No Room for Error: A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, Book Seven
Page 26
“So, are we going to move on or stay here?” Basia asked.
Finn answered. “We have to keep going.”
I peered downriver. “He’s right. We have no choice. When we planned our rescue, Sari drew me a picture of a big village, maybe a town. It’s possible we might find a phone there.”
“What about my cell phone?” Basia said. “We can check to see if I get any bars.”
“I’m sorry, Basia, I was trying to figure out how to tell you this, but I left it at the hut during our escape.”
I expected a bit of an explosion, but instead she sighed. “It’s okay. I was thinking about upgrading anyway.”
“And when you do, we need to have a little discussion about password protection.”
“Again?”
“Again.”
Sari listened to us talk and then looked like she wanted to tell us something. She glanced around and I realized she was looking for a way to draw a picture to explain her plan to us. I looked around the boat, and suddenly it occurred to me. I unzipped my bag, pulled out Basia’s purse and extracted her lipstick.
Basia’s face brightened. “Hey, my lipstick. You still have it?”
“Yep.”
She reached for her lipstick, but I shook my head. “Sorry, we need it to draw.”
I drew a line on the side of the boat and then handed the lipstick to Sari. “Go for it. What’s your plan?”
Sari curiously examined the lipstick before starting to draw. Twenty minutes later we were mostly up to speed. We were definitely getting better at communicating.
Finn leaned back against the boat. “So, according to Sari, we’re headed for a town called Wasu. Tooh apparently gave her the name and instructions of where to meet his friend. That friend is supposed to help us with whatever we need to get home.”
“That’s my understanding.” I rubbed my eyes. They felt gritty and tired.
“All we need to do is get to a phone or somewhere where there is an internet connection.”
“Exactly. Except I don’t think Sari has ever been to a town before. But Tooh trusts her to take care of us and so do I.”
Basia leaned back, closing her eyes. “I am so looking forward to getting off this godforsaken island.”
While we were talking, Sari pulled a loincloth out from underneath the tarp. She handed it to Finn.
Finn blinked in astonishment. “Why is she giving this to me?”
Puzzled I looked at her. Sari pointed to the animal skin at the bottom of the boat, motioning that Basia and I were to get under it. Then she pointed to herself, Finn and the loincloth.
I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. “Ah, I get it. This is Tooh and Sari’s plan to get us down the river safely. They’re going to be looking for two women and a man. A native male and female in a boat, fishing, are not going to attract attention.”
“Whoa. She wants me to wear that?”
“Well, if she asked one of us to wear her outfit, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t see you complaining.”
“That’s different.”
“It’s a good plan. Put it on, Finn.”
“Are you bleeding nuts? They’ll know it’s me immediately. Even from a helicopter, my skin will be a bloody white beacon. I’m Irish. We hold our sun worshipping festivals in winter so we don’t burn.”
I tried hard not to laugh, but I couldn’t help myself. “We’ll cover you with mud.”
He frowned. “Fine.” He unzipped his pants and the three of us turned our heads away.
After a few minutes that involved more swearing than I’d ever heard come out of his mouth, Finn had donned the loincloth.
We turned around as he held up a hand. “Don’t say a bloody word. I mean it.”
He was completely naked except for the tiny cloth, and he cut a buff figure despite the bumps, bruises and beard. I worried about the beard, but figured that wouldn’t be visible from the helicopter as long as Finn didn’t look up as it passed over. Sari scooped up mud with her pole and all of us mashed it over his body the best we could.
Finn tried to stand still while we administered the mud. “You know, under different circumstances, I might actually have enjoyed this.”
I smashed some mud on the back of his knee. “So, how does it feel to wear a loincloth?”
“A little breezy. Probably a lot like you girls when you wear a thong and not much else.”
Both Basia and I erupted into giggles.
He pursed his lips. “Just so you know, there is something liberating about going the full monty.”
“I bet,” Basia said, finishing off his feet.
We leaned back and surveyed our handiwork. It looked good to me, but Sari wasn’t satisfied. She scooped up more mud and slapped it onto his head.
“What the hell?” Finn roared.
Sari leaned back alarmed.
I stepped between them. “Are you always so difficult a patient?”
“I’m a man, aren’t I?”
I rolled my eyes. “Even dirty, your hair is too light. We have to darken it.”
Finn frowned. “I just wanted a little warning, that’s all. Okay, tell her to do it and get it over with.”
I motioned for Sari to continue and she added more mud to his hair. When she was done he looked like something between a camouflaged Navy SEAL and a mud wrestler. Another giggle escaped my lips, but I swallowed it when he glared at me.
“We’ve got an even harder part,” I said to Basia. “We’re going to cook under that animal hide. But at least we only have to go under there when we hear a helicopter or a lot of people start showing up on the river.”
Basia sighed. “Fine.”
Finn and Sari pushed off. Basia and I stayed hunkered down at the bottom of the boat as we headed down the river, keeping as close as possible to the shore.
