Barracuda (14 page)

He screamed with such velocity that his
regulator once again flew out of his mouth and he inhaled a
mouthful of water. He could not yell again, only choke as a steady
stream of bubbles rose from his free flowing second stage. Bill was
barely able to reach his octopus and gobble a mouthful of
compressed air and regain his composure. The creature went eyeball
to eyeball with him, and Bill knew he was looking at a disciple of
Lucifer. It hovered in front of him, the huge, angular teeth
gleaming. Worse was the coldness of the colossal black eyes that
studied him. Without apparent movement, the devilish beast backed
up a few feet and studied its prisoner with those unblinking orbs
of doom.

A slow wave of panic gripped Bill in a death
hold. He was trapped like a fly in a spider’s web as he watched his
captor casually eat his brother Bob. Making a decision, he spit out
his air supply and hungrily drank the salt water of death. This
would be a quicker, less painful fate than hanging around waiting
for the fiend to tear him apart. The last thing he saw was the
demon looking over at him with Bob’s leg dangling out of its mouth.
That abominable image floated with Bill into his serene
afterlife.

***

“What do you mean we have two brothers missing?”
Andrej yelled.

Tanya was quite composed as she explained, “We
think the two brothers from Australia went on an unauthorized dive
and drowned. The fishing village isn’t talking, but we suspect the
brothers hired a local fisherman to take them to a wreck so they
could steal artifacts. The fisherman probably panicked when the
divers never surfaced, and feared reprisals, so he never reported
it. The brothers are scheduled to leave today. Their rooms were not
slept in last night and their bags are not packed.”

Andrej rubbed his hand over his head. “What the
hell are we going to do, Tanya? If Hiroshi finds out, he’ll crucify
me.”

“It’s not all bad, Andrej. The missing brothers
were leaving here to check in at the Bikini resort to join their
friends for another week of diving. I can get their bags packed and
delivered to the Bikini resort with express check-in. From there,
we can buy some time and then blame the disappearance on their
hotel. I can do some public relations work to make the Bikini look
bad and the Majestic look great. Oh, and I also want a raise.”

That bitch
, Andrej thought.
Thank God
I have her and her devious ways.
“All right, make it happen—and
don’t let Hiroshi find out,” he said. “If you can, use that
insidious mind, of yours, to get rid of Hiroshi and make me hotel
director. Then I’ll double your pay.”

“Fairy tales can come true, boss man,” she
joked.

As Tanya left the suite Alex commented, “Boss,
she wants your job.”

“The organization will never give this job to a
woman, especially since we have to share duties with the Japs,”
Andrej answered. “Those gooks consider Japanese women second-class
citizens, and other women are considered slaves.”

“Just don’t take her lightly, Boss. I wouldn’t
be surprised if she played one team against the other.”

“I don’t know what’s happening here, Alex,”
Andrej complained. “Scientists find the Bible, and then the
scientists have to disappear. Now I have a cop coming to the hotel,
I have two kangaroos missing, and I have to plan a plausible cover
up. On top of that, I have to hide these facts from Hiroshi and the
home office while attempting to blame the Aussie deaths on the
Bikini resort. And that ho demands a raise,” he lamented as he
placed his hands over his face.

Alex answered the ringing phone and had a
conversation as Andrej made himself a drink.

“That was our contact in New York,” Alex said,
getting off the phone. “The cop is coming here to recuperate from a
gunshot wound. The choice to come here was completely arbitrary.
His travel agent used her own accrued points to get him a great
deal at the Majestic for the grand opening. His coming here is just
a coincidence.”

“I’m still going to have Tanya keep an eye on
him,” Andrej grunted.

7

Micko watched the rickety boat approach the
dock. It was an ancient tender that had seen better days. The
two-tone brown on tan paint job was nauseating, as were the diesel
fumes that emanated from the inboard engine. As the boat tied up to
the dock, passengers appeared from nowhere. A moment earlier, it
had only been Tanya, Chuu, and himself at the dock.

“I carry your baggage on last, Mr. Mick. Nobody
step on it then,” Chuu declared.

“I’ll take the dive gear, Chuu.”

“No, no, Mr. Mick. I carry it. You go
onboard.”

