No Room for Error: A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, Book Seven

by Julie Moffett

  She hesitated and then warily returned, looking at the phone with distrust.

  I thrust it at her. “Here. Check it out.”

  She refused at first, but curiosity won out over fear. She turned the phone over and over in her hand and put her eyeball up to the screen as if trying to figure out how the person who was singing was trapped behind the glass.

  “Meekal.” She pushed the stop button and then play again, dropping it when Michael started singing where he had left off.

  I picked up the phone, wiping it off. “Careful. We need this.”

  I turned the phone completely off and put it in the back pocket of my jeans. The time had come to explain the game plan and hope against all hope that Sari would understand what I had in mind. Evening was fast approaching and we were running out of daylight and options.

  I motioned her over. “Okay, Sari. Time to get this plan going.”

  Technically, I didn’t have a complete plan yet. I needed more information, a lot more. But this would be a start.

  She seemed to share my urgency and knelt beside me.

  Taking a deep breath, I picked up her stick and started to draw.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  We had to wait for dusk to execute our plan. I needed to be able to see the village to plan our final approach, but we couldn’t afford to be seen. Luckily I had my own personal guide who could see in the dark, or at least it seemed that way. I followed Sari through the jungle, keeping a hand on her arm because she seemed to know every twist and turn.

  As we walked, she became impatient, motioning for me to hurry as I struggled to keep up. I was doing my best, tiptoeing stealthily but still sounding like an elephant. I tripped constantly over roots, sticks, vines and branches. Somehow the vines grabbed only me as we passed by them. As we ducked under a badly listing, vine-covered tree, an unseen tendril snagged my face just under my eyes. I only partially muffled a shriek that, to my ears, sounded close on the decibel scale to a Michael Jackson concert. Oddly Sari didn’t seem to mind, which I presumed to mean she wasn’t worried anyone could hear me...yet.

  Twice Sari led me down a slick slope, using vines as leverage. During those forays I welcomed the vanishing shafts of daylight that penetrated the jungle canopy. Still our progress was much slower than we had planned and it was dark by the time we approached the village.

  Sari called a halt at a small rise. I stood next to her, panting. Sweat dribbled down my temples and neck. She pointed and I could see a cleared area across what must be the same stream we’d followed for days. It was much wider here and the water seemed to be moving more slowly. Even though it was night, my eyes had adjusted to the darker gloom under the trees and a nearly full moon could be seen rising just below the treetops above the village. Sari pointed and I tracked her finger to a small bridge that forded the stream.

  I squinted at the bridge and changed my mind about what to call it. Bridges had substance. They were sturdy structures used to safely travel above hazardous water. This bridge looked as substantial as a teenager’s party outfit, but with a few more straps. It was more like twisted rope with some wooden slats, and it sagged in the middle way more than I was comfortable with. I swallowed hard. I was supposed to cross that?

  I could hear the soft bubbling sound of the water rushing past as it bounced off a few isolated rocks. The only other night sounds were the legions of mosquitoes watching for a meal. Swimming lessons were definitely in my future. If I had a future that didn’t involve drowning, getting malaria or going to China.

  Sari held up a hand and motioned for me to wait. She had to do some reconnaissance, contact Tooh, arrange our escape and confirm exactly where Basia and Kala were being held. She disappeared across the bridge, navigating it without problem.

  Show-off.

  I took off the bag with the briefcase and sat on it. Figuring I had a while to wait, I mentally recited the one hundred most commonly used passwords. I was on the eighty-seventh when Sari finally returned. She’d approached so quietly I hadn’t even heard her coming. Good thing my skills were breaking into secure cyber places and not physically guarding anything.

  She coaxed me out from the trees and into the rising moonlight so she could draw something in the dirt for me. She sketched and pointed at several huts that I considered to be the main part of village and the two huts somewhat separate from the village. She added the river and the bridge, which looked much studier in the dirt than on the river. She circled the first hut and pointed off to the left across the stream.

  “Ba-sha. Kala.”

  Yes, we’d definitely found them. “Wow. That’s really great, Sari.” I pointed to the second hut. “Who is in here?”

  Sari drew four male figures inside the hut with another male outside the hut where Basia was being held.

  “A guard, I suppose.”

  She was still drawing, so I leaned over her shoulder to see what she was doing. She’d drawn a male face with elongated eyes. The Chinese.

  I pointed at the hut with the four male figures and then pointed to the face. “How many, Sari?” I held up my fingers. “How many Chinese?”

  She took my fingers and made it so two fingers were left.

  Two Chinese with more likely expected in the morning. She hadn’t mentioned the helicopter, so it was probably gone, but I needed to be sure. I drew a helicopter in the dirt next to the hut, but she wiped it out and shook her head no.

  I still wasn’t sure whether or not there were guards inside the hut with Basia and Kala. While I had to consider that possibility, there weren’t really any options. We were going to go in and get her and there wasn’t much we could do about unknown guards until we found them.

  I glanced up at the sky. The moon was nearly above the trees and the full array of stars was breathtaking. I’d walked for so long beneath the dense canopy of the jungle trees, I’d almost forgotten there was a sky.

