Page 61 of Refuge for Flora

“Hopeyou haven’t been waiting too long.”

Bud smiled, stood, and stretched out a hand for Barrett to shake. “Nah. Got here early. I went over to the gift shop and bought a bracelet for Martina, just something pretty and delicate.”

“I was afraid I’d kept you waiting, but I had to stop and get a turtle out of the road.”

The older officer laughed. “Why didn’t I guess that?”

“Guess I’m just a sucker for shells!” Barrett was laughing too as both men took a seat. “Have you eaten here lately?”

“Nah, but it’s a Kentucky State Park. The Kentucky Hot Brown is always a sure bet.”

“That it is! Hmmm. This burger looks good.”

Bud nodded. “I hear their fried chicken is really good too.”

“Can’t be better than my mom’s.” Barrett glanced up and down the menu until the server came and took their drink order.

As soon as she was gone, Bud dropped a hand onto the table. “So, you didn’t ask me here to eat fried chicken and hot browns. What’s up?”

“So I met this woman?”

Bud laughed. “Why do these stories always start with a woman?”

“Mine don’t usually.”

“That’s true.”

“So anyway, I met this woman, and…” Barrett started with the story. He had to stop for the server to take their order, then started right back up after she left. He’d barely finished when the food came. “So, what do you think?”

“I’m thinking you need to find these guys and get them the hell outta here before the river floods and we have an alligator problem on top of everything else we deal with.”

“That’s my thinking too. I mean, I would be doing my job and it would help Flora too, which is my main concern.”

“Exactly how can I help you?”

Barrett took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. “I need somebody who’s not from that area to come in undercover and work a sting operation. Somebody no one would know. Maybe a KSP officer, or a conservation officer from the next district, if you know somebody.”

Bud chewed a bite of food, and Barrett could tell he was thinking about it. Then he smiled. “You’ve already got the perfect person.”

“Who?”

“Conor.”

The conservation officer shook his head. “I couldn’t ask him to do that, come here and work on this.”

“Why not? First off, you know he will. Hell, he wasn’t here for it, but he helped with Renita’s case. He’s the one who found her! And second, it’s affecting his region if these numbskulls are sending animals that way, so his superiors would probably welcome the chance to send him down here and stop it before they make it across the Texas state line. But third, Conor’s just a great guy. He calls me from time to time to ask about Martina, and he and Erin have talked about coming here for a getaway weekend with us. They’re just good people, Barrett. Ask him. What have you got to lose?”

Nothing. He had nothing to lose. It was time to take whatever help he could get. He had no leads, no firm information, and no clues where to even start. Conor, on the other hand, had been on the receiving end of it all. He knew a little more.

And Bud was right about one thing for sure. If he called Conor and asked for help, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department officer would be on the next flight out of SanAntonio unless his superiors told him he couldn’t go. “I know you’re right. I’ll give him a call this evening. I’ve already told him everything I know and he’s really interested. Maybe he’ll want to come here and help. God knows I can use all the help I can get.”

“Sounds good. Now, tell me about this woman. What’s her name? Flora?”

Barrett launched into what he knew about Flora, and the more he talked, the bigger Bud smiled. When he was finished, the older officer said, “Wow. You’ve got it bad.”

“Think so?”

“Yeah. I do. Look, I know what happened with your ex-wife, and I’m really sorry about that. But it’s time for you to move on, and it sounds like she’s a good prospect if you can get past all this other crap.”

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