Emerald Buddha

Chapter 35

“What I’m saying is that I’ve seen this kind of damage before,” Spencer said. “Look. There was an explosion in the engine compartment. You can see here and here where the metal blew out. Only a blast from the motor would cause that. It’s pretty distinctive,” he finished.

They studied the area Spencer had identified. He was right. There was no other explanation, given the damage.

“So the engine blew up?” Drake asked.

“Or someone sabotaged it with explosives.” Spencer’s gaze swept the area. “What’s most interesting to me is that there’s no sign of either Christine or her boyfriend.”

“I was thinking they might have been thrown clear on impact. They had to be going, what, a hundred miles per hour?” Allie said.

“Maybe less. And the water would have softened the impact some,” Spencer said.

Uncle Pete walked down the bank a dozen yards and called out softly, “You come now!”

The three of them approached where the little Thai was standing over a collection of pale rocks. They were arranged into letters six feet long.

“S.O.S.,” Drake whispered. “There’s your answer to whether they were thrown free. At least one of them had to be alive to collect these stones and spell this out.”

“Then they’re alive,” Allie murmured.

“Were. We don’t know whether they still are, or how badly hurt they might be,” Spencer corrected.

“So where are they?” Drake asked.

Spencer’s eyes roamed along the bank and the surrounding jungle. “That’s the million-dollar question.”

Uncle Pete returned to the plane and climbed in. By the time they made it back to the wreckage, he was stepping out. He flipped the goggles up and shook his head. “Nothing in plane but dead guy. But someone else been here. Radio stolen. Same-same with other gear.”

“Are you sure?” Spencer asked.

“Course.”

“It has to be the drug gang — they’re the only ones in this area. Remember the intel Collins provided? There aren’t even any hill tribes around.”

“Then it’s possible they have them,” Drake murmured thoughtfully.

“What do we do now?” Allie asked.

Drake’s jaw tightened. “We call home,” he said through gritted teeth. “Uncle Pete, you have the satellite phone?”

“You betcha,” Uncle Pete answered, and dug the device from his satchel and handed it to Drake.

Drake inspected it and squinted at Uncle Pete. “The battery?”

“Oh. Yeah. Here.”

It took a minute to acquire a strong signal. Drake called the number Collins had given him, and it was answered on the second ring.

“We found the plane. Looks like Christine and the boyfriend were alive after it crashed,” Drake said, his voice low.

“What!”

“Yup.” Drake told him about the S.O.S. and the plane being looted.

“Any sign of where they went?”

“No.”

“Did you find anything in the plane?”

“Nope. Just the dead pilot. Or what’s left of him. Everything that was worth anything has already been stolen.” Drake hesitated. “Spencer says that it looks like the plane was sabotaged.”

Collins’ voice turned cold. “How?”

“He thinks explosives.”

“Is Uncle Pete there?”

“Yes.”

“Let me speak with him.”

“Did you hear me? The crash was no accident. What haven’t you told us?”

“You know as much as I do. Let me talk to Pete.”

Drake’s voice hardened. “Collins, we have our asses on the line here. We’re in hostile territory, everyone’s got a gun, it looks like this Red Moon gang knows about the wreck and could show up any time, and we just get the surprise of the century. I think we deserve an explanation.”

“Damn it, Ramsey. Hand the phone to Uncle Pete. You’re wasting valuable time,” Collins snapped.

Drake shook his head in frustration and tossed Uncle Pete the sat phone. “Wants to talk to you.”

Uncle Pete spoke softly as he walked away. Drake turned to Allie. “I think Collins knows something he’s not telling us.”

“So we’ve been had?”

“I don’t know. I mean, he did sound surprised, but he recovered too quickly, like it wasn’t that big a shock.”

“What do we actually know about Christine besides that she’s the senator’s daughter?” Spencer asked. “What was she into? Exactly? Why was she on the ass-end of the planet, for starters?”

“You heard the briefing. Some kind of religious thing. Finding herself.”

“What about the boyfriend?” Allie asked.

“Again, I don’t know anything more than you do. He was Chinese. Possibly into some shady dealings.”

“Then isn’t it likely she was collateral damage? Maybe he crossed the wrong people and this has nothing to do with anything more than taking out a problem,” Spencer said.

Uncle Pete circled back to them. “He say go back to camp, look for temple. They check around.”

“That’s it?” Drake demanded. He eyed the sat phone in alarm. “Take the battery out. Last thing we need is a missile landing on us.”

Uncle Pete shrugged, removed the battery, and slipped the equipment back into his bag. He dropped the goggles into place. “You ready?”

“How are we supposed to continue like nothing happened?” Allie whispered to Drake.

“Easy. We found the plane. We did our job. If Christine and the guy are alive and have been captured, that’s not our problem. It’s the CIA’s.”

“You know it’s not going to be that easy,” Spencer said from behind them. “It never is.”

“Maybe not, but I’m finished with this. Let’s go find the Emerald Buddha, and let Collins play spy. We got him the info he was after. We’re done.”

The trek back to the camp was interrupted by a cloudburst that soaked them with warm rain, making the trails more treacherous and slowing their progress. When they eventually arrived, Drake checked the time and sighed.

“Only two hours till dawn.”

Allie took his hand and led him to the tent. Spencer murmured that he was going to use the little boys’ room and wandered into the brush as Uncle Pete opened his tent and crawled inside. Allie lay down on her bedroll and closed her eyes, and Drake hesitated before kissing her. The connection was electric, and Allie’s breathing deepened as the intensity built. She squirmed beside him and Drake pulled his lips from hers.

“Oh, Allie—”

She held a finger to his lips. “Shh.”

The mood was broken by Spencer lifting the flap and entering. Drake moved a few inches from Allie, but Spencer didn’t seem to notice he’d interrupted anything. Drake squeezed Allie’s hand and whispered in her ear, “Good night.”

He could sense her smile in the dark. “To be continued.”