Chapter Eighteen
Andrea knocked quietly on Brian’s door a half hour later. “It sure didn’t take any convincing to get Camilla to bed.” She walked into the room assessing its beauty and admiring the tidy bed. “Her eyes were almost closed by the time she was in her pajamas. She didn’t even notice how soft and new they were.”
“Do you think she’ll be all right for a little while? I wish we had adjoining rooms. It would make looking after her so much easier.”
“She’ll be fine. I locked the door and asked the woman next door to listen for any disturbance. After what happened this afternoon, she was more than willing.”
“What is it you have to tell me?” Brian sat on the edge of the bed leaving the only chair available for Andrea.
“I managed to get some more information out of Camilla by playing a game with her before dinner. That’s why we were so late.” Andrea crossed her legs. “The voodoo ceremony will probably happen tonight at midnight or thereabouts. Camilla said that they happen when the moon is high in the sky. She managed to follow her mother one night without being seen, and I think we should do the same thing…follow someone, I mean.”
“Do you mean tonight?” Brian sat forward, his intense stare making Andrea a little nervous.
“Yes, tonight. We’ve already been a whole day. We’re no closer to solving Max’s murder or the disappearance of the Michners than we were when at home. This is the only solid lead we have. We need to find out if the events here are tied to the disappearance of the Michners. If the voodoo ceremonies have something to do with all of them, we need to find out. Don’t you think?”
“Yes, I certainly agree there. What will we do when we get there?”
“Just watch, I think, but we can play it by ear. Then tomorrow we can decide what to do as far as bringing the police into this.”
“Is it your plan to leave Camilla all alone then?”
“No, I was thinking we could move her into the room of our neighbor if she will allow us. Then we won’t have to worry about hurrying back in case we see something we want to follow up on.”
“Andrea, are you curious at all about what Jason had to tell me this afternoon?”
“Oh that’s right. I got so involved with finding Camilla under all that dirt that I completely forgot about Jason. What did you find out?”
“Well, if he could have crawled into a hole to hide from me, he would have, I think. He was shaken when I told him that I knew who he was and that he had been following us all day. He tried to tell me he was only concerned about you, but…”
“Yeah, right.” Andrea huffed and then waited for Brian to continue.
“Of course, when I told him I knew that he was also following us in the States, that he tried to run me down, he became uncomfortable and then defensive. He told me we’d better leave the island. He said his friends didn’t want us here, that we didn’t know what we’d gotten ourselves involved with.” Brian poured each of them a glass of water. “Do you know, his face changed right in front of me? Lots of anger and full of evil. I’m sure glad you no longer work with that man.”
Andrea swallowed. “Did he know that his warning fell on deaf ears?”
“I think so. He made the remark that you’re bullheaded, that you were not one to let go of something once you got hold of it. Is that true about you?” His eyes twinkled in the now familiar teasing manner that had become so recognizable to Andrea.
“Never mind that. Did he say who his friends were?”
“No, only they were powerful men who plan to change the world. A magnanimous statement if I ever heard one. His mannerisms suggested that he felt he was above the law and so are his friends. He said the world would thank them someday, that what they were doing was important. No one would or could do anything to stop them. Just one more part of the puzzle that keeps getting more complicated every day.” Brian walked over toward the window and looked outside. “Anyway, let’s make plans for tonight. When do you want to leave?”
“It’s already 11 p.m. Meet me at the top of the stairs in fifteen minutes. I’ll put on some dark clothes, if I can find some, and see you then.” Andrea left, returned to her room and then retraced her steps to knock on the door of her next door neighbor.
•
Trent slowly placed one foot in front of the other. The whistler behind him pushed. “Hurry along. I want to get something to eat.” Trent took a quick step closer to the rundown cabin where Jeffrey and Diane waited. He stole a furtive glance toward the wharf where a small boat lay at anchor.
“Doing any fishing while you’re here?” He hoped his captor hated being here as much as he did.
The man pushed him again. “None of your business, Michner. Keep moving.”
Trent felt the warmth of the sun on his back. If only Jeffrey and Diane could get out for part of the day. He decided to risk another back hand. “Tomorrow, couldn’t my wife and son get some sunshine for a couple of hours? They’ll be good…er…they won’t try anything. You have my word.”
“We’ll see. Maybe we have some fun with them, eh?” The thug chortled as if he was making a joke.
“You harm them and you’ll never get me to do what you want.” Trent spun around and raised a fist only to be knocked to the ground and kicked…again.
“Keep your distance. You’ll do what we want or your wife and son will pay.” He pulled Trent to his feet, dragged him toward the cabin, and slammed his body into the door.
Trent winced in pain. He rubbed his rib cage, then quickly wiped the grimace from his face as the man unlocked the door. He fell inside.
“Trent.” Diane was by his side the instant he arrived. She glared at the brute as he shut the door again. Trent’s eyes became accustomed to the dark interior.
