Cache 72 (A Jaxon Jennings' Detective Mystery Thriller Series, Book 2) Page 6

  “I wish. The Naples Zoo and Caribbean Gardens. It was a shock to us. It will probably be a nightmare trying to find the next cache.”

  “Maybe you’ll get lucky. The Gil guy seems smart.”

  “And I’m not?”

  “That’s not what I meant. You’re just old.”

  “So you get stupid when you get older?” he said, but was smiling.

  “Speak for yourself. Only YOU get stupid as you get older. Like getting involved in GeoCaching.”

  “Hey. It’s fun.”

  “Are you having fun?”

  “Ok. It was fun. But what if some Joe Blow had found the finger instead of me? With me, at least Bethany Hope has a chance.”

  “True.” Silence settled between them for a moment and then she surprised him. “Could this be something more than a coincidence? Have you considered that it wasn’t just some random thing?”

  “No,” he said, but now the wheels were spinning. “I don’t see how it could be anything but. How would you control that kind of thing?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, silent again. He knew her wheels were spinning too. “I guess it’s not possible. It’s just when you said the Joe Blow thing, it kind of made sense that you would find it. Am I making sense?”

  “Yeah. You are. And that scares me.”

  “Right. Let’s just keep that in the back of everything. I’m just saying.”

  Silence again between them and then he said, “Hey.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Miss you.”

  “Me too. Come home safe to me.”

  “As soon as Bethany Hope reveals herself, I will. Gotta’ go.”

  “I know.”

  “Go back to sleep.”

  “Like I’m going to be able to do that now.”

  “Try.”

  “Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  He went back in and found Gil and Melanie looking at him with grins on their faces. “What?” he asked.

  Her eyes betrayed her and she glanced down at his plate. His pancakes were gone. “Sorry,” she said. “We couldn’t help it.”

  “You owe me,” he said but grinned. “That means you get the bill.”

  “What?” Gil said.

  “It’s only fair, right?”

  Gil mumbled something and took out his wallet. Jaxon winked at Melanie and she smiled big at him. At least she was in a better mood at the moment. Two kids on a big adventure. He hoped it didn’t get any worse than what they’d seen already, but he had a feeling it would. He sat in the booth and sipped his coffee.

  “What do you guys do?” he asked.

  “You mean work?” Gil asked.

  Jaxon nodded over the rim of his cup.

  “I’m a restaurant manager and she’s a waitress. Matter of fact, that’s where we met. I was a waiter then though.”

  “So you both work at the same place?”

  He nodded. “Texas Roadhouse. You know it?”

  “Yep. Vick and I go there quite a bit.”

  “I thought you looked familiar,” Melanie said.

  “You’re just associating familiarity with the situation. I’m sure you don’t remember your patrons.”

  “Not true,” she said. “I have people I recognize all the time. They even ask for me. You two must be quiet and polite or else I’d really remember you.” She smiled.

  “Well, I don’t remember you guys. It’s probably because you have so many employees. I don’t know how you make money. I mean, how many hostesses do you really need to take patrons to their table? There are always six or seven up at the entrance standing around while one seats us. What’s up with that?”

  “I know,” Gil said. “I’m always arguing with the owner about that but he’s adamant about customer service. He doesn’t want anybody waiting to be served.”

  “If that’s the case, he needs to fix the wait times on Friday.”

  “Can’t help it if we’re popular.”

  Jaxon nodded. “True.” He sat silent for a moment and then said, “It’s funny that you guys are engaged after meeting at work. What are you going to do when you get married?”

  “What do you mean?” Gil asked.

  “Nepotism. You’re going to be married to her and be her boss all at the same time. They usually frown on that kind of thing.”

  Gil looked at Melanie and shrugged. “Nobody’s said anything to us.”

  “You might want to find out. You don’t want to be surprised.”

  Jaxon watched their faces fall and he couldn’t help feeling like he just crushed their dreams. Even if the dream was just two restaurant employees working together forever.

