by Winn, J. K.
Javier meanwhile turned his attention to Leah, checking her out from head to foot. Her instincts urged her to hunch over and pull her arms in front of her chest, but she stood her ground. She had as much right as he had to stand tall.
“You have not introduced me to your friend,” Javier accused Dylan.
Dylan protectively stepped closer to Leah. “I’m guiding Ms. Roberts down the Napa. She’s trying to locate a doctor who may be doing research in the area. Do you know of any such scientist?”
Javier pushed back his hat and scratched his head. “Not offhand, but if she needs a doctor, there are many in Iquitos.”
“She’s a reporter for an American newspaper and wants to do a story on this particular doctor.”
Javier winked at another young woman walking past. “What is this doctor’s name?”
“Frankly, I don’t know.”
At that, Javier narrowed his eyes. “You want to do a story on a doctor and you do not know his name?”
Dylan patted his friend on the back. “She has heard of research this man is doing. She wants to see for herself.”
Leah appreciated Dylan’s quick thinking. No use exposing her real reason for being there and worrying anyone about the epidemic.
“Let me think.” Javier frowned. “The only doctor I know along the Napa is Estevez, the Herbologist-but wait, I almost forgot the one without a name.”
Dylan placed his hand on Javier’s shoulder. “Someone on the river whose name you don’t know? Hard to believe.”
“He is...what do you say...a reclusivo,” Javier replied in obvious embarrassment. “He has lived along the river many years.”
Leah listened closely.
“Don’t you deliver to him?” Dylan asked.
Javier straightened his Panama. “He sends a man into town for supplies. His man does not discuss him.”
Dylan shot Leah a meaningful look. He was obviously thinking the same thing she was. This might be their man. She leaned forward, eager to hear all.
“How far up the Napa does he live?”
“Mas o menos, a hundred and twenty kilometers on a tributary. Even if you find him, it is said a wall surrounds his casa and a guard protects him. He does not welcome uninvited visitors..”
“What else do you hear about him?” Dylan asked.
Javier held up a hand. “Strange things happen behind that wall.”
Leah’s antenna went up. She squeezed one hand with the other. Goose bumps rose on her arms. “What kind of things?”
“They say Voodoo. Devil worship. I say that doctor is up to no good. I would steer clear of that place.”
Dylan raised a brow. “Whenever anyone keeps a secret around here, they’re accused of practicing witchcraft. It sounds more to me like the doctor has built an image to discourage visitors.”
“Talvez, but watch out, amigo. This man has many secrets.” Javier’s wagging finger punctuated his words.
“I wonder what he’s hiding. Have you ever met him?” Leah asked, while swatting at a fly near her face.
Javier shook his head. “I have only met his man, one of the river people, but he tells me his boss speaks in a foreign tongue.”
“You mean English?” Dylan asked.
“No, there are too many English-speaking tourists in Iquitos to qualify as a foreign tongue.”
Two young girls giggled past them, snatching Javier’s attention and giving Leah the chance to catch Dylan’s eye. “That fits in with what the Machiguengo told us.”
“I was thinking the same thing myself, and wondering if this foreign doctor could even be the grandfather you’ve been seeking?”
“Could be. There can’t be too many non English-speaking foreign doctors living up the river outside of Iquitos. I might just be in luck.”
Javier made a remark and a parrot aloft one of the girl’s shoulder answered, “Bueno.”
“Si, muy bueno.” Javier tilted his head toward the slender girl, his attention obviously not on helping them find their man.
The young woman giggled and walked on.
Javier groaned. “The only females who respond to my advances are the two winged type. I am a failed lover.”
Dylan glanced back into the market. “You ought to pay more attention to the one who adores you. Maria’s always there for you.”
“Ah, Maria. That woman is true. Too bad she is not twenty-true.”
Dylan choked on the joke. “You couldn’t see kindness and beauty if it sat on your lap.”
