Every time Sam laid his hand on any part of the vessel, he felt a terrifying current engulf him, body and soul. It was not a physical sensation, but one of absolute intuition. He knew Purdue and Crystal would call him daft for admitting such nonsense, so he kept it to himself for now. Still he could not get the feeling out of his head, that the vessel had a mind of its own and that it had the ability to vanish at will, should he lose focus.
Never before had Sam hoped this much that he was mistaken.
19
Cabin Fever in the Open Air
“Why did you decide to stay up here, Purdue?” Nina asked when Purdue brought her a beer. She knew something was afoot since after a minute-long conversation with Sam his quite resolute plans had suddenly changed.
“What do you mean?” he asked nonchalantly. “I will go next time. It’s no big deal.”
“No, you were dying to see that wreck with your own eyes. Had it not been for the two bottles of Scotch and fourteen beers you ravaged with Sam, you probably wouldn’t even have slept,” she reminded him.
“It was not fourteen,” he scoffed. “At most eight.”
“Wow! That makes a difference. I stand corrected,” she smiled and licked a popsicle. She had been pleasantly surprised when she had found a stash of juice popsicles in the larger fridge below deck. The welcome coolness of the frozen popsicle alleviated the glare of the African sun somewhat.
“You sound almost disappointed that I chose to stay up here with you,” he teased.
“With me?” she replied in surprise. “Shouldn’t it be ‘with us’?”
Purdue chuckled softly at Nina’s psychological wiles he could so easily see through. He had known her far too long to fall for her mind games. With the wind muddling the feathery gray and blond hair around his ears and neck, his eyes gazed far across the gentle waves.
"Nina, you are a brilliant woman. You know full well that I would always relinquish the pleasure of diving for you. Come now,” he said dreamily without meeting her eyes.
“Aye. I got that a long time ago. But my question is why?” she reiterated.
He looked her in the eye for a moment, the reflection of the sun on the water highlighting the gray of his irises. “You know why. You know I have not given up on whatever we once had. How could I? You are, in my opinion, the pinnacle of feminine creation, my dear Nina, and I will be damned if I am going to let you run off with someone else. Someone… lesser… than you deserve.”
“Sam,” she replied with a faint smile drenched in hurt.
“I did not say that. Nevertheless, the notion remains the same,” he revealed, drinking the mix of sherry and ice cream Mieke Badenhorst had handed him. She had taken it upon herself to play bartender while they waited. It would keep her away from Cheryl, whom she did not trust, and give her something to do in the meantime. Until the wreck was towed and Dr. Malgas took possession of it, she pretty much had nothing to keep herself busy with.
The same went for Cheryl. The prostitute was forced to engage in conversation with Zain and Sibu to hold up the charade that they were her associates, but she could not wait to get rid of them. She had no idea that she had in fact become redundant to them, that they were only interested in what their new acquaintances had to offer – and that was so much more than what she could ever give them.
“This is much better than turning tricks,” she told Zain, enjoying the cold condensation on her glass against her palms. “Wish I could take on this line of business for good.”
Zain shifted in his seat, watching Sibu flirting with Mieke at the bar. A rare, barely perceptible smile crossed his face. "You could," he said amicably, "but, unfortunately, your addiction will never let you get off your knees.”
She looked hurt by his remark. For a second she had thought that Zain was a normal man with compassion. He had almost sounded civilized just then, uncharacteristically so, but she believed people could change. Somewhere inside of him, the small boy his mother loved had to exist, but his remark convinced her that it would take a whole lot of chiseling to get through to that core. That kind of chiseling that could only be successful with the use of an iron spike and a sledgehammer.
“Fuck you, Zain!” she sneered fearlessly.
"Be careful," he warned, but she was not intimidated. Here on the yacht, in the middle of a very important con with so many witnesses, he could not harm her for fear that it would compromise his cover, and she knew it.
"No, I mean it. Fuck you!" she repeated. It was a side of Cheryl he had not seen before. She was dead serious, unafraid and strong. "You love to kick people while they are down, you son of a bitch because it is the only time you score a hit.”
