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floating loose out in the swamp.”
    Colette felt her back tighten. Surely Anna would have known the proper way to secure a boat. Had something happened to her while she was on it? Had she fallen off somewhere in the swamp and met with one of the many deadly predators? Colette didn’t want to think about the many unpleasant possibilities.
    “Tom over at the café said you may know where some of the swamp people live,” Max said. “I figure if we could find some of them, even if they aren’t the girl’s family, word may get back to them.”
    “Ain’t no way to get back to the swamp people but by boat. You got one?”
    “No. I was hoping to rent one, but if that’s not possible here, I guess I’ll head back to New Orleans and rustle one up.”
    Danny shook his head. “Well, I sure do give you dedication to your word. I can loan you the boat that was stolen, no charge. It’s small but you can’t fit much where you’ll be going. I’ll have to charge you for the gas, though. It’s been a slow month.”
    “That’s no problem. I appreciate the loan.”
    “You may not be so grateful once you get out into the swamp. It’s no place for the untrained. Did you grow up around these parts?”
    “Vodoun. I did plenty of tromping through the swamp as a boy.”
    “I thought your accent was local,” Danny said. “Well, then you might be all right, but I’ll loan you my shotgun, just in case.” He waved to the back door and started walking toward it. “Boat’s out back. Let’s get it in the water and then I’ll tell you where to start looking.”
    Colette struggled with feelings of relief, anticipation and fear that they were already too late to help Anna. If everything turned out badly, she had to be ready to accept that at least she had an answer. Living without one would be something she never could have accepted.
    Max helped Danny push the tiny, flat-bottom, aluminum boat into the bayou, and Danny tied it off at the dock. Then he pointed west down the bayou.
    “You’re going to want to head that way about a mile,” Danny said. “When you come to the cypress tree that’s been split by lightning, take a right into that channel. Follow it for another two miles or so into the swamp. When you see a line of crab pots, look east and you’ll see a dock almost hidden in the undergrowth. There’s a cabin about fifty yards back from the dock. You got that?”
    “Yeah, it seems straightforward enough.”
    “Finding a cabin isn’t the problem. The real danger comes if you find the people. They don’t take kindly to strangers, and they’re just as apt to shoot you as talk to you. Make sure you tell them straight out that you’re not the police. They probably don’t even know the rules, much less follow them, so it causes them some problems with the law on occasion. There’s no love lost there.”
    “I’ll make sure I yell it loudly.”
    “Just a minute,” Danny said and walked back inside the gas station and came back a few minutes later with a shotgun that he handed to Max.
    Max checked the gun and took the handful of spare bullets that Danny offered. “Thanks. I hope I won’t need to use this.”
    “Me, too,” Danny said. “The walk from the dock to the cabin is probably the most dangerous part. Be sure to watch for snakes and alligators, and of course, any unhappy swamp people. You don’t stand much of a chance against any of them in a one-on-one fight, except maybe a snake, and I guess I don’t have to tell you how far off the hospital is.”
    Danny looked over at Colette. “Ma’am, are you sure you want to go? You’re welcome to wait here if you’d like.”
    “No, thank you,” Colette replied. “I’m the one who made the promise. I can’t let someone else take all the risk for keeping my word.”
    Danny grinned. “You got spunk. I like that.” He walked toward the gas station and gave them a wave. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
    “You know, he’s right,” Max said. “You