The shaft was an old air duct he had built into the wall at a steady incline toward the roof. Izzy never thought it would have any use. But here he was. Albeit that the initial purpose was really for it to act as an escape should the door be locked from the outside. Up or down it served a goal. One, which was undoubtedly coming in quite handy at that moment.
Once at the top he carefully slid aside the small wooden slider to reveal a tiny peephole that allowed a view down into the room.
And what he saw almost stopped his heart. Eric was walking back and forth to the window; gun in hand. Charles strained his neck to get a better angle. He blinked twice, squinting he lay eyes on Alex sitting tied up on the floor. She appeared to be asleep.
Behind her a man sat with his back against hers, also bound and asleep. Concluding it was the doctor behind her his mind raced with questions. His eyes trailed back across the room to where Eric was now talking to someone but from that angle, Charles couldn’t see who. Charles shifted his body in the duct and pinned his face against the opening. It was at that moment a heavy feeling punched him right in the stomach. Charles choked back the sobs that threatened to expose his position. His muscles stiffened as he realized it wasn't a dream or hallucination. His chest burned and he struggled to hold back his tears. He looked again. It was her, his darling Izzy. She was alive, gagged and tied up too. Disbelief, shock and anger flooded his emotions all at once and he swore heavily under his breath. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together. Eric had been behind it. HE was the traitor. Izzy was right about that boy all along. 'Never trust a redhead.' How was it that he was so blinded by this man?
As a million questions drowned his mind, Charles tried to contain his trembling body. It took every ounce of willpower not to blow down the door and pounce on Eric, but he needed to keep his wits about him. His daughter and wife who was very much alive was in there with him. If he missed his mark it would blow his chance of getting them out alive. His mind raced as he tried to come up with a plan. It was only Eric, as far as he could tell and he wasn’t the most athletically built opponent. He could easily take him. It was four against one of him. If the doctor had any backbone, he would show his worth and pull through for them.
Charles quietly closed the peephole and slowly slid back down the shaft. Think Charles. You've seen enough movies to think of something here. Think James Bond. What would Bond do? But the feeble thoughts of imitating his tv hero was soon dismissed as reality sunk in. He wasn’t in a movie. This was real life and getting distracted with a make believe character would prove foolish. And, in a single moment of clarity it dawned on him. He needed to distract Eric. Distraction was a perfect plan.
Charles’s lacerated feet still ached as he skillfully made his way back down the stairs in search of something that might work as a distraction. There was an old elevator shaft around the back of the building. He had no question in his mind that it would make a racket when he put it into motion and he needed exactly that to be loud enough to lure Eric out. Once he was at the bottom of the stairs, he’d pounce on him and knock him out with his gun. But the old elevator’s noise wouldn’t be enough. He needed to jar the shaft for extra effect.
A pile of junk lay in the furthermost corner of the safe house. If Eric was watching the surveillance monitors he might spot Charles running across the room. He remembered that Eric stood at the window so perhaps the coast was clear and he could take the chance.
The rubble on the floor yielded nothing except paper and shards of fabric. His mind recalled the pantry. He yanked the doors open and was surprised to see the stockpile of tins pretty much depleted. They must have been there all along. But a couple of tins of beans and some cleaning detergent wouldn’t have any effect on his plan. There was another downstairs closet with the mops and brooms. Deciding that would be perfect and that he’d find something there for sure he moved to the closet.
Minutes later Charles managed to tie the broom and mop sticks across the elevator doors, which he wagered everything on to make enough noise to cause a distraction when the elevator moved up and down. Whether it would result in being loud enough he wasn’t sure but it was at least a plan. He’d have about ten seconds to run to the stairs, maybe less.
He cursed James Bond for getting inside his head. Charles Hunt was too old for maneuvers like these but it was the only shot he had and he had to at least try.
But he took a deep breath and pushed the button. The elevator was old and probably hadn’t worked for years. The loud clanging noise was deafening. Had he known the screeching noise would have been sufficient he wouldn't have even bothered with the brooms.