Zain was grinding his teeth, fighting his instinct to strike her with every fiber of his being. The audacity that she had dared to speak to him like that, more yet to insinuate that he was a weakling and a coward, merited a good beating. But to keep up his mask of trust he had to listen to a dirty slut insulting him. What was worse was that he knew her words came not from an attempt to hurt him, but from the depths of her heart. Every victim of his endeavors perceived him like that, the very perception that he usually ignored because he could not bear confronting it. Cheryl was the voice of all his victims, all his associates and moreover, his employers.
"You call me a whore, slut, skank, you name it," she continued, finally finding the defiance to get it all off her chest. “But think about it, Zain. You are nothing more than a fucking lackey, the boss’ little bitch on your knees just like me, a well-trained lapdog that runs to bark and bite whenever your boss gives the order. You know why?” she panted hoarsely, slowly picking her hurtful words and reveling in their slow delivery. “Because you can only perform when someone gives you orders; nothing but a bottom, a sub who follows orders because he cannot think for himself. Everything you do on your own will turn into a fuck-up, a failure… just… like… you.”
Zain jumped up, fuming with rage, but the racket drew looks from the billionaire and the academics as well as his own associate, Sibu. Cheryl laughed out loud and rose to her feet. She addressed everyone in a graceful manner, “Oh, looks like Zain having trouble getting his sea legs!”
Everybody laughed with her, offering words of encouragement to Zain. Zain reined in fury for the moment, but his eyes were wild and murderous. That was it. Cheryl’s fate was sealed. But he had time. He still had to wait until he could efficiently claim the wreck after it had been towed and sea to find its treasures.
‘We’ll see then, bitch,’ he thought, watching Cheryl striding toward the bar to get another drink. ‘Then I’ll have more money than God and your useless carcass will be lying on the ocean floor.’
“What is your friend’s problem?” Mieke asked Sibu.
“Probably feeling sick,” Sibu replied with a shrug, far more interested in the blue-eyed blonde with the astonishing rack she so happily showed off in her bathing suit. He deplored her choice to wear board shorts though, but for now, her cleavage would suffice in keeping his eyes content.
"Doubt it," she replied. "He doesn't look sick at all. Actually, he just looks utterly pissed off. Maybe you should talk to him."
“Nah, he’s alright," Sibu answered. Cheryl joined them with a wide grin on her face. Sibu was elated to have two beautiful women in his presence, and neither one was screaming, crying or fighting him off. It was a rare occasion for him indeed.
“Can I have another of those excellent ice cream devils of yours, Mieke?” Cheryl cooed as she set her empty glass down in front of the baffled blonde. As far as she recalled the Malay beauty hated her guts.
“Are you sure? It sounds like you’ve had quite enough, even after just one,” Mieke told her.
"No, no! Give her another one," Sibu urged. Inebriated or drugged women were just his type. "She is relaxing. Let her have another one. If she throws up, I'll take care of her."
Cheryl gave him a condescending look. “In your dreams.”
‘In your dreams, sweet thing,’ Si
bu lusted in his thoughts. ‘As soon as you fall asleep your ass is mine.’
Mieke obliged. She saw Nina watching her and Cheryl as she had been since they started disagreeing over just about everything. Sibu walked away to join Zain.
“If this guy is your taste, honey. You are a bigger whore than I am,” Cheryl told Mieke. “And a lot more desperate.”
“Well, you are the one who brought him here. That should say enough,” Mieke retorted snappily. “And mind your fucking manners. Her Highness is watching us like a hawk.”
Cheryl frowned at first, but then she realized that Mieke was referring to Nina. A fresh glass of alcoholic ice cream shake found its way to Cheryl’s lips and the two adversaries stood in quiet company for once, in a forced truce for Nina’s sake.
“Why do you think Dave Purdue suddenly decided to stay behind?” Mieke asked Cheryl. She could not fathom his reasons. If it was for the historian, Mieke guessed, it was odd since he could have her anytime, by the looks of them. She could not believe she was having this conversation with her predecessor, though.
