by Scott Bergin
"I still don't understand!" Alex admitted.
"Then you will continue to experience death and destruction all around you. Until you finally die." She said.
"That shouldn't take too long." Alex replied. "I think we'll both be dead in a matter of minutes."
"You won't be so lucky." Maria replied. "You will not die on this plane."
"Do you really think we will live through this?" Alex said, looking out the window.
He turned back to face Maria, but she had already gotten off his lap. She stood in the tilted isle to his left. In one hand she held his oxygen mask. She let it go, and it tapped against his shoulder. As the plane rocked back and forth, the mask repeatedly hit him in the shoulder.
"This is not over!" She exclaimed. "We are not through! These spirals are not through!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Alex replied. "We are about to die!"
"None of this is real." Maria insisted. "When you get to France, you'll understand. Nothing is finished until you let it be."
Alex went to ask her what she meant, but she was gone. He swatted at the oxygen mask tapping his shoulder, and it grabbed him.
"Are you all right sir?" Came a voice from beside him.
Alex opened his eyes, and shot forward in his seat. He looked out the window. There was nothing wrong with the plane. It was still flying level, with no apparent problems. The wing was not sheared off. It wasn't even missing a small piece. There was no damage to the windows behind him, and the oxygen masks had not been deployed. Alex realized that the whole thing had been a nightmare. He looked over at the startled stewardess. Her name tag said Maria, though she looked nothing like Maria Douglas. Her hair was dark, but the similarities ended there. The stewardess' eyes were also dark, and her facial features seemed far to flat to be Maria Douglas' features. Alex put his right hand against his forehead, and realized that he was sweating during his nightmare. That was probably why he had caught her attention. Alex quickly wiped off his forehead.
"I'm all right." Alex assured her.
"Is it a fever?" She asked.
"It was just a nightmare." Alex explained, though he felt like a child for admitting it.
"Afraid of flying?" She asked.
"I am now." He replied.
"I was worried that you were having a heart attack." She said.
"Not to worry." Alex replied. "It was just a nightmare."
"Can I get you anything?" She asked.
"All I could use is some company." Alex said, looking at the empty seats beside him.
"I really shouldn't." She said, glancing around the near empty airplane.
"I just don't want to fall back asleep." Alex explained.
"Well." She said, hesitating. "We're not supposed to."
"It might keep me from having a heart attack." Alex said, smiling. "You don't know how scary that nightmare was."
"Well." She said. "Okay."
Maria sat in the open seat beside him, and kept him company. Alex was relieved that he was not forced to endure another moment of sleep the entire time. He and Maria talked about everything under the sun for more than an hour. She brought him several cups of coffee, and entertained him as best she could. Alex arrived in Mali after a peaceful flight. An hour later, the plane took off again. Alex wished he had been forced to leave the plane, and board again. He felt that might have helped him stay awake longer. As it turned out, it was not necessary. Maria did a fine job of making sure he did not fall back asleep. When they left Mali, there were more people on board. She was not able to sit with Alex as often, but she did when she wasn't tending to the other passengers.
Alex's nightmare had seemed so real, that he was paranoid of falling asleep again. Though he had joked with Maria about having a heart attack, he wondered if that was a possibility, if he fell asleep again. The dream had seemed so real, that he was willing to do just about anything from returning to sleep. He was terrified of finishing the dream from where he left off. Between the coffee and the conversation, Alex was sure that he would be able to make it to France without needing any sleep. Once he got there, he would rely on adrenaline and Gabrielle to keep him awake. The rest of the way to France, he thought about Maria Douglas, and why she had suddenly popped back into his head. Alex guessed that it had something to do with seeing the stewardess' name tag, combined with his feeling for Gabrielle. The more he thought about Maria, the more he thought about what she had been saying in his dream. Alex wondered what his dreams were trying to tell him. All he could determine was that he was deeply afraid of what might be waiting for him in France. He wondered if his vision of Maria was being caused because, deep down, he still cared for her more than Gabrielle.