“And you should talk, amigo. You have not let love enter your life since I have known you.”
Dylan’s shoulders twitched, but his eyes turned steely. “Give us more about this doctor and how to reach him.”
“Are you familiar with the Napa past the Explorama Lodge?”
Dylan shrugged. “Of course, but not every inlet and tributary.”
“I will show you my map. I have everything marked. That is the best I can do.”
“We’ll take any help,” Dylan said.
“One more thing, mi amigo. Be careful on that river. I have heard rumors of rogue soldiers shaking down the turistas.”
Dylan chuckled. “You’re always hearing rumors. I take them all with a grain of salt.”
“As you wish.” Javier began to back away. “Meet me here again at high noon. I will bring my map.”
Dylan consulted his watch. “Is there any way we could do this earlier?”
Javier shook his head. “I have matters to attend to first. See you at noon.”
* * *
At noon Dylan stood by the entrance to the courtyard, arms folded over his chest, he stamped his foot with impatience. Javier’s lateness came as no surprise, he didn’t run on the same clock as others, but Dylan was eager to make time while the sun still shone.
To occupy himself, he bought a soft drink for Leah from a passing vendor. When he approached her with the drink, he couldn’t help but notice how her yellow cotton shirt clung to her moist peachy skin. Droplets of sweat glistened on her neck, her soft hair curled around and framed her delicate face. She slapped at a fly with one hand and then used the same hand to fan herself.
She glanced up just in time to catch him studying her and gave him a demure smile at the same time she reached out for the glass he handed her. “Thanks.” She took a sip and held the glass out to him. “You look thirsty. Want some of this?”
“Sure. I could use some.” He took a swig of the liquid and enjoyed the cold, tingling sensation that ran down the back of his throat.
A slap on the back made him spin instinctively, though he knew it had to be Javier. Droplets of soda water splattered onto his shirt.
“Amigo. Sorry I am late. I stopped to ask another river rat about your mysterious doctor. He knows nothing more than I do.”
Dylan handed the glass back to Leah. “Do you have the map?”
Javier pulled a wrinkled wad of paper from his rear pants pocket and spread the map on an empty table. He pointed at a snaking blue line. “Here is the tributary where the doctor lives. Are you familiar with it?”
Dylan bent over the map. “Not exactly. There are many such islands and inlets on the Napa.”
“At one hundred kilometers begin looking at any inlet you do not know. I cannot say exactly.” Javier tapped a finger against his short-cropped hair. “I just estimate in my head.”
“And what a head,” Dylan teased. “Between your good head and my best instincts, we couldn’t locate an elephant in India.”
Javier grinned at Leah. “With such a pretty employer, you should meander up as many inlets as possible, amigo.”
Blushing, Leah looked up from her drink. “But I don’t have time to waste, Javier.”
“Ah, too bad for my friend here.” Javier chuckled.
Although Dylan laughed along with Javier and Leah, the sting of her brush-off bothered him. “Get on with it man. How do I locate this inlet?”
“There are few landmarks, amigo. Aside from a particular
ly large grove of rubber trees, you will have to use your river sense. Here-take my map. It may help you.”
“Hasta luego con muchas gracias. ‘Til we meet again.” Dylan saluted the river rat before taking Leah by the arm and escorting her to the dock where a well-stocked motorized launch with a canopy awaited them. He held the side for Leah and followed her onto the boat. At the helm, he steered the craft into the open arms of the river.
The Napa was as sleek and rippling as Leah’s hair. Yellow sunlight rippled across the surface of the water, lighting her pale safflower locks. He watched her scan the riverbank’s scattered settlements of river people. Every now and again, tiny towns sprang up, built around missionary clinics. As they moved downriver, the settlements became sparser and smaller.
He pulled Javier’s map from his pocket and attempted to steady the paper while piloting through constantly changing currents. Finally, he placed the map on the boat’s deck, holding it under the heels of his boots. Leah slid closer, leaning over the map.
