The Crocodile's Last Embrace (32 page)

“Missy,” he said, using his thick accent, “you promised me
I’d
get every ruddy pound of my money back. Now I’m looking to get stiffed again. Is this some sort of trick?”

“Not on our part, I assure you,” said Avery. “If this man doesn’t have your money, then I told you I’d pay you myself to make good your loss in return for helping capture the man who tried to abduct that child.”

“Abduct a child?” wailed Holly. He turned to face Avery, then whirled back around to face Sam. “I never tried to abduct a child. Someone threatened to kill
me
! Remember?”

“This man’s jumpier than a kangaroo and dumber than a doorless dunny,” said Sam. “I knew I should’ve taken that job cutting timber in Tasmania.”

“And you can go take the train south tomorrow and get on the first boat to Sidney,” promised Avery. “After you help me find who I want even if we have to beat it out of this man.”

Sam grinned, his eyes glowing wickedly in the lone headlamp. “Fair dinkum, mate. That might be a corker at that.”

“No, please,” whimpered Holly. “What I said was true.”

“Then why are you so jumpy?” asked Jade. “What’s in your pocket?”

Avery slapped Holly’s leg again with his shotgun barrel. “Best to spill it all, Mr. Holly.”

“Very well. It wasn’t my idea to come here. After you left me at the Blue Posts, I stayed there one night. Place was as inviting as stale ale. I decided to try my chances again at my own digs and rode back into town with some farmer. I paid the hotel clerk to tell everyone that I was away. Everything was fine until this morning. I woke up to find a box outside my door. A typewritten note was attached telling me that I had to come here and see who was larking about trying to get a go at the mine or I’d be the next to die.” He shifted nervously from side to side. “Odd thing is, I think someone suspected you, Miss del Cameron.”

“Why?” asked Jade.

“Because the note told me I was supposed to give you this.” He pulled a small box wrapped in brown paper from his pocket and handed it over to Jade.
For del Cameron
, was printed on the paper.

Jade shouldered her rifle and tore open the box. Inside, nestled atop a scrap of ocher cloth, was a Girl Guide pin, a barrette, and a note addressed to Jade del Cameron.

“ ‘So easily taken! So trusting a child. Come alone to the house near Longonot. Try any tricks and she could lose an ear.’ ” She gripped the note more tightly. “It’s signed with a drawing of a moon eclipsing the sun. That’s Lilith’s emblem.”

“There’s something else in the box,” said Avery. He pulled up the cloth, a folded square of blanket like those the Kikuyu wore. With painstaking care, he lifted one end of the dirty fabric, revealing a large dark brown ear.

—The Traveler

SAM’S FIST HIT HOLLY’S FACE with a resounding
thwack
. Holly fell back, crashing into the car. Jade stepped in before Sam could say anything in the heat of anger and destroy his masquerade.

“That’s enough, Mr. Fairley,” she said, reminding Sam of his alias. “Who gave this to you?” she demanded of Holly.

Holly struggled to right himself. He passed the back of his hand across his nose, smearing blood across his hand and his face. “I don’t know! I didn’t even know what was in the box.”

“Liar!” she shouted.

“Please, I don’t want to die.” He put his head in his hands and began to sob hysterically.

“He’s no good,” said Avery. “I say we turn him over to Finch.”

Jade took Avery aside and whispered, “And perhaps get ourselves arrested in the bargain for this charade? If Lilith really has taken one of the Girl Guides, she might kill her. Plus, how will we explain Sam?” She paced back and forth briefly. “We either need to keep Holly locked away or turn him loose and hope he leads us to Lilith.”

“I hope you’re planning how to get rid of this bloody dingo’s body once I’ve shot him,” said Sam loudly enough for Holly to hear. “The likes of this one’s not worth keeping about.”

Avery shook his head. “We won’t be able to follow him, Jade. We couldn’t even find him when we wanted him. But you’re correct that we can’t turn him over to Finch without everyone finding out about Sam.”

