Chapter 24

Paul gave the question some serious consideration before agreeing it was probably safe enough, if they went armed. Mark was willing to do that, even though it reinforced more than anything else the reason they were there in the first place.

They walked until it began to get dark and even found a small stream, which Paul, much to Mark’s surprise, said would be great for fishing if they’d had rods and reels.

“Despite the fact you said you come here to get away from things, I really didn’t take you for that much of an outdoorsman,” Mark replied with a laugh.

“When I was a kid, we used to take our annual vacation at my grandparents’ summer cottage down south. It was remote, a bit like this place, on a river not too far from the gulf. Our main recreation was swimming, canoeing, and fishing off the pier.” Paul chuckled. “If you ever want some comic relief, find a canoe and put three young kids in it. With all of us paddling, we spent more time going in circles than getting anywhere.”