by K D McNiven
“My survival guide book.”
Dax shook his head and laughed. “After seeing how Callie walloped that dude and watching you in action, I’m thinking what a lucky man I am to have you two on board with me this trip.”
“Certainly hasn’t been boring,” Decker remarked, as they slid in beside him. “It won’t be a trip I soon forget.”
“What about the rental car?” asked Callie. “I’m sure they won’t be too happy about what happened to it. And I imagine the police will be pulled into this?”
“I’ll pay them in full for the car, and a little extra to keep the police at bay for the time. Presently, we still have no substantial proof of the illegal activities, and we need that before we go to the police,” Decker answered.
“What about tonight?” asked India. “Do you still think we should take out the Zodiac and see what we can dig up?”
Decker turned to look at Dax. After all, Dax was the owner of the Zodiac, and he had already lost one boat through all of this. But Dax was not one to back down from a good fight. There was a lot at stake, and he did not want Lito Chronis getting away with the unlawful dumping of chemicals that was creating a dead zone in the Caribbean. He had to be stopped.
Dax left India’s question up in the air as they drove back to town.
CHAPTER 23
Chronis Manufacturing
Lito settled back in his leather office chair, his lips drawn into a thin line. His fleshy cheeks were red with anger. How these men kept eluding them was beyond his comprehension. His glowering expression bore a hole through Bart, who was seated across from him.
Bart shrugged and took a large swallow of bourbon. “These are not your ordinary men, Lito,” Bart ground out, his own expression bleak. He was feeling outwitted, and that did not sit well with him. He understood Lito’s anger. No, rage. It was building up inside of him as well.
“We have to stop them, Bart,” Lito said through gritted teeth.”
“I know, boss. They are formidable.”
“Bad enough they spotted the Gabriel at sea. Now, they know we’re the ones doing the dumping. If we don’t dispose of them quickly, we are going to have the authorities breathing down our necks. I’m not about to let those men cause my demise.”
What could Bart say? Everything Lito said was true. Decker Hayden and Dax Drake were like water in a sieve. When they thought they had them snared, they somehow managed to slip out of their fingers. It was going to take greater resolve and planning to take them down.
“They both have Achilles heels,” Lito said. “We need to find those and lure them in. “I want you to do a little more research on the both of them. Find their weak points and divest yourself of them soon as possible!” Bart nodded and pursed his lips together. They had come across trouble makers in the past, but this time they were up against intelligent men and women, skilled in the fine arts of combat and seemingly able to bounce right back after every attack on body or equipment. Lito was right. Decker and Dax would have a chink in their armor, a vulnerable area where they would be forced to drop their guard. It would only be a matter of finding those areas.
“What about the helicopter?” asked Bart.
“What about it? We explain there was a malfunction and it crashed. Simple enough. Some of the guys are out there now collecting the pieces. The last thing we want is for the police to be involved in this.”
“We need to keep a close eye on them,” Bart said. “I’ve posted men around the docks. There is nothing they can do without us knowing about it.”
“Good,” Lito replied, taking another swallow of the amber fluid in his glass. “Another thing, Bart. I want you to hire a couple of men to take care of a little matter for me.”
“And what matter is that?”
Lito leaned forward and with emotional intensity replied, “I want you to take care of Gator and his sidekick. They botched it up in Florida on a grand scale, and they’ve been released. I don’t want a trail for anyone to follow.”
“Good as done, Lito,” Bart agreed. “We’ve got to cover our tracks. We can’t afford to leave anyone who knows anything standing.”
“What about the Gabriel?”
Bart smiled. “Who? The Gabriel no longer exists. No worries.”
Lito took a deep breath and settled back in his chair. “I don’t know what I would do without you, Bart.”
“You’ll never have to, Lito.”
CHAPTER 24
Kealakekua Bay
Garrett and the team prepared to dive the cave. Holly would not go because of how dangerous the dive could be and her lack of experience. Besides himself, Sam, Polly, and Carson would make up the team for today. They’d acquired more equipment when they realized they were not adequately supplied for such a dive.
There was excitement in the air as they fitted on their suits and eighty-pound tanks. It was at that particular time that Garrett looked out at a small craft off shore. He had seen it a lot lately and chalked it up to vacationers. He hadn’t seen much activity around the boat but occasionally had seen two men doing some diving around the same area where they had been.
“You’ve seen them too,” Carson said noting Garrett’s gaze.
“Curious why they’ve been there so long. Appears to be more a fishing boat than a cruiser. I can’t imagine there is much in the way of sleeping and kitchen facilities.”
“Maybe they have a kayak and are going ashore in the evenings.”
Garrett shrugged. “Maybe.”
Everyone turned to look at Polly, who was dressed in bright red swimming trunks with pineapple patterns. His hair was loose around his shoulders, and his beard bushed out to his chest. With no shirt and flippers, he was a rather comical sight.
“What?” Polly challenged, seeing their humor.
“Definitely a Viking,” Carson snickered.
“You guys ready?” Garrett asked, and when he saw they were, he went to the stern and dropped off the back into the crystal blue waves.
