“I think so,” Melanie said.
“All right,” Kevin said. “See you there.”
They split up at the first floor, with Melanie going out into the noonday heat while Candace and Kevin descended to the basement level.
After walking for fifteen minutes, Candace commented on what a maze the hallways were.
“All the power comes from the same source,” Kevin explained. “The tunnels connect all the main buildings except for the animal center, which has its own power station.”
“One could get lost down here,” Candace said.
“I did,” Kevin admitted. “A number of times. But during the middle of the rainy season, I find these tunnels handy. They’re both dry and cool.”
As they neared the power station they could hear and feel the vibration of the turbines. A flight of metal steps took them up to the side door. As soon as they appeared, Melanie, who’d been parked under a malapa tree, cruised over and picked them up.
Kevin got in the back so Candace could climb into the front. Melanie pulled away immediately. The car’s air-conditioning felt good given the heat and hundred-percent humidity.
“See anything suspicious?” Kevin asked.
“Not a thing,” Melanie said. “And I drove around for a while pretending I was on errands. There wasn’t anyone following me. I’m ninety-nine percent sure.”
Kevin looked out the back window of Melanie’s Honda and watched the area around the power station as it fell behind, then disappeared as they rounded a corner. No people had appeared, and there were no cars in pursuit.
“I’d say it looks good,” Kevin said. He scrunched down on the backseat to be out of sight.
Melanie drove around the north rim of the town. While she did so, Candace broke out the sandwiches.
“Not bad,” Candace said, taking a bite of a tuna fish on whole wheat.
“I had them made up at the animal-center commissary,” Melanie explained. “There are drinks in the bottom of the bag.”
“You want some, Kevin?” Candace called.
“I suppose,” Kevin said. He stayed on his side. Candace passed him a sandwich and a soft drink between the front bucket seats.
They were soon on the road that led east out of town toward the native village. From Kevin’s perspective, all he could see was the tops of the liana-covered trees that lined the road, plus a strip of hazy blue sky. After so many months of cloud cover and rain, it was good to see the sun.
“Anybody following us?” Kevin asked, after they’d driven for some time.
Melanie glanced in the rearview mirror. “I haven’t seen a car,” she said. There’d been no vehicular traffic in either direction, although there were plenty of native women carrying various burdens on their heads.
After they passed the parking lot in front of the general store at the native village and entered the track that led to the island staging area, Kevin sat up. He was no longer worried about being seen. Every few minutes, he looked behind to make sure they weren’t being followed. Although he didn’t admit it to the women, he was a nervous wreck.
“That log we hit last night should be coming up soon,” Kevin warned.
“But we didn’t go over it when they brought us out,” Melanie said. “They must have moved it.”
“You’re right,” Kevin said. He was impressed that Melanie remembered. After the machine-gun fire, the details of the previous night were murky in Kevin’s mind.
Guessing they were getting close, Kevin moved forward so he could see out the front windshield between the two front seats. Despite the noontime sun the ability to see into the dense jungle lining the road was hardly any better than it had been the evening before. Little light penetrated the vegetation; it was like moving between two walls.
They drove into the clearing and stopped. The garage stood to their left while to the right they could see the mouth of the track that led down to the water’s edge and the bridge.
“Should I drive down to the bridge?” Melanie asked.
Kevin’s nervousness increased. Coming into a dead end bothered him. He debated driving down to the water’s edge but guessed there wouldn’t be enough room to turn around. That would mean they’d have to back out.
“My suggestion would be to park here,” Kevin said. “But let’s turn the car around first.”
Kevin expected an argument, but Melanie put the car in gear without so much as a whimper. They left unspoken the fact that they would now have to walk past the spot where they’d been fired upon.
Melanie completed her three-point turn. “Okay, everybody, here we are,” she said airily, as she pulled on the emergency brake. She was trying to buoy everyone’s spirits. They were all tense.
“I just had an idea which I don’t like,” Kevin said.
“Now what?” Melanie asked, looking at him in the rearview mirror.
“Maybe I should quietly walk down to the bridge and make sure no one is around,” Kevin said.
“Like who?” Melanie asked, but the thought of unwanted company had occurred to her as well.
Kevin took a deep breath to bolster his sagging courage and climbed out. “Anybody,” he said. “Even Alphonse Kimba.” He hiked up his pants and started off.
The track down toward the water was so thickly shrouded with vegetation, it was even more like a tunnel than the track in from the road. As soon as Kevin entered it, it twisted to the right. The canopy of trees and vines blocked out much of the light. The center strip of vegetation was so tall that the track was more like two parallel trails.
Kevin rounded the first bend, then stopped. The unmistakable sound of boots running on the damp ground combined with the jingling of metal against metal made his stomach turn. Ahead, the track turned to the left. Kevin held his breath. In the next instant, he saw a group of Equatoguinean soldiers in their camouflage fatigues, rounding the bend and coming in his direction. All were carrying Chinese assault rifles.
Kevin spun on his heels and sprinted back up the trail like he’d never sprinted before. As he reached the clearing, he yelled to Melanie to get the hell out of there. Reaching the car he threw open the rear door and dived in.
Melanie was trying to start the car. “What happened?” she screamed.
“Soldiers!” Kevin croaked. “A bunch of them!”
The car engine caught and roared to life. At the same time, the soldiers spilled into the clearing. One of them yelled as Melanie stomped on the accelerator.
The little car leaped forward, and Melanie fought the wheel. There was a burst of gunfire and the rear window of the Honda shattered into a million cubic shards. Kevin flattened himself against the backseat. Candace screamed as her window was blown out as well.
The track turned left just beyond the clearing. Melanie managed to keep the car in the tracks and then pushed the car to its limit. After they’d gone seventy yards, there was another distant burst of gunfire. A few stray bullets whined over the car as Melanie navigated another slight turn.
“Good God!” Kevin said, as he sat up and brushed the glass from the rear window off his torso.
“Now I’m really mad,” Melanie said. “That was hardly a burst over our heads. Look at that rear window!”
“I think I want to retire,” Kevin said. “I’ve always been afraid of those soldiers and now I know why.”
“I guess the key to the bridge is not going to do us much good,” Candace said. “What a waste after all the effort we went through to get it.”
“It’s damn irritating,” Melanie agreed. “We’re just going to have to come up with an alternate plan.”
“I’m going to bed,” Kevin said. He couldn’t believe these women; they seemed fearless. He put a hand over his heart; it was beating more rapidly than it ever had before.
CHAPTER 14
MARCH 6, 1997
6:45 A.M.
NEW YORK CITY
WITH a burst of speed, Jack made the green light at the intersection of First Avenue and Thirtieth Street and sailed across without slowing down. Angling the bike up the morgue’s driveway, he didn’t brake until the last minute. Moments later, he had the bike locked and was on his way to the office of Janice Jaeger, the night forensic investigator.