They pushed open the door and dashed away from the building. Sam couldn't express how relieved he was to see the sky again. He thought that warehouse was going to end up being his tomb but no, they had gotten out alive, and now they just needed to put as much distance between them and Dajuan as possible.
“I can't believe that happened,” Erica said, her fingers clinging to her necklace. “He was really going to kill me.”
“He was, yes,” Sam said bluntly. “He was going to kill us all if you hadn't intervened. You saved all of us.”
Erica's arms were folded, hugging herself tightly while she tried to calm herself from the ordeal they had all just gone through together.
“I really...I really thought I was going to die.”
“I know,” Sam said solemnly. “But you didn't. You made it through. I'm sure you see now why I was hesitant to let you tag along. This can be an exciting job but most of the time, it's just dangerous.”
Sam held out an open hand. “You shouldn't be here, Miss Diosa. You could have died for something that you are barely a part of. I can't have that happen. This isn't your fight. It was really brave of you to want to help and you have done brilliantly but I can finish this for you. Give me the necklace. We can see this through to the end for you. We'll drop you off somewhere safe...”
Erica shook her head firmly. “I can't let you do that for me.”
Sam disagreed. “It's not a problem. I don't mind—”
“But I do,” Erica said. “That pearl is my family's responsibility, which makes it my responsibility too. It's my burden and I'm not going to let anyone carry it for me. I can't put that on anyone else.”
“But you almost died.”
“You said it yourself,” Erica said. “If I hadn't been there, you all would be dead.”
He had made that point only moments before so he couldn't exactly argue against it.
Erica remained as adamant as ever. “I'm not going anywhere. And I'm especially not going anywhere without my pearl. So stop trying to convince me to leave.”
“I just thought—”
“I know, but too bad. I'm staying. You're welcome for saving your lives, by the way.”
Sam couldn't help but let out an annoyed little laugh. “And you're welcome for telling you how to do it in the first place.”
The two of them bickering made Sam nearly forget that Aya and Daisy were even there. He was glad to see that they made it out of that warehouse relatively unscathed too. Aya was looking very dour.
“I'm sorry,” Aya said. “I had no idea they were following. I should have known...of course Dajuan was going to try to get back at the people that got rid of the Wharf Man.”
“No need to apologize, Aya. You have nothing to be sorry for. There was no way of knowing that he was coming. Hell, I thought we were done with everything involving the Wharf Man after Oniel finally went down. Evidently not. So this guy has taken over the empire...seems like a real nice guy.”
“Everyone close to the Wharf Man was bad. You saw how bad Oniel was. He and his twin brother were cutthroats but Dajuan was even worse. He knew more than just killing. He knew how to spread the hurt as far as possible. The Wharf Man was grooming him for years, building him up to replace him someday.”
“And now that day is here...and he's much more prepared for this than we are. The Wharf Man literally chased Purdue under the ocean in a submarine. Is Dajuan going to be that determined?”
“Oh, yes,” Aya said. “Even more...because he has something to prove and a lot of rage. He will chase us to the ends of the earth.”
“Well it's a good thing then that the earth is round,” Daisy cut in.
“I'm surprised you don't believe the earth is flat,” Sam said. “A myth you actually don't believe in? Huh. Consider me flabbergasted.”
“Some myths are just myths,” Daisy said with a shrug. “But that doesn't mean all myths are myths.”
Sam shook his head. “Look at you. Such a philosopher.”
“What are we going to do about this?” Erica asked, still clutching her necklace tightly. “This man will kill us. I really don't want that to happen.”
“You shouldn't even be involved in this,” Sam said and again held out a hand. “Just give me the pearl and you can head home, forget about all of this. Dajuan has no reason to come after you once you are away from us.”
“That might not be true,” Aya said solemnly. “Dajuan is known for his talent for remembering faces. And he is also known to not just kill his enemies, but to wipe out everyone they know or care about. Now that he has seen her face and knows she is an ally of yours, especially since she helped our escape, he will want her head too.”
Erica looked nervous but seemed to gain some comfort from the pearls enclosed in her hand. “I'm not going to leave the pearl to you anyway. If you need it, then I'm going to see it through to the end. We just need to figure out what we're going to do about a murderer like that.”
It was true that the new kingpin of Jamaica posed a significant threat and if Aya was right about him, he could be much more dangerous than the Wharf Man ever was.
“We keep moving forward, avoid any more run-ins with Dajuan. We just need to get the last pearl. Once that's done, we can reunite all three and be done with this before Wharf Man Jr. is able to cut us all into pieces. Who knows, maybe Poseidon will be grateful we brought him his things back and he will get rid of Dajuan for us.”
Daisy folded her arms. “I doubt Poseidon would do that.”
Sam gave a hopeful, half-smile. “Maybe the god will surprise you. Where was it that Irving said to go next again? The location of the third pearl?”
Daisy answered. “It's supposed to be on a small island off the eastern coast of the United States. Some place called Assateague. It's in Maryland I believe...or Delaware...one or the other. Supposed to be an island with wild horses on it. That sounds like a place Poseidon would like.”
“Just one more pearl then we can get them all back where they belong.”
