There was a fat-sounding chuckle. Gettin some as we speak, sweetcakes. Nice of you to share. Almost like bein right there with you.
Glad youre enjoying em, Sam said, grinning. Ill be in touch.
You do that, Junebug-baby. Take care now.
Will do, Uncle Willie. Out.
No longer wearing any suggestion of a smile, Sam returned the DC-3s radio to its regular frequency.
As Cory settled into his seat, Tony looked up from the paperback novel he was reading to give him what could best be described as a leer. So, howd it go last night? You and Captain Earhart patch up your differences?
Cory responded with a dismissive snort. Sams and my differences are pretty much irreconcilable.
Huh. That your opinion or hers? When he didnt get an answer, Tony dog-eared the page-making Cory wince-and closed the book. Tucking it between his leg and the armrest, he shifted in his seat in a settling-in kind of way and said in an undertone, Okay. When last we left the romantic misadventures of Cory Pearson, you were telling me how youd just, in effect, told the lady you love to grow up. After which, when she took offense-quite understandably, in my opinion-you went off and married somebody else. That doesnt sound like differences to me, man. Sounds to me more like you owe the lady one hell of an apology. Not to mention roses. And diamonds.
Yeah, wellas it happens, I tried that-the apology, anyway. After the divorce was final. II actually called her.
Yeah? And?
Corys smile flickered dimly, like a dying lightbulb. About what youd expect. She told me to get lost. Leave her alone. Never speak to her again.
Tony reared back in mock astonishment. No kidding? What a shock, man. And I suppose you did just what she told you to.
As a matter of fact I did, yeah. Cory was beginning to find the whole conversation annoying. What was I supposed to do? Stalk her?
Woo her, man. Thats what she wanted, I guarantee it. Hey-after what you did, a phone call and a simple Im sorry aint gonna cut it. You gotta go back to square one, make her remember why she fell for you in the first place. You dig?
Easy for you to say, Cory said dryly. It was, too; hed seen Tony in action. For reasons hed never been able to figure out, in spite of his strong resemblance to a bald-headed pit bull terrier, the man seemed to possess some kind of magic attraction irresistible to any human female between the ages of six and a hundred.
Tony made a Tsk-ing sound and hitched himself closer. Look, man. Any fool can see shes still got a thing for you. And if the feelings are there, theres no such thing as irreconcilable differences. Know what I mean?
Would that that were true, Cory thought. He felt heavy and sad, thinking about it, remembering his conversation with Sam last nightremembering the way shed kissed him. He wished Tony would leave it alone, justshut up about it. But unfortunately, Tonys looks werent the only thing about him that resembled a pit bull.
He drew a resolute breath. Its not about feelings. In this case Im not sure they even matter. What it is, is that both of us want something the other doesnt have to give. If that doesnt make it irreconcilable-
Ah, come on, thats just bull-
The cough of the intercom interrupted. To Cory, thoroughly sick of the conversation, Sams tinny voice came like the answer to a prayer.
Okay, were over the islandIm gonna drop down under this cloud cover and see if I can find us a place to land. Fasten your seat belts, boys and girlsmight get a little bumpy.
That wasnt so bad. Tony was grinning, his jaws working like pistons on the wad of gum hed been chewing to relieve eardrum pressure during the corkscrew descent.
Cory gave him a look, then went back to scanning the jungle growth that crowded close to the plowed fields surrounding the grassy airstrip. Beyond the jungle, green mountain slopes, terraced for farming on the lower flanks, rose into a feathery gray mist of cloud cover. The air was still and heavy with humidity.
He half turned as Sam came from locking down the plane to stand beside him. Id have expected more of a welcoming committee, he said, frowning.
Theyd passed low over a village on the way in, but so far the only signs of life theyd seen had been the young boy of maybe nine or ten, wearing only a tattered pair of camouflage shorts, whod risen from the grass at the edge of a rice paddy as the plane had braked to a halt, then scampered for the trees like a flushed rabbit.
Most people will be in hiding if al-Ramis men are in the area, Sam said, pausing to wipe sweat from her forehead with her shirtsleeve before putting on her baseball cap. The villagers around here are scared to death of them. I doubt well have long to wait, though Her eyes smiled briefly at him before disappearing behind her sunglasses. That was their lookout you saw running for the jungle as we landed. I imagine hes reporting the news of our arrival as we speak.
You seem to know these people pretty well, Cory remarked.
She shrugged. Al-Ramis methods are well-known in these islands. Believe me. Anyway, theyll probably wait until nightfall to contact us, just to make sure we didnt come with an escort. In the meantime we can hang out here with the plane, if you want to, or we can check out the village. Maybe find somebody willing to sell us some food. She hefted the knapsack at her feet. That way, we can save the provisions we brought for later-you never know when it might come in handy, since we dont know how long well be trekking through that jungle.
