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THAT EVENING, THE GIRLS and Cutter slept while Blackwell, Lisa, and I remained at the fire. Earlier in the day, Blackwell had demanded that Tank make spears for each of us, which he had made within a matter of minutes. But even though we had them now, we also knew that they were essentially useless. The people on this island had guns, and we didn’t. Tank was the only one among us who had a gun, and it was with him now. If they wanted to shoot us, they would. What good was a damned spear when we were faced with loaded guns?
Still, we held those spears tightly in our laps, if only for the false sense of security they provided. Sometimes, in the darkest moments of our lives, even a false sense of security is enough to get you through to the next second, the next minute, the next hour. The next day or year. Sometimes, it’s enough to give you the courage you lack to see you through to the other side.
“Where are Alex and Tank?” I asked Blackwell. “The sun set three hours ago. Why aren’t they back yet?”
The fire’s flickering light cast a wicked net of shadows against the sharp contours of her face. It was a moment before she answered me. “What can I say to you?” she said. “I know what you know.”
“I’m not going to lie—I’m angry that they did this to us.”
“So am I. We should have been consulted.”
“And yet we weren’t.”
“The thing is, I trust Tank,” Blackwell said. “He likely sensed that we’d try to stop him. And because of that—and knowing him as well as I do—he must have thought he had a very good reason to do what he did. He obviously thought that Alex could help. They’ll be back—and we can give them hell for what they did then.”
“How can they even see in the jungle at this time of night?”
“The moon is bright,” she said, looking up at it. “It’s nearly full. And then there are the stars, which Tank certainly has been trained to use as a guide. Perhaps he’s using them now to get back to us. Who knows how his mind works? It might be that under the stealth of night, they can gather more information on our situation than they could in the daylight. Think about it. If the sun were out, they’d easily be spotted. But now? Not so much.”
“The people in their compound can hear Alex and Tank just as easily as we can hear their people. And by the way, can you hear them? They’re just off to my left in case you were wondering.”
“I can hear them,” Blackwell said.
“Can you?” I asked Lisa.
“I can.”
“Perfect.”
“Jennifer,” Lisa said. “They said they’d give us five days. They took care of Cutter. Maybe not to the extent that they could have, but they did set his arm and heal his burns, and they did bring him back to us alive. For whatever reason, they’re watching us now, so let them. I don’t think they’ll try anything now. But after five days? That’s a different story, and we need to be prepared for it.”
“How?”
“Tank will figure out how. He saved your life once. It wasn’t so long ago that he saved mine. And God knows how many lives he saved when he was in the field. I need you to calm down and respect that.”
“I don’t like feeling deceived, Lisa.”
“I get it. They did a stupid thing. Let’s hope they come back from their little jaunt with some useful information. I’m also unhappy with the way they handled this. After I’ve calmed down, I plan on sharing that with Tank. But getting angry now? What’s the point? What’s done is done.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m more frightened and worried than anything. Maybe I’m being hormonal.”
“Let’s pray that you are,” Blackwell said.
“I’ve been praying about that since we first landed here,” I said. “But it’s hard. I’m trying my best to keep up with everyone and do my part, so if I’m ever being difficult, I apologize for that, and I hope that all of you understand where it’s coming from. My mind is a mess. It’s with my child, it’s with Alex and Tank, and it’s with Cutter. It’s also with that plane we heard earlier. If this island is so damned small, why didn’t they circle it? Why search only the sea for us? Is the black box on our plane dead? After those explosions, I’m thinking it is—and that’s beyond frustrating.”
“You’re doing the best you can,” Lisa said.
“And you’re being kind. There are times on this island when I’ve been a complete bitch. Like a minute or so ago.”
“You’ve never once been a bitch.”
“I’ve been a handful. When do I behave like this?”
“When have you ever been in a situation like this?”
“Touché.”
“Our Jennifer is no kitten,” Blackwell said from across the fire. “She can be a viper when she needs to be—I’ve seen it, and I’ve heard about it. What she did to Stephen Rowe on that dance floor was nothing short of a brilliant set-up for his potential demise.”
“And yet he might be the interim CEO now.”
“If he is, it will be short lived. We’re getting off this island. OK? We’re going to get off it. Now, how about if we change the subject and lighten the mood? How about if we look forward to our return to New York? Are you with me? No? Fine. I’m with me. As for me, I’m looking forward to the day that Bernie can have at my brittle hair and take to my ruined skin. At this point—and under this extreme sun—I’m convinced that it’s finally time to pay my toxes.”
“You’re going to pay your what?” Lisa asked.
