Horizons (21 page)

Zach returned with no news of Earl, but he was carrying an old, half-rotted canvas knapsack. Contained within its worn interior was a standard-issue metal mess kit and canteen, both a bit dented but otherwise func
ti
onal. These discoveries were most welcome, providing them with additional utensils, a divided plate, a shallow cooking tray, a cup/soup container, and—saints be praised—an honest-to-goodness water flask with a screw-on cap! In addition to a few faded letters, photos, and coded operations maps, all printed in Japanese, there was another useful item, one they wished they’d had sooner. A field shovel.

In Gavin’s estimation the most valuable item, aside from the canteen, was the old compass, for with it he would be able to navigate on the open sea and know which direction he was headed. “We’ll have to test it out, but it looks as if it still works,” he declared excitedly.

“With the canteen, you’ll have a means of carrying water and not spilling it,” Alita pointed out. “Every drop will be precious, I imagine.”

“Now all we have to do is get that raft built again,” Zach said. “I just wish there’d been a hatchet hidden away in that field pack, but the storm did aid us in that aspect, by putting more broken limbs and branches at our disposal.”

“I take it you didn’t find the rifle, but where in heaven’s name did you find this stuff?” Blair inquired.

“In the cave, stuffed back in a crack in the far corner.
It was there all the while. Amazingly, none of us spotted it in all those hours we spent waiting out the storm.”

“Imagine that!” Kelly exclaimed. Her sharp green eyes studied Zach’s face, noting the pleased, almost exultant expression he wore. She could swear he wasn’t revealing all to them. “What else did you find up there?”

He replied evasively, not quite meeting her gaze. “Nothing worth mentioning at the moment. You’ll be glad to know I took the time to bury Harry-Kari’s bones. After all these years of peace with his country, I thought even a former enemy deserved a proper interment—particularly since he’s donated, albeit posthumously, all this worthwhile equipment.”

“Decent of you,” Kelly murmured, still not satisfied, but willing to let it pass for now.

I
t wasn’t until later, lying next to Zach in the dark,
that she hissed,
“Okay, buster. Fess up. You’ve
been as twitchy as a bug on a hot rock ever since you got back from that cave. What gives?”

“Was it that evident?” he queried. “I was hoping no one would notice.”

“The others might not have, but I did. Now, are you going to tell me, or do I have to wring a confession out of you?”

“Kelly, you wouldn’t have believed it!” he whispered excitedly. “I almost didn’t, and I saw it with my own eyes.” He hesitated, and she jabbed a finger between his ribs to prod him. “What? What did you see?”

“Gold. The old guy discovered gold, right there in the cave. He’d been digging at it, using his rifle as a pry bar. I suppose his shovel wasn’t strong enough to hack away at the rock, so he used the rifle barrel, instead. It was still
there, stuck in a deep crevice—the same one where I found the field pack.”

Kelly eyed him skeptically. “Oh, give me a break, Zach! Do you really expect me to believe this outrageous fairy tale? That ‘there’s gold in them thar hills’?” she drawled in imitation of an old western line. “More likely, you found a stash of Sak
i
and got yourself looped. Let me smell your breath.”

“I’m not drunk, sweetheart, and I’m telling you the God’s honest truth. It’s not all that inconceivable, you know. There are precious metals to be found in this part of the world. In fact, we’re not that far removed from Fiji, and I know for a fact that gold is one of their leading mineral products.”

“I still say you’re getting all enthused over nothing. It’s probably just fool’s gold, or some other shiny substance you’ve mistaken for gold.”

“Maybe,” he allowed, “but I’m planning to stake a claim when we get back to the States. Better than that, I’m going to see if I can buy this whole blasted island, if I have to hock my underwear to do it.”

“Gold fever,” she muttered in disgust. “Just listen to yourself, Zach. One whiff of what you only
suspect
might
possibly
be gold, and you’re ready to bankrupt yourself. That’s an awful lot to risk on a chancy proposition, don’t you think? Are you going to throw poor Becky’s college tuition into the pot, too? Her entire inheritance?

“Furthermore,” she went on, before he could reply, “I’m willing to bet that soldier had the same idiot notions you’re having now, and that’s probably what got him stuck alone on this island for all these years. I can just see him, hiding his discovery from his fellow soldiers, then deliberately missing the boat or plane or whatever transportation the others used to get off of this place. He probably hid out in the jungle until they all left, hording his find. And
where did it get him, Zach? Nowhere. He died a lonely man, all for greed and dreams of riches, because no one ever came along and he had no way to get himself away from here to spend his wealth—if that’s what it really is.”

Zach frowned at her. “Are you through preaching at me? Can I get a word or two in edgewise here?”

