Blowout Page 16

  “I’m not going in some dark cave, Raphael.” Gia’s lower lip trembled like she was on the verge of tears. “This isn’t my idea of a wedding celebration.”

  “We’ll celebrate later.” His voice had a hard edge to it. It sounded more like a command.

  Uncle Harry stood. “I want to go back to the boat. I’m tired.”

  Raphael looked behind him, but Pete averted his gaze.

  Whatever had transpired between the two men wasn’t light conversation. Judging from Pete’s body language, he wasn’t entirely in sync with Raphael. He appeared angry that they hadn’t entered the cave. Regardless of whose side Pete was on, at least they weren’t outnumbered.

  Kat’s gut did a somersault as Raphael sat down on Gia’s right. Pete rested on a log a few feet away.

  “Brother XII got away with all that gold.” Uncle Harry tried to lighten the mood. “That crook won in the end.”

  “Smart guy,” Raphael kissed the top of Gia’s head.

  “I don’t know,” said Jace. “A smart man wouldn’t have angered so many people. He had a good thing going until greed got the better of him. Some say he actually left the gold behind.”

  “I guess people have searched for it?” Uncle Harry asked.

  “Yes, all over the island, including the site where his house was. No one’s found it, although they did find a note hidden under some floorboards.”

  “What did it say?” Gia asked.

  “For fools and traitors, nothing.”

  Raphael wasn’t the only one with a gift for manipulation.

  28

  They walked back towards the dinghy. Kat was anxious to return to the ship. Raphael’s yacht was the only place she felt safe, and the irony of it didn’t escape her. Somehow the CCTV cameras onboard comforted her, but that was ridiculous. If the cameras were actually monitored, the stolen boat would have probably been recovered by now.

  “You guys are really missing out,” Pete said. “You come ashore but don’t even bother to check out the hidden passage. Hardly anyone has ever been inside. Who knows, maybe the treasure is hidden there.”

  Jace stopped mid-step. “I thought you said the passage was blocked.”

  “It is, but I know how to get in. There’s enough of us to move the boulder out of the way. We’ll need everybody to help, though.”

  Jace shrugged. “Sure, count me in.”

  “Me too,” Uncle Harry said.

  “I’ll pass.” Gia glanced at Kat for agreement.

  Kat nodded. She didn’t blame Gia one bit. It was already late afternoon, and caving didn’t exactly make the activity list for most new brides on their wedding day. Had Gia finally recognized Raphael’s self-serving nature?

  Gia tapped her watch. “We’ll wait an hour, no more. After that, we’re returning to the ship.”

  Kat felt a surge of hope as the old Gia replaced the meek diluted version. The time alone gave her a chance to reason with Gia, though she hesitated to reveal much of her findings. Gia’s loyalties hadn’t been tested yet and you never could tell when love was involved. “We’ll wait on the beach.”

  The men turned and headed towards the cave single-file. Pete and Jace were closely matched in height and size, though Pete was probably twenty pounds lighter and on the skinny side. Raphael was at least six inches shorter, but easily outmatched Uncle Harry in size, strength and youth.

  Gia kicked at the sand. “How can he expect me to leave everything behind?”

  A loaded question Kat had no intention of answering.

  “I love Raphael, but I find some things about him really annoying. Like how he makes all the decisions for both of us. At first I liked the idea of someone taking charge and taking care of me, but he doesn’t even consider what I want half the time.”

  “Maybe you should object more often.”

  “I’m afraid to. Married or not, he might get tired of me. He could replace me just like that.” She snapped her fingers. “He’s got the world at his fingertips. He can have anyone he wants.”

  “You’re not exactly helpless, Gia. You’re also not doing yourself any favors with those comments. Do you really think he would replace you?”

  “I kind of do. At first his whole world revolved around me, but now I just feel like an afterthought.” Her lower lip trembled. “We’ve only been married a couple of hours. What will it be like in a few years?”

  Raphael would never stick around that long. That was Gia’s saving grace, though she didn’t know it yet. “You didn’t think of that before you married him?”