Chapter 42
April 18
6:00 a.m.
The Atlantic Ocean
Thomas had not slept well, and he was not happy to be at the helm again so soon. He had not been plagued by nightmares, nor was he disturbed by the ship's movements. What had interrupted his sleep was Hector Bishop. The moron woke him up in the middle of the night. Hector was frantic about the ships engines having just quit. He explained to Thomas that he needed someone to help him with the light while he tried to make repairs to the motor. Thomas got out of bed and went to examine the problem. After giving the controls the once over, Thomas realized what the problem was. The ship had simply run out of gas. Thomas informed Hector of the problem, then went back to bed. Hector filled the tank, and began driving the boat again. Thomas couldn't sleep much after that. He had lost all sense of comfort with Hector at the wheel. Thomas started to wonder if Hector was stupid enough to turn the ship east too much, and run them aground. Now all Thomas could think about were the events from the night before. He needed something to take his mind off that evening.
Thomas tied the wheel off with a small piece of rope, something that he warned Hector against doing. He knew that Hector would tie the wheel off and go back to sleep. Who knows how far off course they might drift before either of them woke back up. Thomas told Hector that if he fell asleep at the wheel, when they pulled into port Hector would be hanging naked by his ankles from the mast. Hector was at least smart enough to take the threat seriously. Thomas reached into his pocket and pulled out the page. The ocean was calm enough to risk examining it. He unfolded the page and read the scrolled words on the yellowed paper.
To my friend, the Salamander:
Place this, my greatest gem where
the four are one. I fear that I will
not have that chance.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Aside from a smudge of ink near the bottom, the rest of the page was blank. Thomas stared at the page. It was the only reason Hector Bishop had live to escape from Rome. When Hector arrived at Thomas' hotel room, Thomas was all set to kill him. Thomas had purchased a large trunk, and lined it with plastic. He was going to kill Hector and place his body in the trunk. After sealing the trunk shut, he would leave it in some remote alley, then leave the country. Someone was bound to come along and find the trunk eventually, and they would discover Hector's body. By that time, Thomas would be long gone. The police would call off the search for Hector Bishop, but they would increase their efforts to find Thomas. Though, they would still be looking for him as Paul Sanchez.
When Hector arrived at the hotel, Thomas was in an exceptionally good mood. He knew that he would have the pleasure of watching Hector suffer, and die. He decided to let Hector beg for his life. With a knife at his throat, Hector did just that. When Thomas asked Hector why he deserved to live, he was not prepared for the answer. Hector said that he knew where there was a treasure that no one else knew of. Intrigued, Thomas let him continue the story. Hector explained that he worked for an Italian museum. Six months ago someone discovered a diary of Leonardo Da Vinci, one that no one had ever seen before. It was given to him for authentication. After examining it closely, Hector discovered two things. It was real, and it contained information that could lead someone to a magnificent gem. Hector
didn't know how Da Vinci would have gotten his hands on such a gem, but that did not concern him much. Hector explained to the museum that the diary was too fragile to be opened and closed. He insisted that the diary be left closed, to prevent any further deterioration of the pages, or the binding. The museum agreed, and sealed the book in a glass case. Before Hector could get another look at it, the book was making its way around the world. Hector told Thomas about how the book was going to be making stops in Africa, and how the museums there had pathetic security. Hector told him that if someone got a hold of the diary, it would lead them to the jewel. Thomas had plenty of reasons to doubt Hector, but he felt that the story was too strange to be made up. Hector explained that he knew where the book would be for the next two years. When it made its final leg of the journey through Africa, they could nab it.
