by K D McNiven
Polly shouted out, “I think I found something.”
The trade winds had picked up, and Polly’s flaming red hair was furled out, flapping like flags over his shoulders. His green eyes were wide with anticipation. In a thicket of brush, he could barely see what he believed was a gaping hole in the lava. With a pair of hand cutters, he clipped away the branches and thorny succulents. The hole he uncovered was approximately two and a half feet across and big enough for all of them to shimmy inside.
Polly aimed his flashlight down into the hole. The light played on the walls and rock floor, but there was little else he could see from his restricted position. By this time, the others had all clambered around him.
“That’s quite a drop down,” Polly informed them. “We’ll have to use the ropes.”
Holly tugged on Garrett’s arm and bit her lower lip. Her eyes were wide with interest. On their last expedition, she had been forced to wait it out on board the Jade because of the danger involved. This time she wanted to be a part of the team, when and if they did discover more of the gold coins. Adrenalin coursed through her.
Though they had not been together for a long time, Garrett was able to read her enthusiasm. He was glad she had decided to come along with them. It made the adventure all the more thrilling. He squeezed her hand, then proceeded to tie the rope firmly around her slender waist.
“Try to be careful as you are being let down,” Garrett said. “The ridges are sharp and can tear your skin easily.”
She nodded. They had secured one of their packs to the edge of the opening to prevent the rope from rubbing against the sharp rock. Strong arms hoisted her over the hole, and she felt her body sliding downward. The drop was about fifteen feet. Polly held the light above her so she could at least see where to plant her feet. When her feet hit bottom, she untied the rope, and they drew it back up. Garrett followed behind, and then the others.
Each of them donned their headlamps to illuminate the cave. The passage appeared to be long, but after several hundred feet, it made a sharp turn left. They placed a pile of stones to mark their entry knowing from past experience that if a cave splintered off in different directions, it was easy to lose track of where you were.
They also considered the fact they had limited time before they had to hike back. They wouldn’t risk hiking in darkness over the dangerous uneven terrain. They’d not gone far when Garrett turned his flashlight beam in the direction of something shiny along the base of the wall. Curious, he strode over to the spot and bent down to see what it was.
“An arrowhead,” he said. “Similar to the ones we found earlier.”
With that, everyone began to look around to see if there were more artifacts or coins to be found. After several minutes of scouring the area and finding nothing more, they pressed on. Farther along, they came to the area where there had been a small rock slide. There was enough room to squeeze through. On the other side, Carson found some very old bones. They were definitely human bones.
They stopped to take photos and once more, took time to go over the area to see what else they might discover.
“Look at this,” Carson said, pointing to the wall near him. “Petroglyphs.”
Garrett stepped up beside him. “This is extraordinary! This means the cave has been here for centuries.” The petroglyphs depicted natives wearing headdresses, and at their feet were small animals.
They spent more than an hour with hand brushes going over the area and taking multiple photographs. Garrett documented everything in a small journal he had brought along, not wanting to let anything slide by without notice. This was turning out to be an inspirational discovery. One that would help the Hawaiians learn more about their culture.
Garrett chuckled. “This is usually Decker’s department. I can’t wait to shoot off some pictures to him.”
“Knowing Decker, he’ll be more than excited about our discovery,” Carson replied thoughtfully. “I’m pretty certain he’ll be torn between being here with us and being part of the Shark Eater’s team.”
“You’re right, Carson. My son is very devoted to the Jade and its crew.”
“Hey, guys,” Holly shouted, drawing their attention. “Look!”
They bent down to see what she was pointing at. A small skull, partially covered with sediment, lay along the wall and, a few feet away, were two other bones. One of these appeared to be a femur, and the other was mostly embedded in sediment and indistinguishable.
“Good job, Holly!” Carson patted her shoulder.
Again, they took multiple photographs and swept the area. They marked out the places where they had found evidence of life and then determined they would have to leave and return again in the morning. None of them wanted to leave at this point, but their rational minds told them it was essential.
They wound their way back through the tunnel and, one by one, they shimmied back up the rope and out of the lava tube. The trek back down was arduous as they contended with the terrain.
Half way down the slope, Holly’s foot slipped into a small crevice. Much as she tried, she couldn’t free her foot. It took all three men maneuvering her foot back and forth to free it from the snare. Her flesh had torn at the ankle and was bleeding considerably.
Garrett carefully wrapped her ankle but realized they’d have to carry her back. It would take a lot of strength, but they had little choice because Holly couldn’t stand on her foot. Garrett hoped it was not broken.
She dropped her arm over Garrett’s shoulder as well as Polly’s, and then they hoisted her up, so her feet did not touch the ground. Carson helped to direct them, warning them if he spotted anything that might trip them.
It took double the time to make it back to the moored dinghy. By then the horizon was flushed with gold and pink as the sun began to set. They were thankful once they boarded the Jade because, by then, the velvety black sky had encompassed them.
“I’m sorry,” Holly said. “I feel silly.”
