House in the Florida Keys
Dragonlots aka Dana Bell
Chapter 2
Don't make any sudden moves, Benton told himself, as he warily watched the snake. Its pale pink tongue lashed out, tasting the floor. Afraid to move, he stood there, wondering how he could escape. The window behind him would be too small to fit his frame and he had no way to make it across the floor without the snake striking him.
A light knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Dr. Quest?" Lisa called. "Are you all right?"
"No," he calmly answered despite the hammering of his heart. "Don't open the door, Miss Simmons. Please find Mr. Bannon and ask him to come, please."
"Certainly, Dr. Quest." He heard the faint hesitance in her voice before her footsteps receded.
The serpent stopped by his shoes, its tongue darting in and out. Fortunate for him, he still stood in the tub protected from any attack by a thick wall. His shaking hand pulled down the towel and dried his body, listening to the water slurp down the drain. He used the wet fabric to tie around his waist wanting to keep some semblance of dignity.
"What's going on, Dr. Quest?" Race Bannon's voice called from other side of the door.
"I have an unwanted visitor. Very poisonous."
"That a fact?" A brief silence as the metal knob slowly turned and he briefly saw Bannon's tanned face. "Nasty critter."
"Very."
"You have a net in your lab?"
"No."
"Hmmm. I've got an idea. Don't move."
"Not a problem."
Gently the entry way closed and he waited, feeling like all his energy was being drained like the last of the water. Glancing down, he noticed the snake had curled around his shoe. Time dragged and he began to shake.
"Still with me?" Bannon's voice filled him with relief.
"Yes."
"Good." Again the door creaked open. "Come on , don't give me any trouble." A long stick slid across the floor. "Just pay attention to that."
The bright colored serpent uncoiled from around his shoe and went to investigate the new object. In one fluid motion, the stick caught the snake and it slid into bag. Bannon closed the top and it only then registered that his rescuer had used a white pillow case. The man also donned thick gloves, a good move on Race's part.
"Where'd you learn that?" Dr. Quest asked.
"I've been around." He held the bar an arm's length from his body. "I'm going to take our friend here outside and let him ago."
"Away from the house please."
Bannon wryly smiled. "Of course. Then I'm going to figure out how he got in here." He turned to leave. "One second." He grabbed some fabric from behind the door and draped it over the sink. "Figured you'd want this."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, doctor." He stepped outside, closing the door behind him.
After looking over the floor for any other unwanted visitors, Benton got out of the tub and grabbed his robe off the sink. He ran a quick brush through his hair and beard, before returning to his room.
Sinking down on the bright quilt covering the mattress, he took several deep breaths to calm his racing heart and try to calm his shaking body. That had been too close!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Once outside, Bannon took the snake as far from the house as he could. He laid the pillowcase in some thick reeds and hastily retreated, knowing eventually the snake would escape and make a new home in the small bush grove.
Upon his return to the house, he examined the bathroom, noting the crack under the door would not have allowed the serpent in. He checked around the tub and all the drains, finally finding a hole large enough to have accommodated the snake.
"So that's how you got in," he murmured.
"How?"
He glanced up from where he'd been kneeling on the floor. "There's a hole here." Race pointed.
Dr. Quest's face reflected his relief.
"I had the same thought," he reassured the scientist.
"Nice to know that," he stopped. "Do me a favor, check the baby's room."
"Not a problem." He got to his feet. "In fact, I'll check all around the house and make sure any holes get plugged."
"Thank you. I'd appreciate that."
"It's why I'm here."
"I'm glad you were. Look," Dr. Quest took a step forward. "Let's start again. I'm Dr. Benton Quest." He extended his hand.
"Race Bannon." He shook the other man's hand whose grip was firm and confident.
"Welcome to my home," he said, as he released his grip.
"Thank you, Dr. Quest."
Race spent the rest of the day checking out the plumbing and baseboards. He didn't find any other unexpected snake entrances and plugged up the one in the bathroom with some substance he found in the hanger. Next he checked around the outside doing the same.
When he came back in, he found the nanny grabbing her purse. "Hello, Mr. Bannon," she greeted.
"Miss Simmons." She looked pretty much like her photo. Black hair framing an oval face, golden brown eyes, not a real beauty, rather plain, and a figure a bit on the heavy side, covered in a yellow and green flowered dress.
She noticed his frank look. "I'm good at what I do."
"I'm sure you are."
"Look, Mr. Bannon. You and I both know how I got here." She raised a hand when he started to speak. "I know they told you."
Had to admire her honesty. "You're right."
"My job is to take care of the baby. Yours to protect them."
"Speaking of which, where are they?"
"Dr. Quest is in his lab." She smiled slightly. "I have no idea if he's working or not."
"I'll check on him later."
"Jonny is asleep and should for the next couple of hours."
"Going somewhere?"
She nodded. "Need to pick up a few items. I'll take the boat and should be back about the time the baby wakes up."
"Never knew a woman could shop that fast."
"You might be surprised." She headed for the door. "Oh, Mr. Bannon, I got a look at your file too."
"Find anything interesting?"
Her eyes flashed mischievously. "If I did, I'd never tell."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Glancing up from his notes he'd been updating, Benton noticed several hours had gone by. He remembered hearing the boat leave, but not returning. Closing his notebook, he walked to the window looking out to the beach and dock. He loved the ocean view, but frowned when he noticed Miss Simmons hadn't returned. She never stayed out longer than she planned.
He left the lab and on impulse, stopped at the nursery. What he saw surprised him. Mr. Bannon sat in the rocker, Jonny cooing and raising tiny fingers to grasp the side of body guard's hand. He smiled, softening his face. It seemed natural to him and didn't quite jive with the mental picture Benton had painted in his mind.
"You're a natural," he complimented as he walked across the rug. "Most men don't know to support a baby's head."
An expression he couldn't read flashed across Bannon's face. "I've held a baby before."
When he didn't say anything else, Benton let it drop. He knew a man with Race Bannon's background probably had secrets he'd kept and would never share. He wondered if that was why the other had white hair.
"Miss Simmons back yet?" Bannon asked.
"No." He frowned. "She's never been this late."
"You're worried."
"After what happened to my wife-" He stopped trying to swallow the emotion threatening to break through his defenses.
"Understandable. Here," he got up and handed the infant over to Benton. "Why don't you rock him for a bit, while I go make some phone calls."
Benton felt helpless and oddly abandoned when Race left the room. He gazed down at the child in his arms. "I wish I could protect you from all the bad things in this world, Jonny."