The unrelenting walkathon didn’t seem to affect Marielli. She was lost in her brother’s company. They had a lot to catch up on and without a doubt, Kaila and I had much questions to prepare for. As we neared our destination, the destruction caused by the gargantuan wave appeared more pronounced. A colossal cruise liner hovered high over the crown of a giant building. The remnants of broken buildings, boats, ruined vehicles, dead fishes and human corpses together formed a calamitous mass of debris.
Erik Barfknecht remained glued to Franco Defreitas. His bodyguards followed closely. The Shadow trailed them. The tables were turned once again. He was reunited with his boss. Nothing would have made him feel better than to plant a bullet in the center of innocently executed because blood was on his hands. It was just a pity he was to be kept alive. Erik’s possessed the map that led to the hidden treasures but it was useless without another key piece of gadget. Franco had to lead the way.
S54B3 and Kamilla followed closely behind The Shadow. They were wrapped in a conversation. English. The language sounded more would have thought that the attractive would speak fluent French? The surprises kept coming. We reached Jolly Harbour after a four hour’s walk that seemed to have past by easily.
Franco’s head. People were of Franco’s greed and their They didn’t speak like French. Who blonde American The chaos there was no different. Except for the Duchess Casino which stood elevated and relatively unbattered, the neighboring buildings were consumed to naught.
Various groupings of welfare workers, cadets and scouts rummaged through debris in search of survivors.
We walked past the cluttered Casino entrance unnoticed. When we were clearly out of sight, The Shadow produced his gun. On Erik’s signal, he shoved the gun’s butt hard into Franco’s rib. Franco fell to his knee.
‘Where is the key?’ Erik signaled one of his bodyguards who in turn launched a brutal swing at his face.
Franco let out an inaudible growl.
‘Did I hear you say something?’ Erik nodded towards his bodyguard again. Another lethal kick connected hard with Franco’s face. An instant circle of blood formed in the corners of his mouth. Franco grimaced in unabridged agony. Kaila who followed closely behind covered Marielli’s eyes. Erickson seemed comfortable with the violence. Franco motioned towards an upper chamber in the Casino where a glass booth became visible. The Shadow hauled him to his feet. The entire lobby was a basin of shallow saline water.
Another sharp jab from The Shadow started Franco up an extravagant flight of stairs decked in a lovely shade of red carpet. Its sogginess faded as we climbed higher.
Franco reluctantly entered a secured metal door that led to a spacious booth. The glass framed office was adorned with a multitude of monitoring screens.
Franco walked sluggishly to the farthest corner of the cubicle. He reached inside a customized drawer where a small safe was affixed. He punched a combination of six characters. A compartment akin to that of a floppy disk drive slid open. It revealed a tiny golden key. The Shadow quickly raised his weapon. He took aim at Franco and made eye contact with Erik who gave a disapproving nod as if to say not yet. The Shadow lowered the gun and took the key away from the man he wanted dead. Before handing it over to Erik, he stared long and hard at the tiny device.
So many lives were traded for a small envelope and a tiny golden key. By all accounts, Franco deserved no better fate than to reunite with the souls he took away from those human bodies that now lay six feet dead.
Erik pocketed the minuscule gadget. He then retrieved the envelope from an inner pouch in his jacket. He unfolded the document contained in the envelope and laid it flat on Franco’s office desk. A detailed map of Jolly Harbour became visible to everyone in the room. Franco began explaining. Kaila’s jaw dropped. I stood nonplussed amongst a bunch of men and women who were caught up in an entanglement of criminal activities where we didn’t belong but was innocently connected to all along.
Forty Nine ……………
My heart continued to race as we dug up the entrance to the dilapidated restaurant.
There wasn’t much left of Koconut Breeze. Yachts, trees, loose boards and combinations of other debris mixed with mucky water created a repulsive mélange. The eerie cry of a baby oozed out of the blocked entrance. We dug faster and deeper until enough was eradicated to allow freer entry into the building. We followed the baby’s cry.
