by K D McNiven
“I agree. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Megan. “With as many bones as we come across, someone must have the scoop on what transpired here and when.”
Back on deck, Meg took the samples to the lab for testing. When she unloaded her findings, she didn’t miss the look of surprise on marine biologist, Cory Patterson’s face. Stooped over a microscope, he glanced up at Meg. His hazel eyes flecked with gold, flashed with a start from behind thick black-framed glasses. With the back of his hand, he brushed back tangles of copper hair. His brows arched questioningly.
“Bones? A skull? What the heck, Meg!”
She shrugged, her eyes sparkling beneath the bright fluorescent lighting overhead. “It’s bizarre I know. We came upon a welled-out area on the seafloor filled with human and animal remains—seriously, it looked like a bone quarry.”
“Bizarre doesn’t quite adequately describe such a phenomenon, Meg. Bone quarry? That’s chilling.”
“There has to be a logical explanation,” she replied. “I can’t imagine what it might be. However, something extraordinary happened here, and it looks as if it’s been going on for many years looking at the various degrees of deterioration.” Meg glanced at her watch, then added, “We’re heading into the village for a drink this evening, want to join us? I thought we’d ask a few of the locals and see if a major disaster occurred years ago to explain it. Maybe it’s a burial ground of sorts…you know…like cremation but instead, they toss the dead out into the ocean as a ritual.”
“Can’t wait to hear this one,” he remarked, unable to tear his gaze away from the skull she’d set in front of him. “And sure. I’ll tag along with you guys. I’ve been staring through this microscope all morning and my eyes are spinning like pinwheels.”
Meg chuckled and patted his shoulder. “What would we do without you, Cory?”
“Hopefully, you’ll never have to find out.”
“Here, here,” she smiled, heading for the door. “I’m going to go change. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Later.” He nodded his head and went back to what he had been doing.
Meg made her way to her quarters that she shared with Camilla and Maddy to shower. She slipped into her blue denim capris, gray tank top, and white converse tennis shoes raked the hairbrush through the tangles of golden-brown hair and drew it back away from her oval face into a ponytail. Her cheeks were flushed from too much sun, even her shoulders had red splotches. She applied sunscreen, feeling the burn as she did and pinched up her face.
“Ouch, that smarts. I should have done this earlier. The sun’s rays are so intense here. I hope it cools down a bit.”
“You and me both,” replied Camilla. “Look at my nose.”
Meg hadn’t missed the burn. From now on they would need to take much more care and drink loads of water while outside since none of them were used to the triple-digit heat.
Once she’d finished rubbing on the lotion, Meg made her way to the dining facility and grabbed a bottle of chilled water to hydrate. The cold liquid sliding down her parched throat was definitely satisfying.
Jayden entered the room, a wide smile on his lips. “How’s it going?”
Meg smiled back, thinking how eye-catching he was. If she wanted to be honest, a mutual attraction flowed between them. He possessed an irresistible charm. He was likable, adventurous, and fun to hang out with. Nevertheless, she had been hurt deeply on the last go around with a man and she had no intention of pursuing a relationship with anyone any time soon. Besides, Jayden had a lady friend living with him back in California.
She caught the scent of Ralph Lauren’s Men’s Safari cologne as he neared—a smell she had come to recognize whenever he comes around. Freshly showered, and changed into faded blue Levi’s worn thin at the knees, and a dark brown T-shirt matching his eyes, he presented a handsome figure. He wandered leisurely over to the cooler and grabbed a plastic water bottle, guzzling half the bottle in one swallow.
“Ahh,” he said, eyes hooded. “I was desperate for that.”
“Me too. It’s easy to get dehydrated when it’s so blasted hot out.” She pulled out a chair and took a seat. “What’s your take on today’s discovery?”
“Stumped...bewildered…baffled, to say the least.” He walked over to where she sat and flopped like a rag doll onto the chair opposite her. “For the number of bones stacked up, you would assume something catastrophic had happened. We’ll wait and see what Cory and Maddy come up with. They are dating the samples we hauled in.”
