Into the Darkness

by Margaret Daley

  “You don’t think he will?”

  “Too easy, but maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  * * *

  “How long have they been free?” Kate asked Zach the next morning when she crouched down next to her brother, who had stayed back to keep an eye on Laurel and Hardy at their campsite where they had been tied up.

  “Fifty minutes and they immediately put in a call to Slick, who is on his way back.”

  “Good. Now all we have to do is wait.” Slader settled in next to Kate.

  “Where did you stash the canoe?” Zach asked.

  “About a hundred yards down the river. I didn’t want to lose too much time having to track through the jungle when we leave.”

  Kate, buffered with Slader on one side and Zach on the other, felt about as safe as she could in their situation. Slader handed the other rifle to Zach, who surprisingly took it and acted as if he knew what he was doing with it. When had her brother learned to use one?

  She turned her attention to Laurel and Hardy. Hardy paced around the fire pit while Laurel kept his attention glued to the river. She doubted Slick would be very happy with them.

  “Lord, please protect these two men from Slick’s wrath,” she murmured.

  “Praying for the enemy?” Slader whispered into her ear.

  His breath washed over her neck, its warmth fanning outward and sending a shiver that rippled through her body. “Yes, it’s the right thing to do.”

  He gave her a puzzled look and resumed his watch on the campsite.

  Her legs aching from squatting, she shifted, intending to kneel instead. As she glanced down, fear shook her very foundation. She opened her mouth to scream.

  Chapter Twelve

  Slader immediately clamped a hand about Kate’s mouth before her scream shrilled the air. Her heart thumped against her rib cage in triple time as she watched the huge scorpion crawl over her boot and disappear into the underbrush in front of her. Rivulets of sweat rolled down her face, collecting where Slader’s hand still clasped her.

  Slowly, as though he wasn’t sure if she would scream, he released her, gripping her shoulder in silent support as she collapsed back against him. All she could think about was the scorpion, over four inches long, on her boot and that it had a deadly sting. Of course, she hadn’t considered the fact that she wore thick leather boots that protected her feet. But still, the poisonous creature had been on her.

  Slader put his lips against her earlobe and whispered, “It’s gone. Okay?”

  With the feel of his breath on her neck, she nodded.

  He brought his arms around her and hugged her. Still clasped in his embrace, she continued to observe the scene in the campsite, wishing she could stay there indefinitely. But a few minutes later Slader released her and resumed his vigil.

  What would happen after they found the person behind the attempts on their lives? Kate wondered. Would Slader go back to the site of the Inca ruins to fulfill a lifelong dream? Would he forget her? The very thought saddened her, and yet how could they ever be together? His lack of faith would always be a barrier.

  Several hours later, Slick and his toady pulled their canoe up onto the beach by the encampment. Seeing Slick, Kate tensed and Slader again clamped her shoulder in support, his hand massaging her. For a few seconds, she surrendered to his soothing touch as she came to grips with the sight of the blond giant, armed to the teeth with a machete and a large knife at his waist and an automatic weapon in his hands.

  Slick starting yelling and even struck Hardy with the butt of his gun. Laurel stood off to the side, not daring to get close, and mumbled some words. Then Slick turned his attention to the slender man and walked toward him. Laurel held up his hands and pleaded. Kate didn’t have to understand the language to follow what was going on between the men.

  Finally, Slick motioned with the his for Laurel and Hardy to get into the canoe. Slick sat in the back with his weapon ready at a second’s notice. Then the toady pushed it off from the bank and hopped into it, taking a paddle along. The current took them out of sight quickly.

  Kate sagged back, every muscle having been locked into place through the whole scene with Slick. Now all she wanted to do was sleep from the exhaustion that had become so much a part of her life of late.

  “What did they say?” Kate asked while Zach rose from their hiding place.

  Slader followed suit, helping Kate to her feet. “Slick doesn’t think we found your brother. He thinks we’re back in Mandras and he intends to find us.”

