CHAPTER TWELVE
Kathy and Mike were waiting among the trees as Nick climbed onto the bank. Once he was on dry land, Nick took several deep breaths of air, trying to clear his ringing head.
“Can I help you carry something?” Mike asked.
Kathy took his hand. “I’m glad you’re all right.”
For an instant their eyes locked, and Nick almost said something he knew he’d regret. Her beauty was almost too much for him. To keep his mind off her, he checked his tiny arsenal. He had lost all but four grenades in the river; there were about one-fourth of a clip left in the Tommy gun and five shots left in Wilhelmina. Not good, but it would have to do.
“What happens now?” Kathy asked.
Nick rubbed the stubble of his chin. “There are railroad tracks somewhere close by. It would take too long for us to get another boat. Besides, the river would be too slow. I think we’ll try to find those railroad tracks. Let’s head out in this direction.”
He led the way through forest and bush. The going was slow because of the thickness of growth, and they had to stop many times for Kathy and Mike to rest. The sun was hot, and insects pestered them. They walked all through the morning, moving farther and farther away from the river, down small valleys and over short peaks until finally, shortly after noon, they came to the railroad tracks. The tracks themselves seemed to cut a wide path through the growth. The land was clear for at least ten feet on each side of them. They glistened in the afternoon sun, so Nick knew they were well used.
Kathy and Mike flopped to the ground at the edge of the deep growth. They stretched out, panting. Nick walked up and down the tracks a short distance, studying the area. He was wet with sweat. There was no way of telling when the next train would come by. It could be any minute, or it could be several hours. And he didn’t have many hours left. He walked back to join Kathy and Mike.
Kathy was sitting with her legs tucked under her. She looked up at Nick, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand. “Well?” she said.
Nick knelt and picked up a few of the pebbles scattered on both side of the tracks. “Looks pretty good,” he said. “If we can get a train to stop.”
“Why does it have to stop?”
Nick looked up and down the tracks. “It’s fairly level along here. When and if a train comes by it’s going to be moving along at quite a clip.”
Kathy stood, brushed off the clinging shift, and put her hands on her hips. “Okay, how do we stop it?”
Nick had to smile. “Sure you feel up to it?”
Kathy put one leg slightly in front of the other, striking a very fetching pose. “I’m no frail little flower to be kept in a teapot. Neither is Mike. We both come from good stock. You’ve shown me you’re a violent man of ingenious invention. Well, I’m pretty good stuff myself. The way I see it we’ve got one goal, to get to Hong Kong before midnight. I think you’ve carried us long enough. I don’t see how you’re still on your feet the way you look. It’s time we started carrying our own share of the load. Do you agree, Mike?”
Mike jumped to his feet. “You tell him, Mom.”
Kathy winked at Mike, then looked at Nick, her hand shielding her eyes again. “So I have only one question for you, Mr. Nick Carter. How do we stop that train?”
Nick chuckled softly to himself. “Tough as nails, aren’t you? Sounds, like mutiny to me.”
Katby walked up to him, her hands at her sides. There was an earnest, pleading look on her lovely face. Softly, she said, “Not a mutiny, sir. An offer of help, out of respect, admiration and devotion to our leader. You destroy villages and blow up boats. Now show us how you stop trains.”
Nick felt an ache in his chest that he didn’t fully understand. And there was a feeling growing inside him, a deep feeling for her.
But it was impossible, he knew that. She was a married woman with a family. No, it was just that he was sleepy, hungry and thirsty. Her loveliness had hit him at a time when he was not his strongest.
“All right,” he said, matching her stare. He pulled Hugo from his waistband. “As I cut branches and bushes, I want you to pile them on the railroad tracks. We’ll need a big pile, one they can see from quite a distance.” He walked back to the heavy growth with Kathy and Mike following him. “They may not stop,” he said as he began cutting. “But maybe they’ll slow enough for us to jump on.”
It took almost two hours before Nick was satisfied with the height. It looked like a green, sappy mound, about four feet around and almost six feet tall. From a distance it looked as though it would completely block any train.
Kathy stood after placing the last branch on the pile and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. “Now what happens?” she asked.
Nick shrugged. “Now we wait.”
Mike began picking up pebbles and pitching them into the trees.
Nick walked up behind the boy. “You’ve got a good arm there, Mike. You play Little League?”
Mike stopped pitching and started shaking the pebbles in his hand. “Pitched four shutouts last year.”
“Four? That’s good. How did you end up in the league?”
Mike threw the pebbles down with disgust. “Lost in the playoffs. We ended up in second place.”
Nick smiled. He could see the father in the boy, the way the straight black hair lay over one side of the forehead, the piercing black eyes. “Well,” he said. “There’s always next year.” He started to walk away. Mike held his arm and looked into his eyes.
“Nick, I’m worried about Mother.”
Nick shot a glance at Kathy. She sat with her legs under her, pulling weeds from between the pebbles, just as though she were in her front yard. “Why are you worried?” he asked.
“Give it to me straight,” Mike said. “We aren’t going to make it, are we?”
“Of course we’re going to make it. We’ve got a few hours of daylight plus half the night. The time to start worrying is ten minutes to midnight if we’re not in Hong Kong. We’ve only got sixty miles to go. If we don’t get there, then I’ll worry with you. But until then, keep saying we’ll make it.”
“What about Mother? She’s not like you and me — I mean being a woman and all.”
“You and me, Mike,” Nick said with feeling. “We’ll take care of her.”
The boy smiled. Nick walked over to where Kathy was sitting.
She looked up at him and shook her head. “I wish you’d try to get some sleep.”
“I don’t want to miss my train,” Nick said.
Then Mike shouted. “Listen, Nick!”
Nick whirled. Sure enough, the tracks were buzzing. He grabbed Kathy’s hand and yanked her to her feet. “Come on.”
Kathy was already running beside him. Mike joined them and all three began running along the tracks. They ran until the pile they had built was almost out of sight behind them. Then Nick pulled Kathy and Mike about five feet into the forest. Then they stopped.
They panted for awhile until they could breathe normally. “This should be far enough down,” Nick said. “Now don’t go for it until I tell you.”