Siegfried stayed silent. He was trying to prepare himself for what he now suspected.
Cameron pulled to a halt at the building. His headlights picked up the debris that had resulted when the bar frames had been yanked out of the wall. The pile of chain was visible.
“This is a disaster,” Siegfried said with a tremulous voice. He stepped out of the car with the carbine. Although he had to hold the gun with one hand, he was an accomplished marksman. In quick succession he pulled off three rounds and three of the empty wine bottles on the windowsill of the army post burst into shards of glass. But the music did not falter.
Gripping the gun tightly in his good hand, Siegfried went over to the army-post window and looked in. The cassette player was on the desk with its volume pegged at max. The four soldiers were passed out either on the floor or slouched in the rickety furniture.
Siegfried raised the gun. He pulled the trigger and the cassette player flew off the desk. In an instant, the scene was thrust into a painful silence.
Siegfried went back to Cameron. “Call the colonel of the garrison. Tell him what has happened. Tell him I want these men court-martialed. Tell him to get a contingent of soldiers here immediately with a vehicle.”
“Yes, sir!” Cameron intoned.
Siegfried stepped beneath the arcade and looked at the bars that had been pulled from the jail-cell windows. They were hand forged. Looking at the openings, he could tell why they’d come out so easily. The mortar between the bricks under the stucco had turned to sand.
To get himself under control, Siegfried walked all the way around the town hall. By the time he rounded the final corner, headlights were coming along the road. They turned into the parking lot. With screeching tires the security patrol car came to a halt next to Cameron’s car, and the duty officer jumped out.
Siegfried cursed under his breath as he approached. With Kevin and the women plus the Americans missing, the bonobo project was in serious jeopardy. They had to be found.
“Mr. Spallek,” Cameron said. “I have some information. Officer O’Leary thinks he saw Kevin Marshall’s car ten minutes ago. Of course, we can quickly confirm it if it is still there.”
“Where?” Siegfried asked.
“In the lot by the Chickee Hut Bar,” O’Leary said. “I noticed it on my last tour.”
“Did you see any people?”
“No, sir! Not a soul.”
“There’s supposed to be a guard down there,” Siegfried said. “Did you see him?”
“Not really, sir,” O’Leary said.
“What do you mean ‘not really’?” Siegfried growled. He was fed up with incompetence.
“We don’t make it a point to pay much attention to the soldiers,” O’Leary said.
Siegfried looked off in the distance. In a further attempt to control his anger, he forced himself to notice how the moonlight reflected off the vegetation. The beauty calmed him to a degree, and he reluctantly admitted that he didn’t pay much attention to the soldiers, either. Rather than serving any truly utilitarian purpose, they were just there; one of the costs of doing business with the Equatoguinean government. But why would Kevin’s car be at the Chickee Hut Bar? Then it dawned on him.
“Cameron, was it determined how the Americans got into town?” Siegfried asked.
“I’m afraid not,” Cameron said.
“Was a boat searched for?” Siegfried asked.
Cameron looked at O’Leary, who reluctantly replied. “I didn’t know anything about looking for a boat.”
“What about when you relieved Hansen at eleven?” Cameron asked. “When he briefed you, did he mention he’d looked for a boat?”
“Not a word, sir,” O’Leary said.
Cameron swallowed. He turned to Siegfried. “I’ll just have to follow up on this and get back to you later.”
“In other words, no one looked for a goddamn boat!” Siegfried snapped. “This is a comedy around here, but I’m not laughing.”
“I gave specific orders for a search for a boat,” Cameron said.
“Obviously, orders are not enough, you lunkhead,” Siegfried spat. “You are supposed to be in charge. You are responsible.”
Siegfried closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He’d lost both groups. All he could do at this point was have the colonel call the army post in Acalayong in the unlikely event the escapees might land there. But Siegfried was far from optimistic. He knew that if the tables were turned and he’d been the one fleeing, he’d go to Gabon.
All of a sudden, Siegfried’s eyes popped open. Another thought occurred to him: a more worrisome thought.
“Is there a guard out at Isla Francesca?” he asked.
“No, sir. None was requested.”
“What about at the bridge on the mainland?” Siegfried persisted.
“There was until you ordered it removed,” Cameron said.
“Then, we’re going right now,” Siegfried said. He started for Cameron’s car. As he did so, three vehicles sped down the street and turned into the parking lot. They were army jeeps. They swooped over to the two parked vehicles and stopped. All of them were filled with soldiers bristling with guns.
From the front jeep stepped Colonel Mongomo. In contrast to the slovenly soldiers, he was impeccably attired in his martial finery complete with medals. Despite the fact that it was night, he wore aviator sunglasses. He saluted Siegfried stiffly and said he was at his service.
“I’d be very appreciative if you took care of those drunk soldiers,” Siegfried said in a controlled fashion, while pointing toward the post. “There’s another group where Officer O’Leary can take you. And tell one of these jeeps full of soldiers to follow us. We may need their firepower.”
Kevin motioned for Jack to slow down. Jack cut back on the throttle and the heavy pirogue quickly lost momentum. They had entered the narrow channel between Isla Francesca and the mainland. It was significantly darker than out in the open water because the trees on either side formed a canopy.
Kevin was worried about the rope for the feeding float and he’d positioned himself in the bow. He’d explained it to Jack so Jack was prepared.
“It’s eerie in here,” Laurie said.
“Listen to how loud the animals are,” Natalie said.
“What you are hearing are mostly frogs,” Melanie said. “Romantically inclined frogs.”
“It’s coming up just ahead,” Kevin said.
Jack cut the engine then stood in order to tip the outboard out of the water.
There was a soft thud and a scraping noise as the boat passed over the rope.
“Let’s paddle,” Kevin said. “It’s only a little way farther, and I wouldn’t want to hit a log in the dark.”
The dense jungle on the right fell away as they reached the staging area clearing. Once again they were in moonlight.
“Oh, no!” Kevin cried from the bow. “The bridge is not deployed. Damn!”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Melanie said. “I still have the key.” She held it up, and it glinted in the low light. “I had a feeling it would come in handy someday.”
“Oh, Melanie!” Kevin gushed. “You’re wonderful. For a moment there, I thought all was lost.”
“A deployable bridge that needs a key?” Jack questioned. “That’s mighty sophisticated for out here in the jungle.”
“There’s a dock coming up on our right,” Kevin said. “That’s where we’ll tie the boat up.”
Jack was in the stern. He used his oar to back paddle so the bow turned toward the island. A few minutes later, they quietly bumped against wood planking.
“Okay, everybody,” Kevin said. He took a breath. He was nervous. He knew he was out of character since he was about to do something he’d never done before: be a hero of sorts. “Here’s what I suggest. You all stay in the boat. At least for now. I really don’t know how these animals are going to react to me. They’re unbelievably strong, so there is a risk. I’m willing to take it for the reasons I’ve already talked about, but I don’t want to put any of you in jeopardy. Is that reasonable?”