No Place for Vengeance Read online

  “Quite a collection of photographs you have here,” Olivia remarked, “quite a life you’ve lived. Breathtaking.”

  Olivia’s comment pleased Jack. “You’re actually in the presence of a fifth-generation guide,” he replied. There are not too many of us left any longer. We have always lived right here in the Everglades, never leave it.”

  “You never leave the Everglades?” Olivia was stunned.

  “No, there’s nothing outside of interest,” Jack answered. “This place is my home! I am the Everglades. I am one with the glades, part of every winding road and every creature who makes his home here. Our tours are indescribable.”

  “I can only imagine.” Olivia paused, startled by his intensity. “I can barely imagine what it’s like to love the place you live so much.”

  “Not many can,” Jack agreed.

  “You know why I’m here, of course?” Olivia continued, wanting to get to the point of her visit.

  “Naturally,” Jack continued. “Inevitably there are occasional tragedies in the glades. They can’t be avoided.”

  That was an odd way to put it, thought Olivia. “There’s still hope, though, isn’t there?” she asked. “Amanda hasn’t been declared dead yet.”

  Jack looked up at the ceiling briefly, “No, she hasn’t,” he agreed, “not yet. This young woman went on a rough tour and knew it up front. Her trip went through alligator swamps most never see.”

  “I heard she was quite an adventurer,” said Olivia.

  Jack made a sour face. “Amanda was a music teacher in Connecticut,” he replied. “People fancy themselves all kinds of things. Call her anything you want, this was the tour she insisted upon. She and her husband booked it quite far in advance. It was a tour for experienced travelers.”

  “Was she an experienced traveler?” Olivia was fascinated.

  “I have no idea,” Jack replied nervously. “We don’t ask tourists those kinds of questions. There are no qualifications for coming on board. Most people have enough good sense to make the right decisions for themselves. And to be careful!”

  “What happened to her?” Olivia asked pointedly, wanting to hear the story from him this time.

  “Nobody knows,” Jack answered. “And probably they never will.”

  “Tell me what you know, though,” Olivia responded.

  “The tour came to a natural resting point, a break, for about fifteen minutes.” Jack began reporting the details again. “Amanda wanted to go further, though, past the place we considered safe. There was a hiking trail there, carved out in the middle of the swamps around to its furthest edge. She wanted to walk on it.”

  “Why?” asked Olivia, incredulous.

  “She said she was disappointed that she hadn’t seen a Nile crocodile yet, was convinced she’d spot one up ahead a bit. Seems it was a big deal for her to see one.”

  “Why?” asked Olivia.

  “You’re asking me questions I can’t answer,” said Jack, growing agitated. “Different travelers are bent on seeing different sights. Besides that, how do I know what makes a woman tick? It’s hard enough figuring my own wife out.”

  “I mean what are the Nile crocs like?” Olivia corrected herself.

  “Nile crocs can grow to eighteen feet long and weigh as much as a small car,” Jack continued. “They eat everything, zebras, small hippos, and even humans in sub-Saharan Africa. Recently, they’ve been spotted swimming in the Everglades and also relaxing on a house porch in Miami. Amanda seemed to have a craving to see one. I suppose she wanted to brag about it to her friends.” Jack obviously didn’t seem to have much regard for her, or sympathy.

  “Is it usual to go hiking in a place like that, looking for such a dangerous creature?” Olivia asked.

  “Very unusual, I’d say,” Jack retorted. “Of course you get strange ones on some of these tours, even people with suicidal tendencies.” He put his head down and then looked up at Olivia confidentially from under his eyes. His comment and glance seemed to suggest that he thought Amanda had taken her own life.

  “So far there’s no evidence to support the idea that she was depressed or suicidal, though,” Olivia responded.

  “What kind of evidence are you looking for?” Jack scoffed. “Anyway, this young lady had the right to do what she liked during the break. So, she decided to go forward on her own. No one thought too much about it, either. She said she’d be back in about ten minutes. After forty minutes without her returning, everyone knew something was wrong. The news was called in to the police in about an hour.”

