Treasured Dreams (36 page)

He jerked his head, frowning. ‘What? Why?'

She rolled her engagement ring around her finger as she searched for the reason. There had been so many, and yet now, none of them seemed reasonable. ‘I don't know. I guess because we don't have a home. We're not settled.'

‘Honey?
Evangeline
is our home and with it we can go wherever we want in the world.'

She'd thought about this over and over and still couldn't imagine living permanently on a boat. Her childhood had been so different to Archer's. Did that make her childhood right? Or better? It suddenly dawned on her that where a child grew up wasn't as important as the parents that child had. Both of them had grown up without either a mother or father present. Their child was going to be the most loved boy or girl that was ever born. The idea made her glow from the inside.

‘I can't wait to tell everyone.'

She jolted. ‘No, Archer. No one must know yet. I don't even know if it's true.'

‘Are you kidding?'

‘No. I'm serious. This is to be our secret until we can confirm either way.' She reached up, placed her hand on his cheek and drew his eyes to her. ‘Okay?'

He rolled his eyes. ‘Well, that's going to be hard.'

‘I mean it. No treating me any different, or the others will wonder what's going on.'

He cupped her cheek, wiping a stray tear with his thumb. ‘You're carrying precious cargo. Of course I'll treat you differently.'

She chuckled. ‘We don't know that. It's just a hunch.'

He smiled and the sunlight had the flecks of gold circling his irises positively dancing. ‘And what a beautiful hunch it is.'

‘Really?'

‘Really? Are you kidding? It's the best present in the world.' He drew her in for a kiss. ‘I love you.'

‘I love you, too.'

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The thrill of yesterday's diamond find was still coursing through Alessandro's brain, and based on the energy at the breakfast table, everyone else felt the same. The discussion flitted from diamonds to creepy Japanese men with ease. Alessandro loved that Ginger was confident she could obtain vital information from the Japanese man. Alessandro looked forward to watching her work, although he wasn't as confident their discussion would be successful.

After all, it had been seventy years since the war, and if this man had actually been in World War II, then he had to be at least ninety years old. The chances of him being one of the Yukimura brothers was highly improbable. On top of that, even if he was one of them, the chance of him actually remembering any important details was even lesser still.

Alessandro was both shocked and perplexed when Archer and Rosalina decided to stay on board
Evangeline
while he, Ginger and Jimmy went to Headhunter Island. His curiosity of this was short-lived though as they were swept up in the planning.

Every other island they'd seen in the Solomons was surrounded by a sandy beach and looked as inviting as any romantic getaway brochure. Not this one, though. Headhunter Island rose from the water like a giant molar tooth. The towering columns of jagged rocks were topped with a jungle of plants like a mop of wild green hair. It actually looked like a giant head and, Alessandro mused, was hopefully how it had earned its unfortunate name.

As Jimmy steered the boat towards the island, Alessandro wondered if the young boys were right. It didn't seem possible that someone could live on this island. But just as he was about to voice that opinion, Ginger pointed forward.

‘Look. There's stairs.'

‘Thank God,' said Jimmy. ‘I was beginning to think we were in for some rock climbing.'

The stairs magically clung to the rock wall and wove their way around the island from the top to the bottom. Jimmy followed the construction, seeking the stairs' lowest point.

‘There's a little jetty.' Alessandro pointed it out. Alongside the jetty was both a canoe and a small motor boat. Jimmy angled towards it and when they became close enough, Alessandro jumped out and caught the rope Ginger tossed to him. He secured their boat to the jetty and offered his hand to Ginger.

‘It all looks a little creepy,' she said, as she climbed out.

‘
Si
, I agree.'

Jimmy joined them on the jetty. ‘I'll go first,' he said. ‘Ginger, you stay between us.'

Alessandro wanted to look up to see where they were going, but once he realised how rickety the steps were, he had to keep his eyes on his footing instead. The incline was steep, and it was impossible to believe an old man could manage these steps. It was looking more and more like their intentions for today had no chance of coming to fruition.

