Chapter Twenty Seven
Andrea opened her eyes. Her skin tingled with anticipation. Birds, many tropical, sang their melodious tunes just outside her hotel room window. She watched the sun’s rays as they streaked through the louvered balcony doors across the bedroom floor. She could hear fruit vendors describing their juicy wares in the nearby market place. Today could be the day when we’ll discover where the Michners are. She lay still a while longer wondering what the day had in store for them.
All the clues they’d uncovered seemed to lead to the voodoo ceremonies. Tonight, they planned to attend another one, prepared this time to follow that boat wherever it went. She rolled over on the bed, relishing a few last moments under the cool sheets before the day began in earnest. The color on Brian’s face last night. Could he be interested in me? I wonder where that will lead. Her body quivered at the prospect.
•
Next door, Brian was also beginning his day. He stepped into the shower, enjoying the warm spray of water on his body. His roiling thoughts interrupted his shower concerto. Thoughts of what could go wrong tripped across his brain. “Lord, please remove any obstacles. Keep us safe. Amen” The mission they planned was dangerous. They were working against men not averse to using force, or more, to obtain what they wanted. The burden of responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders, but he knew that if the Michners were here, they had no choice but to carry out their plans. I hope we aren’t in over our heads. This thought was not a new one.
The warm water began to spray a little cooler as was the custom at this tiny hotel in Haiti. He knew it was time to shut it off or be exhilarated with a cold shower. Brian stepped gingerly out onto the tile floor and began drying off with one of the towels provided by the hotel. He knew this would be the coolest he would feel all day so he took his time dressing.
•
Andrea knocked on the door adjoining their rooms. When Brian answered she smiled. “Brian, good morning. Are you ready for breakfast?”
“I am. Are you ready for the busy day ahead of us?” Brian closed the door and then entered the hallway through her door.
“It’s given me a lot to think about this morning. But I lay in bed for an extra few minutes just enjoying the sounds from outside…so tropical.”
Before long they sat at their usual table in the dining room. Their waiter poured them fresh hot coffee, followed by fresh rolls and fruit for their breakfast. Their conversation was as light-hearted as if they were indeed just tourists. Appetites satisfied, the conversation turned to the day’s tasks ahead.
“The first thing we need to do is complete another scuba lesson using the rebreathers and the scooters.” Brian sipped his second cup of coffee. “We want to be really comfortable with this stuff before tonight, so we may need to spend a lot of time in the water today.”
“You mean you want me to be more comfortable. I’m sorry I’m such a wimp. Do you think we could go down more than once today?” Andrea knew that diving in quick succession was definitely something to be concerned about.
“We can. Remember . . . if we spend a certain amount of time on the surface, we can calculate how long we can dive again. Each time will be shorter, but we will be able to go down more than once if we take the precautions they taught us.” Brian signed for their breakfast. He held Andrea’s chair for her while she rose.
“I remember. I wish that closed in feeling was not something I had to fight every time I went under the water. The thought of diving in pitch black water scares me to death.” Andrea shivered.
“Do you want to stay on shore? Maybe it would be better if I went alone.”
“No! I’m going. I’ll just work really hard on conquering my fears, that’s all.” Andrea’s stubborn streak had taken her beyond her comfort zone quite often. They exited the elevator and walked toward their rooms.
Inside, Andrea threw her bathing suit and a towel into a small, plastic lined, canvas bag along with a comb and her wallet, eliminating the need for a purse. She closed her door firmly; making sure the lock was engaged. Brian carried a similar bag when he emerged from his room. If anyone was watching, they were two happy tourists. Outside, the sunshine forgotten, a knot as big as the outdoors filled Andrea’s stomach. Her fears were surfacing again.
“The scuba shop should have the okay on our check by now. We’ll practice first…with the rebreathers, scooters, and the sonar. Afterwards we’ll stash our equipment near the ceremony site, in the brush near the beach where the boat landed the first time.” Brian looked at Andrea’s ashen face.
“I’m so scared, Brian. Determined but scared. I hope I don’t mess this up for us.” Andrea’s head dropped to her chest. She kicked at a stone on the sidewalk.