The team kicked their way toward the cave. Carson and Garrett were buddies, and Polly and Sam paired up. They stuck close together and would keep within sight of one another during their exploration. For a multitude of reasons, cave diving was a dangerous venture, even for the most experienced diver.
Taking hand fans, they dusted around the entrance. Once more, they discovered a few coins, but this time they also found a few obsidian arrowheads. With that, they were even more encouraged that there might be a treasure trove of some kind within this cavity. The coins and artifacts they had found seemingly had washed down the tube over time.
Garrett was the first to enter, attaching a rope for the team to follow. In case of silt out, they wanted to make sure they were attached to a line. In such cases, it was easy to become disoriented and go the wrong direction, which could be fatal depending on how long it took to get reoriented, and how much oxygen was left in the tanks.
A hand-held light illuminated their way. The entry was veiled with kelp teeming with small marine creatures. Small schools of fish feeding on plankton parted to the left and the right as the divers advanced. Garrett pointed to a sea snake, and a little further in, an octopus, caught in the beam of light, shrank into a crevice all but disappearing as it changed its coloring to match its surroundings. The cave was nearly twenty feet in width, which made it easier to enter. They had swum quite a distance, and the cave continued to widen as they went.
Then farther along, the walls began to narrow, and to Garrett’s delight, he could see a small shaft of light in the distance. That meant that there was a small opening in the ceiling allowing a narrow beam of sunlight to pass through.
His fingers caught a protrusion where the cave split into upper and lower sections. He kicked upward until his head broke through the surface of water. Looking around he could see a large recessed area, and beyond that, an inclining corridor. The floor was moist and covered with sediment that had built up from storm waters that had flowed down the incline over time. The others drew up alongsid
e Garrett holding onto the ledge with their arms while their bodies swayed with the gentle current passing through the lower passage.
Removing his regulator, Carson asked, “I wonder how far back this goes?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Garrett speculated. “I’m going to climb out and look around. You guys wait here.”
Carson helped boost Garrett out of the water and onto the shelf. Garrett slipped off his flippers and, shining his light, began walking through the cavity toward the rear where the passage continued on. He could see that the tube stretched back a hundred feet or more before a jumble of rocks blocked the way.
Bending down on one knee, Garrett found a couple of spear heads and an old pipe made out of seashells. Though mostly obscured with sediment, an intricate pattern had been carved into the pipe. Garrett wondered if the pipe he held in his hand had been smoked by Captain Cook himself.
“Find anything?” Polly called out, his voice echoing off the walls.
“A pipe and couple spear heads,” Garrett said.
Scanning back and forth with the light, he continued on the search. A dozen yards further his voice echoed back to the others, “Another coin!” In his thinking, this was proof that the coins found around the entrance had washed down through this portion of the cave.
Blocked by the rocks from further passage, Garrett returned to the group waiting for him in the water.
Carson looked at the items Garrett has collected. “This is incredible!”
“We’ll take our find back to Hani Akumu. I’m sure he will be as excited as we are when he realizes we have uncovered more history for the Hawaiian people. Makes you wonder if this was used by the natives as a burial ground or something,” Garrett said, stuffing the artifacts into a sealed container to take back with them.
“You think there might be a way into this place from the outside?” asked Carson.
“Possibly,” Garrett replied, his wheels turning. “The opening above us is much too small to crawl through. But if we were to extend a cell phone through it, we might find a signal and coordinates to help us locate it from the surface of the lava flow.”
“I’m all for that,” Sam chimed in, peeling off his flippers and taking his cell phone out of its waterproof case for a better signal. “I think I’m waterlogged.”
Garrett smiled. “We certainly have had our fill of water sports.”
“I don’t think I could ever have too much ocean,” Carson said. She’s my woman.”
“A bit melodramatic, don’t you think?” Garrett said, shaking his head.
“Maybe. But true enough.”
“I believe him,” Sam said with a chuckle, scrambling up to where he could get the signal. “I never see him outside of the Jade. Except for our time in Honduras that is.”
Garrett and Sam slid back into the water with the others. Fitting his regulator in his mouth, Garrett motioned for the others to follow him.
The current had grown stronger even in the short time they had been in there. The resistance made it much more difficult as they made their way toward the opening. They were forced to battle the waves as they got closer to the entry, trying to keep from being thrown into the lava rock which could tear their suits and their flesh.
Sediment was stirred from the bottom and visibility was being obscured. Garrett was glad they had secured the rope, and that he had clipped himself to it with his carabiner. He could barely make out that Carson was behind him but was able to see the bursts of bubbles from his regulator.
Once Garrett was free from the interior, the water cleared again. He waited for the others to join him, and then they headed back toward the yacht.
They had only gone a short distance before they spied two men in wetsuits swimming toward them. One of the men held a knife and came at Garrett with a slashing motion. Garrett lashed out with his hand to grab hold of the man’s wrist. The two began twisting and churning in the water, sand, and sediment swirling around them.
