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THREE HOURS LATER, when we approached Majuro Atoll, it was as if we were back in the first world.
As the boat rocked through the ocean and the warm air cast my hair off my shoulders, I could see what looked like hotels along the beach. Sailboats in the water. Cars moving in the distance.
It was unbelievable to me that this island even existed considering the isolation of where we’d come from. But the men who had joined us—Glenn and Steven, each of whom were fit, friendly men in their early thirties—told us that Majuro Atoll was the most populated island of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. It also was the capital. Apparently, the island even had an international airport, which astounded me. I’d read about the Marshall Islands in grade school, but I’d never given them much of a thought since.
“There are sixty-four islands here,” Steven said as we neared Majuro. “All scattered around in something that might best be described as a crude circle. Bokak Atoll, where we live, is on the outskirts. Unlike some of the islands here, it’s not considered a great spot for fishing or for catching other kinds of wildlife. Beyond that, because there’s no electricity, lodging, or infrastructure there, most people don’t bother to come near it. If they do, they typically stay for just a few days on the beach, and try to fish or to snorkel, but when they see that it’s best to go to the other islands for that, they leave without even knowing that we exist. It’s been that way for years.”
“We should go to the lagoon,” Glenn said to him. “That’s where Wes usually docks because it’s the closest to our bank and to the shops.”
“Who is Wes?”
“Catherine’s husband.”
“What if they aren’t there?”
“If the marina is full, then they’ll choose one of the ports, likely the smaller one for the same reason—it’s closer to the bank. So, we’ll go to the lagoon first. If they’re not there, then they’ll be at that port. I guarantee it.”
With time against us, Steven pushed the boat harder. We swung around to the right side of the island, and I prayed that we’d find their boat there. But after ten minutes of searching for it in the lagoon’s marina, which was packed full of boats, it was clear that it wasn’t there.
They had docked somewhere else.
“How far away is the port?” I asked. “They’ve been here nearly a half hour at this point. They’re probably at the bank now. It won’t be much longer before they leave. I need to make those phone calls before it’s too late. What’s the name of the bank?”
“The Bank of Guam. It’s at the intersection of Main and Kitco.”
“Can you drop us here?” Tank asked. “Jennifer is right. What we need to do first is get to a telephone and make those calls. Those alone could end this.”
“Then make the calls,” Steven said. “We’ll go to the other port and hope that we find the boat. If we do, Glenn will steal it away from them and take it back to the island. But first, I need to know if you have any money on you, because you’re going to need it if you’re going to make those calls.”
“I still have my wallet,” Tank said. “I have money.”
“Good. You’re also going to need protection.” He came over to where I was sitting on one of the benches and asked for me to stand. When I did, he lifted the seat’s lid, pulled out a black leather bag, and removed two handguns from it, which he gave to us after checking each to see if they were loaded.
“Put them in the back of your pants,” he said. “Conceal them with your shirts. They’re loaded, so you need to be careful with them. But should you go to that bank—or if for any reason you should run into Wes and his sons in town—you might need them. Better safe than sorry. Do you know how to use a gun?”
“I know how to use a gun,” Tank said.
“So do I. And thank you for them.”
“Let me get you next to the dock so you can depart.”
As he maneuvered the boat forward, I said, “How will we know if you found the boat? And if Glenn made off with it?”
“That’s the problem with splitting up. You won’t know until you come back here. If I’m here waiting for you alone, you’ll know at once that we found the boat, and that Glenn has it in his possession. But if Glenn is with me, that will mean that we were too late, and that they got away. If that’s the case, we’ll have to chase after them so we can stop them from killing your husband. So with that said, you need to hurry, make those calls, and come back here after you make them. Hopefully, at that point, I’ll be here alone waiting for you.”
He nudged the boat next to the dock.
“Now, go,” he said. “Glenn and I need to get out of here so we can secure that boat if we’re going to make this happen.”
With that, Tank stepped onto the dock and helped me off the boat, and then we started to hurry down the dock toward land.
And whatever waited for us there.
