“I’m afraid so,” Jesse said. “But you don’t think there was anything else going on in the area?”
“Like what?” Theresa asked.
“Lights of any kind,” Jesse said.
“Lights?” Theresa appeared confused. Then she gasped. “Why, yes, actually! There were lights in the sky several times right around the time when...” She paused, making a choking sound deep in her throat.
“Did they ever kill the alligator that took your friend?” Jesse asked. “Did animal control or the nuisance-animal division ever find the right gator?”
She shook her head, then returned to his previous question. “We had been joking about aliens arriving,” she murmured.
By the time they left, Jesse looked grim. He was silent when they got back in the car, and silent as they drove. At last Lorena asked him, “So...you believe that several of these creatures have grown up in the Everglades, and that big money is behind it. Enough big money so that someone is out in helicopters searching for their missing gators?”
“Yes,” he said simply.
“But Harry is probably the one most involved with alligators who also has the most money,” she said, lifting her hands in confusion. “And Harry is so happy he’s practically singing!”
“We’re moving forward,” he said tensely. “The noose is tightening, and we will catch whoever we’re looking for.”
He didn’t head back for the alligator farm but wound his way down the road that she would never have found herself, the road that led to his house.
As he parked, he looked at her, arching a brow. “Stay here tonight?”
“I should go back,” she murmured.
“No, you shouldn’t. Ever.”
She sighed. “Jesse—”
“You want to catch a murderer. Well, you’ve done all the right things. The authorities are involved now. You don’t need to go back.”
She decided not to argue with him for the moment.
As they got out of the car, she glanced his way with a small smile. “You really are in the wilds out here.”
“Pretty much,” he agreed, watching her.
“It’s been a long, hot day,” she said.
“And...?”
“And the last one in is...a fried egg, I suppose!” she said, and dashed toward the door.
She began shedding her clothing once she had reached the patio. And she was definitely the first one in the pool.
The water hit her with a delicious sense of refreshing coolness. She swam from the deep end to the shallow, enjoying the cleansing of her flesh.
To her amazement, he was there, waiting for her, when she surfaced.
As she came up against the length of him, she was elated to feel the strength beneath the sleek flesh. His ink-dark hair was slicked back, and the green of his eyes seemed brilliant. His arms wrapped around her. “Skinny-dipping, Ms. Fortier? How undignified. Is this something you do frequently?”
She smiled and said softly, “Actually, no. This is the first time I’ve ever been skinny-dipping. In my whole life.”
“I’m flattered. And honored.”
He smoothed back a length of her hair, his lips brushing hers, hot and warm beneath the faint scent of chlorine. His arms tightened around her, bringing the full length of her body against his. Her breasts were crushed against the powerful muscles of his chest, her hips molded to his, and the perfectly placed thrust of his sex against hers was a titillation that thrilled and warmed her with a heady sense of anticipation.
“Does that mean,” he asked huskily, “that the entire concept of sex in a pool is equally new?”
She started to answer, but his lips moved down the length of her neck and the words evaded her. He kicked away from the wall, the force slamming them more tightly together. She was scarcely aware of the slick feel of the tile steps when they landed there. For a breathless moment she met his eyes. Then she felt the full brunt of his body as he lifted her high against him, then thrust himself deeply inside her. She wrapped her limbs around him, and the fire that suddenly seemed to burn between them was an intoxicating contrast to the coolness of the water. She cast her head back, felt again the fury of his lips on her throat, breasts, the hollow of her collarbone.... Her lips met his again as they moved in the water, the night sky high above them, the whisper of the foliage around them, and the thunder of pulse and breath taking over. She buried her head against his shoulder as the power of need, and the agony-ecstasy of longing seemed to seep through her, spiral and grow, seize her and shut away the world. Her arms stroked his back; her fingers dug into his buttocks. She arched and writhed, and wondered that she didn’t drown, but he kept them afloat, and in a cauldron of searing carnal mist until it seemed that the world exploded right along with the night stars, and she collapsed against him, still held tight and secure. Then she began to shiver, for the night, without the fire of him, was strangely cool.
“If I’d had any warning, we might have had towels,” he said, amused, his lips handsomely curved as he pulled ever so slightly away.
“I was simply seized with overwhelming desire,” she told him, and she smiled herself. “Quite frankly, I’m not sure I could have planned skinny-dipping.”
“Stay, I’ll get the towels,” he said.
“But it’s just as cold—”
She fell silent. He had already leapt out and, naked and dripping, headed for the house.
She realized that it was colder outside the water than in it, so she waited.
At first she eased her head back and simply smiled. She felt so wonderful that she refused to let herself wonder if she wasn’t being a fool, falling in love with someone who made no promises, who was so distant.
But there wasn’t a thing she would change, even if she could.
Her eyes opened suddenly, and she wondered why, aware that she was feeling the first twinge of unease.
She glanced around. Lights shone in and around the house, but beyond...
Beyond was the Everglades. Miles and miles of darkness and foliage and swamp, a land that was deep, dark and dangerous. A place where a million sins could be hidden.