“You know, I was wondering the same thing. The guy practically had his kilt on fire to see the wreck last night, and this morning,” Cheryl mentioned, to Mieke’s amusement. The blonde was having a good laugh at the kilt remark, but suddenly her smile disappeared.
“Oh, Christ, not now. I am so not in the mood,” she moaned quietly, provoking Cheryl’s curiosity.
“What? What?” she asked Mieke, who instantly plastered a fake smile on her face.
“Dr. Malgas! Would you like a drink too?” she asked cheerfully at the arrival of the reserved academic in his oversized Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts. He looked very much out of place in the baggy clothing with his slight build and utterly clean cut face. Cheryl turned and smiled, "Oh yes, have a drink with us, Dr. Malgas. After all, if it weren't for you, none of us would be here. We all owe you a load of gratitude for the opportunity to be involved in such a historical enterprise.”
“Jesus, lay it on thick, won’t you,” Mieke snapped under her breath, evoking a spiteful glare from her opponent.
“Are you jealous because you don’t understand what I just said?” Cheryl retorted in a girly voice that mocked Mieke’s bimbo looks.
“Hey,” Mieke whispered, "remember who makes your drinks, junkie." And with that, she blew a kiss at the suddenly worried-looking hooker.
"Hello ladies," Dr. Malgas smiled warmly. "So good to see both my assistants here with me today. At least, I know I'm in good organizational hands, hey?"
"Of course, you are," Mieke smiled. Billy Malgas looked at her urgently when Cheryl turned away. He needed to know what her plan was once the wreck was identified. Sooner or later Dr. Gould was going to figure out that it was not the Admiral Graf Spee they were exploring. So many times the night before he had hoped to get Sam Cleave alone so that he could figure out what repercussions might await him should the ship turn out to be nothing special, but Sam was always in company. Mieke shook her head, and her expression told him not to worry.
Suddenly Sam resurfaced. Nina and Purdue jumped up as Crystal came up soon after.
“And?” Purdue asked eagerly.
Crystal smiled. “It’s real. It is the Graf Spee!”
20
Cracks in the Hull
Upon scrutinizing the relic Crystal had found in the wreck, even Nina had to agree that the plaque the diver had recovered was indeed the emblem of the German battleship Admiral Graf Spee. It was regrettably all Nina had to go on for now, but the insignia was unmistakable.
“Glad Crystal was down there with me. I filmed the bloody thing and had no idea it could be a clue,” Sam flattered the German salvor, who rested her hand affectionately on his upper back with a gentle smile. Nina stiffened. Purdue noticed her reaction and quickly took the historian’s hand, “Now tell us, Nina. If you look at the footage, is this going to help you identify the ship beyond doubt? We have to be very sure.”
Nina nodded, slightly distracted by Purdue’s hand over hers. “I would have to see the vessel for myself to determine if it was a German cruiser and not one of the many ships of the allied forces that were sunk in this area. South Africa did fight on the side of the Allied Forces, but they did not have their own navy as far as I know," she said.
Billy Malgas looked decisively worried about the recent developments. Sam picked up on it but said nothing. He planned on having a word with the archeologist as soon as he got the chance. Mieke and Cheryl looked happy with the item Crystal had found, both for different reasons, of course, and Purdue was ecstatic.
“I cannot wait to start looking at the footage! Sam, did you get some dimensions for me?” he asked the journalist who had all female eyes on him when he peeled the top of his suit down to his waist to reveal his chiseled physique.
“Aye, but it was a bit of a bitch to get, I tell ya,” he replied. His wet black hair was tousled, and his skin glistened in the sun. Crystal could not take her eyes off Sam. She zipped down her suit to reveal the valley between her breasts, pressed toward the middle in ample mounds and untied her hair to fall over her shoulders. She slid her arm around his waist and spoke in her husky voice, “I’m sure you got everything, Sam. After all, you certainly know your equipment. No worries there.”