  “It all happened so fast. It’s like a fairytale or dream that I didn’t want to wake up from. And he said we’d turn my salon into a franchise, yet now I’m shutting down my salon. Our plans change by the minute. What would you do if you were in my shoes?”

  “I wouldn’t go. I would never give up my dreams that easily. The right person wouldn’t expect you to, either.” Kat drew in a deep breath. “There’s something I need to tell you, Gia. There are some strange things going on aboard the ship.”

  “I know you don’t like him, Kat. Let’s leave it at that.”

  “This is different. I can’t tell you unless you promise not to discuss it with Raphael. You could put all our lives in danger.”

  Gia chuckled. “Don’t be so dramatic. We’re all perfectly safe.”

  “I’m serious. Do I have your word?”

  “Sure.”

  “Raphael’s yacht isn’t really called The Financier. The real name is Catalyst. It was stolen from a marina recently. It’s an American boat, not Italian, and I can prove it.” She described the painted over name and the registration records. “I can show you the Catalyst write up when we’re back on board. The yacht’s exterior and interior are identical, right down to identical original oil paintings.”

  “There must be a mistake. Raphael sailed from Italy on The Financier.”

  “Raphael saying so doesn’t make it true, Gia. My proof says otherwise.” Gia would almost certainly confront Raphael about Melinda’s wallet, so she refrained from mentioning it. The yacht was enough proof that Raphael was a liar.

  Gia sighed. “Actual proof? Are you sure?”

  Kat nodded. “He either stole it, or knows it’s stolen. There’s simply no other explanation.”

  “He lied to me.” Gia jumped to her feet and made a beeline for the cave. “I’m gonna kill that bastard.”

  Kat chased after her and grabbed her arm. “Gia, wait. We need a plan. You can’t do or say anything to let on that you know. Just act normal and we’ll figure out what to do next.”

  “Do Jace and Harry know?”

  “Yes, I just told them. I don’t know what it all means. But we’ve got to be careful. He might be lying about other things. Let’s go find the guys and get back to the ship.”

  They walked across the beach towards the cave. Gia’s trust was key to their safe return. Amid the doom and gloom, Kat finally saw a glimmer of hope.

  29

  Despite Kat’s best intentions, she was once again inside a cave without a flashlight. She had forgotten amidst their on-again, off-again plans. “Jace?”

  Her voice echoed through the cavern, but there was no reply.

  “He’s probably in too deep to hear you,” Gia said.

  Exactly as Kat had feared. Now that Raphael had locked up both Jace and Uncle Harry’s funds, they were of little use to him. As potential victims, they were more like a liability. Accidents could happen inside the cave and without witnesses, no one was likely to find them in a little known chamber.

  “Jace?” She shouted this time. If the cave exploration had been a ruse to separate Jace and Harry, they didn’t have much time. She walked faster as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

  “Pretty cool in here,” Gia switched on her phone’s flashlight beam. The dim light was a vast improvement. “I think I hear Raphael’s voice.”

  They inched along the corridor as a male voice grew louder. They followed the curved walls and a
bout a minute later Raphael appeared. He clutched a rock tightly in his right hand.

  Kat pretended not to notice, but her heart raced. There were two of them against Raphael. Or against Raphael and Pete, who had just emerged from the shadows. Was the rock in Raphael’s hand a souvenir or a weapon? If it was the latter, he could seriously hurt them. Had he purposely separated them from Jace and Uncle Harry?

  Gia faced Raphael. “Why didn’t you answer Kat when she called?”

  Raphael ignored her. He turned the rock around in his hand, deep in thought.

  “Where are Jace and Harry?” Kat scanned the cavern but saw no trace of them. Raphael stood in the center of the passage and blocked the way forward.

  “They went on ahead,” Pete stepped in front of Raphael, just a few feet from Kat. “We haven’t seen them for at least fifteen minutes.”

