“What makes you think I hear voices?” Colt flicked ashes over the rail and into the sea.
“I hadn’t heard from them for some time. Then, just before you two came to see me, a voice said, ‘A man of character with an Old World companion will come.’ That is you, my dear. I don’t think that I am mistaken.”
“Has the voice said anything else?”
“The book has good and evil in it,” she spoke in a deep voice. Colt was once again shocked. It sounded like Wolf.
“He told me to let you make the decisions about the book. I’m happy to do that. Maybe now he will leave me alone.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because that was what Master Lee told us when he placed the spell on me.”
“Master Lee placed a spell, not a curse?”
“Yes that is correct. He did it just before Eva and I left Wuhan.”
“Is there a difference?”
“He said that spells can protect and give a person a premonition of what is to come, so that they could adjust.”
“What was the spell?” Colt asked as he grabbed another cigarette from her pack on the small balcony table. He was really feeling stressed now. The quiet breakfast was turning out to be an information overload.
“You have to remember that I was just sixteen then. Master Lee cast the spell when Eva and I first went to his clinic. He made it sound like he had been expecting me. ‘You have come,’ he said. It was kind of like he was passing the torch, you know. He said the spell would continue to protect the recipe and make sure that it would be passed on to help others. Since I was the protector of the recipe, it would help me to survive. All that I had to do was to listen to the voices and do what they said.”
“But you didn’t hear from them for many years, right?”
“That’s right. Not since I came to America. I started hearing them again in August,” she replied.
“That was when the soldiers were found in the jungle. The recipe was safe until then. Something is threatening the safety of the recipe, but what?” Colt was thinking aloud.
“All I know is that the voices told me to let you decide, and you did. I haven’t heard from them since.”
“Well, Sofia, it seems that your spell and my curse have somehow come together.”
“Tell me about your curse, Colt.”
He explained everything he knew about the curse, except that he could talk to Wolf whenever he wanted to. He said he thought he was hunting a Nazi, and the people who threatened the recipe may be the same people he was after—or maybe not.
“What could be the threat,” Sofia asked?
“I think that no one but us knows what the recipe can do. They will think it is just an old note and throw it away. It would be gone forever.”
He told her the old Japanese soldier had written his name on a piece of paper. He told her the Japanese Yakuza were involved, as were the FBI, a white supremacist, and maybe others.
“Well,” she said, “this is a dubious secret.”
Chapter Eighty-One
They continued to talk for the rest of the hour that Loni had allotted him. Sofia seemed more carefree than when he first met her. It was as though a heavy weight had been taken off her shoulders. Colt felt the opposite. He knew he needed to go to Jacksonville. He needed to talk to Wolf. He needed to find out what the Yakuza’s new mission was. He needed to find out if kudzu was the secret ingredient. Also, who had broken into his house? Who was Dr. Thorne, and whom at the FBI could he really trust? Most of all, he needed to spend some bunk-time with Loni.
“Sofia, I have to go now. I need to find Loni. I’ll see you before we leave the ship,” he promised.
“I hope I see you again, Colt.” Her reply seemed more final then his. She showed him to the door.
Colt raced down the deck and into the sunshine. He looked around to make sure he was alone. Then he spoke.
“What do you know about the spell that Sofia is under, Wolf?”
“I found out about it at the same time that you did,” Wolf answered. His reply stunned Colt, who thought Wolf could see anything that he wanted to see.
“So you didn’t know anything about the recipe?”
“Just what you do,” Wolf said.
“But you said there was good and evil in the book. I thought the good was the recipe. Was I wrong?”
“Yes.” It was a chilling answer.
“So there is more in the book?”
“It is no longer a concern to us,” Wolf stated.
“Why not?” asked Colt.
“The one we seek is dead. He died last night. That is what I wanted to tell you.”
“So you want me to quit, now?”
“What would be the point? The Nazi is dead.”
“What about all the people that we could help if we completed the recipe?” Colt asked.
“It can’t help me,” Wolf said.
“What about all the money that was stolen from the Jews during the war? Do you want it in the hands of some new white supremacist? They may not be the Nazis that you knew, but their goals are the same.”
“I see your point,” Wolf sighed. “Perhaps I can help a little.”
“But if Jones is dead, did he give the codes to someone else?” Colt was trying to deduce what could be done.
“Of course not. He was a Nazi. He never trusted anyone.”
“So, how do I find the codes?’ Colt paced up and down the deck as he talked to no one.
There was silence for some time and then Wolf replied, “I do know where he kept a copy of them.”
Colt was confused. Wolf had told him he could only state what was already there and could protect him. But he could not tell him where to find things. “I thought you couldn’t lead me to things.”
“I can if I knew about something before the curse was started. Remember, this curse started shortly before I died.”
“How do you know where the codes are?” Colt was even more confused now.
“Jones and I came over from Germany on the same submarine in 1942. Jones was known as Agent X on the boat. We knew he was on a special mission. No one talked about it, but it was a small submarine and everyone had a lucky charm. I know what his was. Find it, and you will find a copy of the codes.”