When he raised his head, his gaze rested on the gap in her neckline. He could see the curve of her breasts above the top of her bra. The itch that had tortured him when he was around her became unbearable. He fought the urge to gather her into his arms.
A jolt of the boat sent her tumbling toward him as if a jungle spirit had responded to his wish. He caught her and held her pressed against him, reveling in the intimacy.
She straightened and smiled sweetly at him. “Sorry, I was just trying to see where we are on that map.”
In her questioning eyes he saw the flicker of what, if he didn’t know better, he could easily mistake for passion. He tapped the map with the tip of his foot. “We’re close to this inlet. I’d say that’s about halfway to our destination.”
“How long until we reach the doctor’s inlet?” She shouted over the roar of the engine.
He concentrated on the map. “Two or three more hours.”
Leah sat back in her seat against the gunwale, pulled a paperback from her pack and began to read. He navigated the boat through deeper jungle until all he could see was the occasional canoe of boat people fishing, endless flocks of birds savaging and another sloth dozing in the canopy. They had reached an area few outsiders ever visited. A place only the most adventurous ever explored. A place where Dylan felt most at home. The spray of stream against his skin, the rush of wind in his ears, the cry of howler monkeys, stroked him. He loved the fertile smell of mulching leaves, the raucous call of a yellow hornbill, the lush green of jungle growth.
Even with his knowledge of the many tributaries, Dylan was unable to pinpoint on the map the exact location of the compound Javier had described. Cautiously he maneuvered the craft into one channel and followed its path. It led back to the main river. The next branch off the river proved as unfruitful as the first.
Leah glanced up from her book. “Are we lost?”
Caught at a point of frustration and indecision, he defiantly stared back. He would not let her know he might be off-course. He had made enough mistakes already on this trip. “Not lost, just exploring possibilities.”
She wrinkled her brow and eyed him with cheerful skepticism. “Possibilities? Is one of those possibilities that we’re lost?”
“No, of course not. I know this river well. Relax. I’ll find the compound soon.”
“Before dark?”
The plaintive note in her voice tripped his protective switch. “I’m the professional here. Let me worry about our whereabouts.”
“Since you’re the professional, maybe you can tell me if you think I’ve asked you to take on too much.” The wind whipped around her face. She brushed hair back from her eyes.
When she did, he saw a trace of fear in her eyes.
“Wait one minute. You’re the one who had to follow the story and determine if this mysterious doctor was the one who treated the natives at the time of the epidemic. You wanted to know what, if anything, he knows about this outbreak. After all that determination and bravado, now you’re backing down?”
She shielded her face from the wind with a hand. “I’m not backing down. I’m just concerned about what Javier said.”
“Javier tends to exaggerate things. He’s just a tad superstitious. We’ll be careful, but don’t buy into his fear.” He sounded more confident than he felt.
She gave him an encouraging grin and turned her attention back to her book. When the sun sank to the horizon and the light became too dim for reading, Leah closed her book. “We must be close to the doctor’s compound.”
The boat slid between narrow banks. Frogs croaked, flies swarmed. He couldn’t keep up the deception much longer. “Perhaps.”
She gave him an exasperated frown.
“It’s getting too dark to find anything today. We’ll camp here tonight and go on searching for the compound in the morning.” To convince her he knew what he was doing, he added, “I’m sure we’ll find it tomorrow.”
The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint her. When she frowned again, his gut sank lower than the bottom of the swamp surrounding them.
Chapter Ten
Morning brought fog and warm drizzle to the rain forest. Moisture clung to Leah’s sleeping bag, her hair, her clothes. She had begun to mildew. Through the tent flap she saw nature’s reward for bearing up under the discomfort, a profusion of moss and vines covered the trees in verdant shades of forest green, mint and lime. The rich smell of fertile soil infused the air.
Dylan reached through the unzipped flap to hand her a slice of jerky and a cup of cocoa tea. “We should shove off early this morning to make time to locate the compound.”
