Theo got in the car and was closing the door when Ben shouted and came running.

"I think we just got a lucky break," Ben said.

"What's that?"

"Dispatch just called. There's a detective from New Orleans waiting to talk to me. Says it's urgent."

"Do you know what the detective wants? No way New Orleans could have found out what happened last night. Not enough time."

"I'm on my way back to the station to find out, but I've got a feeling this," he said, waving toward Michelle's house, "and the detective from New Orleans are connected. They might know something that could help us."

"Call me at the hospital as soon as you know anything," he said

.

It didn't take them long to get to the hospital. Michelle led the way through the back corridor into the emergency room. She

hadn't looked at herself in a mirror, and it wasn't until she noticed the staff staring at her that she realized she should have taken time to clean up. She thought she probably smelled awful too. Megan, the young, newly certified nurse working the emergency room, did a double take.

"We'll run into them if we do."

"I know," she whispered hoarsely. She hadn't been screaming, but her throat felt raw. "There are at least twenty inlets that loop

in and around. Some of them are dead ends," she warned. "And some circle back. If they know about them, they could get

ahead of us and cut us off."

"Then we'll slow down, and if we see their lights, we'll take one of the channels and hide until daylight." They were approaching another bend. "Which way?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. Everything looks different at night. I think this one circles back."

"Okay, we'll go left," he said and steered the boat in that direction.

"Theo, I could be wrong."

Michelle heard the sound of a boat motor roaring in the distance. The sound was getting closer even as they sped around

another tree trunk.

Theo also heard the noise. He spotted a narrow channel, slowed the engine, and turned the boat once again. There were mossy branches hanging down almost into the water. He pushed them out of the way as they passed. Once they had made another turn and he saw how narrow the channel became, he turned off the engine.

Michelle switched the flashlight off. They huddled together and turned toward the sound. It was as black as the inside of a coffin. The downpour had subsided, and a soft drizzle was falling.

The swamp pulsated with life. Theo heard something splash into the water behind them. The bullfrogs suddenly stopped croaking, and the crickets fell silent. Something was moving, though. What the hell was it? The boat struck something then. He thought it might be another tree trunk, but he couldn't be sure. The boat bobbed back, then stopped.

Michelle reached behind him, pushed a lever, and told him in a whisper to help her swing the motor up out of the water. "If we have to keep going in this channel, the blade could get caught in the mud. It gets shallow in some of these." The boat tapped the obstacle once again. "There they are," Michelle whispered.

They could see the light from the motorboat scanning the thicket like a lighthouse beacon, swinging back and forth in a wide

arc, searching for them.

The light didn't find them. Michelle took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. They had just gotten over another hurdle, and she

took a minute to thank God for that blessing. They weren't out of danger yet, but Theo had been right when he'd told her they could hide out until daylight and then get help. Soon there would be an end to this nightmare.

The hunters had gone on. The noise from their boat fading now. Michelle guessed that they would continue on for several more minutes before they'd turn around and backtrack, searching more thoroughly.

Theo's mind was racing. Were they professional hitters? If so, who had sent them? Could the mob have tracked him to Louisiana? Were they here to retaliate for his part in convicting so many of their leaders? Had his being here put her in danger?

Michelle heard a twig snap above her. She glanced up at the branches a scant second before she felt a weight drop on her left foot. It took every ounce of willpower she possessed not to scream. Whatever had fallen was now slithering up her leg. She

froze, her hand gripping the flashlight in her lap, her finger on the switch.

"Theo, grab the oar," she whispered, trying not to move a muscle. "When I turn the light on, you've got to knock it out of the

boat. Okay?"

He didn't understand. What it? What was she talking about? He didn't question her, though. He simply picked up the oar, held

it like a baseball bat, and waited.

"I'm ready."

She flipped the switch on. Theo felt his heart lurch in his chest. He almost dropped the oar when he saw the hideous black

snake. The monster's forked tongue was darting in and out, as though he were anticipating the morsel he was going to bite, his triangular flat head poised above Michelle's kneecap. He seemed to be looking into her eyes.

Time suspended as Theo swung the oar at the snake and hurled it into the water. He jumped to his feet and grabbed Michelle. "Son of a bitch," he roared. "Son of a bitch."

Michelle scrambled to her knees, her heart racing. She kept her flashlight beam trained on the snake, watching as it skimmed across the water into the bushes on the other side of the muddy bank. Then she scanned the water, reached out, and grabbed

the oar that Theo had thrown out. Dropping it on the floor of the boat, she leaned back. "That was a close call."

Theo was slapping at her legs. "Did he get you?" he asked frantically.

"No, he didn't. He was probably more afraid than we were."

"What the hell was it?"

"A cottonmouth," she answered.

"Son of a… they're poisonous."

"Yes," she agreed. She grabbed his hand. "Stop hitting me."

"I just wanted to make sure there weren't any others…" He stopped when he realized how crazy he sounded.

"Any other snakes crawling up my pant leg? There aren't any. Trust me, I'd know. Try to calm down."

"How can you be so friggin' calm? That thing was on your leg."

She put her hand on his cheek. "But you got rid of it."

"Yeah, but…"

"Take a breath."

She wasn't as calm as she sounded. When he put his arms around her, he could feel her trembling. "You know what?"

"Let me guess. You hate snakes."

"How'd you know I was going to say that?"

She smiled as she pulled away from him. "I just had a feeling."

"Let's get out of here."

He put his hand into the water to see if he could push the boat away from the bank. His fingers felt as if they were being

sucked into the mud.

Michelle grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "You don't want to put your hand in the water, not around here."

He didn't need to ask why. He pictured an alligator leaping up at him and shuddered over the thought. Grabbing the oar, he used

it to push away. "Do you think this way cuts through?"

"I've lived here all my life and I know these waters, but in the dark, I'm still second-guessing myself. I think this one dead ends about a quarter of a mile from here. If we keep going, we could get trapped, and I don't want to walk through the swamp. It

isn't safe, not at night, anyway. I think we should turn around and go back."

"That's got my vote."

"When we cross back over, let's use the oars and row across. If they're out there, they won't hear us."

She picked up the other oar and helped him get the boat turned.

"If another damned snake lands in this boat, they'll hear me, all right."

Theo changed places with Michelle and used the oars to get them to the opening of the channel. He stopped, then turned to look. "What do you think? Can we make it back to