Page 22 of Refuge for Flora

Jesse’s wrinkled-up face told the tale. “Gah, I can smell you from over here!”

“Yeah, well, I’m hot and dirty and tired, so you need to go.”

“I’m just watching a game.”

“What’s wrong with your TV?”

“Nothing.” Jesse gave him a sheepish look. “Just forgot to pay the cable bill.”

“Ah. I see. Well, I’m gonna take a shower and when I come out, I expect you to be gone.”

A wicked grin spread across Jesse’s face. “Can I watch?”

“You lost that privilege a long time ago. Now, I’m serious. I’m tired. So go home and I’ll see you sometime this week, I’m sure.”

“You’re no fun.”

“You’re right. I’m no fun at all. None. Find other friends who are fun, ‘cause I’m not.”

“Oh, hahaha. Go on. See ya later.” Jesse stood as if to leave, then turned back to Barrett. “You know, you should be honored that I’m still hanging around with you.”

“And yet I don’t see it that way.” Barrett pointed at the front door. “Go.”

“Oh, you know you love me.”

Pain shot through Barrett’s chest. “Yeah. I do. That’s the problem. I love theyouthat you were, not theyouthat you are now.”

“That’s hurtful.”

“Don’t even begin to lecture me about hurt, Jess. Just don’t. Go. Please.” Jesse was still talking as Barrett made his way to the bathroom, and he threw a hand back in a brush-off, hoping the guy would just shut up and leave. For the first time ever, Barrett had a feeling that if Jesse was still there when he got out of the shower, he wouldn’t be able to help himself and there would be a physical removal from the premises. He hated to be that way, but he was tired.

To his relief, when he stepped into the living room after his shower, Jesse was nowhere in sight. A peek out the front window told him the driveway was empty except for his own personal pickup, and he breathed a sigh of despair. He had to find a better place to hide his extra key. Oh, who was he kidding?Jesse had probably gone out and had one made to get in whenever the mood struck.

Twenty minutes later, Barrett was curled up in his bed and sound asleep. His head was full of dreams and nightmares, some of Jesse, some of Flora, some of coyotes. And just before he woke, something else popped into his nightmare.

An alligator.

* * *

Since he’d been out latethe night before, he decided to stay in that morning and rest. With a cup of coffee and a sweet roll from the package he’d picked up at the store, he sat down and hit a contact. It was answered in just a few seconds. “WardenPaxton.”

“Conor! It’s BarrettQuarles.”

“Barrett! Good to hear from you.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve got a little tidbit.”

“Can’t wait.”

Barrett outlined everything that had gone on the night before, and when he finished, he asked, “So, what do you think?”

“Well, first off, who would likely know about smuggling illegal animals? Someone who was already doing something illegal, and you know those guys were.”

“Yeah. Meth. And the idiots were trying to breed coydogs.”

Conor laughed loudly. “Oh, a real bunch of winners!”

“Oh, yeah. Geniuses. But I told the deputy that I wanted him to ask questions and see what he came up with. I haven’t heard back from him. If I don’t before two o’clock, I’m taking my ass right down to that jail and asking them myself.”

---