Allie regarded him. “Might have, or did?”
“Depends on who asks, and whether there’s a bump in pay involved.”
“How does double the money sound?”
“Not as good as triple.”
Allie sighed. “Done.”
“Seems I heard from the Shan Army folks that a plane went down maybe…five, six nights ago. I’ll have to ask. It was one of my men who told me.”
“Did he happen to mention where?”
“No, just somewhere past the Mekong. Let me radio and see if he’s around.”
Joe twisted the volume up on his radio and spoke into the microphone. After several minutes, an answering voice chattered back. Joe listened intently and asked something else. More jabber in the language of the hill tribesmen assaulted him, and he sat back and twisted the volume down. He turned to Allie.
“He’s going to reach out to his buddy in the Shan Army. Unfortunately, it’s not like picking up the phone. He needs to take a handheld radio and get within range, and then hail them on one of their frequencies. From there, it’ll be a matter of how long it takes to find him and learn what he knows.”
“Which could take how long?”
Joe pointed into the distance at a pair of hills that had been carved away by erosion, leaving tall, narrow spires reminiscent of the monoliths at Stonehenge – only ten times as tall. “There’s your hidden valley.”
She swung the binoculars and gazed at the area, following the river that ran through it, pausing along the top of the ridge the water had cut over time. “I don’t see any ruins, do you?”
“I’m not the expert. What exactly are we looking for?”
“It’s not clear. Something. Anything man-made.”
They circled slowly for an hour, and when Joe pointed the plane back toward Laos, Allie’s frustration was palpable.
“What do you think?” Joe asked.
“It could be. I mean, it matches the description we have. But I didn’t see anything obvious, did you? Supposedly there’s a cave, inside of which is the temple.”
“Only way to know for sure is to go in on foot. That’s one of the problems with overflying. There’s a limit to what you can spot.” He paused. “It’s a big area. Maybe it doesn’t seem that way in photos, but it’s a lot of ground to cover.”
She watched as the valley disappeared beneath them and nodded.
“Looks like we’re going for a hike.”
Chapter 28
Drake and Uncle Pete sat on a log, drinking water like lost men at a desert oasis as their host watched, the barrel of his AK-47 making it abundantly clear that they were not to attempt anything. Drake finished with his jug and rubbed his stomach, his body slowly returning to normal after having been run into the ground.
Uncle Pete was taking in the rhythm of the village as the tribe went about its daily business, his eye following particularly attractive young females, Drake noticed with amusement. He was readying a barb when a voice called out from behind them.
“Drake! Uncle Pete! Well, I’ll be damned…”
Drake twisted at the sound of Spencer’s voice. He wondered if he was hallucinating when his friend sauntered over from down a trail, his gait easy and untroubled, and no evidence of a guard in sight.
“What are you doing here?” Drake sputtered as he leapt to his feet.
“We’re the ones who organized the search party. Glad to see it was successful. We had a bet that you were eaten by a tiger,” Spencer said.
“Where’s Allie?” Drake asked.
“Oh, she’s up in the air with our resident guru, looking for you.”
“Guru?”
“An American. He has a plane. Runs this tribe, from what I can tell. A little eccentric. Or truthfully, more like a lot.”
“She’s flying with him? When are they going to come back?”
Spencer shrugged. “Later today, I’m sure.” Spencer studied Drake’s soiled clothes and disheveled appearance. “Tough night, huh?”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“When did they find you?”
“Probably four hours ago, maybe five. Just after dawn.” Drake stared at Spencer. “How did you lose the gunmen?”
“Led them astray and then doubled back. Crossed the river at a shallow point, and then got jumped by this bunch. Fortunately, we were able to work a deal with Joe, their shaman. He knows the area and has agreed to help us look for the temple.” Spencer filled them in on the details. When he was done, Uncle Pete grunted.
“Maybe not good, work with stranger.”
“We don’t have a lot of options,” Spencer said.
“Is the guy trustworthy?” Drake asked.
