Chapter Twenty Eight
As soon as Andrea had slipped into something more comfortable, she lay down on her bed with a small blanket covering her legs. Even with the heat of the day smothering any breeze that might have come through her window, Andrea liked to be covered.
She closed her eyes, but sleep didn’t come quickly. Their plans for that night trampled all over her thoughts, leaving her nervous and excited all at the same time. Tonight they would know if the trail they were following would lead to the Michners. She missed Diane so much, the talks, the teasing. Diane would be all over her if she knew where her thoughts were leading with regards to Brian.
She needed to rest. Tonight required she have the strength to complete her mission. Andrea closed her eyes, prayed a short prayer for rest and focused again on her favorite praise chorus. Within minutes she was fast asleep.
Someone was knocking on her window. How could that be? She was on the tenth floor of her apartment building. She pulled the blanket over her ahead and kept her eyes closed. Whoever was out there was persistent. Knock. Knock. She heard the banging over and over again. She opened her eyes.
Someone was pounding on her door, not her window. That part had been a dream. Andrea rose quickly, walked to the door and listened. “Who’s there?”
“It’s Brian. We’d better get something to eat. It’s almost time for us to leave.”
Andrea looked at her watch. “Oh my. I did sleep. I’ll be right with you.” The realization that she had slept the afternoon away came as a surprise, but she was also thankful, feeling ready for her evening’s test of courage.
She combed her hair, straightened her clothing, and grabbed a jacket before opening the door to her room. Brian was leaning against the wall waiting patiently. He smiled, tousled her hair – the effects of her recent combing completely undone – and motioned for her to follow him. They went down the stairs to the main lobby and into the dining room where, after a short wait, a hot, delicately spiced meal was placed before them.
Brian began the conversation, keeping it light. “I guess you were able to get some sleep after all. I rested but that was all.”
“One minute I was working hard to relax so I could fall asleep and the next I was awakened by a loud person pounding on my door.” She winked at Brian, clearly not as offended as her words indicated. “I can’t remember when I’ve slept that soundly in the middle of the afternoon.”
“Well, you obviously needed it. What shall we do tonight?” He asked in case someone was listening.
Following his lead, Andrea supplied all sorts of ideas and then, “Why don’t we go for a moonlight picnic over by that waterfall and the swimming pond.”
“That sounds like a great idea. I’ll ask the concierge to pack us a light lunch while we go upstairs to get our bathing suits.”
Andrea finished her meal first. Brian was content to follow her lead. They left the dining room and approached the man behind the desk in the lobby. Arrangements were made for a light snack; one they knew would probably never get eaten. They changed into swim suits under long pants and a shirt before leaving their rooms.
Once in the lobby again, the concierge was waiting with a box containing several items of food and a large bottle of raspberry flavored sparkling water. He whispered for their ears only, “You might want to go around the clearing on the north side of the pond. The ceremonies, they are scheduled for tonight.”
“We know. We’ll be careful.” Brian and Andrea walked briskly out the back door, aware that someone was lurking in the shadows just beyond the front of the hotel. These police are not so smart. They don’t have the back door covered.
Brian set their box of food into the back of their vehicle. He opened the door for Andrea. “In case I don’t get another chance to tell you, Andrea, I’ve enjoyed being here with you. I admire your courage.”
“I feel the same way.” Andrea dropped her head and then looked at him again.”You sound as if you expect something to go wrong.”
“Not really or at least, I sure hope not. But in the past, I’ve often regretted not telling someone how I feel, only to discover it’s too late. I didn’t want anything to be left unsaid between us, just in case. . . well, you know what I mean.”
“Yes, I do but we’ll be alright. I have to hang onto that, or you’ll never be able to get me into that dark water tonight.”
Brian nodded his assurance that things would work out. He backed the vehicle out onto the street and then drove for a short way without turning on the headlights. At the edge of town, the black night forced them to illuminate their path. They hoped they were out of sight of any policemen. To keep their would-be pursuers at the hotel, both had left a light on in their rooms.
The moon was just beginning to peek from behind some large black clouds when Brian and Andrea pulled their vehicle to the side of the road near the clearing where the night’s festivities would occur. They drove it into the bushes making sure it could not be seen by anyone approaching the grass covered field.
From out of the back seat, they gathered their basket of food just in case someone spotted them. They began the short hike to the water’s edge where the boat would land when the ceremonies were in full swing. Using the trees and the night’s darkness as cover, they prepared to put on their wet suits.
“I’m really glad we purchased wet suits.” Andrea shivered. “It’s chilly out here tonight.” She pulled the tight rubber suit up her torso. It was a snug fit, but she knew that was so she could skim through the water unhindered by any loose fabric. Her body soon began to feel the warmth the suit gave her.
