Gator Bowl Read Free

Brûlée started complaining again. He was awake and ready to eat lunch. He probably needed a patch of grass, too. I hushed him and promised both as soon as we reached Uncle Saul’s cabin.
    â€œBig difference between here and the city,” Ollie remarked. “Your uncle really
did
want to leave it all behind. What does he do with himself out here?”
    â€œWell, it took him a couple of years to build his log cabin, and he has to keep repairing it. He does some hunting and fishing, and he has a ham radio. He likes to talk to people on it. His electricity doesn’t work very well, and he has to dig a new outhouse every so often. He tries to stay away from depending on ‘the man’ as much as he can.”
    â€œI get that.”
    I recognized the last turn that would take us from a graveled washboard road to a bumpy dirt track that would end up at my uncle’s house. The Prius didn’t appreciate that kind of abuse. It was definitely meant for city driving. It didn’t recognize anything but blacktop under its tires. I had to go very slowly.
    â€œHere we are!” I put my foot on the brake, and the car slid through a mudhole. “Oops! Sorry. You have to watch out for those.”
    I made a quick turn into what there was of Uncle Saul’s driveway and parked the car.
    We both got out, and I put Crème Brûlée on his leash. The front door to the cabin was open, but there was no sign of Uncle Saul. We checked through the empty cabin and investigated the rough-cut buildings behind the house with no luck. The place seemed deserted.
    â€œI don’t know where he is.” I bit my lip, worried. “He knew I’d be here about now.”
    Ollie opened his mouth to answer when a wild-looking man with a mop of curly gray-black hair came running through the woods holding a white alligator in his arms. Someone was behind him, calling out and firing buckshot into the trees.
    â€œZoe!” Uncle Saul grinned as he ran by me. “We’d best get inside. Alabaster has been in Norman’s chicken coop again.”

Chapter Two
    The white alligator wasn’t more than three feet long—Uncle Saul held her under his arm. Alabaster grinned and rolled her blue eyes as though she found the whole thing amusing. Uncle Saul ran through the front door of the cabin, still holding her, with me and Ollie on his heels.
    â€œNorman gets a little bothered when Alabaster eats a few chickens.” He put his pet on the rough wood floor. “You’d think he wouldn’t mind so much since I always buy him new ones.”
    Buckshot flew against the side of the cabin, one shot pinging the window but not breaking it. “Get out here, Saul! Face me like a man!”
    â€œHe sounds more than a
little
bothered,” Ollie said.
    Uncle Saul turned to him with a smile. “I don’t think we’ve met, son. I’m Saul Chase. You must be Zoe’s beau.”
    Ollie glanced at me before shaking his hand. “Not exactly. Zoe picked me up on the road, and asked if I’d like to join you all here for some cooking and refurbishing. I’m Ollie.”
    Uncle Saul’s concerned stare hit me like a truck. “Is this true, Zoe?”
    â€œYes. Ollie is a very good person. I think he’ll be a big help.”
    â€œMaybe so.” Uncle Saul’s eyes narrowed as he observed Ollie again. “What’s your family name?”
    â€œI don’t have one, sir. Circumstances made me give it up. No big deal. I like
Ollie
best anyway.”
    â€œLook, son . . .” Uncle Saul opened his mouth to continue, but another shot from Norman’s gun interrupted.
    â€œI’m not going away,” Norman shouted. “That’s twice in the last two days that gator ate my chickens.”
    â€œExcuse me.” Uncle Saul smiled at us before he stepped out on the porch, seemingly not worried about the possibility of being shot. “I