  “What else was around the area she was hiking in?” Olivia was jarred.

  “Besides the alligators, crocodiles, and scattered panthers, nothing, just swamps. And maybe a few huts scattered here and there, on the back roads.”

  “How far away are the huts?” Olivia hadn’t heard about that before.

  “Some are all the way at the end of the trail, one is in walking distance. Why?”

  “Why?” asked Olivia. “Has anyone been to that hut, looked around?”

  “There’s only one close by,” Jack continued, “and it’s an old broken down shack that’s always empty. Believe me, no one goes there ever. It’s been deserted for years.”

  Olivia took careful note. “Is this tour Amanda was on given routinely?” She changed the topic slightly.

  “Of course,” said Jack, “and it’s completely safe. The police already asked me that and they also spoke to most of the other passengers on it. Everybody else obeyed the rules and they all came home safe and sound. Until Amanda disappeared, everyone was having a wonderful time.”

  Olivia took a deep, sad breath. “How far away are the other huts you mentioned in the back?”

  “Far enough,” he answered. “They’re also just ramshackle places, unimportant. From time to time a few fishermen might occupy them. Why?”

  “I’m just trying to get a feel for what else could have happened,” Olivia said.

  “I’m going to leave that to your imagination,” Jack grumbled.

  “My imagination is not good enough,” she answered. “I need facts.”

  “Well, your imagination has to be good enough, because I have no idea what could have happened, and frankly, no one else does either,” Jack snapped. “The county’s spending a bloody fortune, too, setting up search teams for her wherever you go.”

  “That’s a good thing,” said Olivia.

  “I don’t spend my time thinking about good or bad,” Jack replied. “Things just are what they are here in the Everglades. You go too far where you don’t belong, you may not come back.”

  Olivia took a long, sharp breath. “Did Amanda or her husband ever book a tour with you before?” she asked.

  “What has that got to do with anything?” Jack was getting irritated. “I told you all I know. And I told the police the same thing. You’re grilling me, honey.”

  “I have to,” Olivia replied. “What about the other people on the tour? Did someone have it in for her? Could they have slipped something to her?”

  “That’s ridiculous,” said Jack, giving Olivia a long, slow glance. “You know when someone comes down here and is out in heat they’re not used to, it’s possible for them to get paranoid. I’ve seen it before.”

  Olivia was put off by his comment. He was suggesting she wasn’t in her right mind, trying to put an abrupt end to her questions. But she wasn’t going for it.

  “Are there any suspects you can think of? Any at all?” Olivia pressed forward.

  “If there were I would have told the police, wouldn’t I?” Jack briskly replied.

  “Did you fight with Amanda, telling her not to go further?” Olivia asked.

  Jack grew silent. “Firstly, I never fight with my passengers,” he replied. “Secondly, that day someone else was the guide for the last leg of the journey.”

  “What?” Olivia was stunned. This was the first time she’d heard that. “Who was the guide on her tour when she disappeared?”

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p; “My young cousin Frank,” Jack replied. “He lives down here, too, and fills in routinely when he’s needed. He’s an experienced, terrific guide too.”

  “I haven’t heard about a word about Frank before,” breathed Olivia. “Did you mention him to the police?”

  “No, I did not,” Jack quipped back. “Why should I? What the hell difference does it make? Frank stayed on the boat after she got off it. The other passengers saw him there.”

  “I need to talk to him anyway.” Olivia grew agitated.

  “For what reason?” Jack became unsettled now, too.

  “Because he was one of the last people to see her alive!”

  Jack stood up and turned his back to Olivia for a long moment then. Finally, he turned around again.

  “You’re making this more complicated than you need to,” he said, staring at her.

  “Where is Frank? How can we find him?” Olivia would not be put off.

  “If it was important to talk to Frank the police would have asked,” Jack retorted.

