Solomon Key

Chapter 17

Caesar’s Rock was a tiny island just north of the upper Florida Keys. A part of Biscayne National Park, it was located in southern Biscayne Bay in the middle of “Caesar Creek,” the channel that separated Elliott Key from Old Rhodes key. It was unremarkable in every way — just a small, deserted island covered in a dense tropical forest. But to Avery, it appeared gloomy and forbidding as Sea Foam drew close.

“You really think we’re gonna find anything here?” Willis Sanders stood at the bow, arms folded, staring in the direction of the island.

“Based on what Jimmy overheard in the bar, Nomi’s organization thinks it’s worth checking out.”

Willis grinned down at her. “Girl, if your brother finds out what you’ve done, there’s gonna be hell to pay.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Avery replied, feigning innocence.

“You stole his boat and his crew, you got his pet nerd playing James Bond, and you just might be walking into some serious danger.”

“That’s why you’re here,” she said sweetly, giving his powerful arm a squeeze. “Besides, Maddock agreed I could do some investigating, provided I take some of the crew with me.” Of course, Maddock had said nothing about commandeering his boat or turning crew member Corey Dean into a spy. But, he hadn’t told her not to do those things.

“Why exactly are we doing this at night?”

“I didn’t want Nomi to get here first. As soon as Jimmy overheard that conversation, he called me and I called you.”

The boat slowed and Matt Barnaby’s voice called out from the cabin.

“That’s as close as I can get. What’s our play?” The former Army Ranger filled out the final spot on Maddock’s crew.

“I guess somebody should stay with the boat?” Avery said.

“You asking or telling?” Willis laughed.

Avery made a face. “Telling. You and I go ashore. Matt remains with the boat and radios us if there’s trouble.”

“Cool with me,” Matt said. “If you two hurry up, we can stop in Key Largo for the night.”

“Man, if you sing that song…”

Willis raised his index finger in warning just as Matt belted out, “We had it all, just like Bogey and Bacall…”

Willis grimaced. “Time to get the hell out of here.”

A few minutes later, they rowed ashore and dragged their dinghy up onto the beach. Avery stared at the tree line, black and forbidding.

“You got a plan?” Willis asked. “Or are we just going to wander around until the sun comes up?”

“You didn’t have to come,” Avery snapped.

“Girl, if you think I could let you go by yourself, you don’t know your brother at all.”

“Fair enough. Matter of fact, I do have a plan.” She took out a flashlight and a topographical chart and pointed out a spot she had circled on the map. “This is the highest spot on the island and it’s almost at the center. It would be a logical place to construct a headquarters.”

Willis nodded. “Least likely to get swamped in a storm. All right, let’s check it out. And stay close. My dark skin ain’t easy to spot when there’s no light.” He grinned, winked, and strode off into the forest. Avery hurried to keep up.

They wound their way through the dense undergrowth, flashlight beams slicing through the humid air. In seemingly no time at all, they arrived at the spot Avery had marked on the map. They climbed a low rise and found themselves on a broad, level spot. The forest had swallowed this space as well. If there had ever been a headquarters here, nothing remained.

Undeterred, Avery removed an entrenching tool from her pack, opened it, and began probing the ground.

“I’d offer to help,” Willis said, “but that’s a Ranger’s tool.”

“And if Bones were here he’d make a pun out of Rangers being tools,” Avery replied. “Tell me you’re not going to go the same route.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Willis took out his recon knife and joined her. After a few minutes, Avery’s shovel hit something solid.

“Dig over here,” she said. They set to work, clearing out a space, until their lights revealed a shiny black object. Her heart leaped, but then her excitement diminished just as quickly. “It’s just a rock.”

“Not any rock from around here.” Willis ran a hand across its surface. “This is obsidian.”

Avery clapped a hand to her forehead. She should have realized. “Let’s dig it up.”

It took several minutes to clear enough space around the stone, which was about the size of a manhole cover. Willis worked his fingers under the edge.

“If there’s a snake or a scorpion under here, I’m dropping this thing like a THOT looking for a baby daddy.”

“Could you be a little cruder?”

“Sorry. Tried to channel my inner Bones and it didn’t work.”

“Yeah, prefer the regular you. Now, let’s see if there’s something under here. On three?” She counted down and Willis heaved the thick stone up on its edge, to reveal a hollowed-out compartment underneath it.

Inside, partially covered in sand, lay a carved object. Avery hastily donned a pair of cotton gloves before removing it.

“Can I set this down or do you need to keep looking?” Wills grunted.

“Oh, sorry.” Avery examined the hollowed out storage compartment, running her light and her fingertips across every surface before declaring it empty. Willis dropped the stone and the two of them stood, examining the carving.

It was clearly old and African in origin, though Avery could not speculate about the culture that had produced it. A proud bird with a tiny beak and long neck perched on a thin, curving branch, which was set atop a simple disc. Avery turned it over and gasped. A line of symbols was carved on the bottom of the disc, spiraling in toward the center.

“Where do you think it came from?” Willis whispered.

“It is from Dzimba dza mabwe,” a woman’s voice said from the darkness. “It translates to ‘House of Stone,’ but you would know it as Zimbabwe. And it belongs to us.”

Willis did not hesitate, but charged toward the sound of the voice. Avery heard a sharp report of a pistol, and then the sound of hand-to-hand fighting. Before Avery could make a move, another voice rang out. This one from behind her.

