Tangled Threat ; Suspicious

by Heather Graham

  Chapter Eleven

  The massive alligator was being taken upstate for examination, but that didn’t stop Harry Rogers from trying to use it to improve his tourist trade.

  When Lorena arrived bright and early for work, she discovered that Harry knew how to move quickly. Out front, next to the ticket stalls, he had a mounted enlarged photo of the giant crocodilian—his own arm around it.

  Lorena hadn’t seen what had gone on overnight, so she was amazed to see that a number of the television stations had arrived, along with radio and newspaper reporters.

  The monster was, as Harry and Michael had known, good for business.

  The day moved rapidly, in a whirl of tours. Lorena took only a few minutes for lunch. Besides helping with the tours, she had to pull out an ammonia capsule to revive an elderly lady who stood in the heat a bit too long, patch up two little boys who scraped their knees, and treat an allergic reaction to a mosquito bite.

  Michael was either too harried to bother her about the previous night or he had just gotten bored with the subject and didn’t care any longer.

  Sam and Hugh were both still a bit on fire, talking about the hunt the night before. Jesse had turned off his phone during the night, so Jack and Hugh, with Harry’s blessing, were delighted to keep busy providing the reporters with what they needed.

  The place was jumping.

  The police waited until closing to make their appearance.

  Lorena had just been saying goodbye to a group of tourists near the main entrance when she heard Harry’s booming voice, alive with protest.

  “A search warrant—for this place? What do you guys think that I’m doing here, feeding drug runners to my critters? What the hell are you after at an alligator farm?”

  She noted that although a number of cops had arrived in vans with all kinds of equipment, Lars Garcia and Abe were the ones talking to Harry.

  Lars sighed. “Harry, look, I’m sorry—”

  “This is Jesse’s jurisdiction, or so I thought!”

  “Tribal law stands, unless the county, state or federal authorities have to step in,” Lars said unhappily. He saw Lorena and studied her absently as he spoke. “Look, Harry, Jesse knows that we’re here, and he’s not feeling that his toes are being stepped upon. Harry, that was a monster they brought down. We have to search all the farms.”

  “For what?” Harry demanded.

  “Evidence that someone’s genetically engineering monster gators,” Lars explained.

  “What?” Harry seemed incredulous. “Look here, that was no creature from a horror movie. It was big, but it was just a gator. Jesse shot it, and it died.”

  “There has never been an alligator that size in Florida before,” Abe said.

  “There hasn’t been one on record. Doesn’t mean there hasn’t been one out there.”

  “It was way beyond the norm, Harry,” Lars insisted.

  “Harry,” Abe interjected, “God knows, you’re an opportunist. Let’s just hope you’re not a crook.”

  Harry looked at Abe, enraged.

  “Harry, please,” Lars said, glaring at his partner. “Let us just clear you and your group so we can move on.”

  “You idiot!” Harry said, still glaring at Abe. “Clear me of what? Hell, am I an idiot? If I could manufacture a creature like that, do you think I’d let it out in the Everglades? Hell, no! I’d be making money on it.”

  Lars tried once again to explain. “Harry, we all know that a hatchling could get out. Someone could get careless, or someone could steal one, then lose it.”

  Harry threw up his hands, really angry. “You know what you can do with your search warrant as far as I’m concerned. But you go right ahead. You look into anything that you want to look into. Search yourself silly. I’m calling my lawyer. You know, if you wanted to see something at my place, all you had to do was ask.”

  Harry walked away muttering. Lars gave a slight smile to Lorena, shrugged and turned away to talk to a distinguished-looking man in a special-unit suit.

  She hadn’t realized that Michael had come up behind her. “The suspicious cops are your fault, I imagine?” he asked softly.

  A shiver shot down her spine as he spoke. She spun around quickly. She didn’t have to answer. He shrugged. “Not that I care. But if Harry finds out...mmm. You’re in trouble. Big.”

