I dont think thats a good idea, I said evenly. Ollie hasnt been fed today.
Oh, thats something we could do, Hal! Ev took an excited little hop up and down. Alligators are supposed to love marshmallows. A man at the RV camp where were staying says one in the canal will climb right onto shore. The alligator opens his mouth, and the man just tosses in the marshmallows, one after the other.
No S-word. No S-word. No S-word.
I hope your RV neighbors not too attached to his arm, I said. A couple of years ago, fishermen in Lakeland found the body of a man whod been missing for a while. A gator got em. In the same lake, trappers killed a three-hundred-pounder. All the residents had been feeding him. Thats illegal, by the way. They opened the gator up, and there was the poor fishermans forearm. It was still intact, in the alligators stomach.
Ev ran a hand down her own arm, glancing nervously over the wall at Ollie.
Alligators are wild, unpredictable creatures. I could hear the annoyance seeping into my voice, but I plowed ahead. You have to realize, theyre dangerous. Theyre not costumed characters at Walt Disney World, ready to pose for tourist pictures.
We get it, we get it. Hal stuck out his chest. Were not stupid. You dont need to take that high-and-mighty tone with us. You dont have to be rude.
Uh-oh.
Sorry. I backpedaled. I didnt mean to sound nasty. I flashed them a smile that would make Rhonda proud. Its just that people who feed alligators cause a lot of problems, both for the people and the gators. Theyre naturally skittish of humans. But if someone feeds them, they learn to associate people with food. We all looked down at the gator in the pool. Missing one eye and part of a foot hasnt done much to slow Ollie down. And it hasnt done a thing to diminish the power of his jaws and tail. Hes here because he got a little too close for comfort on the eighteenth hole at the new Kissimmee Links country club.
Hal let out a low whistle. Thats a hell of a water hazard.
Did he kill someone? the woman asked.
Not yet.
I recited the facts I knew by heart from my lectures to the kids: Biting strength more fearsome than a lions; eighty razor teeth; a tail that can break a mansor a womansleg.
Then I agreed to take a picture of the two of them leaning against the wall. I climbed onto a step stool I dragged over from the shed. With that and my height, I could angle downward to get Ollie in the background and the stupid couple in the foreground. I took four or five shots from different angles. The visitors left with all their limbs. Everybody was happy.
Being friendly is hard work.
Giving my little talk about alligators had just about erased the uneasiness Id felt at the noise in the woods. But with the visitors gone, a twinge of fear came back. What was it moving toward me, pinning me between the woods and Ollies wall? Was it just the couples son, stomping around in a teenage sulk? Or was it something more sinister?
I decided to try to find the Nintendo-addicted Bobby, and ask him some questions. Normally, Id cut through the woods, reducing by half a fifteen-minute walk to the parking lot. Today, I stayed in the clearing as long as possible. Then, I chose a wide, well-marked path.
The parking lot held just three vehicles in addition to the VW and Rhondas car. One was a burgundy Mercury, with Pennsylvania plates. A bumper sticker on the back said:
My son can beat up your honor student.
I pegged that one as Hals car.
Another was a rental, with a Florida map and a bird-watching brochure sitting open on the front seat.
The third, a white pickup, was the only one parked in the shade. Squinting through the heat rising from the lot, I thought I recognized the black cowboy hat on the man in the drivers seat. I quickly closed the distance to the truck.
Engrossed in a cell phone call, the driver was alone in the truck. He didnt notice as I approached from the rear. The driver-side door was open.
I told you Im good for those cattle, Pete. I could hear his half of the conversation. How long have we known each other? All Im asking for is a little more time.
It sounded like Jeb Ennis business troubles had taken a turn for the worse.
Silently, he listened to whatever Pete was saying on the other end of the line. Then he shook his head and looked like he was ready to start arguing, until he caught me from the corner of his eye. Listen, Im going to have to call you back, Pete. He paused. If I say Ill do it, Ill do it. Ive got someone here just now.
He cut off the call and slipped the phone into his top pocket. His face was shiny with sweat.
Kind of warm to be out here sitting in your truck, isnt it?
Hey, Mace. I just pulled up a little while ago. I was headed to the office to see you when my phone rang. He swung his long legs out the door and stood on the asphalt lot. When he turned and leaned in the back to grab something from the trucks cab, I saw his shirt was soaking wet and stuck to his back.
You look like youve just chased a coonhound through the woods, Jeb.
When he straightened, he was holding a bouquet of daisies.
Yeah, Im sweatin buckets. He looked embarrassed. The ACs out in my truck. Never happens in December, does it? It feels like a sauna in there.
He held out the flowers. Anyway, these are for you. I figured I owed you an apology for being so rude at the diner. Your mama must have heard an earful after I left.
As I took the flowers, our hands brushed. His fingers were strong, work-callused. I fought myself over the little shiver of desire I felt.
Daisies are your favorite, right? I remembered.
I couldnt even think of the last time a man had given me flowers. I smiled my thanks. That didnt mean I wasnt still suspicious.
So, you just drove up. I took a couple of steps to the front of the truck and put my hand on the hood. The metal was as hot as Hades. The engine still ticked. I had an interesting experience a little earlier this morning.
He raised his brows in a question.
I felt like something was watching me from the woods by the alligator pond. Then, I heard something big coming at me through the brush.
Jebs face lit up. Was it a black bear? Remember that time we spotted that cute little cub over in Highlands County? And then its mama came on the scene, and she didnt look near as cute.
I laughed. I remember you were just as scared as me, and I almost peed my pants.