“You know what’s really weird? Some of the bones look like they’ve been there for a couple of years, considering the sediment and decay. And yet, others look like it was yesterday’s meal.”
He nodded. “I know what you’re saying—kinda scares the hell out of me if you want to know the truth.”
“I’m sure there is a plausible explanation,” Meg said, though not convincingly.
“Cannibals. Extremely hungry cannibals. That’s my guess,” came Richard’s crisp voice as he entered the room, evidently catching the end of their conversation.
Meg chuckled. “Or a mass murderer. Either way, maybe we should reconsider going ashore.”
“I’ll protect all of you,” Richard boasted with a deep belly laugh.
“Gee, I feel better already,” Jayden replied, sarcasm dripping in his voice.
“Ah, c’mon. You’re just jealous you don’t have big guns…like mine.” He flexed his muscles, making them quiver. Being a weight lifter he was impressive—broad-chested, thick thighed, and packing a six-pack of rippling strength. Quite the braggart as well, as everyone onboard could attest to. For the most part, they tried to overlook his arrogance. They had worked side by side with him for a couple of years, and his humor seemed to compensate for his boasting. At least most of the time.
Madison socked him in the arm playfully, her face contorted. “Richard, I don’t think the team needs to hear you crowing like a rooster all the time. A bit of humility might be in order, don’t you think?”
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” he squawked, flapping his arms like a rooster and dropping his head back laughingly, then said, “who needs false modesty? When you got it, you got it.”
In spite of his obnoxious remarks, everyone laughed.
“How do you put up with this egomaniac, Maddy?” Jayden asked, a broad smile lifting the corners of his lips.
“After years of marriage, you finally learn to shut it out.”
Richard’s mouth dropped. “Maddy, you wound me, Darlin’.”
She rolled her eyes, turned, and walked over to the counter where she poured herself a cup of hot coffee from the carafe. “No sense chiding him,” she said. “He always has a come-back. Even so, underneath all of the bravado, he’s actually a marshmallow.” And it was true. Richard would do anything for her or anyone else for that matter.
“C’mon. Don’t give away all of my secrets, Maddy. Next thing you know, you’ll be having me hold their hand when they have a tummy ache.”
“Shush and drink your coffee before they throw you overboard,” she replied.
There came a loud THWACK sound as if something had struck the bottom of the ship. At the same time, the ship lurched beneath them. Maddy and Richard both stumbled against the wall, sloshing coffee on their clothes and onto the floor. Meg sprawled out on the floor, her shoulder driving hard against the metal. Her face pinched up in pain as she pushed herself up onto her elbows. Everyone looked around stunned.
“What the devil was that?” Richard gasped, grabbing Maddy’s arm to support her in case of another abrupt shift.
“It’s as if we struck something, but we’re anchored, and there are no rocks or coral close to the keel for us to collide with,” replied Meg.
Jayden took to his feet and stretched his hand out to Meg. “You alright?”
She nodded. “Think so. My shoulder hurts a little but I’ll live.
When they made sure everyone had fared well, they headed straightaway
to the deck and stared out at the swelling waves, trying to discover what had just happened.
“Maybe an earthquake?” Jayden said. What other explanation could there be? So far as they could determine, there weren’t any whales visible, nor would they expect whales to come this close to the shore.
Captain Burke marched out of the pilothouse; his brows pulled together with concern. “See anything?” he asked. “The sonar picked up something large but as quick as it came, it left.”
“What do you think it might be?” asked Meg.
“No idea. Maybe an extremely large shark?” He shrugged.
“Powerful, whatever it was.” Meg continued to search the perimeter but still didn’t see anything.
“Well, I wouldn’t give it much thought,” Captain Burke said. “Whatever it was, it’s probably out to sea by now.”
