Part 2 (1/2)
”And hostile natives with poison darts,” added Jay.
”Tomorrow,” finished Dr. Cooper.
THREE.
The night pa.s.sed slowly, as any night filled with fear and foreboding will. Lila lay in a bed toward the back of the trailer, staring up at the ceiling, listening, thinking. Again and again she replayed the memory of the Corys' blood-spattered tent and the poison darts they had found. Jay, lying very still in the bed across the trailer from her, listened carefully for the sound of footsteps stealing close to the trailer. As he peered out the narrow window, he hoped he wouldn't see the glint of a killer's eyes lingering in the bush. Dr. Cooper wasn't lying down at all. He sat on his bed-the dinette folded down to make one-listening and watching.
Draping a thin blanket around her shoulders, Lila got up and went to her father's side. ”Dad, you okay?”
”So far,” he said softly. He put his arm around her, giving her a loving squeeze as he looked out the windows again. ”It's very quiet out there.”
”I can't sleep.”
”Neither can I.”
”Me neither,” came Jay's voice from his bed.
”Which makes me wonder why everyone else can.”
Lila bent down and peered out the window as well, seeing no activity, no lights, and hearing no sounds beyond the constant night chatter of the jungle. ”Are they all asleep?”
”I think so,” said Dr. Cooper. ”I just did a little patrolling around the camp without encountering anyone on watch-no sentry, no safeguards at all. If I could do it, then a whole tribe of Kachakas could sneak into this camp and never be noticed. Either Basehart and his men are too dense to get a clue from what happened to the Corys, or ...”
”Or what?” asked Jay, coming up front to join them.
Jacob Cooper thought a moment, but then he shook his head. ”I don't know. It doesn't make sense.” He turned from the window to face his kids. ”But we have to get some sleep. Let's take turns keeping watch. I'll take the first s.h.i.+ft for two hours.”
”I'll take the next,” said Jay.
”Then me,” Lila said with a shrug.
”I'll leave my gun by the door. Each of you keep it beside you on your watch.”
And that's how they spent the rest of the night.
The morning air was warm, wet, and full of earthy smells when the Coopers emerged from their trailer. Armond Basehart was already up and active, barking orders to his three men. Toms and his two friends, Juan and Carlos, appeared moody and somber. They kept their eyes on the jungle as they gathered equipment and crammed provisions and tools into large backpacks.
”Well, good morning,” Dr. Basehart greeted them. ”Did you sleep well?”
Dr. Cooper couldn't help noticing his host's well-rested, almost chipper demeanor. ”Well enough. How about yourself?”
”Just fine, thank you. Well, grab some breakfast and get yourselves ready. The day wears on!”
Jacob Cooper, Jay, and Lila had their backpacks ready. They ate a quick breakfast of fruit juice and granola and then geared up.
Dr. Cooper slipped into his ”map vest,” which had many deep pockets where he could carry maps and charts close at hand. He neatly tucked the Corys' maps and photocopies of the original de Carlon maps into the pockets, strapped on his revolver and backpack, put on his hat, and was ready to go.
They headed out, Dr. Cooper leading, making their way back along the trail that led to the Corys' campsite. Jay and Lila followed directly behind their father; Dr. Basehart and his three workers followed behind them. As the jungle closed in around them, the mood of the group darkened, and there was little talking. Even Armond Basehart's hurried, commanding manner had fallen away and he, like the others, stole along the trail quietly, eyes wide open and attentive. Toms's face clearly indicated what was on his mind: Kachakas. Magic. The curse. His two friends, Juan and Carlos, each carried rifles and pointed them every direction they looked as if expecting an enemy behind every tree.
They pressed on through the thick growth like fleas on a dog's back, stepping over, ducking under, and sidestepping the branches and leaves that brushed and raked against them. The sounds of birds and insects made a constant rattle in their ears.
When they reached the camp, they found it further deteriorated, torn, and scattered by another night's visitations of scavenging animals. Toms, Juan, and Carlos began muttering to each other in Spanish, and Dr. Basehart had to shush them.
Dr. Cooper pulled out Ben Cory's map sketched in pencil, then carefully walked around the camp perimeter until he found the crude trail the Corys had hacked through the jungle. Without a word, he beckoned to the others, and they continued, the jungle closing around them more than ever.
They hiked and crept for another half-mile or so, and then they began to climb a shallow rise. Dr. Cooper consulted his map. So far, everything checked out. Another half-mile should bring them to- They froze in their tracks. Toms aimed his rifle up the rise, the barrel quivering in his trembling hand. Dr. Cooper's hand went to the .357 on his hip.
Somewhere out there, deep within the tangle of jungle, something was screaming. It was not the cry of a bird or the howl of a wild dog, but something far more eerie and strange. It rose in pitch, then fell, then rose again, in long, anguished notes of terror, or maniacal rage, or pain ... they couldn't tell.
It faded, and then it was gone. They stood silently for a long, tense moment, listening. But they heard nothing more.
Dr. Cooper looked to Dr. Basehart for an explanation.
Armond Basehart gave him a blank stare, then he turned to his men. ”What was that?” he hissed.
They looked at each other, jabbering in Spanish, then shrugged at him, shaking their heads. ”We do not know, seor,” said Toms. ”We have never heard that sound before.”
Jay and Lila could feel their hearts pounding and took some deep breaths to steady themselves. They watched their father, who remained still, listening, thinking.
Dr. Cooper looked back at his children, then at the rest of the party. ”We're going to stay close together, right?”
They all nodded in full agreement. No problem there.
Dr. Cooper turned and continued up the trail without a word. The others followed, climbing the rise, all the more attentive to every sound, every movement around them.
A tree limb moved! Juan swung his rifle around as everyone froze.
A green tree snake, slithering down the limb in a slow, lazy spiral, flicked its long, red tongue at the air. Juan relaxed and exhaled.
The sound of rus.h.i.+ng water reached their ears. Jacob Cooper checked his map. ”This should be the waterfall.”
The waterfall was like a silken veil, dropping about ten feet into a deep pool edged with moss.
”Beautiful!” Lila exclaimed.
”Let's go swimming,” Jay wished out loud.
”Let's get out of here,” Dr. Basehart urged. ”We can't hear if something's sneaking up on us!”
They kept climbing and reached the top of the rise. Like a moat to block their path, swampy land lay before them, stinking with rot, buzzing with black insects. It rippled with the twitches of larvae and the slithering of water snakes. Dry ground was scarce; the crooked, moss-laden trees and clumps of spear gra.s.s rose out of the black water as if growing from a mirror.
Dr. Cooper pulled another map from his vest pocket and snapped it open. ”We're close. This swamp was probably used as a moat at one time. The city gates are just on the other side.” He looked around, searching for something. ”The Corys found a way across and are supposed to have marked it.”
Jay pointed. ”Dad, I think I see a red ribbon over there.”
He saw a ribbon tied around a crooked tree branch, and beyond that, another. ”Watch your step, everybody.”