the device to water level and sounded it again.
The alligator jerked toward her, leaving the body he’d had in his jaws. The young bull growled and grunted, defining his territory. The other gator dove under the water, slipping below her. CoCo kept the light on the older reptile. He surfaced a few feet from the young bull, who continued to warn off the other alligator with his rumbles. Within seconds, the bull attacked. The two reptiles rolled with one another. Waves rocked the airboat.
She sounded the noisemaker again. Both alligators faced her. She let loose another blast. The bull dove deep, surfacing 40 feet away. The other followed. CoCo trolled toward the human body floating facedown. Reaching behind her seat, she pulled out a long hooked pole. Her hands trembled as she jabbed the body with the hook and flipped it over.
The lifeless face of Beau Trahan stared up at her.
Leaning over the edge of the boat, CoCo retched and gagged. Once her stomach stopped heaving, she yanked the radio off its stand. “Alpha Tango Charlie to Vermilion parish sheriff’s office.”
The static crackled over the radio, followed by a loud blast. “Sheriff’s office, go ahead.”
“I need the sheriff out here at marker twelve-one-four, immediately.”
Again the crackling filled the night air, silencing the frogs and locusts. “Alpha Tango Charlie, what is the emergency?”
She glanced over at Beau Trahan’s blank expression. “I found a dead body at this location.”
The dispatcher informed her a unit would be on its way shortly. CoCo replaced the radio and then gazed over the bayou, looking anywhere but at the body. She flipped on her night lights, turned on her distress signal and then sat. Her top teeth captured her bottom lip and rubbed.
God, what more?
Long moments passed before a siren whirred off in the distance. She stood and caught sight of the incoming boat. Blue and white lights tangoed like macabre dancers. CoCo engaged the trolling motor, moving the airboat to face the incoming vessel.
Sheriff Bubba Theriot, his thick glasses mirroring the flashing blue-and-white, nodded as soon as they drifted close enough to her. “CoCo, whatcha got?”
She jerked her head toward her shoulder. “Dead body. Heard the death roll, then saw him. Got the gators to leave with the noisemaker before I radioed in.”
A deputy killed the engines and directed the boat to where she’d indicated. Bubba glanced over the side, his red hair looking brassy under the boat’s lights. “Oh, man. It’s Beau Trahan.” He glanced over at CoCo, his face paling by the minute.
“I know.”
He turned to his deputy. “We need to drag him out and carry him back to shore.” His gaze flitted to the body for a second before shooting over to her. “We’ll need you to make a statement.”
The deputy slipped the retrieval rod into the water, hooking Beau’s waist in the curve. CoCo stared back at the sheriff. If she had to watch them haul Beau in, she’d hurl again. “Okay. Can I just meet you back on land?”
Bubba gave a curt nod. “We’re closest to your house. We’ll put in there. I’ll radio the coroner to meet us.”
Great. She didn’t want to see any more. Her property wasn’t where she’d had in mind to meet, but at least she could go now. “Fine.”
She fired up the engine and whisked away as camera flashes went off. Shudders wracked her body. Everything about the situation gave her the creeps, but nothing more than the burning question—what had Beau Trahan been doing out in the bayou this time of night?
CoCo banked the airboat, tied it off, then rushed into the house. The screen door slammed behind her.
Grandmere sat up. “Ma chère, what’s your hurry? You look like a band of demons are after you.”
“I found a body in the bayou.”
“Oh, no!” Her grandmother’s voice bounced off the sunny walls.
Tara bounded down the stairs, the wood creaking and popping. “Grandmere, what’s wr—” She stopped when her gaze lit on CoCo. Her eyes narrowed. “Oh, you’re riling her up again, aren’t you? Come to lecture her about me?” She crossed her arms tightly over her chest.
“Stop it, Tara. Contrary to what you may believe, everything is not all about you. I found Beau Trahan’s body in the bayou.” Anger shoved out the fear and revulsion she’d felt just moments before. A hum echoed off the bayou, but she ignored it and glared at Tara.
Grandmere struggled to her feet, her curled fingers grasping the back of the torn couch. “Oh, my. Are you sure, child?”
CoCo’s stomach knotted. “I’m positive.”
Her grandmother gasped, but Tara snorted. CoCo darted her stare to her sister and arched her eyebrows.
“Well.” Tara shrugged. “The old man got what was coming to him.”
“Tara!”
“It’s true.” Her sister flung her straight hair over her petite shoulders marked with tan lines. “I’m not sorry.”
Boards creaked from the porch. CoCo scrutinized her baby sister, recalling how Tara used to run to her for help and direction. What had happened to that sweet little girl? How could her sister be so cold, so callous? “That’s a horrible thing to say about another human being.”
“What, did one of your precious alligators get him?” Tara’s mouth twisted into a sneer.
“No, ma’am. Mr. Trahan was shot in the back,” Sheriff Theriot said from the screen door. “May I come in?”
“Oh. Yes. Certainly.” CoCo pushed open the door and waved the sheriff into the room.
He ambled inside, already pulling his little notebook from his shirt pocket. He popped the top off his pen, sat on the couch and then looked at CoCo. “I need you to tell me everything about finding Mr. Trahan.”
She wet her lips and closed her eyes. “I was late getting to my run today because I had an appointment in town this morning.”
“About what time did you get on the water?”
Opening her eyes, she locked gazes with her sister. “About sevenish.”
“Isn’t that a little late to be getting on the bayou?”
“Yes. I normally go in the morning and then again in the afternoon, but like I said, I had an appointment.”
Sheriff Theriot gave a little huff, scribbled something on his notebook, then returned his attention to her. He looked entirely too casual sitting on her grandmother’s floral-patterned couch. “So, you got out on the bayou around seven. Then what?”
CoCo flipped on the lamp sitting on the sidebar. “I went through my normal routine, marking locations of the tagged alligators on my tracking sheet. I saw a new bull gator, a young one, and reached for my tagging equipment. That’s when I heard it.” She pinched her eyes closed again. The action didn’t block out the memory.
“Heard what?”
She stared back at the sheriff, fighting against the stinging tears. “A death roll.”
“And then?”
“I shined the light over there and I saw…I saw the gator had a human body.”
“Uh-huh.” He jotted on his notebook again. “Then what?”
“I grabbed my noisemaker and scared off the alligators.”
“Gators? Thought there was just one?”
“No, the young bull decided to defend his territory against the gator that had the body.” She hated the way her voice cracked.
“So, you scared them