“You okay?” he whispered into her ear. He could hear the trembling in his own voice.
“Yeah.”
Jared threw another log on the fire. “I mean, what if one of us did do that to Eve? But who? It’s not as if any of us has ever been in trouble with the law.”
Billy felt himself jerk.
Jared was staring at him like . . . No, Jared couldn’t know about that. He shrugged and took a couple of deep breaths. “The whole thing is crazy.”
“I could use a double vodka right now,” Jared said.
“A beer would be nice,” Billy agreed. “You should probably not talk so loudly.” He chin-cocked the shelter.
“Do you think the . . . Old Man Dockery will cancel the show?” Jared lowered his voice and addressed the question to Lexie. Billy still had his arm around her shoulder and he gave her a squeeze. His heart was still racing. He couldn’t keep his thoughts from going back to the softness of her breast and to the other parts of her he so desperately wanted to touch.
“I wish I knew, but I don’t know anything more than you guys.” I think about his financial problems. Surely he wouldn’t ignore the fact that Eve was murdered.
Chapter 27
The others crawl off the sleeping platform and arrive one at a time, stretching and rubbing their eyes.
The smell of Mark’s coffee fills the air and something on the fire is making me hungry. The pot is bubbling. Faith stands up and says, “Anyone want some breakfast?”
“What is it?” Jared says.
I wrinkle my nose. “It smells kind of like yams, or squash,” I say.
Maria grins at me. “It’s breakfast. Cassava, or Yucca. It’s good, and it’s also a good food source.” “Isn’t it poison? I thought someone said that.”
“No,” Maria says. “You have to know how to handle it. We did it right.”
Faith lifts the pot off the fire. I notice she has Sam’s knife sitting beside her on the log she’s using as a seat. I guess she and Maria must have used it to peel the roots.
“Come and get it,” Faith says.
Maria is the first to hold her plate out for Faith to dish out some of the Yucca for her. It’s steaming hot and she tries to hold it but it burns her fingers. “Ouch!”
“I guess we should have made it a rule that nobody goes off on their own without telling someone,” Stretch says, yawning. “We talked about it, but shouldn’t we do it now?”
“I’m with you,” Maria says. “I wouldn’t want to go anywhere alone anyhow. I think if people do go out anywhere they should tell someone. Whether they’re alone or not.” She glances across at Andy and Kelli.
“I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that,” Andy says. “I totally agree and I did tell someone when Kelli and I left yesterday to go fishing. Faith. She saw us leave, too.”
I let the others get their food first, and am the second to last person to get some on my plate. Others have started eating it by that time and they haven’t keeled over and kicked the bucket yet. It tastes kind of strange, but I’m hungry, starving, really, and it couldn’t possibly satisfy me, but it helps fill a void.
Billy has saved a spot beside him on the big log. He pats it and grins up at me. The kiss is still with me, along with the feel of his hands. I’m not sure how far I would have let him go if Jared hadn’t interrupted us. There’s something edgy about making out with him. I’ve never enjoyed sex with anyone, and yet, and yet . . . Just peeking at his hands right now, and thinking about how one of them felt on my nipple makes me get goose bumps all over. Are they the hands of a killer?
“What are you staring at?” he asks.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” I didn’t even know I was doing it. The truth is, he’s growing on me and I’m thinking how much I want to be alone with him again, and I want him to touch me like that again, which is crazy, because I hardly know him, or anything about him.
“What are your plans today, Lexie?” Trip interrupts my thoughts. He is staring at me with that look on his face. Suddenly I am reminded of the peril that lurks around the corner and my mood changes. Trip is the killer. It has to be him.
“Nothing that concerns you.” I glare at him and he moves away. My heart is beating too fast and my hands are clammy. “What time do you think the Old Man will come?” I say to Mark.
He scoops the last bit of porridge from his bowl. “I wish I knew. Soon, I hope.”
“I’m gonna ask him if I can go home,” I say.
“You can’t do that,” Billy says. “We’re only just getting to know you.”
I shuffle, uncomfortable under his stare. “I have my reasons.” I resist throwing a glance at Trip. I know he’s gonna do everything he can to separate me from Billy. He’s already shown how jealous he is. If he is the killer, wouldn’t Billy be in danger?
“He’ll cancel the show anyhow,” Mark says, “and we’ll all be leaving.”
He’s probably right, but I can’t meet Billy’s gaze. I set my plate down. “I’m going to the john,” I say.
When I get back, a bunch of them are leaving.
“Trip, Sam, Lela, Andy, Kelli and Faith are going to hunt for food,” Mark says. “Trip said something about exploring a deserted village and everyone got excited. I still don’t know how Kelli is walking on those shoes.” He grimaces.
“I guess her blisters have calmed down by now. Shouldn’t we film it?” I say.
“I’ll catch up with them in a few,” Mark says. “You missed something while you were in the can. Faith was going on at Andy and Kelli. She was yelling and making a big stink about how they want to screw around and aren’t pulling their weight in camp. She was mad. Like crazy mad.” Mark shakes his head.
I shrug. “Maybe she’s right. I’m staying here today in case the Old Man . . . I mean, for when he gets here.”