  A shudder trembled down her length. “You were right to suggest Zach stay out of sight.”

  “I’m counting on Slick heading straight for the Blue Dolphin. I think that’s where we’ll find him, and I’m hoping he’ll be alone. Let’s get moving. He won’t wait forever. We need to be in place outside the bar when he decides I’m not showing up. I’m hoping he’ll lead us to the man who hired him.”

  * * *

  “I thought I told you to stay at the hotel,” Slader muttered in such a fierce tone Kate stepped back on the street near the bar in Mandras.

  “You did. I chose not to listen to you.”

  “What’s new. You’re the most exasperating female.”

  “You’re just figuring that out,” Zach said with humor in his voice.

  Kate placed a hand on her hips and met Slader’s frown with one of her own. “I am not staying back at the hotel by myself, not when there are people still after us.”

  “Shh.” Slader waved her quiet and peered around the side of the wooden building toward the Blue Dolphin. “He’s leaving the bar. Come on with us but stay back out of danger. I haven’t gone through all we’ve gone through in the past two weeks since you hired me to have something happen to you now.”

  His voice, pitched low, sent a wave of chills rippling down her, but she wouldn’t return to the hotel, and if she could help Slader and her brother, she would. This was her fight, too. Her life had been placed in jeopardy, too.

  Up ahead, Slick paused, looked around, then ducked into a seedy one-story structure near the pier. It looked deserted with a boarded-up window and missing pieces of the tin roof.

  With his hands balled, Zach asked, “How long do we give Slick before we go in and find out who’s behind this?”

  “Not a second longer. Let’s crash this little party.” Slader strode toward the building, anger in every line of his body.

  Kate trailed the two men, making sure she kept back for the time being, but she had her own questions for whoever was behind hiring Slick. Outside the door, Slader halted, withdrawing a revolver from his waistband. Her gaze fastened onto the gun. Suddenly her pulse kicked up a notch, and she broke out in a cold sweat.

  With an arm out, he barred Kate from going any farther. He placed his forefinger to his lips and shook his head, pushing her toward the side of the dilapidated structure. He motioned to the ground at her feet.

  She clamped her lips together and watched as Slader and her brother entered the building. Part of her wanted to be inside with them, but she knew she would be a liability in a situation like this. Leaning against the wooden slats, she kept guard on the street in front.

  Not five minutes after Slader and Zach had gone inside, Laurel hurried toward the building. Kate straightened, trying to tamp down her fear and panic. She couldn’t. It swamped her as though a tidal wave of those emotions had washed over her.

  She checked the area for Hardy. Thankfully, Laurel’s cohort wasn’t around. But that still left the thin man to deal with. He approached the deserted store, quickly opened the door and slipped inside.

  What to do? Call the police? Police? The only law in Mandras was the military, manning a post along the river outside of town. Too far for her to get any timely help. That meant she had to do something herself and fast.

  Glancing around for a weapon of some kind, she found nothing of use. Trash and broken glass wouldn’t be effective against a gun. She hadn’t seen one on Laurel, but that didn’t mean he d
idn’t have one. She had learned not to assume anything.

  She rushed from the side of the building, her heart matching her quick pace as she neared the door. With a trembling hand she turned the knob and eased the door open. She stuck her head inside and peered around. At one time the place had been a store of some kind, but now the shelves and counter were empty and all that greeted her inspection of the front room was dust, insects and cobwebs. She stepped into the building, quietly shutting the door. A musty, moldy smell, like day-old, damp gym socks, accosted her. She automatically brought her hand to her nose and mouth, wishing she didn’t have to breathe.

  She heard voices from somewhere in the building but couldn’t understand what was being said. There was only one door off the front area, so she headed across the wooden planks toward it.

  Out of the corner of her eye something green caught her attention. She glimpsed a lizard, its black eyes fixed on her. Jumping away, she nearly screamed. This time she swallowed it before any sound escaped. The iguana darted behind the counter. Now her heart thudded so loudly she was sure the men in the back could hear her approach. Before moving again, she checked around for any other creatures that might surprise her.

