“Not an inch of it—all that swamp’s government land. Can’t figure why, if ’twas Ezekiel, he’d drive you away from there. Unless—”
“Unless what?” Penny asked as the trapper fell silent.
“Jest a’thinkin’. Well, I’ll keep an eye out fer the dog and maybe have a talk with Ezekiel.”
Penny and Louise thanked the swamper and paid him for use of the boat. Gathering up the flowers they had picked, they started toward the road where they had parked Penny’s coupe.
The trapper walked with them to the front gate.
“By the way,” Penny remarked, “who is the woman on the farm just above here?”
“At the edge of the swamp? That’s the Ezekiel Hawkins’ place.”
“Not the farm of that bearded man we met today!”
“Reckon so.”
“We stopped there for a drink and talked to a tall, dark-haired woman. She was rather short with us.”