In one corner of the kitchen, the propeller of an outboard motor stuck firmly into the neck of a renowned pastor. His eyes bulged out of their sockets and his swollen body formed a distorted u-shaped cushion for the surviving toddler. Kaila immediately ran to the baby’s rescue.
We followed Franco to the restroom on the interior. It was waterlogged but free from rubbish. He uncovered the lid of the toilet’s tank and reached deep inside. He pulled a lever upwards then shoved it inwards. A large portion of wall opposite the toilet opened up exposing a secret passage into a hollow tunnel.
Multiple gateways branched off within the tunnel; their destinations unknown.
The Shadow shoved Franco forward. Erik handed him the sophisticated map and a mini flashlight. Franco was quickly on the move. He walked past five entrances. None but him knew where we were headed but we followed in awestricken anticipation to discover where the map was leading us.
‘This way!’ he took a sharp left into one of the openings. Franco reflected on his affiliations with key government officials and other powerful businessmen.
He’d commanded immeasurable respect among them. So much had changed in just a matter of hours. He was facing an unexpected fate that bred him two options; to do as he was told or face death.
The torch Franco held gave off a ray of light that pierced through the stretch of dark passageway in front of us. It was dusty and foreboding. Echoes of multiple footsteps filled every crack in the arcane rocks. A single whisper could travel a thousand miles ahead of us. The baby gave off a shrill giggle that formed a multitude of replicated giggles within the hollow tunnel. We reached a widened platform with a sharp decline of steps and stopped short at a dead end.
Franco held the map closer. He began fumbling a cluster of naturally formed rocks.
Erik looked on curiously. Franco inserted his hand in a crevice between two smooth rocks then quickly retreated. ‘I found it!’ his expression betrayed his excitement.
The Shadow eyed Franco with unreserved contempt. His final moments of this life were just around the bend. ‘The key!’ Franco stretched his hand towards Erik. Erik reached for the key and handed it over to Franco. He repositioned the golden key in the crevice between the rocks and turned it three times before withdrawing from the wall of ancient stones.
Nothing happened. Franco stared blankly at the rocks. Still, nothing happened. The Shadow’s face tightened. He had never been more ready to end a man’s life. Erik eyed Franco with the remarkable likeliness of a hawk.
The cobwebbed tunnel went dead.
Franco’s blood turned ice. He faced Erik and was already stuttering an explanation when a sudden ear-splitting screak exploded through the rocks.
Franco jumped a few steps backwards. Fright possessed him. Everyone else matched his reaction. We all stood in unadorned wonderment as a hidden division in the rocks tore apart like tectonic plates. The dazzling glow escaping the aperture was more glorious than the rising sun.
‘Jesus Christ!!!’ Kamilla broke the silence with a perfect English accent.
She gazed at the rocks in a childlike wonder. The Shadow off tracked his plans for Franco. He too was undeniably mesmerized by the shimmering opening within the rocks.
We were all completely rapt in the inordinate splendour the hidden chamber radiated. No one could resist such magnificence. Two inestimable stockpiles of cash touched the ceiling on either sides of the chamber. Its centre was a meticulous separation of silver, gold, and diamonds that took on the colour of aquamarine. Kaila shot me a glance that I alone understood. All along we’ve been sitting on the entra
nce of a treasure chest. Franco had deliberately leased distraction to safeguarding the us the restaurant as a sea of treasure that lay
beneath. The cunning scamp had rented us a villa and had even dined with us on occasions under the guise of an indispensable American Investor, Mr. Lance Cruisner.
Erik pushed past Franco. For the first time on our journey, he smiled. His smile equaled the resplendence of the irradiated underground chamber.
He thrust his hands deeply into the emblazed diamonds and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. On touchdown, the aquamarine diamonds turned into a rainbow of colours.
Erik’s smile quickly vanished. He turned towards Franco Defreitas. ‘I believe you have outlived your usefulness!’ his eyes emblazed with vengeance. The Shadow was as ready as a hungry lion baiting its prey.
‘Finish him!!! Erik spat in disgust.
