by K. T. Tomb
“Good evening, sir,” he said in accented English. “Mr. Mayer awaits downstairs. Would you like some refreshments? We have an excellently stocked bar.” Travis requested a Coke, and followed the man’s lead down a flight of stairs to a room that looked as if it would be more at home holding high powered business meetings on the fiftieth floor of a skyscraper than nestling in the bowels of a super yacht. The earlier arrivals were already seated around a glass topped table that stood on myriad legs wrought of some finely spun metal which twisted and contorted themselves to form the outlines of sea creatures, dolphins, sharks and octopi and the like. The other five gamblers looked up in one uniform movement as Travis entered, casting eyes over him, weighing and measuring his ability at cards and the depth of his credit balance. Judging from the feeling of being the new kid at school in his stomach and the brief, almost rudely short amount of attention he warranted from his fellow gamblers, he didn’t rate too highly on anyone’s radar.
At the head of the table, sat in a high backed leather chair was Mayer. He alone smiled as Travis entered, his craggy gunslinger’s face making a ruin of what would on most faces be a welcoming expression.
“Mr. Monahan, you made it!” Mayer rumbled, “I’ll make introductions when we are underway, we’re in for quite a night.
“Underway?” Travis said. He knew they would be leaving shore but he was suddenly aware of the potential threat. “How far are we going on board the Easter Ecliptic?”
Mayer smiled indulgently, as if Travis really was a kid at school acting the ingénue.
“Of course it is, but there are certain rules about running high stakes gambling; the local authorities don’t take too kindly to it and as you see,” he gestured to the other players with a broad swoop of one massive and gnarled hand, “our friends are people who would have severe repercussions to face. You and I might just be deported. To enable our friendly game to take place, it is therefore reasonable to head out a couple of miles, just into international water. That way, we get our game and the authorities are placated.” He folded his arms, evidently pleased with what was, Travis admitted, a plan of startling simplicity. How easy life must be when one is rich enough to just sail away from your problems.
“Well, seems like you have thought of everything here. I must congratulate you on the Ecliptic, she’s a wonderful boat,” Travis said.
“Yacht, Mr. Monahan. She’s a yacht, and you’re right, she’s quite spectacular. Come with me, we’ll watch Captain Singh take her out.”
“She has a captain? Wouldn’t that be you?” Travis said.
“Of course, I own her, but a yacht of this size needs a real seaman at the helm.” Mayer led Travis and the collected gamblers back up the stairs they had come down, up another flight of stairs that were edged with running lights that led to the bridge. At least the bridge was one part of the vessel that Travis was sure he had the name of correctly. A man who could only be Captain Singh stood gazing out at the setting sun to the west. Travis had to admit that even by Sri Lankan standards, this evening was glorious to behold. Dark shapes of bulk cruisers dotted the horizon, the only minor impingement on a flawless skyline. “Captain Singh, ready to set sail?” Mayer said after a quick glance at what must be a Rolex watch on his wrist.
Singh, clad in navy blue trousers and jacket with gold trim, white sea captain’s hat pulled down low on his head nodded, and barked a few orders to a pair of junior ratings who were so unobtrusive, crouched over by displays and radar monitors that Travis had not even noticed their presence. There was a conversation over the radio in Sinhala as Singh informed shipping control that the Easter Ecliptic was ready to depart, and Travis felt the heavy engines many feet below him rumble into life. The waters beneath them were a stunning shade of verdant green, flecked with a prism-ochre light as the sun set, throwing up glowing orange and reds to merge with the vermillion skies. The Easter Ecliptic began to move forward and Travis craned his head to see over Captain Singh’s shoulder, seeing the speedometer climb to five knots, then ten.
The ship swung out to sea, leaving Colombo, Savannah and Monica Chen far behind. Travis watched the city slowly shrink, until it was a light smudge on the horizon. Was he doing the right thing? What if Mayer turns out not to be the guy behind the diamond case at all? Savannah would kill him for wasting so much time. Mayer was moving around the circle of gamblers, pointing out interesting bits of equipment on his bridge, like his captain speaking what sounded to Travis’ ear as a good approximation of perfect Sinhala. Mayer saw Travis looking, and clapped his hands.
“Gentlemen, shall we proceed up to the top deck? I know some of you would like to smoke, and I assure you there is no better arena for a game of poker than the open night sky. Let’s play some cards!”
Chapter Nine
Savannah forewent the trusty staircase in favor of the elevator for the first time since she and Travis had checked into the hotel. Having done everything that she could to get back across town as quickly as she could, something in the pit of her stomach kept telling her that he’d already left the hotel room; probably long before Monica Chen had left Savannah sitting at the table outside the Green Cabin Restaurant gaping at her retreating figure.
She pushed the key card into the slot and pushed down on the door handle. The silence that greeted her told her the entire story. Dejected, she threw down her bag onto the couch in the living area and went to her room; kicking off her shoes one by one as she went. Savannah splashed cold water on her face and neck as she tried to devise her next move.