“My toxes,” she said. “I eschew the sun. I always have—my mother taught me to, and she was right. And by the way, if you think that I can be difficult, I’m a fragile flower when compared to my mother. My mother was a top-tier prima donna. Former beauty queen, former model, total monster.”
“You’ve never talked about your mother,” I said.
“There are reasons why.”
“She was a model?”
“One of the best. In 1964 alone, she was on the cover of American Vogue twice. Think about growing up with that. I loved my mother as much as anyone could love her, which is to say that she made it nearly impossible to do so. But she was a businesswoman through and through—and tending to business is what I learned from her. She took no bullshit from anyone. I loved that about her. I also learned that from her. She wasn’t perfect—who among us is? Still, as tumultuous as our relationship was, she set an example for me, and it was an important one. With a backbone of steel, a woman can win in a male-dominated world.”
“She sounds fascinating,” Lisa said.
“In her way, I suppose she was. She was this beautiful, angry, crazy enigma. Always pushing forward. Always fighting to remain on top even when it was unreasonable to do so. When she became older and her looks faded, staying at the top eluded her—which naturally infuriated her. Those are the days I prefer not to remember.” She waved a hand across her face. “Good God. How did we get on that subject? I never talk about my mother.”
“Maybe it’s her strength you’re calling on now,” Lisa said.
“That’s horse shit. I’ve made my own strength. So, let’s just move on, shall we? Enough about my history with Mommie Dearest. Tomorrow, we’ll have been here for ten days, and I’m sure that after being on this island for so long, I’m so burned by the sun, I could enter a freak show as Lobster Woman—and probably earn a fair salary. When we get home, I’m paying my toxes.”
“I still don’t know what that is,” Lisa said.
“Botox. If anyone would like to join me, it’s on me. Jennifer?”
“I’m good.”
“How positively boring. Lisa?”
“I’m totally down with it. Shoot me up now—and freeze this mug of mine into place. I’ll be damned if I end up looking like one of my zombies.”
“Then be grateful that you don’t have a mirror,” Blackwell sniffed. “Because you’ve become ruinous since we landed. Look at you, for God’s sake. Dirt on your face. Hair that looks over processed. And regardless of how many times you’ve bathed here, my dear—I have to say that you reek. I told you to use the papaya as a kind of soap, but you nixed the idea. Didn’t want to waste the fruit, you said. I consider that a major mistake. It’s a wonder that Tank wants anything to do with you.”
“As if you look or smell any better.”
“The papaya,” she said. “I know that I do.”
“Then think again. And by the way,” Lisa said. “Have either of you noticed that Tank and Alex, while roughed up a little, look more handsome than ever? Tank, for instance, totally looks hot. He needs to go shirtless more often.”
“I agree,” I said. “Now that Alex has a full beard, I have to say that it’s something of an aphrodisiac. Even though I’m furious with him now for leaving the site, I’ll admit it—every time I see him, I just want to melt into him. That said, I have to wonder how he can even look at me at this point. I’m a horror show. And then we have Cutter. After all he’s been through, he shows up looking better than the rest of us.”
“Bernie will slap us into shape,” Blackwell said while she patted her ruined bob with the palm of her hand. “So will the toxes. I’m ready for them. Apparently, Lisa also is ready to prep herself for the needle. So, I’ll order a vat of if I have to. Let’s scrub away the age while we still can.”
* * *
IT WAS JUST PAST ELEVEN when Alex and Tank finally returned to camp.
Blackwell, Lisa, and I were still sitting around the campfire and keeping it fed with the branches Lisa had collected earlier in the day when a sudden rushing came toward us through the jungle. It startled us so much that each of us stood with our spears in hand, lifting them in defense until we realized who it was.
“You almost got a spear through your head,” Blackwell said to Alex.
“And I nearly nailed you with my own,” Lisa said to Tank.
“What’s taken you so long?” I asked as I dodged a kiss that Alex tried to plant on my forehead. “You’ve been gone for hours. And in case you don’t know, those people have us surrounded. They’re watching, listening, and waiting for whatever the hell they’re waiting for. Did you see any of them?”
“I saw a few of them,” Tank said. He was standing next to Lisa, his arm wrapped around her waist. “And they saw us.”
Anger flashed through me when Tank said that. “And what do you think they thought you were doing tonight?” I asked in a hushed voice. “They know where you’ve been. Have you even considered how that will affect us? At this point, they know you went looking for where they live. I can’t imagine any of them taking kindly to that. All of us should have been consulted before you left. Instead, we heard about where you went from Daniella. I call bullshit on that.”
