Evasive Species by Byrnes Bill

Author:Byrnes, Bill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2022-02-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

The next morning, TJ drove to his office in the pouring rain. He called Sam on his way. “Good morning, sunshine, how may I be of service today?”

“I’m in no mood for your sarcasm, TJ.”

“I wasn’t—”

“I’m packing up and leaving.” “Why?”

“Apparently, I displeased Governor Johnson.”

“Welcome to the club.”

“My per diem has been ended effective this morning. I’m still on the payroll but I’ve been told to go home and await further instructions.”

“What happened between you and Johnson?”

“See the news last night?”

“No.”

“When I spoke with that reporter at the Herzogs’ yesterday, I described what went on in the Arthur Marshall as the great alligator slaughter. The gov didn’t like it. So I got the boot. At least the sheriff has offered to have one of his deputies drive me back to Lake Trafford.”

He was sad that she was leaving, but maybe it was for the best, TJ thought. More animals were going to be needlessly killed, and Sam would be better off not witnessing it.

At the Arthur Marshall FWS headquarters, he received a call from Sheriff Rodriguez. “I just received the autopsy reports on the six alligators. No human remains were found in any of their stomachs.”

“No surprise there.”

Rodriguez continued, “In addition to the usual fish, turtles, and small wildlife there were water and soda bottles, an empty motor oil can, and cable ties. One alligator had swallowed a plastic bag that blocked her intestine.”

“That animal had to have been in a great deal of pain. The hunters did her a favor by killing her.”

The sheriff continued, “The blood work revealed toxins, principally chemicals found in pesticides, in all six.”

TJ sighed. “Plastics and poisons in a wildlife refuge. Sometimes I wonder why I even try.”

He took some satisfaction from his next call. The commander of the National Guard told him that his first troops and equipment had arrived, and more were on the way. They were relieving the Highway Patrol and blocking the likely entrances to the refuge.

It rained steadily for two days, which TJ thought was more effective in calming the situation and keeping boats out of the refuge than the National Guard or the governor’s widely publicized zero-tolerance policy, with fines and jail time for any unauthorized person hunting the crocodile.

When the weather cleared, the guards’ search for the crocodile got off to a slow start. They entered the refuge in their boats, probed along the edges of the numerous spits of land, and, as best they could, walked the larger hammocks and tree islands. The densely packed outcroppings of trees and bushes with large, exposed roots weren’t people-friendly, and the going was slow. A late afternoon thunderstorm brought the first day’s operation to a halt.

On the second day of the search, TJ was called in. An empty boat had been found adrift in the refuge. “Where there’s a boat, there’s a body,” he said. “Keep looking.”

TJ arrived as quickly as he could. As he neared, he cut his airboat’s engine to idle and let the boat’s forward motion carry him in.

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