Gator Bait by Jana DeLeon

now,” Ida Belle said. “Carter’s going to be fine and we’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”
    I nodded. “I hope he remembers everything.”
    “Oh!” Gertie’s eyes widened. “I didn’t even think about that, but with a concussion, he may have lost some of his memory.”
    “It’s usually temporary,” I said, “but the sooner he can provide details, the better.” I left the rest unsaid. We all knew that timing was a key component in catching criminals. The sooner you could set out on their trail, the more likely you were to find them.  
    It was long past dark when Walter pulled into my driveway, and my house was lit up inside and out.  
    Gertie shook her head. “That girl needs to talk to someone about that stalking mess. The repairs to her house will be finished soon, and it’s far more isolated than yours.”
    I frowned. It had never crossed my mind that all the lights were on because Ally was afraid. I’d figured she was distracted by what happened to Carter and with cooking and simply forgot, but now that Gertie mentioned it, I realized lights were on in all the upstairs rooms, even the ones no one used.
    “I’ll talk to her,” I said as I climbed out of the car. “Are you guys coming in?”
    “Not tonight,” Ida Belle said. “We all need to get some rest. We’ll regroup at your house first thing in the morning.”
    I nodded and closed the door. In the morning, Ally would be at work and Walter wouldn’t be sitting next to Ida Belle. We’d be able to speak freely and make plans that it was probably far better others didn’t know.
    Before I could even slip my key into the lock, Ally flung open the door and threw her arms around me. “Gertie told me what you did. You could have been killed.”
    “But I wasn’t,” I said, hoping the hugging part was over soon. My bruises did not appreciate all the attention.  
    Ally let go of me and sniffed. “And you saved Carter.” She waved me inside and immediately locked the door and drew the dead bolt. She paused to peek out the living room blinds before heading to the kitchen, and that was when I noticed she had a butcher knife in her hand. I trudged behind her, worried that Ally’s fear was worse than even Gertie had imagined.  
    “Sit,” Ally ordered. “You look like you’re ready to drop, but you haven’t eaten since breakfast. So food first, then shower and bed. I was just about to check the pot roast.” She waved the knife and I felt a bit of relief pass over me. Maybe she wasn’t completely gone.  
    She opened the oven and gave the pot roast a peek then filled a huge bowl with soup. When she placed it in front of me, my mouth watered as the smell of potatoes and herbs wafted up to my nose.  
    “Baked potato. My favorite.” I took my first bite and almost sobbed. The creamy, cheesy sauce might have been the best thing I’d ever eaten in my life. “You should be awarded a medal or something.”
    Ally smiled. “It’s good, but you’re also starving.” She prepared herself a bowl and sat across from me. “You were out cold when I was at the hospital. Are you feeling all right…I mean, considering?”
    “Yeah. My body feels like I was jumped by a street gang, and I have a nagging headache that seems to almost go away then pop back up, but given everything that could have gone wrong, I’m lucky this is the worst of it.”
    “Do you have any idea what happened?”
    I shook my head. “I don’t think we’re going to know for sure until Carter wakes up.”
    Ally dropped her spoon in her bowl and it clanged on the side of the dish. “What is going on in this town? It used to be so mundane and uninteresting and…safe. I don’t understand.”
    I lowered my spoon. “Are you worried about moving back into your house alone?”
    Her eyes widened a bit and she opened her mouth, then closed it. After a couple of seconds of silence, she finally sighed. “I guess I am. I’m fine when I’m there looking at the repair progress. It’s