Atlantis Gold

Chapter 31

Daedalus paced the foredeck of the Historica impatiently as his brother climbed the steps leading from the lower deck. He was eager for news of the search efforts to find out where Carter Hunt had escaped to in the seaplane. Phillipo paused for a bit at the top of the stairs, catching his breath while smoothing out his pants and tucking in his shirt.

“What are the results of the search?” Daedalus asked, not waiting for his brother to begin when he was ready.

“We have not yet actually located the subjects or their plane,” Phillipo said, smoothing out his shirt and walking the rest of the way to Daedalus, but I am confident that I know where they are.”

“Continue,” Daedalus ordered.

“Our operatives tell me that they have still not attempted any conventional landing at a Bahamas airport, including the one they rented the aircraft from, which would have been the fastest and easiest thing for them to do.”

“Except that they knew we would locate them if they did that,” Daedalus said smugly. “So it’s really not the fastest or easiest. Go on.”

Phillipo took a deep breath before continuing. “They’ve also not checked in at Miami, Fort Lauderdale or other major Florida airports within range. It’s possible that they landed the plane near a remote part of the shoreline, a mangrove area, perhaps, and then abandoned the plane to come ashore on foot.”

“Do you have people looking into that?” Daedalus asked.

“We do. But I think the most likely scenario is that they went south.”

“South? To where, the Florida Keys?”

“Even farther south, although they would have been very low on fuel.”

There was a beat as the two brothers locked eyes. At length, Daedalus answered. “Cuba.”

His brother nodded.

“Site 6?”

“That’s right.”

Daedalus looked stern, but gradually his expression lightened until he laughed out loud. “Good! Let those buffoons waste their time in the abandoned camp. There is nothing for them to find there. And if we’re lucky, they’ll end up in a Cuban prison for a few years while Castro figures out if they might be spies.”

Phillipo had to chuckle at this. “Yes, and speaking of that, brother, for that reason it is not wise for us to pursue them there, do you agree?”

“We are an antiquities trading company, Phillipo, not a military outfit. I quite agree. Unless we know for a fact that the lost city lies within Cuban territorial waters, we have no reason to go there.”

“If we are really lucky,” Daedalus went on, seeming to ignore his brother, “they’ll be blasted with one of those sonic weapons that was used in Havana on American diplomats! Wouldn’t that be perfect?” He erupted into cackles of laughter.

“I have a feeling that the means used by Cuban authorities for intercepting persons arriving in an unannounced aircraft with no visas would be far less subtle.”

“Of course you are right,” Daedalus said, his laughter fading out. “I’m just trying to have a little fun in the midst of all this chaos, brother, perhaps you should try it some time.”

Phillipo stared at his brother without saying anything for a moment before continuing. “They will almost certainly find the wooly mammoth remains.”

Daedalus shrugged dismissively. “Let them have those old bones if they want them. We have more important work to do.”

“Such as?”

“Such as figuring out where Atlantis is and getting there first.”