“Shit, Brandt! Scare the hell out of me, why don’t you?” she exclaimed.
“Sorry, hon. I thought you knew I was there.”
“I’m a little distracted.”
“Yeah, you said you didn’t feel good. Why you standing here looking out at the river?”
“I wanted to check on the slides you said you found.”
“For what?”
“Just to see how big the gator might be.”
“Don’t suppose you’re hoping it’s your gator?” he said.
Hellen gave him side-eye, only partially meeting his gaze. “I don’t have a gator.”
“Apparently, there’s a rumor that you did, and that you lost it.”
“I didn’t lose him.”
“So, you did have a gator?”
“No, I didn’t. I found a gator that had been left for dead. I tried to save it.”
“Did you?”
“I don’t know. I left him food and water and even my service weapon for protection when I answered your call about Emmalyn. But when I got back, he was gone.”
“He?”
“I mean, I guess it was he. He might have been a female. But he was big, so I just assumed,” she lied.
Brandt just watched her, knowing full well she was lying to him about the gator not being a male. “You are aware that gators, be they male or female, don’t usually have the capability to fire a weapon…”
Hellen shot him a ‘kiss-my-ass’ glare.
“Sorry, you were saying…” Brandt said, knowing he’d made his point. He was more than aware that this gator, if it was the same one, wasn’t just a gator. And now Hellen knew he knew.
“I just feel bad, you know? Maybe if I’d have stayed, he’d have gotten healthy and been able to have a semi-productive life.”
“He might have. He might have recovered and gone off on his own. That is what the big ones do usually, go off on their own, don’t they?”
“Sometimes. But I doubt this one did.”
“Why?”
“Someone had shot him three or four times. Once through the skull, taking his eye with it. He was full of slices, or gouges might be a better description, across his body and tail, too. Like a propeller had cut him up.”
“Damn, Hell. It sounds like it would have been kinder to let him die.”
“He was suffering, I’m not gonna lie. But he had a will to survive. I just hope he did.”
“I’m sure whatever happened, he knew you were trying to help him.”
“Maybe. He was surly. I’m pretty sure all he really wanted was me to go away,” she said, smiling sadly.
“I’m sure if they came back for him, if he was able, he would have used your weapon. It was about all you could do if he was refusing your help.”