“Andrea, I’m scared too. Anyone going into battle is scared. They’re fools if they aren’t. It’ll just keep our senses sharp, that’s all. Now let’s concentrate. As soon as those men leave the beach with their next victims, we can slip into the water and follow. I just hope they don’t go faster than our equipment allows us to follow. At night, with no lights, I am counting on them going slower than if they were traveling during the day.” Brian took her elbow to steer her across the street. The dive shop appeared on their right.
The more Brian outlined their plans, the more apprehensive Andrea became. “Until we confirmed that the police were not reliable, I still hoped we might enlist their help. Now…”
“We have no one to count on but ourselves…at least until we can give the FBI something solid to go on. I know this will not be the most pleasant experience. It’s one thing to dive during the day when the water is lit up by the sunlight, but tonight… Are you sure you can handle this?” Brian watched her face closely for any sign that she needed to forego her involvement.
Strength and resolution were back in place. “I want to be there when we find the Michners. I will stay focused, and the practice this morning will certainly help.” Andrea walked purposefully down the sidewalk again.
Boats were leaving the marina when they arrived, many on their way to their fishing grounds where they would spend the day. Others were charters taking tourists for some deep-sea fishing or scuba diving. Some were clearly rented pleasure crafts that tourists, who came to Haiti to either scuba dive on their own or just swim in the ocean, occupied. The parking lot near the marina was full. Brian and Andrea were glad they had left their car at the hotel.
They crossed the parking lot and walked down the dock toward the scuba office located to the right side of the marina. When they entered the door, their instructor greeted them with a big smile, happy to tell them they had indeed heard from the bank. Their check was cleared. “Today you will become proficient in the use of the rebreathers, non?”
“We can hardly wait.” Andrea smiled at the man’s enthusiasm. She and Brian withdrew to the dressing room area to put on their swimsuits. Andrea returned in a few minutes, resolve fully in place, if not anticipation.
•
Brian stepped to her side with his usual smile. He turned his head to look outside. Their young appendage, from the night before, was relaxing on a pile of canvas near the edge of the dock. The boy obviously thinks that he knows we could be occupied for most of the day. He thinks he can relax a little. To keep the boy guessing, as they loaded their gear onto the boat, he spoke loud enough for the kid to hear. “We may want to use regular tanks today as well.” Andrea gave him a puzzled look. He tilted his head in the boy’s direction. She smiled.
Walking past the boy to the water’s edge, Brian helped Andrea into the boat. He sat across from her for the short ride to the reef for their dive. The water was as smooth as glass in the marina but it became a little choppy once they left the protected area. They were joined at the reef by other divers, doing the same thing…exploring the white sandy bottom and the colorful fish located in the hollows of the coral landscape.
Brian and Andrea’s equipment would allow them to stay down much longer. They tossed their t-shirts an
d shorts on a bench, strapped their rebreathers on and slipped their feet into fins. Masks and snorkels came next, just before their guide gave the signal for them to fall backward into the water from the side of the boat.
Fish of all colors streaked by. Sunbeams made ribbons through the clear water. Coral dotted the white sandy ocean floor. Brian watched the stream of bubbles from the other divers nearby. Nothing came from his or Andrea’s tank. We’ll be invisible tonight.
He watched Andrea extend her hand toward a nurse shark and then a sting ray. Remember the warnings Andrea. A lobster skittered away to hide in the coral. Andrea seemed engrossed in her surroundings. When a school of tiny silver fish swarmed around her head, she just knelt there on top of the white sand. She’s some kind of woman.
•
The realization that she was not afraid any longer came as a surprise to Andrea. The light from the surface enabled her to view things quite a distance away, which left her feeling quite comfortable. She watched Brian a short distance away. He was doing the same things she was. Their guide’s eyes were peeled for treasure, a common practice of island dwellers she was told.
She and Brian turned their focus to familiarizing themselves with their equipment. With the guide’s help, Brian practiced lodging the sonar on the bottom of their boat. The instructor surfaced, gave the captain some instructions and then returned to Brian’s side. The boat took off slowly. Andrea watched Brian use a scooter to follow. She decided to give that piece of equipment a try. She enjoyed the relaxing way it pulled her through the water while at the same time covering a great distance. This will certainly make the dive tonight a little easier.