“We didn’t say anything to you because we knew what the consensus would be.”
“So, our opinions mean nothing to you?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Give me a break. Your actions implied it—and you know it, Tank.”
“I didn’t realize you’d be this upset,” Alex said.
“Didn’t realize it? Are you serious? By going all stealth on us, both of you deceived us. We have been worried sick about you since we found out that you’d left. You should have asked.”
“But they didn’t,” Blackwell said. “And while I agree that what they did was inappropriate and irresponsible, we might as well drop it because there’s no point in hashing out something that’s already been done and that none of us can take back now.” She looked hard at them. “You’ve disappointed all of us. I think Jennifer has made that clear, and while I can’t speak for Lisa, I can tell you this—Jennifer did speak for me. So, now it’s on you two. Was it worth it? Did you find anything that might help us? Or was it all for not?”
“How about if we step away from the fire, and move onto the beach so we’re out of earshot?” Alex said in a voice as low as Blackwell’s. “Because I can tell you this—we saw plenty. But privacy is best.”
“This can wait until morning,” Blackwell said. “It’s late. What we need to do is sleep. And I need you to check on Cutter, Tank. We’ve done our best to manage his care while you were gone, but you’re the one with the medical training—not us. Did you forget that when you left us today? We’ve kept his fever in check with Tylenol, cleaned his wound, and changed his dressing. But we weren’t sure if we should have given him another shot of penicillin. You neglected to tell us that when you two decided to play Boy Scouts, dip into the shade, and leave us here alone.”
“I have another hour before I need to give Cutter his next shot. You can’t overload him with penicillin because it might affect his kidneys.”
“Well, that’s good to know,” Blackwell said. “Thank you for sharing.”
“I’m sorry I’ve upset any of you,” Tank said.
“So am I,” Alex said. “I mean that. We should have said something before we left. We didn’t because we knew we’d be out-voted. So there it is. I’m sorry. I apologize.”
“As I do,” Tank said.
“All right, then,” I said to them. “Apology accepted.”
“Agreed,” Blackwell said.
“I’ll take care of Cutter in a moment, but this can’t wait,” Tank said. “What we saw today will inform our morning and the rest of our stay here.”
“They’re watching us,” I said. “If we leave this area, they’ll know we’re leaving it because we don’t want them to hear us.”
“So spill it here,” Blackwell said. “Just keep your voices down. And after what you put us through tonight, it had better be good.”
“Their compound is larger than I’d imagined,” Tank said. “Cutter was correct—there are a few hundred people on this island. Women, children, men. From what I counted, there were over a hundred huts. And they do have a boat. A large boat. It’s not new, but it’s significant, and it’s got its own dock.”
“Is anyone living on it?”
“Not from what we can tell—though the huts are nearby.”
“Which means that we can’t get anywhere near it,” she said. “So, what’s this earth-shaking news of yours?”
“We saw an antenna,” Alex said. “It’s high atop one of the hills away from the huts. Our guess is that there is a control complex near that antenna. Probably in another hut. If Alex and I can get to that complex, we can radio ahead for help.”
“What if such a complex doesn’t exist?”
“Then why the antenna?” Tank said.
“They couldn’t connect to that antenna from one of the huts on their compound?”
“It’s a possibility, but from what I could see, the antenna is old. They likely installed it when they first arrived here. For concealment purposes, their compound is tucked in the jungle several miles from the antenna. Given their location, it would be difficult to connect cleanly with it.”
“What if the antenna doesn’t work?”
“Then we’re out of luck. But don’t we at least need to see if it works?”
“And risk your lives?” Lisa said with concern in her voice. “They’ve given us five days to get off this island. That plane we heard today will be back tomorrow. I’m sure of it. It has to come back. And when it does, there’s a good chance that—at some point—they’ll fly over the island, see the sign I made in the sand, and find us. Shouldn’t we just bet on that instead of taking a chance on some antiquated antenna that might be dead? And who even says that it belongs to them? Somebody else might have occupied this island at some point. That antenna could have been built during one of the wars by some governmental agency. We’re not that far from the Philippines. Who knows how this island has been used in the past? And might I remind you that they have a boat. Why wouldn’t they just communicate from that? Surely, it has a radio of some sort.”
“All valid questions,” Blackwell said. “How large is this antenna, anyway?”
“It was a few miles from us,” Tank said. “But I’d say maybe thirty feet. Maybe less, maybe more.”
“And how do you suppose it got here?”
“Anything can be done with the right tools,” Tank said. “To get it here, they’d have to haul it here, which hardly is out of the question. As for assembling it, who knows what skills the men and women brought to this island?”