The ten seconds of running with his injured feet seemed more like ten minutes, but he got under the stairs and waited. His heart beat like loud drums in his chest and he couldn’t feel his legs. He prayed Eric was alone and that he didn’t have someone else around. As he waited he reasoned that Eric had his wife locked up in there all this time, letting them all believe she was dead. And his abduction? The little bastard was probably behind that too. His own assistant was nothing but a traitor.
His gun was cocked and in position; just incase he got shot at. The elevator was making one helluva racket, and he was in position, but Eric took forever to come down the stairs.
"Come on Eric you bastard,” he said under his breath and just then heard the lock click on the door above his head. It worked. A sudden coldness hit his core. The dress! He left it on the stairs. There was no way Eric would miss it. Heck, he had probably stepped on it already.
His eyes followed Eric’s feet come down the stairs, step by step. Charles rolled his tongue through his dry mouth and he needed to swallow but he dared not make a sound. He barely breathed by the time Eric had reached the bottom of the stairs. Doubt suddenly filled his mind, regretted that he was foolish to take matters into his own hands. He should have just called the police instead. Eric was half his age and not recovering from an abduction like he was. But he braved up psyching his mind into teaching the traitor what a real man was made of.
Charles patiently watched as Eric was about to turn the corner where Charles would then clamber him. Unexpectedly the shrill ring of Eric’s cell phone shrieked through the warehouse.
"Hello? Yes I've got them. All except the old man but he could be dead by now. I'll wait for your signal."
Eric hung up and walked to the front door dismissing the distraction as noises caused by the old building’s structure. The lift had reached the top and the clanging noise had already stopped.
Charles needed a plan B and before he could stop himself, bravery got the better of him and he jumped out from behind the stairs.
"Drop your gun, Eric!"
Surprised, Eric spun around, startled by Charles being there and fired a bullet off in his direction. It missed him, just.
"You little bastard you! I said drop the gun!" Charles yelled.
Eric fired another bullet at Charles sending him to run for cover behind a steel cupboard.
"There's no point old man. I got your entire family up there. You're not walking out here alive. Give it up. If we all work together, we can split the bounty."
Like hell, we will, Charles thought. He’d kill the lot of them once they found Rhapta.
"Come out Charles. While you still have a chance. Or else I'll kill them one by one."
He wouldn’t, Charles thought. He needed all of them together to decipher the codes. He was bluffing. Besides he needed the box with the scroll and the code. Maybe he hadn't figured that part out yet.
"Okay, Professor. You asked for it. Who will it be first? Your beloved Alex or perhaps the long-lost Izzy? Wouldn't you want just one last moment with her before she dies? Again?"
Eric belted out a sadistic laugh, and Charles, who still hid behind the cupboard, listened as Eric climbed the stairs.
"Fine! You win Eric."
Charles tucked his gun in the back of his pants and came out with his hands in the air.
"There y
ou are, old man. I knew you'd give in. You're a wimp. I knew you wouldn't let your family die. Slide over your gun, slowly."
"If it's the last thing I do Eric. I'll make you pay for this."
"Give it a rest Charlie. You're done bossing me around. I've been by your side all this time and never once got any claim to any of the relics you've found."
"So that's it then, the fame and fortune. You're no different from all those other treasure hunters Eric. Just after your fifteen-seconds of fame and a briefcase full of money. What about the history?"
"Oh history schmistory. Spare me the theatrics, old man. Who cares if there are hidden civilizations and ancient clay pots? It's all rubbish. What, so it can stand looking pretty in a museum somewhere? No Sirree. I am making my own history. I'm tired of doing your dirty work for you, and you take all the credit on the covers of every science publication.”
"How long Eric? How long have you known Izzy was alive?"
He rendered a disgusting laugh and Charles fought the urge to smack his face in.