  “They don’t know he was on the tour so why would they ask?” Olivia was adamant.

  “So, call them and tell them,” Jack mocked her for a moment.

  “I will,” said Olivia, “I have to. And I also want you to take me to the exact place where Amanda went missing.”

  Jack walked to another part of the room then, shaking his head. “This is nuts, really nuts,” he mumbled.

  Olivia followed after him. “It’s my job,” she replied. “I can’t leave any stone unturned. Right now a young woman’s life could be hanging by a thread.”

  Jack turned around again. “Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t,” he mumbled. “Go call the police now and see what they say.”

  “I’ll call immediately,” said Olivia, “but whatever they say, I want you to take me to see the spot Amanda vanished.”

  *

  Jack stood there tapping his foot on the floor while Olivia immediately put in a call to Mike, the chief of police.

  “It’s Olivia,” she breathed the moment he picked up.

  “Hello there, how’s it going?” asked Mike.

  “I’m here with Jack Healey in Everglades City,” Olivia said, “and there’s new information.”

  “What?” Mike’s voice grew somber suddenly.

  “There was another guide on the water boat Amanda was on when she disappeared. Jack wasn’t there then.”

  “What?” Mike sounded blindsided. “Hold on a minute. Who was this guide?”

  “He’s a cousin of Jack’s, an experienced young man, Frank,” Olivia reported.

  After a long pause on the other end, Mike breathed heavily. “This is important information. You’re good, Olivia. I’ll make sure we talk to Frank.”

  “Good,” she replied. “I want to speak to him, too.”

  “Of course,” Mike answered. “What’s your next step now?”

  “I want to go see the place Amanda disappeared for myself. I just asked Jack to take me,” she replied.

  “Whoa, hold on a second,” Mike broke in. “We don’t need a repeat of what just happened to Amanda. There’s no knowing what’s going on down there. No way you’re going alone! It’s a good idea to take a look, but I’m sending Weston to join you immediately. Just take a breather and wait for him. He’ll be there in no time.”

  Olivia balked for a moment, but then thought better of it.

  “You’ve got no choice about this one,” Mike exclaimed. “I’m calling Jack and telling him not to go anywhere until Weston arrives.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Jack agreed that it made sense to wait for Weston and estimated it would be at least an hour and a half before he arrived.

  “The timing works for me,” Jack reported. “It will give me time to finish up a few things before we go. And there should still be enough light left to look around when we get there. In the meantime you can take a break and relax. There’s a nice restaurant down the block in case you’re hungry, and I’ll give you space in the office to unwind.”

  Olivia wasn’t hungry and didn’t want to unwind. She wanted to stay sharp, on top of everything going on.

  “I wouldn’t spend too much time outside, though,” Jack continued. “The weather is hotter than usual right now and the bugs have been bad. You don’t want to get mean bites all over.”

  “No, I don’t,” Olivia agreed. But I’ve already been bitten by this case, she thought. She was unable to put things on a back burner and take time to unwind. Instead, Olivia decided to use the waiting time to go on the computer and learn as much about Amanda as she could.

  “If I could use one of the computers in the office that would be best,” she replied.

  Jack looked at Olivia intensely. “You want to check out everything about Amanda, right?”

  “Naturally,” Olivia replied.

  “Obviously, you’re convinced she’s still alive,” Jack added reluctantly. “That’s a mistake.”

  “I’m certainly not convinced she’s dead,” Olivia answered. “I wouldn’t be out here hunting if I was.”

  “Do as you please,” Jack said as he led Olivia into a small room adjacent to his office, where he gave her a laptop computer to browse on.

  Olivia took the computer gratefully and sat down on an old, wobbly couch in the corner. Then she quickly opened it up. This room was stuffier and warmer than the main office. It was harder to breathe here, made Olivia sleepy. After Jack left, Olivia played with the computer, and in just a few moments, Amanda’s Facebook page popped up.

