“I can.”
“Hell, you’re here.”
“So?”
“By now he’d have that clip buried somewhere you couldn’t find it.”
“Mako... there aren’t that many hiding places on Lotusland. There are people there I can trust and believe me, we’ll get to it.”
He knew there was no use trying to dissuade her. She was in this as deep as he was and she wasn’t going to be talked out of making her own judgment calls. He said, “You be damn careful, you hear?”
Judy smiled gently. “I’m a pretty good actress,” she said, “among other things.”
“What other things?”
“Maybe I’ll show you one day.”
Billy said, “Sar... the Tellig ship, she is maybe four miles out. She coming to Peolle too.”
“Maybe somebody’s giving a party,” Mako suggested.
Chana stepped to the dock, her eyes on the Lotusland tied up ahead. “What are they doing here?”
“Don’t make waves,” Lee Colbert told her.
“This is a government-owned docking station, damn it!”
“We lease the facility, Chana.”
“And this bunch is legally obligated to enforce its responsibility.”
Lee Colbert’s voice turned cold when he spun around and accosted Chana. “You know, it’s people like you who get us in hot water in these outposts. We’re different cultures and even though we have an agreement with them, we’re in their backyard and sure as hell we’re going to go along with their way of doing things. Nobody’s getting hurt here. We both represent American interests and we’re going to let them tie up here, you understand that? First come, first served.”
“Lee,” Chana started harshly.
“Don’t say it, lady, or I’ll have your tail tied to a whipping post when we get back to the States. You may have some rank, baby, but I have a lot of combat time which you don’t and the brass will see it my way!”
The female side of Chana Sterling suddenly emerged with a sweet smile and she said, “Why, of course, Lee. You’re right. I certainly didn’t mean to disrupt things.”
In a low tone, Lee Colbert said, “Women!”
But Chana didn’t hear him at all. She had just seen the figure of Mako Hooker in the dimming light at the end of the pier. He was finishing a can of beer, then threw the empty in a wire bin and walked in the direction where he had moored the Clamdip.
He was her own personal spoiler, she thought. He would come along at exactly the right time to fire a shot across her bow and ruin her well thought out plans completely. He was always bigger, always better. Now he was here and leading the parade again. The Company should have kept him retired. They should have ignored him completely. He was a legend, let him stay one, damn it! With a tight smile of satisfaction she remembered one vivid thing. She had fired a shot across his bow once and hers had landed square and punched a hole in him.
Then her tight smile faded as she remembered... and she felt like a stupid turd.
She said to Lee, “Why don’t you and the crew go and see Charlie Berger. That bartender, Alley, will be glad to hear all the news. I’ll do guard duty this time.”
Lee wanted to tell her she didn’t want to take a chance on running into Hooker again, but he didn’t. He agreed curtly and told her, “Sure, the boys could use a few cold ones about now. Just don’t forget your side arm.”
Before the men left the ship she had checked the clip in the .45 automatic she preferred over the newer issue, dropped it in the holster and fastened the webbed belt around her waist. Then she went out to the bow, pulled up a deck chair and sat down.
Three boats left that night, their owners having no choice but to get to the fishing areas where the mulako would be gathered over the high rise in the bottom. There they would stay for the week of the full moon, then disperse to another quadrant of the ocean man hadn’t discovered yet. But for this one week the mulako would offer up a season’s supply of food that was nutritious, plentiful and easy to take. The natives of the islands had depended on this dietary staple for generations, ignoring weather conditions or total reliability of their boats.
Now the eater was the enemy.
They drew lots to see who would crew the three largest boats and those chosen went without complaint, but dread made their insides loose. The attack on the Mallis’ boats was positive evidence that a wild menace was still at loose, unharnessed, deadly... and waiting.
At sunset they were waved away from the beach, starting a full night’s sail to the mulako’s feeding grounds by dawn. For six hours they would run their nets, then pick up a compass heading back to Peolle. This time they wouldn’t joke or laugh because, if they had gotten this far, they knew they might actually go all the way and be home safely. So they would watch the surface for any break, fearfully alert to any sign of an unnatural presence, aware that the lives of a whole island depended on them.
Without knowing it, all three boats passed directly over the bulk of the eater. They had no fish finders aboard so they never knew that death was only a hundred fifty feet below their keels. But at this time nothing disturbed that menace. After the boats had passed it lifted its ugly snout a brief moment, rose gently until it was barely beneath the surface, then placidly settled down to its previous depth.
This night there was no celebration on the beach. Quietly the crowd drifted back to their small houses to wait, every person uncertain but hoping for the best.
The crew of the Tellig made a small group at the bar, sipping at their beers, listening to Alley’s jokes and avoiding any talk of the eater. They were military personnel and they didn’t accept unrealistic theories about the eater. If it even existed, it could be eliminated.
At nine-fifteen, Mako came in with Charlie Berger and ordered two beers at Charlie’s table. Charlie downed the first one in a few gulps and had Alley bring him another. When that was half gone he said to Mako, “Are you making a report on how the Malli boat got hit?”
“I don’t know how it happened, Charlie. I told you about the pierced planking. Why don’t you go look for yourself?”
“I won’t fit under there, you know that.”
“So don’t say anything.”
“Why not?”
“Because it isn’t over. If a report has to go through, let Chana send it. If something has to come down on somebody, let her be the target.”
“Target? You know where she is right now?”
Hooker said no.
“She’s guarding the Tellig while the crew gets a night off.”
“Smart dame.”
Berger took another pull at his beer and asked, “Where’s yours?”
“Who?”
“Come on, Hooker, everybody on the island knows you two have the hots for each other.”
“Easy, pal.” Hooker’s voice was suddenly threatening.
“Sorry, but you know what I mean. No offense.”
“She’s taking a nap.”
“At your place?”
“Where else?” Hooker got up, tired of where the conversation was going, and said good night to the fat man. He got a grunt in return and left the place, waving so long to the bar crowd. Tomorrow he’d give Alley all the details about the night’s events and he’d sell more beer to the customers.
He headed south along the beach to where Billy was readying the Clamdip for the next day’s run. He’d make sure everything was in order, then get back to his digs to check on Judy and make certain the mosquito netting was in place.