  “Excuse me, Michael, I’m hungry,” she said, and started for the cafeteria.

  “I’m hungry, too,” he said, trailing after her.

  When they entered the cafeteria, Sally was rushing out. She didn’t look at all amused. “Hey, sexy, what’s up?” Michael demanded, stopping her.

  She grated her teeth and cast Lorena what seemed like an evil stare, although she couldn’t really be sure.

  She might just be paranoid.

  “They’re inspecting everything, and Harry wants me there to explain the books. I don’t get this—I don’t get it at all! There was a giant alligator in the swamp—so we get audited? Not that there are any problems, I can assure you. My books are always perfect.”

  “I’m sure they are,” Lorena murmured.

  The woman might have been in a hurry, but she took time to glare at Lorena. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” she murmured. “We were such a quiet place. Then you arrived and all hell broke loose. Did you have a nice time last night?”

  “Yes, thank you,” Lorena said evenly.

  “What did you do last night?” Michael asked with a frown.

  “Oh, come on, Dr. Preston! We have a budding romance in our midst, or didn’t you know?” Sally asked.

  Michael stared at Lorena. “You left with Jesse?”

  “We’re not required to stay on the premises,” Lorena said.

  “You’re moving in with him?” Michael demanded. Lorena couldn’t tell if he was angry or just surprised.

  She looked at him incredulously, shaking her head. “That’s kind of a leap, isn’t it?” she demanded. She kept smiling, but the curve of her lips was forced. “This is my business, okay?”

  “We’re just trying to watch out for you,” Sally assured her, suddenly saccharine. “I mean, well, you work here, so you’re one of us. Jesse is...well, Jesse keeps his distance.”

  “Doesn’t seem that he’s keeping much of a distance now,” Michael murmured.

  “Hey!” Lorena protested again.

  “Think of us as one big family,” Michael told her.

  “Okay, bro. I’m not moving anywhere. If such a thing ever happens, I’ll be sure to inform my family,” she said.

  “How lovely,” Sally murmured. “I’m off to see to my books. You children have a lovely dinner.” She waved a hand in the air and left them.

  “You know, you are going to have to tell us what’s going on,” Michael said, a hand at Lorena’s back as he directed her toward a table.

  She was saved from having to answer at that moment when Jack Pine joined them, sitting down with a weary grimace. “Busy day,” he said.

  “Oh? At your end, too?” Michael said.

  “A bunch of scientist types, or so I’m told, will be in tomorrow. They want to investigate all our stock,” Jack explained.

  Michael stared at Lorena again. “How come I haven’t heard anything about this?”

  “Maybe they just haven’t gotten to you yet,” Jack suggested.

  Hugh came over just then, settling down at the table across from Michael. “This is nuts.”

  “Are we closing tomorrow for all this?” Michael demanded.

  “Oh, no. They can work around us. They’re taking samples, bringing chemists and vets in, that kind of stuff,” Hugh said cheerfully.

  “It’s absurd,” Michael said indignantly. “I mean, my research is...well, it’s mine. Where are my rights in all this?”

  “I suppose the problem has something to do with
giant alligators eating people,” Jack said with a shrug.

  “There are alligators everywhere,” Michael protested. “Alligator farms abound in this state. Entrepreneurs run hunts on private property that aren’t sanctioned or controlled by the state or federal government.”

  “Well, Michael, maybe they feel that your research will help them,” Jack said. “Who the hell knows? Has anyone ordered dinner yet?”

  Looking across the room, Lorena saw that Jesse had arrived. She was both startled and pleased, and jumped to her feet before she realized that despite the fact that their affair was growing obvious, she might have been a little more circumspect.

  “Well, well,” Hugh murmured.

  Lorena ignored him.

  Jesse was already walking over to them. He offered her a smile, held out her chair for her, then chose one for himself.

  “So you reported Harry’s as a hot bed of...what, exactly?” Michael asked.

  Jesse frowned. “What?”