  Someone speaking Portuguese raised his voice, prodding Kate forward. At the door she inched it open and found Laurel in a hallway listening. Kate retreated and scanned the front room for a weapon of any kind. All she saw was a piece of wood, six inches wide and two feet long, on the counter where the iguana had disappeared.

  The sight of the wood reminded her of that time in the alley with Slick. It had worked once. Maybe it would again. In that moment she realized the Lord was making her face some of her worst fears in this journey to the Amazon. Going to where the iguana was hiding was just another fear she needed to overcome. He was with her. She had made it this far with His help. She would accomplish what she needed to do with the Lord by her side.

  With that thought, Kate marched over and snatched up the board. A flash of green sank behind the counter and vanished from sight. She hurried back, armed and ready to make sure Laurel didn’t mess up the meeting.

  Carefully, to make sure she didn’t give herself away, she peered down the hallway and saw Laurel stick his hand into his pocket. A gun! Kate didn’t wait another second but rushed the man, swinging the board toward his head. The sound of wood smacking flesh echoed in the short corridor. She winced as Laurel slumped to the floor. The thumping noise of his body hitting the tile competed with her now-thundering heartbeat.

  She dropped the board, giving up the pretense of being quiet, and hurried to the unconscious man. “Please don’t be dead,” she muttered, reaching out to feel for a pulse.

  The door to the room where Laurel had been listening swung open. Her fingertips found the thin man’s pulse, which was faint but beating. Sighing, she looked up to see Slader standing in the doorway with a murderous expression on his face that quickly evolved into an exasperated one.

  “I knew you were trouble the moment you walked into the Blue Dolphin that first day. What part of ‘stay outside’ did you not understand?”

  She could have pointed out to him that he hadn’t said those words to her or that she had just saved him from Laurel breaking up their little meeting. No, she kept her mouth shut and rose. “Have you found out who’s trying to kill us?”

  “No.”

  “You haven’t?” Kate peered around Slader into the room.

  Zach held Slick and another man of short stature with long black hair at gunpoint. Neither one looked happy if their scowls and tensed bodies were any indication. But then her brother didn’t look pleased, either.

  “But we do have a lead,” Slader said, stepping over to Laurel on the floor and checking him for weapons.

  “He’s got a gun in his pocket.” Kate moved to the door.

  Slader patted Laurel down, then delved into his two front pockets and came up with a dirty rag. “Is this the gun you’re talking about?” He held up the piece of cloth.

  The heat of a blush suffused her face. “I thought he was reaching for a gun, so I hit him.”

  “This from a woman who hates guns. Mighty effective.” Slader swept his arm down the length of the prone man.

  Ignoring the laughter in his eyes, Kate said, “You said we have a lead. What is it?”

  “Mr. Kim is from Belem,” Slader said, jerking his thumb in the direction of the short man next to Slick. “The money used to pay him was transferred from a bank in Dallas, one of the banks your brother’s company uses. Personally, I don’t like coincidences, so I’m thinking the trail leads to Zach’s company.”

  No wonder Zach didn’t look too pleased. That meant whoever had tried to have them killed was probably involved with his pharmaceutical company. “So, what now?”

  “We go to Dallas.”

  “We?” Hope flared inside Kate.

  “Yes, Zach, you and me. I told you I was in this till the end. Someone tried to kill us. I don’t take kindly to that.”

  “So, you’re going with us—back to the States?” She still couldn’t believe he would end his self-imposed exile.

  “Yes.”

  * * *

  Slader, Kate and Zach left the bank in Dallas, having discovered what they needed. Slader opened the car door for Kate, then slid into the seat in front next to Zach. Tension vibrated in the luxurious confines of her brother’s Lexus. She placed her purse on the soft tan leather beside her, conscious of the scowl that occupied Zach’s face.

