Ethan, with a wild-eyed look of surprise and dismay blustered, “What the heck have you gotten me into, Lady?”
Chapter Four
The city of São Tomè was a flurry of activity compared to the rest of the island Marie had seen so far. There were many people, all of them running about on their daily tasks, walking down the road or riding bicycles past busy intersections. Shops lined the sidewalks and vendors with brochures and other advertising leaflets canvassed the area. Only a handful of cars, most of which looked very old and very used, coasted down the streets.
The buildings were mostly concrete block, but were well-maintained, and some newer resort areas near the coastline rose high above the trees in the distance, still accommodating wealthy tourists even in what most would consider the wrong time of the year. These monuments to the free market hadn’t been created by the natives. Instead, they were assembled by them, staffed by them, and cleaned by them for pennies on the dollar. All the big money went to foreign investors in other countries.
The rain abated almost immediately when the abused cab exited the jungle, much to the relief of Marie, who had held fast to the door handle or the dashboard the rest of the trip. Before she even boarded the plane she felt prepared for some real adventure, but being killed by the crazy man driving, no matter how sexy he was, or being gunned down by some nut from New York in the middle of the jungle, were the last two things she had expected. The relief she felt when the muddy road opened up into the safety of the city and a more modern, paved surface, was nearly palpable.
Once inside the town, Ethan parked the car off the road next to an open-air market. He shut the engine off, took in a deep breath, and checked himself for bullet holes.
“So, you mind telling me what the hell that was all about?” Ethan asked disconcertedly. “Something tells me you’re not here to study birds.”
Marie swallowed hard and looked at him meekly. “I’m helping out a friend. We do archeological research.”
“That must be some research. What kind of research involves nearly getting your head blown off?”
“She just told me to come here, that she was in trouble and needed my help,” Marie said pleadingly, leaving out the part about the Blue Star. She thought him knowing about it wouldn’t exactly help things.
Ethan sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand. “Why does this kind of shit always happen to me?” he wondered.
Still, a fare was a fare. A man has to do whatever it takes to make it in a place like São Tomè, even if that means rescuing the occasional damsel in distress. This damsel seemed to have a particularly strong grip on him, though. Instead of just dropping her off on the curb and waving goodbye, Ethan found himself sitting next to her and wanting to spend as much time with this woman as he could. If he could help someone out in the process, bonus.
“I need to get to Santa Catarina,” Marie asserted. “Can you take me?”
The words shattered through his wistful desire to spend the entire night admiring the beautiful woman. Ethan blinked in astonishment and looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “Lady, you must be out of your gourd. That’s all the way on the other side of the island! With you in this cab, I might as well paint a big red bull’s eye right on the hood.”
“I can pay you.”
Money was the only another thing Ethan had an interest in. The fact that he found Marie to be some pretty enticing eye candy didn’t hurt. The offer became even more tempting by the moment.
“How much?” He asked, thinking of how much closer to his goal this one fare might wind up getting him.
Marie rifled through the bag she was carrying and removed a short stack of bills, mostly a variety of ones and fives, but with quite a few twenties as well. When she was done counting, she removed two bills and stuck them in her pocket. “Two hundred and fifty?” she offered.
“Ok, I think we can do that,” He said, placated, and took the cash. “What’s your name, anyway?”
“Marie…Marie Brisbee.”
Ethan reached out for her hand and took it in his own. It was warm and his firm grip was sure. Something mysterious ran through Marie at his touch and she found herself a bit lost in his blue eyes.
“Ethan McReady. You all set to head out, or did you have something to do here?”
Marie thought about stopping while she was in town to contact the University, but decided against it. She wanted to get a move on before Lewis could catch up to them and the sun was setting fast.
“Yea, just go, if you think this thing can make the trip at night.”
“The headlights work just fine on this baby,” Ethan replied, and flicked a switch on the dashboard. One beam of light streamed out dully from the right front of the car. “Ok, headlight. You get the idea.”
Marie looked at Ethan incredulously. His attempts to make her feel comfortable seemed to be having the opposite effect.
“Also, one condition,” she asserted.
“What’s that?”
“Get rid of those snakes!”
As they cleared the city, driving by the long stretch of weaving coastline, the sun finally disappeared over the horizon. Ethan still drove at a breakneck pace, but at least this time the car stayed on the road.
Ethan looked over, admiring the supple curves peeking out over the top of Marie’s shirt. Plenty of tourists and scientists came and went, but this woman was different than anyone else he’d run across during his travels. He couldn’t put his finger on why that was, but every chance he got, his eyes drifted over at her.
“So, what kind of stuff do you do when you aren’t being chased by a crazy guy with a gun?” Ethan asked. “You know, back home in the land of the free?”
“Well, I restore artifacts, mostly. Before I left we had a pretty big project going on.”
“Uh huh,” he murmured, and turned his eyes back to the road before she caught him.
“Bored already, huh?”
“No, no, it’s just, you know, cleaning and stuff. I’ve never been a big fan of it.”
“There’s more to it than that!”
“Alright, alright. Geez. Who peed in your cornflakes, sister?”
