No Room for Error: A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, Book Seven

by Julie Moffett

  Kala was frightened, but sharp. She nodded, then without any hesitation, she slipped out the door and disappeared.

  “What are you doing?” Basia whispered.

  “I’m sending her home to her family so the chief knows we’re on his side. I’m not sure how much Tooh can tell him, seeing as how he is cooperating with the village outcast. Come on, we have to get out of here, too. But we can’t leave these guys to track us down or terrorize the village. If they wake up and find you guys missing, they might take retribution on the villagers. The Chinese have guns and have given some to these guys. We can’t just run and risk the villagers’ lives. I want to put a stop to it here and now if we can.”

  Finn nodded grimly. “Agreed. So, what do we do?”

  I looked around. “Where are your supplies?”

  Basia shook her head. “We lost them when we went overboard.” She saw my bag. “But you still have the briefcase.”

  I patted the bag. “Yes. Look, we have an ally in the village who has arranged a boat for us to escape in and replacement supplies. We have the bad guys bottled up in the other hut that has only one exit. We have surprise, a gun and a blowgun on our side. So, the plan is I draw the bad guys out and let you and Sari take care of them from there. We don’t want to turn this into a firefight. It needs to be as one-sided as possible. You also need to protect Sari, because she has to get close to be effective. Finn, find a good position that will give you a good view of the hut door without becoming an obvious target. Basia, you go with Finn.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Give them a reason to come out. Just wait for my signal.”

  Finn put a hand under Basia’s elbow to steady her. “Understood. What’s the signal, Lexi?”

  I smiled. “Michael Jackson.”

  * * *

  As soon as we crept out of the hut, we parted ways. Finn and Basia headed for the trees while I snuck toward the other hut with Basia’s cell phone in my hand. I couldn’t see Sari, but I knew she was out there.

  When I figured I’d given Finn enough time to get in position, I set the phone down close to the hut’s door and pushed play with the volume set as loud as it would go. When Michael Jackson started singing about being thrilled, I dashed for the trees. Luckily the full moon illuminated the clearing and guided my feet to keep me from stumbling.

  Nothing happened right away. The first sign of life was the light seeping through cracks in the huts, followed seconds later by men yelling. In short order, three men came outside and stopped just beyond the door. We’d taken them totally by surprise. They were half-dressed, with pants on, but no shirts or shoes. The first two had guns out, and they were pivoting slowly, trying to find the source of the sounds.

  As Michael’s falsetto reached a crescendo, one of the two guys with a gun suddenly spun and fired a burst of shots off into the dark. I prayed no one on our side was hit. Moments later he tottered and pitched forward. Apparently Sari was alive and well—and even more important, clearly at work.

  The others looked around in disbelief for the source of the threat. Another armed thug took a wobbly step and fell. The remaining guy, realizing he was the only target left, scrambled for the door. He crashed face-first to the ground as a single gunshot split the air.

  Finn and Sari had impeccable aim. Thank goodness they were on our side.

  No one else exited the hut. From our count, there was at least one more guy in there, but we couldn’t stick around much longer to find out for sure. The village was coming alive and heading our way. Sari suddenly appeared from behind the hut. She carefully grabbed one of the guns without exposing herself to anyone still inside and disappeared behind the hut again.

  After several minutes passed with no evidence of action from inside the hut and villagers approaching the scene, I stood at the jungle’s edge and whispered loudly.

  “Sari?”

  She materialized beside me so quietly I jumped.

  “Jeez. How do you do that? Where are Finn and Basia?”

  She motioned, so I followed her. She had the gun slung over her shoulder like a bow. We almost tripped over Finn, who was still covering the hut door with his gun.

  Finn stood. “Thank you, Sari,” he whispered.

  She inclined her head at him, clearly pleased by his praise.

  I helped Basia up from her crouch and urged everyone forward. “Guys, we’ve got to go.”

  Basia grabbed my arm. “Wait. There’s at least one more bad guy in that hut. Possibly more.”

  The noise from the villagers was getting louder.

  “The villagers have the upper hand now,” Finn said. “We can leave them our two guns and they can retrieve the other weapon outside the hut. We have other responsibilities and should leave it to them to distribute justice according to their rules.”

  It was sound advice, but I still had a question. “What if the guy in the hut escapes before the villagers get here?”

  “Then I guess he would find himself running from a bunch of motivated, expert trackers.”

  “You’ve got a point.”

  “So now what?” Basia asked.

  I pointed to Sari. “Follow her.”

  Sari darted into the trees. I followed as closely as I could, my bag bumping my thigh with every step. She headed around the back of the huts. By this time, the whole village was awake. As we burst out into the clearing by the river, a man stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

  Finn maneuvered in front of us, holding out the gun.

  I put a hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Finn. He’s with us. It’s Sari’s boyfriend, Tooh.”

  Sari ran toward Tooh and he pulled her into a long hug before turning to us. They started talking, their heads bent into each other, their silhouettes intertwined in the moonlight. He had a hand on her shoulder and she had one on his hip. The affection was obvious.