“Fine. Go ahead. Convince me otherwise, if you can,” she murmured.

“You might give me a little more credit for intelligence, babe. I’m not going to go off half-cocked.” He reached into his pants’ pocket and drew out several small objects. Even in the dark, with only the moon and stars for light, they glittered enticingly. “I’ve taken a few samples, which I intend to have analyzed before I do anything rash. In
the meanti
me, I’d like to keep my potential strike under wraps, at least until I can file a legi
ti
mate stake.”

“Don’t want to chance any claim jumpers getting in ahead of you?” she mocked. “Is that why you didn’t tell the others about it?”

“I’m not being stingy, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he alleged. “I
just don’t want anyone shooting off his or her mouth and blowing a fantastic opportunity to smithereens. Once I’ve gotten the assayer’s report, and have negotiated a claim on the property, I fully intend to cut Gavin, Alita, and Blair in on the deal.”

“What about me?” Kelly inquired. “Don’t I get a piece of the pie, too?”

Zach’s smile would have rivaled that of a pirate. “You, my fair-haired beauty, wi
ll be amply rewarded. Between
your share and mine, if all pans out, we’ll be able to honeymoon anywhere our hearts desire, for as long as we wish. We’ll make oil barons looks like paupers by comparison.”

Kelly sighed. “I don’t know, Zach. It sounds like prosperity could make you extremely pompous, and I’m not altogether sure I like that idea. I’m kind of fond of you just the way you are.”

“Fond?” he ques
ti
oned haltingly. “Fond? That’s a rather lukewarm sentiment from someone who, just a few short hours ago, professed undying love.”

“I do love you,” she assured him. “I just don’t want to see you turn into a money-grubbing rat.”

“That will never happen, darling.” He held up his hand, as if taking an oath. “You have my word of honor. And if I get at all pompous, you have my permission to give me a swift kick in the rear to set me straight again. Does that meet with your approval? Do you have any other objections or suggestions to add?”

“Just one that I can think of off-hand. If you even consider buying me one of those humongous, gaudy, overly ostentatious rings, our engagement is off.”

“Fair enough. With that in mind, I promise to find you the smallest, cheapest engagement ring I can locate,” he teased. “Would one from a bubble gum machine suffice?”

She grinned at him. “Actually, it would,” she surprised him by saying. “As long as your heart is presented with it.”

“My heart is already yours, green eyes,” he whispered, his lips hovering over hers. “You’re holding it in the palm of your hand.”

Chapter 21

P
ieces of the first raft, or what looked like it, began washing on to shore toward the end of the week. The minilogs were all the same length, a couple of them still lashed together with vines, and Gavin was sure he recognized the way he’d tied the knots a
nd notched some of the limbs.
Then, as if to seal their suspicions once and for all, one of the branches arrived with a boot tied to it by means of the laces. Though battered and waterlogged, the boot was the same type Earl had worn.

“I think we can stop looking over our shoulders and waiting for Earl to pop out at us from behind the bushes,” Zach stated solemnly. “I'd bet my last dollar this boot is his.” His voice held a note of self-condemnation as he added, “I wonder if he’d have made it if he hadn’t been hindered by those handcuffs?”

“Don’t blame yourself for what was his fault, Zach,” Kelly advised gently. “After all
, his hands were tied in front
of him, and he managed to maneuver well enough to steal
the raft and float off on it—so he must have had some measure of mobility, much more than he had before, when his hands were behind him.”

“If he wasn’t such a dumb shit-heel, I could almost feel sorry for him,” Gavin declared. “He screwed up all the way along, and was too stupid to see it. In fact, he was such a witless wonder that a good lawyer could probably have gotten him off on an insanity plea with no problem.”

“What a shame,” Blair said. “Some people just never think before they leap.”

“Too late for him now,” Alita added.

Kelly nodded. “She’s right, but there is still hope for us. We still have a fighting chance, and I’m not about to give up yet. There are too many people out there who need us as badly as we need them, and even though we haven’t seen any search planes lately, I can only pray they haven’t given up, either.”

“I think it’s going to be up to us to plot
our own rescue,” Zach said. “
Especially now. The navy and coast guard are going to be busy with new emergencies, compliments of the storm. Too busy to bother searching for a plane that went down over a month ago, presumably killing all aboard.”

With that sober thought, they redoubled their efforts toward constructing the new raft as quickly as possible, while trying to make this one stronger, more sea-worthy. They even rigged a mast for this second, more improved model, employing one of the blankets as a sail. All this took two and a half weeks of steady work, but finally the raft was deemed ready. For safety’s sake, and bearing in mind what had happened to Earl, the men decided that a test run in the bay was in order, before an actual ocean voyage was attempted.