She froze, aware then that she was in the light, that any eyes could be looking on from the darkness.
She was suddenly afraid, certain that the night could see.
“Here we are,” Jesse murmured.
A towel was wrapped around his waist, and he had one for her in his hands. The sight of him seemed to turn back the darkness.
“Thanks,” she murmured, rising, allowing him to wrap her in the soft fabric.
“Thank you,” he murmured, and kissed her lightly on the lips.
The brilliance of his eyes touched hers, and he repeated the words very softly and tenderly. “Thank you.”
He lifted her up, and they headed for the house.
In his arms, she forgot the darkness, and any thought that eyes might have gleamed at her from the black void of the night beyond.
Chapter Twelve
Jesse was gone in the morning. So was his car.
And she was furious. Despite the night they had spent together, she had no intention of listening to him about not going in to work. She was in no danger at the alligator farm. It was alive with officials—local, state and federal. Nothing was going to happen to her while she was working.
She walked around, fuming, for several long minutes while she brewed coffee.
Just how long would it take to get a taxi out to the middle of nowhere? In fact, was it even possible to get a taxi out to the middle of nowhere?
Come to think of it, she didn’t know exactly where she was. What did one say? Come out and get me. There’s a dirt road off Tamiami Trail, and it looks as if it leads into nothing but saw grass and a canal, but there’s really a house out there. Quite a nice house, actually. Swimming pool, state-of-the-art kitch
en...
She swore aloud and hesitated, wondering if she should call in to work or just pray that Jesse would show up and drive her to work.
She pulled out her cell phone and stared at it, ready to put through a call to his cell, tell him what she thought of his high-handed tactics and demand that he come back immediately so he could take her to work.
He might, of course, simply refuse. He might even be involved in a situation from which he couldn’t extract himself. Too bad. There were others on his day crew. He could send someone for her, and damn it, he would.
Just as she was about to punch his number in, her cell rang. Caller ID said the number was the office at Harry’s.
“Hello,” she said quickly, expecting Harry, though a glance at her watch showed her that she wasn’t late yet.
“Hey” came a soft voice. Male.
“Michael?”
“No, it’s Jack. We didn’t see you at breakfast. We were getting a bit worried.”
“We?”
“Hugh, Sally and me.”
“That was nice of you, but I’m fine.”
“Glad to hear it. Not that you shouldn’t be,” he said hastily. “Things are just a bit strange around here right now, you know? I mean, who’d ever think I would be in any real danger from an alligator? So...we were worried.”
“No, I’m fine, just...” She hesitated for only a second. “Jesse seems to have gotten caught up in something. He’s not here, and I’m afraid I’m going to be late.”
“We’ll come get you.”
“No, I’m sorry. You don’t have to.”
“No, no, it’s fine. One of us will come. Fifteen minutes.”
Jack hung up.
She clicked her phone shut. The hell with Jesse and his high-handedness. She was running her own life. No matter how much she cared for someone, she wasn’t going to be ordered about or dissuaded from her course.
Her father had been murdered, and she had never felt so close to capturing the killer. No way was she going to back off now.
Inside, she poured a last cup and turned the coffeepot off. And waited.
* * *
GEORGE OSCEOLA REPORTED on the missing van. It wasn’t much of a report—the van was still missing. It had been on I-95. The driver had spoken to his wife at about ten-thirty in the morning, just after fueling up.
And then...
He and the van had just disappeared. County law enforcement throughout the state had been notified, along with the highway patrol, but so far, the van hadn’t been spotted.
A call to Lars provided no further information.
Jesse looked at the phone and thought about calling Lorena. She was going to be really angry. But she hadn’t called him to demand that he come back and take her in to work. Maybe she had fumed for a while, then decided on her own that the smart thing to do now would be to stay away from Harry’s.
As he stared at his desk phone, it rang. A female voice greeted his ears, but not Lorena’s. “Jesse, it’s Julie. I was just calling in to see if...well, if anything else had happened.”
“We’re working on it, Julie, but I’ve got nothing to tell you.”
He could sense her hesitation, then she said, “Jesse, I know it was probably foolish, but I went by the house last night. I mean, I have to go back inside eventually.”
“I’d be happier if you’d stay away a little longer,” he told her. “Just a few more days.”
“A few more days,” she echoed. “The police have asked me to wait a few more days, too. Before...before claiming the bodies. They’re afraid the medical examiner might have missed something. But about the house... I’m going to need clothes.”
“Julie, when you go, I’ll go with you. And if you need my help at the funeral home or with the church...”
“It’s all done, Jesse, thanks. I knew what they wanted,” Julie said. “I didn’t call you to cry.”
“Sweetheart, you have the right to cry as much as you want,” he assured her softly.
“Thanks, Jess, but what I need is to...to bug you and make sure no one stops until my parents’ killer is caught. And also, I called because I keep thinking about the lights I saw out at the house.”
“Plane lights? Helicopter lights? Men on the ground with flashlights?” Jesse asked. “What do you think?”