Continuing to use the rebreather and the scooter, Andrea focused on her surroundings once again. The water was as clear at forty feet as it was at ten. Purplish sea fans waved in the currents and a larger fish swam by, totally oblivious to the human elements within their depths. Although the fans moved in a rhythmic dance to the ocean movements, those same currents were hardly felt by the divers.
Since he didn’t have a rebreather, their instructor was on his second tank. Andrea signaled to him how confident she was. She felt way more comfortable than she did the last time. She watched him move farther away and continued to scrutinize the smooth strokes of his legs as they propelled him through the water. He had a certain rhythm; one that she knew would take her a long time to accomplish. The man was a good instructor. Brian was also to be trusted and a reliable dive partner. She knew she could count on him to keep her safe.
The instructor spotted an old Coca Cola bottle and then a crusty old coin, treasures he would clean up and store or sell, he’d told his students. His movements indicated he was not in any hurry to go topside, but Andrea knew the air on his second tank would soon run out.
Once aboard the boat, Brian listened to Andrea’s breathless description of the dive. “I think we’ve learned enough to accomplish our task. Let’s go ashore, move the gear and then relax for the rest of the day.”
Their instructor gave them a good progress report. When they arrived at the marina, their shadow was just waking from a nap. Brian watched him through hooded eyes. The boy seemed confident they knew nothing of him. Brian told the shop owner they would be back for the more advanced equipment.
“How are we going to lose that young man?” Andrea walked quickly beside Brian toward their hotel. “We don’t want him to see us with all that equipment, do we? What if he tells Jason and they figure out that we’re planning to follow tonight?”
“We sure don’t want that to happen.” Brian thought for a minute or two. “I know. Since the car is at the back of the hotel, why don’t we make it look like we’re bushed from our dive, that we plan to rest until lunch time. Once inside, we can go out the back way.” With that said, Brian yawned, stretching his arms wide. Andrea followed suit. They both sighed.
Andrea spoke loudly enough for anyone nearby to hear. “I’m ready for a nap, too.” They slowed their steps to reflect tired bodies as they reached the hotel, slowly lifting one foot and then another to trudge up the front steps. One look over their shoulders told them their act had paid off. Their young shadow took his stance on a bench across the street. He closed his eyes for another long rest.
Inside, Brian led the way past the concierge’s desk, through the back door to their car. He got in the driver’s side while Andrea piled into the passenger’s seat for the short ride to the marina. It took them no time at all to complete the task of loading their equipment. They drove off looking toward the small bundle still seated on the bench in repose when they drove past the hotel. He never noticed a thing.
The trek to the clearing by car took longer. They followed an alternate route that circumvented the clearing to the beach side. They drove as far as they could, watching as branches from overhanging trees whipped past their windshield as if trying to snag them in the face. They heard animals scurry for cover, birds cackled and squeaked their annoyance at the intrusion. They parked the car, unloaded their gear, and followed the path they’d discovered a couple of days ago. Some brush alongside the path seemed the perfect place to hide everything. They moved the branches back in place and then returned to the car.
Returning to the hotel, they parked the car in the customary spot behind the hotel. Once inside, they decided on a quick lunch before really retiring. Andrea sat down at the table, took a long drink of water, and leaned back. “Brian, did you ever imagine that you would someday be doing all the things we’re doing here in Haiti?”
“No, never in my wildest dreams. Now that we’re here though, I kind of like this cops and robbers stuff. Imagine, we’re being used by God to free our friends, and maybe stop people from disappearing here as well. We know Trent and Diane are still alive. Jason told the police captain as much last night. We might be seeing them tonight. I can’t help but feel that God has led us this far. He’ll lead us the rest of the way and protect us too, I believe.”
“It’s not only finding Trent and Diane, though. If we had not come here, we would not have been in a place where we could help Camilla. What about all those other children who browse through garbage cans for their next meal? I’ve been thinking. Maybe we should set up a foundation or something to provide a place for them off the streets. After all, we have all that money that Max left me. We’ve hardly put a dent in it yet.”
