The Solomon Curse (26 page)

Remi gave him a perplexed look. “They'd be in their eighties or nineties. You really think that's realistic?”

“Preposterous,” Leonid spat.

“I agree, although one might have said the same thing about a sunken city just off the coast.”

They retraced their steps until they were back in the sunlight, the mass grave left behind, and Sam checked the time. “There have to be other openings along this ridge if the diary is accurate.”

Lazlo nodded. “It makes sense. We have the water sources to create the cave system, we have the right sort of limestone . . . but how do we proceed from here? And what about the skeletons? Surely we have to report them to someone.”

“When we do, we can expect the authorities to take this area apart,” Leonid observed. “Any chance of us locating the treasure is lost at that point.”

“But this is mass murder,” Lazlo said.

“Yes, it is. And we'll report it.” Sam hesitated, his gaze locked with Remi's. “In due time. For now, we're here, but we haven't found what we came for. I think we have to stay focused on our objective. Once we find the treasure, we'll have every cop in the islands crawling through these caves. But we need to continue our search before that happens.” He stared at Lazlo. “Agreed?”

Lazlo nodded. “How much more daylight do we have left?”

“At least half a day. It's only eleven-thirty.”

“‘The way lies beyond the fall,'” Remi quoted, gesturing at the waterfalls. “There are the falls. We need to keep going along this ridge until we find the right cave.”

As Sam glanced at the jungle, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He scanned the dense brush for any signs of a threat but saw nothing. Still, he couldn't shake an uncomfortable sensation as they continued hiking along the ridge, following the creek that paralleled the rise, Remi leading the way.

A feeling like they were being watched.

“I know it's a little strange, but I can't help but feel like we're not alone,” he said softly.

Remi turned and fixed him with a deadpan stare. “Are you hearing voices again?”

“I'm serious,” he said, glancing around.

“Sam, honestly. There's nobody out here but us giants.”

“Very funny.”

After another half hour of hard going, the jungle thickening as they made their way east, Remi stopped and pointed. “Look. Another cave,” she said, indicating a dark area between two groves of trees midway up the ridge. The group regarded the opening—small, by any measure, barely large enough for a human to squeeze through.

“You're right,” Sam said. “Come on, gang. This could be it.”

They worked their way up the rocky slope, the terrain rough underfoot. Sam slowed after nearly going down when his foot shifted an unstable rock. “Be careful. Some of this is loose. Probably a recent landslide,” he warned.

“We're right with you,” Remi said.

Sam continued up to a small flat area just outside the cave and waited for them to make it up. Lazlo was huffing by the time he arrived, and Sam was about to say something, when Leonid cried out from down the slope.

“Gah!”

Sam and Remi hurried to where Leonid was face down on the rocks, his left leg bleeding where it was wedged between two flat boulders. “Are you all right?” Remi asked.

“Stupid. I should have been watching where I was stepping instead of looking around,” Leonid said through clenched teeth as he pushed himself up to a sitting position.

“How bad is it?” Sam asked.

“Hurts. But I don't think it's broken.” He winced as he tried to pull his ankle free. “It's stuck in there pretty well.”

“Lazlo, we can use the machetes to shift the smaller of these rocks so he can get loose,” Sam said, and then looked to Leonid. “When you feel the pressure ease, try to pull your foot out.”

“I understand the concept,” Leonid muttered as his eyes teared.

Using both blades, they were able to move the flat rock enough so Leonid could pull his leg free. Blood ran down his calf to his ankle where the rough edge had savaged the skin, and the white sock and tan boot were now crimson. Leonid tried to stand, testing his weight, and grimaced. “Not broken, but it hurts like hell.”

“Let's get it bandaged and stop the bleeding,” Remi said, reaching into her pack for the first-aid kit. Two minutes later, she'd cleaned the abrasions and, using butterfly strips, closed the worst of the gash. Eyeing her work, she swabbed the entire area with antiseptic and wound gauze around it. “There.”

“Think you'll live?” Sam asked as he helped Leonid to his feet.

“You'll still have me around to torture for a while longer.”

“Can you walk?” Remi asked.

Leonid tried, pain obvious on his face. “Barely.”

Sam looked up at the cave mouth. “Lazlo, you and Remi have a look in the cave and let us know if you find anything. But be careful.”

Leonid grimaced again. “I'm sorry. I should have been more careful.”