“It was you all along, wasn’t it Eric? You were the one who told them where the village was.”
"You didn't know Professor? The great Professor Charles Hunt couldn't figure it out? You stupid old fool. I had your precious Izzy here all this time. She was my prisoner. Locked up in your steel castle. You're such an idiot. You never once thought of even going to the morgue to see her body. Just blindly believed the authorities. They're all in my back pocket old man. We tracked the village through your stupid watch you idiot. We've been digging on Mafia Island since then."
"So all this and you still haven't found Rhapta. Well, isn't that funny. It doesn't exist you, birdbrain. Let me guess. You haven't found anything, and now you need me, and the wooden box don't you?"
"So then you do have it. Where's the key old man?"
“If you kill me or any of my family up there you'll never get it. Mark my words."
"Then I guess we're all going treasure hunting together aren't we? Get up there to your precious family. Move it!"
What should have been a feeling of walking the gallows up the stairs was instead squelched by sheer excitement. At the top of those stairs his beloved Izzy and Alex would be waiting. The thought of seeing Izzy again propelled Charles up the stairs with skill and speed.
"Izzy!" He ran over to where she was bound and gagged on the floor and pulled the cloth from her mouth.
"It's you, my love. All this time, I never knew."
"Easy there Professor. Don't even think about untying her. Put the gag back in her mouth. NOW!"
His fingers fumbled with the gag around her neck, but Charles did as Eric instructed. Only, he loosened it a little.
"Sorry my love. I'll get us out of here and this time, you're going home."
"Dream on old man. Like hell she is. None of you are going home or have you forgotten you’re helping me find that treasure," shoving Charles down against the floor.
He looked across to Alexandra who just woke from all the ruckus. There wasn’t a tear in her eyes. Instead, a bland look of disbelief lay on her face as she stared into her mother's eyes for the first time since she too was captured.
"Sweetheart, it's true. Your mother is alive. This bastard had her locked up here all these years. You'll be okay my sweets. Hang in there."
"Shut up old man, or I'll gag you too."
He would have done that already if he wanted to. For some reason, he hadn’t tied or gagged Charles yet. He winked at his daughter, who gently nodded her head in response; her eyes pooled with tears.
"It's okay sweetheart. We'll figure this out."
"Yah yah, that's enough of this soppy hogwash. Go sit down and put your hands behind your back."
So much for not tying his hands. So Charles followed the bastard’s orders again. The ropes hurt as he constrained his hands causing Charles to flinch.
"Who are you waiting for, Eric? Who's in it with you? They're using you, you know? Once they arrive, they'll kill you. Think about it. They won’t need you anymore."
"Shut up! Who cares what you think?"
"You should Eric. How much time do you have before they get here? I have a Jeep parked out back. Help us get out and find Rhapta, and we'll make sure you claim the discovery and the Uni's reward."
Charles could see Eric’s birdbrain ticking away as he contemplated the temptation.
"Come on Eric. You know I'm good for it. I give you my word. This is what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it? To claim fame and fortune. Well, here’s your chance. We can do it together. You let us free and you can take it all.“
Eric pointed the gun at Alexandra's head.
"I'll kill her first old man. You mess with me, and I'll kill her. Do you get me?"
Charles merely nodded. He was in luck. The naive fool took the bait. They would find a way of escaping and if Eric as much as hurt a hair on Izzy and Alex’s heads Charles would personally gut him.
"Get up, all of you. I said. GET UP! MOVE! Give me the keys to the Jeep."
Charles tossed it over.
Chapter Seventeen
The hunt
"Drive old man, and don't even think of trying any funny business. You three shut your mouths and put your hands up against the bull bar. Tie them up, Doc and make sure those knots are tight."
They did as Eric instructed even though hatred was on all their tongues.