“First of all, you have all that money. Max left it to you, not me. Besides, you don’t have a home to return to thanks to all this. Or at least, I’m sure it’s all tied together. You may need to use some of that money to rebuild or buy a new one. We may not even have jobs when we go back, but it’s your money. If you want to do something like that, then I think that’s great.”
•
Brian couldn’t help but admire the heart of the woman across from him. He’d never discussed things like this with any of his other women friends but he was sure, they wouldn’t think of anyone but themselves. Why am I comparing Andrea to women I’ve dated? We’re not dating. He looked towards his companion and continued the conversation where it had left off.
“I don’t know how you’d go about doing something like that. Why not wait until we’re stateside, before making any decisions.” Brian leaned his arms on the table.
“You’re right, Brian. I really haven’t given this much thought. I just feel so badly when I look out my window and see a tiny body scrounging in the garbage. But, yes, I’ll wait until we are back home before making any decisions. I want to pray long and hard so I do what the Lord wants me to do.”
“Mam’selle, Monsieur, you are coming back to the dining room this evening, yes? We ‘ave another great band and lots of musique.” The waiter returned with the salads. He placed them on the table and waited patiently for their answer.
“We’ll see,” Andrea took a forkful of the wonderfully fresh salad. The waiter left. Brian and Andrea had lots to think about. Talk about going home seems so far into the future. We’re in another world here. So much
had happened in the short week since they embarked on this journey.
Silent thoughts continued to plague them, as the couple made their way toward the elevator and their siesta. Before they had a chance to step into the elevator, however, a large black man wearing the uniform of the local police walked into the lobby. He moved towards the desk of the concierge at first, but then, when he spied the two Americans, he walked towards them with a purposeful stride.
“Monsieur Strait, Mam’selle Wilton, can I see your papers please?” He was very large and his presence commanded a lot of attention from other hotel guests.
“Sure, they’re up in our rooms. Why do you want to see our passports? Have we done something wrong?” Brian was polite, but firm in his response to the man.
“Let’s go on up then.” The cop ignored his questions. He proceeded to enter the elevator with the young couple. His scrutiny made them feel very uncomfortable as they silently stepped out on their floor. There steps echoed down the hall.
Once inside Brian’s room, without comment, the policeman took a cursory glance at his passport. Andrea went next door to get hers. The man glanced at her passport and then handed it back. “What is your purpose for being in Port Au Prince?”
“Just a vacation.” Brian stood as tall as he could but his height didn’t come near the man’s ears.
Andrea spoke as calmly as she could. “Yes, you have beautiful waters for scuba diving, and we love the beach and the boats.” Inside she was trembling but her answers were clear and concise, not showing in the slightest that she was intimidated by the man’s questions.
“When do you plan to go home?” The policeman continued his interrogation.
“Oh, in a week or so. We’re in no hurry.” Andrea sat on a chair near Brian’s bed.
“Well, we just want you to know that we are watching all Americans. We want you to have a good time, but when it is time, you need to leave for home. In fact, it would not be a bad idea if you left tomorrow instead of in a week or so.” The large man almost filled the doorway as he made his move to leave.
“Oh and why is that?” Brian’s voice spoke of his indignation at the policeman’s unfriendly attitude. “We’re not breaking any laws here. Why are you suggesting we leave tomorrow?”
“Just a suggestion, nothing more. Good day to you.” With his cap in hand, he saluted and left the way he’d come. Instead of protecting its citizens, the police captain was loyal to a group of people sinister to the core.
“What was that all about, I wonder?” Andrea collapsed on Brian’s bed with a sigh of relief.
“They just want us to know they know about us and are watching, I think. At least we know what he looks like. We should be able to sneak by him as easily as we did the kid today. Well…maybe not so easily, but we’ll have to do the best we can tonight. We don’t need them on our tails while we try to get to the bottom of all this. Let’s rest, and we’ll meet for dinner, okay? Andrea, are you okay? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I guess that visit scared me more than I thought. I feel all shaky inside. I’ll be all right. Just give me a minute.” She rose to her feet on legs that could have been a little steadier, but was soon at the door. “I need a good rest, I think.”
* * * * *