"Are these old enough to have belonged to your mullah?" Liz asked.
"From the appearance, the style, especially of the medallion, I'd say they could be," Shellie said. "It would take a lab analysis to be sure of the age, though."
"Did Gerald pick them up from the stash?" Dani asked.
"I think so," Rick said. "He was kind of vague about it, though. I didn't see him pick them up today. He was just shining the flashlight around, so we could see from up at the top of that vertical shaft."
"What's your next step?" Dani asked.
"I want to go down and have a look at the stash myself," Rick said. "Grid it off with some mason's cord and make a detailed survey, with photographs. Get it thoroughly documented before it's disturbed."
"How's Gerald feel about that?" Liz asked.
Rick shrugged. "He seems okay. I don't know how well I explained it to him, but he's willing to take us back in tomorrow."
"How are you going to get down the chimney?" Dani asked.
"Gerald said something about a chair of some kind. You would use it to go up the mast, from what I got from him."
"A bosun's chair?" Dani asked.
"That's it," Rick said. "I couldn't tell what he was calling it, except the chair part. He thought you might have one."
"We do have one," Dani said. "But we both prefer to use a rock climber's harness for going aloft. It's more secure when conditions are wild, which they often are when you need to go up the mast at sea. I'd recommend it over the bosun's chair."
"How does it work?" Rick asked.
"I'll show you." Dani rummaged in one of the cockpit lockers and took out a drawstring bag about a foot long and a few inches in diameter.
After untying the drawstrings, she extracted a handful of webbing with metal fittings. She shook it out and held it up. There was a heavy length of webbing about three and a half feet long with two smaller loops of webbing suspended from it. She stepped through the smaller webbing loops, one with each leg, working them up high around her thighs and adjusting them for a snug fit. She wrapped the heavier piece of webbing around her waist and buckled it, cinching everything up tight.
"That's it," she said. "These metal loops are for tools, or whatever you want to hang on them. You take the line that's going to hoist you and pass it through these two big D-rings and tie it off, and you're ready to go. It's safer than a bosun's chair because there's no way you can fall out of it. I went up the mainmast in a storm to clear a fouled halyard so we could drop the sail once, and the boat rolled through about 90 degrees. I was thrown off the mast and ended up hanging upside down for a while, until I got sorted out."
"Wow," Rick said. "Could we use that?"
"Sure," Dani said.
"What would we use to lower it? And raise it back up?"
"Liz and I use a four-part block and tackle. That lets you raise and lower yourself without taking too much strength. We've got one that's good for a lift of around 80 feet. All you'd need is something to anchor it at the top."
"How about tying a loop of rope around that boulder in the middle of the cavern, Rick?" Shellie asked. "You could run it through the tunnel."
"Seems to me that would do it."
"You want to watch out for sharp edges that might chafe through your line," Dani said.
"What are the chances of you coming along to help us?" Rick asked. "Just for advice, like that."
"I … uh, how skinny is this cave?"
"Skinny?" Rick asked.
"Any tight spots? Do I have to slither on my belly or anything?"
"Oh," Shellie said. "No. Nothing like that. A couple of places are kind of like doorways, where you have to turn sideways to squeeze through. And there's one place like a tunnel, going into the cavern with the chimney. You have to crawl on all fours for a few feet."
"How few?" Dani asked. "Two? Twenty?"
"Ten, maybe," Shellie said.
"Okay, then, I'll give it a shot," Dani said.
"Who's ready for a sundowner while I get dinner started?" Liz asked.
"I thought you'd never offer," Shellie said. "Any chance of something a little stronger than wine?"
"She mixes a mean rum punch," Dani said. "And I'll have one, too, Liz. Make mine a double."
29
"I finally got through to the charter people in Grenada," Ashley said, rejoining the group at the table on the restaurant's patio. "For all the good it did."
"What did they say?" Ed asked.
"They started by telling me to get the pump out of the cockpit locker and try to re-inflate it. After some discussion, I got them to understand that it had been vandalized, that somebody had slashed it. Then they wanted us to bring it back to them; they'd swap it for another one."
