1
“Did you hear about that monster crocodilian they shot and killed down in the Glades about a week ago?” Roman asks. Dr. Roman Lasco is not only a noted herpetologist and your boss, but just so happens to be quite renowned in the pseudoscience of cryptozoology as well.
“I did,” you reply, pausing just long enough to grab a sip of your coffee. “Twenty-three feet long… and I’m hearing talk that authorities believe this thing might be responsible for at least a dozen or so missing persons, maybe more…”
“Well, the story gets even better. Turns out it wasn’t a crocodile or an alligator, but was actually a hybrid of the two ― a crocogator!”
“That’s impossible!” you assert. “Crocodiles and alligators are two different species with different DNA counts. Genetically, they are too far apart, so there’s just no way they can mate and produce offspring!”
“I wouldn’t have believed it, either, had I not examined the reptilian brute, myself, just before it was shipped off to the Smithsonian. It’s definitely the real deal!” Roman declares, matter-of-factly. “But that’s not all… crocogators aside, a lot of strange and unexplainable things have been purported of late in the Everglades, so much so that I think they definitely warrant an investigation. That’s why first thing tomorrow, you’re heading down there…”