Buccaneer (Dane Maddock Adventures) (14 page)

Somehow, all the fear and panic washed away in the face of his inevitable demise, and he was able to think again. He stopped his flailing about, slipped out of his jeans, and swam for the surface. Light and blessed air seemed to dangle tantalizingly out of reach as he kicked and paddled with every drop of his remaining energy. He clenched his jaw and fought the impulse to breathe. Just a little farther.

And then he broke the surface and pulled in a loud, rasping breath. Sweet air filled his lungs, and even the overcast England afternoon seemed bright and sunny after the depths of the pond and the darkness of the forest. He struck out for the shore, which was only a few meters away, hauled himself up onto the steep bank, and rolled over onto his back. He was
dead
tired, but he was alive.

It was only after he
’
d caught his breath that he remembered why he
’
d run pell-mell into the water
in the first place
. What had happened to the things that had been following him? Were they still there?

He rolled over
again
and looked up to where the sloping bank met the edge of the wood. He saw naught but trees and scrub, and relaxed.

And then a gray green snout poked out the undergrowth. It was only there for a moment, but it was enough. Robert whimpered and scrambled crablike along the shore. He had to get away.

He had gone perhaps ten meters when a high pitched tone, almost above hearing, rang out. It hung in the air for the span of two heartbeats, and then... nothing.

He looked all around. Had it been a signal of some sort?

And then he raised his head.

Something detached itself from a treetop and drifted down toward him. As it drew closer, he realized just how big the thing was, and were those... wings? He was frozen in place, stupefied by the sight. It couldn
’
t be.

But it was.

And then the world exploded all around him, and he found his voice long enough for one bloodcurdling scream.

“
I
’
m afraid pumping the water out of the passageway isn
’
t going to work.
”
Charlie looked like he
’
d been sucking lemons.
“
We
’
ve been at it for hours and
the water level hasn
’
t gotten much lower.
”

“
It
’
s not unexpected,
”
Dane said.
“
This island is like a sieve.
”

“
Somebody sealed
that tunnel
up once before, and all they had were primitive tools compared to what we
’
ve got. This is crap.
”

“
That was a long time ago, Charlie. New cracks could easily develop over two centuries.
”

“
You
’
re probably right,
”
Charlie agreed.
“
You know what? Screw the drilling! We
’
re going straight for the chamber and, when we break through, you diver boys can do your stuff.
”

“
We
’
re not certain of the location,
”
Dane said.
“
You have our best guess, and that
’
s it.
”

“
I
’
ll take your best guess every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Now, if it was Bones doing the guessing...
”
Charlie made a face.

Dane laughed. There were some significant differences between Bones and Charlie, but they both had a long sarcastic streak that he appreciated.

The old man gave him a wink and headed over to give his crew their new instructions.

Dane checked his watch. It was late afternoon, two days after the discovery
of the underground chamber
, and progress was stalled. He and the crew had continued surveying the shore, but they hadn
’
t found any more underwater tunnels like this one. One more day and boredom would set in in earnest.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than his phone vibrated. It was Avery.

“
Maddock, I
’
ve got some weird news.
”

“
Okay.
”
What news could she have that would be of interest to him?

“
Your father
’
s chest was stolen from the museum.
”

“
Seriously? When?
”

“
Two nights ago. The same day Rodney was murdered.
”

Dane pondered this new development.

“
You don
’
t think the two are related, do you? Unless you let Rodney in on what you knew about the chest.
”

“
Of course I didn
’
t tell him anything, but who knows how long he was lurking out of sight that night at the Spinning Crab? He might have heard me telling you about the chests.
”
She lowered her voice to little more than a whisper.
“
Rodney was an ass and, frankly, I
’
m not surprised someone killed him. But he was the kind of guy who gets knifed in a parking lot, not tortured.
”

“
Tortured?
”
Alarm bells were going off in Dane
’
s mind.
“
What do you mean?
”

“
I
’
m not supposed to know this, but one of the deputies is an old friend. They cut off his ears, his fingers, his eyelids. All kinds of crazy stuff you think only happens in horror movies.
”

“
Somebody wanted information.
”

“
Right, and believe me when I tell you, Rodney had no information in that head of his. None.
”

In spite of the grisly news, Dane couldn
’
t stifle a grin at Avery
’
s dry sense of humor. Then a thought occurred to him that wiped the grin from his face.