  Fifteen minutes was a long time. Despite the cool cave interior, a thin sheen of sweat broke out on her forehead. Neither Jace nor Uncle Harry would voluntarily separate themselves from Pete and Raphael. Jace would never go off on his own in an unfamiliar cave. He also would have returned within the promised hour. Something was amiss with Jace and Uncle Harry; she just knew it.

  “What’s that rock in your hand, Raphael?” Gia grabbed his arm and tried to pry the rock from his hand.

  “Leave it.” He tightened his grip and pulled his hand away. “I collect rocks.”

  “A rock hound,” Gia said. “I didn’t know that about you.”

  “There’s a lot you don’t know.” Raphael turned back towards the entrance. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Gia’s eyes widened but she said nothing.

  “Wait a sec. We can’t just leave Jace and Uncle Harry.” Kat recalled her earlier cave experience. The men could have made a wrong turn. Their absence meant they were lost, injured, or somehow unable to retrace their steps.

  “There’s only one way out. It’s not that hard,” Raphael said.

  “But it’s an undersea tunnel,” Kat protested. “There are at least two different passages. What if there are more chambers? They could be anywhere.”

  “I’ll go look for them.” Pete shone his flashlight beam ahead as he retraced his steps in the opposite direction. “Wait here. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

  Kat breathed a sigh of relief. Pete seemed cooperative. Even if he had sided with Raphael, at least danger wasn’t imminent. She leaned against the cool cave wall and tried to appear casual.

  She studied Raphael. The veins on his arms bulged as he kept the rock in his grip. She inched a little closer and was alarmed to see a red discoloration on the rock. The red stain was not only on the rock, but on his palm. She caught Gia’s gaze and nodded towards Raphael’s hand.

  Raphael was nonplussed by Pete’s decision, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything.

  For the second time in twenty-four hours, she was in a cave with a murderer. One way or another, it would be the last time.

  30

  The red-tinged rock turned out to be nothing more than a souvenir, an archeological artifact.

  “You should put the rock back where you found it,” Kat said. The rock’s crimson markings appeared to have been made with the same primitive paint that she had seen on the stone altar on De Courcy Island. It was paint, not blood, and it was probably thousands of years old.

  “What difference does it make? Nobody visits this stupid cave, so no one’s going to miss it.” Raphael’s eyes narrowed. “Besides, I don’t like people ordering me around. I’ll do what I want.”

  “That’s not the point. This is a historic archeological site. You can’t just take stuff.” The Coast Salish artwork on the cave walls and boulders had stood unmolested for thousands of years. Raphael probably wouldn’t even the keep the rock, but he saw nothing wrong with disturbing the site.

  “I can, and I will. Maybe I’ll even get more.” He pulled out his pocketknife and wedged it into a crevice in the cave wall. He scraped at the rock and fragments fell to the ground. He pried the rock away with his hands and extracted a second, smaller rock. Another cave painting ruined.

  Kat remained silent, aware her comments only aggravated his actions. She felt some satisfaction that Raphael had lost his cool, though. Still, she was relieved when Pete emerged from the darkness, followed by Jace and Uncle Harry.

  “How did you even know about this passageway to start with?” Jace asked. “You grow up around here?”

  Pete nodded. “My grandfather was Edward Arthur Wilson, better known as Brother XII.”

  Pete was about fifty years old, so it was possible, Kat thought. It also explained his local knowledge.

  Jace whistled. “I had no idea. Why didn’t you mention anything earlier?”

  Pete shrugged. “I didn’t want a negative spin put on things.”

  Harry tapped Pete’s shoulder. “He must’ve been some guy. I mean, to convince all those people to follow him and all. There’s two sides to every story, right?”

  “I wouldn’t know, since I never met him. He left the colony when my mother was only five years old. She didn’t know her father very well either. My grandmother told us lots of stories about life in the colony, though.”

  “Which one was your grandmother? Mabel Scottowe?”