  Michael leveled a finger at him. “Cops and the people from Fish and Wildlife are going to be crawling all over the place.”

  “I heard they’re checking out a bunch of places,” Jesse said with a shrug.

  “Why assume that Harry’s has anything to do with a giant alligator?” Michael demanded.

  “Maybe because Harry sponsors a lot of research—your research—into improving gator meat and hides?” Jesse suggested.

  “Can we order now?” Jack asked as one of the waiters arrived at the table.

  “Sure. We’re in the middle of a criminal investigation. Let’s eat,” Michael snorted.

  “I’m hungry,” Jack snapped back.

  The tension was definitely growing, Lorena thought.

  “Michael, they’ve got to find out what is going on,” Jesse said. “There could be more of those creatures out there. And if they don’t find the sustenance they need in the wild, that would put people in danger. Come on, Michael. How many attacks on humans do you want to see?”

  “There’s no reason to think there are more alligators that size out there,” Michael insisted. “Maybe our gators are just getting bigger all around, catching up with some of their counterparts in other places. Maybe they should start investigating that before they come out here on Indian land and start poking their noses into things.”

  “Hey, this may be Indian land, but when it’s a county-wide problem—”

  “The alligator was caught on Indian land, too,” Michael said testily, cutting Jesse off mid-sentence.

  Lorena saw Jesse tense, but he wasn’t the one who answered. “So what are you suggesting, Michael? That it’s all right because only Indians will be eaten?” Jack Pine snapped.

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” Michael argued indignantly. “I’m trying to be supportive of tribal law.”

  “Good of you to be concerned,” Jesse replied.

  “I think we should order dinner,” Hugh murmured, nodding to the waiter, who had continued hovering in the background.

  Fresh catfish was suggested and accepted all the way around. Most of the tension around the table eased, but a slight chill remained. Jesse seemed distracted, Jack stiff, and Michael annoyed. Only Hugh seemed oblivious to the general air of discomfort.

  “So, any clues as to how our gator got to be such a monster?” Hugh asked Jesse.

  “It’s been sent off to Jacksonville. That’s all I know right now,” Jesse said.

  “Hey, there’s Harry,” Hugh said. “He looks happy.”

  Harry, smiling broadly, breezed by the table. “Looking good, looking good,” he told them cheerfully.

  “What looks good?” Michael asked skeptically.

  “This place. The phones have been ringing off the hook. People want to find out all about alligators. It’s kind of like Jurassic Park meets the Florida Everglades. Hey, how’s that catfish? Can’t get any fresher.”

  “Harry, we don’t know. We haven’t got it yet,” Hugh said, amused.

  “Well, it’s going to be great. We’re on a roll, all of us. Keep up the good work.”

  Harry left just as their catfish arrived.

  Lorena glanced at Jesse. Could Harry possibly be guilty of anything if he was this happy while the authorities were crawling all over his holdings?

  Just as Jack remarked that the catfish was indeed excellent, a slender, balding man in a typical tourist T-shirt and khakis walked up to the table. “Dr. Michael Preston?” he inquired.

  Michael sat back tensely. “Yes.”

  The man offered a hand. “Jason Pratt, Wildlife Conservation. Can you give me a few minutes of your time? When you’re done eating, of course.”

  “I guess I’m done,” Michael said, throwing his napkin on the table.

  “There’s no reason for you to rush,” Pratt protested. “I just wanted to catch you before you retired for the night.”

  Since it was still early, it was unlikely that Michael had been about to go to bed. Maybe Pratt was afraid Michael was about to flee?

  Michael rose. “No. I’m done. How can I help you?”

  He walked away with Pratt. Jesse rose, as well. “Want to take a ride with me?” he asked Lorena.

  “Sure,” she murmured, rising, too. Jack and Hugh were exchanging glances. She knew that along with the giant alligator, she was definitely a topic of conversation between them.

  “See ya,” Jesse said, nodding, taking Lorena’s hand and heading out.

