Kent Conwell - Tony Boudreaux 15 - The Mona Lisa Murders Read Online Free PDF Page B

person. I relaxed slightly.
    Antone gushed. ‘I am most happy to see you, sir. I thought we were to die out here with the snakes and alligators.’
    The fisherman laughed. ‘Well, you won’t have to worry about that any more. My name’s Elliott. I fish out here all the time.’ He gestured over his shoulder. ‘Water’s deeper over there. Too shallow here for you to climb in. We’d bottom out. Throw your gear in the boat and follow me.’
    I tossed the backpack in the bow of the jonboat just as Elliott set the pole in the muck at the bow. I froze when I spotted the black octopus tattooed on his forearm.  Quickly, I cut my eyes away. ‘Sure glad we ran into you,’ I said, sloshing through the mud toward deeper water before climbing in. ‘We’re out of the Wetlands Hunting and Fishing Lodge.’
    ‘Just ahead,’ he said. ‘I’ll run you up there.’
    After several yards, he paused. ‘Here we are. Climb in.’
    Antone sat in the bow. I took the middle seat, and Elliott sat in the stern by the motor.
    ‘Ready?’ He started the engine, and we sped through the swamp. I glanced into the trees surrounding us, spotting balls of snakes clustered on the branches.
    The tattoo on Elliott’s forearm told me in no uncertain terms that he was no more a fisherman than Antone was the model for the Mona Lisa.
    The slight man and I had jumped from the proverbial fire into the frying pan. Not deliberately of course, but if a crab accidentally falls into a pot and boils himself, he’s still boiled regardless of intent.
    Unless we did something fast, our proverbial gooses were cooked.
    Gusts of wind smashed through the treetops, swaying great crowns of ancient oak and cypress.
    I was still pondering what to do when one of those gusts did it for me. One moment, we were speeding through the swamp, the next, a ball of snakes slammed to the deck between me and Elliott.
    Startled, he leaped to his feet, releasing the throttle. The torque of the prop jerked the stern of the small craft sharply to starboard, sending Elliott tumbling into the dark water. Moments later, the engine died.
    I jumped back toward Antone. ‘Be still,’ I shouted, using a paddle to send the scattering serpents over the side. Within seconds though it seemed like hours, all our unwelcome guests except one had departed, and he decided to make himself at home in the small space between the back seat and the transom.
    In the meantime, Elliott had splashed away from the jonboat when the snakes began piling out. Frantically, I fumbled in the emergency kit for anything to get rid of the snake. I didn’t know if it were poisonous or not. And I wasn’t about to find out.
    I found a pressurized can of insect repellent.
    It worked. Three shots, and our unwelcome visitor slithered over the side. Before our other unwelcome visitor, Elliott, could slither back in, I started the engine and raced away, leaving him standing in chest-deep water and shouting curses at us.
    Antone leaned forward. ‘Elliott! You’re leaving him behind!’
    I nodded emphatically. ‘As fast as I can. He’s one of them.’
    The small man’s jaw hit the deck.
     
    I began noticing familiar landmarks. Five minutes later, we rounded the bend at the lodge.
    Antone muttered. ‘What happened?’
    The parking lot was empty, probably because at least a foot of water covered it.
    He looked at me, a puzzled knit to his brow. ‘What’s going on here, Tony? What happened? Where did all this water come from?’
    I made a couple circles in the parking lot while explaining. ‘There’s a storm in the gulf. It’s pushing the water in. The lodge has evacuated. They must have pulled out during the night.’
    ‘Not everyone. Look!’
    Two figures stood on the porch at the front entrance of the lodge. They were waving us to them. I circled away.
    ‘Where are you going? They want us to come in.’
    ‘After all that’s happened, I don’t trust anybody, Antone. Not even you. I’m getting us out of here