  Pete shook his head. “My grandmother’s name was Sarah. She was just one of many women he took advantage of. He and my grandmother never married, which was pretty scandalous at the time. She was left penniless and destitute like the rest of his followers. Obviously he wasn’t a great guy, but he was still my grandfather.”

  “Understood,” Jace said. “My story isn’t so focused on the personal side as it is on the Aquarian Foundation and the rumored buried treasure. People love reading about stuff like that. I’d love to hear whatever you know about him.”

  “There’s not much to tell that isn’t already known. My grandfather believed that he was the reincarnation of the Egyptian God, Osiris. Together with a reincarnated Isis, he would father the New World Teacher who would lead the Aquarian Foundation in the new age. My grandmother was just one of many women who fell for his ridiculous story.”

  “It’s an incredible story,” Jace said.

  “Whether he really believed it or not, I don’t know. But that’s what he told everyone.”

  “Maybe we can talk some more back on the ship.” Jace smiled. “He must have been quite a character.”

  Pete shrugged. “I only know what my mother told me. Probably not what you’re looking for, since I never knew him personally.”

  “Still, I’ll bet those are some stories,” Harry said. “What I wouldn’t give to have been there.”

  Kat raised her brows at Harry but remained silent.

  “Probably better not to be there.” Pete shook his head. “My mom was born on De Courcy and lived on the island till she was fifteen. She’s gone now, but she always told me stories about growing up. She didn’t remember much of the cult, but when you grow up in a cult, that’s all you know. For her, it was normal. There was one thing she always talked about. My grandmother worked twelve hours a day, with no time for my mother. It was hard, back-breaking labor. My mom thought that was a normal life until she left. But even as a kid, she was horrified by Madame Zee.”

  “Wow,” Kat said. “Why didn’t you mention any of this before?” Raphael probably knew Pete’s local connection since he had almost certainly shared the reason for the trip with Pete, his crew member. Despite its relevance, Pete hadn’t mentioned it on the trail yesterday.

  “I don’t want my family history written up in a newspaper article. Brother XII wasn’t exactly honest, but he was my grandfather. It happened a long time ago and there’s no one left but me now. Still, I don’t want my family name dragged through the mud.”

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Jace said. “I’d run it by you first. A lot of people would be fascinated with your family history. The locals must recognize your name.”

  “They don’t. Brother XII changed
his name a few times, but anyone that knew him under other names is long since gone. Since he never married my grandmother, she didn’t take his name. Aside from that, the cult members weren’t locals anyways. People came from all over the world, and when the cult dissolved, they all left. The lucky ones scrounged enough money to return to wherever they came from.

  “Everyone except my mother, that is. She couldn’t even scrape two pennies together, so she had no choice but to stay. She worked as a maid till the day she died at sixty from cancer. She never knew anyplace else.”

  “How tragic,” Gia said. “How did he get away with taking everybody’s money?”

  “He didn’t completely get away,” Jace said. “Some of the Aquarian members took Brother XII to court. He had purchased all of the colony’s property with members’ money, yet all the property deeds were in his name only. They managed to get the property deeds transferred from Brother XII into their names, but it was too little, too late. He had long since vanished, probably with money he had hidden away. Mary Connally got the deed for Valdes Island, since it was purchased with her money. It’s long since been subdivided and sold, of course.”

  “At least that’s something,” Gia said. “Though it doesn’t make up for all the abuse they suffered.”

  “Nothing can make it right,” Pete added. “Maybe someday I’ll tell all I know. But that day hasn’t come yet.”

  Kat felt a chill down her spine as she realized Raphael no longer stood at Gia’s side. He must have turned back towards the cave entrance. “It’s getting late. Let’s get back to the ship and the wedding celebration.” The wedding was the last thing in the world worth celebrating, but at least it allowed her to keep a close eye on Raphael. She couldn’t let him out of her sight. Their future depended on it.

  31

  It was late afternoon when they finally returned to The Financier. The dinghy cut through the glasslike water as shadows danced across the boat’s wake. All was serene on the water’s surface, but tension brewed on board.