The women watched from shore as Zach and Gavin launched the raft on its maiden trial. Even on the bay, the
small craft looked pathetically tiny, and it was a very good thing that they’d decided to test it first. It listed to one side, terribly, and the men had to bring it in and add another log to the width to correct the problem. Then the mast wouldn’t stay upright, tending to lean to one side, and they had to make several adjustments before it would remain in position.

Finally, when they’d done everything they could, there remained one major obstacle. Even with a large pack of coconuts and foodstuff lashed aboard, it was not enough to compensate for Gavin’s weight on the opposite end of the raft. Unless he sat in the center continually, which made it impossible to row with the oar, and difficult to maneuver about at all without threat of tipping over, the raft tilted up on the lighter end. They debated tying rocks to the underside to even it out, but didn’t really consider that a wise alternative. Moreover, they doubted the rocks would stay lashed in place for long.

“There’s no help for it,” Zach said. “We’ll have to double up on the logs on the weak end, and hope they stay put. Which means you’ll have to keep to the other end most of the time. It’s that, or move the mast over. We should have mounted the mast more to one end in the first place, instead of the middle. I should have known to take your weight into consideration. My only excuse is that I’ve never before tried to build anything that’s supposed to float.”

“Hey! With you helping, this one turned out a lot sturdier than the first one,” Gavin claimed. “I just hate having to take the extra time to revamp the thing. I was all geared up and ready to go, and the sooner I leave, the sooner help will be on the way.” He thought a minute, then added, “When we were both aboard, we didn’t have any problem. Another solution would be for you to go with me.”

Zach considered this, but only briefly, before shaking
his head. “No. One of us has to stay with the women. But, if you prefer, I can go and you can stay.”

Now Gavin shook his head. “No way, man. I’m so sick of this island I could spit. Besides, if anything bad happens, I’d rather it be to me. You have a kid at home, waiting for her daddy. I don’t.”

“I’ll go.”

All heads turned toward Alita, their expressions as surprised as hers appeared to be.

Gavin was the first to reply. “Woman, are you crazy? I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, either. Jesus! Your fans would scalp me! Besides, how do we know you’re not pregnant or something?”

Alita tapped her left arm, near her shoulder. “I don’t take those kind of risks, Gav. I got the implants—you know, the birth control they put under your skin. They last for years.”

“Yet you’re willing to take a more dangerous risk on that raft?” Kelly asked incredulously. “I don’t
believe this!'

Alita tried out a nonchalant shrug that didn’t quite fly. “Life’s just one big crap shoot anyway, isn’t it?”

“But we’re talking life and death here, girl. That’s a mighty high ante,” Gavin maintained. He tried a rougher tactic, to discourage her. “Besides, just because we had some fun in the bushes doesn’t mean I want you around for the long haul.”

Alita simply wrinkled her nose at him before thrusting it higher into the air. “Tough toenails,
amigo.
I’m going. You need someone for balance, bal—what is the word I want?”

“Ballast,” Blair supplied automatically.

“Si,
ballast. You need another person for ballast, and it might as well be me. Also, I can help you with the sail, and take turns watching for ships. You have to sleep sometime.”

“We should have made the blasted raft bigger, then we
could all go,” Gavin grumbled. “We could take our chances together.”

“Bad idea,” Blair said, patting her tummy. “On top of this, I can’t swim, and neither can Sydney.”

“I could go,” Kelly proposed hesitantly. “I don’t have any kids, or an adoring public.”

“Think again,” Zach put in gruffly. “You’re not going anywhere without me, sweetheart.”

Kelly scowled. “I didn’t say I wanted to go, but
…
”

“No but about it,” he stated flatly. “As for that little comment about kids, once more I say, think again. According to my calculations, we’ve been here for more than six weeks now, and unless you’re normally irregular, you should have had a period by now, shouldn’t you?”

Kelly stared at him, stunned speechless. The others waited, and could almost see her counting out the days on her mental calendar. “Uh, maybe it’s t
he stress… of the crash…
and all,” she stammered.

“Get real,” Blair told her with a smirk. “You turned as green as grass cooped up in that cave with those smelly fish. And I know you’ve tossed your cookies
a couple of times since then. W
hat’s more, you can’t seem to make it through the day anymore without taking a nap or two. Face it, honey. You’ve got a bun in the oven.”

Gavin nodded. “Knocked up higher than a kite.”

"Muy
prenada
,
” Alita agreed with a grin. “Or, to put it another way, more ‘Prego’ than spaghetti sauce.”

Kelly’s hands flew to her flushed cheeks. “Oh, my gosh! I’m going to have a baby!”