  Then Tooh stepped forward and said something to us, pointing toward a black shape on the shore.

  A boat.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  As much as I loathed the thought of going on the water again, it had to be done.

  Finn glanced at me and read the expression on my face. “Look at the bright side, Lexi,” he said. “There are fewer spiders and snakes in a boat.”

  “But how will we know where we’re going?” Basia looked out over the dark river. Moonlight shimmered on the water, making it look both lovely and eerie.

  “Sari is coming with us,” I said.

  Finn stopped, turned to me. “Really? She’d do that for us? After all she’s already done?”

  “Yes. Because we’re friends now, and that’s what friends do. Let’s go.”

  We scampered toward the boat and were preparing to climb in when several natives appeared on the path from the village. Some of them held torches. All carried knives and some had bows. They weren’t necessarily aiming them at us, but they didn’t look particularly friendly either. I guess getting woken in the middle of the night by gunfire would do that to you.

  Tooh stepped forward, intercepting them on our behalf. He was talking rapidly when a large man with a tuft of gray hair and significant wrinkles on his face stepped forward. Everyone around him moved aside quickly.

  Despite his age, the man had a powerful and toned body. He carried a wicked-looking steel knife in his hand and was naked except for a simple loincloth, a belt with several pouches similar to Sari’s and a necklace made of feathers, bones and crystals. Even in the moonlight I could see the jagged diagonal scar that stretched the length of his right shoulder to his left hip. Judging from reactions of the villagers, I presumed this was Tisa, the village chief—and Tooh and Kala’s father.

  I stood transfixed until I realized Sari was bowing, too. I bent over, nudging Finn and Basia, so we all showed re
spect.

  The chief made some guttural noises at Tooh and he answered back. Sari finally straightened, so the rest of straightened, too.

  Sari stepped forward next to Tooh. She spoke for a minute and I presumed she was telling him her side of the story. Then she suddenly turned to me and held out a hand, motioning us all forward. We approached Tisa and stood directly in front of the elder man. I kept my gaze on him. I didn’t intend it to be a challenge, but I sensed it was important to look at him as someone worthy of his respect and a strong person in my own right.

  It was the right choice and I saw the approval in his eyes as his gaze met mine. Tisa spoke briefly. Although I didn’t understand a word, I figured the speech was made on behalf of the villagers, not us. I heard the word Kala every now and again and assumed he was thanking us for our role in rescuing her.

  He finally fell silent and waited. Oddly he stared at me, not Finn, maybe waiting for me to say or do something.

  In a moment of inspiration, I turned to Sari, pointed to her blowgun and pantomimed how she had shot the bad guys. I then swept my hands down in a grandiose thank-you sign to her.

  Sari looked at me shyly, appreciation in her eyes. Then, Tooh spoke for some time to his father. Given the way he pointed and gestured toward Sari, it occurred to me that she might have underplayed her role and Tooh was making it clear how instrumental she’d been in saving Kala and ridding the village of the thugs. I felt a swell of affection for him and how he stood up for the woman he loved in front of his father and the entire village.

  Tisa walked to her, putting a hand on Sari’s shoulder and saying something softly. The gesture clearly startled her. For a moment she was completely overcome and then she bowed to him. When she raised her head, I saw tears glittering in her eyes.

  Whatever had just happened, I’m pretty sure it was good because Tooh beamed. To my astonishment, Tooh turned to me and swept his hands down in the motion of thanks. When he did that, I noticed he wore an exact replica of the necklace with the crescent moon.

  Two hearts, one love. And maybe now, that love would no longer be unrequited.

  I pressed my hand against my chest with my fingers spread wide. “You’re very welcome, Tooh.”

  Pride crossed his face as he watched at Sari, before ushering us toward the boat. I’m sure he would have joined us if there were room for a fifth person.

  Several locals steadied the boat for us as we climbed in. An animal hide covered something at the bottom.

  Finn climbed on first and then helped Basia board. Once she was secured, I quelled my resistance and got on, too. I felt the familiar dread in my stomach. I was going to be a bonafide sailor after this. If I survived.

  The insides of the boat were wooden, sloped to a large rectangular area in the middle. Finn was checking out what was under the animal hide and I peeked over his shoulder. Fishing nets, hooks, spears, a couple of jars, a large stick and a few cloth drawstring bags.

  Tooh helped Sari get into the boat and whispered something to her before she got on. She smiled.

  Tooh and the village men pushed us in the water as Sari picked up a pole, helping push us off. Finn grabbed the other pole and soon we were far enough away from the shore to float down the river. Sari gazed back at the villagers. Tooh raised his hand in farewell, but he had only eyes for Sari.

  I watched the shore as we drifted with the gentle current and the torchlight faded, then disappeared. The trees lining the stream cast dark shadows across the waters. But even my imaginary scenarios of crocodiles or other man-eating fish capsizing the boat and eating me alive could not begin to diminish my relief at that we were all alive and together again.