"Back?" Leila asked. "Back to Grenada?"
"That's what I asked. And their answer was 'Yes, back to Grenada.' Our other option is to find somebody up here to fix it, get an estimate, get them to okay it, and pay for it. They'll reimburse us."
"Shit," Ed said. "That's no good. They don't have a base here?"
"Nowhere but Grenada," Ashley said.
"Rupert didn't think anybody around here could fix it," Ed said.
"Rupert?"
"Our favorite water taxi driver."
"We need a dinghy," Leila said. "We're handicapped without one. Let's just buy one; we've got the cash. There must be a dealer in St. Lucia."
"In Rodney Bay," Ed said. "Rupert told us there was a big dealer there who might be able to fix it."
"Can you check it out online, Ash?" Leila asked. "I'll tell Ed and Bert what's going on with Everett."
"Sure." Ashley took her smartphone and went back inside.
"WiFi's better in there," Leila said, seeing the frown on Ed's face.
He nodded. "So you saw them go into a cave up on the cliff?"
"We saw them disappear into a crevice. Given how long they were in there, we think it must lead to the cave they're looking for. Did you bring the stuff?"
"Yeah. A handful of .380 rounds, a couple of light bulbs from the 12-volt fixtures, and that plastic bag of stuff you bought in the hardware store in Fort-de-France."
"Those two throwaway prepaid phones?" she asked.
"Yes. And a quart of engine oil. Does this mean what I think it means?"
Leila smiled. "Maybe. We need to go up and see if the cave's really there, and if it's the right one."
"Are they still up there?" Bert asked.
"No. They came down a little while before I called you. Everett's wife's limping, like she hurt her leg or something. Ed, did you bring the empty backpack?"
"Yeah, it's inside this one." He nudged the one he'd been carrying with the toe of his shoe.
"I'm ready to go, then. You coming? Bert can stay here with Ash and keep a lookout, in case they come back. I could use your help getting the stuff up there."
"Yeah. One thing, though," Ed said.
"What?"
"We don't have any fertilizer."
She grinned. "You don't, but I do. That's what the extra backpack's for."
"Where is it?" Ed asked, looking around.
"I stashed it in the woods, off the side of the trail. I didn't want to bring a 25-pound bag of fertilizer in here."
"Where'd you get it? Somebody will remember a tourist buying fertilizer. Especially when the cops start asking around after the explosion."
She shook her head. "That's why I didn't buy it."
"You stole it? That must have been a challenge."
"Not really. There's a kind of truck farm off the side of the road back to town. I found it in a shed."
"You're not worried about somebody seeing us on the cliff?"
"It'll be dusk by the time we get out on the exposed rock. Let's go."
"We got an email from Phillip. He wants us to give him a call," Dani said, as Liz finished cleaning up the galley after dinner.
"Shall we take a phone up on the foredeck?" Liz asked. "I don't want to disturb Rick and Shellie. Th
ey seemed exhausted."
"Yes, they did. You ready?"
"Sure. Let's go."
Thirty seconds later, they were sitting on the foredeck, the phone between them with the volume turned low.
"Hey, Dani," Phillip said. "Liz with you?"
"Yes, I'm here."
"Hi, Liz. How about your guests?"
"They had a big day," Dani said, "scaling the cliff at Petit Piton. They turned in early. What's new?"
"Scaling a cliff? I thought he was looking for a cave."
"They found it. Or found something. He's not quite sure what's in there yet. We're going back tomorrow."
"We?" Phillip asked.
"Rick and I. His wife sprained her ankle, so she and Liz are staying on Vengeance."
"You're going in a cave?" Phillip asked, the pitch of his voice rising. "I didn't think you'd ever — "
"They said you can practically walk in; it's not like that one in Jamaica, okay?"
"Okay. Did the guy Sharktooth put you in touch with show him this cave?"