“But if Holly goes off tonight we may never find him again,” Jade argued.

“Then we’d better take him prisoner,” said Avery. He went to Sam and whispered to him for a moment.

Sam nodded and sighted down his revolver barrel. “Happy to oblige, mate,” he said. “Since you won’t talk to us, you’re about as much use as a pouch on a male roo.”

It was all the incentive Holly needed. He rolled to the side as Sam fired into the right front tire. “Don’t kill me,” he screamed. “I’ll say whatever you want; just don’t kill me.”

“That’s a right clever choice, mate. Now, you’ve just had a nasty puncture and got yourself stranded. Lucky for you that I’m a Good Samaritan come to help you out. You’re coming with me. I’ll keep you nice and safe and in return for all your bloomin’ gratitude, you’re going to tell us everything you know.”

Holly stood still, his hands in the air and his legs shaking. “I swear, I don’t know anything.” He looked pleadingly at Jade. “You’ve got to help me, Jade. Lord Dunbury, don’t let this man kill me.”

Avery stepped up to Holly and clapped him on the back before grabbing hold of his shirt collar. “Mr. Fairley wouldn’t kill you, Mr. Holly. Why, he’s worked for me for an entire day and I’d swear to his even temper. Now you just come with us and we’ll keep you all nice and safe locked in one of my sheds. No one will get to you there.”

Sam pushed Holly into the rear of Avery’s truck and sat beside him as Avery drove them back to Parklands. Jade emptied out the stone building that was used as a darkroom and shoved Holly inside with a lantern, a mat, and a bucket of water.

“I can’t stay in here under these conditions,” Holly wailed.

Sam cracked his knuckles and growled, “I can put you in there under different conditions, mate.”

“Be a good lad,” said Avery, “and I won’t let him hurt you. But you know the Australians; they’re a rather hot-tempered lot.”

“I’ve told you everything,” cried Holly with a whimper. “I swear. I didn’t know what was in the box.”

Jade used the cloth to hold up the ear and thrust it under Holly’s nose. “Someone cut off a native’s ear and now is threatening to take one of the girls. Maybe has already. If any of them are hurt and I find out that you had anything to do with it, a crazy Australian is going to be the least of your worries, because, so help me,
I’ll
shoot you myself and toss you to the crocodile.”

Holly gasped and looked to Avery for help. Avery simply shrugged and pulled a pipe from his pocket along with a pouch of tobacco. “Don’t look at me, Mr. Holly. I have no control over Miss Jade. Barely have control over my own wife, and none at all over my hired hand here. I suggest you cooperate with us and enjoy our protection rather than our wrath.” Sam took a step forward to emphasize the point.

“Surely you don’t think I’d hurt a girl,” Holly wailed. “I
did
hope to get my money back just now and I like to chase a pretty skirt or two, but I’m not a kidnapper.” He looked at the barrette again and winced.

“You know who it belongs to, don’t you,” said Jade. “Is it Mary’s? Did you help someone take your own niece, you low-down piece of hyena dung?”

“It is Mary’s. I admit it. I told you on safari that I’d been given a parcel message telling me to give up my share of the mine. And there was an ear in it, too. A white ear.” He jiggled on his seat. “Oh, I was also told to take something of Mary’s to use as a joke on someone. I didn’t know what this person had planned. I just knew I’d be hurt or worse if I didn’t comply. I took the barrettes and the badge when we were on safari and left them in a post-office box.” He stumbled backwards against the far wall and started sobbing.

“What box number?” demanded Jade.

“One forty-six.”

“Do we believe him?” asked Avery as he lit his pipe and took a puff.

“He’s telling the truth,” said Sam, dropping his accent. “At least in part. He’s too spineless to lie when he’s that terrified. But I think he’s still holding back.”

Suddenly Holly looked up and ran forward. “You’re not an Australian. I know who you are now. You’re that American pilot, Featherstone, aren’t you?”

