Page 49

She sighed. “I really want to jump into the canoe to see if Cyril is still there. It would be really weird timing if I found Cyril yesterday, then someone came to steal him last night.”

Thea nodded. “Did you explore the whole pond? Is there a chance there’s more than one Cyril?”

She sighed. “I didn’t. I got a little obsessed with trying to get it out. The cylinder wasn’t in the middle, so I didn’t explore the entire bottom. I should have.”

Thea shrugged. “You had no idea that Cyril would turn out to be anything other than potential toxic garbage. Which could still be the case. The ATV might be totally unconnected.”

She didn’t think either of them believed that. Not with the way the men had reacted. They’d been trained to expect trouble, but she figured it had found them all by itself.

Jolie checked the area again. She’d never felt uncomfortable alone here before. Now she wondered if she’d always feel that way.

She shook off the heebie-jeebies. “While we’re waiting, can I pick your brain about where exactly to put our owl and bat boxes? I want to add both predators, and Ford and I built the boxes yesterday. I’m hoping the boxes will attract them naturally, but if not, I’ll look into other options. The farm should be good feeding grounds for both species.”

Thea’s face lit up. “Great idea. Both would help the orchard. I’ve never seen bats here, although I’ve sometimes wondered if I’ve heard them rustling through the trees at dusk. The occasional owl flies over, but I haven’t seen any roosting. I’d love to have them as permanent residents, like the ducks. I’m excited for the ducks to do their thing, but it looks like we have to wait on a dog for that.”

They both looked at the ducks, who were foraging happily around the pond. Jolie grinned. “I’m guessing once they figure out where the snails are, we’ll be able to get them there easily enough. It’s getting them into their coop and keeping them safe at night when we’re not with them that might be the problem.”

Thea nodded. “Depending on the species, snails tend to be more active at night, or at dusk and dawn.”

Jolie nodded. “I don’t imagine the ducks will need to be out long to fill up on snails. I should have researched that more before I jumped in and grabbed the ducks.”

Thea laughed. “We’re all early risers. It shouldn’t be a problem to let them loose in the orchard either early or when it’s getting dark. They’re going to benefit the entire farm, so we can all take turns taking care of them.”

Jolie nodded and looked back to the woods where the men had disappeared. “You think they’re okay?”

“I’m sure of it. They’re highly trained. Even if there is a problem, they’ll take care of it. And each other.”

She had to believe that.

Thea continued. “I’m assuming if the ATV tracks signal a problem, that the person who drove it is long gone. The guys will look for clues as to who it is and where they’re from. They might even block a trail to stop them from approaching again.”

All true. But having her brother and the man she loved in danger because she’d tried to dig Cyril out of the pond sucked. “I should have just let the cylinder stay there. I should have left it alone.”

“And risk it leaking its contents into the pond and then into the orchard? Not a chance. You had to try to get it out. We still do.”

Jolie nodded. Her brain had been working on ways to retrieve the cylinder without getting into the pond with her scuba or snorkeling gear.

Most of the ways to retrieve the cylinder relied on luck. If they wanted to use the ATV’s winch, they needed to get a strap around Cyril, cinch it tight, and haul it in. From the smooth feel of it, she thought the cylinder was metal, but they would need an industrial strength magnet to get it out that way. A long fishing net might work, but she didn’t know if there was one on the farm.

“They’re coming back.”

At Thea’s words, Jolie whipped her head to where Ford and Knox emerged from different sections of the woods. They both held up their hands, signaling the women to wait where they were, and to keep doing what they were doing. “What do you think that means?”

Thea shrugged. “No idea, but it’s clear they want us to act as if it’s no big deal that they went into the woods.”

Which was weird. Jolie’s stomach tightened, but she and Thea stayed where they were, pretending to talk about the orchard and their plans.

When the men reached them, Ford’s arm squeezed her shoulders, and he kissed her hair.

She didn’t wait for him to speak first. “What happened? What did you find?”

Ford pointed into the orchard. “Let’s walk a little ways and look at the trees.”

The twists in her stomach increased, but she didn’t ask questions as they moved away from the pond. When they were a few yards into the trees, they stopped, and she repeated her questions.

Ford sighed and squeezed her hand. “Someone has set up game cameras in the woods.”

“Game cameras?” In her courses and jobs, they’d often used game cameras to study wildlife. It was a great way to observe how nature acted when there were no people around. The cameras she’d used in her work were triggered by movement. They could be adjusted to record video and sometimes audio for various lengths of time after the movement activated the device.