Niki looked up at his brother. “We should never have taken this job.”
Eli put a heavy hand on Niki’s shoulder as he headed toward the door. “It’s too late now.”
Niki got up and followed him. “I’m going to shower and then we need to take that drive.”
“Jason’s upstairs on Stacy duty. Why don’t we have Consuela sit up there so Jason can check this place out,” Eli suggested. “It’s not something that should wait.”
“That’s a good idea. Give her one of the walkie talkies and she can call us if Stacy tries anything,” Niki said.
“Okay,” said Eli. “I’ll be upstairs. Come get me when you’re ready.”
Eli worked things out with Consuela then went to his living quarters. He was heading to his bedroom when he noticed that his computer was still on from earlier, and he flashed back to Stacy standing by the couch with Jason’s gun in her hand. Eli smiled. The girl was a piece of work. Eli walked over to turn off the computer and noticed there was an error message on the screen. The e-mail to hollylane was returned undelivered.
Jason was sitting outside Stacy’s room when he thought he heard voices coming from inside. He knocked on the door, and when she didn’t answer, he opened the door and went in.
“No, stop!” Stacy said, tossing her head back and forth.
At first, Jason thought she was talking to him, but as he approached the bed he realized that Stacy was asleep. She had tears on her cheeks and the sheets were torn off the bed and knotted up into a ball from her struggling.
“No,” she whimpered.
Jason sat down on the side of her bed. He leaned over and put his hand on her forehead and smoothed her hair back. “Shhhh,” he said. “It’s okay. It’s just a dream.” He stroked her hair and talked her through the nightmare until she was sleeping peacefully. He was straightening the crumpled sheets when Niki and Consuela poked their heads in.
Jason held his finger up to his lips before Niki could speak. “Shhh.” He finished tucking in the sheets and met them out in the hall.
“She was having a nightmare,” Jason said. “What’s up?” he said, looking at Consuela.
“Consuela’s going to keep an eye on Stacy so you can check out the villa,” Niki said.
“Good. It sucks sitting out here. I need something to drink.”
“Eli and I are going to check the perimeter before it gets dark.”
“Where’s Carlos?” Jason asked.
“Still at the boathouse.”
Jason looked toward Stacy’s door. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she sleeps right through the night. She’s really crashed.”
Consuela took up residence in the easy chair and Jason and Niki walked down to Eli’s room. Niki knocked and walked in.
“You ready?” Niki asked.
“Yeah,” Eli said. The three headed downstairs. “You know, I told you that Stacy sent an e-mail to two people earlier,” said Eli.
“Yeah,” said Niki.
“Well one came back undelivered; the one to hollylane,” said Eli.
The threesome split up at the bottom of the stairs, Niki and Eli heading outside through the foyer and Jason taking the stairs to the lower level.
“You drive,” Niki said, tossing Eli the keys.
Niki and Eli got in the Land Rover and rolled down the windows. It was about a half-mile from the villa to the perimeter road on the path they were driving, but it was slow going because of all of the curves.
“Go west at the perimeter road and we’ll check the cliffs first,” Niki directed. The cliffs presented the most rugged form of access to the island, and for that reason, there was no security equipment. Niki didn’t think that anyone would be there, but he had to rule it out.
They got to the cliffs and Eli drove a bit farther then stopped the Rover and they both got out. They took off in opposite directions and scouted the cliffs for any sign of life, then met back at the Land Rover.
“There’s no one out there,” Niki said, satisfied that the cliffs were safe.
They continued along the perimeter road, driving slowly, keeping an eye out for anything or anyone that didn’t belong. They came to the south end of the island, which was one tip of the crescent, and got out again. At each tip of the crescent there were cameras set up which could be monitored from the villa. They had been in place when Niki acquired the island, but up to then, it had never been necessary to monitor them. Sections of the island also came equipped with an invisible security fence, which transmitted signals back to the villa where a breach had occurred. The fencing was placed strategically on areas of the island that were considered vulnerable to access.