By all means, Cory said, then raised his voice to reach Tony, who had wandered off into the rice paddies to take pictures. What about it-want to see what the village has to offer?
Yeah, cool. Tonys teeth flashed white as he grinned. His broad face wore a sheen of sweat that glistened like polish on old mahogany. Oh, man, feel that humidity, he said as he rejoined them, pausing to tie a bandana around his head.
Building toward rainy season, Cory said. Feels like its going to break any minute now.
Building toward rainy season, Cory said. Feels like its going to break any minute now.
I just hope were out of here when it does. Sam jerked her head toward the plane, parked at its characteristic slant on the elevated strip of grassy ground theyd been calling the runway.
She didnt have to say more. Cory didnt know what the composition of the soil was underneath that grass, but hed spent enough time in the tropics to know what a monsoon rain could do to previously firm ground. He didnt care to think about what it might be like, trying to take off in a hurry on a sloppy runway with a planeload of hostages on board.
He slung the strap of his laptop carrier over one shoulder and picked up his tote bag. Sam hitched herself into the backpack-Tony already had cameras and equipment bags hanging from every available part of his body-and they set out along the grass-and-dirt track toward the village.
Although theyd flown over the cluster of buildings nestled at the foot of the mountains on the way to the landing strip, and knew approximately where it was and that it was nearby, the heat and humidity they carried like an added burden made it seem much farther than it actually was. They were grateful for the spotty shade of banana and bamboo groves along the road and between patches where the jungle growth had been cleared for farming.
Houses made of bamboo roofed with scraps of wood and tin sat on the borders between plots of unknown vegetables, or clung precariously to tree-covered slopes farther up the hillsides. Gradually the houses came closer together, until the vegetable plots disappeared and there was only the dusty track where chickens pecked and wandered, oblivious to human fears, threats or omens. Nothing else moved. Except for their footsteps and the contented chuckling of the chickens, there were no soundsno signs of life.
Creepy, said Tony.
A cold trickle of sweat chose that moment to meander down Corys spine.
Sam paused to take off her cap and wipe her face with her T-shirt sleeve as she looked around. I saw a bigger building when we were coming in. I think it was over that way-at the far end of town. My guess is, if anybodys around, thats where theyll be.
A church?
Sam shook her head. These people practice a local religion-a form of animism-you know, where everything, even rocks and trees, has its own spirit? It might be a community meeting place, though. Or a marketplace.
It turned out to be both those things-and more.
They came upon it a little farther on around a gentle bend, where the dusty track widened out before a large lanai covered over with bamboo. In the shade of the bamboo roof were stalls, bins, tables and mats where, in less troubled times, homegrown vegetables, fruits, poultry, eggs and perhaps some wild game would be displayed and bartered. Now, flies floated and hummed above empty tables as they passed, birds screeched and twittered in the bamboo roof above their heads, and here and there they caught the flash of a lizard scurrying for cover.
Behind the lanai was the large building theyd seen from the air. It was rather more sturdily built than most of the houses, Cory noted, of boards rather than bamboo. Separating it from the lanai was a screened porch, or cabana, and as they approached it, a narrow screen door creaked open. A man stood in the doorway, holding it wide for them to enter. He appeared to be somewhere around middle-aged, and wore the loose cotton pants and shirt and flip-flops nearly all rural Filipinos wear. His expression, Cory noted, seemed neither hostile nor welcoming, but merely resigned.
While Tony lingered in the lanai, still snapping pictures, Sam spoke to the man in a language Cory didnt know. He replied with a fatalistic shrug and a nod and gestured for them to follow him inside.
Since when do you speak Tagalog? Cory asked Sam in a mild undertone as they trooped through the cabana.
Helps to know the language of the people you work among, she replied with a cryptic half smile.
Just then another of those sweat runnels trickled down his back. He didnt know why, in spite of the heat, it should make him feel cold.
The smell of disinfectant hit him as soon as the door opened, so it came as no surprise when Sam, whod gone in first and was still talking to their escort, turned as he entered to explain that the building housed a small regional hospital.
More of an infirmary, or clinic, I suppose. Anyway, theyre very proud of it-it even has screens on all the windows, see? A doctor comes every couple of weeks by plane. This man is one of the caretakers-caregivers?-sort of a combination nurse-custodian. Im guessing he drew the short straw today-he gets to stay behind to look after the patients. And us. He says we must wait here. We are to stay inside, out of sight.