Trails extended out from the clearing in every direction, which was normal as the nutria that lived in the swamp were huge and created their own pathways. I figured Rambo now had competing smells, so I gave him another whiff of the shoe. He walked around the clearing, smelling every path, then let out a long bay and set off down one of them that led toward the tree line.
Rambo stuck to the path as we progressed, and it occurred to me that the girl must have been fleeing someone through the marsh. At first, she’d been able to follow the nutria trail but at some point, she’d lost the light or had panicked and run off the trail. The shoe had likely gotten stuck in the grasping black mud and she’d run out of it and kept going. Which meant she hadn’t had the time to stop and retrieve it.
Which made me all kinds of angry.
I scanned the marsh, but as far as my eye could see there was only grass until the cypress trees began. No camps were in sight at all yet. So either the girl had come from a boat or she’d managed to run a good distance. Either way, I couldn’t imagine how terrified she must have been and prayed that she’d wake up soon and could tell police who was behind this. Because unless she could name names, maybe even give an address and phone number, I had my doubts that Hermes would accomplish anything.
Ida Belle had been tracking me parallel on the bayou but she was too far away to yell, so I pulled out my cell phone.
“Rambo has picked up a trail that heads toward the tree line, but it’s veering away from the channel you’re on. Where’s the nearest camp?”
“About a hundred yards over is the next channel. The nearest camp is off that, maybe thirty yards into the tree line.”
“Okay, I’m going to stay on the ground with Rambo to make sure we don’t lose the trail. But go ahead and move the boat to that channel. Sounds like that’s where we’re going.”
Ida Belle spun the boat around and took off as Rambo and I continued down the trail. He was young and full of energy and certainty, so I let him move at his own pace and relaxed into a slow jog to keep up with him. When we hit the tree line, we were about thirty yards from the bank of the second channel, and Ida Belle was already there, slowly coasting so she and Gertie could scan for clues. When we reached the trees, I motioned for her to continue and I followed the hound into the woods.
It didn’t take long to reach the first camp, and Rambo set up a howl as he tried to scramble up the steps to the structure. This was definitely where the girl had been hiding or held. I looked toward the bayou and could just make out a dock through the trees. I managed to pull a frustrated Rambo away from the steps and headed for the dock. Ida Belle had already stopped there, and she and Gertie gave me an expectant look.
“This is the place,” I said as I tried to console the upset hound.
Ida Belle nodded. “I figured since he’s pitching a fit.”
“Who owns it?”
“Nickel.”
“Really?” Nickel was Whiskey’s brother and also part owner of the Swamp Bar. But his penchant some years back for electing trouble over work got him five years in prison, hence the nickname.
He’d been out a while now and seemed to be toeing the line as far as the law went. In fact, he’d even been a client of mine. He was helping at the bar now, but my understanding was that he spent most of his time taking care of their father, who was terminal but still hanging on despite doctor’s predictions to the contrary. Either way, it was a load off Whiskey, who’d carried it all for too long.
I pulled out my cell phone and Nickel answered right away.
“Did you dump Carter and you’re calling me for a date?”
“Not yet.”
He laughed. “Just as well. I’m pretty sure I’m more scared of Carter than I am attracted to you. So what can I do for you?”
“You heard about Kenny finding that girl in the marsh?”
“Whiskey called me while he was pouring up shots for Kenny, asking me to put some feelers out. I called everyone I could think of, but no one has heard about a kid going missing. Whiskey said he didn’t recognize her.”
“No one has so far, and Ida Belle and Gertie were there with me.”
“Well, if those two don’t know her then she’s definitely not from around here. I wish I could help, but I’m afraid I don’t know anything.”
“You might be able to help. I’m out in the marsh now trying to figure out how she arrived at the location where Kenny found her, and Ida Belle’s bloodhound led me straight to your camp. Do you mind if I poke around?”
“Go for it. There’s a fish cleaning station under the camp with a sink. Got one of those magnetic box things on the bottom of it with a key. If that girl was there, I want to know about it.”
“When was the last time you were here?”
“Hmmmmm, been a while. I was there after Thanksgiving and meant to go around Christmas, but never made it. I’d say two months or better. Let me know if you find anything you shouldn’t.”
“I will. I appreciate it.”
“Any time.”
By the time I finished the call, Ida Belle and Gertie had gotten the boat secured and were on the dock with me.
“Nickel told me where to find the key and said help ourselves. Said Whiskey called and filled him in last night and he made some calls, trying to get a line on the girl, but came up with nothing.”
Gertie nodded. “That boy sure has done a turnaround for the better.”
“Seems like,” I said as we headed for the camp. “He hasn’t been to the camp since December, best he can remember.”
“Then let’s see if anyone else has.”
Nickel had built a wooden walkway from the pier to the camp, so there was no way to tell if someone had passed there recently. I located the key where he’d indicated, and we headed upstairs to the camp, Rambo setting up a howl before we ever stepped inside. As soon as I opened the screened porch door, I knew why. The front door to the camp was open. Not swung fully open, but opened even a crack wasn’t what I was supposed to find.
Ida Belle quieted Rambo as she tied him to a porch post. I pulled out my weapon and motioned for them to take position behind me. I slipped across the porch to the side of the door, my back against the wall, then mule-kicked the door all the way open before peering around, gun leveled.
Nothing moved inside the camp, and the only sounds I could hear were the rushing water of the bayou and Gertie breathing behind me. I stepped inside the door, flicked on the lights, and scanned the big room that appeared to serve as kitchen, dining room, living room, and bedroom. But unless someone was hiding in a cabinet, it was empty.
I waved toward the kitchen, and Ida Belle and Gertie headed that way to make sure it was clear. I crept over to the door on the back wall, assuming it led to the bathroom. I didn’t hear anything as I approached, but the light from the front room filtered into the opening. I whirled around the doorway into the bathroom and lowered my weapon. The shower curtain was pulled back and the tub was empty. The vanity cabinet was an open style with shelves and the hamper was open and contained a single towel.
I walked back into the front room. “Anything?”
“There’s wrappers for frozen burritos and pizza in the trash,” Gertie said. “There’s more of the same in the freezer and I assume by the dates on them that it was stuff Nickel stocked here. There’s a six-pack in the refrigerator that hasn’t been touched.”