the idea in favor of a strategic retreat.
The knife was tucked into her belt. She was lucky it hadn’t stuck itself into her body during her frantic scramble to stay on the log.
Looking down, she debated what to do. If she left the weapon where it was, both of her hands would be free. But that meant she was defenseless. Taking a moment to free the knife, she shouted at the beast to back off as she brandished the weapon. She knew the alligator had a tiny brain. But if it had been threatened before, maybe it had learned caution.
It stayed in the water under her as she carefully crawled along the log toward the plantation side of the log, the knife clutched in one fist.
Once she reached solid ground, she kept going, putting a dozen yards between herself and the bayou edge before she leaned against a tree trunk, panting, thinking about her narrow escape.
The log had been slippery. Like someone had greased it, hoping that whoever tried to cross would fall in and give the alligators a nice meal.
And she would have obliged, if she hadn’t thought to bring the stick. Even when it had sunk into the mud, it had kept her from tumbling off the log.
As she brushed mud off her jeans, she looked back toward the island. She wanted to know what was over there, but not until she figured out a safe way to get across.
Had someone set a trap for her, specifically? Or maybe it wasn’t specifically for her. Maybe it was for anyone who came poking around in the bayou country at Belle Vista. Who was hiding something out there? Andre? Janet?
Still feeling shaky, she started back toward the house. When she reached the edge of the trees, she remembered another mistake she’d made. She’d forgotten all about the evidence bag with the cigarette butts that she’d dropped on the ground when Sheriff Jarvis had visited the day before.
She walked to the spot where she and Andre had been standing. But the plastic bag was missing. Naturally!
Muttering under her breath, she walked several yards farther, searching the site. But the damn bag was definitely gone.
Well, she’d add that to her list of questions for Andre when he finally came home. Grimly, she turned back to the house, walking fast, breathing out a small sigh when she reached the lawn.
The day stretched ahead of her. She was trapped at this damn estate. Andre was right; the bayou was dangerous. So was walking into town—if she was in the mood for a hike.
Going back to her room, she pulled off her muddy clothing, left them in the hamper and washed the mud off her shoes in the tub before cleaning up the mess and showering.
While she was making herself presentable again, she thought about how she could proceed with her investigation until her car was drivable. Although she was feeling frustrated enough to search Andre’s bedroom, the thought of running into Janet was a powerful deterrent.
But maybe the library was a reasonable alternative, she decided.
Downstairs, she studied the shelves. Maybe she’d find a local history with a section on the Sonnier-Gascon feud.
She pulled out several local histories and learned how the French settlers had founded St. Germaine and how they’d almost been wiped out by malaria. Fifty years later, the Gascon family had come from France and bought up hundreds of acres in the bayou.
After putting away the history books, she took down a volume of old maps and found something unexpected. Folded inside the front cover was a set of new maps. Well, not regular maps. They seemed to be a geologic survey—as far as she could tell. So, what did that reveal? Maybe she’d found something significant—right under her nose.
When she heard footsteps in the hall, she quickly closed the book and pushed it back onto the shelf, just as Janet stepped into the doorway. “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice sharp, confirming Morgan’s suspicion that the woman was keeping a watchful eye on her.
Morgan turned slowly to find the housekeeper standing with a vacuum cleaner in her hand.
“I was going through some of the books.”
“Why?”
She fought to keep her voice even and her posture relaxed. “Basically, because I was hired to do a job. But I can’t get into town until the garage returns my car. I don’t feel safe going far from the house. And I can’t ask Andre any questions because he’s decided to disappear.”
Janet made an