The Shadow raised his weapon and took aim at Franco’s forehead. He wanted him to suffer but his boss wanted it over quickly. Franco was repentant but his compunction denied him the courage to plea his survival. He knew any attempts at that point would result in an epic failure. The tables were turned. His life was placed in the hands of a cold-hearted criminal whom he’d scammed and ordered dead. He shut his eyelids tightly and prepared for his final destination. His entire life began flashing before his eyes.
‘Drop your weapon!’ a figure loomed from the dark passageway. He held a determined grip on a pistol. Two younger men escorted him. The intruder’s voice brought Franco back to life.
The sight of Inspector Cooper pointing a gun at Franco’s executioner sparked a ray of hope for his survival. Cooper, a decorated inspector had worked his way up the police force but through no shortage of crookedness. Over the years, he covered up the dirty jobs of politicians and influential businessmen and excelled as a result. Cooper was ordained the Chief of Criminal Investigation Department “CID” position by the minister responsible for defense. It was all part of their plan to safeguard and control their illicit dealings behind the scenes. Inspector Cooper who reigned over the “CID” amounted to nothing more than a “Crook In Disguise”.
The Shadow was hesitant. His determination to put an end to Franco fuelled his obstinacy.
‘Drop your fucking weapon I say!!!’ Cooper and his men drew nearer. They remained at a safe distance away from the Shadow who held onto his gun unflinchingly.
Erik lived the life of a gambler all his life. He’d made a life out of reading people’s faces and knowing their cards by the way they held their eyes. The senior officer standing before him wasn’t just a trained cop. He was a staunch criminal in disguise and he was willing to drop anything that moved against his command.
Erik was also an expert at knowing when to walk away and knowing when to run. He was out of aces and there was no place left in the enclosed vault to walk away or run. Surrendering seemed like the only plausible option. He motioned The Shadow to lower his gun.
No one noticed when Kamilla appeared from the shadows behind Erik. Her hand was glued to a professional killing machine. Her hands went up in a flash and a deafening clamour filled the tense chamber.
One of Cooper’s accompanying officers dropped dead on cold earth.
Firearms immediately roared into action. One of Cooper’s bullet caught Kamilla in the gentle tissues below her left breast. Another bullet tore through her neck. Her breath of life was terminally suppressed.
The collection of precious stones lost reverence as the slender body of the German assassin plunged backwards into the pile, splitting it asunder.
The hysteria in the clustered chamber grew heavy. There was no place left to run or to hide.
The Shadow took aim and fired. Another body dropped. It wasn’t Cooper because he responded with a bullet that caught The Shadow in the right shoulder. His weapon was hurled a safe distance away from him.
The thunderous gunshots ceased abruptly.
Inspector Cooper was the only man left standing. A cold silence seized the treasure chest. Everyone else remained in a kneeling position hugging onto whatever hopes of survival that was left and fishing their bodies for bullet wounds.
S54B3 was about to make a move but caught Erik’s eyes in time. Kamilla who was also coded K55A4 had just lost her life right before his eyes. She was his blood, a dear friend and a long serving assassin in his organization. He couldn’t stomach losing another.
He gave a cold disapproval. S54B3 immediately retreated and remained kneeling. Franco got to his feet. The tables turned once again.
‘Are you hit? Cooper motioned him forward. Franco had always been one of his more rewarding bosses.
He felt honored to have come to his timely rescue. Franco took a glance at the faces around him. Some were dead, others were stale. None of them equated to the lustrous jewels that were hidden for such a long time.
Franco knew exactly what needed to be done next. The hidden treasure would remain a secret that no one would survive to tell. They were all going to meet their ends in the mysterious underground sepulcher.
Erik’s death would haunt him for the rest of his existing years for the man had been nothing but good to him. He wanted The Shadow out first. Unlike Erik, the death of the dangerous assassin would bring him peace. There was no chance the both of them were going to exist in the same world without one being haunted by the other.
Franco turned towards Cooper slowly. It was almost like escaping death had reinforced his cruelty.