“
Do you think he gave them your name?
”

“
I
’
ve been wondering
that very thing
.
”
Her voice was tight
.
“
I think they would have come after me by now if he had. At least, that
’
s what I keep telling myself.
”

“
Is there any place you can go, anyone you can stay with, where you can hide out for a while?
”
He didn
’
t know why he was bothering with the question. He already knew how this conversation was going to end.

“
Maybe.
”
Doubt tinged her voice.
“
Classes
ended today
and I
’
m not teaching this summer, so I suppose I could leave town, but what if they found me? I
’
m not a helpless Barbie girl, but I don
’
t think I could do much against professional killers.
”

“
You can stay with us. Gather what you
’
ll need and I
’
ll send Bones to get you.
”
Dane wanted to kick himself. Why must he always try to rescue the damsels in distress? He had to admit, he had no romantic interest in Avery, but he felt an odd affinity for her. In the few hours they
’
d spent together, she
’
d seemed to really get him, and understand his way of thinking. He liked her and didn
’
t want to see her get hurt.

“
I don
’
t want to be any trouble. You guys have work to do and I
’
m sure Bones doesn
’
t want to chauffeur me around.
”

“
Trust me. The dive work is done for the moment and a bored Bones is an annoying Bones. He
’
ll be happy to get off the island and I
’
ll be glad to not listen to his grumbling.
”

“
All right, then. Thank you.
”

He had just hung up the phone and was about to go find Bones when two sheriff
’
s department cars pulled up to the work site. Deputies White and Boudreau climbed out of one, while Sheriff Meade, grinning ear to ear, and a tall man in an expensive suit exited the other.

“
What the hell is this?
”
Charlie had noticed their new visitors and come to stand beside Dane.

“
Charles Bonebrake?
”
Meade didn
’
t wait for a reply to his question.
“
I have an order here for you to cease operations and leave the island.
”
He held out a document which Charlie snatched.

“
You mind telling me what this is all about?
”
He scanned the document, his countenance growing darker as he read.

“
A man almost lost his life on your job site. The local authorities need to conduct a safety inspection, after which time, the Bailyn Museum will be taking over the project.
”

“
The hell they will! I
’
ve got a permit!
”

“
Which has been revoked, effective today.
”
Meade
’
s grin grew predatory, his straight, white teeth gleaming in the sunlight.
“
I
’
ll need you and all of your equipment off the premises by five o
’
clock.
”

“
That
’
s impossible,
”
Charlie snapped.
“
We
’
re in the middle of a job here. It
’
s not that easy just to pick up and walk away.
”

“
It
’
s a thousand dollar a day fine for trespassing.
”

“
Pocket change.
”
Charlie
’
s grin matched that of the sheriff.

“
And you
’
ll be arrested for criminal trespass and your equipment impounded.
”
Meade tucked his thumbs into his belt and rocked back on his heels, awaiting Charlie
’
s next protest. Behind him, Boudreau looked pleased and White uncomfortable. The third man
’
s expression was one of polite interest.

“
Why is the museum taking over the project, Sheriff?
”
Dane knew the truth, the sheriff blamed him for Rodney
’
s death and this was payback, but he was curious what the excuse would be.

“
Indian artifacts have been found on the island. We need qualified researchers to do a complete archaeological survey before any other work can proceed. Since they
’
re going to be doing the survey, it
’
s more expedient for them to follow up on any leads you might have.
”

“
Son, the only Indian artifact on this island is me.
”
Charlie
’
s voice and demeanor were serene, which meant he was already working on a plan. The old man never surrendered, but he knew when to make a strategic retreat.

“
On the contrary,
”
Boudreau
said
.
“
I found this arrowhead just lying on the ground when I got out of the car.
”
She held up a leaf-shaped, fluted projectile point.

“
That
’
s a Folsom point.
”
Dane hadn
’
t heard Bones approaching.
“
And it
’
s obsidian, so it
’
s from the American southwest. If you
’
re going to pull
a scam
, at least try not to make yourself look like an idiot.
”