Chapter 18
“Crap,” Ida Belle said. “How are we supposed to know who the boat belongs to when both of them are at the bar?”
“Any cars in the parking lot?” I asked.
Ida Belle shifted the camera to the right so that it captured the parking lot.
“Several,” she said, “but that doesn’t surprise me.
A lot of people hitch rides out of there after getting too drunk to drive and pick up their cars the next day.
I don’t know what kind of vehicle Buck or Whiskey drives so we’re at a dead end until someone leaves. ”
“Hey, do you guys find the timing of this odd?” I asked. “I mean, I didn’t see Whiskey chatting with Buck and Trick, so I didn’t get the impression they were friends. Just patrons. So why is Buck paying Whiskey a visit in the middle of the day?”
“Good question,” Ida Belle said. “If it was Whiskey’s boat that was stolen, then it wouldn’t make a difference to Buck. If it was Buck’s boat that was stolen, he already knows Whiskey doesn’t know anything because Buck was the one who helped chase Gertie.”
“Exactly,” I said. “I think I need to hear their conversation.”
“And how do you propose to do that?” Gertie asked. “The drone doesn’t have audio and even if it did, you can’t just drop it down close enough to pick up sound.”
I took a giant leap out of the boat and onto the bank. “I’m going to get close enough to listen.”
“Guys,” Ida Belle said. “We have a bigger problem.”
“What?” I asked.
“I lost my connection to the drone.”
We all looked up and watched as the drone veered to the right, then dropped, coming to rest in a tree.
“Crap,” Ida Belle said. “We’ve got to get it out. If I get close enough to reconnect, I can probably get it dislodged. It’s just resting on the top branches.”
“At least the camera is still going,” Gertie said. “And I can still see Buck. He’s knocking on the door but it doesn’t look like anyone is answering.”
“Whiskey might not be there,” I said, “and if he’s gone in his vehicle, we still don’t know if the boat is his or Buck’s. Not unless Buck leaves in it.”
“I wish we would have gotten here five minutes earlier,” Gertie said. “We would have seen Buck arrive.”
“We can still watch him leave,” Ida Belle pointed out as she tossed me a rope. “It just might take a while.”
I pulled the boat close to the bank and tied it off to a tree branch. Gertie and Ida Belle jumped onto the bank and I scanned the marsh, then motioned to them.
“Follow me,” I said. “And watch for my signal to stop. Stay low. No talking once we get going.” I looked at Gertie. “And no shooting anything.”
“I only have two guns on me,” Gertie said. “Can’t do much damage with only two.”
“You can do enough,” I said. “Our goal is to listen to any conversation that happens, recover the drone, and get the hell out before anyone notices we’re here.”
I turned around and headed into the marsh, picking my way through the brush.
We were coming up to the bar from the rear, which meant Buck couldn’t see us at all but if Whiskey was in his private quarters in the back, he’d be able to spot us if we didn’t crouch a bit to fall below the top of the marsh grass.
When we got closer, it would be even riskier as the brush often thinned out, allowing you to see different colors and movement easier.
As we drew closer, Ida Belle grabbed my arm and pointed to the video feed. Buck had walked down the steps, probably to leave, when the door to the bar opened and Whiskey stepped outside. He didn’t look happy to see Buck.
“Hurry,” I whispered, and took off running for the back of the bar. With both Whiskey and Buck in front, we had a clear path, but I needed to get there fast to hear what they were saying.
When I reached the rear of the bar, I glanced back and saw Ida Belle and Gertie some distance behind me, but I didn’t have time to wait on them. I slipped around the side of the bar that was perched on land and inched up to the corner.
I could hear the voices even before I stopped.
“What the hell do you expect me to do about your boat?” Whiskey said. “I didn’t steal it. That crazy old broad did. Hell, I thought it was my boat at first, and so did you until we got to the pier.”
So the boat belonged to Buck. He was our poacher.
“This ain’t about the boat,” Buck said. “This is about you setting me up.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I saw that alligator hide in the brush on the road next to my boat, and I pulled another piece out of the boat while you were calling the sheriff. I tossed them both as far as I could in the bayou. I bet you were disappointed when Deputy Breaux didn’t find them in my boat.”
I drew in a breath. Buck wasn’t the poacher?
I heard Ida Belle and Gertie come up behind me and I turned around. They both nodded, letting me know they’d heard Buck’s accusation.