"No. He turned out to be a typical tour guide. Didn't know much about caves, other than the one they show all the visitors. But this odd character — a Rasta who lives in the woods around Petit Piton — he saw them and overheard Rick asking about other caves. He came by the boat last night and told Rick about this one. It was a weird conversation."
"And it gets even more weird," Liz said. "But that's not why you wanted us to call. We'll tell you about the weird guy another time. What's new?"
"Not too much, actually, but I heard back from Luke Pantene, and Marie got the feedback from Interpol, so I wanted to let you know."
"Sounds like you didn't find out much," Dani said.
"That's right. As Luke put it, they're so clean they're not even normal."
"Does that mean he's suspicious of them?" Liz said.
"Yes, but only because there's no reason to be suspicious. Not even a parking ticket out of the four of them, let alone any moving violations. That puts them in a tiny minority of the population. Their identities all check out. They're in the credit agency files, but none of them has a fixed address or an automobile. They've got Florida drivers' licenses that match everything else. They each have accounts at the same mail forwarding service that they use as a mailing address. Checking accounts, credit cards. All graduated from college about the same time, in different places, and none of them has had a job since they graduated."
"How do they make a living, then?" Liz asked.
"Good question," Phillip said.
"Can Luke get a look at their bank accounts? Or credit card charges?" Dani asked.
"Not without a warrant, and there's no probable cause."
"How about what we found on their computer?" Liz asked. "That's probable cause, isn't it?"
"That's probable cause for somebody to get a warrant to arrest you two," Phillip said, with a chuckle. "But it's worthless for going after them."
"What did Marie get from Interpol?" Dani asked.
"More of the same. She did get a little more information about their travels, but nothing that's helpful. They seem to live out of their suitcases, and they're generally together."
"That's pretty odd," Dani said. "A foursome, with enough money to travel internationally on a full-time basis."
"They could be independently wealthy," Phillip said. "We don't know."
"They're not related to one another?" Liz asked. "Married?"
"Not married," Phillip said. "As for being related, there's nothing to indicate that, but it's always a possibility."
"This is bullshit," Dani said. "We know they're dirty, and they're up to no good. Those have to be false identities."
"I don't think there's any doubt about that, Dani," Phillip said. "And that's all we need to know. You have to keep watching your back, that's all. Any sign of them in Soufrière?"
"They're here, on a mooring between the Pitons, conveniently out of sight from Vengeance," Liz said.
"And they don't have a dinghy anymore," Dani said. "It sunk."
"So they're stuck on their boat, or using water taxis?" Phillip asked.
"That's right," Dani said.
"What happened to their dinghy?"
"Dani," Liz said, with a grin.
"Dani?" Phillip asked. "I don't — "
"Dani happened to their dinghy," Liz said, laughing now.
"I was pretty sure they were going to run over something sharp and puncture the tubes," Dani said. "It's always better if that happens at the dock, don't you think?"
"Safer, anyway," Phillip said. "Kind of you to be looking out for them, but won't they just patch it?"
"There's not enough patching material in all of St. Lucia," Dani said.
"Okay," Phillip said. "I take it you're going to be there for a while, since Rick found the cave?"
"Yes, I think so. Why?" Dani asked.
"Sharktooth and Marie are planning to head down there tomorrow morning. They thought you might need some back-up, given what we know — and don't know — about the bunch on Aquila."
"Are they bringing Lightning Bolt?" Liz asked.
"Of course. You know Sharktooth doesn't like to fly. Besides, they'll need the boat to get around. They'll be calling you sometime tomorrow, but they'll probably stay out of sight, at least for now."
"Okay," Liz said. I'll be on Vengeance all day with Shellie, so they know where to find me."
"I'll pass that along. Stay safe," Phillip said.
"You, too," Dani said. "Thanks for calling. We'll be in touch."
She put her phone in her shirt pocket. "I can't wait to see how Sharktooth stays out of sight on Lightning Bolt. It practically glows in the dark, with that new paint job."