Sam launched a solid right jab to Holly’s jaw, knocking him back into the wall. Holly hit with a thud and fell to the floor. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Holly,” he said, rubbing his knuckles. He looked at Avery. “Keep that trash locked up and don’t let him out for anything.”

Avery put some food in the darkroom, locked the door, and pocketed the key. Then, after alerting Beverly, they all went to the stables for a private council.

“Should we turn him over to Finch?” asked Avery. “If we turn him loose, he may lead us to Lilith.”

“No,” said Sam. “We can’t let it out that I’m back yet. He has to stay locked up here. Besides, Holly’s a dead end. Lilith has used him, and if she’s got half the brains that we give her credit for, she won’t show up anywhere near his hotel again.” He took Jade’s hand and squeezed it. “Do you think she really took this girl Mary?”

“That’s the implication with that pin and barrette. We should know quickly enough. Beverly is ringing up Mary’s mother now,” said Jade. “But whose ear was that? Mutahi was missing an ear. Could it have been his?”

Before anyone could answer, Beverly joined them. “I spoke with Mrs. Postlewaithe. She said that Mary is staying the night with Helen at the school. Helen boards there. I rang up the school but the headmistress was not willing to rouse any of the girls in their rooms just to see if one was missing. She didn’t seem to believe me when I said this was serious.” She sniffed. “As if I’d telephone anyone in the middle of the night for something frivolous. We’ll have to get the police to find out for us.”

“Did the headmistress at least verify that Mary was sleeping over?” asked Jade.

“She didn’t seem to know one way or another,” said Beverly. “It appears that she was away today. The school was left in the care of another teacher who has gone for the night.”

“That ass Holly is really Mary’s uncle?” asked Sam. The others nodded.

“Her mother is widowed,” said Beverly. “Mary’s father passed on last October. That’s why she looks to her uncle so much. Quite tragic.”

Sam took the box and stared at the contents, his lips in a taut line.

“Sam?” asked Beverly. “What is it?”

“It’s too easy,” he said.

“What is?” asked Avery.

“Finding out if Mary was abducted. We telephone her mother, telephone her school.”

“But we still don’t know for certain,” said Jade.

“A ruse,” murmured Avery.

“It could be,” said Sam. “To get Jade to go off to that farmhouse and rescue Mary.”

“That’s my reputation, isn’t it,” said Jade, keeping her head bowed. “To go harrowing off like that.” She felt Sam’s eyes boring into her soul and blushed for the times she’d argued with him about her escapades.

“Making it very easy to capture you,” said Sam. “You thought the drugged tea and packages were part of a plan to get you to leave the safety of your friends. Holly was probably ordered to lead you to Harry’s for that very reason.”

“We must ring up Finch,” said Avery. “He could go out to that farmhouse now and possibly capture Lilith. If he uses Jade’s motorcycle, Lilith might think it’s Jade. Then Finch would have an element of surprise. He can also convince the headmistress to look in on the girls, too. We won’t rest easy until we know that Mary is safe.”

“There’s another possibility,” said Jade. “Lilith’s plan to get me away could be another, more serious attempt to actually abduct one of you for revenge.”

“The children,” whispered Beverly, her hand to her mouth. “We sent Cyril back home with Madeline.”

“The Thompsons won’t let him out of their sight that easily,” said Avery. “But I would feel much better if we removed the baby and you, my love, to safety along with Madeline and Cyril.”

“Avery,” pleaded Beverly, “how can you ask me to leave you and Jade to that fiend? You must all come with me then.”

“Bev,” said Jade, “my running off with you won’t help. She’ll only pursue me.”

Beverly took a deep breath. “You and Avery are right, of course. But where can we go that’s safe? We decided before that Lilith might see us board a train or follow our Hupmobile.”

“I think I know a place,” said Jade.

“Where?” asked Sam.

“St. Austin’s, the French Catholic mission in Ngong. I know the fathers there very well. They could put you all in the convent. We just tell Finch and everyone else that you’re going north instead.”