“What’s running it?” I asked. “There is no electricity on this island.”
“Likely a generator.”
“Fueled by gas?”
“Exactly, which they easily could buy wherever they get fresh clothes and new sneakers. Look,” he said. “I get it. It seems like a long shot. But is a long shot something we should ignore right now?”
Blackwell balked. “You tell us.”
“Then I’ll repeat myself. Should we ignore the opportunity that antenna grants us if it does work?”
“Not if it means losing you,” Lisa said to him.
“And not if it means losing you,” I said to Alex.
“We survived out there tonight,” Alex said. “We came back.”
“Who says you will again?”
“They saw you when you came back,” Blackwell said. “They know that you went on a scouting mission. They also know that we’re discussing that mission now. And I bet they’re seething because they can’t hear us whispering. Furious about it. Those men didn’t appear stupid to me. In fact, they made their point clear. They don’t want us here. They’ve given us five days to move on.”
“Then what do you want us to do?” Tank said.
“Find one of the women,” Blackwell said. “If you’re going to take a risk, find one of the women and reason with her. Those men hunt for meat. But the women? My bet it that the women on this island collect the fruit, such as the pineapples from that massive grove we came upon. And those pineapples are in season and ripe for picking. Cutter told us that it was the women who demanded that the men assist him, which they did. The men set his arm. The men cleaned his wound. They did all of that because the women obviously have some influence here. So, I’d suggest that you find one of the women and talk with her. Tell her that we also want off this island so all of us can live out our lives in peace. Tell her that we don’t want to inconvenience any of them. Tell her that we just want a chance to leave, and that any help she can give us to that end would be appreciated. If that boat has the communications technology necessary to reach whatever island they buy their supplies from, then maybe she or someone close to her could find a way to send out a brief message about our location without anyone knowing. Here’s something else to consider—maybe it’s nearly time for them to make another trip to that island for additional supplies. If that’s the case, she could alert someone that we crashed here. Who knows what could happen if you find the right person—and connect with her.”
“What if she’s unreasonable?” Alex said. “What if she hates us as much as the men do? What if she tells the others that we came to her? Talked with her? Asked her to reach out to someone for us?”
“I’d rather bet on the heart of a woman than on some random antenna that’s miles away from us and might not work. I have two daughters. These women have children. When you have the shared experience of having a child, bridges can be built. I’m telling you that from experience. Take me with you when you talk with one of them. Take Jennifer, and we’ll share her story with whomever we come upon, not to mention how necessary it is for her to see a doctor. If either of us connect on some profound level with a woman old enough to know what it means to be a mother, the odds are in our favor that that person might help us.” She turned to Tank. “Does that sound psychologically sound to you?”
“It does,” he said. “Within reason. There’s still a great deal of risk. If they could, don’t you think someone already would have radioed ahead?”
“Maybe that someone just needs the proper motivation. All women go through the same concerns and worries when they’re expecting a child, Tank. I don’t care who the hell you are, or what your beliefs are. There is a commonality there. A potential connection. Women already have lost children on this island, and they’ve felt that pain. It’s happened. And they’ve felt the loss. I’m convinced this is worth a try.”
“Alex?” Tank said.
“I agree with Barbara.”
“Then we start in the morning,” he said. “You, Alex, Jennifer, and I will go to the pineapple grove. We’ll sit along the periphery, and we’ll wait to see if anyone comes.”
“Do you think you can get us there without anyone seeing us?” she asked.
“If we leave early enough, it’s possible. Generally, I hear them leave the area around our hut before dawn. It’s around noontime when they come sniffing around again.”
“Then we leave just before dawn. Lisa will stay here with the two girls. She’ll assist Cutter, who isn’t getting any better, I might add. He’s in dire shape, and I fear that he’s declining, which is why you must go to him now and assess his condition. You’re going to need the campfire to view the wound. Alex can help you bring him out into the open.”
“How do you feel about this, Lisa?” Tank asked.
“To be truthful, I like Barbara’s idea better than yours.” By the tense look on her face, it was clear to me that she also was angry that Tank and Alex had been gone so long. “For the time being, Barbara’s idea makes more sense to me than you risking your lives by going to some antenna that none of us knows will work. That said, if we fail to find a woman on this island whom we can work with, then on the third day, we might have no choice but to see if that antenna works. Now,” she said. “Please tend to Cutter. If we don’t keep on top of his wound, I’m afraid that he won’t make it. And he must make it. He’s come too far for any of us to fail him now, don’t you agree?”