When Brian was comfortably suited up, he uncovered their hidden scuba equipment. Andrea watched as he prepared their equipment, keeping it hidden from the shoreline so when the thugs showed up they would not be able to see anything out of place.
“We can take this stuff out after the men leave for the clearing. By the time they return with their next victims, we’ll be in the water waiting.”
Andrea shuddered at the thought and then offered up a prayer for protection. She hunkered down behind a tree in preparation for their lengthy wait. Brian finished his preparations and joined her. They made themselves comfortable, not wanting a shift in their position to give them away at the wrong moment. Silence filled the bushes but a few minutes later, music could be heard from somewhere behind them. The ceremony had begun.
Hypnotic sounds beat on metal drums filled the air. A rhythmic tune was sung by participants, a tune that gathered momentum as the evening wore on. Andrea could imagine swaying bodies surrounding smoky bonfires, a sight she remembered from their first encounter with a voodoo ceremony. These people were blinded by a leader who did not care about them at all. In fact, he sold them for only a few cents to some very dangerous people. She would be very happy when his plot was exposed, and he was behind bars.
“Brian.” Andrea whispered, letting her voice come out in little more than a breath. “How are we going to notify the authorities about what’s going on. I’ve not really thought about how this will all work tonight, have you?”
“Yes, I have. I called the FBI this afternoon while you were sleeping. They told me to do nothing, not even to free Trent and Diane, until they are able to get here. Since we don’t know where here is yet, we’ll come back, and, using the compass directions, we’ll be able to tell them where to go and what we’ve seen.”
“Not free Trent and Diane! But…
“We have no way to get them off the island. We’ll have scuba gear but they won’t so…”
“Oh, Brian. I hadn’t obviously thought all the details through. I just thought we would be leaving wherever we are going tonight with them. What happens if the FBI shows up and there’s shooting and the Michners get killed?”
“We’ll leave them with directions to a safer place on the island, or whatever this place is, before we leave. They may have to sneak away when they hear the commotion begin. I am certain the FBI will have enough m
en to make sure the bad guys are caught quickly. I also told the agent I talked to this afternoon that their son was with them, so they’ll know who the Michners are when they see Jeffrey.”
“I’m sure glad you’re thinking. It just never occurred to me before now that we hadn’t discussed …”
“Shh-h-h, I hear something.” Just as Brian spoke, Andrea could hear the sound of a motor off in the distance. It was beginning.
The two amateur detectives moved closer to the ground and lay very still. Before long voices could be heard, some with a German accent, but others sounded more Haitian. How could these people do this to their own? Andrea remembered the poverty that was a way of life for many on this island. I guess if I was hungry, I might be tempted to do something illegal too. She hoped not.
The men beached their craft on shore, quieter now than they had been when they approached. They moved stealthily toward the music and through the trees without saying another word.
Once the sounds of footsteps ceased to be heard from their place of concealment, Brian motioned for Andrea to follow. They carefully moved their equipment from its hideaway. Andrea struggled with the weight of the scooter, half dragging, half lifting its bulk into the water. She and Brian assembled the rebreathers and strapped them on their backs as their instructor had taught them. With masks and snorkels in place over their foreheads, they stepped into the water.
“Wow, this feels really cold.” Andrea shivered again as the cool seeped through her body.
“It’s amazing how the water temperature changes when the sun isn’t shining on it.” Brian whispered as he attached the sonar device to the bottom of the boat. “I’m sure we’ll become accustomed to the temperature soon.” They immersed themselves almost completely to eliminate any shadow their bodies might create in the water with the moon so bright above them. Another wait!
This time their wait was short lived. They’d no sooner slunk down into the dark water than they could detect voices. Sound traveled well at night. The culprits weren’t worried, their victims were in trances.
“Quickly, bring that woman here.” A man with a gruff voice seemed to be in charge. Several figures appeared at the edge of the water. Two of them lowered an unconscious body into the boat. “Only one, harrumph.” He cursed. “Heinz is not going to be happy, yah?”
“It couldn’t be helped. That witch doctor sounded scared tonight. Did he tell you why?”
“Yah, he did.” The leader spoke again. “It’s those Americans. I told Jason to get rid of them. When Heinz finds out they are messing things up, he will deal with them himself.”
“Let’s get going.” Another, higher pitched voice spoke in the darkness. “There’s nothing we can do about this now.” All three stepped into the boat. The motor started. The boat slowly moved from the shore. Brian checked to see that his sonar was working. Indeed it was, and even though they couldn’t see anything, they could follow easily.
Andrea swallowed several times and then began breathing very slowly in an attempt to get her claustrophobic feelings under control. The water was so dark she could not see her hand in front of her face. She could feel her scooter though. Her rebreather was working beautifully. She sensed Brian’s body right next to hers, almost touching, and was comforted by the thought that he was nearby.
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