The stream had widened overnight. Though the water was smooth and appeared lazy, the speed at which we were riding the currents suggested a much stronger flow than it appeared. Around midday we came to a point where the two rivers joined and became wider and slower. I hoped that meant we were approaching a river’s mouth, meaning we were nearing the coast. We had two flyovers, probably from the same helicopter, and plenty of notice for each.
During the flyovers, Basia and I hid under the animal hide. Both times the helicopters hovered low to check us out, then flew away. Finn kept his head down and bent over the side of the boat as if fishing. Sari looked up and waved. The helicopters didn’t stay long, so I hoped that meant they weren’t interested in us. It was hard to say.
The day dragged on and we were all hot and exhausted. More settlements came into view along the banks, so Basia and I stayed low and as out of sight as possible. We were confident the increasing settlements meant we were getting closer to the town. In the late afternoon, a large island in the middle of the river came into view, with three tall palms standing in a riot of river vegetation. Sari trilled and pointed at it, steering the boat to a small inlet on the island. When we beached there, Sari indicated that we should rest. She stepped over the side of the boat and vanished among the tall reeds.
Sari had yet to return when dusk started to fall. I tried not to be worried, but I could tell Finn and Basia were getting nervous. Looking out at the river, I saw a bare-chested man standing on a boat and holding a net, his body outlined by the glowing sunset. More boats and rafts came into view, moving down the river for the night.
It was late when Sari returned, and she wasn’t alone. A man holding a flashlight accompanied her. We were hunkered down in the boat, swatting mosquitoes and passing the time by talking about all the things we’d eat when we got home. We stood as they got closer and stepped out of the boat. The man was dark-skinned like Sari and wore a white polo shirt, khaki shorts and sandals.
Finn, who had changed back into his own clothes, kept his hand near the gun he’d tucked into his waistband just in case.
Sari approached us and swept out her hand toward the man. “Amborn.”
The man strode right up to Finn and pumped his hand. “G’day, mate. Nice to make your acquaintance.”
Finn blinked in astonishment. “Whoa. You speak English?”
“Yes, I taught myself. Australians come here to Wasu sometimes. I guide them for fishing. Big river, excellent fishing if you know where to look. Make good money.”
“Get out.” Finn pumped his hand enthusiastically. “That’s the bloody best news I’ve heard in a week.”
Amborn shone the flashlight in my face. “You’re Lexi Carmichael?”
I gaped at him. “How did you know my name?”
“Photos in town. Everywhere. They look for you, Lexi Carmichael.”
“They? Who is they?”
“China men. They give money to everyone to find for you. Big reward.”
Finn swore, pushing his fingers through his hair. “They’ve planted people in town looking for you. For all of us probably. They figured, accurately, if we got off the mountain, this would be the first place we would come. They are most likely doubly alert since we gave them the slip at the village.”
Basia frowned. “So, what the hell do we do now?”
I considered our options. “Can you get us to a phone or bring us one?”
“I don’t have a phone. Phones no good up here.” He looked at me. “But I’ll tell you this. Wasu is not safe for you. They are watching every place. They pay lot of money to anyone who sees you. You wouldn’t get far because they’d find you, and fast.”
Sari said something to Amborn. He answered her and then turned to us.
“Sari says you are very brave woman and are not afraid of anything.”
I smiled at her. “Tell Sari I’m the bravest when I have my friends around to help me.”
Amborn translated and Sari pressed her hand to her chest as a gesture of thanks.
Finn began pacing. “Well, if we can’t stay in Wasu, where’s the nearest place we can get to a phone or an airport? Where do the Australians fly into?”
“Lae would be where you want to go. It’s a big city.” Amborn crossed his arms against his chest, the flashlight casting odd shadows on his face. “It would be much harder for them to find you there. I know a boat captain who goes from Wasu to Lae and back. He brings me all my fishing tourists. I could ask if he would carry my latest tourists back to Lae.”
I looked at Finn and Basia, “What do you guys think?”
Finn lifted his shoulders. “I’m not seeing a lot of options here. I think we see if he can get us passage and then we go for it.”
Basia sighed. “Thank God. If we can get to a city, any city, I am so in favor of that option.”
“It won’t be the kind of city you might expect,” I warned her.
Basia ran her fingers through her hair. “I don’t care. I really don’t. There’s no way you can dampen my mood. Anything is better than the jungle. I’m never going camping again.”
“We weren’t camping. We were surviving.”
“Whatever. I’ve had enough of the outdoors for a lifetime. God, what I wouldn’t do for an actual toilet.”
I grinned like an idiot despite the danger that might be waiting for us in the town or even in Lae.”
I turned back to Amborn. “We’d would be most appreciative if you could get us on board that boat.”
Chapter Forty-Eight
“Okay, mates, I’ve got a plan,” Amborn said. “I take you in your boat to Wasu tonight. Sari stays here since there’s no room in the boat for all of us and she has no experience in town. There are empty fishing shacks near the dock, so you wait there while I arrange passage for you to Lae. Once you are gone, I’ll come back and return the boat to Sari. If we can’t get you on the next ship, we try again tomorrow or the next day until you go.”