At the top of the stairs, as they all paused to catch their breath. Alessandro looked out across the ocean.
Evangeline
stood out like a majestic castle in an ocean of blue. He still found it hard to believe he was living on such a luxurious vessel. His life in Italy was worlds away and it surprised him how little he missed it.

So much had changed.

As Ginger eased in front of him to walk along the path he admired her slender legs as she stepped over the vegetation with ease.

A rugged path wove its way through the jungle. It was slightly overgrown but still obvious. Jimmy pushed plants back and they alternated holding them until all three of them had passed through. They stepped over a fallen palm tree that, judging by the amount of moss covering it, had toppled a long time ago.

A loud crack exploded from the silence and in a blast of air and dried leaves, a giant net swept Jimmy off his feet and flung him through the trees.

‘Ohhhh shit!' Jimmy roared.

Alessandro jumped in front of Ginger, protecting her from the invisible onslaught, and braced for an attack from every angle. His breath shot in and out as he scanned the dense jungle around them, seeking their attacker, but there was nothing but Jimmy, trapped in an enormous net, swinging backward and forward.

Another crack sounded, and as Jimmy's net reached the lowest point in the pendulum, the tree branch holding the rope snapped off and Jimmy smashed to the ground.

Alessandro dodged the plants to get to him and found Jimmy on his back, groaning. His arms and legs were a tangle in the knotted rope.

‘Jesus Christ. What the hell was that?' Jimmy bellowed.

‘Are you okay?' Alessandro stifled a laugh as he tried to untangle Jimmy from the net. Finally, he found the opening and tugged it apart. Ginger too was trying not to giggle as she helped. Soon the opening was big enough to peel over Jimmy.

Ginger knelt beside him. ‘You didn't break anything, did you?' She was laughing now. ‘Sorry, I can't help it. That was funny.'

‘Not fucking funny.' Jimmy clenched his teeth and shook his head. ‘I could've broken my neck.' He rolled his head from side to side and lifted his arms, apparently testing for injuries.

Alessandro reached down to the net that looked like it'd been knotted together by hand. ‘I was beginning to think we were wasting our time today, but now I'm not so sure.'

‘Yeah? How so, Einstein?' Jimmy rolled to his hands and knees, and Alessandro shared a grin with Ginger.

‘Well … why would anyone build a trap like that unless they were trying to protect something?'

Jimmy groaned as he stood up. ‘Alright, genius, you can go first from now on.'

Alessandro looked about the dense vegetation, a sea of green and brown. All manner of traps could be concealed, primed and ready for release. It was impossible to believe anyone lived on this island. And yet, they'd already seen proof that someone did. Or at least they once had.

‘Okay.' Alessandro made his way back to the path, deciding on that as the safest plan. But all the same, he took every step with measured caution, searching for anything unusual. Although it was an impossible ask, as everything looked unusual. He froze.

‘Smell that? Smoke.'

‘Yes,' Ginger whispered close behind him.

‘Do you still think this is a good idea? Whoever lives on this island obviously doesn't want visitors.'

‘We've come this far, numbnuts, might as well keep going.'

‘Don't call me that.'

Ginger placed her hand on his shoulder. ‘There's no harm in talking to the man.'

‘The crazy Japanese man.' Alessandro reminded them of the children's nickname.

‘They're just kids.'

‘Yes, but from what I've seen so far, I may support their theory.'

‘Oh for Christ's sake.' Jimmy pushed past both of them and led the way along the path.

Alessandro allowed Ginger to step in front again, and the two of them caught up to the striding Jimmy. He couldn't decide if Jimmy was either stupid or brave as he strode along without a cautious step. The jungle suddenly opened to a clearing where the grass was lush and neatly trimmed.

There was one hut centred in the middle of the clearing. It wasn't ramshackle like all the others he'd seen dotted along the islands; this one was made with obvious skill. The high-pitched roof had a distinct Japanese feel to it and the stumps holding the building about a metre off the ground were intricately carved with Japanese letters. A decent-sized veranda ran the full length along the front of the building and the posts securing the railing had wood-carved creations of Ch'i-t'zu, the happy fat Buddhist monk sitting on top of them. Whoever lived here took meticulous care with their property.

