Careful to avoid rustling any trees or bushes, I made my way down the side of the settlement to the hotel, staying inside of the tree line like I had before. Back on familiar ground, the going was easier despite the darkness. All the lights in the hotel were off except for two that illuminated the front entrance and what must have been the lobby. I counted to one hundred in my head, but saw no discernable movement inside the hotel. I was about to leave my hiding place and attempt to sneak in when another set of headlights flashed across the trees.
Another vehicle, smaller than the troop transports, parked in front of the hotel. A single person exited the vehicle from the passenger side. I blinked away the blindness left by the lights and struggled to make out any details of the lone figure.
He wore what was obviously an officer's uniform. It was decorated with an abundance of gaudy medals and ribbons that stood out even at a distance in the dark. A pistol in a shiny leather holster hung on his hips. He wore his gray hair cropped short, and it ran seamlessly into a perfectly shaped silver beard. It looked like General Bardales had finally arrived.
Bardales strode through the doors of the hotel with supreme confidence and familiarity. As soon as he was inside, his driver exited the vehicle, leaned against the hood, and lit a cigarette. Through the lobby windows I could see Bardales walk up to the front desk and then go behind it. He picked up one set of keys from a hook on the wall and then disappeared from view. This can't be good.
A light came on in an upstairs room, spilling out of the louvered doors to the balcony. With a sinking heart, I realized it was Jaye Mercury's room. The doors obstructed my view, but I could see the silhouette of Bardales through the louvers as he moved about the room.
Finally, the doors to the balcony burst open. Bardales leaned over the railing and shouted something to his driver, pointing and gesturing with a plain manila folder. Inside, the room was a mess. The sheets had been torn from the bed and lay in a pile beside the nightstand. Drawers were missing from the dresser and clothes laid scattered around the room. He had tossed the place.
The presence of personal belongings gave me hope, however. I knew Mercury hadn't left the island. But she was too much of a professional to risk returning to her room now. Depending on how fast she had made it down the mountain, there was a good chance that she was watching this same scene unfold. That left her only one option. She would have to cut her losses and run.
And the only place she could run to was her plane. That was where I would catch up to her. And that was where I would lay my trap.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A dozen armed men on high alert lay between me and the road back towards the airstrip. Something told me it would take more than a loose pig to get past them this time. The village was silent except for the occasional hushed order of the soldiers and the rhythmic buzzing of insects. Sneaking past them, even in the dark, would not be easy.
Bardales had retreated from the balcony that overlooked the entire village. His driver puffed clouds of gray tobacco smoke while he reclined against the jeep. On the far end, the soldiers continued their search, leaving me a clear path to cross the village and disappear into the jungle on the other side.
I knew I had to hurry. The men who had gone to investigate the crashed supply platform would return soon. When that happened, the entire village would be swarming with troops. This was my only opportunity, and I had to take it.
Crouching, I made my way past the villa, and then over the rickety wooden fence into the old woman's pig pen again. Like a ghost, I snuck past the steps leading to her front door. I paused in the corner of her weather-beaten porch and regarded the soldiers for a moment. Most had stopped searching with any zeal, and instead congregated in small groups. It didn't say much about the discipline of the unit, but I took it as a good omen.
Lights burned from inside several of the ramshackle houses, their occupants roused by the sudden arrival of the army. Some houses had their windows and doors open, pouring light out into the darkness. The additional light wasn't strong enough to reach me on this end of the village, but it was enough to dull the soldiers' night vision.
The coastal road wasn't visible from here, but the trucks had come from that direction. Any commander worth his salt would have stationed guards at the beginning of the road. This suited me just fine. I had no plans on using it, anyway.
After another couple of moments watching the troops, I made mental notes which ones executed their search with passion and which didn't. I crawled over the dilapidated fence and hustled into the darkness of the treeline where civilization fought a never-ending territory battle with the jungle. The brush was especially thick here. Too thick.
Any attempt to traverse such a wood would certainly draw too much attention. So much for plan A. Sneaking through the village was a sure way to get caught. I looked back towards the hotel. General Bardales had resumed his place on the balcony and was talking into a radio. Going back wasn't an option either. So, I crept towards the coastal road, keeping low against the wall of greenery.
Instinctively, I knew that if I moved slowly and deliberately against the nearly black backdrop of the jungle, the men and Bardales wouldn't see me. Still, my breathing became shallower and more excited as I slunk ever closer to my pursuers.
