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"Is that unusual?" Jackson asked

"Well, yes, of course He is a hands-on htful "Well, of course, there was theafter he’d met with a few of his cronies, and we found hihtening We have , and there was the monsieur, the madame, the jeune fille--and Mr Keaton, all uests--"

"He’s not there now, you’re certain, is he?" Jake interrupted

"Oh, no! I’ve had several tours through the house already today!" she said "But I don’t suppose that anyone has searched all the outbuildings There isn’t a guide stationed in every one We have a girl who comes in at ten--"

"Excuse ht talk to?" Jake interrupted again

"Oh, yes, silly o on I can see Dan now--he’s in the straw hat, over down by that wheelbarrow"

"Thank you," Jake told her

He felt a growing concern as he and Jake walked down the expanse of sloping lawn to find Dan, a tall, h an enorh he doubted that Dan would recognize hioing on, sad things! Why, I re plantation next door," the

"Good to see you again," Jake said "We’re here looking for Mr Keaton"

"So am I," Dan said "Paychecks are due today, and if you don’t remind that man, he doesn’t re for hiave tours in the old kitchen and the smokehouse I have been in all the slave quarters They should be open, though Martha walked around and unlocked them as soon as we came in and saw that Toby wasn’t around"

"Thanks, Dan"

"I’ll give you a hand, if you need," Dan offered

"That’s fine, Dan It won’t take us long," Jake assured hiet these to the kitchen, but if you need me, just holler"

They started for the row of old wooden slave quarters But before they reached the first, a bloodcurdling scream stopped them in their tracks It came from the other side of the bayou

The screaunshots

11

Ashley had heard the grunting long before they’d reached the bayou

"What in the Lord’s naela demanded

"Gator," Ashley told her "So farators make"

"Should we come any closer?" Whitney asked

"We’re fine We just stay on the road and make sure that we don’t bother them Remember, we don’t bother them, and they don’t bother us They’re really not insane predators chasing everything that moves," Ashley said "They can move on land, and move fast, but, usually, they hunt in the water They wait for their opportunity, and they snap, and then twist and turn in the water, drowning their prey They’re as instinctive as other predators--they don’t want an eye gouged out by a flailing claw or the like If you go to any of the gator parks, you’ll hear the season, or when an employee is about to hand out the chickens--dead, of course"

She was in the lead, but Whitney was right behind her Ashley had twisted in her saddle to speak, and so she didn’t knohat Whitney sahen her eyes suddenly ide and a scream escaped her lips

Ashley turned back; she didn’t screaun she had opted to bring along on the trail

She could see why the gators were going crazy

They had been fed

Some were on the embankment; soht to ten in total It was difficult to tell, because they were snapping at one another, the large ones going after the sry for human flesh

A number of the beasts had already started in on the bodies; it al with led beyond description, certainly, at this point, past any sense of pain or horror It was impossible to tell if they’d been dead when they’d been discovered by the alligators, or if the gators had gone entirely s