“What is it,” Banyon asked?
“Look for a snuff box.”
Chapter Eighty-Two
Colt’s head was spinning as he entered the cybercafé. He continued to talk to Wolf for several minutes. Wolf told him that Jones was dead in his house. The lucky charm was also there. He and Loni needed to go and find the charm. It sounded simple, but Banyon knew it would not be so easy.
Colt questioned Wolf about the spell which guided Sofia for so many years and why Wolf hadn’t been aware of it. Wolf told him he could only concentrate on the issues surrounding the curse. Wolf was aware of “others” around him. He’d seen some float by, but they didn’t usually communicate. He said there were many curses and spells in the world. He promised Colt that he would try to find out about the spell. Colt told him to take the afternoon off and look for some answers. Wolf replied that he understood.
This time, he noticed that Loni was typing, printing, and reading all at the same time as he approached her. She had an amazing ability to do many things at the same time. It was as though she could assign a part of her brain to one task and reserve the rest for additional tasks. She worked like a general who was losing a battle.
He touched her on her shoulder and made her lose concentration. She pushed back from the console and looked up at him with dreamy eyes.
“I’ve been thinking about you,” she said. The implications were clear to Colt. She was once again excited.
“I want to ask you for an official date this afternoon,” he said smoothly as he transitioned from concern to desire. “How about one o’clock in my cabin. Wear something sexy, like a smile.”
“I’m not leaving your side until then,” she purred. She stood up and kissed him
hard on the lips. He wanted to change the timetable but knew that they had other obligations.
She stepped back and broke his spell. “Colt, I learned several things.”
“Me, too,” he replied.
“You first,” she said.
He filled her in on the spell Sofia was under and the information that Wolf had provided. He also told her there had to be something else in the book, since the recipe was not on Wolf’s scope. Then he told her about the lucky charm.
“We need to get to Jacksonville as soon as possible,” he said.
“The earliest that we can catch a direct flight is 10:00 a.m. We dock at eight in the morning. I booked us on that flight. We arrive in Jacksonville at 1:00 p.m. local time. I also rented us a car.”
“Great,” he said as he reached for her. She twisted away.
“Something new has come up,” she added.
“What?”
“When the rental agency went to pick up our car in Mobile, they found a bug on the rear bumper. I e-mailed Gamble and he responded that he would look into it immediately. Who is following us now?”
“I think it must be the same people that bugged my house,” Colt said, running his hand through his hair. “But I haven’t told you everything.”
“What haven’t you told me?”
“The Yakuza from China is onboard ship. Wolf told me he was trapped onboard just as we were, and he’s no longer following us. It doesn’t make sense, does it?”
“No, but we need to be more careful,” she said. He thought she would chastise him for not telling her, but she accepted his decision without fussing. “So, is the bug connected to the Yakuza or to someone else?”
“That’s a question that Gamble may be able to answer for us later today.”
“Did he say he would e-mail you back?”
“Yeah, but it might be tomorrow before he has any answers.”
“I see,” she replied.
“I think we should hideout for the afternoon,” Colt suggested with a twinkle in his eye.
“But first, let me tell you about kudzu,” Loni replied. She reached over and collected several pages from the printer. “Let’s go out on deck and get some sun while I fill you in.”
They went to the top deck once again. She didn’t have on her tiny swimsuit, but stripped off her top just as Colt did. Both sat in shorts and sunglasses.
“How convenient,” he leered. “Here I am learning new information and sightseeing at the same time.”
“Don’t get too distracted,” she cooed. “This is just a little tease. Now let me tell you about kudzu. I think Sofia is right. Kudzu has its origin in Japan. It was first brought to America during an exhibition in St. Louis in 1876 as a possible ground cover to prevent erosion. Around the turn of the century, the Glen Arden Nursery in Florida started to sell it in the Southeast. There was heavy erosion in the clay-filled soil then and kudzu proved to be a good barrier. Unfortunately, no one realized that the rain and warm climate would make kudzu a menace.
The plant currently covers more than seven million acres in the Southeast. It is creeping across the country and now extends as far north as New Jersey and west into Texas. The average plant grows more than a foot a day and covers anything in its path—cars, telephone poles, and even houses. Each vine has the ability to develop a root system, making it hard to kill. It says here that it can take four to ten years to kill one plant, and that’s with constant vigilance.
“Yeah, I know a little bit about kudzu. I lived in the South. Many people consider it an evil plant,” he added as he glanced at his watch. It was approaching noon and Colt had big plans on his mind.
“But, wait, there is much more,” Loni said with a seductive wink.
“I’m half listening,” he jokingly replied.
“In the last ten years, scientists have been looking at the plant for medical cures. There are two studies going on right now. Both are researching the effects of chemicals in the plant that affect alcohol.”
“You mean that Sofia is right?” She had his full attention now. Colt knew many current medicines were derived from ancient cures.