“Do not move. I will shoot you.” It was a woman’s voice, calm and determined. Avery could tell when someone meant business, and this woman was not playing. She froze, letting her flashlight fall to the ground, and stood there nervously twisting the carving in her hands.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“As my cousin said, we want what is ours.” The voice drew closer.

Avery kept squeezing the carving, wondering if she could throw it at the woman who threatened her and then escape into the darkness.

“This is a national park. Technically this carving belongs to the government.”

The woman behind her laughed. “Let us not play games. I don’t know for whom you work, but the fact that you came here under cover of darkness looking for a clue to Caesar’s treasure tells me all I need to know.”

“I don’t work for anyone.” Avery suddenly wished she’d enlisted a few of her colleagues on the Myrmidon Squad to help her out tonight. She’d believed Willis and Matt would be enough. And what had happened to Matt? Had these women slipped past him, or had something worse happened?

“Your friend,” the woman said, “is he one of the cousins, perhaps?”

“Cousins?”

“Never mind. Put the artifact on the ground.”

Avery let the carved bird fall to the sand, wondering what had happened to Willis.

“Now, I want you to…”

“Nobody’s doing anything or your friend dies.” Willis’ voice rang out strong from somewhere out of sight, but very close by. Avery felt her body sag with relief. “I got a knife to her throat and I’m pissed off.”

“In that case, we have a problem.” The woman appeared at the corner of Avery’s vision, just at the edge of the light from the flashlight lying on the ground. She was tall and muscular, with dark skin and fine facial features. She wore her hair in a mass of tiny braids knotted at the back of her head. She managed to simultaneously convey a regal bearing and a viper’s menace. She held a small caliber pistol trained on Avery. “I will kill this woman.”

“Just let them have the carving,” Avery said. “It’s worthless anyway.”

“Hell, no.” Willis said. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, Avery could just barely make him out. He stood behind cover, his knife pressed to the throat of a woman who fit the description of Nomi.

“I see someone needs to break the tie,” a new voice called out. Matt! “And I think that person is me.”

The woman with the gun fired off a single shot, shattering Avery’s flashlight and plunging the scene into darkness. She heard Matt fire off a shot. “Bug out!” he shouted.

Avery turned to run but someone crashed into her and she fell hard on her back. She rolled over and tried to stand but strong hands seized her by the ankle. She kicked out hard and heard a pained grunt. Her left hand closed around something solid. The entrenching tool! She pivoted and swung it with all her might. She felt the satisfying impact and heard another cry of pain and the hand released her.

She stood and ran full-tilt in the direction of their boat. All around she heard sounds of people crashing through the undergrowth. Another shot rang out behind her and she instinctively ducked. Something caught her ankle and she fell, cracking her head against a tree on the way down. She saw stars and struggled to regain her equilibrium. The sound of running feet drew closer and she managed to regain her feet and stumble forward. Like a pinball she bounced from tree to tree, sharp pain lancing through her skull. She put her hand to her head and felt sticky blood.

The footfalls closed in on her. She tried to run, but her feet wouldn’t obey. I’m not going to make it.

And then someone seized her from behind. A big hand covered her mouth and she heard a voice whisper in her ear.

“I got you.”

Willis! She almost cried with relief.

“I hit my head. Dizzy.”

He hooked an arm around her waist and half-supported, half-carried her to the shore, where Matt waited with their boat. When they burst from the trees, he turned his rifle in their direction, but recognized them immediately.

“Get in. I’ll cover you.”

Seconds later, Avery sat slumped in the bow of the boat while Willis pushed her out into deep water. Matt waded through the water behind him, covering their escape. Thankfully, they were not being pursued. The women must have been satisfied with the artifact Avery had found. Matt and Willis clambered into the boat and began to row, driving them through the water with powerful strokes. All the while, Matt kept an eye on the island.

It was not until they were safely aboard Sea Foam and headed south, engines wide open that they allowed themselves the leisure to discuss what had happened.

“How’d you know to come after us?” Willis asked as he applied a bandage to Avery’s forehead.

Matt sat at the helm, piloting the craft, and spoke while keeping his eyes straight ahead.

“I was watching through the binoculars and just caught a glimpse of two people in kayaks coming in from the direction of Meigis Key. I figured they couldn’t be up to any good. So, I brought Sea Foam in as close as I dared, swam the rest of the way in, and found you.”

“I didn’t know Rangers could swim,” Willis said.

“We can do anything a SEAL can, plus some.”

“Right,” Willis said.

“Do you think they’ll come after us?” Avery said, still groggy. She probably had a concussion. “They probably had a boat nearby. I doubt they kayaked all the way from the mainland.”

“If so, they’re going to have to swim to it. I made sure those kayaks are no longer seaworthy,” Matt said.

“That’s what I’m talking about.” Willis grinned approvingly. And then his face fell. “I just wish we’d held on to that artifact. Whatever was written on the bottom must be important or else Caesar wouldn’t have hidden it there. Now the other side’s got it.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Avery said.

Willis frowned and Matt shot a quizzical glance over his shoulder.

Avery reached into her pocket and fished out the stone disc that had been the pedestal on which the bird carving was mounted.

“As it turns out, some of these old carvings are quite fragile.”

“Girl, you are your brother’s sister,” Willis said.

“Maybe, except I’m cuter.” She held up the disc and examined the odd symbols through bleary eyes. “Now, we just need to get this thing deciphered.”