The camera was perched on top of a solid steel pole and there was a control box attached near the bottom of the pole. Niki unlocked the control box to make sure everything was turned on.
“Everything’s good here,” Niki said. “Hopefully the recording will show something.”
He and Eli walked around the area, searching for anything that might provide a clue, but there was nothing. They returned to the Land Rover and combed the rest of the island. By the time they got back to the villa it was dark.
Jason was in the kitchen fixing a sandwich when the brothers came in.
“You find anything?” Jason asked.
“No,” said Niki. “I’m satisfied there’s no one on the perimeter. Did the recording have anything on it?”
“Nothing,” said Jason. “And the house is clean.”
“Where’s Carlos?” Eli asked.
“He’s back down there at the boathouse doing his voodoo shit or something. He came up here and got a drink then went right back down there.”
“What about Stacy?” Eli asked.
“I guess she’s still asleep. I haven’t heard from her or Consuela,” said Jason.
Niki was butchering what was left of the roast and Eli was making sandwiches. Jason grabbed three beers out of the refrigerator and handed them out.
“I guess I should go relieve Consuela,” Niki said, without enthusiasm. “Make an extra sandwich and I’ll give one to Consuela,” he said, taking both sandwiches Eli had just finished making and a beer, and heading upstairs.
Chapter 9
It was dark outside when Stacy woke to the sound of something crawling on the blinds. She wasn’t sure if she had dreamed the noise, so she sat up in bed and listened. There it was again. It sounded like a roach.
Stacy hated roaches. Back in college, Stacy’s roommate had one crawl into her ear when she was sleeping and they had to go to the emergency room to get it out. When the nurse stuck a pair of tweezers into her roommate’s ear and pulled out a roach leg, it had scarred Stacy for life. She would rather contend with a snake then a roach any day. Stacy pulled her hair over her ear and tried to go back to sleep, but she was too freaked out. She kept feeling like bugs were crawling all over her. There was no way she could fall back asleep, so she lay there listening for any noise, but the room was silent.
Some time later, it happened again. She sat up in bed and listened. Sure enough, little legs crawling on the blinds. It’s just a little bug, Stacy told herself. Get some backbone. She pulled the covers up to her chin and over her ear and tried to go back to sleep. She finally managed to doze off when another noise woke her up, but it was not the bug crawling on the blinds – it was now flying around her room. That’s not a roach. It sounded like a miniature airplane, buzzing, buzzing, buzzing, swooping all around the room.
Stacy pulled the sheet up over her head and prayed that the thing wouldn’t dive bomb her. And then it stopped, only to start up again after about 30 seconds. She needed to get out of the room, but she was too scared to get out of bed. Stacy was getting ready to yell for Jason, when all of a sudden she heard buzz . . . buzz . . . thunk . . . plop. The little fucker flew into the fan and plopped down on the bed. Stacy bolted out of bed, screaming bloody murder, and ran to the light switch.
Niki was asleep in the hall when he heard the blood curdling scream. He
jumped up and busted through the door, pistol in hand, and slammed right into Stacy. He pushed her behind him to shield her from her attacker, while he scanned the room with the gun.
“There’s a bug in my bed!” Stacy exclaimed.
“A bug?” Niki repeated, turning around to glare at her. “You screamed like that because of a bug?”
“It was flying around the room and hit the fan and landed on the bed,” she explained.
Niki shook his head, then put the gun down on the dresser and they walked over to the bed. Stacy stood back while Niki moved the covers around searching for the bug.
“I don’t see anything,” he said, looking on the floor around the bed.
“I know it’s there,” Stacy said adamantly. She got a little closer and stretched her neck to see if she could see it.
Niki went around to the other side of the bed and looked around. “Here it is. It’s just a little beetle,” he said, checking it out. “I think it’s unconscious.”