“Nonsense!” Garrett countered. “This could have happened to any one of us. It’s a part of going on an expedition. From one day to the next you never know what might happen. Please, don’t feel bad. I’m sorry you got hurt.”
“Obviously, I won’t be going along with you tomorrow.” Disappointment was unmistakably evident in her warm, brown eyes.
Garrett drew her into the circle of his arms and simply held her. He knew how badly she wanted to continue exploring the cave. “There will be another chance down the road,” he tried to assure her, smoothing back the silky strands of black hair from her brow. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“Did you send off the photos to Decker and Callie?”
“I was getting ready to do that,” he remarked, pulling the cell phone from his pocket. Choosing the photos that best displayed their findings, he sent them off, knowing Decker would be overjoyed by what they had uncovered. He only wished he could see Decker’s face as he looked them over.
CHAPTER 29
Shark Eater
There were smiles on Decker and Callie’s faces as they checked out the photos Garrett had sent. He was glad the team was getting exciting about their adventure, especially since it was his dad’s honeymoon. It would certainly be one memory they’d not soon forget.
“Those petroglyphs are outstanding,” Callie said, amazed with their findings.
“This will be a feather in their cap, as you can guess,” he said. “I have to admit, a part of me would love being there with them. However, I wouldn’t give this adventure up for anything.”
“Even with all the undue excitement?”
“Even with,” he said with a chuckle.
At that moment, Dax walked out on the deck and pulled up a chair. He sat down, wincing with pain. His body was still healing from the gunshot wound. “We need to make some command decisions, mate,” he muttered, taking on a serious posture. He leaned in and grabbed an orange-cranberry scone from the plate in front of Decker and Callie.
Decker raised his bro
ws. “That was off-hand. What has got you going so early this morning?”
“Those cronies who shot me,” Dax said. “They have utterly ticked me off. Time to show them they can’t mess with us!”
“I like your way of thinking, Dax. What do you have in mind?”
“That we implement Manny’s plan now. We turn the Shark Eater around and head for Cuba to see what the Rosy Anne is shipping. We have to come up with something solid, or Chronis is going to continue coming after us, barrels blazing. Frankly, I’ve had it with getting bullet holes in my boat and my body!”
“I hear you,” Decker agreed. “Let’s do it. Manny is waiting in his little perch for your command.”
Dax took a bite of his scone. “I feel better now that is off my chest.”
“Are you up to this?” Decker asked. “You haven’t fully healed and climbing on board a cargo ship from the Zodiac is not going to be easy.”
“Ready as I can be.”
“Let’s wander over to the pilot house. Check in with Manny and get this plan rolling.”
The three of them left the table and climbed to the next level and entered the pilot house. Captain Manny did not look the least bit surprised when they burst through the door. In fact, he appeared to be expecting them.
“Are we on?” he asked, his topaz-blue eyes leveled on them intensely.
“We’re on,” Dax replied.
Captain Manny chuckled. “I knew you would come to that conclusion.”
“I needed to make sure. I have a lot of crew to consider.”
“They are all behind you,” Captain Manny told him. “Even Lars.”
“Well then, turn this tub around and let’s have at it,” Dax told him, his dimples deepening as a wide grin spread on his face.
They went over the ship’s logs, recording Rosy Anne’s route. They would have to time their raid perfectly so that the Shark Eater would not be spotted by the Rosy Anne.
When they located her, they would need to anchor off shore and head out in the Zodiac under cover of darkness, then make their move.
“Let’s hope we are reading the tea leaves correctly,” Dax said.
Decker slapped his shoulder. “I think we are on the right track. Whether we discover anything on board the Rosy Anne is up in the air, but my intuition tells me we are going to hit the jackpot.”
***
The night was velvety black. It was moonless, which would greatly benefit their plans to board. Already they were being lowered into the dark waves, looking like a group of navy SEALS with their faces marked with black grease and their camouflage clothing.
On board the Zodiac were Decker, Callie, Dax, India, and Ottomar, who, to their relief had discarded his bright orange cap for this occasion. Each of them carried an assault rifle along with smoke grenades, climbing gear, and small crowbars to open shipping crates.
They knew the risk of trying to sneak on board the ship without being seen, so they tried to prepare as much as possible. Tucked away in their tactical carrying pouches were night goggles because they knew they wouldn’t be able to carry flashlights and figured the goggles would work well for them. They did carry small LED lights so that once they were in the cargo hold, they could inspect the goods.
As they closed the gap between them and the Rosy Anne, the tension mounted. All of them were keenly aware that if they were caught, there would be gunfire exchange and the possibility of being hit. At the same time, they knew that Chronis was not going to stop pursuing them until he saw them all to their graves.
“Are we good?” asked Dax as the faint outline of the Rosy Anne came into view.
They all nodded.
“If it gets out of hand,” Dax said, “and they start shooting, I want you out of here as quickly as possible. I want all of us coming out alive.”
“That’s my plan,” Decker said. He reached for Callie’s fingers and gave them a gentle squeeze. He had hoped she would stay on board with Karina, but as usual, her head-strong temperament won over.