“He can’t land an airplane right here.” Billy points at the ground. “But I’m sure he has organized some place nearby.”
“The pilot said there’s a bush airfield somewhere not too far away,” Mark says.
“So how come we haven’t found it?” Jared asks.
“I guess we didn’t go in the right direction.” Billy swivels around and gazes into the distance. “That way is the only place that could be level enough. No one from here has gone that way.” He points.
I grin. “I can’t imagine the Old Man hiking through the boondocks up this hill to get to us. He probably thinks we’ll set up camp beside the air field.”
“Maybe he’ll make us move there,” Mark says, picking up his camera. “If the game goes on, but like I already said, I don’t think it will.”
“In normal circumstances I would agree with you, but”—I eye Jared—“the Old Man badly needs this to be a success, so I think he’ll find a way to keep it going.”
“We need protein and I want to go see if I can catch more fish,” Billy says. “You gonna come with me?” He’s staring at me.
“I’m serious about staying close so we don’t miss him.”
Mark chuckles. “Lex, if an airplane flies over we’ll all hear it and see it. Besides, where’s the Old Man gonna go if we’re not here? He’ll have the rest of crew with him and they’ll take care of him.”
“Yeah, but he might let me leave right away, with the pilot.” I know Billy is staring at me and I avoid his gaze.
“No, he won’t, he’ll have to find a replacement first and fly him or her out here. And anyhow, the game’s over.” He hefts his camera onto his shoulder. “I’m gonna catch up with Trip and the others.”
“If you want, maybe we could mark this camp, so it can be seen from the air before we go,” Billy says. “I have this.” He holds up the roll of neon pink duct tape. His gaze holds mine and I know he’s searching for something in my eyes and he frown
s. He doesn’t understand why I want to leave, and I can’t expect him to understand.
I avoid his gaze. “Yeah. How are we gonna do it?”
Stretch says, “I can put it up high, maybe on some trees.” He holds out his hand and Billy relinquishes the roll. We all stand and stare as Stretch starts unrolling it and sticking it onto high branches and stringing it across from tree to tree.
“Is that good?” he asks after a while.
“Yeah, I think that’ll be noticeable from the air,” Billy says. He raises his eyebrows.
“I guess,” I say.
“We need food,” he says.
“I think I’ve perfected my traps and I’m pretty confident I’ll get us some birds to eat today,” Rodriguez says.
“Dockery will bring food for us,” I say, glancing at the trail Mark took toward the others.
“Not for us,” Jared says with a chuckle. “It’s gonna be weird without you guys competing beside us,” he adds. “If the show goes on.”
“We should go see if we can find the airfield, and after that I’m gonna go catch some more fish,” Billy says. “I also think I’m gonna wash my clothes and take a bath. That pool where we fish is a natural swimming hole.” He lifts his arm and sniffs, and pulls a face.
“What about crocodiles?” I’m thinking how awesome it would be to wash. I haven’t told anyone about my bar of soap.
Billy grimaces. “I haven’t seen any. I’m pretty sure they hang out in the lowlands, where it’s warmer. This water, being a mountain creek, must get pretty cold in winter. Trip says they get frost in this area sometimes.”
I’m torn between waiting for the Old Man and taking a swim and getting clean. “You coming?” Billy says. “We can bring the fishing stuff with us and go see if we can find the air field first. If it is over there,” he points, “then we’ll be quite close to the creek.”
“Er, yeah, okay. Just wait a sec,” I say. I move to the shelter and pick up my bag and my camera. Billy and Jared have the fishing gear in their hands when I come out again.
“I’m gonna come with you guys if that’s okay,” Stretch says. “I’m not bad at catching fish.”
We all turn and stare at Maria, who shakes her head. “I’ll stay with Rafael. We can tell Allan Dockery or one of the crew where to find you when they get here.”
We follow Billy in single file,
Jared is behind him, then me and Jake, and Stretch is behind me.
I’m starting to get hot and tired when Billy stops. We all bunch up close to him. “This must be it,” he says.
I’m breathing hard. “This is the airfield?”
“Yeah, this has to be where Old Man Dockery’s gonna land,” Billy continues. “It should be okay. I think he could land on it. Someone—probably the company that flew us here—maintains it. It looks like they mowed the grass not too long ago, and cut out all the bushes. I don’t see any obvious bumps or holes.”
My stomach is in knots. I hope the Old Man brings a couple of other camera operators. What if the show goes on and I can’t go home?
Billy thinks he can protect me from Trip, but he doesn’t know him.
Chapter 28
Andy took the rear of the single file column, right behind Kelli. He needed another hit of E. He nudged Kelli lightly on her shoulder. She turned around and he touched his pocket. Understanding showed in her face and she slowed down. Once they had dropped out of sight of the others, he tapped two of the white tablets out of the bottle, mentally evaluating what remained of his supply before stuffing it back into his pocket.
He pushed the first pill under his tongue and watched Kelli do the same. His hands were shaking a little and his stomach cramped.
“Hey, what happened? Are you guys okay?” Lela came into view. “Why did you drop back?”