Sam caught his breath when she pressed up against him in the feigned hug. He felt his blood rush at her obvious double entendre, and it excited him that she even bothered to employ it in the first place. Nina tried not to care since a few days ago she had decided not to. Purdue was a far better catch, she made herself believe. Like a schoolboy Sam was too easy to whip, Nina decided, and he deserved to be with a woman who treated him like a subordinate. It was Crystal's way to treat men with indifference and condescension unless she needed them or needed their attention to reinforce her status of Queen Bee, especially in the presence of other women.
Naturally Sam did not even notice what he had just been part of, as it had always been a man’s prerogative not to detect the complex psychological manipulation of competing females, so he gave her a peck on the cheek. In Sam’s mind he was being friendly with a stunning woman, while Crystal had just rubbed her power over the hottest man there in the faces of all females present.
“Sam!” Nina broke the spell between them. Sam waited for a snide remark or a catty insinuation, but to his amazement, she did not scold him. "Can you please download your footage onto my laptop as soon as possible? I think you realize, as Crystal stated before, that she has a salvage tug on the way, and we are a bit short on time. Would you be a dear and just do that for me?” she asked sweetly, with absolutely no trace of her true feelings coming through.
"Uh…aye, of course! As soon as we get to the beach house I'll get to it," he smiled, naively happy to assist her. Crystal noticed but did not reveal her annoyance with the equally calculating historian. Having underestimated the petite historian, she was taken aback by Nina’s resourcefulness. It was a welcome challenge since it didn’t matter to Crystal if she could secure the affection of either Sam Cleave or Dave Purdue, both of whom Nina was very proprietary about.
Back at the beach house, Cheryl made sure that she stayed in the company of Dr. Malgas and even Mieke, just in case she had gotten Zain so mad that he would abandon his zeal for the treasures of the sunken vessel and seek revenge for her well-placed insults. Dr. Malgas was appreciative of her company, since as much as he wished to speak to Sam, the journalist was preoccupied with the footage he had gathered. Purdue was watching the recording with him while Nina and Crystal were in the kitchen with Zain and Sibu.
“I’m starving,” Sibu whined, looking through the fridge. “Who is in charge of buying food anyway? We are dying of hunger but that guy doesn’t seem give a shit.”
Crystal gave him a stern look. “Usually that guy paying for everything feeds and houses the crew. But seeing as all members of this excursion already received an advance for their services, Dave Purdue provides accommodation and meals.”
Sibu looked annoyed. Zain scoffed and chuckled on his way out to the patio at the disciplinary double-teaming his partner just received from the two women.
“Aow! Good one, Dr. Gould,” Crystal smiled and lifted her hand in the air.
"Not too bad yourself, Frau Meyer," Nina winked with a mouthful of shrimp and high-fived the lawyer.
"Right, the salvage crew will be here in less than 18 hours. I just spoke to their skipper, Ali," Crystal announced as she hung up the phone. "So Nina, do you have the footage to confirm the find? I mean, we have the plaque, but I would feel better if you and Dr. Malgas could prove beyond any doubt that this is the Graf Spee.”
“I agree. Yet I can’t just confirm that it is the Graf Spee by one relic. Another ship could have carried it… like a keepsake maybe one captain gave another, you know. Pretty much anything,” Nina affirmed.
"I am pretty sure it is authentic," Dr. Malgas said. "We have seen it before and as an archeologist, I can assure you that with my knowledge of historical items I deem this wreck genuine.” His tone was confident, yet his profusely sweating face and the hesitation in his choice of words betrayed to any sharp-minded person that something was amiss. And in this case, unfortunately for Dr. Malgas, that person happened to be Nina Gould.
“With all due respect to your illustrious career in Archeology, Dr. Malgas, your historical knowledge in this context is perhaps more of a superficial nature. This is why there are people like me who specialize in particular eras,” Nina clarified. The feisty historian proposed to put the faltering archeologist in his place for his half-assed approach to a field, which she held in such high esteem.
Order of the Black Sun Box Set 4 Page 30