Jeopardy In July

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Jesse and Marley were walking at a fast clip away from La Vida Boca.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I hustled to keep up with the dynamic duo.

"Oh, you know, chase squirrels, answer the call of nature--doggie stuff," Jessie answered.

My shoes weren't made for running and it was all I could do to keep from twisting my ankle on the uneven terrain. I had played hooky all morning and the emergency room seemed like a miserable way to spend the afternoon.

We had entered a densely wooded area filled with lush vegetation: looming oak trees, sabal palms, Surinam cherry bushes, ferns, vivid purple beautyberries, and my favorite, psychotria nervosa, also known as wild coffee. Its heavenly aroma made you understand why Adam and Eve decided to brew that first cup of Joe. I was just wishing I had an iced coffee when I spotted my least favorite plant, poison ivy. I pointed it out to Jessie.

She nodded. "Leaves of three, let it be."

I gave the ivy a wide berth as I watched Marley scamper through the woods, he was having a blast. Maybe scamper isn't the right word for a sixty pound Labradoodle, bounding was more like it.

I brushed a sticky cobweb off my arm in disgust. "Is this enchanted forest part of La Vida Boca?"

"Nah," Jessie said. "It's a nature preserve, part of the Palm Beach Parks Department. They have some awesome parks up here. You should see--"

She was interrupted by the urgent sound of Marley barking--something was wrong. Jesse took off running while I brought up the rear, tripping over my shoes. I was ten steps behind when all hell broke loose. Marley was growling and barking as a man cursed at him with gusto. By the time I got there, Jessie was hysterical and I could see why. Marley had cornered a man who had a knife in one hand and a machete in the other.

"Oh my God! Leave my dog alone--if you hurt him, I'll kill you! Down, Marley, I said get down now!"

Next thing I knew, Jessie had thrown herself on top of Marley. Terrified that the man would attack Jessie, I grabbed her waist from behind and tried to pull her away. Everyone was shouting and nobody was budging until finally the man yelled "I won't hurt your damn dog--just get him off me!"

The standoff ended peacefully when Jessie finally managed to yank Marley away. After the man left--which happened immediately--I realized my heart was pounding and my hands were shaking. Only then did it occur to me that I'd put myself in danger. It's funny but in a fight-or-flight situation I always assumed I'd run like hell. Turns out I'm an i***t. Good to know.

I wasn't the only one feeling the aftermath of our encounter, but where I was filled with nervous energy from our narrow escape, Jessie was furious.

"We have to call the police! That guy could be a serial killer stalking his next victim."

I shook my head. "We don't know that. Anyway, it's not illegal to carry a knife or a machete. Jeez, it's probably legal to carry a semi-automatic--we live in Florida, remember?"

Jessie knew I was right but she wasn't happy about it. She started racing towards La Vida Boca, a woman on a mission.

"What's the plan?" I asked, trying to keep up. Too bad I couldn't hitch a ride on Marley's back. Man, was I out of shape! I knew I shouldn't have erased that e-mail from my gym when they said they missed me. Of course they did, I was the one who made everyone else look good.

"I need to warn Jodi there's a maniac with lethal weapons lurking in the woods," Jessie replied.

"Hmmm," I said. "I'm not sure he's a maniac, but I'll give you the lurking part."

With the two of us at her heels, Jessie yanked open the garden gate and stormed into the greenhouse. Suddenly, she stopped short, gaping in horror, and I could see why. Jodi was standing near the bamboo, deep in conversation with someone we both recognized. Machete Man.