The man managed to break Garrett’s grip and swung his knife around, slicing into Garrett’s regulator hose. A cyclonic mass of bubbles encased them. At that moment, Garrett knew he was in a lot of trouble. He continued to fight the man off, at the same time, he frantically tried to reach his reserve tank but was unable to grasp it. The man lunged at him again, the knife blade slicing into Garrett’s arm. A stream of blood flowed out into the water around them.
With his foot, Garrett managed to kick the man away from him. There was a vague figure of another man appearing in the cloudy water, and though Garrett could not make out who it was, the other man managed to pull the attacker off him, giving Garrett time to break away.
With great effort, he kicked to the surface, his lungs burning from the lack of oxygen. His head shot out of the water, and he gasped for air. At this point, half-spent and lightheaded from the loss of blood, he knew he would be unable to help the others, and his heart sank.
The wound oozed, soaking through his wet suit while he made his way toward the shore to put distance between him and the attackers. He could feel his muscles twisting into knots, while he fought pain and faintness. He gathered an inner strength beyond his physical capabilities and managed to grab hold of a rock spire that stuck out from the wall of lava where the ocean met the land. A wave crushed him, loosening his grip and throwing him mercilessly against the craggy lava bank. The sting of flesh being ripped away drove through him, but he determined he would not give in to the pain and let go.
The waves pulled at him on their outward flow and again thrust him back toward the rugged wall. Garrett had little reserve but somehow managed to pull himself up over the wall and onto the warm volcanic sand to escape the next succession of waves. He staggered forward, his head spinning, then fell headlong, swallowed up in blackness.
When Garrett’s eyes flickered open, Holly was leaning over him, her face stricken with worry. A relieved smile tipped her lips. “Thank God,” she sighed. “I was frantic, and you’d lost so much blood.”
“The others? How are the others?” Garrett groaned, trying to push himself into a sitting position, his head still whirling dizzily.
“Lie back down. You’re in no condition to be up,” she told him, gently easing him back. “The others are all right. They fought off the men and saw you lying on the shore. They swam over to you and thankfully, Carson had his cell phone in a sealed case. He called for an ambulance and the police.”
Carson entered the room with a pitcher of water in one hand and glass in the other. “Thank the mermaids that carried you to shore,” he chuckled, but relief was etched on his weathered face. “You gave us a good scare. You weren’t in the best condition when we found you on shore.”
“Who were those men?”
“Not sure,” Carson offered. “But if I had to guess, I’d have to say that it was probably those guys who were on the small boat off shore. They’ve been fairly watchful of us. I’m wondering if they got wind of what we discovered.”
“Makes sense, but I can’t imagine how they would have found out?”
“I’m glad you’re safe,” Holly whispered, brushing back his hair and dropping a kiss on his forehead. “I don’t know what I’d have done if something happened to you, Garrett Hayden.”
“Sorry,” he grimaced, pain coursing through his shoulder.
Polly and Sam poked their heads through the door, smiles on their faces when they saw Garrett had regained consciousness.
“We tried to put all the body pieces back together when we found you, but you still look like a storm shredded sail,” Polly teased, setting the water on the side table.
“Thanks a lot, buddy.” Garrett laughed weakly, then grabbed his ribs as a sharp pain drove through him.
“The doctor said they want you in ex-ray,” Holly told him. “Hard to determine if there are any bones broken, but your ribs are bruised, and your flesh is torn up badly.”
“I’ll survive.”
“You don’t always have to act so tough, Garre
tt,” Holly scolded him.
“I see they put some stitches in your arm,” Sam said.
“Yup. I owe you guys my thanks. I appreciate your care and concern. I couldn’t have a better team of men to work alongside.”
“Back at you, Garrett,” Sam replied.
***
The crew waited it out while the doctors took a round of ex-rays. He was told he had two cracked ribs. He also had to undergo more than fifteen stitches in his upper arm. The doctor told him he would have to take it easy for a couple of weeks to allow healing, but little did the doctor know, that was like telling a child not to eat warm-baked cookies fresh out of the oven.
Before Garrett was released, the police showed up to take a report on the incident. From the information given to them by Sam after the incident, the police had arrested the two men that had been anchored off shore. They also seized the diving equipment, which had been used that day, as well as knives and a crude map the men had been using to mark out where Garrett and the team had been diving.
“We’ve learned that one of the men worked as a maintenance man at the museum,” the police officer informed Garrett. “Mr. Akumu at the museum informed us that the day you met with him, his employee never returned to work.”
“Well, that is a coincidence,” Carson said sarcastically.
“I believe we have plenty to hold them for a time,” the officer remarked. “However, they will probably be released until they have a trial. Keep your eyes peeled for any mischief.”
“Appreciate your quick response,” Garrett told him.
“I’m relieved we didn’t have to call in the homicide team,” the officer stated. “This could have had a more serious ending. I’m glad you came out with only a couple cracked ribs and some cuts and bruises.”
Garrett looked thoughtful for a brief time, then said, “Greed makes some men do unspeakable things.”
“Afraid your right, Mr. Hayden.” The officer shook his hand then left the room.
“You need to let Decker and Callie know what happened,” Holly said.