  “You think it’s Chad?” Kate finally asked when she couldn’t take the strained silence another second.

  “He’s the one in charge of the money and his name was on the paperwork for the Prentice account, so yes I think it’s Chad.” Zach’s hands on the wheel were tight and white knuckled.

  “Did you know anything about the Prentice account?”

  Her brother’s forehead crunched as though deep in thought. “The name sounds familiar, but I don’t remember where I’ve heard or seen it. But you can bet I’ll ask Chad about it today.”

  Kate stiffened. “You’re going to confront him, tell him that you think he hired people to kill you? Contact the police. Let them do their job and figure it all out.”

  “Chad and I were roommates for four years in college. I intend to face him myself. I won’t do anything stupid, but this is something I’m going to handle personally.”

  “Slader, talk some sense into my brother. He could get killed. What if Chad has a gun?”

  Zach snorted. “I doubt it. He’s good at numbers and hiding behind others.”

  The scorn in her brother’s voice chilled her. She almost felt sorry for Chad until she remembered what they had gone through the past weeks. “You can’t go alone.”

  “He isn’t. I’m going, too.”

  Zach threw Slader a look. “You don’t have to protect me. I’ll be fine. I’m confronting him in his office. What could go wrong?”

  “Nothing but I’m coming, too.” Slader’s steely tone emphasized the uselessness in arguing with him.

  Kate remembered Chad Thomas. He had come home with Zach during some of the vacations while her brother had been in college. She had once had a crush on Chad. How could the man she had come to know be responsible? Like Zach, she didn’t understand, but she didn’t have the heart to be at the meeting. The intense turmoil of the past few weeks had finally caught up with her. After their visit to Texhoma Pharmaceutical’s main offices, she intended to sleep for days. Her mind already felt as if it were in a fog like the mist that blanketed the jungle some mornings.

  When Zach drove into the underground parking garage of Texhoma Pharmaceutical Company, he pulled into the space labeled “Zach Collier” and switched off the engine. On the ride up to the top floor where Chad’s office was, both her brother and Slader were silent, lost in their thoughts as though preparing for battle. Crossing her arms, Kate hugged herself, suddenly chilled to the bone.

  Soon this would be all over and then what? Go back to
her old life? How could she after all that had happened? Nothing would ever be the same, especially with a wounded heart.

  The elevator doors swished open. The top floor stretched before Kate where the executives’ offices of Texhoma Pharmaceutical were. Intending to visit with Mrs. Rose, Chad’s secretary, Kate walked with her brother and Slader to Chad Thomas’s office.

  Zach nodded to a few people who wore surprised expressions, but he didn’t stop to chat or break his long, purposeful strides. Even they could see her brother was a man on a mission. As Slader had said, this was personal.

  “Mrs. Rose, is Chad in his office?” Zach asked.

  After the older woman’s initial shock wore off, she managed to say, “Yes. Do you want me to tell him you’re here, Dr. Collier?” She reached for the phone.

  “No.” Zach put his hand on hers. “I want to surprise him. Please hold all his calls.”

  Mrs. Rose’s eyes grew round at the harsh tone of Zach’s voice, but she nodded.

  Zach thrust open Chad’s door and entered his partner’s office with Slader. Fury carved deep lines into her brother’s face, but what made Kate pause more than anything was the cold look in Slader’s eyes. Answers would be had today, one way or another.

  As the door closed, in need of some caffeine, Kate decided to get some coffee from the break room down the hall. From the look on Mrs. Rose’s face, if she stayed there would be questions. She didn’t want to answer any questions that the older woman had, and she knew that Slader and Zach could take care of themselves. Kate just wanted everything to be over.

  * * *

  Slader positioned himself near the door, keeping an eye on the man behind the desk.

  “Zach!” Chad dropped the pen he held. It bounced once on the desk, then rolled off onto the carpeted floor. “You’re alive!” He leaped to his feet.

  “Yes, I am. No thanks to you.”