“No worries. We'll be back in a jiffy, treasure in hand, I'm sure,”
Lazlo said brightly. Remi looked less confident but offered a wan smile.

“You're going to wait here?”

“Unless you need me,” Sam said.

“I think I can manage,” Remi replied.

“Go on,” Leonid said to Sam. “I can be trusted to sit here without killing myself.”

“Are you sure?” Sam asked.

“If you're not back in a few days, I'll make sure a suitable memorial is erected.”

“Thoughtful, as always,” Remi said. With a final glance at the morose Russian, she resumed her ascent, Lazlo and Sam close behind, all of them eyeing the rocks underfoot with renewed caution.

At the cave mouth, they switched on their lights and directed the beams inside. Remi sniffed and crinkled her nose. “Stinks. Sulfur.”

“They don't have bears here, do they?” Lazlo asked in a whisper.

“I don't think so. But you never know. Could be some of those octogenarian Japanese holdouts in there, too.”

“Right,” Remi said. “They probably trained the bears to attack.”

“Very amusing, as always,” Lazlo said with a sidelong glance at them.

“Remi?” Sam asked.

“You can go first this time,” she said.

Sam stepped forward and ducked down. The gap was no more than four feet high, and, stooped over like an old woman, he inched forward with careful steps. The space widened but the ceiling was still low. The main cave was tiny compared to the first one, barely more than ten feet wide and twice that length. Sam glanced around the area and shook his head as his light bounced off the flat walls. There was no continuation like in the first cave. Just the one area.

Remi shuffled in next to him, followed by Lazlo, and Sam turned to them. “Well, the good news is, there are no skeletons.”

Lazlo took in the cavern. “Not much to it, is there?”

“No. We can scratch this one off our list,” Remi said.

They did a cursory inspection to ensure they weren't missing anything and filed back out, blinking in the bright sunlight as they exited.

“Now what?” Lazlo asked.

Sam's gaze roamed over the ridge stretching into the distance and drifted down the slope to where Leonid sat. He checked his watch and sighed. “Much as I'd like to keep looking, it will be dark in about five hours, and with Leonid's leg cut up like that, he'll be risking infection if we stay out here. So I'd say we head back to the truck, get him taken care of, and live to fight another day. Now that we have the GPS coordinates, we can easily return later and resume the search.”

Remi smiled. “I don't know that I'd agree with the term ‘easily,' but the rest of it makes sense.”

“Which I take to mean that we don't report the killing field we stumbled across just yet,” Lazlo said.

“Correct,” Sam said. “But we will. First things first.”

They returned to Leonid and helped him to his feet. Sam explained his reasoning for calling it quits and Leonid offered only a token objection. They set off back down the hill, following the stream again, Lazlo and Sam taking turns supporting Leonid as he limped along, his discomfort obvious.

When they got back to the village, the sky's vibrant blue was turning purple as dusk approached. The villagers watched as they made their way to the Nissan and Sam stopped short before they reached it, hands on his hips.

“That's not good news,” he said, staring at four flat tires. He crouched down and examined the nearest one. “Someone cut the valve stems off. This was deliberate.”

“Why on earth would they do that? And who is ‘they'?” Remi demanded.

“Obviously, someone who doesn't like us, for whatever reason,” Lazlo said. “Could also be kids amusing themselves—”

“What are we going to do now?” Leonid interrupted, beads of sweat rolling down his pale face. The journey had obviously taken its toll on him.

“Not to worry,” Sam said. “I'll call Des and see if he can get one of the lads to go into town and rent a vehicle to pick us up. Leonid, do you think you can make it another mile or so to the main road?”

“Why didn't you call earlier?”

“It's not like there was any way to get to us. That area's impassible,” Remi explained. “Worst case, we can give Des directions and hope he can find his way here to the village.” She eyed the trail they'd driven up. “Although he's never been here before, so he might get lost.”

Leonid shook his head. “I can make it. We're in no rush now, correct? So we can take our time?”

“I'd imagine it will take a few hours to take the skiff in to Honiara, rent a truck, then drive here, especially at night,” Sam said. “So you're correct that we're in no hurry. Although I don't like the idea of trekking through the jungle at night.”

“We have flashlights,” Lazlo reminded.

“Which will make us great targets for any predators,” Remi said. “Let's just hope there are no rebels around.”

“Did you have to say that?” Lazlo said.