The whole Monica Chen business was bothering her to no end and her next instinct was to call Thyri immediately to give her the heads up. As she crossed the room to find her cell phone, she noticed the folded sheet of white hotel note paper. It was sitting on top of a black jewelry box that didn’t look in the least familiar. Savannah opened it. The silver bracelet shone resplendent against the black velvet interior of the box and the creamy opals caught every facet of light in the room to show off the many colors that lurked in their interior. Delicately, she touched it. It was beautiful. She ran the tips of two fingers over the cool metal and semi-precious stones for a moment before snapping out of it and grabbing up the note. Travis confirmed in the message that he had already left for the marina to join Mayer on his yacht, but at least he mentioned the name of it. The Easter Ecliptic.
She had to find him. Warn him about what Mayer and his goons were up to as well as what they were possibly planning to do with him. Savannah picked up the search for her cell phone and then dialed Travis’ number. It didn’t even ring. Straight to voicemail.
Shit! How in hell? What the fuck was she going to do now? She looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. The glowing digital display read 6:45 p.m. Looking back at the note, her heart sank. The yacht would have left the marina for open sea just about forty five minutes ago. She was too late.
Travis was in so much danger that Savannah tried to circumvent her overactive imagination around his situation. She needed help, she needed backup. Dammit, she needed a flipping plan first of all. She swiped the screen of her phone to wake it up and went to her recently dialed list. Thyri. Only Thyri could help her come up with a plan and provide the backup she’d need all in one swoop. But that still left Savannah without the help she’d need to immediately try and intercept the Easter Ecliptic. Who knew? Maybe she’d have an idea about that too.
“THYRI!” Savannah all but bellowed into the phone when the Norwegian oil heiress’ voice came on the other end of the line.
“Savannah? Is that you? What’s wrong? Did Travis get himself shot again?”
She knew she shouldn’t have been laughing, but Savannah couldn’t help the reaction to Thyri’s last question.
When she finally managed to come up for air, she replied, “No, thank goodness. He’s not been shot. He is in trouble though.”
“Of course, he is. What is it this time?”
“He ran off on his own again. He’d gotten a hunch and just took o
ff after it. This time it might do him in.”
“Savannah, you know that those hunches are what make him so good,” Thyri commented. “That’s why the two of you are working together; your styles complement each other well. What was his hunch?”
“He had seen two men talking to Monica Chen and…”
“Monica Chen is in Colombo?” Thyri interrupted.
“That’s what he said and he seemed pretty sure about it at the time. I had it confirmed for me when she interrupted me at a restaurant this afternoon to bring me up to speed on what’s really going on here. Anyway, Chen was talking to two men and then disappeared. He decided to follow the two men.”
“Those would be the men that he wanted me to get information on. Okay. It seemed like a solid lead to me. So what did he do?”
“He decided that their vice was gambling. Imagine that. He frequented gambling joints for several days, hoping to get another shot at meeting Mayer and finding out what he was up to.”
“Sounds like a good plan. Did he find him?”
“He did, and that’s how he got himself into trouble. He was invited to board the Easter Ecliptic, which is Mayer’s boat. Evidently, Mayer invited him to a high stakes poker game onboard. However, Monica told me that it was a trap.”
“When she spoke to you this afternoon?”
“Yes, she works with the Chinese government. She sought me out to let me know what was going on and that Travis was in danger.”
“Why would she care that Travis is in danger? She didn’t seem to be too concerned about his welfare when she was putting bullets in him. Why now? How does she know? What’s this all about?”
Savannah ran through the entire conversation that she’d had with Monica Chen and Thyri listened quietly until she finished.
“I take it that the boat sailed before you had a chance to talk to him. I don’t have anything that I can use to prove that what she told you is right, but her theory certainly sounds correct and tracks with what you’ve already theorized. Still, it is Monica Chen and her past actions make me a little bit nervous to simply jump right in and believe her.” She became silent again.
“Thyri, I don’t have any means of intercepting that boat or resources for extracting him if I did. Travis is in grave danger and I’m completely helpless.”
“Any resources that I could get moving might arrive much too late.”
“I was afraid that you’d say that. What do we do? I mean, it serves him right for running off half-cocked the way that he does, but we still can’t give up on him.”
“We’re not giving up on him. And Savannah, he isn’t nearly as foolish as you’re making him out to be. If I know Travis, he has something up his sleeve and he’s going to lead us straight to where those diamonds are and the people that are involved. He’s um…” She considered the correct words to use. “He’s like a bloodhound; you may not be able to reason with him, but once he gets the scent there is no stopping him.”
“A fine lot of good that will do us, if he winds up disappearing off of the face of the earth, because we can’t track him and can’t rescue him.”
“There is someone there who can track him and does have the resources to rescue him.”
Savannah didn’t have to see the look on Thyri’s face to know instantly who her boss was suggesting. “You don’t mean?” she whispered.
“Yes, I do mean. Think about it. If she has enough interest to tell you about the trap, then she probably has an interest in finding a solution as well.”
“Can we trust her?”
“Trust her or not, she can be used to help us get Travis out of the bind he’s in and bring all of this to a close, we’ll sort out the other part later.”
