Chapter 22
“Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty.” Maddock gave the snoring Bones a shove, both of them having slept their respective shifts. The startled Indian raised a fist, which Maddock clamped in a steady hand.
“Save it for anyone who gets in our way. It’s go-time.”
Maddock shouldered his backpack and stared outside the cave at the jungle. The rain had stopped, leaving only the sounds of millions of insects, blended with a few birdcalls and the dripping of water onto the forest floor.
Maddock took out his camera and scrolled through its pictures until he found the aerial shots he’d taken from the helicopter on the way in. He showed one to Bones. “So this is what I was thinking. You see the radio tent there…” The large tent and the antenna tower were clearly visible in the shot.
“I see it.”
Maddock passed a fingernail over the tiny screen. “Over here is a thick stand of plants, and then the lagoon beach past that.”
“You want to hang out in those bushes while we scout out the tent?”
“I don’t really want to, Bones, as much I enjoy your company, but I think it offers the best chance of not being seen until we establish what’s happening in and around the radio tent.”
“What’s the best way to get there?”
Maddock studied the aerial image and traced a finger across the small screen while he spoke. “We go through the jungle like we’re taking a shotcut to camp, but before we get to the end, we cut through here.” He jabbed his finger at a spot on the display. “We’ll come out on this narrow strip of lagoon beach, with the jungle still shielding us from the camp side.”
Bones dragged his meaty finger across the camera. “Then we just walk along the beach to that clump of bushes you were talking about to scope out the tent.”
“That’s it. Ready?”
“Sure could use a strong cup of coffee,” Bones said, stretching in the mouth of the cave.
“Wrestling this box full of smallpox down those rocks should be a good wake-up call.”
Maddock hefted the crate and walked over to Bones, who took half its weight. Together they eased the old box down the rocky incline until they reached the soggy ground. Maddock retrieved the poles they used to carry the box, placed the box on the poles as before, switched their dive lights on, and began to move once again through the rain forest.
The going was slow in the darkness over the waterlogged ground, and they had no desire to push their luck knowing what was inside the crate should they drop it. They plodded onward, glancing now and then at their watches, dreading the possibility of finding Sims already at work in the radio tent when they got there. He was known to keep odd hours in order to best utilize atmospheric phenomena that might offer the best radio wave propagation. The crate felt heavier than ever and they had to stop and rest every so often.
After what seemed like a long while they recognized a grouping of trees and knew that they were almost to the end of the jungle where it opened onto the path leading to camp.
“We cut through there.” Maddock pointed through what looked like the thickest possible part of the jungle. He knew from the aerial photograph that the atoll’s lagoon lay not far on the other side of it. They set off into it, moving slower than before and stopping frequently to set the poles down while they used their knives to cut vines out of the way or chop down obstructing branches.
After an exhausting trek they cautiously emerged onto the narrow ribbon of sand fronting the lagoon. After listening and watching they saw no reason not to continue and took up the poles again. They walked along the sand, welcoming the warm breeze wafting off the lagoon. When they reached the cluster of foliage Maddock had picked out in the aerial photo, they briefly surveyed the area. Quiet all around.
They dragged the crate deep inside the plants and hid the poles. They situated themselves so that they had a decent view of the radio tent. Immediately they were disappointed. Lantern light from inside the tent cast the shadow of Harvey Sims as he sat hunched over his equipment.
Maddock and Bones settled in to wait. After a while boredom set in, interrupted only by the stings and bites of unseen insects. They watched their surroundings from beneath a shroud of protective plants.
Bones swatted at his neck. “Nothing like hanging around in a thicket with a box full of smallpox while you donate your blood to the local bugs.”
Suddenly they heard the thud of footfalls approaching fast from the other side of the ham radio tent. Maddock felt Bones tense, reaching for his knife. But he gripped his shoulder, pushing him down.
“Hold up! Listen.”
Bones continued to watch through the gaps in the leaves but remained motionless. Shouted commands of some sort drifted to them in the wind. Then two figures came into view. Even in the dim light, Maddock could see that the man in the lead was Fred Spinney. He was being pushed by another man whom he didn’t recognize. As they drew nearer to the tent, Maddock held his breath as he realized that one of them was Asian.
And that he held a handgun locked onto the nape of Spinney’s neck.
Chapter 23
“Where are the rest of the artifacts?” The man gave Spinney a shove and he fell flat on his stomach. “Tell me!” He stamped his foot on the ground next to Spinney’s ear, causing him to flinch.
As Maddock and Bones watched from their concealed location in the foliage, another man came stumbling into the cleared area, also pushed by an Asian man with a firearm. George Taylor staggered forward with the crate from his tent held awkwardly in his arms. His captor waved the gun at him, yelling something, and Taylor dropped to his knees as he set the crate down next to Spinney, who looked at it, and at Taylor, with surprise.
“Why don’t we talk about this in camp like civilized men?” Spinney pleaded. “What do you want?”
“We wish to question you two and the rest of your men separately. Mizuhi Development Corporation is the rightful owner of this island and these artifacts. You will tell us where the other items are!”
“I’m telling you,” Spinney said, “I already showed you what we brought up!”
“You didn’t show us this.” The man guarding Spinney kicked the crate next to Taylor’s knees.
“I didn’t know about that.” Spinney looked over at Taylor and glared. “What is it?”
They couldn’t see his face, but Taylor’s Aussie accent was unmistakable to Maddock and Bones. “It used to contain film. But it’s gone. The two new guys must have taken it.”
“Film? What film?” Spinney wanted to know.
“Enough!” The gunman watching over Spinney kicked him in the shoulder. “You are hiding artifacts from us. You will tell us where they are!”
No one spoke.
Maddock jumped at the sound of the shot, so unexpected was its report. A puff of coral dust drifted away with the wind where the bullet struck the ground next to Spinney’s head.
“You will talk now or die!”
It was Taylor who opened his mouth next. “I don’t know where the film is. But I know that there is another crate just like this one. I saw it. No idea what was in it or where it is now. Two of these crates were pulled from the plane.”
The Mizuhi man standing over Spinney looked down at him. “Is this true?”
“I don’t know! I guess it could be, if my own men were stealing from me!”
A handheld radio was produced by the Mizuhi leader and shortly three more Asian men trooped into the clearing. Each of them carried at least one type of gun.
“Tell us more about these two…new men.” All of the Mizuhi workers eyed Taylor expectantly.