It sounded like a good plan to me. “Thanks, Amborn. We really appreciate it.”
“Then we don’t have time to waste.” He dipped his head toward Sari. “It’s time to say goodbye.”
We stood awkwardly in front of Sari, not having the slightest clue how we could possibly thank her for everything she’d done for us.
Finn acted first, reaching out and taking her hands in his. “Thank you, Sari. I can’t thank you enough for all you have done. Tooh is a damn lucky guy to have you.”
Amborn translated for Finn and Sari smiled at him, pressing her hand to her chest.
Basia was next. She stood on tiptoe and kissed Sari’s cheek before removing her sparkly earrings and pressing them into Sari’s hands. “For you. Thank you for saving my life.”
Sari’s eyes widened as she looked at the earrings. She looked up at Basia, not understanding. Basia closed Sari’s fingers around the earrings, hugged her and stood next to Finn.
Now it was time for me to say goodbye to Sari. A lump formed in my throat and I shifted on my feet. I’d never been good at this kind of thing. How did a person adequately thank someone for saving their life and the lives of their friends?
To my surprise, Sari made the first move. She lifted my hand and pressed it against her heart, pressing hers against mine. “Sari. Wexi. Oltaim.”
“Oltaim?” I said.
“Always,” Amborn said. “She said you’ll be friends for always.”
Her words touched me more than she would ever know. I put my hand on top of hers and held it against my heart. “I’ll never forget you, Sari.”
I unfastened Elvis’s locket and hung it around her neck. “Amborn, please tell her that locket belongs to one of my very best friends. He gave it to me to thank me for saving his life. Now I want to pay it forward and thank Sari for saving me...us. Hopefully, someday when someone does something extraordinary for her, she’ll pass it on, as a way of extending that kindness. I’ll be back someday to visit her again. This isn’t goodbye for good.”
Amborn translated. Sari touched the locket at her throat and smiled. Without reservation, I threw my arms around her. She hugged me back hard and we stayed there for a moment, letting emotion speak the words we could not.
Finally, I released her. “I’m really going to miss you, Sari. I hope you’ll be happy with Tooh.”
She smiled and held up a hand in farewell. Taking a deep breath, I turned away from her and climbed onto the boat with the others.
* * *
It was well after dark when Amborn decided where to dock. He and Finn jumped into the water, pulling the boat ashore, securing it. When Amborn gave us the all-clear, Basia and I climbed out and joined them. A rickety boardwalk led to an old fishing shack, apparently closed since it was after hours for fishing.
Basia pushed the damp hair off her forehead and fanned herself. “I think I’ve been cooked in every way known to man. How much hotter can it possibly get?”
“Don’t ask that,” I warned. “I really don’t want to find out.”
Amborn walked the length of the dock and motioned for us to wait while he checked out the shack. He came back and told us it was safe to wait here while he went into town to check with his captain friend.
I’m not sure how long we waited, but we leaped to our feet eagerly when he returned.
“Captain Zico says he can take you.” Amborn fiddled with his flashlight. “He’s already got passengers booked, but he said he can make room for you. For a price.”
“How much?” Finn asked.
“How much do you have?”
I looked at Basia. “How much money do you have in your wallet right now?”
“About three hundred dollars.”
“Will that work?” I asked.
Amborn hesitated. �
��I’m not sure.”
Finn leaned forward. “Tell him I’ll give him another five thousand after we get to Lae and a phone.”
Amborn’s eyes widened. “That should do it.”
“Wait.” I studied Amborn’s face. “Why are you doing this? Why are you helping us?”
Amborn grinned. “Because Sari asked nicely and I like her.” His grin stretched wider. “And also because you helped save my little sister, Kala.”
When my eyes widened, he added, “Yes. Tooh is my brother.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
We followed Amborn through the darkened streets of Wasu toward the town’s main dock. Smells of fish, unusual spices and burning garbage from the town assaulted us as we passed through the buildings in the shadows. Twice Basia gagged and I had to breathe through my mouth to avoid the same fate.
At last we reached the port. It was mostly silent, but I saw lights on some of the boats. There were a few people milling about.
“Wait here.” Amborn motioned for us to stop in the shadows of a building. “I’ll check with the captain.”
He left us and strolled down the dock, crossing the ramp onto a ship and disappearing below.
“Wow. That’s not a boat,” Basia said, sounding excited. “That’s a yacht. It’s going to be a significant upgrade from our last mode of transportation.”
I swatted at a fly. “As long as it has a real bathroom, I’m good.”
About ten minutes later, Amborn returned with a tall black man in a short-sleeved, white dress shirt, dark slacks and a captain’s hat.
“This is Captain Zico. He’ll take you to Lae.”
Finn held out a hand and the two men shook. “Thank you, Captain. We appreciate your assistance.”
“Of course. There are three of you?”
“Yes.”
“You must stay below so as not to disturb my other guests.”
“Not a problem.”
“You have any luggage?”
Finn pointed to my black bag. “Just this.”
He nodded. “Okay. You’ve got the money?”
Basia reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet, handing him three one hundred dollar bills.