  “Where are we going?” she asked as they got into his squad car.

  “To see Theresa Manning.”

  “Theresa Manning?”

  “The woman whose friend was...eaten,” Jesse said.

  “And what are we going to learn from her?”

  “I’m not sure, but I called to see if we could speak with her, and she asked us over for tea and scones.”

  “Tea and scones?”

  He shrugged. “Apparently she likes to bake.”

  “Jesse...do you think Michael is behind all this? I had the strangest conversation with him last night.”

  He scowled fiercely, looking at her in the rearview mirror. “You were alone with him?”

  She ignored that. “He seriously believes that I’m here to cause him trouble.”

  “You need to stay away from him.”

  “But if he’s doing anything illegal...he’s about to face the music, right?”

  Jesse shook his head. “Someone else has to be involved. Someone with money.”

  “Harry has money, but he seems as happy as a lark.”

  Jesse’s cell phone started ringing. He answered it, then fell silent, frowning. Finally he said, “Call me as soon as you find out anything.”

  “What happened?” Lorena demanded.

  He glanced quickly at her. “The alligator never made it to the university. Somewhere between here and Jacksonville, the truck it was on disappeared.”

  * * *

  MICHAEL LEANED AGAINST his desk, scowling as Pratt and the other investigators—ridiculously casual in jeans and cotton island shirts or T’s—went through his research records and his computer.

  “What’s this?” one of them asked.

  Michael came around and looked over his shoulder.

  “A record of the temperatures required to create the different sexes,” he said patiently.

  “And what’s this?”

  “Maturity level for the most tender meat,” Michael said.

  “And this...?”

  “Breeding for the best skins,” Michael said wearily.

  The man rose suddenly. Others were still working in the filing cabinets, but most of his records were on the computer.

  “I guess that’s it for now,” Pratt said, smiling cheerfully.

  Michael realized that he had broken out in a cold sweat. Now he felt a debilit
ating rush of relief.

  They hadn’t found anything. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Not a damned thing.

  “You’re done?”

  “Yep. Thanks so much for your time and your patience,” the man said.

  “Hey, uh...sure,” Michael said. “Anything to help. Not a problem. Anytime. Come back anytime you think I might be able to help.” He couldn’t seem to stop himself from babbling, he felt so relieved.

  Pratt thanked him again as he and the others left the office. Michael sank into his chair with a sigh of relief.

  “Yeah, any time,” he muttered. Then he looked at his computer and quickly logged into his secret files.

  * * *

  “SUGAR? MILK? LEMON?” Theresa asked. “And...let me see. Those are blueberry in the middle, plain on the left side, and cinnamon on the right. I do so hope you enjoy them. I love to cook. My husband loved my cakes and pies.”

  Jesse had bitten into one of the blueberry scones. “It’s wonderful,” he told Theresa. “And it was so kind of you to make this offer. Delicious. Thank you. And for me, just tea is good.”

  “A touch of milk,” Lorena murmured. “Thanks. And Jesse’s right. These are just too good.”

  Theresa sat, beaming. “Well, I know you didn’t come out for the scones. So how can I help you?”

  “I know that this is painful for you, Theresa,” Jesse said. “But you’ve heard all the ruckus about the alligator we caught last night.”

  Lips pursed, Theresa nodded grimly.

  “Caught. It was caught,” Lorena emphasized gently.

  “That one was caught,” Theresa said.

  “So you think there are more?” Jesse asked.

  “I think my friend was attacked by another one of your giant gators,” Teresa said with assurance.

  “Why?” Jesse asked her.

  “They’re territorial, aren’t they? And yours was caught off the Trail. My friend was killed way out here.”

  Jesse cast a quick glance in Lorena’s direction. “Was there anything strange going on at the time?” he asked Theresa.

  “Strange?” Theresa repeated, then sat thinking for a while. “No. Nothing strange. Oh, now and then a few pets disappear, but...well, a small animal is natural prey, right?”