***
After several hours had passed and work for the day had been wrapped up, the group piled into the zodiac and made their way toward shore. Moonlight danced like water sprites across the gentle swells, and the sky was illuminated with a polish of glittering stars. Warm air brushed their faces as they scudded across the dark water, the twinkling lights of São Brazilia village showed along the waterfront. The air was alive with a symphony of croaking frogs, an orchestra of droning crickets, and the steady howl of monkeys living in the grove of trees surrounding the area.
The team chatted busily as they reached the docks. Jayden leaped out to moor the zodiac and when secured, the others climbed out and headed toward the lively local bar a quarter-mile walk from where they were. Vibrant music floated out to greet them, as they walked along the dirt trail leading to the bar. The rumble of voices and guffaws grew louder with each step.
After making their way inside, they noted a crowd of rowdy locals mulling around the jam-packed room. They shouldered their way through the throng of people and headed to a corner table to seat themselves. It was an open-air bar with a thatched roof. Lights were strung from corner to corner, unfortunately inviting a mass of flying insects to swarm around their heads.
“A round of Skol’s beer,” said Richard when the waiter stepped up to the table. Richard had heard it was the most popular brand in Brazil. “On me.” He tossed out several Brl, the local currency, onto the table.
“Hey thanks, Richard,” Jayden said, giving a thumbs-up sign.
After the beers were served, Richard raised his bottle. “To an amazing, successful undertaking.”
“Here, here,” said Meg, swatting at the insects.
A clinking of glass resonated in the room as the team raised their beers to toast.
Richard, being Richard, grabbed Maddy’s hand, nearly dragging her to the dance floor. A small group of men was playing the congas and shakers while a young woman was singing. Her black hair tumbled over her cocoa-colored shoulders, and her hips swayed to the lively tune.
Maddy’s face crumpled in mock protest. However, within minutes, she was laughing and swinging her arms joyfully. Once the music ended, the two rejoined the group, their cheeks rosy from dancing and the heat.
Captain Aaron Burke seated himself at the far end of the table seeming unduly quiet. Usually, he stayed on board, though his first mate, Clem Smith urged him to take a break and fraternize with the team. He had to admit, it felt good to have his feet planted on solid ground for a while.
Meg cast an inquisitive look his way. She knew the captain was not generally so pensive, could even see the cogs in his brain working overtime. Or at least that’s how it appeared to Meg.
“Spill it, Captain,” she said. She pulled up a chair and leaned in so she could hear over the din.
Startled by her voice and the scraping of chair legs, his attention returned. The corner of his mouth lifted. “Sorry. Just caught up in today’s turn of events.”
“You mean the bone quarry?”
“Say what?”
Meg laughed softly. “My new name for the place. That’s what it reminds me of, all those bleached bones stacked in a heap. Gives a person the creeps.”
“What I think is freaky,” said Jayden who sat close by, a sheen of sweat glistening on his brown face. “Not only did we come upon human bones, we saw evidence of a variety of fish—including a variety of shark species. Kind of rules out an ocean-going vessel top-sizing and all of its occupants drowning. And not that it would make any sense either way when you consider most of them could have swum to shore.”
“I hear what you’re saying, Jayden,” the captain replied. “But let’s not jump to any conclusions before we gather all the facts.” He removed his captain’s cap and set it aside as he took a swig of beer. He raked his calloused fingers through his cottony-white hair, looking deeply concerned. His face appeared more weathered under the dim lights.
“We’re going to ask around and see if there are any unusual stories linked to it,” said Meg. “I’ve been brushing up on my Portuguese, so guess I’ll have to see how it goes with the locals. They may laugh me out of here.”
“Give it your best shot, Meg.” Captain Burke patted her shoulder in a show of encouragement, knowing no one else on the team could speak Portuguese.
After a couple of rounds, Meg and Jayden wandered around the room looking for some elderly locals who might have pertinent information to share with them. At a small table, two older gentlemen were nose-to-nose in conversation and Meg wiggled her forefinger, signaling Jayden to follow along to see what they could find out.