  Sari was poling leisurely, keeping us in the center of the current. The stream turned and she was backlit suddenly by the moon over the mountains and the trees. It was a picture-worthy moment. I wished I still had Basia’s phone so I could take a photo. I still didn’t know how I would break the news to Basia that her cell phone was a lost cause. On the bright side, maybe the fact that an entire village would now be able to browse her cell phone pictures would inspire her to finally create a password for her next phone.

  I heard rustling at the bottom of the boat and some scraping noise. Sari had stopped poling and pulled out a couple of the jars from the supplies Tooh had left for us. She passed one to Finn, urging him to drink.

  He peered inside the jar, waved away the bugs and then sniffed. “It’s some kind of drink. Do we risk it?”

  My throat was parched. “Tooh stocked the boat for us, so we have to trust that we can eat and drink it. We can deal with any consequences later.”

  Finn set down his pole and lifted the jar to his lips. He drank, then after wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, passed it to me.

  “It’s good. A bit sweet. You know, I’m really beginning to like that guy.”

  The drink smelled pungent, like a strong herbal tea. I sincerely hoped it had been boiled so that most of the bacteria and microbes had been removed, but either way, I was drinking it. I took several large gulps, unable to stop myself. The liquid was thick like a cider, but with a heavier herbal taste. It tasted really good.

  I passed it to Basia, who drank and then burped loudly. “Oops.”

  Laughing, she handed the jar to Sari, who took a drink and then replaced it under the hide. She pulled out the drawstring cloth and handed each of us chunks of meat that had been smoked and skewered like shish kabob.

  I took a bite. It was tough and hard to chew, but surprisingly tasty. There was a spicy aftertaste from something I couldn’t name. I chewed until my jaws ached, but it was worth it.

  As we drifted through the night, the moon slowly sank and we huddled at the bottom of the boat, passing around the jar and talking. Sari was a statue of concentration in the stern of the boat. For longer stretches now, she brought the pole into the boat and we rode the currents. At times I could almost feel the jungle pressing in against the raft.

  Basia began to doze, leaning against Finn’s shoulder. Finn, apparently observing how tense I remained, coaxed me into looking at the stars to soothe my nerves.

  I leaned back against the side of the boat and focused on the majestic theater of the night. With the bright moon setting, I could see most of the constellations clearly, spread out in all of their glory. My view was completely undiluted by lights or evidence of human existence.

  “It’s stunning,” I murmured.

  Finn traced one of the constellations with his finger. “When he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun.”

  I turned my head sideways. “William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet.”

  “It seemed fitting.”

  “It is.” I leaned my head on his other shoulder. “Finn, I’m really, really glad you’re okay. When I thought you were gone...” I cleared my throat. “Well, I just couldn’t imagine my life without you in it. I know the boyfriend-girlfriend thing didn’t work out between us, but I never realized how important you’ve become to me as a friend and especially a mentor.”

  He took my hand, squeezed it. “It was my lucky day when our paths crossed. I can’t think of another friendship I treasure more. Slash is bloody lucky to have you.”

  “You know about me and Slash?”

  “I’m not an idiot. Just so we’re clear, if he hurts you in any way, I’ll kill him.”

  “You mean that figuratively, right?”

  “No, I mean it. If he hurts you or makes you cry, he’s going to have to answer to me.”

  “Wow. That’s really sweet in a weird, macho sort of way. You shouldn’t have come on this trip, though. Everyone around me keeps getting hurt.”

  “Och, now you insult my manhood. I’m glad I came, Lexi. I mean t
hat. No worries about me. We Irish are a hardy lot.”

  “Maybe. But it scared me, Finn. A lot.”

  He sighed. “Me, too. But we’ll get through this.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I know so. After all, we have to get back to X-Corp so I can give my two best employees a raise for saving the CEO’s life.”

  I smiled and we talked for a while more. I must have dozed off at some point, because I awoke with a start when I heard a familiar sound.

  The second helicopter had found us.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Sari was dozing on the other side of the boat, but she opened her eyes a split second after I did.

  At some point during the night she’d pulled us under the cover of trees in a small inlet. I could see the morning sky through gaps in the foliage, but it wasn’t a clear view. She’d been smart. At our current location, it would have been hard, though not impossible, to spot us from the air.

  “Is it them?” Finn was peering up at the sky as well.

  “It’s hard to say.” I still couldn’t see it, but it sounded like it was getting louder. After a minute the noise was right above us and headed upstream toward Sari’s village. We shrank down in the boat, but it passed over us without slowing. They weren’t looking for anyone on the river, anyway, as they would assume we were still captives.

  “I hope the villagers have some kind of plan in mind to welcome those guys on the helicopter,” Basia said.

  Finn shaded his eyes, still watching the sky. “Well, the villagers have guns now. They can elect to fight if they want. But a better option, in my opinion, is to melt into the jungle. That way, when the helicopter arrives, they’ll simply find the village empty. As the Chinese helicopter crew will be small, I can’t see the benefit of them leaving the helicopter and trying to track down the natives in their own jungle. My best guess is that the crew will land, see the huts empty and get out of there. But they’ll be looking for us. Make no mistake, the river will be one of the first places they’ll check.”