Vera exhaled. “Gene didn’t like the idea of two women being better trappers than him.”
“Dad actually gave Gene a lot of trapping tips twenty years ago, and Gene started his own business and felt that our dad was his rival,” I explained. “Gene was also lecherous and nasty. Total perv. We’ve had run-ins with him, but nothing recent.”
“Run-ins?” Jack looked at me, and Vera, probably wondering why he’d ever left Miami. “You two seem harmless.”
Vera gestured with her thumb at me, her little-girl voice filled with a mixture of pride and embarrassment. “She slashed Gene’s tire when we were sixteen.”
I smirked. “It was because he brushed against Vera at the roller-skating rink and acted all pervy by grabbing her butt. I wasn’t going to let that asshat do that to my sister. No one messes with my twin, especially not a withered fruit roll-up like Gene.”
I braced myself for a round of mansplaining from Jack. Probably he’d spout some BS about the law or the statute of limitations.
“Fair enough,” he said, to my surprise. “Sounds like he got what he deserved.”
My stomach rumbled, and I realized I hadn’t eaten anything since the grilled cheese and tomato soup at lunch. “Probably I shouldn’t have resorted to vigilante vandalism, but I was a teen and my brain wasn’t fully developed. Anyway. Today Gene told us not to steal his gator calls. He also informed us that he was the star of a reality TV show about his trapping business, and warned us not to interfere with that either.”
“I guess someone else interfered,” snorted Jack.
“I wonder who.” Vera grabbed a pillow embroidered with a palm tree and held it against her stomach. “I wonder what happened.”
I quickly recounted how Bob had called, and how I’d parked next to Gene’s truck, then spotted his body near the riverbank, on the edge of the concrete boat ramp. “I thought Gene might still be alive, so that’s why I got out of the truck to get a closer look. But when I saw the bullet hole in his head, I realized he was gone and I called 911.”
Vera reached for my hand, and I twined my fingers into hers. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” she whispered.
“Oh, and get this. The detective might want to speak with you.”
Vera yanked her hand from mine. “Why?”
“Because I told him about our run-in with Gene at lunch.”
Her face fell. “Did you also tell him you slashed Gene’s tire?”
“No, I very much did not tell him about that.”
“Good. I know how you’re incapable of lying.”
“Why would I lie? I have nothing to lie about. It didn’t even cross my mind to discuss that. It happened years ago, and until now the only ones who knew I’d slashed Gene’s tire were you, me, and Dad. And now Jack.”
We both looked to him, and he pantomimed zipping his mouth closed. “I’m a bit concerned about your stolen gun,” he said.
“Do you think I’ll be charged or cited?” Vera squeaked.
Jack shook his head. “They’ll probably give you a warning and tell you to lock up your other firearms.”
“I don’t have any other firearms.”
I chimed in. “Well, apart from Dad’s shotgun...” I pointed to where it hung on the wall. “But it’s hella old and I doubt it even works. We only carry because of the gators. It’s our last line of defense if things get really bad on a call. Even though Vera’s only helping me out, she has a gun just in case.”
Jack’s face lit up with excitement. “Have you ever had to fire at an animal?”
Vera and I shook our heads.
“Our dad taught us the art of nonviolent rescue. We want the gators alive so they can return to where they belong in nature,” I said.
“Or to our uncle’s sanctuary, the one I was telling you about. That’s the best place for a problem gator that can’t be relocated,” Vera added. “But I don’t like the idea of someone out there, having my gun. What if they commit a crime and shoot someone? What if... oh, no.”
“What?” I asked, wondering why her face was suddenly so pale.
Jack’s mouth was set in a hard line as he finished Vera’s sentence. “What if your gun was used to kill Gene? The theft and the murder seemed to happen within hours of each other, from what it sounds like. Very unusual events in a small place like this.”