  She tapped my shoulder and pointed at the drawing at one of the huts in the village. “Tooh.”

  “There?” I pointed to the hut. “That’s where Tooh lives?”

  “Tooh. Tisa. Kala.”

  I nodded. “Got it. That’s the chief’s hut. I sure hope Tooh and Tisa will be on board with this plan.”

  I couldn’t see how they wouldn’t be if Kala were a hostage. But it was an unknown variable that I had to trust would work in my favor. I had no room for error.

  Finally at the opposite end of the village, away from the huts and adjacent to the river, Sari drew several boats. She pointed at the boats and repeated “Tooh.”

  I understood that to mean she was able to contact him and that he would arrange the escape boats we would need. Hopefully, he would also convince the villagers we were friends if things didn’t go as planned.

  I drew a counterclockwise path around the village coming to the two huts from behind so that the jungle would conceal us.

  Sari nodded, so I straightened.

  “Ready, Sari?”

  She knew what I was asking, because she tapped her blow dart and the little quiver that held the barbed tips. In turn, I tapped the strap of my bag that I wore sideways across my body. The titanium case was safe, as were the rest of my possessions. I took a minute to get my head in the game. I had to do this just right or Basia was dead.

  I took a step forward. “Let’s go.”

  Sari crossed the bridge first, checking quickly to see if there was any reaction from the outlying huts. She nimbly stepped from slat to slat, steadying herself with the rope. The bridge hardly swayed and it looked easy. I knew it wasn’t.

  I stood at the first slat and froze. I wasn’t sure exactly of what I was most afraid, there were too many multiple unfortunate outcomes. I first coaxed and then pleaded with my feet and hands to cross the bridge. In the games I played, it was so easy to leap and or move m
y character forward by just pushing command and Z. Why wouldn’t that work here?

  “Wexi.” Sari’s voice was urgent and broke through my mental paralysis.

  We were visible in the moonlight. I couldn’t stand here forever. It was dangerous being so exposed. Swallowing my misgivings, I stepped onto the first slat and almost fell off. The bridge swayed like a swing at a carnival. I clutched the rope handrails fiercely. Holding my breath and tensing my whole body, I forced myself forward step by step. By the time I made it to other side, my T-shirt was completely soaked with sweat and I was trembling.

  But holy shaking bridge, I was alive.

  Sari motioned for me to follow her. She led us off to the right, to where Tooh materialized out of the dark, startling me. They held an energetic, if whispered conversation. It was clear that Tooh wanted to come with us and Sari felt it was her mission. Neither appeared willing to back down. Finally, they came to some compromise. Tooh took her hands gently, bent down, kissed her on the forehead and then faded back into the darkness.

  Sari motioned, so I followed her into the trees and walked along a shadowy path, which led around the right side of the village. The trees thinned and I could see the two huts in a small clearing framed by the light of the moon. The angle of the moon was a break for us. There was a native man with a gun standing in front of one of the huts. Basia and Kala had to be inside.

  I stopped and Sari did, too. We both surveyed the layout of the huts, the location of the entrances and the guard and the nearest foliage to the huts. We then sat down to wait. We wanted to begin our attack after everyone had time to go to sleep and the guard to become complacent. I positioned myself with my back to a tree so that I could watch the huts.

  I must have dozed off, because I startled awake when Sari squatted in front of me and pointed to the huts. I nodded. It was time.

  We conferred silently by hand signals and when we both were confident of our intended positioning, Sari took my hand. We continued through the jungle until we reached the point nearest the hut. Finally it was time to part. I squeezed Sari’s hand and she squeezed back.

  Sari slipped back into the trees and backtracked slightly so that she could get into position. I crawled behind some trees and got as close to the guard as I could, hidden only by a thin screen of vegetation. I carefully took Basia’s cell phone out of my pocket and waited until it turned on, praying it wouldn’t make any sounds. Blocking the light with my body, I flipped through the apps until I found the one I wanted. I palmed it, creeping farther on my belly until I had a clear view of the hut door. I could see the guard through the bush hiding me, so he would be able to see me if the phone was lit. He was in partial shadow from the hut so I couldn’t see if he was a native or one of the Chinese. I suspected it was the former, which would make our next move more likely to succeed.

  I drew in a breath and steadied myself.

  It was game time.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  I waited until the guard looked in my general direction before I stretched to hold up the phone as high as I could while lying prone. I turned on the flashlight app with my finger. I had put it on strobe, so it flashed. To my dark-adapted eyes, it was painfully bright.

  It caught the guard’s attention at once. I’m sure he had no idea what to make of it. He took a few cautious steps my way, stopped, then looked at the other hut. I could see he thought about calling for help. But considering the late hour, and after nothing happened, he became bolder. He strode toward my position, moving slowly and on alert.

  I held my breath. Five more steps and he’d trip over me.

  Any time now, Sari.

  He was nearly upon me when he simply keeled over without a word, the gun falling from his nerveless hands and landing next to me. I turned off the phone, slipping it in my back pocket. I cautiously leaned over him. He was face-first on the ground, the gun next to his open hand. As I retrieved the gun, I saw the dart in his neck.