Once Thomas was convinced of the story, and the possibility of getting the diary, they faced a new challenge. Thomas was prepared to leave the country, alone. Now he had to find a way of escaping with Hector. Hector was not thrilled with solution. Thomas flew to France, then drove a car back into Italy. He placed Hector in the chest, after tearing the plastic lining out. Together they crossed the border, back into France. A French customs official was interested in having Thomas open the trunk for him to inspect the contents. Thomas explained that there was something stuck in the lock that prevented him from opening it. When the official went back to inspect the lock, he found the problem. A bundle of hundred franc notes was rolled up and stuffed into the loop of the padlock. Thomas lost his five thousand francs, and the official lost his interest in the trunk's contents.
Now Thomas stared at the page he had worked so hard to get. He decided to take just the one page from the book. The museum would notice if the book was missing, but they would not notice if one page was gone. Hector suggested a diversion in some other part of the country, and together they discovered Lake Nyos. Thomas knew that such a disaster would quickly drain the government's resources. The military and police would be far off helping the disaster's victims, leaving the museum more vulnerable. The gas cloud causing an evacuation had been an additional blessing. Thomas planned on having to shoot his way into the museum, then cover up the burglary by blowing the museum up. After finding out about the evacuation, Thomas changed his plan. He decided to blow up only some of the museum, just enough to cover his tracks. As a precaution, he burned the remaining portion of the diary, for fear that the explosion might not destroy it. Thomas burned it enough to hide the fact that a page had been torn from it. Though, he left enough of it for the museum to realize that it had not been stolen. Thomas was surprised to see the whole plan come off without a hitch. He ran into far less resistance than he had anticipated. After leaving through the jungle, he hid all traces of which way he was heading. As far as the people of Yaoundé were concerned, Thomas LaRue was never there. The only people who witnessed otherwise were dead. Thomas regretted having to kill his own countrymen, but it was a necessity. They had seen him in the city, and in the museum.
Thomas was nearly finished patting himself on the back, when he heard a familiar voice come over the radio. At first he could not place where he had heard the man's voice before. As he listened to the man tell his story, Thomas lost all doubt about what man the voice belonged to. The man told about his plane crash in the jungle, and his fight for survival in the wilderness. Thomas was furious. Alex had tried to follow him through the jungle. Even though he failed, Thomas grew angry with himself for letting him live. Thomas listened closely, but there was no mention of Gabrielle. He assumed that meant that she died in the car accident. It explained why Alex lied to the authorities. Alex was following him through the jungle out of revenge. Thomas felt a sense of respect for Alex. He was willing to risk his own life to avenge the death of his woman. Thomas wanted to turn the boat around and head back to Africa, but the page was more important than killing Alex. Thomas was still confident that Alex would be looking for him in America. Then the interviewer asked him what he was planning to do now that his adventure was over. Alex replied that he was going home. The interviewer quickly jumped in, and asked why Alex had purchased a plane ticket for France. Alex said that he was going to relax in Europe before heading home. Thomas saw through his lie instantly. Somehow Alex had discovered the truth. Feeling paranoid, Thomas began to wonder what mistakes he had made. If Alex could follow him back to France, someone else might also be able to. Thomas tried to convince himself that he had said something to Alex that gave away where he lived. The announcer came on the air, and said that the interview had been a repeated broadcast of an earlier recorded interview. Another wave of fear swept over Thomas. He realized that Alex was probably already in France, waiting for him. Thomas guessed that Hector had been playing his music, instead of listening to the radio. Even if he had been listening to the radio, Hector would have had no idea who Alex Taylor was. He would therefore be unaware what the significance of him traveling to France was.