Sam powered on the sat phone and reached Des. After explaining the situation and agreeing that the Aussie would embark for town while it was still light out, he hung up and turned to them. “We should stay quiet as we hike to the road. Whoever did this might be waiting for us to try to get back that way.”

“Maybe it would be worth another twenty to have our escort show us an alternate route to the main road?” Remi suggested.

Sam smiled. “Excellent idea.” He looked over his shoulder to where
the youth was sitting with several others, watching them, and waved him over. The young man practically bolted to them and for an instant Sam wondered whether the vandalism wasn't part of his moneymaking enterprise and then dismissed the thought. They'd never know for sure so no point in wasting energy on speculations.

After a quick negotiation, they set off down the slope, taking a game trail rather than the main track. Half an hour into it, the sky rumbled ominously and rain began pelting them, making the ground slippery and slowing their progress even further. Leonid's limp was more pronounced as time stretched on and he cried out in pain several times when he misstepped in the darkness, twisting his ankle, punctuating his intakes of breath with a Russian curse.

When they finally made it to the pavement, their surroundings were pitch-black. Leonid sat by the road shoulder with a sigh of relief and Lazlo and Remi joined him, their energy spent. Sam called the
Darwin
and confirmed that Des had gone to town, and after paying their escort and watching him disappear back into the jungle, they settled in for a long wait on the desolate road.

By the time Des picked them up in a bedraggled Mitsubishi SUV and drove them into Honiara, it was after ten p.m. The town was all but closed down as they negotiated the empty streets. Sam instructed Des to drop them off at the hospital so that Leonid could be attended to and Des decided to stay with them.

“No point in trying to make it all the way back to the
Darwin
tonight on the skiff. Better to do it first thing in the morning when there's light,” he explained as he pulled into the hospital parking lot. “I also have to deal with returning the car and the office doesn't open until eight tomorrow.”

“We'll gladly put you up at our hotel, Des,” Remi said. “There won't be a problem. Since the assassinations, it's been empty.”

“Good deal.” Des peered through the windshield at the darkened hospital, the only light visible filtering from the emergency entrance. “Sure the place is open?”

“Yes. It's the only game in town,” Sam said.

They helped Leonid into the hospital, where after a short registration process he was taken into the back in a wheelchair by an orderly. Sam and Remi followed him, leaving Lazlo and Des to wait in the reception area.

Dr. Berry greeted them with a tired handshake.

“What seems to be the problem?” he said as the orderly helped Leonid onto the exam table.

“Hiking accident,” Leonid said.

“I see. Let's have a look, shall we?” he said. He reached for a pair of scissors and trimmed away the bandage and then examined the wounds. “Ouch. Probably hurts,” he observed.

“I was able to walk on it, so I didn't break anything,” Leonid said.

“That's good to know. But we'll want to get an X-ray, just to rule out any fractures.” He inspected the butterfly sutures and looked at Sam and Remi. “Nice job.”

“Thank you,” Remi said. “Dr. Vanya isn't working tonight?”

“No. Do you know her?” Dr. Berry asked.

“Yes. She's a friend.”

“She's a good physician,” he said, removing Leonid's blood-soaked shoe and sock. “We'll probably want to use some proper stitches on this upper gash. Looks like, oh, ten should do the trick. The lower looks like only two or three.” He glanced up at Leonid. “I'm going to have to clean this out. It's going to sting a little.”

“Why am I afraid that's the understatement of the year?” Leonid asked.

Ten minutes later, Leonid was sewn up and on his way to the primitive radiography department. Sam and Remi rejoined Lazlo in the waiting area, where he was regaling Des with a story from his dubious past. Remi heard enough to blush and Lazlo immediately cut his account short.

“How's our Russian bear?” Des asked.

“I don't think he'll be doing any ballroom dancing in the near future, but it looks like it's all repaired,” Sam reported.

“That's good news, then,” Des said. “So the blighters flattened all your tires?”

“Yes. And I suspect it's going to be tough getting a tow truck up that track,” Sam complained.

“Probably kids. That's the kind of crap they pull,” Des said. “Same the world over. Bored, too much time on their hands.”

“Maybe,” Sam said.

“Certainly shut your exploration down, didn't it?” Des said to Lazlo.

“Maybe that was the whole point,” Remi muttered with a veiled glance at Sam.

“Des, I think we'll want to borrow one of our divers to keep watch over our vehicle while we're exploring,” Sam said.

“No worries. We've got a good rhythm going now. We can spare one.”

