One Grave Less

married?”
    “Yes, we are. I like it, and Frank has lived here for a long time.”
    Frank was already home when they entered. Diane could smell the Thai food warming. He greeted them in the entryway with glasses of wine.
    “So good to meet you,” said Gregory. “Diane has told me a lot about you. Must be a good chap if Diane likes you.”
    “And I’ve heard a lot about you. Your diplomatic sensibilities have had a good effect on her,” said Frank.
    He led them into the living room while the food warmed. They sat down and talked about the upcoming wedding that Diane knew so little about. After a while, Gregory leaned forward, taking a packet of papers out of his coat pocket.
    “This is as good a time as any. I have a wedding gift for you, Diane.” Gregory’s voice cracked a little as he spoke. “At the time I got them, well, I couldn’t give them to you. But I asked Marguerite about it and she said now it would be all right. She said it would break your heart, but you would still like to have them. Marguerite is good about these things.” He handed Diane the papers.
    Diane opened the enveloped as Frank looked on. She shook when she saw what it was. Frank put an arm around her shoulder.
    Ariel’s adoption papers.
    Diane pressed them against her heart and tears flowed down her cheeks. Her lips trembled and she couldn’t speak.
    “They came the day of the massacre. As you know, we were out in the field. I was keeping them until that evening where I was going to surprise you and we were going to celebrate. Well, ahem.” He cleared his throat. “You know what we found at the mission that evening. It seemed too cruel to give them to you then. But I thought you ought to have them. Forgive me if I overstepped.”
    It was several moments before Diane found her voice, and then it was a whisper.
    “Marguerite was right.”

Chapter 18
    Maria stood just out of sight of the truck. She parted the large leaves and peeked at the vehicle. She saw no one, but the truck had a subtle erratic sway that was puzzling. She whispered for Rosetta to stay hidden and she moved closer, holding tightly to the gun.
    As she watched the truck, a mottled green and black ribbon of enormous proportions undulated just above the sides of the truck bed and disappeared.
    “Oh, no,” she said in her pained, whiskey-sounding voice. “Not this.”
    She looked up and saw that she had parked under a low limb of a tree.
    “Why did I do that?” she whispered to herself.
    Rosetta came up beside her and she jumped.
    “Sorry,” Rosetta whispered. “I heard you talking. What is it?”
    “A snake. A really, really big snake.”
    Rosetta’s eyes got wide. She stood on her tiptoes and tried to get a look. “What kind?”
    “My guess, from the size and color, a female anaconda,” said Maria. “You know, I’m just not good with snakes.”
    Rosetta gave her a sideways glance. “Indiana Jones said the same thing.”
    Maria thought she detected a bit of smugness in Rosetta’s voice.
    “Stay right here.” Maria took a fortifying breath and walked toward the truck, getting just close enough to see into it. A gigantic snake, bigger around than Maria’s leg, perhaps bigger around than her waist, and longer than the truck, filled the bed of the pickup, coiling over and covering the cargo of food and supplies. It was olive green with markings of darker green, black, and yellow. Colors of the rainbow glinted off its scales. Its wedge-shaped head looked as big as a football. Its forked purple-black tongue licked out at least a foot into the air in front of its nose. If it weren’t so horrific, it would be beautiful.
    “Pick me up so I can see.” Rosetta tugged on Maria’s sleeve.
    Maria jumped again. “I thought I told you to stay a safe distance.”
    “I’ll be okay. I want to see.”
    Maria picked her up so she could see into the bed of the truck.
    “Wow,” Rosetta said. “That is a big one. It is called a yakumama. I have never seen one this big.”
    Maria put her down on the ground but held on to her hand, fearful that the little girl would run up to the bed of the truck for a closer look.
    “Do you know how to get a snake out of a truck?” asked Maria.
    Rosetta shrugged elaborately.
    “Have you ever seen anyone with this problem?” she asked.
    Rosetta shook her head. “Mostly we just leave them alone. Some people catch them, but I don’t know how they do it. You don’t want to make it mad.”
    Maria picked up Rosetta and