“Don’t know. It’s hard to get a read on him. You’ll see what I mean.”
The drone of a plane engine approaching echoed through the valley, and Drake and Uncle Pete looked to the sky. Their minder stood with his weapon, and Drake glanced at Spencer. “Any way we can get Mr. Trigger Happy here to stop pointing that thing at us?”
“Don’t speak the lingo. Sorry. But sounds like Joe’s on his way. He’ll take care of it.”
“What can you tell me about him?”
“He’s kind of a burnout, spouts a lot of metaphysical crap, but he claims to know all the players here and get along with them. The hill people defer to him, and he’s clearly the village leader. Beyond that, he’s got the world’s oldest plane, which he uses to run errands for a who’s who of miscreants. And he really likes his booze and dope.”
“Oh. Perfect, then. Just what the doctor ordered.”
“That, and I think he might hear voices.”
“A Joan of Arc. Great. And Allie’s in a plane with him?”
“To her credit, she wasn’t too excited about it.”
The plane appeared over a hill and waggled its wings at them before coming in low and then pulling up in a steep climb. Spencer shook his head and began walking down the trail. “Something tells me Allie’s not happy, if that’s how he’s flying.”
“She’s fine, though?”
“Looks like she was ridden hard and put away wet, but like you, she has youth on her side.”
“I can’t believe there’s an airstrip here,” Drake said as they followed Spencer.
“Not sure I’d refer to it in those glowing terms. More like a scar on the valley floor.” Spencer kicked a rock off the path. “But apparently it gets the job done.”
They neared the clearing in time to see the Cessna on a hovering approach, the wind dimpling the treetops as it almost sheared them with its landing gear, and then it was on the ground, bumping along as it slowed. The little plane roared to a stop next to the shack, where the netting was heaped on the ground, and Joe killed the engine.
Allie leapt from the plane when she spotted Drake and ran to him. Drake took her in his arms and held her as she trembled, and then crushed his lips to hers.
“You kids get a room,” Joe said from behind them, breaking the spell. Allie pulled away from Drake, and a multitude of expressions flashed across her face.
“What happened? Are you all right?” she whispered.
Drake nodded. “Rough night in the jungle, and I thought we were toast this morning when your new friend’s men found us. But overall, no permanent damage.”
Allie nodded. “You’ll have to tell me all about it. Do I ever have stories for you.”
“Mine has a big snake in it.”
Allie glanced at Uncle Pete. Drake shook his head. “No, a real snake. Big.”
She smiled and turned to Uncle Pete, who was eyeing Joe. “Drake? Uncle Pete? This is Joe.” Allie looked up at Drake’s profile. “Joe runs the place. We were searching for you, and when we didn’t see anything, we flew over the possible ruins sites. Only one seems like a decent candidate.”
“Hey, Joe. Nice to meet you,” Drake said, offering his hand.
Joe gave him a small wai instead of shaking it. “Pleasure’s all mine, dude.” Joe looked to Uncle Pete and said someth
ing in Thai after another wai to him.
Uncle Pete beamed at him and bowed, but Allie could see that his eyes were taking Joe’s measure.
For his part, Joe appeared completely unconcerned by the newcomers. “Allie here owes me big for locating you, so it was strictly business. I understand you had some trouble after your helo took a dirt dive?”
Drake nodded. “Oh, yeah. We were tracked by some gunmen. Had to lose them by building a raft and riding the rapids.” He shrugged. “No big deal.”
Concern lit Allie’s eyes, which made him happy. That, and the kiss, had demonstrated that her standoffishness had little to do with her interest in him. He wished he understood females better, but contented himself with his small win.
“Joe thinks he might have heard about Christine’s plane,” Allie announced, and Spencer’s stare drilled through her.
“You told him?”
“He’s going to put out feelers. Save us a ton of time.”
Joe nodded. “Already in the works, Spencer. But if it’s where I think it is, your troubles are just starting. It’s in an area controlled by the Shan Army, which is occasionally challenged by the Myanmar military in pretty gnarly gun battles.”