Thomas turned off the radio. He was too disturbed by the interview, and was afraid to hear that the storm might be catching them. He knew that it was a possibility, since he had no idea how long the boat had been stopped before Hector finally woke him up. Thomas took another glance at the page, and tried to forget about Alex Taylor waiting for him in France. It was no use. The puzzle on the page was confusing enough without having to worry about Alex. Thomas folded the page and carefully placed it back into his pocket. He untied the rope and steered the ship closer to the distant eastern shoreline. He began to wonder if Alex would give his name to the French police. They would locate his townhouse in no time. Thomas wondered if it would still be safe to go back there, then he realized that there was no other choice. Hector had amassed a wealth of information about Da Vinci, and it was all at Thomas' place. Without that information, the page might be completely useless. Thomas was not confident that either he or Hector would be able to figure out the page's meaning without that information. All Thomas could do, was hope that Alex was not going to inform the police. Perhaps Alex would continue to search for Thomas on his own. Thomas hoped Alex's sense of revenge was as strong as his own. He wanted the chance to see Alex again, face to face. Thomas would see exactly how badly Alex wanted revenge, then he would kill him.
Chapter 43
April 18
8:05 a.m.
Paris, France
After explaining to Robert that Alex lost track of Thomas somewhere in the middle of the jungle, Gabrielle told him what her wish was. Robert was surprised that Gabrielle wanted to go to France, not Africa. Though, Robert didn't complain. Gabrielle explained that Alex was able to get a flight out of Africa, but that he had no choice and he was forced to go to France. As their flight landed at de Gaulle, Gabrielle wondered if she would be able to keep Alex from spoiling her lies. Robert said that he lived in Paris, with his wife and daughter. After finding out that they were heading there, he phoned them. Gabrielle was more than happy to turn Robert over to them. If she could get rid of him before Alex arrived, she wouldn't have to worry about Alex ruining her lies. She didn't feel guilty about lying to Robert. It was bad enough that she thought she was becoming part of an international drug smuggling ring. She wanted nothing to do with murder, and she knew that was exactly what Robert had in mind for Thomas.
Gabrielle and Robert walked around the airport for several minutes. Eventually they came to the baggage claim. Robert grabbed a hand cart, and loaded his luggage onto it. As he looked up, his eyes widened.
"That's my wife, Dana." He said, pointing down a long corridor.
As the woman approached, Gabrielle began to see her more clearly. It was Dana Barlow, her employer and owner of World Portraits. Gabrielle thought that it was remarkably strange that Robert mentioned nothing of it while they were in London. Angela, who had been there for years, didn't recognize him at all. Then Gabrielle realized that Dana must be keeping it from him for some reason. It was the only explanation. It was also why she had apparently started
the business under her maiden name. The woman slowed her approach. Gabrielle realized that Dana was stunned and speechless.
"Gabrielle, I'd like you to meet my wife, Dana." Robert said, gesturing to both as he mentioned their names.
Before Robert had even finished introducing them, Dana ran at Gabrielle. Dana grabbed her by the throat, and started choking her. Gabrielle took two steps backward, and they both fell onto the sloped steel baggage claim.
"Slut!" Dana screamed, slamming Gabrielle's head into the metal.
Gabrielle tried to force Dana off her. Robert stepped in and pulled her off. Dana's arms and legs flailed, as Robert picked her off the ground with one hand around her stomach.
"What the hell is wrong with your wife?" Gabrielle asked, acting innocent.
"If my guess is right, she's drunk." Robert replied.
"It's eight in the morning." Gabrielle said.
"That's my wife." Robert quipped.
"I'm not drunk!" Dana shouted. "Now put me down!"
Robert slowly put Dana back onto the floor. As he set her back down, he could smell the heavy scent of alcohol on her breath. He made certain that he stayed between her and Gabrielle. Then he held out a hand, and helped Gabrielle to her feet.
"What the hell is the matter with you?" Gabrielle asked.
"Fuck you, whore!" Dana screamed. "You stay away from us you fucking slut!"
Now Gabrielle started to get the picture, so did many of the people around them. Gabrielle wondered how many of them spoke enough English to understand what she was hollering. She guessed that most of them understood, the rest were just interested in watching a good cat fight.
"I'm not sleeping with your husband." Gabrielle insisted.
"No!" Dana replied sarcastically. "You just fuck him, then find somewhere else to sleep!"