“We’re
going to have a baby,” Zach corrected gently. “So, what do you think? Are you mad, glad, or indifferent?” He didn’t have to wait long for her reaction. She literally threw herself into his embrace, her arms wrapped so tightly around his neck that she was practically choking him.

“Oh, Zach! I’m thrilled! Elated! Delirious with joy!”

With a laugh, he lifted her off her feet and spun her in circles. “Me, too. I just wish we could be married right now. don’t want our little papoose to be born on the wrong side of the blanket.”

“All the more reason why Gavin and I had better shove off tomorrow morning,” Alita announced decisively. When Gavin would have argued further, she faced him defiantly. “Just shut up! I’m going, if I have to swim alongside the whole way! Hollywood has waited long enough, and I’ll be damned if I let someone else have my turn at fame and fortune in the movies! I’ve earned it, I deserve it, and by heaven I’m going to demand it.”

A
mid hugs and kisses, tearful goodbyes and last minute admonitions, Gavin and Alita set sail with the outgoing tide early the following morning. The others stood on the shore and waved until the tiny craft was no longer in sight. Finally, with mixed feelings, worry warring with excitement, they returned to their camp. Already, the site seemed too quite, almost forlorn.

“So this is what empty-nest syndrome feels like,” Blair commented sadly. “Can’t say I’d recommend it.”

“Me, either,” Kelly agreed with a sorrowful face.

Zach tried to reassure them, and
himself. “They’ll be alright. W
e’ll see them again. It’s only a matter of time. The weather is fine, the seas are calm. They couldn’t have picked a better day to set off.”

A day went by. Then two. Blair occupied herself by weaving more baskets. Kelly helped her watch over Sydney, and began plaiting a wide panel out of pandanus leaves. “What’s that going to be?” Blair asked curiously.

Kelly shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t particularly care. It’s just something to do.”

Zach began carving wooden blocks for Sydney. He
fished, and somehow
managed to beach a big sea turtl
e. The meat was tough, but tasty—a welcome change from fish and pigeon.

On the third day after Gavin and Alita’s departure, Kelly finally found a use for her woven mat. She anchored it between two of the support posts beneath the banyan tree. Along a second abutting side, facing the fire, she hung a blanket. Combined, the two items formed crude walls, separating and shielding her and Zach’s sleeping area from the rest of the campsite.

Zach was impressed. “I wish you’d come up with this weeks ago, when privacy was really at a premium.”

“Hey, hotshot architect! You were supposed to be in charge of this project, if I recall correctly,” Kelly reminded him. “I hope you’re not going to prove as lax about your promises in the future. And if you value your hide, you won’t make any comments on how I could or should have done it differently or better.”

Zach held his hands up in a plea for clemency. “I wouldn’t think of it.” He surveyed her work with a swift glance, and said, “Actually, you didn’t do half bad, but I’ve got to say that this is going to give the term
shacking up
a whole new meaning for me.”

From the shelter of the leaves, a raucous voice squawked, “Shacking up! Shacking up! Awk!”

Kelly glared upward. “Of all the birds that croaked off during the storm, Frick had to survive! I’m telling you, Zach, if I ever get my hands on him, he’s a goner!”

T
he days became a week, and still no sign of rescue or their friends returning on the raft. Either would have been preferable to the eternal waiting and worrying.

“They’ve got to be out of drinking water by now, or close to it,” Kelly fretted.

“Unless they found some on another island or managed to collect some rainwater,” Zach said.

“
A few clouds wouldn’t be bad, to shield them from the worst of the sun. Maybe a light shower or two. But I hope they didn’t encounter any storms,” Blair brooded.

Kelly sighed. “I hope we discover something soon. This is so nerve-wracking! I keep imagining them out there, dying of thirst. Or worse yet, being attacked by sharks.”

“
I
suppose you saw
Jaws
and both sequels,” Zach presumed.

Kel
ly gave a morose nod. “Several ti
mes over. If I’d known then what I know now, I would have avoided those films like the plague.”

F
ortunately, with their preoccupation over Gavin and Alita’s plight, the next couple of days were fairly calm. The most traumatic event was when Sydney got her fingers caught in the claw of a large coconut crab. Zach pried her loose. Kelly bandaged her fingers and dried her tears. Blair cooked the offending creature, and it turned out to be the most delicious meal they’d had in all the time they’d been on the island. They all went out the next morning in search of more of the appetizing rascals.

Which was precisely what they were doing when they first heard the distinctive whop-whop-whop of helicopter blades. Zach, who had located a crab hole at the base of a coconut tree, tossed aside his shovel and raced out onto the beach. Within seconds, he was joined by Kelly, Blair, and Sydney. Clustered together, they all frantically searched the sky.