The Seventh Secret

Chapter 6 — On Malgas’ Heels

After overhearing that Malgas had discovered the Nazi ship he had always chased since he caught wind of the possibility, the myth, Cheryl came up with a new plan. Not only would it free her of Zain and Sibu, but it had the prospect of making her rich. With the magnitude of wealth she would acquire assisting in such a find, she could leave her dirty, miserable life behind and get off the heroin and the cocaine once and for all. She could have her life back.

“What is that all about?” Zain asked her while they were crouched behind the rows of seats in the lecture hall.

"Sshh," she frowned. "They must not know we are here. Just wait. I'll tell you everything shortly." For once she received no reprimand or threat from them. Suddenly the lights went on. Sibu, Cheryl, and Zain froze in their spots, hardly breathing behind the wall of chairs, listening. They could feel the apprehension of the lecturer’s scrutiny across the auditorium. He thought he had seen something, but his assistant had picked up the rest of the materials and waited by the door until he was satisfied that nobody was there. Reluctantly, Dr. Malgas switched off the lights before closing the doors.

As the place darkened, Cheryl started at the cold grasp of Zain's hand around her wrist. It reminded her of the fear he imposed on her and she remembered that she was still a captive, regardless of the plans she had hatched. “Don’t think you’re going to get away while it’s dark, sweetie pie,” she heard his sinister voice right in her ear. “Where are they going? To the store room?”

“Listen,” she said. “Did you not hear what he said down there?”

“Yes, but what does it mean?” Sibu asked. “If it doesn’t have anything to do with the money you owe us, we don’t give a shit what he said.” He flashed his eyes in the glare of his cell phone light, meeting eyes with his associate. “Come on, Zain. Let’s just get the money or kill the bitch. She is just stalling for time, playing us for fools, man!”

Cheryl's body went cold at his proposal. She knew they were in cahoots above and beyond everything, and that Zain could easily follow to Sibu’s irrational suggestions.

“I have to agree, Cheryl. You are just leading us along in hopes of getting a chance to flee. But I swear to God, we will gun you down like a rabid dog,” Zain spoke against her face. Her stomach churned at the sensation.

"Listen to me!" she said, her voice a bit louder now. "We have to follow Dr. Malgas. Forget the store room. He just admitted that he discovered a shipwreck from World War II. Don't you get it? If they pull that wreck out of the ocean, the relics and Nazi gold, artworks, whatever the cargo was, would be worth billions!”

Zain and Sibu grew serious, their glances darting in silent debate in the timid illumination of a cell phone screen. They sat up.

“Cheryl, if you are playing with us…” Zain warned.

"I'm not playing with you! You heard it for yourself! If we can convince Malgas that we are useful to him in this recovery, we can all get a cut of the salvage. You can go your own way after I pay you what I owe and stacks more," she implored, trying to keep her words and scheme simple to satisfy their meager thuggish aims.

“It just sounds too good to be true,” Zain admitted.

“But we would never have known about it if you guys did not bring me here. None of us would have known!” she insisted. The three of them sat in the lights of their cell phones. They dared not make their presence known yet, especially at this time of the night.

“So now what? Do we take them hostage to find out…?” Sibu ranted, but Cheryl stopped him abruptly.

“Don’t be fucking stupid!” she scowled.

“What did you say?” he retorted, his vicious soldier’s face turning to stone again. But Zain lifted his hand, making sure they both saw his gun. “Shut it.”

"We have to follow them. I don't know where Dr. Malgas lives now, so we have to follow them. At least that way we will know where to find him," Cheryl told Zain as if asking his permission. Unnoticed she had shifted closer to him, when Sibu locked horns with her. “Once we know the details — where the wreck is and when they are going to salvage it — we can decide how to get on board the project. He trusts me,” she smiled in reminiscence, but her face soon turned cold, “so he will never see it coming when we take them all out.”