  “Hey there!” Loretta said, lifting a glass of something as they walked up. “I heard you all were out here, making sure the grounds were safe.”

  “Walking—and sweating,” Andrew said. “It was great.”

  “Hey, you live out here,” Loretta reminded him.

  “So I do. In a house. With air-conditioning.”

  “They just redid the village a few years back,” Jeremy told them, “making the gift shop bigger, with entry tickets being bought there. But way back, the village was more open and we did our crafts and sl
ept in the same chickees where we were selling our goods. New is nice, old is—”

  “Must have been hot,” Loretta said, laughing.

  “Miccosukee kids all learn the old ways,” Jeremy said. “Sons go with their fathers and learn to fish and hunt. Daughters learn to farm and cook and sew, and families matter.”

  “Which is wonderful,” Loretta said quickly. “Just curious—what if a daughter happens to be a great fisherwoman? Or wants to grow up to be a doctor?”

  “Then she fishes or goes to school and does well and heads on to college and med school and becomes a doctor,” Jeremy said. “The past isn’t about stopping the future—it’s about remembering culture and valuing it.”

  “Oh, of course,” Loretta said.

  “Raina would love a blouse, Jeremy,” Axel said. “Would you mind? She’s going to take advantage of the showers first.”

  “Sure.” Jeremy studied Raina, then hopped up to the platform of his chickee to go through a rack of clothing he’d set there. He chose a blouse, beautiful with rows of different colors and designs and beadwork.

  “Okay?” he asked her.

  “Okay? It’s beautiful!”

  “Please,” he said, presenting it to her.

  She wanted to offer to pay; she looked at him and knew he would be offended.

  “Thank you.”

  “I’ll show you to the showers,” Axel told her.

  Titan barked and hurried along as she and Axel gave the others a wave and started out.

  His phone rang again. As he stopped to answer it, Raina looked around.

  Darkness had fallen. There were electric lights in the main house and they cast a good glow out on the night. She could see the area where fires had been prepared for the next night and little tents had been set up for the students.

  She remembered her own excitement when she had come as a student. Staring to the southwest, with the sun falling and the moon rising, she thought she could see the pirate ship, sailing now eternally across the river of grass.

  Axel ended his call and smiled at her. “That was Jon. He and Kylie just landed back in Miami.”

  “Wow. South Dakota for lunch and they’re back already.”

  “They had the use of the private jet.”

  “Now that must be the way to fly!”

  “I like it when I’m on a case that requires fast action,” he told her. “They’ll come out here, so they’ll be back fairly soon.”

  “Great!”

  “Let’s get you clean. When they arrive, I’ll shower. That way, it will be me, Andrew and the two of them and I’ll know I have someone with eyes on you.”

  They entered the main building where a young, light-haired park ranger was working with an older Miccosukee woman, setting up name tags on a table and remarking on the schedule. Both looked up as they entered. The Miccosukee woman smiled and opened her arms. Axel walked over to her, accepting a warm hug. The park ranger smiled on benignly and Axel introduced everyone—the woman was a distant cousin, Tiger clan, as well. She was happy to show Raina the hallway to the showers and assure her she’d be quite alone for a while.

  Both women were introduced to Titan; Titan seemed to like them.

  “I’ll be here, waiting,” Axel assured her. He made a face. “I’m going to check on Jordan Rivera’s condition again. If we can’t see him until tomorrow, I was thinking we might stay out here tonight. If you’re game.”

  “Definitely,” she assured him.

  “Titan, you’re with me for a few minutes.”

  Titan obediently sat at his feet. Axel smiled. “Go ahead,” he told Raina.

  She hurried down to the shower stalls.

  She remembered being there before, but it had all been updated. Back then, there had been four shower stalls and they had been rustic. Now, there were eight stalls, all with little sitting areas, hooks for clothing and a pile of clean towels.

  Nice. Time did make for some much needed improvements.

  There was also plenty of water, deliciously hot. And soap and shampoo and conditioner, all in dispensers. She didn’t realize just how great the shower felt until she opened her eyes and realized that steam was rising all around her. She’d washed every conceivable inch of her body. Time to get out.

  She turned off the water and stepped toward to the little sitting area where she’d left her clothing. And there, in the fog, she saw a woman appear.

  Jennifer Lowry.

  “A voice. I heard a voice. And I recognized it. One of them is here now,” the ghost whispered.