“Good,” Sam said, and then remembered about the new boat. “Oh, and some news: we have a large vessel en route to take over from you. So your stint in the Solomons will be over shortly.”

Des nodded. “I know. Selma already notified my headquarters. We're out of here on Saturday.” Des smiled. “I don't think Leonid will be sad to see us go.”

“Underneath that grumpy exterior is a morose and unhappy inner core,” Sam assured him. They all laughed, and then Sam grew serious. “If you don't think it will pose a problem, we'll take your rental off your hands, Des. Seems like a hearty vehicle, and we'll need one if we're going to finish up our little adventure in the hills.”

“No problem. We can coordinate it tomorrow at the office.” He named a rental agency—fortunately, one that Sam and Remi hadn't used yet.

“I hope our reputation hasn't preceded us,” Remi commented. “We don't have a great track record with rental cars here.”

Leonid appeared in the doorway twenty minutes later, Dr. Berry behind his wheelchair. “Your friend's all patched up. No breaks, so just the stitches and some blood loss to contend with. I told him to stay hydrated and drink plenty of fruit juice and to stay off that leg for a few days. Come by to get the stitches out in a week.”

“So no diving,” Leonid said, smiling for the first time.

At the hotel, the night manager recovered from his surprise at having another guest check in and quickly processed the paperwork while they waited. The restaurant was still open, only two patrons lingering over after-dinner drinks in a quiet corner, and the group ordered a seafood platter and plentiful beer. “For medicinal purposes,” Des said.

Lazlo shook his head sadly. “Alas, that medicine has bitten me for the last time.”

Remi smiled as she leaned toward Lazlo and whispered, “We're all proud of you, Lazlo.”

“Yes, well, I will say that most people I meet are singularly uninteresting, now that I'm sober. An unavoidable by-product of all this newly acquired virtue, I suppose.” He glanced around the table and toasted with his soda. “Present company excepted of course.”

The next morning, they met in the lobby at seven for coffee. Leonid agreed that he would stay on land until the stitches were pulled, obviously relieved to be excused from the
Darwin
for the duration. Sam and Des left Lazlo and Leonid with Remi on the veranda while they went to swap licenses at the rental agency, after which Sam dropped him at the docks.

“We'll see you before you go,” Sam said.

“Going to have another go at the caves, are you?” he asked.

“You better believe it.” They hadn't shared their discovery of the mass grave with Des.

“Well, good luck. Call me when you want to pick up one of the lads. I'll ferry him to shore for you. Any preference on who goes?”

“Greg seems like he can handle himself, doesn't he?”

“I wouldn't want to go up against him,” Des confirmed with a nod. “You thinking about heading into the hills again today?”

“No, probably tomorrow. We need to coordinate a tow truck, and at the pace this island operates, that could be half the day. I'll give you a buzz when we're on our way.”

“Good enough,” Des said.

Upon Sam's return to the hotel, he was surprised by the heated discussion under way between Leonid and Remi. She turned as he neared, a frustrated expression on her face—a look Sam knew to be cautious around.

“Would you tell your Russian friend he is under no circumstances going to try to go with us to the caves again?” she demanded.

“What? Of course he isn't,” Sam said.

“You think I'm going to let you shut me out of finding the treasure? Not a chance, as you American capitalists say.”

“You heard the doctor. You're to stay off your leg.”

“I have. For twelve full hours. Why, are you planning to go right now?”

“No, not until tomorrow . . .” Sam conceded.

“Then what's the problem? I heal quickly. I'm Russian, remember? You can't hurt me.”

Sam exchanged a glance with Remi. “It's nothing personal, my friend, but we don't want you injuring yourself further.”

He waved the concern away with a sneer. “A few scrapes and cuts. Nothing broken. I'll be ready tomorrow. You don't have to worry about me.”

“I don't think it's a good idea,” Remi said.

“He
is
an adult male,” Sam said.

“Who almost got himself killed.”

Leonid snorted. “I wasn't watching where I was going. Believe me, that won't happen again.”

Remi shook her head, exasperated. “Fine. I'm not going to fight you on this. But if you slow us down, we'll leave you to the crocodiles.”

“I hear they can smell blood a mile away,” Lazlo chipped in.

“Then it's decided. What time do we leave?” Leonid asked.

“To be determined. Probably early,” Sam said.

“I'll be ready.”

Remi stood and looked to Sam. “We going to deal with the tow truck?”