“You found gator hides in your boat?” Whiskey asked.
“Don’t stand there acting like you didn’t know.
Selling alligator at the bar when there ain’t none to be found for a decent price.
The game warden hanging around. You’re the poacher.
You tried to pin it on that boy, but when you realized that wasn’t going to work, you figured you’d pin it on me because our boats look similar. ”
“I’m not the poacher!” Whiskey yelled. “And I didn’t put any hides in your boat because I don’t have any hides to put in your boat. I damn sure didn’t set up that kid. But I’m pretty sure I know who did.”
“What do you mean?”
“The guy who did it wasn’t trying to set you up. He was trying to set me up and he got the wrong boat.”
I remembered the guy in the bar saying he’d seen someone in Whiskey’s boat earlier that night. If Whiskey and Buck were both telling the truth, it made sense.
“I don’t believe you,” Buck said.
Ida Belle jabbed me in the ribs and pointed to the phone. I looked at the video and saw Buck had pulled out a pistol and had it trained on Whiskey.
“You’re not going to send me up the river,” Buck said.
Whiskey put his hands in the air. “I swear, it wasn’t me, man.”
“Then who was it?” Buck asked.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but I was going to see Carter today and tell him everything I knew. I swear. I already called him and said I needed to talk.”
“You think Carter’s gonna take your word for anything?” Buck asked. “You’ve been drinking too much of your own stock.”
“I can prove it,” Whiskey said. “He was supposed to go away and I was just going to keep quiet, but when I heard about Petey, I decided I had to tell, even if I go down with him.”
“What kind of proof do you have?” Buck asked.
“I don’t want to say.”
“Seems a strange position to take given that I’m pointing a gun at you,” Buck said.
“Can you get a shot?” Ida Belle whispered.
I shook my head. “Based on what? Unless Buck shoots, I don’t have grounds.”
She got it, but I could tell she didn’t like the option any more than I did.
“Tell me what your proof is,” Buck said, “or I put one in your knee and go to Carter with my proof.”
“I swear, I’ll go right now,” Whiskey said. “You can go with me. Or meet me at the sheriff’s department if you don’t trust riding with me.”
“Okay,” Buck said. “I’ll follow you, but don’t get any funny ideas about losing me.”
“I don’t think that trip will be necessary, gentlemen.”
I knew that voice.
I grabbed Ida Belle’s hand and looked down at the video as Trevor stepped out of the marsh, his pistol pointed at Buck.
I slowly let out the breath I’d been holding.
Trevor had been suspicious. That’s why he’d been at the bar.
Now Trevor could handle things legally and I wouldn’t have to shoot anyone.
Whiskey could sort out his evidence with the state and Buck could get back to shrimping.
“Put that gun down,” Trevor said.
Whiskey and Buck both stared at him, their eyes wide.
“About time you people arrest the right guy,” Buck said.
Trevor laughed and Buck stared at him.
“You idiot,” Whiskey said. “He’s not here to arrest me. He’s the poacher.”
I froze and stared at the video. Surely I’d heard wrong, but the look on Whiskey’s face told me everything I needed to know.
I’d completely missed the boat on this one.
I’d been collecting evidence against one of the victims, not the perpetrator.
And unless I did something, I had no doubt there would be two victims, both in body bags, before this was over.
“I said put the gun down,” Trevor repeated.
Buck cursed and tried to spin around to get a shot at Trevor, but Trevor fired before Buck had barely rotated and the shrimper screamed and fell to the ground, clutching his stomach.
“Shoot him,” Ida Belle mouthed.
I peered around the corner, but Whiskey was completely blocking my line of fire.
I couldn’t shoot Trevor without going through Whiskey.
I looked at Ida Belle and shook my head, pointing to Whiskey on the video.
I pointed to the back of the bar and made a square with my fingers, hoping she’d get that I was going to get inside the bar through an open window.
From the front of the bar, I’d have a clean shot.
Ida Belle nodded, handed the cell phone to Gertie, and pulled out her pistol, indicating she would cover me from the side.
I hurried to the back of the bar and jumped up, grabbing the windowsill and pulling myself over.
I went headfirst through the opening and rolled onto the bedroom floor, taking a half second to be grateful no furniture had been placed there because the rest of the room was cluttered with stuff from the floor almost to the ceiling.
I was up in a flash and started winding my way through the bar, trying not to make any noise.
One loud creak of a floorboard and Trevor would know someone was inside.