Loni shook with excitement. “Actually, they have been making a drink and giving it to people while they drank free beer. These are usually college students, but what the researchers have found is that subjects who drank the concoction consumed less beer. They suspect the kudzu makes people feel high and have less need to drink. It is like an alcohol substitute. Scientists predict that given the right mixture of kudzu and other chemicals, they will be able to significantly reduce the amount of alcohol people consume, maybe to none. They say, however, that the breakthrough is probably thirty years away.”
“But, Sofia’s recipe could help people now,” Colt said. “That is, if we can recover the recipe from the book.”
“You’re right, so I sent an e-mail to Dr. Thorne and told her that the Chinese note in the book was a personal recipe and was not part of the waiver. I told her that when we get back, I would explain it to her, woman to woman. She’ll buy that, don’t you think?” Loni was being coy. She knew Dr. Thorne would not turn down an invitation from her.
“So, all we have to do now is wait until the murder trial is over,” Colt calculated. “Then the book will be free.”
“Buy me lunch, and I’ll let you have your way with me while we wait,” Loni said, snaking an arm around Colt’s back.
They ate lunch and then nearly ran to their room. Colt could think of nothing more pleasurable then spending an afternoon in bed with Loni on a ship bound for Mexico, with the warm sun filtering in through closed drapes. He soon found out what Sofia had taught her.
They languished in sexual satisfaction for the remainder of the afternoon and into the early evening. Once they were completely sated, they went shopping. Colt bought her a new dress for dinner; this one had a back. He also purchased a jacket and tie for himself. He wanted the evening to be special. After dinner, they went dancing in one of the several clubs on the ship. Colt found that Loni was an exceptional dancer. They drank wine and laughed. It was an incredible day for both.
Around midnight, they started to make their way back to the cabin. They wanted to get some sleep and be ready to leave the ship as soon as it docked. They both had another motive for returning to bed, as well. As they passed the casino, Loni stopped.
“You know, I love to play craps,” she said. She dragged him up to a table and said, “Colt, drop twenty dollars. Now, give me the inside numbers and a dollar each on the hard six and eight.”
Colton Banyon was now sure that he loved this woman.
Chapter Eighty-Three
By the time they rolled in from the casino, four hundred dollars richer, it was 2:00 a.m. Both had continued to drink wine as they played. Loni fumbled to set the clock for seven in the morning. When she turned back to Colt, he was already asleep. She snuggled up to him and tried to arouse him, but fell asleep herself with her head on his stomach.
The ship slipped into port around six-thirty and was a beehive of activity by the time the hung-over couple emerged from their cabin. They carried two plastic bags containing the clothes they’d bought on the ship and went to the buffet for much needed food. Neither was in a very good mood.
“Why can’t we just go back to bed and get some more sleep?” Loni complained. “I’m tired, Colt.
“You can sleep on the plane,” he replied.
“Our return-trip ticket is already paid for,” Loni argued. “We could spend three more days getting to know each other. Why do we have to leave now?”
“Sweetie, I’m not happy, either, but we need to go to Jacksonville as soon as possible. There are other people after the account locations. If they find them before we do, the money could flow into undesirable hands. Do you want to be responsible for that?”
“No, I suppose not,” she admitted. “But, I thought that making sure the recipe was safe was the primary objective now.”
“Which reminds me,” Colt interrupt
ed. “You need to check your e-mail to see if you got a response from Dr. Thorne. We also should say good-bye to Sofia before we go.”
“Yes, master,” she pouted.
Since they were already near the top of the ship, they went to Sofia’s room first, and knocked on the door. Colt wasn’t terribly surprised when no one answered. He figured that Sofia was probably on the deck somewhere doing her morning exercises.
“Let’s go check your e-mail and come back later. The crew will let us de-board at eight. Everyone will be lining up to leave the ship for the day. We will have time,” he reasoned.
Chapter Eighty-Four
The cell phone rang for the fourth time in two hours and it was only eight o’clock in the morning. Duggan finally worked up enough strength to answer it. He had slept for an entire day and night, but he felt like he was still under the Mack truck that had hit him.
He barely had made it to the motel two nights ago and collapsed on the floor. Several hours later, the pain revived him. He had a dislocated right shoulder; many blood-congealed holes in his body, with rock salt still in them, and his face and hands burned from the stun grenade. His left eardrum had been blown open and blood had filled his ear. It felt like there was dust on the insides of his eye sockets.
An hour in the shower had washed away the rock salt and the blood. He used every bandage in the first-aid kit he carried to patch the cuts. He put burn lotion on his bright red hands and face. The shoulder was the hardest part. He could not go to a hospital. There would be too many questions. So he booted up his computer and learned how to set a dislocation. It was not hard, but it was pass-out painful. The instructions said that if you had no help and needed to reset a dislocated shoulder, you had to first weaken the muscles which held the arm out of joint. The Web site suggested the use of a straight-back chair. Duggan sat in the motel room chair and positioned his armpit on the top, then applied pressure. The pain was excruciating but after some time, his arm went to sleep and the muscles relaxed. He knew that he could stand the pain; he was a marine.
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