10
WHISPERS AND DEMANDS
Everyone else was sleeping below deck or in their cabins. Sam was leaning against the railing, once again looking down at the dark water below. He watched the water slap against the boat's hull over and over, like it was trying to nudge the vessel forward, to press onward. The sound of the slaps repeated over and over against the boat, in a rhythm. As Sam listened to the sound beneath him, he started to hear another sound woven between the splashes.
It was a whisper. The same voice that had echoed throughout the Order of the Black Sun's hideout; that gargled, angry snarling. This was quieter than before and wasn't accompanied by a water figure.
“Give it.”
Rather than the bone-rattling yells from before, the words just slipped through Sam's ears this time. It was like the voice didn't want to wake the others or was trying a different approach than the destructive commotion it caused to deliver its message before.
“Give it back. Give it back now.”
Sam shook his head, trying to loosen the voice from his brain. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be that easy and the voice persisted with its demands.
“You have two. They are not yours. They are mine. Give them back.”
Sam put his hands over his ears, turning his palms into walls to prevent anything from slithering into his earlobes. It proved to be just as unsuccessful of a tactic. The words continued to come, moving right through his hand blockades.
“Give them back. Give them back. Give them back. Give them back. Give them back.”
“Stop...” Sam muttered, closing his eyes and pushing his hands harder over his ears. “Stop...stop it.”
“Give them back. Give them back. Give them back. Give them back.”
“Stop it,” Sam said, taking a step away from the water. “Stop it. Please.”
“They are mine. They are mine. They are mine. They are mine.”
“I...I know...I know.” Sam wanted that voice to leave more tha
n anything. This was far worse than the explosive water that came before. This felt so much more personal, like the entity had lodged itself into the back of Sam's head and he wouldn't be able to get it off. He was stunned with the maddening sounds.
He had only heard the voice for seconds but it already felt like he'd been hearing it for hours. He couldn't stand to hear it any longer than he had. He couldn't imagine what point of sanity he would be in if the voice remained for an extended period of time.
“They are mine. They are mine. They are mine. They are mine.”
“I know,” Sam said again, through gritted teeth. “I know that, alright? I know! I'm doing the best I can. I'm trying to get them back to you. Don't you see that? I'm going to get all three and bring them back to you. Just be patient.”
“No patience.”
“You have to be!” Sam said, his voice raised. “You have to at least give me more time! I'm on my way to find the third! Once we have it, I'll bring all three to the trident. That's what you want isn't it?”
There was no response.
“That's what you want! Right? Is that what you want or not!?”
Sam was yelling now, screaming at the top of his lungs at the black sea in front of him. He didn't even realize how loud he was being and didn't know just how angry he was getting from this horrid conversation.
“Is that what you want!?”
“Sam?”
Sam turned around to find Aya walking along the deck to him. She was looking out in the direction that he was shouting, probably expecting to find some sort of intruder, or ship, or at least something but there was nothing but ocean. She glanced back to Sam with some concern.
“Are you alright?”
Sam collected himself and finally realized how crazy he must have looked shrieking out at nothing in the dark, in the middle of the night. He continued to glance nervously out at the ocean and kept waiting to hear the voice again but after a moment, took a calming breath.
“Yes,” Sam said. “I think so.”
“You could not sleep?”
“No,” Sam said. “I suppose not. Too many things on my mind.” Like whispers and demands, he thought, but kept that to himself. “All of this boat's rocking was making me feel a little bit sick I guess.”
“That does tend to happen,” Aya said with a shrug, almost ignoring his cover story. “Who were you yelling at out here?”
“Oh, you heard that?”
“It was impossible not to...” Aya said but then offered a smile. “This is my ship, Sam. There is nothing that happens on this ship that I don't know about. So tell me, who were you talking to? And don't tell me you were just talking to yourself. This was not that, was it?”
Sam knew he would sound crazy if he told her the truth but he already sounded crazy anyway so there wasn't much of anything to lose. “I don't know if Purdue told you the specifics, but at the start of all of this, we received a message. A voice that made all of the water at our headquarters burst from the walls. That voice made demands, wanting the pearl that we possessed.”
“It was Poseidon, yes?” Aya guessed. “The one whose trident we need to bring the pearls to.”
Sam had nearly forgotten that he had already told Aya that part of the story. Back then, he'd been embarrassed to even talk about it, but the longer this voyage lasted, he was starting to become more and more convinced of it. But that was from things that he was witnessing with his own eyes and hearing with his own ears, nothing that Daisy Judge had babbled on about.
“Yes...I think so...” Sam said. “I heard him again.”
“Just now?” Aya said with some interest. “On my boat?”
“It sounded like he was in the ocean, maybe, I don't know...or in my head...I'm not exactly sure.”
“Maybe you have some water blocking your ears, Sam,” Aya said with a playful smirk. “I have experienced that many times. Horrible. Sailing across the ocean can do strange things to people. I have seen friends go insane out here, people that I trusted with my life suddenly try to throw themselves overboard. It is the isolation, and the loneliness of having nothing but more water around you. That is all. People go mad at sea all the time. Do you need me to tie you to the mast?”