  “I’m sure you guys will be ok. The owner probably won’t even care as long as you don’t show favoritism. You’ll be all right.” Jaxon stood and threw a couple of dollars on the table. “I got the tip. Come on. It’s time to go.”

  The sun had come up while they ate and the day was going to be steamy. It was already in the 80s at seven in the morning so Jaxon figured it would be 97 degrees by noon. South Florida in the summer was not a cool place. Even on the coast, and the beach was only a short distance away.

  Gil got behind the wheel with Melanie in the front passenger seat and Jaxon crammed in the back. He was surprised he had been able to sleep back here last night, but with the road vibrating beneath him, he guessed anybody could doze under those conditions.

  In the parking lot, Gil broke out the GPS and looked at their position in relation to the waypoint.

  “It’s a hundred yards to the north.” He pointed in the direction of the park itself.

  “This will be fun,” Jaxon said.

  “I love zoos,” Melanie said and got out of the car.

  “We’re not on a fun day, Mel,” Gil said. “This is serious.”

  “I know. I was just saying.”

  The parking lot was starting to fill up and the day looked like it was going to be busy. A few school busses were in the lot now with church groups and foreign exchange students all out for a day of hot fun. At least there would be a crowd to mask their searching.

  They passed a group of kids all wearing red shirts with white lettering spelling out their school in Spanish. The head of the group carried a bright yellow flag on a pole so that they would all stick together. Jaxon remembered groups like this from the theme parks they visited with Michael when he was alive. He had always said, “Come on Dad! We can’t let that group of geeks get ahead of us.” He had known what he was talking about because another group was waiting in line to buy tickets in front of them now and it was taking forever. The leader did not speak very good English and was having a hard time talking with the ticket agent.

  Jaxon stared at his wristwatch and counted the seconds ticking by. They needed to move faster.

  The group finally cleared out and Jaxon paid for their tickets. Gil was holding the GPS up and following its directions. He looked like he was searching for radioactive spots with a Geiger counter. People were staring at him.

  “It’s right up here,” Gil said and hurried around a big hedge of hibiscus that was in full bloom. When they rounded the corner, Jaxon’s heart sank as Gil and Melanie stopped in their tracks. A few people mumbled things as they sidestepped around them to get past.

  Directly in front of them was a huge pond and swampy area that encompassed a large part of the park. An employee was standing just inside the fence, leaning over a dock area dangling pieces of chicken in the air as a twelve foot alligator stretched up to snatch it from the pole the employee was using. A good sized crowd had gathered to watch the feeding.

  “Don’t tell me it’s in there,” Jaxon said.

  “Ok. I won’t tell you.” Gil turned and gave him a look.

  “Shit.”

  There were probably fifty or more alligators and crocodiles within the confines of the area and they looked very active.

  “At least they won’t be hungry now,” Melanie said and Jaxon was glad somebody was positive about the
situation.

  “What now?” Gil asked.

  “We try and narrow it down. You’re the expert. I thought you’d be able to sniff it right out.”

  “This is not a normal cache site,” he said. “It’s not registered and for a good reason. This is illegal.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Use your head. Where would you put it?”

  Jaxon could tell Gil didn’t like him shaming him like that and he watched as the wheels started turning in there. He looked at the GPS again quickly, and then put it away. He moved to the left where the path meandered around the swampy area as it traveled completely around the pond rejoining the other path that went to the right. Jaxon figured he must have seen something.

  Gil kept his eyes glued to the park employee as he worked his way around to the nine o’clock position of the pond. This was directly across from the employee. He stopped and then knelt down to get a better view. He gestured for Jaxon and Mel to join him.

  “Look at the platform the guy is on,” Gil said. “Do you see that little silver-like extension of the steps down into the water?”

  Jaxon looked and did see it. The stairs were gated off from the platform and went straight down into the water where the last couple of steps lay submerged within the pond. On the last visible step there was something that was sticking out on the underside, just above the water line. If you weren’t looking for it you wouldn’t even notice it, but Jaxon nodded and felt for sure it was out of place.

