Mysteries in Our National Parks: Deadly Waters: A Mystery in Everglades National Park. Gloria Skurzynski

eased the boat next to a rickety dock made of weathered planks; the dock stretched into a walkway that butted against a narrow shore of silty mud. Beyond that, Jack saw a clearing, filled with grass and ringed in a thicket of mangrove trees. Two picnic tables hunkered near the shoreline. Near them, on a pole, was a brown sign that said “Watson Place,” and beneath that, a warning: “No Campfires,” with a red circle and a line through it. The sign reflected upside down in the glassy water.

      “OK, Jack, hop out and pull ’er close to the dock. Bridger, you’ll need that cooler in case you get hungry or thirsty while I’m gone. Ashley, you start unloading the fishing gear. I’m going to try and secure this pelican.”

      The four didn’t talk as they busied themselves with their jobs. Frankie managed to knot one of the shirt sleeves to the pedestal at the base of the pilot’s chair, which kept the pelican tethered. On the dock, the gear was lined up in a neat row alongside the stacked-up life jackets; the green cooler sat next to them. Jack’s muscles strained to keep the boat wedged against the dock until Frankie gave the signal for him to throw in the line.

      A moment later, as the Pescadillo accelerated, Frankie turned and cupped her hands to shout, “I’ll be back in an hour and 40 or so. Stay put.”

      “We will, Captain,” Bridger called back.

      The three of them waved until the boat disappeared around a mangrove bend. Then Ashley glanced nervously over her shoulder, her lips pressed into a tight line.

      Bridger smoothed the rim of his cowboy hat before pushing it firmly on his head. He’d already pulled on his socks and boots, and except for the missing plaid shirt, he looked exactly as he’d looked earlier. “I want to scout around the Watson Place before I start to fish,” he announced. “Want to come, Jack?”

      “Sure.”

      “Hey, wait, I’m not staying here on this dock by myself,” Ashley protested.

      Bridger rolled back on the heels of his boots. “I figured you wouldn’t want to check the island out, seeing as how jumpy you are.”

      “That’s because…you don’t know….”

      “Don’t know what?” Bridger pressed.

      “Nothing,” Ashley muttered, setting her jaw in a way that meant she wasn’t going to talk anymore. From experience, Jack knew that if something was bothering her it would come out sooner or later. It was best to let Ashley settle things in her own mind. Whatever it was, she’d reveal it soon enough.

      After they stepped off the dock and onto the shore, they headed for the ring of trees huddled around the edge of the clearing. Some of the trees were different from the ever-present mangroves, and Jack guessed someone must have planted other varieties to break up the monotony of the mangroves’ black, gnarled limbs and webbed roots. Or maybe these were exotic trees, as he’d heard them called, that didn’t belong there, that had washed in from the Gulf and threatened to take over the native trees.

      As they walked, tall grass brushed against Jack’s bare shins like thousands of fingers. He tried not to let himself think that snakes might be crawling in the dense underbrush. Bridger didn’t seem bothered by the thought of bugs or reptiles; maybe it was because his boots would protect him from almost anything that could bite at an ankle.

      The cleared space was cut in the shape of a half-circle whose edges touched the water. Jack saw grass crushed into flat circles and rectangle shapes. Campers must have stayed here. Even though the sign said “No Campfires,” charred tree limbs and a couple of burned spots told him someone had disobeyed the warning.

      It didn’t take them long to explore the open field. “What’s that thing over there?” Jack asked. “Looks like a big pot with a bunch of bricks around it.”

      “It’s for making syrup,” Ashley answered.

      Before Jack could ask her how she knew such a thing, Bridger broke in with, “There’s some concrete over there that a house must have stood on once, but nothin’s left.”