“So our permits mean nothing,” Allie finished.
“Then how do we get to it?”
Joe smiled. “That’s where I come in. I know the leader of the Shan Army. It’ll cost you some, but I can arrange for safe passage.”
Drake gave Allie a sidelong glance. “I’m sure you’ll be more than fair.”
“It’ll be a bargain. But that’s not your biggest problem.”
“What is?” Spencer asked.
“That area is also being contested by a splinter group that wants a piece of the meth trade – the Red Moon gang. And they’re meaner than a wet mongoose,” Joe said. “Spencer, help me put the netting back after I fuel up, would you?”
Spencer tilted his chin at the shack. “I was going to ask you about gas.”
“Got a couple of barrels out back. Won’t take more than a few minutes to top her off.”
Spencer followed Joe to the shack, and soon they were filling the tank with a hand-powered pump. When they were done, they unfurled the camo and pulled it into place.
Uncle Pete cleared his throat as Spencer and Joe approached. “Need call home,” he said.
Spencer took his meaning. “Joe, I don’t suppose you have a sat phone here, do you?”
“Funny you should mention it. I do.”
“Can I use it?”
Joe grinned. “Hell, boy, you can have it.” His face grew serious. “For five grand.”
“What? They only cost a thousand bucks new!”
“Maybe back home. But I own and operate the only telecommunications franchise hereabouts. And sat phones cost five grand today.”
“That’s robbery,” Spencer complained.
“Well, I do have another one that I would part with for twenty-five hundred. Older model. Special today only.”
“But it works?” Drake asked.
“Of course. What would be the point of selling you a phone that doesn’t work?” Joe asked, pretending offense.
Drake sighed. “Fine. Sold. Where is it?”
“Over in the village. I keep the batteries charged with a solar system.”
“In case someone comes along and wants to pay a fortune for a sat phone in the middle of nowhere,” Spencer added.
Joe laughed good-naturedly. “You’d be surprised.”
Allie gave him a cynical smirk. “Not me.”
Joe began walking back to the village, and Drake called after him. “Can you tell your goon to stop holding his AK on us, Joe?”
Joe turned and spoke a few words. The gunman nodded and lowered his weapon. Drake could have sworn he looked disappointed.
When they made it back to the village, the phone turned out to be a scratched model that was at least a decade old. “Put it on our tab,” Allie said.
Joe paused. “That reminds me. We need to work out how you’re going to pay me.”
“Once we’re back in civilization, I can have a wire sent wherever you want. Or I can give you cash, if the bank has enough.”
“Oh, wire’s preferred. Wouldn’t be cool to have a bag of hundreds lying around – might give the villagers the wrong idea. Just use your nice new sat phone to call it in. Twenty for finding these two, and half the sixty for the escort into Shan country. I’ll get you the account details later.”
Allie smirked. “Why does none of this surprise me? I should have asked if you take credit cards.”
“Nah. Too much fraud.” He snapped the battery into place, turned the phone on, shook it, and then removed the battery. “Gotta charge it again. Been a while. Give me a few hours, and it’ll be good as new.”
“You sure it works?”
“Or your money back.”
Chapter 29
Allie, Drake, and Spencer were sitting in the shade when Joe reappeared, obviously excited. Allie stood as he approached with a handheld radio in one hand.
“Looks like you’re going to owe me that plane bonus sooner than we thought,” he said. “Which reminds me. We never discussed the amount.”
“Surprise us,” Drake said, his tone dry.
“I’m thinking…if a temple’s worth sixty, a plane’s got to be worth…forty?”
Allie couldn’t help but smile. “Seems like the lucky one today was you all around, huh?”
Joe gave a small shrug. “I keep telling you to open your heart to the universe, but I can only do so much.”
“More like open your wallet,” Drake said to Spencer.
Joe chuckled. “Or you can take your chances looking for it on your own. Let me know when you want to go in search of these ruins.”