Micko stepped onto the boat and quickly went
upwind of the fumes. He sat down and watched the other passengers.
Most were Japanese laborers, who probably worked at the Majestic.
The others were locals who probably scraped out a living as farmers
or fishermen if they didn’t work at the resort.

Tanya went straight to the wheelhouse. As
promised, Chuu was the last to get on board with the luggage. Micko
traveled light—one suitcase and one dive bag. He carried his camera
and small articles in the knapsack.

“Ha, you look like real tourist, Mr. Mick.”

“Why? Because I video a lot?” Micko said with a
laugh.

The tender was half full as it blew its whistle
and departed on a calm sea. Micko was looking at the water after
they entered the atoll and must have unintentionally made a
displeased face.

“We had a bad storm and the runoff turns the
water dirty near land,” Chuu explained with a smile. “There a lot
of bushes and limbs in the water.”

“It must have been quite a storm,” Micko
returned.

“It was.”

Chuu, with his dancing eyebrows, was as warm as
Tanya was cold. He was a world of information during the ride.
Micko learned more of the great rivalry between the Bikini resort
and the Majuro Majestic Hotel resort. The Bikini resort was
operated mostly by locals, but was sparse in its amenities other
than scuba diving. Chuu laughed that the dining was mess hall
style, with food cooked the Army way. The Majestic, by contrast,
had classy restaurants with food served by tuxedo-clad waiters and
cooked by world-class chefs in an opulent atmosphere. He went on
about the scuba diving being better because the Majestic had two
bigger and faster boats. Chuu personally liked the bars, disco, and
casino, so he raved about them.

Micko noticed that the boat was heading north
but sticking close to the east shore. This was perplexing because
they seemed to be heading toward Bikini Island. Tanya had said they
were going straight to Shark Alley Island, which was off to the
west.

He didn’t want to interrupt Chuu because when
Tanya was near, Chuu was quiet. Chuu continued explaining that his
job was to serve as resort gardener, handyman and van driver when
tourists arrived. The van stayed at the airport and was used just
to transport tourists and luggage to the dock.

“How is your boss?” Micko inquired.

“Mr. Hiroshi very good boss. He good to me.”

“Is the hotel staff all Japanese?”

“Mostly, Mr. Mick. Some Bikinians, a few expats,
and some Russians also work there.”

“Russians!” Micko blurted. “How does that work
out?”

Chuu was slow to answer, and Micko could see
that he was uneasy with the question. “Never mind, Chuu, it’s just
the curiosity in me, always asking questions.”

Chuu smiled and seemed relieved.

“Do you have a police force on Shark Alley
Island?” Micko wondered.

“No, Mr. Mick, there is no crime, just missing
persons. You be careful scuba diving. Very dangerous,
very
dangerous.”

“I know about the dangers of scuba diving, but
what’s this about missing persons?”

“Two shark specialists no come back. Boat sink,
they drown. Two brothers sneak out and dive alone on wreck, no come
back. Mr. Mick, you stay with dive boat operation. The missing men
went out alone.” Chuu hung his head as if in reverence to the
missing.

Just then Tanya came out of the wheelhouse,
talking into her cell phone. She was looking toward shore, and Chuu
furtively slid a few feet away from Micko. Micko was picking up all
kinds of body language from both, but damned if he could make heads
or tails of it.

Soon the water turned crystal clear and flat as
glass. Bikini Island appeared on the horizon about the same time
Micko noticed some small fishing boats dotting the atoll. The
Bikini resort tender was just leaving the dock to make the trip to
Eneu to pick up the Californians.

Tanya was pacing the deck like a wild animal as
the tender pulled into the Bikini dock. The boat didn’t take the
time to tie up but pulled close to the dock so two large men in
suits could hop on board. The tender quickly reversed engines and
pulled away from the wharf. Micko was now definitely making
observations that he didn’t like.

Tanya and the two men spoke briefly, and it was
evident that she was in charge. She spoke, and the men shook their
heads. She was wringing her hands like she was distressed, but
after her conversation with the men, she seemed at ease. One of the
men looked about cautiously, leaned close to Tanya, and spoke
discreetly. With a catlike movement, Tanya looked over at Micko and
nodded in agreement with the man. The men went into the wheelhouse,
and Tanya came over to Micko.

