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Or Hondo. Yeah, Hondo had been a bit of a grease monkey back in the day. She’d stop in at the office and have a little chat with Lilly when she got back to the cabins.

Rattle. Rattle. Rattle.

What a weird noise. It didn’t sound mechanical. No. It was more like something was falling apart.

She glanced in her rearview mirror.

Dawson was still literally right behind her. He gave her a little finger wave. The man was too damned adorable. If she were anyone else, she might consider staying in this stupid town a little longer just for him. But she couldn’t. Wouldn’t. And not only because of what Calusa Cove represented, but because no one wanted her here.

Baily and Trinity were nice enough. Welcoming enough. But even their kindness had a timetable on it, and it would end the second the Python Challenge was over.

She turned into Harvey’s Cabins and rolled to a stop in one of the designated spots near Dawson’s unit. She collected her purse and made her way to the rear of her vehicle, popping the trunk.

“Let me get that for you.” Dawson jumped in front of her. “That’s a lot of equipment.” He lifted the hatch.

Rattle. Rattle. Rattle.

“Do you hear that?” She reached into the trunk to grab the smaller bag. “I heard it the whole way home.”

Rattle. Rattle. Rattle.

It got louder. And louder.

She handed Dawson the bag and went for the larger camera case when two beady little eyes locked with hers. A long, forked tongue darted out of the snake’s mouth as it coiled in the corner, its rattle raised high, singing its warning.

“Don’t move,” Dawson whispered, his hand on his weapon, slowly releasing it from its holster. “We need to shut your trunk.”

“I’ll reach for it,” she said so softly. She hoped he heard her because the only sound that rang in her ears was a combination of the beating of her heart and the singing of the rattle. It was as if the two were in perfect harmony.

It wasn’t a pretty sound.

She held her breath as she slowly reached for the trunk hatch.

The snake inched back, coiling tighter. Its eyes narrowed and then widened. Its tongue waggled as if it were tasting her smell.

And then, in a split second, it lunged forward with a hungry mouth… poison dripping from its fangs.

With her left hand, she reached for the beast’s head, and with her right, she pushed Dawson. “Don’t shoot it,” she managed with a ragged breath as her fingers curled around the snake’s neck. She squeezed. Tight.

The rattlesnake’s tail flipped and flopped, smacking her hip. Her elbow. Even her cheek, as if to slap her for daring to destroy its ability to bite.

“Jesus Christ.” Dawson adjusted his weapon and shook his body. “I can’t believe you just did that.”

“Could you please get me one of those python bags to put this snake in? Last I checked, it’s still illegal to kill these things in the state of Florida.”

Dawson snagged a bag and held it open. She eased the nasty three-foot thing into the bag. The damn thing went wild.

“It’s not illegal if your life is in danger, and I’d say our lives were in question,” Dawson said, setting the bag down. He pulled out his cell phone and tapped on the screen. “I can get Keaton here within the next fifteen minutes.” He raked his hands through his hair. “Are you okay?”

“Peachy.” She shivered. “That thing was roaming free while I was driving.”

“Damn lucky it didn’t bite you on the way home.” He took her by the hand as he spoke into the phone. “Keaton, I need you at the Harvey Cabins ASAP to take care of a snake. No, not a python. A rattler.” His gaze met Audra’s. “We found it in Audra’s car. I’ll also need you to check for any other stowaways.” He paused to listen. “No idea how it got there.” Again, he listened. “See you in fifteen.” Dawson ended the call, dropped his cell phone into his pocket, and reached out to tuck a strand of fiery red hair behind Audra’s ear. “I can’t believe you snagged that rattler the way you did.” His lips pressed into a thin line. “Putting on my cop hat for a second, I have to wonder if?—”

“Someone put that bastard in there on purpose.” She inched closer, peering inside the window, looking for more. “It makes sense. Whoever killed Tim would’ve seen my car there. They put my shirt under his body. It's just another way to get rid of me. But why?”

“That’s the million-dollar question.” He palmed her cheek. “My conversation with Silas had me thinking something new.”

Her brow dipped. “I don’t trust that man.”