  A call broke through the air.

  “Are you all right in there?”

  Raina thought it was the park ranger checking on her.

  “I’m fine! It was just a great shower,” she said.

  The voice came again. “We’re stepping out for a minute, grabbing some food. You’re welcome to anything here. Axel is right out in front with Andrew. They were on a phone call, trying to get good reception!”

  “Thanks!”

  The image of Jennifer Lowry before her was fading, disappearing as if rising along with the mist from the shower.

  “Wait! Please!” Raina said.

  But the ghost was gone.

  Raina stood frozen for a minute, despite the heat around her, naked and dripping. But the ghost didn’t return.

  She dressed again quickly, grateful for the clean blouse.

  Then she paused, frowning. She heard a door, she thought. Coming from the rear of the building, near where she was, not from the front.

  She stepped from her little stall, dressed and ready to hurry out.

  She started to smile.

  Then her smile faded and she tried to scream.

  Too late. The burlap bag was already over her head, and the best she could manage was a gasping, choking sound.

  * * *

  “We brought him out of the coma. But if you want him awake and aware and responsive, I suggest you come in the morning,” the doctor told Axel over the phone. “He was intubated so he’s really not responsive yet.”

  “Thank you. It’s important. I’ll probably come in tonight, anyway. Sit and wait,” Axel said. “If that’s all right.”

  “It’s fine. He’s doing well. We brought him around several hours ago now, but sometimes they sleep.”

  “Understood. I appreciate it. He may be all we have.”

  Andrew was standing next to him. He repeated what he had learned.

  “Well, here’s hoping he does know the truth. He could have just been another victim. Upset because he lost someone who had enchanted him, making a fuss and, therefore, somehow, ended up being a danger?”

  “One way or another, we need him to tell us what the hell happened.”

  “If he knows.”

  “I’m sure he knows.”

  His phone started ringing again and he answered it.

  It was Angela.

  “I think I might have something. Maybe a link that means nothing, but a bit of a link, anyway.”

  “And that is?” Axel asked. He frowned, trying to pay attention. Titan was with him, had been following every step.

  Now, he was suddenly whining.

  “Titan, shh!”

  “What’s up?” Andrew asked, frowning, and watching the dog’s behavior.

  Angela was still speaking, unaware Axel’s attention was then divided. “A patient of Dr. Wong was one of your ‘people of interest,’” she said. “At least, I think it was him. I called Wong himself for his old records. And about a year ago, he had a patient named F. Peters. Now, there could be several, but I have a feeling it might be your man, Frank Peters. Which would, at the least, connect him to Jennifer Lowry.”

  The dog was really whining, tugging at his leash. And though they’d told Axel they’d be in the building until he returned
, his distant cousin and the park ranger were outside the building, chatting as they headed toward Jeremy’s fire pit.

  “Hey!” they called.

  He stuffed his phone into Andrew’s hand and shouted out to them. “Hey, where’s Raina?”

  “Oh, I checked on her a few minutes ago. She was just fine—but we’re starving,” the park ranger called to him.

  Axel had been right outside the damned building. The women leaving Raina on her own shouldn’t have been so unnerving. But Titan was suddenly pulling and snapping at his leash.

  And Frank Peters had been at the fire pit.

  He grabbed the phone back, gave Titan his lead and raced after the dog as the animal flew toward the building. He had to wait for Axel to open the door.

  Axel did.

  He was barely aware of Andrew shouting out to him, demanding to know what was going on.

  The dog made a beeline along the hallway to the showers, but then came to a dead stop, barking in confusion.

  Then Axel saw it—new, along with several refurbishments to the building.

  A door marked Fire Exit.

  Titan raced in that direction.

  Axel’s mind raced, too. It could be something else. Frank could still be sitting by the fire. Raina could still be dressing after a long shower...

  He screamed her name. There was no answer.

  Titan was barking furiously.

  He burst through the emergency door.

  The second he stepped out, he heard the loud whirr of an airboat, a gigantic fan burning its way over water and swamp grass, heading deep into the Everglades.

  Nineteen

  The burlap was itchy, suffocating.

  And Raina couldn’t understand why she was wearing it.

  She had seen one of her captors.

  One of them. There were two. Well, she had known there were two...and maybe more.

  Maybe different people at different times.

  Or maybe the same.

  She didn’t know. Maybe she never would. Or maybe they would tell her—before they killed her.