Sam laughed. “No, I don't think so.”
“Good,” Aya said. “Because my boat does not have one.”
They both laughed together and Sam hoped they hadn't woken anyone up. He had made enough noise that night. He was glad to be hearing things that made him smile rather than the whispers from the darkness that made demands.
“You should get some sleep, Sam,” Aya said. “That is one of the only ways to get better once you have started to lose your mind. Rest can repair your head. Give it a try.”
“I will,” Sam said “Thank you, Aya. I'm just going to stay out here a little longer.”
Aya nodded. “Well keep your voice down then. And if it is Poseidon talking to you, tell him to shut his mouth too.”
Aya disappeared around the deck, leaving Sam alone again with the black sea and the voices that were emanating from its currents. He stared down into the watery darkness, once again focused on the sounds of the water slapping against the boat.
“I'm really trying...” Sam muttered, barely even speaking the words aloud.
One last whisper slid into his ears. “Try harder then. Give them back.”
11
BLIND INVESTIGATIONS
Nina understood the need for her eyes to be covered by a blindfold during her trip with Inspector Amaro. Amaro and his mysterious group couldn't risk Nina seeing exactly where one of their bases was. That was a valid reason considering she still was an enemy of theirs and could report information back to Purdue if they weren't careful. The blindfold disarmed her of easy ways to turn this trip against them. They were being cautious, that was all. She couldn't blame them for that, even if it did make her feel very uncomfortable about what was ahead.
She took the time to listen to the hum of the car's engine beneath her, doing her best to take note of the movement of the vehicle. They had been making quite a lot of turns before but now, they seem to have been going straight. They must have been on a highway. But since they weren't getting in some kind of private jet—at least not yet—it might mean that the group's base was somewhere in England or in the surrounding countries. Was it really somewhere within driving distance? Or was the Old Lady just staying in a temporary location for this interview? Whatever the case, there was some things that a blindfold couldn't hide and logic was one of those things.
Inspector Amaro wasn't being his usual chatty self. Maybe he was too focused on what was ahead, considering all of the possibilities of how this meeting was going to turn out. There was a chance, she was sure, that he might have to dispose of Nina by the end of the day if the conversation with the Old Lady turned sour. Nina was getting a little nervous herself. Agreeing to meet with the people that were supposed to be their biggest enemies could easily turn into a very disastrous choice.
To help break the tension, she decided to ask some preliminary questions of her own. “So how terrifying is this old woman, Inspector? Should I be scared or is this going to be much more pleasant than I've been led to believe?”
“That is impossible to determine,” Inspector Amaro said from the darkness in front of her. She wasn't even positive he was driving or if there was another person in the car. “It's hard to know how two people are going to interact. Sometimes personalities have a way of fitting together like puzzle pieces. And sometimes it can be a bit more...reactionary...a bad mix...and then...ka-boom. Hopefully for your sake, Dr. Gould, it's not going to be the latter. Why did you even agree to this?”
Nina was wondering the exact same thing but she did her best to give a neutral answer. “I have a habit of letting my curiosity get the better of me. When I have the chance to see something new or learn something new, I usually jump at that chance. It's the only way to figure anything out. Sometimes risk just comes with the territory.”
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“I see,” Amaro said. “This is quite the risk, as I'm sure you're aware.”
“Was it as much of a risk for you when you joined? Did they invite you and put a blindfold on or were you out seeking for a new line of work?”
“There was no blindfold for me, no.”
Nina didn't know if she should be honored or worried that they felt the need to blind her.
“So tell me then, Inspector, were you a detective or an errand boy first? Were you always trying to solve crimes or was that just a position that your boss lady put you in to help benefit her? Is everything about you just because of the Old Lady?”
Amaro let out a stifled laugh but she couldn't see his face so couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. “I appreciate you trying to get to know me better, Dr. Gould, especially if we're going to be working on the same team now, but asking about my personal history is not going to get you very far, I'm afraid. It is a long, tumultuous web that will get you nowhere, believe me. But if you must know, I was a detective well before I joined this group. All the Old Lady did was enhance what I was able to do in my work.”
“Like get you to investigate innocent people that haven't committed any crimes. That really enhances your work as a detective, doesn't it?”
Inspector Amaro didn't respond—and she knew that she should stop prodding now that she had apparently struck a nerve.
INTERLUDE – ONE CASE CLOSED, ONE CASE OPENED
Inspector Donatello Amaro had a tendency to take his work home with him. He always had. It was one of the more problematic habits he had as a detective since there was never nearly enough time during work hours to properly do his job to its fullest. Painters and builders could leave their work waiting for the next day. Salesmen and office workers could put aside their paperwork until they went back to their desks and cubicles. Even cooks could put their work into freezers or on the stove for when they would need to serve it later. Solving criminal cases didn't allow him such a luxury; stopping crime wasn't quite the same as a usual nine to five job. The work never stopped as it required more like twenty-four hours of work every day. If he wasn't thinking about the case, having his brain constantly work overtime, then there was a chance that someone's life could be at risk because he hadn't brought the perpetrator to justice yet.
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