  The page was surprisingly lively and upbeat, filled with photos of Amanda and Tye. They were surrounded by friends, happy and smiling. Olivia looked at her carefully. Amanda was certainly beautiful with her long, auburn hair, a dazzling smile, and light, carefree manner. Tye, standing beside her, seemed much more formal and buttoned up. Despite their differences, they seemed to be a good couple, well connected to one another. A wide variety of friends surrounded them, and there were assorted photos of them playing tennis with friends, walking in the woods, lounging on beaches, and listening to concerts under the trees. It looked like Amanda had been leading a happy life. The notes she’d written and messages received showed nothing out of order either. There was nothing here that was foolhardy and would suggest that Amanda had a craving for danger, or needed to place herself in harm’s way.

  Olivia then flipped to Tye’s page, which was more orderly. It was filled with a few of his friends and family and photos of the homes he designed in various stages of being built. Olivia also saw an older couple on the page, who she assumed were his parents.

  A huge wave of sadness suddenly gripped Olivia as she shut the computer down. There was only so much social media could tell her. Who could ever know what was lurking within when they simply looked at the outer forms of a person’s life? Who could know what strange destiny was waiting just a few steps away? Was there ever a way to stop or change the trajectory of fate?

  Olivia began to think of Todd and the harrowing death he’d experienced down in Key West. But Todd was murdered, and it seemed unlikely that had been Amanda’s fate. The most likely and worst possibility was that she had come upon gators or crocs, been assaulted by them. Olivia knew that most people on the case felt that was what happened. Still, Olivia couldn’t shake the feeling that something else had taken place. There was no reason for her to feel that way, she just did.

  Olivia thought of Wayne for a second and what he would say about it all. She valued his insight and planned to call him later when she returned to her hotel. Then she closed her eyes and without realizing it, succumbed to the thick heat in the room, falling into a light sleep.

  Olivia dreamt the sun was going down on the swamp as fierce birds called wildly to each other. The sounds of their cries were agitating, almost a harbinger of danger ahead. In her dream Olivia looked fervently around below for some signs of human life. To her sorrow there wasn’t any. Only gigantic, primal reptiles starting to move closer to one another. br />
  Olivia opened her eyes with a shock then to see both Jack and Weston standing in front of her. More time had elapsed than she realized. She was relieved to be awakened from the dream and still disturbed by it.

  “My goodness.” Olivia jumped up, surprised and embarrassed.

  “It’s fine, it’s good,” Jack replied, “nothing wrong with a little nap before we take off into the swamps.”

  *

  Olivia, Jack, and Weston piled into the open water boat that was going right to the spot where Amanda had disappeared. It was a similar boat to the one Amanda had been in, and Olivia realized they were going to arrive at roughly the same time. There would be still enough light to see, but twilight would be coming quickly with a haze falling everywhere. Weston stood beside Olivia, tall and straight, much more somber than Olivia had remembered him being. This was obviously not something he was pleased about. He hadn’t expected to be here now, but neither had she.

  “Look over there, dragnets are being formed along the banks to find Amanda,” Weston said, leaning over the edge of the boat. He pointed to groups of people gathering along the far shores. “It’s dangerous to search here. They’re taking their lives in their hands.”

  Olivia moved slightly away from him and looked at clusters of volunteers gathering in the twilight to aid in the search. They all had to believe Amanda was alive, too, thought Olivia. Or else, what would bring them out like this?

  “I don’t know how you could have even thought of coming on this trip alone,” Weston said as the boat slowly pulled out into the muddy waters. “Not only do people need incredible guides here, but the insects alone are vicious.” Weston slapped his wrist as he spoke, killing a small bug.

  Olivia understood his concern and was even glad he was there. “Thanks for coming,” she said.

  As the boat rolled through sluggish swamp waters and high grass, the three of them grew silent, taking in both the surroundings and the awful reality of Amanda’s disappearance.

  “I have no idea how her husband is holding up,” Weston said suddenly, surprising Olivia.