Клайв Касслер - Typhoon Fury

Juan had Eric put up the weather map tracking Typhoon Hidalgo. “You see the problem, right? Hidalgo is heading straight for us. According to the latest projections, it will pass directly over Negros Island.”

“And I would love to get out of its way,” Max said. “But if we try to outrun it, we could be stuck in the middle of the open ocean without operational engines during a Category Five storm. Doesn’t sound very appealing to me.”

“I hope you have an alternative.”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Max replaced the weather map on the screen with a detailed coastal map of Negros Island. He zoomed in on a bay only twenty miles away.

“That’s not a shipping harbor because the area around it is marshy,” Max said, “but it should provide us some protection from the storm surge. By the time the full brunt of the typhoon arrives, I’ll have the engines in good enough shape to ride it out.”

Juan didn’t like the idea of sitting in a bay during a storm like Hidalgo, but the notion of being stranded at sea in mountainous waves was even worse.

“Stoney, set course for that bay,” he said. “Top speed that Max allows.”

“Aye, Chairman,” Eric replied, and the Oregon began moving away from the beached ferry. Since the passengers had been moved away from the bow during the firefight between the Kuyogs and the Gatling guns, all they’d be able to report was that a mysterious ship and its crew had saved them from certain death amid dozens of explosions from unknown watercraft. Juan would have his people reconfigure the Oregon while it was idling so that even if the Coast Guard did subsequently come across them, they would look like a completely different ship.

“Congratulations, Mr. Cabrillo,” Raven said now that they were out of harm’s way. “I’ve never seen such a remarkable display of teamwork.”

“We only bring on the best. Every corporation says that, but we really mean it.”

“I can see that. But Locsin is still out there, and so is Beth.”

“I know. We’ll have to wait out the storm and plan our next step once it’s passed.”

Raven held up the temporary phone they’d loaned her to replace the one taken by Locsin. “I don’t think we have to wait that long. While we were recovering from the battle, I was finally able to check my email and found a message from an account that I’ve never seen before. It says, ‘ Raven, this is Beth. In a huge cavern but don’t know where. Track this cell number to find me.’ I checked the number in the message, and it has a Philippines prefix based on Negros Island. If this is legit, Beth might have found a way to lead us right to Locsin.”

58

NEGROS ISLAND

By the time night had fallen in the cavern, Beth was lying on her bed going crazy from boredom. Besides her meal breaks, she’d had no human contact, and there was nothing to read or do in her cell. Because of the double doses of Typhoon, she felt better than ever. Her wound was healing well, but she also had the periodic urge to smash everything in the room from frustration at her predicament.

She wondered if her email message had been received. It was possible that it had gone straight to Raven’s junk mail because it came from an unknown number. And Beth had no idea if they really could track Dolap’s phone, nor did she know if the phone was actually broadcasting, especially given the depths of the cavern. She had a feeling that this is what Purgatory would be like.

The exquisite masterpieces she’d examined were the only thing keeping her sane. She could have kicked herself for assessing the value of the paintings so quickly. She should have said it would have taken days, not only so she could revel in their beauty but also to stave off the inevitable moment when she was no longer useful to Locsin.

She heard voices in the hallway and got up. They were approaching her room. If she was going to get out of here, she might as well try anything and everything. She really didn’t have much to lose.

A key rattled at the lock, and she picked up the metal nightstand with ease. To her surprise, she was able to hold it over her head even with her injured shoulder.

As the door opened, she swung the table at the first person she saw, delivering a strong blow to the man’s shoulder. It was Dolap, who shrugged it off as if it were just an annoyance and wrested the table from her hands. With a look of fury, he raised the table as if to strike her with it, but a voice behind him yelled, “Stop!”

Locsin stepped into the room with Tagaan. Both of them started laughing, and Dolap joined in after a moment, putting the table back down. Beth wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of being cowed, so she sat on the bed and checked her nails with disdain. They actually weren’t too bad, given the circumstances.

“Ms. Anders,” Locsin said after the laughter ceased, “you’re looking well.”

Beth didn’t even look up, concentrating on a chip in her thumbnail.

“I hear you’ve had a healthy appetite. It must be helping your wound.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Beth saw him nod at Dolap, who walked over and yanked aside the bandage on her shoulder.

Locsin peered at it. “Excellent. This has been a very interesting experiment. And thank you for the appraisal of the paintings. Tomorrow I would like you to show me how to verify their authenticity.”

“I doubt I could teach anything to someone like you.”

“You might be surprised,” he said with a sickening smile. “I spent three years at university in Manila before I came back here to carry on the struggle for my people.”

Beth looked Locsin in the eye and laughed derisively. “Every murderer like you thinks he’s a freedom fighter.”

Locsin shook his head. “It’s pointless to get into a debate with you about whether the ends justify the means. Today I had a similar discussion with your friend Juan Cabrillo, and it didn’t go well for him.”

Beth shot to her feet. “What did you do to him?”

“Him and his whole ship, actually. They’re gone. If you were holding out some pathetic hope that he would come rescue you, you might as well forget about it.”

Stunned, Beth collapsed back onto the bed.

“Now get some sleep,” Locsin said. “I want you rested for my lesson tomorrow. Even if you think I’ll be a slow learner, we’ll have plenty of time. There’s a typhoon coming through. By tomorrow afternoon, we’ll be socked in for several days. Good night.”

They left, and Dolap locked the door behind them.

Beth was in shock. She didn’t know whether to believe Locsin or not. But it was likely that Raven had teamed with Juan after Beth was abducted, which meant that if he was really dead, Raven probably was, too.

It felt like there was a hole in Beth’s stomach. Normally, she would sob uncontrollably at the loss of her friends and at the true hopelessness of her situation. But right now there was nothing inside her but anger. She wanted to kill Locsin, Tagaan, Dolap, all of them. She wanted to make them suffer, but she couldn’t. At least she could let them know she wasn’t going to take this quietly.

Beth picked up the nightstand and beat it against the door until her fingers ached.

• • •

AS HE STOOD with Tagaan and Dolap at the end of the hall, Locsin could hear the bang of metal against Beth Anders’s door.

Dolap made a move toward her room, but Locsin put his hand up to stop him.

“Let her vent,” he said. “It shows that the Typhoon is working.”

They continued talking as the banging went on.

“Are we ready for Hidalgo?” Locsin asked.