Quest (Dane Maddock Adventures) (3 page)

“An opossum snarled at you.” Thomas didn’t get it. Perhaps this was all just an elaborate ruse to get him to pack up and leave. Or maybe it was a joke.

“It was a snarl,” Emily added. “It sounded like a ferocious predator.”

“I flung it across the camp and it smashed into that tree over there.” Derek nodded at a kapok tree with a trunk nearly ten feet in diameter. “It should have crawled away, but it got up and came right at me again. I kicked it away and it still kept on coming at me. Finally, I had to stomp it to death.” Derek’s eyes fell, clearly upset by the memory.

“So you had an encounter with a rabid opossum and now you believe Victor’s stories about the bogeyman. I’m disappointed in you.”

“It was not rabid.” Frustration was now clear in Derek’s every word. “You don’t understand. It didn’t appear crazed at all. Its actions were purposeful, and, I don’t know, it was almost as if it thought it was a giant predator and I was the small animal in its way. It never seemed the least bit frightened, or even wary, just determined. It was like there was no question of it doing what it wanted to do, and I could pose no threat to it in any way.”

“I work at a vet’s office every summer,” Emily added. “Even in the early stages of rabies, if an animal goes into the aggressive state, it’s accompanied by other symptoms, like disorientation, trembling, loss of muscle coordination. I saw none of that. That animal was different. We kept the body if you would like to look at it.”

They led him to the spot where the opossum lay. Thomas took his time examining the disfigured remains of the small mammal though, in truth, he doubted he would recognize even the late-stage signs of rabies. He kept his features calm, letting the silence and his own serenity settle the nerves of his upset students. Finally, he gave a diagnosis of “perhaps” and rose to his feet.

“Our notebooks are complete, Doctor Thornton. They have been for two days. Victor took half the remaining supplies. Let’s just go home.” Emily sounded as if she were on the verge of tears.

The pleading tone grated on his nerves. They had to leave, he understood that, but that did not mean he had to be happy about it. To have come so close and yet failed. It would be another year, at the soonest, before he could return, and that was assuming his sponsors would fund another trip. He had promised results, and they were not going to be happy when he returned empty-handed. “Fine,” he said, rising to his feet. “Pack up as much as you can. We’ll leave in the morning.”

Derek’s and Emily’s faces relaxed, and each thanked him profusely, assuring him that this had been the best field ecology trip ever, and that they couldn’t wait to get home and tell their families all about it.

Denesh did not appear to share in their joy. He frowned, his eyes fixed on a spot deep in the jungle.

“What’s wrong with you?” Emily nudged him. “Lighten up a little.”

“Quiet.” The tone of his voice silenced everyone in the group. “Something’s coming.”

Thomas turned to look in the direction Denesh indicated in time to see three figures stride out of the jungle. They were short and stocky, with glossy black hair cut short in the Yanomami style. Their bodies were painted orange-brown with black smudges all over that put him to mind of a jaguar. Each was armed with a stone-tipped short spear and a stone axe. They moved directly toward the camp, their faces blank, and their strides resolute.

“Who are they?” Derek whispered. “There aren’t supposed to be any natives in this area.”

Actually, very little was known about this region. The area was so remote that it had remained unexplored in modern times. The satellite photos Thomas had inspected revealed nothing but a blanket of unrelenting green.

“I have no idea. They must be from an undiscovered tribe.” Thomas shook his head. These men had the general look and build of the natives of this region, but he noticed subtle differences. Their faces were narrow, and their noses longer. He could not discern eye color from this distance, but they were definitely not the brown one usually found here. Curious, he took a step forward, but Denesh stopped him with a firm grip on his forearm.

“Let me do it. I know a smattering of languages from this area. Perhaps I can get them to understand me. If this actually is a tribe that has avoided outside contact, and we can communicate with them, I could write quite the paper on it.”

He walked toward them, his open hands at his sides, and spoke to them in a language Thomas did not recognize. The natives neither acknowledged his words, nor broke their stride. Denesh tried again in three other languages unfamiliar to Thomas, and then in Portuguese. Nothing.

The men continued their silent approach, their faces still devoid of emotion. Their movements were not exactly robotic, but were steady and measured, almost military in their regularity.

“They’re like zombies,” Emily whispered.

Thomas grew more nervous with each step they took. Maybe he too had been spooked by Victor’s suspicions, but something was very wrong. His hand itched to take hold of the machete that hung from his belt, but he dared not make any movement that insinuated violence. The results could be deadly.

Denesh gave up his attempts at verbal communication. He dropped to one knee, slipped off his wristwatch, and held it out as a supplicant would a tribute.

The men stopped in front of him. The one in the center gazed down at the wristwatch and then, as casually as a businessman would brush lint off of his suit, he raised his hatchet and brought it crashing down on Denesh’s head. The young man crumpled to the ground, blood pouring from his split scalp.

Emily screamed at the sight of her friend lying dead on the ground, and she turned and fled. Derek drew his .38 revolver and emptied it in a wild spurt of gunfire. At least two bullets hit one of the warriors, punching through his chest and spraying gore on the man who strode directly behind him—yet the wounded man did not stumble, nor did he so much as blink. He kept coming.