Ottomar flipped off the motor. “Grab the oars out from under the seats. We’re going to have to row the rest of the way. The current is pretty strong right now, so you will have to put some muscle into it.”
Callie dropped the oar into the black swells. Ottomar was not kidding about the current, she was having a difficult time maneuvering in it, but with all of them putting their backs into it, the Zodiac was moving forward nicely. At first, the ship’s form was obscured by darkness, but then the freshly painted name, Rosy Anne, could be distinguished.
Because Decker had the most experience with climbing, he opted to be the one to throw the iron grapple hook. He could only hope no one was standing near the railing. It was difficult to tell even with the night vision binoculars. Steadying his feet, he began to circle the line overhead, then released it. Bulls-eye! Holding their breath, everyone waited a few moments to see if the noise would attract attention. Seeing no response, Decker grinned and yanked on the nylon rope. It was secure. They assumed that had anyone heard the noise, they would have come to check it out. Decker clipped himself to the rope with his carabiner. He would go first, and then the others would follow except Ottomar who would man the Zodiac.
Decker inched his way over the portside railing. There were some lights on deck, but he did not see anyone and imagined most of the members of the crew were already sleeping. He motioned for the others to come and helped them over.
Once the four of them were topside, they crouched low and crept toward the stairs that would lead to the hold.
The narrow hall was clear. Decker headed on through, listening carefully for any sounds. As they neared another set of stairs, they heard footsteps. There was a small alcove to their right, and Decker signaled for them to slip in behind him and wait it out.
The sound of the steps drew near where they were hiding. Decker held his rifle in both hands firmly, and as soon as the man came into view, he thrust the butt of the gun into the side of the man’s face. He dropped like an anchor to the floor.
Decker leapt out of the alcove in case there were others and released a long sigh when he saw the man was alone.
Dax withdrew duct tape from his pouch and proceeded to secure the man and tape his mouth closed. There was a small closet to the right of them, and he pushed the man inside and closed the door.
When everything looked clear, they started down the stairs to the hold. Again, there did not seem to be any activity or sound except the creaking of the ship.
Decker raised his fist, so far, so good. The ship was still loaded down with cargo. There had been the possibility that the ship had already unloaded and that they would be too late.
They would have to work quickly. Taking out the crowbars, they each went to work on the crates. It took a good deal of time to open them. Crate after crate, they found nothing but canned goods and hardware supplies. They would not have time to open all of the crates and desperately hoped that before long they would find something.
“What if they are carrying something in the feed sacks?” Callie asked. “Or even some of the canned foods?”
“Good logic,” Decker told her. “Okay, let’s start opening random things and see if we’re lucky.”
All of them began pulling various products out and opening them. Before long the floor of the hold was covered with grain, beans, and liquid from the cans they had pierced.
Decker was near giving up. They’d been there for well over an hour and had yet to find anything. He grabbed a twenty-five-pound bag of sugar from off one of the pallets and drove his knife into the course paper. When it spilled out, he stopped short. He bent to one knee and put his finger into the bag. He withdrew white powder and put it on his tongue.
“I’ll be.” He gave a little chuckle. “Cocaine.”
“Crikey! Sneaky little buggars,” Dax exclaimed.
They all gathered around the bag, flabbergasted. “That’s incredible,” India said. “Do you know how much this has to be worth? No wonder Lito
Chronis didn’t want us snooping around. The least of his worries is dumping waste!”
“Now what?” asked Callie, looking to Decker for direction. “We’re in big trouble.”
“First, let’s take photos and take s small sample with us,” Decker replied. “We’ll contact the authorities soon as we’re back at the Shark Eater. If the police arrive before they can unload their cargo, they will have them, and then they can go after Chronis.”
“Let’s hurry it up and head out of here,” Dax urged, knowing they had little time to exit the ship.
Soon as they had what they needed, they started back through the companionway and up the stairwell. They stepped outside and started to head for the railing. As they rounded the corner, gun shots rang out. The team dove to the deck and crawled behind one of the compressors.
There was a loud, reverberating scream as the bullets struck the compressor. Chips of wood splinted and became projectiles, spraying across the deck. The inky sky was lit up by flashes of white as gunfire was exchanged. Bullets hissed past their ears.
As their barrage of bullets ceased, Decker and the team opened up fire on their aggressors in a concentrated offensive. One of the men darted across the deck and into Decker’s sight. With a single shot, Decker took the man down. There was a thud as he fell lifelessly to the deck.
“We need to be moving toward the railing,” Decker told them. I’ll cover you while you make it over to the other compressor beyond us. Ready?”
They prepared themselves, and as Decker positioned his automatic weapon and began to fire, the others scurried quickly for cover closer to the railing. Decker saw they all made it and knew he would have to leave soon. He could see several men scurrying over the deck taking new positions. It would only be a matter of time before he became vulnerable to their gunfire.
The others opened up fire allowing Decker time to scramble across the deck. Bullets ricocheted off canisters, the noise deafening as the barrage continued. Decker dove behind a large crate feeling his chest rake against the floor. He grunted as the gun pushed up into his stomach on landing, leaving him momentarily breathless.