Alex looked over at her mother who sat quietly next to her. Her hair was messy and her clothes dirty. Her arms showed signs of old scars and fresh bruising. It was evident they had been torturing her? She looked exhausted and broken, almost in a trance. She lay her head on Izzy’s shoulder. She still couldn’t believe her mother was alive. All this time they thought she was dead and she wasn't. She was very much alive and held prisoner by a traitor in their midst.
"Where do you want me to drive to Eric?" Charles asked mockingly.
"Where do you think old man? The river mouth of course. Hope you brought your goggles. We're going to do a bit of diving."
“Diving? We can't dive. Those caves are dangerous, and if the tide is not in, it will be impossible to do,” Charles exclaimed in a shaky voice.
Sam turned sideways and looked at Alex with disbelief. He had overcome many a fear on this journey, but diving was not something he looked forward to. Alex wished she could tell him not to worry and that they’d think of something to escape it, but her mouth was still gagged. Instead, she reassured him with her eyes and hoped he understood.
Forty minutes later with Eric's gun still pointed at Charles’ head, the captured party arrived at the spot by the river mouth, the exact place from which her mother had been kidnapped all those years before. Had she not been alive there would be no way on earth Alex would ever set foot there again, but there she was. Squashed next to her in the back of a hijacked Jeep looking more nervous the nearer they got.
Charles’ eyes sought out his daughter’s through the rearview mirror. He was trying to tell her something. Alex caught on and replied in silence through her frowning eyes. In return Charles cast his eyes up to the sky. Alex knew exactly that her father was hinting toward the Rhaptor bird. She got it, so she blinked slowly in confirmation.
Eric untied Sam's hands and instructed him to leave the others tied up. He was under the impression Sam was the least threat to him. Little did he know how far he had come on this journey.
"Now get out and start walking to the beach."
Alex cleared her throat to get his attention and pushed out some muffled sounds from underneath the gag.
"What do you want Agoraphobe?"
Alex narrowed her eyes. If one thing was clear, then it was that she had long passed carrying that label. No one called her that and got away with it. But this was not the time for revenge. The time would come for that and he’d regret his words. She spoke through the gag again.
Eric stared her down in irritation but succumbed and yanked the rag from her mouth.
“Spit it out daddy's g
irl. What do you want?"
Her knuckles pushed through her skin at Eric’s taunting as she fought back the urge to head-butt his red freckled nose flat against his face. But her father’s eyes cautioned her not to. With her mouth free she spoke with confidence. “Why would you want to dive if you can access the cave from out here?" Nodding her head toward the trees.
"Aah, so you've been holding out on me after all? What are you waiting for then you little brat? Start walking."
Charles smiled with his eyes as he took pride in his daughter’s smarts. Sam, on the other hand, frowned with confusion. He was in the dark over their historical encounter with the bird. She mouthed for him to trust her during a brief moment when Eric’s back was towards them.
The trees were far denser than three years ago and Alex paused to make sure she was going the right way. She recognized the trees leading up to the edge of the bird's lair. They were very close and she kept her eyes open for any signs of the Rhaptor bird. Under normal circumstances, she would pray the creature would stay away, but now, now she needed this bird to come to their rescue.
"Why are you stopping? Keep moving!" Eric shouted from the back.
He was at the back of the line as Alex led them through the trees; his gun wedged firmly into Izzy’s back.
Come on bird! Where are you? Alex silently called out to it. Up ahead she saw remnants of a fresh carcass and inconspicuously turned to look at her parents behind her. They both noticed it, and Sam astutely caught on that something was about to happen. Eric, totally oblivious to the fact that he was about to face death, kicked a coconut sideways; like he was trying to score a goal.
Alex thought him to be a complete idiot. She was sure whoever he was in cahoots with had by now already discovered they were not at the safe house anymore. Either way, Eric was dead.
But the bird was nowhere to be seen. Alex turned and looked at her mother in question. Izzy shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly. Perhaps she did kill it that day? But further along their walk through the trees there was another fresh carcass and they instantly knew the creature was still very much alive.
The Alex Hunt Series Page 16