  “I’ve seen those silver boxes before. They’re used by a certain Geo group that goes by the name of Cock Cachers.”

  “Cock Cachers?” Jaxon repeated. “Great name.”

  “Mark’s one of them,” Melanie said, shocked. “They’re doing this?”

  “No,” Gil said. “I’m sure they’re not involved. I just recognize the box coloring. I could be wrong too. It’s hard to tell from this distance. It could have been stolen from one of their sites though.”

  “How are we going to get to it,” Mel asked.

  “Come on,” Jaxon said. “I have an idea.”

  He led the way around to the little platform where the employee was feeding the crocs and gators. The crowd here made it difficult to see, but Jaxon forced his way to the front with Gil and Melanie squeezing through while people made angry comments and glared at them. Jaxon didn’t care. They could all go screw themselves.

  “Hey!” a large woman in spandex purple pants and a t-shirt that did little to flatter her ample figure bumped Jaxon and pushed him back. “My Malcom can’t see. Wait your turn.”

  “Your Malcom needs to grow a little taller,” Jaxon said and nudged her out of the way.

  “Hey!” She said again, but did nothing but gripe to the people next to her. “Did you see that? Asshole.”

  “Excuse me,” Jaxon said to the employee. “Excuse me!”

  The man finally turned with a piece of chicken hanging from the pole he was using to feed the reptiles and raised his eyebrows at Jaxon.

  “How much to feed the gators?”

  “We don’t allow that, sir,” the man said.

  “I’m sure you don’t. But if someone insisted, how much?”

  The employee looked around as if searching for help from some manager or other employee, but he was the only one around. Jaxon gestured to him to come closer and the man hesitated. “It’s important,” Jaxon said.

  The man put down the pole and the crowd grumbled. One guy shouted, “What the hell?”

  The employee looked tense.

  “I need to feed the gators,” Jaxon said. “Actually, she needs to feed them. She’s dying of cancer and this is her last chance. It’s what she wants.”

  The employee looked at Melanie and she smiled, shyly. Gil looked away trying not to laugh. Jaxon hoped he wouldn’t blow it.

  “How much?” Jaxon repeated.

  “I don’t know…”

  “Just for a few minutes. Think of how you’ll feel if you deny her dying request. She only has a few weeks the doctors say.”

  The man stood up and looked at the angry crowd. They were getting restless and a few were leaving. He seemed to come to some conclusion and said, “I might get fired.”

  “It will be worth it. How much?”

  He looked at Melanie again and fidgeted for a second. Then he unlocked the gate and waved them in. “Quick. Before I get in trouble.”

  Jaxon clapped him on the back and let Melanie and Gil go first. Melanie leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you!” He blushed. Jaxon grinned. She was a great actress. Gil just laughed.

  “Hey!” the woman in the purple spandex yelled, “What are they doing? That’s not fair.”

  Jaxon turned to her. “Shut up or I’ll shut you up.”

  She looked shocked and took a step back. Then she seemed to regain her courage. “You can’t talk to me that way. Who the hell do you think you are? I’ll report you.”

  Jaxon pulled out his badge and flashed it. “Shut up or I’ll arrest you and you can pick your son up at social services tomorrow or the next day. In the mean time, I’m sure he’ll enjoy a sleep over where all the teenagers are horny and just love a little fresh meat.”

  She blanched and grabbed her son’s hand. “You’re a bad person.”

  “You’re an obnoxious bitch. Now behave.”

  She turned and dragged her son through the crowd as he wailed for her to let him go.

  When Jaxon turned around, Melanie had the pole in her hand and was being helped by the employee. Jaxon moved to the gate where the steps were and Gil nodded his head. He lifted the latch and took a step down toward the water. It was swirling with alligators and crocodiles. One thirteen footer eyed him as its head surfaced just two feet away. Jaxon could only imagine his hand disappearing into the jaws of that monster. He bent over and started feeling under the bottom step. He couldn’t seem to find the box.