"Hiding in plain sight," Liz said. "Maybe he'll be able to communicate with Gerald, though."
"Maybe. If Gerald even shows up tomorrow."
"You don't think he will?" Liz asked. "I assumed he'd be going with you and Rick."
"That's a reasonable assumption about a normal person. But I'm not sure about Gerald." Dani smiled.
"Are you okay with going in the cave?"
"I'm dealing with it."
"I could go, and you could stay with Shellie, you know."
"Thanks, Liz. But this is something I need to do, to face up to."
"Face your fear?"
"Something like that. It's the one thing that sends me into pure panic; I can't just throw up my hands and walk away from it. You know I'm not made that way."
"I know. I just thought I'd offer."
"Thanks. Maybe another time, but I'm going to beat this. Let's go to sleep. It's getting late."
30
"Look," Leila said, sweeping the cavern with the beam of her flashlight. She and Ed had located the entrance to the cave with little difficulty once they had found their way back into the crevice in the cliff face.
"What?" Ed said. "You see these drawings? They look prehistoric."
"Yeah. Those are called petroglyphs; I read about them."
"You read about this cave?"
"No, about petroglyphs in other places in the islands. Do you see the shadow back there where I'm shining the light?"
"Yeah. What about it?"
"Let's work our way back there. I think it's an opening of some kind, maybe to another cavern." She began to pick her way across the rock-strewn, uneven floor.
"Spooky," Ed said. "Shit!" He tripped and caught himself.
"Careful," Leila said. "You okay?"
"Yeah, okay. Cut my damn hand, though."
"Shuffle, kind of, and don't shift your weight until you're sure of your footing. Follow me; I'll let you know if there's anything big in the way."
In thirty seconds, Leila reached the back wall. She dropped to her hands and knees. Peering through an opening that was just big enough for her to crawl into, she thought she saw a deeper shadow on the floor several meters ahead. She couldn't be sure, because the tunnel through the rock curved just enough to obscure the size
of the opening at the other end.
"I'm going in," she said, dropping the backpack that she had filled with fertilizer. "Wait here."
"Gladly," Ed said. "That tunnel gives me the creeps. There's no room to turn around once you're in there. What if you get stuck? Or get hurt, or something?"
"Then you'll have to get me out."
"And if I can't?"
"Then I'll die. Shut up, Ed. It's just a hole in the rock. It'll be okay."
Pushing her flashlight ahead of her, she crawled into the tunnel. About six meters in, the tunnel opened up enough so that she could rise to a crouch. As she thought, the floor fell away sharply.
She swung the beam of her light around, taking in her surroundings. She was in another cavern, smaller than the first one they'd been in. Less than a meter in front of her, the floor dropped off into a vertical shaft that was three to four meters in diameter. Looking over the edge, she could see water at the bottom, 15 or 20 meters below. There was a strip of rocky beach against the wall of the shaft that was closest to her.
The beach extended about halfway across the shaft, and she could see a sizable box, well above the water line. There were other, smaller things stacked around the box, but she couldn't make out what they were. The other wall, opposite the beach, was in deep shadow. She played the light over it, but she couldn't quite tell what she was seeing.
It could be another tunnel. She wasn't sure of directions, but she wondered if it led out to the cliff face at sea level. That would explain how somebody got all that stuff into the cave. She couldn't see a way to climb down the shaft. It would make sense that there might be another entrance to the bottom of the shaft, if somebody used it for storage.
She shrugged. It didn't matter. This had to be the place, but she'd know for sure if Everett came back with climbing gear tomorrow. She turned around and entered the tunnel that she had crawled through before. This time, having learned that the floor of the tunnel was smooth enough, she lay on her back and scooted herself along. Examining the rock over her head, she was looking for a good spot to put her explosives.
She found one area where the overhead surface had a number of open crevices. Using her abdominal muscles and resting on her left elbow, she reached up with her right hand, exploring the openings. There was room here to wedge the backpack filled with fertilizer up into the overhead gap.
Bluewater Quest Page 20