A path, worn through the grass lead to a set of three steps. ‘Here we go.' Jimmy strode across the path with all the bravado of a marauding captain.

As the three of them walked towards the front steps, Alessandro followed the line of smoke that drifted from a pipe at the back of the building into the surrounding trees and vanished.

‘Hello.' Jimmy rapped his knuckles on the open front door.

They were met with silence. ‘Is anyone home?'

‘Konnichiha, dare demo ha ei desu ka?' It was strange to hear Ginger speaking in Japanese.

Ginger stepped over the threshold and Alessandro stepped in behind her. The room was sparsely decorated with an exposed-beam roof. At one end, a bed had the covers neatly made, and it seemed everything had its place.

Alessandro turned to a creaking noise and froze. An old man sat in a rocking chair, his hands folded casually in his lap. It was as if he'd been expecting them. The man was bald except for a few lingering hairs that were as fine as wind-blown cotton. His eyes were almost covered in drooping folds of skin. His long grey beard sat on his chest and his moustache, twisted into long threads, looked like ivory horns. He rocked back and forward, but other than that he didn't move.

Ginger stepped forward and held out her hand. ‘Hello, my name's Ginger. Are you Mr Yukimura?'

His hands snapped from his lap, and Alessandro saw Ginger jump when her fingers vanished within the old man's grasp.

‘I wondered when you'd find me.' His voice was stones in a blender.

The man dropped Ginger's hand and continued to rock back and forward as if he wasn't surprised to see strangers in his room. Then again, Jimmy's screaming incident in the bush would've alerted anyone to their arrival. In the bristling silence, the creaking chair was the only sound as Alessandro stepped forward.

‘Hello. I'm Alessandro, and this is Jimmy. We were hoping we could speak with you.'

When their eyes met, Alessandro was struck by their eeriness. The old man's left eye had lost its battle against glaucoma a long time ago. His right eye, though, drilled right into Alessandro.

The Japanese man stopped rocking, placed his feet on the ground and eased forward, maintaining his glare at Alessandro. ‘Are you here about the skulls?'

Alessandro fought back his gasp and swallowed hard. ‘Yes.' He stammered. ‘Yes, we are. What do you know about them?'

The man reached up and twirled the two long moustache ribbons. ‘I know they ruined my life.' A tear spilled out of his clouded left eye, trickled down his cheek and tumbled into his white beard.

Alessandro was certain he'd fallen into a weird dream.

‘Would you like to talk about it?' Ginger touched the old man's forearm, and his eyes travelled down to her touch.

‘Of course I do. That's why you're here, isn't it?'

‘Yes, Mr Yukimura, it is.' Ginger was concise with her words yet gentle with her tone.

Mr Yukimura leant back and once again rocked backward and forward to a groaning rhythm. ‘Take a seat then,' he said.

Alessandro looked about the room, wondering where they would sit. There was a small table in the corner but no other chairs. When Ginger slipped to the floor and sat cross-legged, Alessandro followed her lead. Jimmy remained standing and Alessandro eyeballed him until the stubborn bugger sat down too.

‘Mr Yukimura …' Ginger said.

He raised his hand, stopping her. ‘Please … call me Hiro.'

Alessandro raised his eyebrows at that. For some inexplicable reason, he'd thought this would be Kimoda.

Ginger smiled at the man, and when he smiled back, Alessandro noticed he had no teeth.

Hiro placed his feet on the ground again and leant towards them. ‘I always knew that someday somebody would work out who stole them. It took you long enough.'

‘We've only been looking for a couple of months,' Ginger said. ‘Would you mind telling us how you did it?'

He twirled his moustache and resumed his rocking. ‘Kimoda and I were a formidable team.' His eyelids drooped. ‘Until he stole it all and ran off and left me.'

Alessandro frowned. Was it possible Hiro had no idea what had happened to his brother? He glanced at Ginger, and when her eyes bulged he assumed she'd arrived at the same conclusion.

‘Mr Yukimura … Hiro, I'm sorry to tell you this, but we think Kimoda died in 1945.' Ginger's voice was a sympathetic melody as she told him the horrible news.