“You really think you know where the plane is?” Spencer asked.
“Within a kilometer or so. One of the Shan men was on night patrol in the jungle when he heard it crash. Said it started raining right after, but he’s sure it was a plane. If so, we know where he was, so it’s just a matter of calculating the flight pattern. Where was the plane coming from?”
“The north,” Spencer said.
“Flying to?”
“Chiang Rai.”
Joe’s brow furrowed. “That’s weird. Wonder why they were on that side of the border? Kind of out of their way.”
“We heard there was heavy weather over Laos, so they probably detoured to avoid the worst of it.”
Joe’s eyes sparkled with understanding. “Oh, that was the night! Yeah, it was pretty messed up, even for around here. No wonder they veered west.” He paused and gave Drake a hard stare. “Take your time thinking my proposal over. If I don’t have to fly anymore today, I’m going to take a nap.”
Drake checked his wristwatch. “We still have, what, four hours of light?”
Joe nodded. “’Bout that.”
Drake made a summary decision. “Fine. You’re now a hundred grand richer, if you can help us find the plane and the temple.”
Joe held up a finger. “Hundred and twenty-two five. Remember the finder’s fee for rescuing you, and your new-to-you phone.”
Drake appraised him. For a hippy recluse, there was nothing lax about his math skills.
Joe grinned in victory. “Let’s get into the air. Is it going to be you and me again, little lady? Only room for one passenger in the plane.”
She shrugged. “Might as well.”
“I’ll go,” Drake volunteered.
They returned to the airstrip, and Joe gazed at a line of angry clouds moving from the south. He sniffed at the air, held up a wet finger, and then gave a small wai to the sun. Drake and Allie said nothing. Spencer and Uncle Pete hung back as Joe walked to the dirt runway and knelt, touching the ground and massaging some of the grit with his fingers before standing and nodding. “Spencer? Little help for the old man?”
Five minutes later they were soaring above the jungle in a northerly direction. Joe filled Drake in
on the details as they droned toward their destination.
“The Shan scout was near a waterfall on the western side of the Mekong just after an area he describes as a dogleg. I know the spot. From there, we can skim the tops of the trees. If there’s a crashed plane there, we’ll find it.”
“Wouldn’t it be visible from satellite if we can see it from a plane?”
“Don’t know anything about that. Sorry. Why? You know someone with a satellite?”
Drake backpedalled, realizing he’d come close to revealing too much. “Not unless you’re selling one. Which wouldn’t be a shock.”
“Nope. Just the phones. There’s a thriving market in them lately.”
“Supply and demand,” Drake said.
He reminded himself not to let down his guard with Joe. He appeared harmless, but there was definitely an edge to him, and Drake wouldn’t have bet his life that Joe wouldn’t sell them out if the opportunity came up—like the right buyers. Something had driven him into the Laotian jungle, living a life with killers and drug smugglers, his village fortified like a military base in a war zone.
When they reached the dogleg in the river, Joe corrected west and dropped to a thousand feet over the canopy. They cruised for fifteen minutes, and then he called out to Drake over the motor. “Off to your right. About two o’clock. See it? That’s the waterfall.”
Drake focused the binoculars, trying to steady them so he wouldn’t feel sick, and spied the white water coursing over rocks. “Does it have a name?”
Joe shook his head. “Not much around here does.” He pointed ahead and dropped closer to the treetops. “We should be coming up on the flight path in a short while.” He switched on the GPS and thumbed through the images, zooming in and setting a waypoint where the falls were. “Okay. It could be anywhere around here. Keep your eyes peeled.”
Drake concentrated on the areas of the mountainous terrain he could make out through the trees, which weren’t many. Minutes went by as Joe circled and retraced their course, and before he knew it, they’d been in the area for two hours. Joe looked over to Laos as he made another graceful bank, and his lips tightened into a thin line. “That front’s getting too close for comfort. We need to head back.”
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