Page 15 of Secrets in Calusa Cove

She scanned toward all the people climbing aboard their airboats, reminding herself she had a story to write, and that meant she couldn’t avoid snapping a few shots of the humans involved.

Benson filled her lens. He stood there at the end of the dock with his father. She stared at him through her camera. He’d aged some but otherwise looked exactly the same. He’d been a bit of an odd duck back in the day. Quiet. Kept to himself, except for his best friend, Trevor Williams. Now, that had been a strange pairing.

She set her camera aside and went about checking her gear. She had everything she needed to safely capture and humanely kill pythons. Her GPS was ready, though she knew these parts like the back of her hand. At least, she used to. She had water and snacks for the day.

Everyone who was participating had made their way to their boats. A man with a bullhorn stood on the end of the far dock.

“Good morning, everyone,” he said. “My name is Keaton Cole, and I’m with Fish and Wildlife. In a roundabout way, I’ll be your guide for the next ten days.”

So, he was the guy Dawson had mentioned she should have a sit-down with. That meant he’d served in the military with him and Fletcher.

Which also meant he knew Ken.

She sighed.

Damn shame what had happened to Ken. He’d died almost three years ago. She’d read about it in theCalusa Cove Gazette. They’d done a full-page spread on him and his team, featuring Fletcher and how he’d gotten a medal. She was sure Fletcher hated both the article and the medal.

“You all should’ve gotten my contact information from Baily. We don’t have any novices registered in this area, so we’ll let you all go off. However, my team and I will be out there, checking in with everyone. You all know the rules. We expect you to follow them. If you don’t, you’ll be pulled from the challenge. Please remember why we’re doing this. The sole purpose is to remove the pythons from this ecosystem, but we want to do it humanely and safely. We’ve already dealt with two people who thought they could skirt the rules. They weren’t locals. Most of the rest of you are, so please make my team’s job easy. Don’t make me call the chief of police. You all know how he gets,” he said with a grin. “Now, go out there and enjoy the hunt.”

The sound of airboat engines firing up filled the air.

Silas and his crew were the first three boats out into the channel, followed by Paul and his son Benson, along with a few boats she didn’t know and two more familiar locals.

Audra decided to hang back and let all of them race down the channel and into the Everglades in a mad rush. There was time and plenty of snakes to catch. She wasn’t in this for the prize, though she did want to do her part. But again, today wasn’t about that. Today was about the past.

Her heart hammered in the center of her chest.

Today, she would go to the spot where she last remembered seeing her father alive. The exact spot where he’d shown her the abandoned shack containing crates marked with unusual symbols. It had been so dark that night that even she had started questioning whether she’d really seen it. Hours later, she’d woken up on that boat—drifting in the swamp—cold, alone, and covered in blood.

She swallowed the bile that bubbled up in her throat as the last boats zoomed by.

“Excuse me.” Keaton strolled down the dock. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” she said. “Just thought I’d avoid the craziness of the rush.”

“You must be Audra,” Keaton said.

She cocked her head. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised the news of my name travels fast.”

He chuckled. “I won’t lie. Dawson texted me first, asking me to keep an eye out for you. Then Fletcher. But you were already on my radar.”

“And why is that?” Her body tingled just hearing Dawson’s name. She shoved that sensation down deep.

“Because you’re the only boat flying solo, and I don’t like that.” He cocked his head. “Everyone else is in at least a team of two. I asked around to see if someone would buddy up and learned you refused. Now, may I ask why that is?”

“Sure.” She reached over and untied the bow line while he released the stern. “It’s simple. I don’t play nice in the swamp.”

“Fletcher warned me you were full of sarcasm.” He waggled his finger. “I understand you’re originally from this area, and Fletcher assures me you know these parts as well as he does?—”

“Better.”

“That’s all fine and dandy, but wrangling these pythons alone is tricky business.”

“I’m aware. I’ve done it before.” She set the bow line aside and climbed on the captain’s chair. “I’ll be safe out there. Promise.”

“Just use that radio of yours if you need help.”

“Will do.” She nodded. “Can I ask you a question?”

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