Sam sighed. “I suppose we have to, don't we?” He glanced at Lazlo. “Can you keep our Russian friend here entertained for a few hours?”

“I think that's within my considerable abilities,” Lazlo replied with a mischievous grin.

The trip to the rental car agency was as painful as they had expected. The owner of the lot was considerably agitated by the report that one of his prize vehicles was stuck in the middle of the rain forest with four flat tires.

After dealing with that chore, they headed over to the hospital, hoping to find Vanya. When they entered the now-familiar building, she was behind the reception counter, talking to the attendant, the waiting area empty.

“Well, hello! What brings you here?” she asked, smiling as she rounded the counter to greet them.

“We were just in the neighborhood.”

“I was looking over yesterday's entries and I saw that you brought in your colleague. Dr. Berry left comprehensive notes.”

“Yes. He had a hiking mishap,” Remi said.

“Those happen all the time around here. I'm glad it was relatively benign. You should stick to the trails—the island can be dangerous. Where was he hiking?”

“Over on the other side of the island,” Remi replied vaguely.

“That can be especially challenging.”

“So we learned,” Sam agreed. “Listen, Dr. Vanya, we wanted to talk to you about something. Do you have a minute?”

“Of course. Fortunately, it's a slow day. Although that can change at any time.” She motioned to the seats. “What can I help you with?”

They all sat, and Sam lowered his voice. “I remember you discussing that woman's missing child the other day.”

“Ah, yes. The runaway. Always sad for the parents.”

“It sounded as though there have been others.”

“Constantly. All part of growing up and wanting to escape, I suppose.”

“Do you have any idea how many?”

She shook her head. “Not really. I'm a physician, not a social worker.” Her tone softened. “That sounds harsh, and I don't mean it to be. What I meant is that I confine my activities to health care because otherwise there aren't enough hours in the day. It's a matter of priorities.”

Remi nodded. “I understand. We're just trying to get an idea how many children have gone missing.”

Vanya's eyes narrowed. “Put that way, it sounds sinister. What are you getting at? Do you suspect foul play?”

Sam leaned back. “Oh, no, nothing like that. We were just talking to some of the locals and it came up. Since we're going to be funding the clinics, we're trying to learn as much about the islands as possible while we're here and we want to understand if there's a dynamic we're missing. That's all.”

“I'm afraid I can't help you. As I said, whenever a child runs off, the parent is sure it's not what it obviously is. You can always check with the police. I'm sure they would know more than I do.”

“Of course. We just don't have a contact there and it seems like they have their hands full with the social unrest of late . . . and the rebels . . .” Remi said.

Vanya rose. “The chief is named Fleming. If you like, I can make a call and let him know you'll be stopping by. Although I have to warn you that he can be quite territorial.”

Sam and Remi stood as well and they all shook hands. “Any help you can offer, we'd appreciate.”

“I'll make the call. No promises he can help, but, for my new patrons, nothing is out of the question,” Vanya said with a bright smile.

Heat waves distorted the surface of the parking lot as Sam and Remi trudged back to the Mitsubishi. Remi took Sam's hand and sighed. “That didn't tell us much, did it?”

“Not really. Think we'll have any success with the cops?”

“Based on the lightning results we've seen to date on the theft investigation, much less being run off the road and shot at? Mmm . . . no.”

“I was afraid you'd say that. What's our alternative?”

“Lunch.”

They had fresh fish at a simple waterfront restaurant that was packed with locals. The tables were plastic, the napkins paper, and the fresh yellowfin tuna seared to perfection and heaped on their plates. When they were done, Remi pushed back from the table. “Why don't we see if Manchester knows anything more? He always seems willing to talk.”

“Assuming he's not busy running the government. Or drinking lunch.”

Fortunately for them, the politician was free and welcomed them into his office like they were long-lost relatives.

“Isn't this a lovely surprise. How's the marine archaeology going?” he boomed at them.

“Slow, but we're making progress,” Remi said. “We were hoping you could elaborate on something you said the other day—about the missing children?”

“Did I say something about that? I don't recall,” Manchester said, his eyes darting to the side.

“Yes, I think so. What's your take on it?” Sam pressed.

“I'm not sure I have one. I think in any society you're going to have a few kids running off. I don't necessarily see it as a Solomon Islands problem,” he said, choosing his words carefully.

“What have you heard, exactly?”

“Why the interest, if you don't mind my asking?” Manchester parried.