“Last night I lost my sunglasses,” Melanie had said. “So we go out there just to see if we can find them, and we get shot at again!”
Kevin had expected Siegfried to explode. But he didn’t. Instead, he was immediately apologetic, said that the soldiers were only out there to keep people away from the island, and that they shouldn’t have fired their guns. He agreed not only to fix Melanie’s car but to make sure she got a loaner in the interim. He also offered to have the soldiers scour the area for the lost sunglasses.
Esmeralda appeared with the dessert. The women were pleased. It was made with locally grown cocoa.
“Did Siegfried mention anything about what happened today?” Kevin asked.
“He apologized again,” Candace said. “He said he spoke with the Moroccan guard and assured us that there won’t be any more shooting. He said that if anybody wanders out there by the bridge, they will just be spoken to and told that the area is off-limits.”
“Likely story,” Kevin said. “As trigger-happy as those kids they call soldiers are, it’s not going to happen.”
Melanie laughed. “Talk about the soldiers, Siegfried said that they spent hours searching for the nonexistent sunglasses. Serves them right!”
“He did ask us if we wanted to talk with some of the workers who’d been on the island and who’d been burning underbrush,” Candace said. “Can you believe it?”
“And how did you respond?” Kevin asked.
“We told him it wasn’t necessary,” Candace said. “I mean, we don’t want him to think we’re still concerned about the smoke, and we definitely don’t want him to think we’re planning on visiting the island.”
“But we’re not,” Kevin said. He eyed the women while they smiled at each other conspiratorially. “Are we?” As far as Kevin was concerned, getting shot at twice had been more than enough to convince him that visiting the island was out of the question.
“You wondered why we laughed when you told us we were having fish for dinner,” Melanie said. “Remember?”
“Yeah,” Kevin said with concern. He had the distinct feeling he wasn’t going to like what Melanie was about to say.
“We laughed because we spent a good deal of the late afternoon talking to fishermen who come to Cogo a couple of times a week,” Melanie said. “Probably the ones who caught the fish we just ate. They come from a town called Acalayong about ten to twelve miles east of here.”
“I know the town,” Kevin said. It was the jumping-off place for people going from Equatorial Guinea to Cocobeach, Gabon. The route was served by motorized canoes called pirogues.
“We rented one of their boats for two or three days,” Melanie said proudly. “So we don’t have to even go near the bridge. We can visit Isla Francesca by water.”
“Not me,” Kevin said emphatically. “I’ve had it. Frankly, I think we’re lucky to be alive. If you guys want to go, go! I know that nothing I could ever say would influence what you do.”
“Oh, that’s great!” Melanie said derisively. “You’re giving up already! If that’s the case, how do you intend to find out whether you and I have created a race of protohumans? I mean, you’re the one who’s raised this issue and got us all upset.”
Melanie and Candace stared at Kevin across the table. For a few minutes, no one said a word. The night sounds of the jungle drifted in, which until then no one had heard.
After feeling progressively uncomfortable, Kevin finally broke the silence. “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” he said. “I’ll think of something.”
“Like hell you will,” Melanie said. “You already said the only way to find out what those animals are doing is to visit the island. Those were your words. Have you forgotten?”
“No, I haven’t forgotten,” Kevin said. “It’s just that… well…”
“That’s okay,” Melanie said condescendingly. “If you’re too chicken to go and find out what you might have done with your genetic tinkering, fine. We were counting on you coming to help run the motor in the pirogue, but that’s okay. Candace and I can manage. Right, Candace?”
“Right,” Candace said.
“You see we’ve planned this out pretty carefully,” Melanie said. “Not only did we rent the large, motorized canoe, but we had them bring back a smaller, paddle version as well. We plan to tow the paddle boat. Once we get to the island, we’ll paddle up the Rio Diviso. Maybe we won’t even have to go on land at all. All we want to do is observe the animals for a while.”
Kevin nodded. He looked back and forth between the two women who were relentlessly staring at him. Acutely uncomfortable, he scraped back his chair and started from the room.
“Where are you going?” Melanie asked.
“To get more wine,” Kevin said.
With strange emotion akin to anger, Kevin got a third bottle of white Burgundy, opened it, and brought it back into the dining room. He gestured with it toward Melanie and she nodded. Kevin filled her glass. He did the same to Candace. Then he filled his own.
After taking his seat, Kevin took a healthy swig of wine. He coughed a little after swallowing, and then asked when they planned on going on their great expedition.
“Tomorrow, bright and early,” Melanie said. “We figure it will take a little over an hour to get to the island, and we’d like to be back before the sun gets really strong.”
“We already got food and drink from the commissary,” Candace said. “And I got a portable cooler from the hospital to pack it in.”
“We’ll stay far away from the bridge and the staging area,” Melanie said. “So that won’t be a problem.”
“I think it’s going to be kind of fun,” Candace said. “I’d love to see a hippopotamus.”
Kevin took another gulp of wine.
“I suppose you don’t mind if we take those electronic gizmos to locate the animals,” Melanie said. “And we could use the contour map. Of course, we’ll be careful with them.”
Kevin sighed and sagged in his chair. “All right, I give up. What time is this mission scheduled?”
“Oh goody,” Candace said, clapping her hands together. “I knew you’d come.”
“The sun comes up after six,” Melanie said. “I’d like to be in the boat and on our way by then. My plan is to head west, then swing way out into the estuary before going east. That way we won’t evoke any suspicions here in town if anyone sees us getting into the boat. I’d like them to think we were going off to Acalayong.”
“What about work?” Kevin asked. “Won’t you be missed?”
“Nope,” Melanie said. “I told the people in the lab I’d be unreachable at the animal center. Whereas the people in the animal center I told…”
“I get the picture,” Kevin interjected. “What about you, Candace?”
“No problem,” Candace said. “As long as Mr. Winchester keeps doing as well as he’s doing, I’m essentially unemployed. The surgeons are golfing and playing tennis all day. I can do what I like.”
“I’ll call my head tech,” Kevin said. “I’ll tell him I’m under the weather with an acute attack of insanity.”
“Wait a second,” Candace said suddenly. “I just thought of a problem.”
Kevin sat bolt upright. “What?” he asked.
“I don’t have any sunblock,” Candace said. “I didn’t bring any because on my three previous visits I never saw the sun.”
CHAPTER 16
MARCH 6, 1997
2:30 P.M.
NEW YORK CITY
WITH all the tests on Franconi pending, Jack had forced himself to go to his office and try to concentrate on some of his other outstanding cases. To his surprise, he’d made reasonable headway until the phone rang at two-thirty.
“Is this Dr. Stapleton?” a female voice with an Italian accent asked.
“It is indeed,” Jack said. “Is this Mrs. Franconi?”
“Imogene Franconi. I got a message to call you.”