“Oh, my shoes,” Kelli said smoothly. “I have to rest every now and then because they hurt my feet.”
Andy figured she had swallowed the pill. He did the same and smiled at Lela.
“Okay, but I think we should all stick together after what happened to Eve, you know.” She turned and headed back toward the others. Andy opened his mouth and slipped the second pill under his tongue, and Kelli did the same. “We’d better try and catch up,” he said.
Kelli rolled her eyes and started walking again.
The others had stopped in a clearing and Trip was pointing at something. “There,” he said. “See those broken down huts over there?” He directed his gaze at Andy.
Andy squinted. “Yes. I see them.” They were round, and only partial walls remained.
“Anyone scared of ghosts?” Trip said.
“No. Don’t believe in them. Or monsters,” Sam added.
The warm sensation was beginning and Andy took a few deep, satisfied breaths. He could see Kelli was feeling the same by the way her shoulders had relaxed. He followed the others again, and by the time they reached the deserted settlement, he couldn’t feel his feet touch the ground.
Everyone spread out to explore. Andy took Kelli’s hand and pulled her into him for a long, passionate kiss. To heck with anyone else. He needed to find some place private, urgently.
Lela and Sam came and stood beside them. Lela said, “I thought you said you had a serious relationship with someone at home.” She stared at Kelli. “And you—I do believe that’s a wedding ring on your finger.”
“Why don’t you butt out and mind your own business,” Andy said. Lela was staring at him. He became aware of the detritus in the grass around his feet. He kicked the remains of a cooking pot, rusted through, that lay on top of a pile of ash from what must have been a cooking fire. Broken crockery lay scattered around outside the huts.
“Come on,” he threw a warning glare at Lela and grabbed Kelli’s hand and led her toward the closest ruin of a hut. Why did they all have to follow him? He wished they would go and explore on their own. He peered into the hut, and at first he didn’t recognize what he was seeing.
“Oh, my God!” Sam gasped from beside him. “That’s—that’s crazy.” She backed away.
Lela took her place and stared. “Not a pretty sight,” she agreed, with a shiver.
Through his haze of euphoria, Andy found the sight fascinating. Kelli leaned on his shoulder, still holding his hand, and they both stared at it without saying anything.
“It appears that the skull was crushed,” Trip took the pipe from his mouth and gazed at it over Andy’s shoulder. He stared into Andy’s face.
Andy averted his eyes.
“Yeah. Someone bashed him on the head,” he agreed. What did this dude want? He was standing so close. Did he suspect something? Screw him.
“Let’s go. This place gives me the creeps,” Lela said. “It reminds me of that camp in Iraq.”
Faith came over to stand beside Kelli. She stared a long time at the skeletal remains before talking. “No more suffering,” she said, still staring. She scratched her head, pushed Andy aside and stepped forward into the remains of the hut. She crouched down beside the skeleton and it sounded like she was chanting something but she spoke too softly for anyone to hear the words. Maybe it was a prayer, but no, it definitely sounded more like a chant. So perhaps she belonged to some weird religion and that’s what they did when people died.
Nobody moved for a while, except Mark, who panned the camera onto her as she reached out with a tentative hand and touched the skull in the jagged hole where it was crushed.
Andy shuddered. “It might be diseased,” he said.
Faith whirled around. Her eyes blazed and her hands came up, and for a moment it seemed she was going to smack Andy. She seemed to change her mind, turned, and walked away.
Andy led Kelli by her hand to the next hut, and away from the others. “That was strange,” he said. “Did you see h
ow she stared at it? And that chanting. It was like she was fascinated with it. And there’s no way I would touch anything around here after what the pilot said about disease. I mean, he didn’t mention Ebola but I wouldn’t want to take any chances.”
Kelli squeezed his hand. “What about Lela? What did she say? She was in a concentration camp in some place like Iraq or Iran?”
“She said something about it before. Do you believe her?” Andy said, peering into the next hut. It was empty save for a tattered blanket and one squashed shoe. A few weeds had broken through the clay floor.
“I also think she’s said something about it before, but it’s probably all in her imagination.”
The other huts were also all deserted. “Mmmm,” Kelli said, her mind obviously still floating.
The others caught up to them.
“What do you think happened here?” Sam asked Trip. “Where did these people all go?”
“Disease,” Mark said. “The pilot told me AIDS has decimated some of these villages. I’m pretty sure I told you guys.” He panned the camera around as if to pick up each person’s reaction.
“We’re here to find food,” Trip reminded everyone. He wandered away toward the outskirts of the village.
Andy whispered in Kelli’s ear. “Let’s stay here for a while. The sun is so warm and nice.” He could hardly wait to touch her all over. He frowned when he thought about Lela’s accusation. He should have taken off his wedding ring before he came. What did she say about Kelli being in a serious relationship? Whatever. It didn’t matter now.
He stood behind Kelli and watched the others move away from them. She leaned against him and rubbed herself against him.
“Here,” Trip said. “Corn.” He started pulling at the corn stalks.
Andy stayed where he was, enjoying the delights of the friction, and watched Lela open the bag and hold it to receive the bounty.
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