Niki picked up the bug and let it go out on the balcony. He came back in the room and Stacy was examining his gun.
“Nice gun,” she said.
Niki walked across the room and took the gun away from her. “I cannot believe that a little beetle would elicit that kind of response from you,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“It sounded a lot bigger when it was flying around,” she said.
“I thought someone was murdering you, the way you screamed,” Niki said.
“You came to save me, didn’t you?” Stacy said, smiling. He looked like an unmade bed – his hair was messed up from sleeping and his shirt was all wrinkled. You are downright adorable, she thought.
“Yes, I was going to save you,” Niki admitted. “Although I don’t know why. I’ve never taken so much abuse from anyone in my life.”
Stacy couldn’t help but smile. There was something very endearing about him, in spite of the circumstances. Maybe it was that Patty Hearst thing. “What time is it anyway?”
Niki looked at his watch. “11:30.”
“No wonder I’m hungry. Let’s get something to eat.”
“Right now?”
“Well, yeah.”
They got downstairs and found Eli and Jason out on the veranda. The table was littered with beer bottles and empty bags of chips.
“You’re awake,” said Eli. “And let me guess, you’re hungry.”
“Shut up, Eli,” Stacy said grumpily.
“You wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” he asked.
“A huge jungle beetle chased me out of bed,” she stated.
“What?” Eli looked at Niki.
“There was a bug in her bed,” Niki said, rolling his eyes. “Where’s Carlos? Did he ever come back from the boathouse?”
“He came back and got some stuff then went back down there,” said Jason. “Grab a beer and pull up a chair,” he told Niki, pointing to the ice chest.
Niki opened a beer and took a big, long swig. He looked out over the ocean, “There’s a storm coming.”
“Yeah,” said Jason. “It’s supposed to be intense.”
“May I get an escort to the kitchen, please?” Stacy said, frustrated by her lack of freedom. “Or if I promise not to run, I could just go on my own,” she suggested.
“Your turn, Eli,” said Niki.
Eli groaned. “I was right wasn’t I, you are hungry again,” he said, dragging himself up out of his chair at a snail’s pace.
“Come on!” Stacy said impatiently, pulling Eli by the arm.
Eli made himself dead weight. “No, don’t let her take me!”
Stacy started laughing. She tried to pull him towards the kitchen, but she couldn’t budge him, so she got behind him and pushed him across the veranda, while he continued his protest. She was laughing and she stopped, holding her side.
“It hurts to laugh,” she said.
“Come on. Let’s get some food,” Eli said, pushing Stacy in front of him and following her into the kitchen.
Jason and Niki had been watching the two harass each other and both were thinking the same thing.
“We’ve got a problem.” said Jason.
“Yeah, we do,” Niki agreed.
“What are we going to do?” Jason asked.
“I don’t know,” said Niki.
Chapter 10
The first thing Carlos did was walk through the boathouse looking for any kind of physical evidence left by the person or persons who planted the bomb. He combed the place from top to bottom but all he found was a small piece of tape that he assumed was off of what was used to tie the dynamite together. He meditated inside the boathouse for several hours then went up to the house and returned with his goodie bag.
When the moon was in just the right position, Carlos made a circle with stones on the beach beside the boathouse and drew two lines in the sand, dividing the circle in quadrants. He anointed one black candle and one white candle with oil, while he concentrated on finding the person who had planted the bomb. He placed the white candle in the southern quadrant and covered it with a glass shield and placed the black candle in the northern quadrant and covered it with a shield. Next, Carlos took the broken lock from the boathouse and dusted it with salt, then laid it in the eastern quadrant, together with several scraps from the boat that had washed ashore, the piece of tape he found in the boathouse, and some silver charms he took from his bag. He dug a hole in the last quadrant and poured in olive oil and seawater, and sprinkled a mixture of herbs in the liquid, then he lit the candles and sat beside the circle meditating and chanting. It was well after dark when Carlos made it back to the villa and joined Niki and Jason on the veranda.
