Electra

Chapter 12

Maddock and Bones froze, looking around for the source of the voice. It had an Australian accent, though, which told Maddock immediately who it was. Suddenly a man rose from a nearby bush. He shone a flashlight from a cupped hand on the pistol he held in his other hand.

“Doing a little moonlighting, are we, boys?”

George Taylor, the topside photographer, stared at Maddock and Bones with a lopsided grin. Maddock and Bones remained silent.

“Decided the pay for this gig sorta sucks compared to selling some Amelia Earhart memorabilia, did we? Can’t say as I blame you, especially with our friend Shankey the Whale out there guarding the place. Spinney ought to be giving us hazard pay, right? But listen up: I could give a shout right now and have the gang come running, have ole Spinney perform a citizen’s arrest, take you to Honolulu, and turn you in to the police for theft. Or else you let me share in the spoils. I know exactly what you’re after.”

Silence from Maddock and Bones, save for the soft patter of water dripping from their bodies onto the sand. The Aussie lifted his hands in an oh-come-on-now gesture. “The stamps!”

Maddock and Bones returned genuinely confused looks, but still said nothing.

“Don’t play dumb with me. You mean to say you really know nothing about the postal stamps?”

“I haven’t collected stamps since I was a kid,” Bones said.

The Aussie gave an exasperated sigh, looked briefly around, and addressed Maddock and Bones once more without lowering his weapon. “It’s well documented that Earhart had a bunch of first-issue postage stamps brought with her on the flight to have cancelled at local post offices whenever she got a chance during her stops at different countries around the globe. That strongbox looks like it might still be watertight. And if it is, and those stamps happen to be in there — you know what they’re worth?”

Maddock and Bones shook their heads, both keeping a sharp eye on Taylor’s gun hand.

“Sure you don’t. But I happen to know it’d be about twenty-five million U.S. bucks! And I want a piece of it. So go on, to hell with Spinney’s archaeological procedures…open the damn crate.”

He aimed his light on the box atop the wheelbarrow before directing it back into the faces of Maddock and Bones.

Bones pointed at the dive knife strapped to his calf. “It’s rusted shut pretty good after all this time underwater. You mind if I use my dive knife?”

Taylor flicked his light on Bones’ blade, which gleamed under its illuminating glow. Then he switched the beam over to Maddock, who carried a similar knife.

“Real slow.”

Bones walked over to the crate, knife in hand. He eyed the box, hesitating while Maddock looked on.

“Go on, then, let’s have a look-see,” Taylor prodded.

Bones brought his blade to the lid of the box.

Heavily encrusted with decades’ worth of marine growth, it took Bones some time to work it open with his dive knife, crushing the various barnacles and worms out of the way from three sides of the box. Then he started to pry the lid open with the tip of his blade. Still, it stuck.

Maddock worried that Bones might be applying too much force to the container, knowing that it could possibly hold the weaponized smallpox the Commander had briefed them on. Images of those poor, infected Indian children riddled with sores flashed through his mind while he worked on the box.

“Put your back into it!” Taylor goaded from behind his handgun and flashlight. Maddock stood stock still, watching for an opportunity. Perhaps when Bones popped the lid off, the Aussie’s guard would be down sufficiently for him to make a move…

And then there was an audible pop as the lid came free.

Bones instinctively took a step back. “I’m suddenly thinking about smallpox.”

“Hey!” Taylor warned. “Freeze! I didn’t say to move!”

But he swept the pistol in Maddock’s direction, wisely aware that he may be looking for an opportunity created by the slightest distraction. “You too! Freeze.”

Maddock held his hands high in the air. Taylor was sounding jittery.

The aggressor spoke to Bones. “Walk over to your mate, there, while I take a look.”

Bones moved to Maddock’s side and stood there, stock-still.

Taylor walked over to the wheelbarrow such that he stood over the crate, facing Maddock and Bones. With the gun pointed at them, he took a look inside. Gradually his lips curved into a smile.

“I see a lot of undeveloped film.” He rummaged through the box, the smile slowly disappearing. “If those are exposed, they’re worth a hell of a lot, too. Could solve some mysteries once and for all, eh? But I want those stamps.”

He paused, apparently mulling things over while he absentmindedly waved the gun in Maddock and Bones’ direction. Still, there was about ten feet between him and them, plenty of time for him to recover if they were to make a move. They stayed put.

The Aussie apparently came to some conclusion, his gun leveling out as he began to speak once more. “All right, then. Tell you what.” He glanced quickly around, then produced a small camera from his pocket. He snapped a picture of the open, film-filled crate with Maddock and Bones standing in the background. Bones blinked his eyes in the wake of the camera flash while Taylor went on.

“My little insurance policy. From here on out we’re in this together, right? I’ve already seen the other stuff brought up so far and the stamps aren’t there. So if they survived they’ve got to be still in the plane. If you find those stamps first, don’t let anybody know. Bring them to me, and we all get a nice share. If I find ‘em first, you just help me out when it comes to keeping the boss man out of the loop, and again, we all get a nice share. But I find out you’re cutting me out of the action, then I make sure you have a little diving accident, and Spinney gets this photo.”

He wiggled the camera in their direction. “Understood?” Maddock and Bones nodded.

“Good, now hide that crate. Don’t just dump it back underwater, either, or Spinney’ll know something’s up. We’ve been over every inch of this reef and it wasn’t there before. Get to it!”

Taylor waved his gun while Maddock and Bones watched the Aussie depart up the sandy path back towards camp.