“Daddy.” Jeffrey raced toward him but Diane stopped his headlong tumble into his father’s body.
“Hi there buddy. Let daddy get up first.” Trent stood painstakingly and brushed a trembling hand over his eyes. He plastered a smile on his face for his son’s benefit. “How’s your day been?”
“I want to go outside, Daddy. Why can’t we go outside?” Trent stooped down to hug his son. “I know, son, I know. These men won’t let us walk around outside, at least not yet. I’ve asked them and I’ll ask again, okay?” Trent looked toward Diane. She quickly averted her eyes. His guilt rose to the surface. “Diane.”
“I have some food for you. Eat. We’ll talk later.” Trent ate the meager fare that Diane set in front of him on the metal plates that these people provided. Everything tasted like sawdust to him these days, dry, tasteless, hard to swallow. He pushed his plate aside after only a few bites.
“Look, Trent, Jeffrey and I ate less so you could have something to eat. The least you can do is eat it. You need to keep up your strength. We’re counting on you to get us out of here.” Diane left the rest of the sentence unspoken. This is your fault.
“Diane, I’m sor…I guess I’ve said that so many times, you don’t think I mean it. Well, I do. I told Max ‘no’ but…he passed my name along. I can’t help that. Now…” He stood, turned his back on his wife and walked toward the bed. He hung his head. Tears coursed down his cheeks. He was so scared…not so much for himself but for his family. These men were without conscience.
Diane walked over and sat beside him. She placed her hand on his arm. “No, this time I’m sorry, Trent. I am just so scared and I need to blame someone for this. You’re handy, that’s all.”
“There’s a boat.” Trent swiped at his face. Jeffrey didn’t need to see him this way. The little boy was coloring at the table near the half eaten plate of food.
“What do you mean…there’s a boat?” Diane sat up straighter. She looked into her husband’s anguished features.
“There’s a small boat tied to the wharf. If we could just…”
“…get out of here.” Diane looked toward the closed door. “We’ll have to find another way out of here and then…”
…get to that boat.”
•
Brian met Andrea just as she closed the door to her room. “Hi, Brian, could you take her?” She had Camilla in her arms.
He moved closer and took the light bundle from her just as Andrea reached the door of her next-door neighbor. She knocked lightly so as not to wake the sleeping child. Her new friend opened the door. “Thank you so much for keeping her for us tonight.” Andrea spoke in a whisper as she gently placed Camilla on the room’s sofa. Giving the woman a smile of gratitude, the two left confident that the little child was in good hands.
“How did you manage to talk that woman into keeping Camilla?” Brian pressed the down arrow for the elevator.
“Mrs. Gevin was very accommodating. She even said she would look after the child’s breakfast. It seems she has also been touched by the plight of these little ones on the street and is more than happy to help this one.”
“There are some good people in this world, aren’t there? I think, before we start out, we should protect ourselves by praying for God’s provision in all this, don’t you?” After Andrea’s nod of agreement, Brian bowed his head. “Lord, we are entering into unknown territory and there could be danger. We are also entering into Satan’s realm so we ask your protection over us with a hedge of your angels. Keep us safe and help us to find out something that will tell us what happened to Trent and Diane. Amen.”
The lobby of the hotel was deserted as they walked out into the night air. Some distance away, music was playing but for the most part all was quiet and peaceful.
The moon was shining brightly through the gaps in the buildings along the street. From the lobby of the hotel, a man walked out onto the wide veranda with a newspaper in his hand and his eyes on the couple but the two sleuths were fully aware that someone else was on the street with them.
“What if that man is trailing us. I think we should go back up to our floor and then down the other set of stairs through the kitchen.”
“He does look suspicious,” agreed Andrea. “But if he saw us leave the hotel, he’ll get suspicious if we just turn around and go back in. Let’s get a coffee from that vendor over there. Since the hotel restaurant is closed it will appear perfectly normal. Come on. Let’s hurry.”
The two made their way over to a kiosk where cappuccinos were sold and ordered tall cups of the hot beverages with frothy whipped cream drizzled with chocolate syrup. They chattered companionably, laughing occasionally to keep their watcher from getting suspicious. Andrea was almost in a giddy mood, excitement chasing a string of bubbles through her stomach. “We’re getting good at pretending not to know we’re being watched.” She took another sip of the frothy concoction as they retraced their steps. The lobby was completely dark.
Upstairs again, they tiptoed down the hall to the alternate stairway used only by the hotel staff. Andrea was careful to place her foot gingerly on each tread so as not to alert anyone of their escape route. Soon they were outside in the cool night air again, although the air was not nearly as cool as the couple was used to back home. In fact the humidity was still very high, eliminating the need for a jacket.
Drinking the last of their beverage, they made their way toward the edge of town, down the small country road Camilla had pointed out to them earlier. Choosing to keep in the shadows, Brian and Andrea slithered from tree to tree toward the meadow where the ceremony was supposed to be held. They could see others, many others, moving in that direction.