“I know they didn’t come from anyone on the ground,” Julie said. “To tell you the truth... I know why my mother thought aliens were landing. They hovered right above the trees. I didn’t hear any noise. Of course, I was in the car, and they were at a distance.”
“Thanks for calling, Julie. I’ll look into it. Trust me. I want to help you. I loved your parents.”
“I know you did, Jesse. And they thought the world of you. So do I. And I’ll wait till we go inside together, okay?”
“Perfect.”
He hung up after a minute, then called Lars back. “We need to start checking the airfields. More specifically, we need to find out who has been taking helicopters up.”
Lars groaned. “Every television and radio station out there has a traffic and weather copter! And when we were out at Hector and Maria’s, you said an airboat had been through.”
“So?”
“So we’ve been talking to a lot of people with airboats, Jesse.”
“Yes, and that was a move that needed to be made. Now we need to find out about helicopters.”
He heard an even louder groan.
“Lars, I keep hearing stories about lights wherever there’s been an event with an alligator. You have more resources at your disposal than I do. Can you get on it?”
He heard the deep sigh at the other end, but then Lars agreed. “All right. I’m on it.”
Satisfied, Jesse hung up. He drummed his fingers on the desk. Something had been bothering him, and he wasn’t quite sure why.
He looked at the phone and thought about calling his house, then decided not to.
He rose suddenly, since he wasn’t getting anywhere sitting at his desk.
He grabbed his hat from the hook by the door. “Where are you going?” George asked him.
“To check with Doc Thiessen or Jim Hidalgo. See if anything else has happened over at the vet’s. Call me if you hear anything,” Jesse said.
* * *
LORENA EXPECTED EITHER Hugh or Jack to show up at the rear of the property with an airboat. Instead, it was Sally who finally tooted her horn from the front. Lorena clicked the front lock and hurried out.
“Jesse’s trying to keep you away from Harry’s, huh?” Sally said.
“Why would he do that?” Lorena asked, hoping she wasn’t giving anything away.
“Why? Killer gators, feds all over the place, something fishy in the air,” Sally said with a laugh. “Actually, you should be happy. If he didn’t care about you, he wouldn’t be acting so much like an alpha dog. Well, maybe he’s just the alpha-dog type. I don’t know.”
Lorena shrugged. “Thanks for getting me. I don’t know what he got involved in, or when he might get back, but I don’t like being late.”
“Aren’t you even a little bit worried about everything that’s going on?” Sally asked her.
“Should I be?” Lorena asked.
Sally laughed. “Michael thinks you’re a suspicious character.”
“Michael is paranoid,” Lorena murmured.
“Maybe. He’s a scientist. Maybe all scientists get paranoid. They think their research is better than gold.”
“Maybe it is. Sometimes.”
Sally waved a hand in the air. “I don’t think Michael has created a strain of giant killer alligators.”
“Oh?”
Sally shook her head. “He always seems frustrated. He’s a good-looking guy. I think he had the hots for you. Actually, until Jesse stepped into the picture, it kind of l
ooked like you liked Michael.”
“I like everyone at the farm,” Lorena murmured.
“Just the slutty type, huh?” Sally queried.
“What?” Lorena snapped.
“Well, you were flirting pretty hard with everyone until you settled on Jesse.”
Lorena stared out the front window. “Did you come to get me just so you could give me a hard time?” she asked.
Sally looked at her, eyes wide. “No! Of course not.” A small smile curved her lips as she shook her head.
* * *
DR. THORNE THIESSEN wasn’t in when Jesse arrived at the veterinary clinic.
Jim Hidalgo was there, though. “Hey, how are you feeling?” Jesse asked him.
“Fine. Just fine,” Jim assured him.
“How come you’re here? I thought you had the night shift? And where is the doc, anyway?” Jesse asked.
“This is the day he does calls. He covers a few of the alligator farms, you know. And he does cattle, as well. There are even a couple of folks with real exotics, snakes and things, and for them, he makes house calls. One day one week, two days the next. I guess it works for him.”
Jesse chewed a blade of grass and nodded. “You still don’t remember anything about what happened that night, huh?”
“Nothing. You still haven’t caught the thief, huh?”
Jesse shook his head. “Tell me if I’ve got it right. You were in the back, then...wham! And then nothing, nothing at all, until Doc was standing over you?”
“Yeah, yeah, then lights, sirens, cops, med techs... You know the rest. You were here.”
“Right.”
Jesse shrugged. “So when will the doc be back?”
“Tomorrow morning,” Jim told Jesse.
“Where is he?”
“Don’t know. He works lots of places.”
“And you’re in charge until then? What about the day guy?”
“He works with Thiessen, travels with him. Weird goose, if you ask me.”
“Because he’s white?”
Jim laughed, shaking his head. “Because he never talks. Hey, lots of folks live and work out here who aren’t part of the tribe. We all get along. His day guy, though. John Smith. Who ever heard such a name for real? He’s a big goon. Never talks.”
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