“Oh God, Thyri, Travis would have—will have—a conniption when he finds out.”
“What choice do you have? I could possibly get some resources moving to do some clean up, but I’m afraid that would be too late. No, you’ve got to act now and Chen is your best, maybe your only option.”
“I’d rather have some other options.” Savannah sighed.
“It is what it is.”
Chapter Ten
His mouth was dry and had a foul taste, his head ached like he’d had way too much to drink and when he opened his eyes, he was pretty sure that the room he was in was spinning in circles. It wasn’t a room, it was a cabin on a boat, and he was still on the boat.
As consciousness began to work its way into his foggy mind, the realization hit him that he shouldn’t be hung over, since he hadn’t been drinking. He’d been in a high stakes game and he was the only outsider to the group, it had been a situation in which he had decided to remain sober and alert. That left only one possibility. Someone had slipped something into his Coke and it hadn’t been Crown Royal.
Sitting up, he tried to recall what had happened. They’d been playing right along and he’d been holding his own, staying even, but maybe up a little, but he’d been playing conservatively while he studied the other players. Mostly, he’d been watching Mayer, not because of the cards, but he figured there was something else being hidden by the man. Whatever it was, his host was holding his cards close to his vest and Travis hadn’t discovered anything suspicious.
He was playing along and then… that was it. He’d awakened, dry mouthed, head pounding and dizzy. It was like the entire boat was spinning. Was it possible that a yacht the size of the one that he was on was able to get caught in a whirlpool? It was a stupid thought, but it seemed to go along with the fog that he found himself in. It was much more important to focus on who had drugged him and why.
Sitting up didn’t do him much good, but he forced himself to kick his feet to the side of the bed and put them on the floor. The spinning of the room made his stomach lurch, but when he placed his face in his hands, he was able to get things back under control before he vomited. Breathe, Travis. Slow, deep breaths. Focusing on his breathing had worked before. After a few moments, he was able to raise his face from his hands and look around the cabin. As long as he didn’t move his head too fast, he was okay.
He needed some point of reference; something that would tell him whether the boat was headed back into the harbor at Colombo or if it was going elsewhere. He assumed it was elsewhere. That would go along with his being drugged, but he needed to know where. Not that he could do anything about his situation at the moment, but getting his bearings would at least help him create a plan, no matter how impossible it was to execute.
With his head clearing up a bit, he was able to stand, while holding onto the bed post to allow everything to balance out a moment. He moved to a window and looked out at the ocean, it was unlikely that he had been out long enough for them to be anywhere but in the Laccadive Sea, but if he was able to get a direction worked out, he would be able to come up with some idea of their destination; maybe. The sun breaking over the distant horizon gave him his first clue. He could make out the shape of a broken skyline that indicated land was in the distance. The yacht was either moving north or south.
To the north was the Indian mainland. To the south were thousands of miles of open ocean. It was possible that they were headed to the Maldives, but they would have to make a sharp turn to the west if that was their destination. They were headed north. That was the only logical destination. What was to the north? The possibilities were unlimited, but it likely had a connection to the diamonds.
“I see you’re awake.” The sound of Mayer’s voice startled Travis.
“No thanks to you,” he muttered.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t figure out who you were?” His smile reminded him of an alligator about to have dinner. Keeping his eyes trained on Travis, he took a seat and folded his hands in his lap as though he was preparing for a business negotiation of some sort.
“Would have been better if you hadn’t.”
“I knew who you were the first time we caught you following us. Really, did you think we would buy that story that you made up? I knew of your presence in
Colombo before you even arrived.”
“You and Monica Chen. So, what business do you have with her?”
He chuckled softly. “I have heard that you and Monica don’t see eye to eye.”
“I don’t particularly appreciate packing her lead.”
“You won’t have to worry about that any more. I am not involved in anything with Monica, but I do have a plan for you that will put you well out of Miss Chen’s reach.”
“I can hardly wait to hear it.”
“It’s good that you’re able to keep your sense of humor while you’re losing. I like that quality in you; in fact, you’ve proven yourself to be a pretty decent opponent. Under normal circumstances, you and I might get along pretty well. Both of us being Southern gentlemen so far from home, we have a great deal in common.” A painful expression suddenly shadowed his face. “But, regrettably, you’ve gotten in the way. I can’t have you and that sweet little Southern belle, Savannah, snooping around in my operations. You understand, it’s nothing personal.”
“That’s comforting to know.” Travis’ mind was racing through all of the possibilities. If Mayer wanted him dead, why hadn’t he simply shot him and dumped him overboard? Why drug him and keep him alive?
“I suppose you’re wondering what my plan for you includes, am I right?” Mayer broke into his thoughts as though he had been speaking aloud.
“Why not just kill me and dump me overboard?”
“You’re more valuable to me alive. You’ve heard of the Tamil Tiger terrorists, I presume?”
Travis nodded. What interest would the Tigers have with him?
“Well, I believe that the Tigers would thoroughly enjoy having an American hostage with which to negotiate some special favors. You’re an excellent candidate and it gets you out of my hair as well; two birds with one stone.”