“I do lots of really important work. Like…recently, I’ve been restoring an anchor taken off Redbeard’s ship!”
“Who?” Ethan asked, perplexed. “That doesn’t really sound like something a person would do for fun.”
“No!” Marie shot, and thought about the tedious process involved with picking tiny pieces off a big hunk of rusty metal. “It’s…well, okay, maybe it is a little boring.” Marie felt the corners of her mouth turn up and fought back the smile. He was right, and she knew it.
Ethan laughed. “You strike me as a woman who’s never really been shown some excitement.”
“I’ve had plenty of excitement.”
“Ok, name once. I’m listening. Enthrall me.”
“…uhm, well, does this afternoon count?”
Ethan laughed again. “No.”
Marie tried to think up something from her life that was really, truly exciting. Something a man like Ethan would be blown away by. There was nothing.
“So, what brings you to this island paradise, Ethan?” she asked, turning it back to him.
Ethan shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that. Bad choices, mostly. One day I’m getting out of here, for good, though. Gonna find me a sweet cabin somewhere in the mountains where nobody can bother me. A warm fire, good fishing, and total peace and quiet for miles around are all I need.” He had a twinkle in his eye as he talked about it, and a deep smile crossed his face when he thought about just how wonderful it would be.
“That sounds nice. Won’t you be lonely, though?”
Ethan looked at her, his gaze meeting hers long enough to show his sincerity. “Maybe not if I find the right woman.”
Marie felt herself blush. He was kind of crude and rough around the edges, but he was a wild and free spirit. For a moment, she
wondered if he might fit the description of the faceless, nameless man she always fantasized about. He definitely had the body for it.
The car rumbled along, occasionally straddling or going around potholes and other hazards in the road, until there appeared a dim light up ahead. As they drew closer, they passed ramshackle wooden houses; some right on top of others and some separated by great expanses of open field or forest. Eventually, they coasted into the village of Santa Catarina, which was really not much more than a collection of more wooden houses and a large white church.
“Not much to see, huh?” Ethan commented, and pulled off the road near the church. “I don’t really come out this way too much, for obvious reasons. The tourists usually stick around the city.”
Marie looked around. The streets were dark and foreboding, and not many people were out and about. Most seemed like they were just trying to get back to their homes after a long day tending the fields.
“I don’t even know where to get started,” she admitted.
“What was your friend’s name?”
“Carol Blanch. White lady, about fifty years old. Don’t tell her I told you, though. She gets upset whenever someone mentions her age.”
“She would stick out here like a sore thumb,” Ethan said.
“Yeah. Carol told me in her letter that a woman named Gloriana had put her up. Maybe if I find her, I’ll find Carol.”
“Gloriana?” Ethan perked up. “I know her. I’ve stayed at her place a few times over the years.”
Marie looked at Ethan curiously. “Oh really?”
“Not like that!” He sputtered. “You’ve got a dirty mind, Marie Brisbee. Gloriana has a row of apartment houses, just down this street, that she rents out to travelers. In fact, I was going to get one tonight. It’s too late to drive back and I can’t get gas until tomorrow morning anyway.”
“Great! Then you can introduce us!”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Ethan asked. “Portuguese translation services will run you an extra twenty dollars.”
“Fine,” Marie grumbled, and handed over the money. “Now, can we go?”
“Of course, madam. Right this way.”
The walk down to Gloriana’s strip of wooden houses, which looked more like the sheds one might find in a typical American farmer’s backyard, was a short one. At the largest house, which emanated a soft glow of light through the windows, Ethan gently knocked on the door and announced something in Portuguese. The door cracked slightly at first and a dark-skinned, timid-looking woman appeared in the narrow opening. A huge smile of recognition spread across her face when she saw who it was.
She opened the door fully and enthused, “Ethan! Saudar, saudar! De onde ter foi?”
Ethan smiled broadly and accepted her crushing hug. Just when it looked like his airway was going to be cut off, she released him and took a step back.
“Gloriana, this is Marie,” Ethan said, introducing the woman travelling with him. Gloriana spit out several rapid sentences in Portuguese, and hugged him tightly again. Ethan chuckled and said something to her and she let him go.
“What’s she saying?” Marie asked.
“She thought we were just married and was congratulating me,” he said, cupping his hand towards Marie. She felt a tinge of embarrassment and blushed for the second time that day.
“Let me ask about your friend.”
Ethan continued on with more Portuguese and Marie watched as the woman’s face went from glee to a quick, dismal sadness. She shook her head and pointed out at the road, nearly crying as she repeated, “Morto, morto.”
“Ethan- tell me what she’s saying. Where’s Carol?”
“It’s not good, Marie,” He said, looking down at the ground. “Your friend has been killed.”
Marie opened her mouth to say something, anything, but she found herself unable to breathe. “Killed?” she thought, unable to believe it, and tears formed in her eyes. Her best friend in the world was dead.
“Gloriana says one of the local drug-runners, some guy named Marco Gustez, raided the village and murdered her. They were after something.”
“The Blue Star,” Marie whispered, and brought her fingers up to her trembling lips.
“What? What are you talking about?” Ethan asked, confused.
