“These rent-a-cops, were they armed?”
“Stun and tranquilizer guns mostly,” Erskine said. “Though they did have handguns inside the security room in case of an emergency.”
Howie grunted in disgust. “So this psycho somehow overpowered all these people? What’s his background?”
“He was a mental patient… since childhood.”
“That’s it? Have you at least got a picture of him? A name?”
Erskine shook his head. “He’s had plastic surgery, but there were complications from what I remember, and we never got the updated pictures. Anyway, you’ll know it’s him when you see him—he’ll look like a total freak. The scientists named him Proteus.”
The four men looked at each other again. Erskine could tell they were going to balk at the job. One of them smirked while shaking his head; another chuckled and shrugged apathetically.
“Four of us against him,” the third one said. He had a long scar running down the side of his left cheek and his demeanor was unreadable. “The most he’s got is a pistol.”
Howie frowned while staring at Erskine. “We’ll need free use of our tools.”
Erskine pointed towards a large olive-colored crate. “Of course. Do what you want and get it done. No explosives except breaching charges for doors, though.”
“Everything else is good? Carbines? Night vision gear?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. Try to avoid as much collateral damage as you can though. If you find any other survivors then make sure they’re safe too.”
Howie turned to face the other men once more. This time all three gave him a thumbs up. He shifted his gaze back to Erskine. “Okay.”
“Good,” Erskine said. “The resort has guests coming over, so you’ll be inserted by boat this evening to keep things quiet. One more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You all signed nondisclosure forms when you took this job,” Erskine said. “So you will not divulge anything about whatever you find over there.”
15
THE HELICOPTER RIDE took a little over ninety minutes to get to the landing pad at Lemuria. Cathy and Kim were a little nervous as they were strapped into the luxury cabin of the modified AugustaWestland AW139 helicopter, but the smooth trip and the patient cabin crew soon turned their apprehension into exhilaration. Scott’s eyes remained glued to the windows as he marveled at the crystal clear blue waters below while the helicopter made several passes at low level when he asked for a closer look.
Nick Dirkse smiled as the helicopter made a perfect landing on the pad and began to power down its engines. The vibrations in the cabin only intensified during takeoffs and landings, but it quickly subsided when the rotors stopped.
“I would like to be the first to welcome you all to Lemuria,” the pilot said over the headsets they all wore. “I hope you enjoy the rest of the day.”
Nick turned and gripped Cathy’s hand. “You alright?”
Cathy let out a deep breath. “Wow, I don’t think any of us has ever flown in a chopper before.”
Nick pointed towards David Blaise, who gave them both a friendly salute. “He has.”
Cathy smiled at him. They had been introduced to each other at the boarding gate while still in Cochin. “How many chopper rides have you had, Mr. Blaise?”
“I’ve lost count,” Blaise said. “And please, call me David.”
One of the helipad attendants trotted over and began opening the side doors. “Welcome, everyone. Let me help you out of your restraints.”
Blaise had been the closest to the door, and he was the first guest to walk out onto the tarmac. Stretching his legs, he noticed that a slight breeze had begun to waft around him, taking off some of the afternoon sun’s edge.
Several smiling hotel staffers approached the guests and placed garlands of sweet smelling flowers around their necks. They were dressed in traditional garb found in the nearby islands. The female staffers wore long green and blue silk robes and shawls above their uniforms, while the men wore lungis over their brightly colored trousers. They each made the Namaste greeting by slightly bowing and pressing their palms together. Nick and his family were somewhat confused, but they all quickly followed Blaise, who did the greeting in return.
Rakesh Budrani strode forward and began shaking everyone’s hands. “Hello, I am the general manager of this resort. I wanted to welcome you personally to Lemuria.”
Kim held her hand up. “I got a question.”
“Of course,” Rakesh said. “What do you need to know, young lady?”
Kim gave him a sheepish look. “Could I use the bathroom?”
Rakesh smiled and gestured to the building behind him. “This way. My staff will show you.”
Cathy blushed at her husband while keeping up with Kim. “I think I need to use it too.”
Rakesh nodded and signaled at everyone to follow him. “Let us all go into the Arrivals Lounge. We have some treats for you and you can all use the bathrooms.”
Nick began walking alongside his son. “Did you enjoy the chopper ride, Scotty?”
The boy had remained wide eyed and completely alert throughout the whole trip. “Best vacation so far, Dad.”
Blaise lengthened his stride until he was parallel to the general manager. “Mr. Budrani, do you have any comments about the environmental impact of this new resort for the inhabitants of Lakshadweep?”
Rakesh smiled while making a sidelong glance at him as they made it inside the cool, air conditioned lounge. “The proper environmental permits went through a very thorough approval process before we even began construction in the island, Mr. Blaise. This is old news.”
“But there have been new allegations of bribery via Mukesh Dhar’s construction firms, and an inquiry is underway at the Kerala High Court. I’m merely wondering if you have been observant of the local protests about it.”
Rakesh kept his voice low. “Whatever happens in Kochi is beyond my responsibility, Mr. Blaise. You are with the Associated Press, are you not?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Well, I had one of my assistants place a call to AP headquarters in New York, and no one seems to know you over there.”
Blaise chuckled. “AP is a big organization and we’re worldwide. Many freelancers like me contribute to their news reporting. I’m sure your worker just isn’t looking hard enough.”
“I’m afraid no one has heard of you at all, Mr. Blaise. I cannot find a single news article attributed to you.”
“Oh, come on. I’ve written tons of stuff, mate. You need to look harder.”
“At this moment we’re still checking,” Rakesh said. “As a precaution, our security department has run a general background check on you, and they also came up with nothing.”
Blaise gulped. They’re onto me now. “Like I said, your people just aren’t looking hard enough.”
Rakesh kept a straight face. “I am normally a very kind man, and I feel that every guest we have in this resort is to be treated like a rajah. But if I find out that anyone has come here under false pretenses to commit some sort of mischief, then I will not hesitate to take action. Enjoy your stay, Mr. Blaise.”
The general manager moved away from him, and Blaise quickly walked up to another staffer and asked to be directed to the bathroom as well, even though he could plainly see where it was.
Rakesh’s smile returned as he approached Nick and his son, who were helping themselves to some canned soft drinks provided by a helpful attendant at the bar. “I hope you will find everything to your satisfaction, Mr. Dirkse.”
Nick smiled as he popped open a can of soda and began sipping at it. “Call me Nick.”