Derek stood like a statue for a moment that seemed frozen in eternity. With a sudden gasp, he shot a glance at Thomas, and then back to the bloody warriors who bore down upon him, their implacable gazes locked on the frightened young man. Derek shrieked, threw his pistol at the first warrior, watched it bounce harmlessly off his chest, and then fled after Emily.

Thomas felt for his own pistol and realized he had not even bothered to carry it with him today. He didn’t own a gun in his “real life,” and still was not in the habit of keeping one at his hip. Now he was quickly altering his opinion on the necessity of firearms.

As the silent warriors turned their attention to him, he slid the machete from his belt and raised it in what he hoped was a threatening pose, but they stalked after him, undeterred. His courage draining faster than his bladder, he turned on his heel and fled blindly into jungle.

Kaylin looked up and down Meeting Street for what must have been the tenth time. Traffic was light in the historic section of Charleston. More importantly, there was no carriage to be seen. Also for the tenth time, she re-read the text message she’d received the night before.

be in front of circ church at 10 get in carriage drop you at powder mag leave your car there its about thomas – andy

Andy was Thomas’s closest friend, and in the time she and Thomas had been dating, she and Andy had gotten to know one another fairly well. That was why she knew there were several things wrong about this message. Foremost was the fact that he had texted her rather than calling, which was unusual for him. Second, was the lack of capitalization and punctuation, to which the English Literature professor always paid fastidious attention, even in text messages. Finally, the text had not come from Andy’s phone, but from an unfamiliar number.

Thomas was more than two months overdue from the field ecology trip he had taken with his graduate assistant and two other students. He had assured her something like this might happen, and told her not to worry. The Amazon, he said, was not like other places. Plans frequently got fouled up, connections were missed, or wires crossed, resulting in a giant mess. She wanted to believe him, but could not help wondering if Thomas was penning a cover story which would allow him to spend more time with Emily, the cute redhead who called, texted, and emailed Thomas far more often than Kaylin thought appropriate for a professor-student relationship. Now she regretted having entertained such ideas. Andy’s message had filled her with a dark sense of foreboding.

Right on time, a carriage appeared in the distance. It belonged to one of the small, private companies that catered primarily to couples looking for a romantic ride around the old parts of the city. As it drew closer, she recognized Andy’s shock of short, dark hair, high brow, and fair complexion. The carriage came to a halt and Andy offered his hand to help her inside. His palms were sweaty and his eyes were alive with a manic energy.

“Take this, but don’t look at it until you’re somewhere safe,” he whispered, handing her a small manila envelope as the carriage rolled forward. He leaned up and whispered instructions to the driver, who nodded and began loudly describing the historical significance of the Circular Congregational Church.

“Andy, what’s going on? You said it’s about Thomas. Have you heard from him?”

“We don’t have much time.” Andy looked around as if expecting someone to leap into the carriage with them at any moment. “Before he left, Thomas gave me that.” He indicated the envelope. “He said that he might be delayed on his trip, but if I had not heard from him by sixty days after his expected return date, to get help from someone I trust, and come for him. He said I should do it without drawing unnecessary attention." Andy paused, his expression tense. "He also told me to watch my back.”

“But I’ve already contacted the authorities. They say they’ve checked the entire stretch of river where his party was to have traveled, and found nothing. Their best guess is that Thomas and the others probably went into the rainforest and their boat was stolen while they were gone. They tell me they’ll keep an eye out, but they figure Thomas will show up at one of the settlements along the river and send for help. What else are we supposed to do?”

“Thomas didn’t follow his planned path. This field ecology trip was just a front to get the university to approve an expedition into the Amazon. He’s gone after something bigger. Much bigger.”

An icy sensation of disbelief crept up Kaylin’s spine. What was Andy talking about?

“For several years now, Thomas has been working on a research project that he’s kept top secret, except to say it was a very old mystery. He said he couldn’t share it, even with the people he trusts. He seems to think knowing nothing might keep us safe, though he didn’t say from whom. In fact, he said he didn’t have all the pieces, but he thought he had enough to succeed.”

“This is nuts! Are you sure he didn’t just concoct this crazy story as a cover so he could spend more time with Emily?” She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth.

Andy gave her a soft smile of understanding, took her hand, and gave it a squeeze. “There is nothing between him and Emily. You can take the word of his closest friend on that.”

“I’m sorry.” She buried her face in her hands. “That was so selfish of me. It’s just something that’s been bothering me for a long time. God, I feel like such an idiot. Thomas is lost, maybe in danger, and I’m acting like a jealous teenager.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it. Thomas needs your help, not your regrets. Now listen carefully. I can’t be the one to do this. I’m an English Lit professor, not an explorer, and I don’t have any friends who are. Thomas specifically wanted me to tell you if it came to this. He seemed to think you might be able to mount a rescue mission.” Andy looked puzzled. “No offense, but you’re a Fine Arts teacher, so it seems odd to me. Maybe because of your father’s military background?”

Kaylin shrugged, too lost in thought to form a reply.

“So,
do
you know someone, anyone, who could go into the Amazon, find him and the students, and bring them back out alive?” He didn’t add,
if they’re still alive
.

Actually, Kaylin did know one person who fit that bill. She knew him quite well, in fact, but the mere thought of asking him to risk his life to save her boyfriend made her stomach churn. “I think so.” She bit her lip and stared out at the street. “But I don’t know if he’d do it.”