‘Kill The Shadow!!!’ his voice turned ice as he pointed towards the wounded man in black.
Inspector Cooper’s temper intensified. His mind trailed back to the chain of crimes that rocked the entire island.
His best team members were dead. His most dependable colleague went missing. All along, he had been on the wrong trail after an innocent fisherman when it was this elusive man called The Shadow that was the culprit. The slick sonofabitch held no resemblance of a coldblooded killer. His face was as crystalline as the precious stones in the treasure chest.
Cooper was completely unaware that it was the very man he’d just rescued that had hiring The Shadow. He raised his weapon towards the Shadow.
Cooper was already squeezing the trigger when a roar of gunfire exploded behind him. Blood immediately began oozing out of his chest. He was hit from behind. His gun rolled out of his hand and was quickly swept away by S54B3 before Franco got hold of it.
Cooper spun in complete disbelief as he caught a last glimpse of the bloodied figure that had just pierced his heart with a perfect shot.
A woman soiled in blood appeared. Her gun was still firmly pointed at everyone in the Chamber. Her eyes were fixed on The Shadow. They were bloodshot. S54B3 made a dive for Cooper’s gun and quickly got to her feet. She aimed the weapon at the intruder.
‘Shakira!!! No!!! She’s one of us!’ The Shadow’s voice startled her. She almost squeezed the trigger.
Charlene lowered her smoking gun. She hopped until she reached The Shadow. She resigned calmly beside him.
They were two lovers embracing each other in wounded agony. Charlene was lucky she’d worn a bullet proof vest when she’d left the station earlier. The Shadow was going to love her for a lifetime for saving his life but the ravishing Blondie with a gun in her hand eyed him ravenously.
The violence surrounding the treasure deep down underground ended. Franco was a caged animal who was never going to be granted another opportunity of escape.
Erik got back to his feet and knelt beside The Shadow and Charlene. He extended her his right hand.
‘Well done and welcome aboard.’ he placed his hand on The Shadow’s shoulder.
‘You are going to be rewarded ten times what this sorry ass promised you. His fate is now in your hands!’
Erik stared at Franco with unconcealed contempt.
Fifty ……………
The sun stood high above the soundless summer sky. The earth beneath was as mournful as shadowy clouds drifting across the windless sea.
; A melody from the cavern magnified the melancholy.
If you go away, on this summer day
Then you might as well take the sun away And the birds that flew in the summer sky
And our love was new and our hearts were high When the day was young and the night was long And the moon stood still for the night bird song If you go away, if you go away, if you go away
We stood on the jagged edged plateau above the shoreline where a malevolent wave had suddenly ravaged through the beautiful little Caribbean Island. It would be our last visit to the distinguished tourist sight. Erickson and the baby that was found in the rumbles formed part of our new family. Our arrival to the island nestled in sun, sea, and sand had begun with a visit to Shirley Height. It was the very destination that formed our last memories before departure.
But if you stay, I’ll make you a day
Like no day has been or will be again
We’ll sail on the sun; we’ll ride on the rain, We’ll talk to the trees and worship the wind But if you go, I’ll understand
Leave me just enough love to fill up my hand If you go away, if you go away, if you go away
The memories we created were unforgettable but the time was upon us to set sails again to a newer destination. Our stay on the island came with no shortfall of success, but above all; a mysterious adventure that almost ended our lives. Erik Barfknecht had long disappeared from the island. Before his departure, he offered us enough wealth to recover from our losses, start over again, and conceal all memories of the brutal crimes we witnessed.
But if you stay, I’ll make you a night Like no night has been or will be again I’ll sail on your smile; I’ll ride on your touch I’ll talk to your eyes that I love so much Butifyougo,Iwon’tcry
For the good has gone from the world goodbye If you go away, if you go away, if you go away
Kaila was lost in the tune that oozed out of the cavern. It was as if the island was already deeply saddened by our departure and was echoing its farewell message through song. I reached deep into my pocket for the priceless gold ring crowned with diamonds.
Caribbean Rage Page 13