He looked at me, and the golden flecks in his eyes shone. We had some good times in those days, didnt we, Mace?
Some real good times, I agreed. And a few bad.
He took off his hat and shifted his eyes to the ground. He ran a hand through his hair, which curled in sweaty clumps. Then he looked up at me again. Do you think we could talk somewhere, Mace?
We can. But first I have to ask you something. You wouldnt have had any reason to be running around in the woods out here this morning, would you?
He cocked his head Mace, its hotter than a pepper patch. The mosquitoes are as big as B-52 bombers. I can think of about twenty places off the top of my head that Id rather be than in the woods. And that would include sitting in the chair at my dentists office. I told you, I just got here. The only reason I came at all is to apologize to you.
He slapped at his neck, then flicked a dead mosquito from his palm.
I glanced into the trees surrounding the parking lot. Nothing but the insects stirred.
Its just that I had a
My voice trailed off as I tried to figure out how, without sounding weak or crazy, to explain what Id had. The sense of threat. The paralyzing fear. After all, it was just some rustling in the brush.
You know what, Jeb? Its no big deal. I held up the flowers. Lets head to the office, where I can get these in some water. We can sit out on a bench in the breezeway. At least theres shade, and ceiling fans to keep us cool.
He put his hat back on. Give me a minute to throw something over the feed Ive got in the truck. I dont want it to get wet if it rains.
I stepped aside to let him get to the trucks bed. I took the opportunity to admire the view as Jeb leaned over to secure a tarp. His sweaty shirt was tucked tautly into his narrow waist. The Ws on the back pockets of his Wrangler jeans lay just right. My eyes traveled all the way from his well-shaped rear, down his legs, to the heels of his dusty cowboy boots.
Thats when I noticed something small clinging to the bottom of his pants leg. In the back, where itd be hard to see, a burr from the woods brushy undergrowth was stuck to the fabric of Jebs boot-cut jeans.
What the hell is this? I leaned over and plucked the burr from Jebs pant leg. Pinching it between my thumb and forefinger, I thrust it inches from his face.
How should I know, Mace? You know plants a lot better than I do. Why dont you look it up in a plant book?
Its a beggars tick, Jeb. And I dont mean, What is it? I mean, How in the hell did it come to be hitching a ride on your Wranglers?
He cocked his boot up to examine the back of his pant leg. Then he repeated it with the other leg. I thought I got all of those off before I headed over here to see you. I worked this morning, but I did clean up. Not that youd be able to tell it from the stink of me, after I drove all the way from Wauchula in my sweat box of a truck.
I tucked the beggars tick into the pocket of my work pants. You never know what you might need as evidence.
What are you so freaked out about anyway? Is that from some nasty plant you dont want taking hold here at Himmarshee Park? His eyebrows raised in a question. And then, as he realized what I was implying, they V-ed down to a frown. Youre not serious, Mace.
As serious as a heart attack. I took a step back, my hands on my hips. Which is what I almost had this morning, when I was convinced something in those woods was stalking me. Now I find a burr from the brush on a man who claimed hed rather be anywhere else than out stomping through some swampy woods.
Youve lost your mind. He inched away, like he was afraid to catch crazy from me. Your mama getting arrested for murder has sent you clear round the bend. Staring at me, he shook his head. Do you think Himmarshee Park is the only place in Florida with brush?
He waited for an answer. I didnt give him one, staring off into the trees.
Well, its not. Jeb answered his own question. I was tearing through it on my own property early this morning when a calf got tangled up. He ran off, trailing some barbed wire into the woods.
I thought about that for a moment. It seemed logical. I was beginning to feel stupid.
Are you gonna suspect me of everything, just because I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life when we were kids? How many times can I say Im sorry I lied to you? Im sorry I cheated on you. I was young and stupid. I didnt know how to handle the attention from the girls who hang around the rodeo.
He put a hand on my wrist. My skin felt hot where he touched it, and it wasnt just the outside temperature.
Look at me, Mace.
I slowly shifted my gaze from the tree line to his face. He was staring into my eyes. His hand still burned a palm print around my wrist.
Sorry, I mumbled.
Jeb cupped his other hand to his ear. Can you speak up a little? I didnt quite hear that.
I said Im sorry. I shook off his hand. This case has got me as skittish as a colt in a pasture full of snakes.
I looked down to where hed held my wrist. I was surprised to see no outward sign of how his touch had affected me. But I did notice the daisies were starting to wilt. Why dont we go on in and get out of this oven? I said.
I led the way across the lot and onto a wood-chip trail. We dont waste much in Himmarshee. If a hurricane or lightning storm takes down a tree, workers with chain saws cut it up, feed it into a chipper, and truck in the chips for pathways. Jeb and I turned at the fork, heading away from Ollies pool and toward the office.
Look at that, I whispered. As we rounded a bend near Himmarshee Creek, a great blue heron startled into flight. The woods were so quiet; we heard his big wings beating the heavy air.
At the office, I went inside to put the daisies into water. Jeb stopped to buy sodas at the vending machine. He didnt need to ask what I liked. A Coke for me; an orange drink for him. He was just settling onto a bench in the shady breezeway when I returned to join him.
When did you find out about Mama getting tossed in jail? I asked, as I popped the top on my can of Coke.
I already knew that night at the diner, Mace. One of my hands at the ranch dates a gal who works at the Dairy Queen. I didnt let on when you told me. I didnt want to embarrass you. And I didnt think itd be too nice to greet your mama after ten years by saying, Glad to hear youre out of the slammer, Maam.