Page 62 - Demo

62They had dragged the remaining bodies to the edge of the swamp, putting a single leg of each man into the water. If the gators failed to detect the smell of corpses in the water and venture there to consume them that night, in the morning, the two women knew they would have to load them onto Martha%u2019s or Carla%u2019s leaky boat and take the bodies to where the gators loved to dwell most.It was mid-evening. They sat on the boards around the house and drank rum together.%u201cThey%u2019ll be missed,%u201d Martha said. %u201cThe marshal will come looking.%u201d%u201cI know,%u201d Carla replied. %u201cWe%u2019ll hide their weapons, wash their blood away, and ensure there are no bodies left to find. People disappear here all the time.%u201d%u201cHow did you feel when I killed your father?%u201d Martha asked.%u201cRemorse,%u201d Carla replied.%u201cI%u2019m sorry. I had no other choice,%u201dCarla smiled. %u201cNot that. I wanted to kill him. That%u2019s all.%u201d%u201cYou told me before all this nasty stuff today that you were going to let the babies go tonight. There%u2019s a lovely moon up there. If the gators come for the bodies, all the big fish will swim away for the night. There%u2019s no better time than this to let them free.%u201d Martha reminded her.Carla nodded. %u201cI know,%u201d she said reluctantly.Martha poured rum into their glasses. %u201cWe%u2019ll have this and then I%u2019ll help you.%u201dCarla nodded but remained silent.She drank the rum, all of it, and said, %u201cThank you, Martha. I think I should do it alone, love.%u201dShe stood up and went to fetch the bucket.Swamp TrampChapter 4: Swamp Mother