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We were still contemplating our escape strategy when there was a knock on the door. No matter how careful we tried to be, we all startled when someone knocked.
We stuffed pads under the sofa cushions, before Gracie Layne opened the door. "Hi, Mark. Come in."
"Is there a problem?" I asked. He wouldn't meet my eyes. That's never a good sign, but his look told me there was definitely a problem.
"Chance and Jared are fine. I just wanted to steal a few minutes with Gracie, if that's OK."
When I looked at her, she nodded her ascent. "I think we need some privacy," she said, leading him into the bedroom and closing the door. We heard some commotion and then heard the bathroom door close and the fan turn on.
Cassie and I sipped our drinks and talked about going for a walk the next day to see if we could see any of the monkeys we heard in the trees. A few minutes later, Mark and Gracie Layne walked back into the room. He was carrying his lab coat over his arm and his hair was sticking up as though she'd been running her hands through it. Although his outward appearance looked like a man who had enjoyed a few minutes making out with his girlfriend, he didn't look all that happy.
"I'm sorry, I'm so busy," he said with his arm around her shoulders. "Things should slow down soon. I'll be back when I can." He pulled her in for a quick kiss. "Good night ladies."
After he closed the door, an awkward silence settled over us. We were dying to know if she got any useful intel, but we couldn't just ask.
"How can you still be into that guy? He experimented on Chance and Jared. He nearly killed them," Cassie said.
"I know, but he thought he was helping them," Gracie Layne said. She was a better actress than I expected. "He's taking good care of them," she said. "They'll be OK."
It was incredibly difficult and risky to discuss such a complex plan without being able to communicate directly. My confidence was bolstered by the fact that Cassie and I had been through a similar situation before. Since Gracie Layne was my sister, I hoped she and I had a connection that would make non-verbal communications easier. Still our lives might depend on the success of this plan, and the details were critical.
Cassie was giving Gracie Layne a crash course in bigfoot, when I left to go back to my room. I took a cup of Earl Grey with me. I sat down with my tea and my pad. I made a list of the wildlife we'd seen and some crude drawings that I could use as decoys if the guards took any interest in my papers. Once my decoy pages were done, I made three copies of the plan. This was our only way to make sure that we all were on the same page at least for the major pieces of the plan. I folded the papers and put them in my pockets. I set an alarm on my watch and turned out the lights.
When the alarm sounded, I washed my face, pulled my hair up into a pony tail, and headed out for a walk. It was just after 3:00 AM. The dining room was empty, so I made my way to the screened in patio. It was empty too. My goal was to see if there were any guards about. We didn't know where Tattoo and Blank were housed. I made my way to the medical wing but wasn't able to get past the palm scanner. I expected that to be the case. This was one of the biggest stumbling blocks for our plan.
There were a few sections of the lodge that we had never had reason to visit. My goal was to check out as much of the lodge as possible. I found my way to the kitchen. I thought about looking for any knives I could use as weapons, but we were concerned the theft would be noticed before we launched our plan.
I found an area laid out much like the wing where our rooms were. The doors weren't labeled and, since it was the middle of the night, I didn't see any light or hear any noise. The rooms might be empty or occupied by Katrin, Tattoo, and the others.
I made my way outside. I'll admit it was a little creepy being outside in the dark. The jungle is noisy at night. Really noisy. That could actually be a plus for our plan, but I'd need to warn the others so they weren't startled by it. Based on the map of the Lodge that Gracie Layne had drawn and the paths we'd explored on our walks, I headed off in search of the fenced in area we found.
I moved slowly, allowing my eyes to adjust to the dark as I moved away from the main lodge. I could see the tall fence looming in the distance. I was trying to be quiet and careful. I thought I saw movement inside the fence, but I couldn't be sure. I walked closer. I didn't want to disturb any animals that might make noise and cause someone to come to check what was going on. Rather than head directly to the fence, I stayed close to the building. I was hoping to find a door that would lead into the medical section. If whatever was kept in the pen was part of Dr. Braun's research, then maybe he needed a way to bring the animals into the medical section of the lodge without going through the main living area.
I found a door and was reaching for the handle when it opened from the inside. Tattoo stepped out. Fudge. I had nowhere to hide. Was it better to try to melt back into the shadows and hope he didn't see me or make my presence known right off. I waffled for a minute.
"Hi, there. I guess I'm not the only one that couldn't sleep," I said.
"I'm on duty," he said, lighting a cigarette. "You shouldn't be back here."
I was tempted to ask him about the pen but decided to stick with my planned cover story. "I'm glad I ran into you. I walked all around inside the lodge and couldn't find anyone around. I need to see Chance."
"You'll see him in the morning."
"I know, but I had a vision that something happened to him. I just need to know he's OK. Oh. My. God. Is that why I didn't find anyone? Is there a medical emergency? A code blue or whatever they call it? Is Chance dying?"
I tried to cry, but just couldn't get the tears to flow.
"There's no emergency. Everything is quiet."
"Really? Are you sure? I mean, I know you're not a doctor so they wouldn't call you if it was a medical thing, right?"
He grunted.
I got bold—or desperate—and grabbed hold of his arm. "Please. I just need to see him. I won't say a word or cause any trouble. I just need to know he's OK so I can get some sleep."
Despite the tough guy persona, he caved pretty easily. He crushed out his cigarette and held the door open. "Come on but be quiet. You can see that he's breathing then you go back to your room. No trouble. No tricks."