you?”
“I don’t think so. I was curious about the trail and walked just a little bit into it when I saw them. They weren’t far ahead of me, but I don’t think they saw me.”
“It was dark. Are you sure of what you saw?”
“Absolutely. That light I just turned off went right through the trees to them.”
“You didn’t recognize them?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“What were they doing?”
“Arguing, I think. When you slammed the door, they looked toward the rec center. I kept still, and I don’t think they noticed me. Could they have been from the resort being built here?”
“Why would they be on the trail this late at night? Several of the men who live here work on the construction site right now. It could be that they were on their way home. They may have split shifts because of the heat.”
“Maybe.” She smacked an insect.
He waved away several bugs. “We should get your stuff and walk back to the Wilsons’.”
Ian led Liz into the dark rec center. He grimaced as he realized that he’d left the door wide open. Every type of insect on the island could have come in. Quickly, he shut the door and hurried to turn on the lights, including the security light above the front door. Still holding her flashlight, Liz watched him, and when he lifted his brows at her in question, she looked away.
No. He wouldn’t start wondering why she was looking at him. Not tonight, when he had other things to do.
“I’ll just get my things,” she said, hurrying into the ladies’ room.
He needed to call his supervisor. There must be answers for some of the questions he had. Like how someone could beat Liz down here, assuming she’d been the target to run off the road and not some guy mistaking her for Monica. His boss was going to send someone up to her house to check it out. Maybe someone had broken into her home and found her flight bookings on her computer.
Ian glanced over to the ladies’ room before he returned his night vision goggles to their case in his office. The set was expensive, and a recent update to the gear issued to the marshals. He was grateful for them.
Just as he closed the drawer of his filing cabinet, a scream tore through the center.
Followed by a loud thump.
Liz! Ian tore out of the office and spun left. He knew he shouldn’t have left the rec center door wide open. If she was hurt—
If someone had snuck in behind their backs—
Yanking out his pistol, he reached the restroom in a few steps. He pushed hard on the restroom door, driving it against the wall. He tore past it before it could fly back at him.
“Ian! Look out!”
He stopped dead in the center of the restroom, his pistol at the ready. Liz knelt on the counter, her feet splayed out behind her and her fingers gripping the rim of the sink where it met the edge of the counter. Scattered all around her were her toiletries. She pointed downward.
Ian glanced down and leaped back. Beside the bag she’d dropped to the floor lay a snake—not just an ordinary one but a thick-bodied one about three feet in length and dark in color.
It was a water moccasin, its mouth open wide and ready to strike.
TEN
L iz watched in horror. She worked at a wildlife refuge and had developed a healthy respect for animal predators. She knew this one was exercising its predatory skills very well.
“Stay still, Ian! It’s ready to strike.”
Ian stood stock-still. “I can see that.”
“And I’d say it’s probably poisonous, too.”
“Oh, yes. It’s a water moccasin, like the tow truck driver was talking about.”
Her stomach churned. “It must have come in with my stuff.” She felt herself go weak and pale and gripped the counter to keep from fainting and toppling over at the thought she’d toted it back from the car. She should have shaken out the bag even after digging out the things that needed to dry. “To think, I could have been bitten…”
Ian took a small step backward, one barely noticeable. “Has it
“I don’t think so. I was curious about the trail and walked just a little bit into it when I saw them. They weren’t far ahead of me, but I don’t think they saw me.”
“It was dark. Are you sure of what you saw?”
“Absolutely. That light I just turned off went right through the trees to them.”
“You didn’t recognize them?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“What were they doing?”
“Arguing, I think. When you slammed the door, they looked toward the rec center. I kept still, and I don’t think they noticed me. Could they have been from the resort being built here?”
“Why would they be on the trail this late at night? Several of the men who live here work on the construction site right now. It could be that they were on their way home. They may have split shifts because of the heat.”
“Maybe.” She smacked an insect.
He waved away several bugs. “We should get your stuff and walk back to the Wilsons’.”
Ian led Liz into the dark rec center. He grimaced as he realized that he’d left the door wide open. Every type of insect on the island could have come in. Quickly, he shut the door and hurried to turn on the lights, including the security light above the front door. Still holding her flashlight, Liz watched him, and when he lifted his brows at her in question, she looked away.
No. He wouldn’t start wondering why she was looking at him. Not tonight, when he had other things to do.
“I’ll just get my things,” she said, hurrying into the ladies’ room.
He needed to call his supervisor. There must be answers for some of the questions he had. Like how someone could beat Liz down here, assuming she’d been the target to run off the road and not some guy mistaking her for Monica. His boss was going to send someone up to her house to check it out. Maybe someone had broken into her home and found her flight bookings on her computer.
Ian glanced over to the ladies’ room before he returned his night vision goggles to their case in his office. The set was expensive, and a recent update to the gear issued to the marshals. He was grateful for them.
Just as he closed the drawer of his filing cabinet, a scream tore through the center.
Followed by a loud thump.
Liz! Ian tore out of the office and spun left. He knew he shouldn’t have left the rec center door wide open. If she was hurt—
If someone had snuck in behind their backs—
Yanking out his pistol, he reached the restroom in a few steps. He pushed hard on the restroom door, driving it against the wall. He tore past it before it could fly back at him.
“Ian! Look out!”
He stopped dead in the center of the restroom, his pistol at the ready. Liz knelt on the counter, her feet splayed out behind her and her fingers gripping the rim of the sink where it met the edge of the counter. Scattered all around her were her toiletries. She pointed downward.
Ian glanced down and leaped back. Beside the bag she’d dropped to the floor lay a snake—not just an ordinary one but a thick-bodied one about three feet in length and dark in color.
It was a water moccasin, its mouth open wide and ready to strike.
TEN
L iz watched in horror. She worked at a wildlife refuge and had developed a healthy respect for animal predators. She knew this one was exercising its predatory skills very well.
“Stay still, Ian! It’s ready to strike.”
Ian stood stock-still. “I can see that.”
“And I’d say it’s probably poisonous, too.”
“Oh, yes. It’s a water moccasin, like the tow truck driver was talking about.”
Her stomach churned. “It must have come in with my stuff.” She felt herself go weak and pale and gripped the counter to keep from fainting and toppling over at the thought she’d toted it back from the car. She should have shaken out the bag even after digging out the things that needed to dry. “To think, I could have been bitten…”
Ian took a small step backward, one barely noticeable. “Has it
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