After a moment, I heard the drone of twin outboards. I scanned the water in the direction of the sound. Far out in the wide, natural channel, I could just make out a large center console. It had some kind of marking on the side, but it was too far away to tell what it was.
“Come on, Finn,” I said, heading toward the steps.
When I opened the door, Savannah was looking sideways out the south-facing window. Woden must have alerted her to the approaching boat. If anything, his hearing was better than Finn’s.
“Is that them?” she asked, hurrying back to the kitchen.
I dumped another ten claws into the colander. “I think so. It has markings on the side, but it was too far away to be sure.”
Grabbing the binoculars that were hanging by the door, I went back out onto the deck and around to the southeast corner. Savannah was right behind me, with both dogs trailing her.
Looking out past Mac’s island, I saw the boat. “It’s a Monroe County Sheriff’s boat,” I said. “Four people aboard—Andersen, a uniformed deputy, a woman, and the boy.”
“Stop calling him that,” Savannah said. “His name’s Alberto Mar.”
“We think that’s his name,” I corrected her. “For all we know, that could be the name of the guy who built the boat.”
Savannah shielded her eyes with her hand, looking out toward the far waters. “It’s his name.”
I lowered the binos and glanced over at her. She looked anxious.
Then she turned and caught me staring at her. “I need to get lunch ready,” she said, and started to turn.
“Savvy, wait.”
She stopped and faced me, her blue eyes a little glassy with moisture.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to get too attached to this kid. He’s probably only going to be with us for a little while.”
“He just needs a little stability,” she said.
“Stability? We’re taking him with us tomorrow. And when we fly to Bimini on Friday. That’s not stable.”
“Stability doesn’t mean stationary,” she said. “I’m talking more about people than places.”
“Still, I don’t want you to get too attached.”
“He’s not a puppy, Jesse.”
I dropped my head in defeat. It was too late. “Go ahead and get lunch ready. I’ll go down and give them a hand tying up.” I slapped my thigh. “Come on, Finn.”
As I turned, she touched my arm. “You saw his face, too. You saw how terrified he was.”
“Yeah,” I replied. “I saw.”
“We have what it takes to help him,” Savannah said. “Two rational, stable people. And we have this beautiful place with so much for him to do here. Good things.”
“I just don’t want you to get hurt,” I warned. “Like I said, he probably won’t be staying with us for very long.”
“I know you don’t want me hurt,” she said, hugging me tightly. “That’s just one of the many things I love about you.”
Savannah went back inside, and Finn and I started down the steps, taking our time. Finn was tall enough that I could scratch the furry spot behind his ear without bending over.
“Why’d you let me get into this?” I asked him.
I stood at the end of the pier as the patrol boat turned into my channel. The driver looked hesitant until he saw the deep turning basin in front of the house and the massive doors below the deck.
Alberto sat with the woman in front of the console, on the forward-facing seat. He looked hesitant, but unafraid. She looked overbearing.
“I didn’t know you owned a dog,” Andersen said, handing me a line.
“Two dogs,” I said, then looked at the boy. “This one’s called Finn, like Huckleberry Finn. Do you like dogs?”
The boy shrugged.
The woman looked at Finn with some trepidation.
“Finn likes everyone,” I said to Alberto. “And both of our dogs are highly trained. Tell him to sit.”
Alberto looked at the woman, who just kept staring at Finn. Then he looked at Andersen, who nodded.
“Sit, Finn,” he said.
Finn glanced up to me and I nodded, releasing him to obey the boy’s command. He promptly sat on my foot, which made Alberto laugh.
That broke the woman’s stare and she looked down at Alberto.
“I think he likes you,” I said. “And our other dog, Woden…well, he likes anyone Finn likes.”
The woman rose and extended a hand. “My name is Emily Delgado. I work for the Florida Department of Children and Families.”
I looked at Andersen, arching an eyebrow as I shook her hand.
“The Sheriff’s Department had to involve them,” he said. “Miss Delgado just wanted to check for herself that the conditions are adequate.”
I squelched my normal response to authority.
“Well, our house is a one-bedroom,” I told her. “But my wife has made a few changes and Alberto will be quite comfortable. We’re having stone crab for lunch. Will you join us?”
“Thanks, no,” she replied, stepping up to the dock a bit unsteadily. “I have other appointments.” She turned to Alberto. “Come along, young man.”
Maybe they hadn’t been calling him Alberto at the hospital.
I winked at the kid. “That just leaves more for us.”
Finn punctuated my remark with a bark, which startled Emily. “Are you sure it doesn’t bite?”
“He bites a lot,” I replied. “But he only bites people if I tell him to.”
Her glare told me she didn’t appreciate my wit.
“Finn and Woden are protection-trained,” I said, then looked down at my big yellow lab. “Take Alberto up to the house, Finn.”
He rose and moved alongside the boat, waiting.
Alberto climbed over the side, a lot less clumsily than the welfare lady. He put his hand on Finn’s head and Finn leaned into him, turning his big head so the boy’s hand was on his ear.
“He likes to have the area behind his ears scratched,” I told him.
Alberto gave Finn an ear scratching, then Finn took a slow step. When Alberto moved to go along with him, he picked up his pace, and the two