“What’d you find?” Jason asked.
“It was a diver that planted the bomb. That’s why there was nothing on the camera and why none of the alarms were tripped. There were two men, but only one came ashore. And it definitely has to do with Stacy, but I don’t know if our client was behind it or not.”
Niki could tell there was more. “What else?”
“We’ve got a rat,” Carlos said. “And I’m almost positive it’s one of our supply guys.”
“Any chance it could be Consuela?” Jason asked.
“No. It’s definitely a man,” Carlos said.
“We’ve got some house cleaning to do,” Niki said.
“I’ll take care of it,” Jason volunteered.
Chapter 11
The sun had been up for hours when Stacy finally woke up. She rolled over in bed and tried to stretch but she was too sore. Every muscle in her body ached. She got up and brushed her teeth and went out in the hall.
“Finally!” said Eli.
“Good morning to you too,” said Stacy.
“I’m surprised you could go that long without eating,” Eli said sarcastically.
“Why are you so grumpy this morning?”
“Oh, is it still morning?” he said, looking at his watch.
“You’re just grumpy because you’re hungry,” she said, rumpling his hair.
Eli batted her hand away and dragged himself out of the chair and they made their way downstairs.
“What’s the matter with you? You’re walking like my grandmother,” Eli said.
“I’m sore all over,” Stacy told him.
Niki, Jason and Carlos were gathered around a television set, watching the morning news.
There has been a major development in Thursday’s bank robbery and shooting in San Antonio, Texas that left one man wounded and a young woman taken hostage, said the perfectly groomed anchorman.
“Quiet!” Carlos said, and they all stopped talking to hear the story.
The suburban that the gunmen used in the getaway was found wrecked and burned, after colliding with a freight train approximately 30 miles south of San Antonio earlier this morning. The gunmen and their hostage, Stacy Trent, are all presumed dead. The wreckage and charred remains of the casualties were scattered hundreds of feet from the point of impact. Some je
welry and personal belongings taken from bank customers in Thursday’s robbery were found among the wreckage.
“What the hell?” said Niki, getting to his feet. He turned to Carlos with an uneasy look.
“I don’t know,” said Carlos, shaking his head, still concentrating on the screen.
Stacy and Eli walked into the room just as the news of their death was being broadcast. Stacy’s mouth dropped as she stood fixed in place, watching as the report continued.
Ms. Trent had recently taken over as President of the family-owned multi-million dollar marketing and advertising company, after her mother was killed in a boating accident in May, said the anchor.
The camera cut to a shot of a distraught man with gray hair and glasses: It’s just so hard to believe, the man said, the caption on the screen identifying him as Stacy Trent’s father. We just spoke on the phone Thursday morning. We were very close, especially after her mother’s tragic accident, he said, breaking down. The camera remained fixed on the man for a few seconds, before cutting back to the anchor in the studio.
Ms. Trent would have been 29 years old tomorrow. Funeral services are pending.
“Why is he saying that?” Stacy said to herself. Niki, Carlos and Jason spun around. Stacy looked dazed, her eyes fixed on the television. She felt for the chair behind her and sat down. The anchor had gone on to the next story. Stacy clicked from one thought to another, fitting puzzle pieces together in her mind. She was zoning, unaware of anything going on around her, but she was thinking with perfect clarity.
“Stacy,” Niki was saying.
She snapped out of her trance, and realized that someone was talking to her. “What?” she said, visibly shaken.
“I asked if you were okay,” said Niki. “You don’t look so good.” He didn’t know how much of the report she had seen.
“It was my father, wasn’t it?” she said, not as a question, but as confirmation of something she already knew.
“On TV? Yeah,” Niki said.
“No. It was my father that hired you to kidnap me,” she said, getting progressively more agitated.
Back on Solid Ground Page 8