  “Good shot, Sari,” I murmured.

  I tucked the gun in the back of my jeans and grabbed both of his arms, dragging him deeper into the trees.

  Standing at the edge of the trees, I surveyed the area. I saw no movement. Whereas minutes earlier I’d been grateful for the moonlight so I could clearly see the guard, now I wished it would slip behind a cloud. I’d be completely exposed in the few seconds it would take me to run to the hut. But there was no time to waste. I had no idea how long it had been since they’d last changed the guard.

  I darted from behind the tree to the side of the shack. I didn’t know if there were any other guards in the hut, so things were about to get really exciting in a hurry. I hoped Sari was in position to watch my back in case things went badly inside.

  I slipped the gun out of my jeans and held it in front of me like the actors I had seen on a hundred bad TV shows. Quietly I pushed open the door and peered inside.

  There appeared to be one large room only. A small lantern had been lit and placed in the corner of the shack. The lamp cast the hut in shadows more than illuminated it. The unexpected glow caused me to blink a couple of times.

  After a moment, I could make out two small forms huddled on the floor. Basia and Kala? I didn’t see anyone else in my quick survey, but at least half the hut was shrouded in darkness.

  I slipped inside quietly, staying away from the light and keeping my back against the wall. I closed the door quietly, alert for any movement or response. Despite having the gun, I felt way out of my element.

  Then I heard it.

  Breathing.

  It wasn’t coming from either of the two forms on the floor, which meant there was at least one other person in the hut. I strained to hear and determined it came from the rear right corner of the hut.

  Friend or foe?

  I didn’t have time to wait around to find out.

  My hand tightened on the gun as my pulse pounded. I forced myself to breathe only through my nose. Moving along the wall, I inched my way toward the corner, hoping I wouldn’t stumble over something in the dark and give away my location.

  I took two more steps and paused. The breathing was louder now, but it seemed as if it came from only one person.

  Swallowing my fear, I held the gun steady. Better to be bold than hesitate. I jumped forward, stretching out a hand out and feeling cloth and skin beneath my fingers. I grabbed hard and pressed the gun about where I guessed the upper chest or neck would be.

  “If you shout, I’ll shoot,” I hissed. “I’m desperate and have nothing to lose.”

  I heard a garbled noise, as if someone was trying to talk but was gagged, so I loosened my hold on the arm and felt around until I realized that whomever I’d just come across was tied to a chair. It was time to take a chance. I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the cell phone, turning on the flashlight app.

  As I shined the light, my mouth dropped open.

  Finn!

  Chapter Forty-Five

  For a moment, I could only stare at him dumbfounded while he squinted against the bright light in the dark hut. I was hidden behind the light and unless he recognized my voice, he had no reason to suspect that I would be here. Then, remembering our precarious situation, I quickly shone the flashlight around the rest of the hut.

  Basia and a young girl were the only other people in the hut besides Finn. They were huddled on the floor on woven pallets. Neither was tied up. As the light passed over them, they sat up, looking at me in astonishment. I shone the light on my face with my finger pressed to my lips. Basia hugged the girl happily while trying to keep her calm and quiet.

  Turning my attention back to Finn, I threw my arms around him, hugging him hard. Tears filled my eyes. Jeez, I was crying again, but I didn’t care.

  Finn was alive.

  Basia was alive.

  “I can’t b
elieve it,” I whispered to him. “I thought you were dead.” A million questions hovered on my tongue, but they would have to wait. I quickly unfastened the gag from his mouth.

  Finn licked his lips and then whispered back, his voice raspy. “Not dead yet. I’m a good swimmer, but lousy at jungle evasion. Hurry, Lexi. Untie me.”

  I struggled with the knots that bound him. When he was free, he stood, flexing his arms. After that he took the gun, which I happily relinquished.

  Finn ejected the magazine to check how many bullets were left, and then pushed it back in. “Where’s Sari?” he whispered.

  “She’s out there watching the entrance to the other hut with her poisoned blow dart.”

  “Damn, that girl is something else.” He lowered his mouth to my ear. “As far as I can tell, there are only five of them. Two Chinese and three natives. There might be more men, but that’s all I saw.”

  “Good, that jives with the info Sari got from Tooh. Five men. So that makes four men in the hut and one guard. Sari already took out the guard.”

  “It looks like the Chinese are apparently paying the thugs to keep us under wraps until the helicopter arrives in the morning to pick us up. I couldn’t follow what they were saying, but the Chinese were very unhappy that you were still free. What’s the plan?”

  “Well, it starts with this.” I bent down next to Basia and the young girl.

  Basia immediately gave me a hug and whispered, “Look at you, slipping in here with a gun, ready to shoot the place up. And you were afraid you were nothing more than a geek girl who couldn’t do squat without her technology. A fish out of water, my ass. You are totally kicking it.”

  I smiled and held out a hand to the little girl. She looked ready to cry. I murmured, “Kala. Go to Tisa.”

  She looked at me in surprise. I pressed my finger gently to her chest. “Kala. Go home to Tisa.” Then I put a finger to my lips indicating she should be quiet and pointed to the door of the hut.