“It doesn’t make sense.” Janet scrunched up her brow in thought. “Why would he call it fake?”
“Good question,” a new voice said.
Samuels’ heart sank. Even though his back was to the speaker, he still recognized the voice. “How’d you get in here?”
“It’s not my first time,” Hooper replied with a smile.
“Everyone, this is Ed Hooper,” Samuels said without turning around. “He’s the Secret Service Agent I mentioned.”
Heads swiveled toward the door. Eyes bulged. Jaws dropped.
Samuels waited for someone, anyone to speak. But when silence once again filled the room, he rotated toward the door. “I …” His voice trailed off as he caught sight of two figures. One, of course, was Ed Hooper. But the other figure caught him completely by surprise.
“Hello, Barney.” President Wade Walters strode into the room. His face, although devoid of expression, radiated with anger. “I think it’s time for a chat.”
Chapter 54
Adjusting my goggles, I stared at the research station. The dust obscured everything, but I caught glimpses of the large building. It was close.
Tantalizingly close.
My throat was dry. My cheeks felt hot. I worked my tongue, trying to create some saliva. Instead, I ended up swallowing more grit.
I adjusted the goggles again, enhancing the loading dock. It consisted of a concrete platform, backed by a large set of metal doors. Several trucks and SUVs were parked outside it.
Lowering my gaze, I looked at Pagan Bay. It was beneath us, stretching away from our elevated position. Its shores were dark and lined with rocks. Its waters looked dull and blackish.
The bay was about fifteen hundred feet wide and maybe a thousand feet long. A couple of luxurious yachts were anchored just offshore. They sported gleaming rails and coats of fresh paint. I guessed their lengths to be in excess of thirty feet apiece. Even so, they looked small from my position.
“Not much of a view, huh?” Graham said.
“I’ve seen worse.” I whistled softly. “Look at those ships. Simona sure travels in style.”
“What’d you expect her to use?” Beverly grinned. “Rowboats?”
“Eco-Trek isn’t some gigantic conglomerate, swimming in cash. It’s a non-profit company.”
“Maybe those were the greenest boats they could find.”
“Sure. If by green, you mean money.”
Taking shifts, we’d watched over the research station for a couple of hours, taking care to keep an eye out for the Grueler as well. There were no patrols, so we’d observed the floodlights instead. Overall, the security wasn’t impressive. Apparently, Eco-Trek focused its efforts on keeping people from ever reaching the island rather than on protecting the station.
I scanned the boats for another minute. Then I turned my gaze back to the station.
One road led from the loading dock to the bay. The second road encircled the station. It connected to the first road as well as to the runway.
The runway was wide and stretched away from us, passing across the thin slice of land that connected the volcanoes to each other. Black sand beaches lay on either side of the runway.
Past the runway, I saw the second volcano, covered with sparse vegetation. It was tall and quiet, a silent guardian of the island’s many secrets.
A bit of movement caught my eye. “We’ve got activity,” I said. “The loading bay doors are opening.”
Graham stared through his binoculars. “I see people. They’re carrying guns. Must be guards.”
I shifted my gaze. “See those two in the back? What are they carrying? Is that plastic?”
He pushed the lenses closer to his eyes. “The outer part is plastic,” he replied tightly. “But the thing inside it? That’s a body.”
Chapter 55
“I count eight guards.” I frowned as a puff of dust whirled around my face. Waving it away, I stared at the loading bay. “Four are watching the doors. Four are handling the bodies.”
“Give me those.” Benigno snatched at Graham’s binoculars.
Graham swatted his hand away.
“I need to see.” His breaths came fast, like he was hyperventilating. “I need to know if Rizzalyn is one of them.”
“You won’t be able to tell,” Graham said. “There’s too much plastic.”
“What are they doing now?” Beverly asked.
“They’re loading a truck.” I watched the guards toss the plastic-wrapped bodies into a cargo bed. Then three of them climbed into the front seat. “Okay, they’re in the cab now.”
Beverly glanced at Carrie. “Is this how it happened last time?”
“I never saw any bodies,” Carrie replied. “I never even reached the graveyard.”
The sound of igniting engines drifted into my ears. The truck started to vibrate gently.
“What kind of arms are they carrying?” Beverly asked.
“Rifles.” I watched the trucks rumble onto the road. Moments later, they drove toward Pagan Bay. “They’re heading this way.”
“Good.” Benigno’s jaw clenched. “What’s the plan?”
I heard the worry in his voice and saw the tension lines on his face. He was understandably petrified that one of the dead bodies belonged to his wife. “We get in position,” I said. “Then we strike.”
Chapter 56
“If you’re too scared, give me a gun.” Benigno passed the binoculars to Beverly. “I’ll kill them for you.”
“We’re not scared,” Beverly said. “But we’re not going to rush into this either.”
He glared at her.
“She’s right,” Graham said. “We have to wait for an opening.”
I cast a fleeting glimpse at the research station. From our elevated position, I could see its walls, its blinking lights. I was nearly positive the reliquary lay somewhere inside that building. And if all went well, we’d be looking at it within the next hour.
Sweat gushed from my pores. Wiping it away, I took a quick drink of bottled water. Unfortunately, it did little to alleviate my thirst, my dehydration.
Shifting my gaze, I took in the scene below me. Three guards stood next to their truck at the bottom of some large rocks. They wore bulletproof vests. One guard leaned against the truck, a rifle clutched in his hands. The other two held shovels, which they stabbed repeatedly at the earth.
All around them, I saw disturbed dirt, marked by rocks.
Graves.
I did a quick count. Twelve rocks. Twelve corpses.
The burial ground was located next to the winding road. Curiously enough, small stones lined three sides of the burial ground, hemming it in to the road. They looked exactly like the ones lining the trail near the hatch. Even stranger, those weren’t the only stones in the area. Up close, I saw similar stones lining both sides of the road.
I slid backward, down a gentle slope. Then I spun around, casting a wary eye at the rocks and boulders. Seeing nothing, I looked west, toward Pagan Bay. Its dark waters shimmered in the distance.
The Grueler’s earlier disappearance still bothered me. Its retreat, while fortunate, didn’t change things. It was still dangerous, still deadly.
Where are you?
One by one, the others followed my cue. Sliding down the gentle slope, they joined me in a small circle.
Graham looked at Beverly. “What’s our play?”
“That depends.” She glanced at me. “Are we taking prisoners?”
It was a tough call. We were heavily outnumbered. Our ammunition was limited. Our only real advantage was surprise.