  “Hey! Sir! You need to come back up here! Sir!”

  The park employee’s voice had risen in pitch and Jaxon figured he would blow a gasket here in a few seconds. He ignored him. The crowd behind him murmured and shuffled as they saw what was happening.

  “To your left,” Gil whispered. “Left.”

  Jaxon shifted his hand to the left and it struck the metallic shape sticking out from the stair. He grasped and gave it a tug. It didn’t budge.

  The thirteen footer continued to eye him and it rose a little higher in the water exposing its teeth. It opened its mouth slowly and hissed. Just next to it, another snout surfaced and a croc decided to join the party. It moved closer to the steps.

  “Sir! That is not allowed. You need to move back immediately!”

  Jaxon gripped the box tightly and yanked with all his might. The box must have a very strong magnet because it only slid sideways an inch or two.

  “It’s a magnet,” Gil said. “Pry it sideways. Don’t slide it.”

  “Do you want to do this?”

  Gil shook his head.

  The park employee had dropped his chicken and was heading straight for Jaxon. He only had a couple more seconds. He tried prying the box downward at an angle and it finally came free. He stood and stepped back up on the platform.

  The croc lunged as he moved and missed his foot by mere inches. The crowd gasped and then a few clapped and laughed. They apparently thought it part of the show. The park employee stepped to him and looked about to knock him down. He saw the box in his hand.

  “What is that?”

  “Nothing you need to be concerned with. Thanks for granting my daughter’s wish. She sure looks happy.”

  The park employee stood there with a dumb look on his face as he watched Gil and Melanie move away. She waved and smiled at him as she left the platform.

  “Thanks,” Jaxon said and walked away. The guy stood there with his mouth open for a moment but then said, “Hey!” as Jaxon opened the gate. He ignored him. Jaxon quickly melted into the crowd. The park employee didn’t follow.

  When Gil and Mel joined
him, he found his hand shaking a bit. “That was fun,” he said.

  “Man—that was awesome! Did you see that croc? He almost got you.”

  “Yeah. I noticed.”

  Mel smiled at him and grabbed his hand. “I’m glad you’re ok. That was scary.”

  “You did great,” Jaxon said to her. “You should be an actress.” She blushed but said nothing. “Let’s get the hell out of here before we have the manager on us.”

  They left the park and went straight to the car without anyone even acknowledging them. That was fine with Jaxon. In the car Gil and Melanie stared as he took the silver, decorated box and popped the lid.

  It was empty.

  CHAPTER 9

  Rayford Maningham the Third sat in his truck and sipped his coffee.

  It had been a quiet night and the last couple hours of his twelve hour shift had crawled along. He was bored. The only thing that had kept him awake all night was the occasional trucker hauling ass or drifting off to sleep at the wheel.

  As a State Wildlife Officer, he liked having the same power as any law enforcement agent in the state of Florida. His jurisdiction was limitless, yet he mainly dealt with speeders in the Everglades and unlawful transportation of goods and wildlife. He had lots of power but rarely used it.

  People liked to buy exotic pets and then when they outgrew them, brought them to the ’Glades and set them free. Unfortunately they did not belong there and the indigenous populations of Florida often suffered at the hands, or claws, of a more aggressive species.

  Because he also dealt with wildlife issues outside of the state park system, his radio came to life and it told him there was a situation at the zoo. He sighed. “Why aren’t the locals handling it?” he asked the dispatcher.

  “It involves the alligators.”

  “So?”

  “They don’t do alligators.”

  “Shouldn’t this fall to a park employee?”

  “A theft is involved.”

  “What? Did somebody steal a gator?”

  “No. They stole something from the gator area.”

  Ray sighed again. “All right. I’m rolling. Out.”

  He started the large SUV and backed out of the spot. He was only a couple of miles away. As he accelerated, his cell phone rang.