Tempted to rib him about being off course, all Leah said was, “Whatever you say, boss.” She saluted him, then busied herself packing away tent and bag and helping Dylan store supplies. Soon they motored on.
“I’d like to see where we’re headed.” Leah took the crumpled map from Dylan and smoothed it out on the deck while he steered. “I can’t quite read Javier’s writing, but he wrote something near our exit off the main river.”
Dylan turned the map around toward him. His long finger traced the river’s route while he translated. “Like Javier said, there’s a grove of rubber trees at the bend before the turn. But which grove of rubber trees? There must be a million of them along the river.”
“There has to be something special about them.”
“It’s probably a particularly large grove if he marked it. Keep your eye out for a massive copse of ‘gummes.’”
Leah searched the bank for any unusual feature. All she saw in the passing foliage was mile after mile of tree-lined shore, one inlet indistinguishable from another. She frequently had to rub her eyes to stay alert. With the monotony of watching the same scene, came a kind of confusion. Her hope of locating the specific site dimmed by the minute. They might as well be looking for a grain of sand in the Amazon basin. How would they ever find the compound?
Her eyes burned from the strain and she closed them briefly. A flash of light lit the back of her closed eyelids. She flung open her eyes, focused on the riverbank. In a grouping of rubber trees, she detected a second flare. “Look! Over there!”
“What?” Dylan’s sharp scan followed her finger.
“I thought...” The light blazed again.
“Saw it.” Dylan shut down the motor.
Her heart did a sudden dance of anticipation mingled with apprehension. “What do you think?”
“Our great light hope. Let’s move in closer and check it out.” He shoved the oars overboard and began silently rowing toward the bank.
Leah inspected the palm-lined bank for any sign to explain the intermittent flash. She spotted a camera tied to a tree limb, apparently focused over their heads. “Look!”
“Get down-” Dylan whispered.
She ducked, hoping they were not on film. “This must be the place-”
Dylan lightly tapped her arm and mouthed, “Shh...”
She nodded her un
derstanding.
He rowed soundlessly away from the grove and far from shore, pulled oars on board. “I think we’ve found our turn,” he breathed. “Whoever’s holed up in there has a pretty sophisticated surveillance system. If we try and approach now, we’ll probably be spotted and turned away. After dark we may avoid detection, get in closer. Let’s find a place to wait.”
By a fair-sized island, Dylan jumped out and pulled the craft on shore. Leah stepped onto soil so saturated it squished beneath her boots. Because the tree-line came down to the river’s edge, they moved to a relatively dry spot under a Ficus tree.
The air shimmered with mid-day heat. Leah lay back with her head resting against the Ficus, glad that huge fig leaves acted like umbrellas overhead, catching the intermittent drizzle.
From his pack, Dylan extracted jerky and manioc cakes he had taken as a gift from the Machiguenga village. The food tasted sweet and salty, and calmed the growl in her gut.
He wrapped the leftovers in plastic. “After dark, we’ll pay an unexpected visit on the doctor.”
“What do you think our reception will be like?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether the doctor has anything to hide. If he doesn’t, he should be happy for the company. But if he’s hiding something, he’ll probably take precaution to look normal, but get rid of us as quickly as possible. He’ll want to put us off guard and give nothing away.”
His arm around her drew her so close she could feel his breath on her neck. Goose bumps sprang up where his warm breath had been. She enjoyed being this close.
“Lean your head on me.” His mouth at her ear sent sexy spasms cascading through her. She did as she was told and inhaled the musty, earthy odor of his skin through his damp tee shirt. His arms enclosed her.
“Try and sleep. I’ll stand watch.”
How could she relax with his arms wrapped around her? She snuggled into his side, realizing she had never felt quite so safe and so sexy at the same time. She luxuriated in the mixture of emotions he stirred.
“Tell me a story.” Only words would protect her from the deepening desire.
