It wasn’t like her to worry, but neither was it like Sam to forget about her. There was no reason to think the worst — Michael had specifically requested Sam’s help. Whatever was going on here, the man had wanted Sam. Still, she couldn’t help recall the last words that Sam had said to her — someone is lying, I just don’t know why.
By the time it was dark, Aliana called Sam’s cell for the fifth time, and someone picked up.
“Hello, Sam Reilly’s phone?” The man’s voice was confident, like someone used to being in charge.
“Hi, can I speak to Sam?”
She thought she could hear the man sigh on the other side of the cell. “I’m sorry, what did you say your name was?”
“Aliana. I was supposed to be coming to Bendigo to help Sam with his project.”
“Oh… gotcha…” the man on the other end of the phone, sighed again. “You must be his girlfriend. I’m so sorry to tell you this… Sam’s been involved in an accident.”
“Sam’s dead!”
“No, no, we sure hope not. We had a cave in, and Sam was on the wrong side of the tunnel at the time. We have a team working around the clock to remove the debris. We’re all pretty confident he’ll be fine. I wouldn’t fly out here until it’s all sorted. It might take us a few days, that’s all. When were you thinking of coming out?”
“I already did.”
“You did? My goodness, you should have told me. I’ll come to the airport myself to pick you up.”
Aliana felt something uneasy in her stomach and replied, “It’s okay. You must be very busy. Maybe I should just grab a room at a motel and wait for word that Sam’s all right?”
“No way — I wouldn’t hear of it. I’ll be at the airport in half an hour. Wait right there.”
The large silver six-wheeled Mercedes pulled up alongside the entrance to the airport. Despite the ostentatious truck, the man who climbed out appeared to Aliana like a down-to-earth, honest, mine worker. He wore denim pants with no label, a polo shirt, and rugged boots. The only sign of his billionaire background was the Rolex on his wrist, but even that could have been a fake.
“Aliana Wolfgang?” The man asked politely.
“That’s me.” She smiled.
“Michael Rodriguez.” He offered his hand, and then said, “I’m really sorry you had to find out about Sam this way. We’re really are hoping to have him out in the next couple days. Don’t you worry — he has plenty of supplies on his side of the tunnel. He’ll be all right, just you watch.”
Aliana shook his hand, and then climbed up into the small truck. Michael then began to drive south and out of town. The two spoke on the way to the mine site, and she quickly found herself naturally at ease with him. There was something about Rodriguez that she couldn’t help but trust. He seemed like the real deal somehow, despite what Sam had discovered about the Mahogany Ship. She could see why Sam was stuck for an explanation about the lie.
Once they reached the mine’s entrance Michael showed her on the map of the tunnel exactly where the cave-in was, and what they were doing to release him.
Aliana asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“There’s nothing more to do, I’m afraid. My men have it under control, and they should have him out in the next four to five hours. Is there anything I can do for you, while you wait?”
Aliana looked at his face. It was kind and reassuring. “No thanks. I have some of the information that Sam provided me about your discovery of the Mahogany Ship, I liked to take a look while I wait. Is there anywhere I can plug in my laptop?”
“Of course, I’ll have one of my men free some space in the computer tent.”
“Thanks.” Aliana looked at him for a moment longer and then said, “I really mean that. For everything. Thank you.”
Michael took her hand in his and replied, “You’re welcome. This will be over before you know it.”
The hours passed quickly as Aliana made a list of questions to ask Sam regarding the Mahogany Ship. There seemed to be more discrepancies in the details of the find than she first realized, and Aliana was starting to wonder if there was some truth in what Sam had said to her.
Maybe Michael isn’t entirely what he seems?
By eleven p.m. Michael came into her tent and said, “Look, we’re doing all that we can, and my team will keep doing so through the night, but it appears that it will take much longer than we first anticipated. I’ve arranged a room for you at a local motel. Why don’t you spend the night there?”
“I’d like to help,” she persisted.
“I’m sure you would, but there’s very little you can do at this moment. I’ll come pick you up first thing in the morning.”
She hated the thought of it, but knew that he had a point. Nothing could be gained by waiting at the tunnel’s side. “Okay, sure… but promise you’ll ring me the second you’re through.”
“Of course.”
Michael then insisted on driving her back to town, himself. After he left, she had a simple dinner and then relaxed in the bath. Despite being on her own private jet, the long flight and recent knowledge about Sam’s accident had taken its toll on her body.
She decided to go to bed early. Her head had only just rested on the uncomfortable pillow, before she rolled over twice and then fell sound asleep.
And then there was a knock at the door.
Aliana pulled the curtain back and then opened the door. She paused a mere second before throwing her arms around the man on the other side
“Mr. Reilly, I can’t believe you’re here!”
The older man wrapped his strong arms around her, comforting her, and then replied, “Call me James, darling. You’re the first girl my Sam has ever brought to see his old man. That makes you practically family.”
Aliana stood back and looked at the man’s face again. Although she could imagine that he had a ruthless streak, it looked kindly at her now. James shared the same piercing grey-blue eyes and confident smile that she recognized in Sam.
“It’s so good to see you here. I think Sam’s in trouble.”
James smiled kindly at her and then said, “How about I come in, and you tell me what you’re doing here.”
She explained everything that had happened and finished by telling him about the mine collapse. She described how Michael had been very good to her, but that she worried he might not be telling the entire truth about all he was doing to help Sam survive.
“Did they tell you that’s where Sam’s mine shaft had caved in?” James asked.
“Yeah, they’ve been working frantically for 12 hours now to try and reach him, at a place about ten miles south of town.”
“Really, that’s funny. I would have thought that they’d have better luck tunneling where they left him.”
“What do you mean, left him?” Aliana just about screamed the words. Then, fumbling through a map on the table in front of her, said, “This was where he disappeared.”
“No it wasn’t… that place is more than fifty miles away, where they left him.”
“How can you know that?”
“Look, my son can be a self-righteous, altruistic ass at times, with no care for himself or the family fortune. But stupid, he certainly is not. He and I looked for the Mahogany Ship years ago. Came mighty close to finding her, too. Sam knew immediately, that Michael was lying, but hoped that somehow we’d missed something years ago. Either way, he never trusted Michael, and so he left a GPS beacon at the entrance of the mine shaft and asked me to keep an eye on things. I own several satellites for just such spying…”
“So, if Sam’s not trapped down below this mine shaft where Michael took me, what happened to him?”
“That, I don’t know.” James took out a large smartphone from his pocket and clicked on a GPS app. “Here, this is what the mine shaft where Sam’s been working looked like three days ago.”