The men looked up, surprised to see a couple of strangers standing in front of their table. “Can I help you?” one of the men said, his dark eyes reflecting curiosity. A striking-looking man with thick silver-gray hair slicked back from an angular face.
Meg released her breath thankful he spoke English. Over the past month, she had learned short phrases in order to communicate with the townspeople. To carry on long conversations, a whole different story. Despite that, she put on her friendliest smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Can we speak with you about something we discovered offshore?”
He cocked his head, motioning for them to sit down.
“My name is Megan Gerhart and this is my friend Jayden Ballenger,” she introduced. “We’re doing a study…trying to determine why there’s been a rash of dead fish washing up on shore.”
“I heard,” he said, sounding almost affronted, his posture rigid as if their presence was not welcome. “I’ve seen your research boat out there for a couple of days.”
“When we were diving, we came upon a heap of bones about five hundred feet out.”
He looked up, tipped his bottle of beer to his lips and took a healthy gulp. “Yeah, so?”
“Human bones.”
“Humph.”
“That’s it?” Jayden jumped in; his voice sharp. “She just told you we discovered human bones—lots of them, heaps of them, lying in a wallowed-out area along the seafloor.”
Meg ribbed Jayden in an attempt to tone him down. After all, they wouldn’t get far if they offended the locals.
“What he means to say is that it was shocking to us and disturbing to come across these remains. We’re hoping perhaps you’ve heard stories from the locals about what might have happened to these people?”
The man’s face didn’t change, unyielding as a stone. The other man turned his head, staring out into the thickly tangled, tropical forest they were tucked into as if he hadn’t heard a word they were saying. Frustration went up a couple of notches as Meg sat lamely, arms at her side, wondering why they weren’t willing to talk to her.
“Nothing? That’s hard to imagine. What about burial ceremonies?”
The old man shrugged and pulled hard on his beer bottle, clearly avoiding the conversation.
“Maybe sacrifices?” Jayden tossed in with a bit of sarcasm. “I’ve read plenty about that sort of thing.” Normally he would have discounted such a ludicrous idea. Yet with no explanations, he had to wonder.
The old man looked over at him blankly, though
he appeared to be annoyed and wanted them to leave him well enough alone.
“Well, thank you for your time,” Meg said curtly, realizing the man had no intention of helping them out. His closed-mouth response stunned her. She reached out quickly to snag Jayden’s hand, fearful he might work himself into a quarrel with the two men, though she battled back a smile over Jayden’s comments.
“They know something,” Jayden said, tossing a look over his shoulder at the two men who had turned their heads the opposite direction, refusing to look at them. “Why would they keep something like this to themselves? I mean, it’s not like we were asking them what trees are indigenous to the area or what kind of foods are most popular in the village. I don’t get it.”
“Maybe they think people will be afraid to travel here if news got out about it.”
“Darned right they would. Still, it doesn’t make any sense.”
“Maybe if we speak with a few of the fishermen, one of them would have some knowledge about this—maybe even be willing to clue us in.”
“Don’t bank on it if they're related to those two men!”
Meg laughed softly, fully understanding his irritation. Even though she had meant to encourage him, doubt flashed through her mind. She hadn’t even seen fishermen where they were. Very strange.
They would be diving again in the morning. Hopefully, they would discover some evidence to help explain what had happened, she mused. There mere thought of diving in that area gave her the chills. There was something out there and much as she tried to push the images to the far recesses of her mind, they still plagued her.
Sliding up next to another gentleman, a bit younger than the last two, Meg hoped they would have a better outcome. Unfortunately, as she spoke, the man had difficulty understanding her limited Portuguese. After a short time, he turned away and continued his conversation with his friend and seemed unwilling to try to figure out what she was trying to communicate.
“Any luck?” Captain Burke asked when they finally returned to their table and sat back down.