“I hope you didn’t mind our little diversion to
Bikini Island,” she said sweetly, leaning over so her breasts were
slightly exposed.

“I would have loved to jump off and look around
for a few minutes,” he answered.

“Sometimes the Bikinians run out of things and
borrow from us, so a couple of our workers dropped stuff off and
now they need a ride back.” She slyly placed her hand on his knee
as she spoke.

Micko caught the exasperated look of disbelief
on Chuu’s face. He knew that something had drastically changed in
the last ten minutes. The nervous and standoffish Tanya was now
trying to play him like a fiddle by coming on to him.
What did
the two men tell her that so radically changed her personality?
he silently wondered.

The boat steamed across the atoll to the
opposite side from Bikini Island. Before long, the Majestic Hotel
in all its grandeur came into view. The other passengers began
lining up at the gangway, and Micko shot a quick glance at
Chuu.

“We get off last, Mr. Mick.”

A bright pink pickup truck was waiting at the
dock. Chuu placed the baggage in the rear and then he climbed in
behind the wheel.

“You sit here, Mr. Mick.” He pointed to the
passenger seat.

“Do you drive all the vehicles?” Micko
asked.

“Most of the times, yes.”

“What about Tanya and the others?”

“Hotel employees walk, tourists ride,” Chuu
answered.

It was a short ride to the hotel driveway. Micko
got a good look at the hotel and its grounds in the meantime. It
was a virtual pastel paradise. The hotel itself was fresh and clean
looking, and the grounds were covered in lush foliage and plants
that were obviously well cared for. The lawns were manicured, and
the golf course in the distance appeared to be well cared for as
well.

He could see the outdoor pool/bar, where a
lively crowd had settled in. The pool was shaped like a
three-leafed shamrock, with the bar located at the top of the
middle leaf. A couple of men played steel drums to a reggae beat as
entertainment.

Chuu parked the pickup and hopped out to get a
hotel valet. Soon the luggage was wheeled to the front desk and
Micko was signing in. The desk clerk made a quick phone call and
Micko saw a short, well-groomed Japanese man approaching. He wore
thick glasses and a very expensive suit. The man had grace and a
definite aura of authority.

“Detective O’Shaughnessy, welcome to our humble
hotel,” he greeted. “I’m Hiroshi Machii, and I’m the director of
the Majestic Hotel.” Hiroshi stuck out his hand, and Micko shook it
warmly.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Machii.”

“Call me Hiroshi. Let me give you the
three-dollar tour,” The man smiled.

The desk clerk gave Micko keys to room 222 and
directed the valet to bring the luggage there while Hiroshi played
tour guide. He was obviously very proud of the pagan opulence of
his resort as he pointed out various objects of beauty. The hotel
lobby was exquisite in red velour with a polished marble floor. To
the left of the main desk was a hall leading to the Neptune Lounge,
a fancy bar that had a wonderful aquatic setting complete with a
huge aquarium loaded with exotic fish. The decor was resplendent
with dark leather chairs and couches. The main restaurant, the
Marina Del Ray, was located adjacent to the lounge. It was
decorated with high ceilings and Roman columns adorning the
entrance. Huge planters of flowers were strategically placed, and
the brightly painted walls were a lively mural of island life.

The casino was a curious miniature reproduction
of the Atlantis Casino in the Bahamas. It was obvious that a great
deal of money was spent on this favorable recreation. A large crowd
of people were even now playing a variety of machines in
anticipation of beating the odds.

It appeared Majestic and was a massive, regal
palace that could cater to almost every vice. The disco rivaled any
New York club, rocking seven nights a week. After the grand
opening, Hiroshi told him, the disco would import some top name
acts as an added attraction. The semi-pro golf course also
attracted a diverse crowd. This resort was not just for divers.

“So how do you like my hotel?” Hiroshi finally
asked.

“It’s much more than I expected,” Micko
admitted.

“Wait until the fireworks display at the grand
opening. I have rented a barge that will come from Eneu, and it
will be moored in the lagoon. The fireworks will umbrella the
entire Shark Alley Island,” Hiroshi bragged. “Even the tourists on
Bikini Island will see the exhibition from across the atoll, and
they will be jealous that they were not staying here at the
Majestic.”