“These ceremonies are well attended.” Andrea watched from behind their current hiding place, her gaze sweeping the road near the tree they’d crept to.
“Sh-h-h-h,” hushed Brian. “We don’t want to give ourselves away.”
The sound of drums could be heard now in the near distance. “We’re n-not t-too far a-away, it s-seems.” Andrea nervousness caused a catch in her voice. People moved faster as if a voice had called them. Andrea and Brian remained hidden in the trees.
Clandestinely they approached the clearing where a large bonfire in the center displayed several figures dancing around in wild abandon. The Houngan wore a large headdress of feathers of some kind. He held several sticks also adorned with chicken feathers. One, longer than the others, was used to beat the backs of the dancers in a not too gentle manner.
The uninvited guests watched in fascination. They could feel the satanic nature of this ceremony. Their spirits crawled with revulsion. Dancers were given a drink that made them appear to be drunk or in a trance. The drums grew louder. The beat more frenzied. The priest called to some demon to leave this person or that person. He beat the drums some more. Some words were in English, but most in a dialect unknown to the watchers.
It seemed like hours later, three men, dressed entirely in black, appeared like specters from the bushes on the right side of the clearing, twenty yards or so from where they stood. “It’s a good thing we’re wearing black and have been so quiet.” Brian whispered as they hunkered down even further in the tall underbrush. The men were waving their arms and seemed to be in control of the Houngan. The dancers gave them no heed, just kept gyrating and jumping around the fire to the frenzied beat of the drums.
Each of the menacing figures grabbed a dancer by the arm. They led them cautiously toward the far side of the clearing, opposite Brian and Andrea’s location. No one protested or seemed to care. In fact, everyone just went on with their twirling and chanting, oblivious to the Houngan’s downcast face.
“We’ve got to see where they are going.” Andrea spoke a little louder than necessary. She covered her mouth but no one seemed to hear. She lowered her voice. “This may be what happened to Camilla’s parents and all the others who have disappeared from this village.”
Brian led the way around the clearing being careful to remain hidden. The Houngan wasn’t in a trance but was clearly under the influence of the strangers. He was afraid of them, it seemed to Andrea. She stepped on a twig. “Let’s pray.” Andrea sent Brian a look that pleaded for him to agree. She began, “Lord, watch over us tonight and help us discover without being discovered ourselves.”
“Yes, Lord, keep us safe and watch over little Camilla at the hotel,” added Brian. “Amen. We’ve got to move quickly now, or we may lose them.”
Andrea’s muscles were tighter than a drum as she moved stealthily through the underbrush. Usually described as a bull in a china shop, she was terrified that she was going to stumble and give them away. The drums were a definite asset. They broke out of the brush to find themselves on a path of sorts.
•
Brian’s hands shook. His insides felt like jelly. He didn’t want Andrea to know how scared he was. What are we doing here? We’re not sleuths or private eyes. Why are we playing these games with such ruthless people? He followed Andrea down the path but then straightened his back and walked quickly in front of her. Without words he pointed ahead. He placed one foot in front of the other, stepping where he couldn’t see but praying there were no more twigs here to snap in the still of the night. His eyes watched carefully in case the path ended sooner than they expected. He had no idea how far it went or if it ended at the water’s edge. After all this was an island.
•
Voices. Up ahead. Water lapping on some rocks. Andrea grabbed Brian’s arm for support. It was so dark. The moon had gone behind some clouds. Brian and Andrea slowed their pace even more, keeping trees between themselves and the men ahead, they hoped.
“Use the chloroform before we put them into the boat, you dumpkopf.” A deep menacing voice delivered the order. “Do you want them to come out of their trance and make a racket?”
“Ah-h-h Heine. I know what to do.” Another man’s voice whined, giving away a heavily accented brogue.
“You are stupid, Yah!” replied the one called Heine. “Do as I say.”
“Ya vol mein heir.” Another man, this time with an American or at least English speaking voice. “Who died and made you boss?”
“I was just tryin
g to push the idiot, that’s all Werner.” The menacing voice seemed not so menacing this time.
“I will do the pushing. I want you to leave my brother alone. You will end up dead like the others if you don’t watch yourself.” Werner threatened deadly force, obviously used many times.
“Let’s get going with these guinea pigs, yah?”
As Andrea and Brian watched from the shadows, the three men pushed their captives into a boat beached on the shoreline. They each grabbed a spot on the hull and began to push the craft into deeper water before climbing aboard. Once everyone was in the boat, one man started a small motor attached to the back of the boat, and off they went out to sea, very slowly and very quietly.
“We have to see what is off shore from this side of the island.” Andrea’s spoke with an urgency she didn’t quite understand but felt with every fiber of her being. “Next time we need to be prepared to follow them, wherever they are going. Do you think we could hire a boat somewhere?”
“I have a better idea,” said Brian. “Let’s get back to the hotel, and when we get up in the morning, we need to take some scuba lessons.”
* * * * *