“My friend…she found the long-lost burial site of an ancient treasure, called the Blue Star, or at least she was pretty sure she’d found it. It’s a jewel that was passed down through Spanish royalty and wound up on a wrecked ship off the coast of São Tomè.”
“You never said anything about that,” Ethan grumbled. “No wonder that guy pulled a gun on us. Every two bit crony and thug on the island’s probably got their eye out for you right now.”
“I told you I was here to help my friend, who was in trouble.”
“Looks like trouble found her alright,” Ethan remarked and turned his head towards a strange noise that was approaching.
It was the sound of several vehicles’ engines, reverberating through the corridor of homes and it sounded like they were headed towards the two of them at great speed. Gloriana sputtered something in Portuguese and abruptly slammed the door.
“…and us, too.”
Chapter Five
Just as Marie and Ethan reached the taxi, approaching headlights illuminated them and the night was filled with the sounds of men shouting. Ethan fumbled with the door, got it open, and cranked the engine as Marie jumped into the seat beside him.
“Crap, they’ve spotted us,” Ethan cursed, and ducked low as gunfire erupted from the top of the hill behind them. “Hold on!”
The tires screeched and finally caught with a chirp as the cab came to life and burst down the street, quickly gaining speed. Marie looked back to see two camouflaged jeeps being led by a black car, which was coming down the incline only a hundred yards away. Men were positioned on the backs of the jeeps, each holding onto a mounted machine gun. As they opened fire again, the rear windscreen of the taxi exploded inwards and Marie doubled over into the seat as far as she could.
“My car!” Ethan yelled, “I can’t believe they shot my car! What kind of sickos are after you, anyway?”
Ethan swerved the car around a sharp curve at high velocity, bouncing over and off the edge of the pavement, sending them up on two wheels for a brief moment. The pursuing jeep and black car in front made the turn, but the driver of the second jeep lost control, instead heading straight into a low brick wall. The soldier manning the machine gun flipped over the top like a rag doll, cart-wheeled through the air, and landed with his legs protruding from a laurales bush.
“Ha ha!” I got one!” Ethan exclaimed. “And you thought I was a bad driver!”
“Just get us out of here!” Marie shouted back, and ducked another volley of bullets that ricocheted off the street, barely missing them.
The end of the pavement was coming up fast and the only way to continue without turning around was to drive through an orchard of cacao trees and follow a narrow, disused trail into the wilderness. Seeing no other choice, Ethan floored it and took them off road.
“Hold on!” He warned, and the sound of branches scraping against the car muffled everything else. Marie held her breath as the front bumper skirted inches past a cluster of trees and they fishtailed in the slick mud around it. It was like trying to drive on wet ice and no amount of steering seemed to be doing much good.
“What’s that?” Marie asked, and pointed to something blocking the trail ahead of them. “Is that a wall? Look out!”
Ethan grimaced and braced himself as they crashed into it. With a great shudder, the cab exploded through a net-like web of vegetation and old limbs. The glass beside Marie splintered and then caved in, sending thousands of sharp fragments back inside towards her. She felt a momentary white-hot flash of pain through her arm which subsided almost immediately from the heart-pounding adrenaline rush of the ride. As they leveled out, the single remaining headlight flickered once, twice, and then w
ent out for good.
“I can’t see a damn thing!” Ethan shouted and tried to downshift, but it was too late. The dim outlines of leafy brush and trees zipped past while the jungle began slapping at them from every direction. Off the trail they went, despite Ethan’s best efforts.
Marie dared to look out the shattered back window again. Two sets of headlights were still following them, rapidly making their way past the end of the road and entering the forest behind them. “They’re still back there, Ethan!”
Nearly blind and whipping through the jungle, Ethan spun the wheel and tried to dodge the trees as much as he could in the limping, beat-up cab. It did an admirable job handling the terrain, which would have torn apart her poor little sedan that Marie usually drove back in her safe, normal life.
One thing the cab wasn’t built for, however, was flight. Still at breakneck speed, the car took a sudden, enormous drop, leaving Ethan and Marie in weightless anti-gravity for a few tense seconds. The front end of the car dipped gut-wrenchingly until they crash-landed somewhere going downhill, spun around crazily and settled, to their unbelievable fright, in reverse.
“We’re going to die!” Marie screamed and watched her life flash before her eyes. “Why on earth did I ever come here?” She thought as panic overwhelmed her.
Ethan pressed the brakes to the floor and the vehicle lurched only slightly before losing traction again, sending them sideways while still scraping down the steep face of the ravine. The duo screamed out together in unison as they went on the uncontrollable ride until abruptly coming to a rest, hung up on an enormous knot of roots and broken saplings at the base of the ravine which had pinned the undercarriage. A huge cloud of steam and smoke began to roll out from under the hood and there was a horrendous clunking noise as something metal ground to a halt in the engine. Marie found her hand clenched tightly in Ethan’s and they shared a terrified look before she let go of him.
“Well, that’s it for the car,” Ethan observed. He shakily stepped out of the cab and walked around to look at the damage. It took a moment for him to convince himself he wasn’t dead. “We’re on foot from here.”
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