Although she was intrigued, Cindy would have liked to have seen this at another time. Right now she truly couldn’t focus on any of the surroundings, just kept thinking of the hut they were headed to. Alan had described it carefully, but was it really here? Would they find it? Was it truly possible that Kara was still inside alive? Cindy also thought of the strange phone call pleading for help she’d received a while ago. The garbled directions in it oddly echoed exactly where they were now. Under four trees, around a fence, circle the corner.
“Let’s hope we don’t see the gecko though.” Felix was completely in his element, thoroughly enjoying himself. “Gecko has a bad reputation. Nothing stops them. When geckos fight an enemy they leave parts of their tails behind. You see pieces in the enemy’s paws.”
The image was disturbing to Cindy.
“We call geckos Mabouia, evil spirits,” Felix was quick to add. “Geckos attach themselves and don’t let go, just like evil spirits.” He grinned at the thought of it.
“How far are we from the hut, Felix?” Cindy asked then. The last thing in the world she wanted to do now was dwell on evil spirits. Had one attached itself to Kara? Cindy couldn’t help wonder. Was Kara in the grip of something far more than Cindy could even begin to understand?
Felix kept grinning. “Don’t worry, I’ve been down here before. I’ll take you right there. Santos knows we’re coming?”
That was the first time Felix mentioned Santos. It made Cindy uncomfortable.
“How far away are we?” Cindy wanted to change the topic.
“Close enough, I told you,” Felix laughed, “unless we step on a boa by mistake. They’re all over.”
Cindy had a moment of alarm and looked down at the ground for the giant snake. The ground was strewn with rocks, leaves, fallen branches. It would be easy to miss a boa who might be silently crawling underfoot.
“Don’t worry.” Felix suddenly touched Cindy’s arm lightly. “I have my eyes open. We won’t step on a boa, not tonight. Besides, we’re almost there. See that dip behind those trees? We go to those trees and follow the dip.”
Cindy’s heart sank. “What’s behind the dip, Felix?”
But suddenly Felix clammed up. As they got closer he was becoming more vigilant. The only sound now was the crunching of the leaves under their feet. Alone in the dark with Felix, Cindy suddenly decided to put in a quick call to Mattheus and let him know where she was. She took out her phone and dialed. No answer.
“There’s no reception in some parts of the forest.” Felix turned and was watching her closely. “Who are you calling, anyway?”
Cindy fell silent. She was completely dependent upon Felix now.
“You calling Santos?” Felix wanted an answer.
Cindy shook her head.
“Nobody fools around with Santos,” Felix continued.
“I’m not fooling around with anyone. Santos knows exactly where I am,” Cindy lied. It would definitely be safer if Felix believed that.
“And Santos knows I’m here with you?” Felix pressed, a tinge of anxiety making its way into his voice.
Cindy forced herself to be lighthearted. “Santos told me he knows everything,” she replied, “so he must know that you’re here, too.”
Relieved, Felix grinned. “You can say that again,” he muttered. “I never saw one thing that passed Santos by.”
CHAPTER 21
Everything changed as Cindy and Felix began their descent behind the trees. The wet, slippery ground was filled with loose rocks and branches and it grew darker and darker as they groped their way down. Cindy felt as if she were sliding into hell, following close behind Felix.
Suddenly Felix broke the silence. “There, there,” he uttered, pointing to something in the shadows.
Cindy stopped and saw a small hut leaning precariously against an incline. Was it possible? Was Kara holed up there?
“Is that it?” Cindy asked Felix, thunderstruck, suddenly afraid to take another step.
“It’s the first stop,” Felix whispered.
“What happens after that?” asked Cindy.
Felix wouldn’t say a word though, just moved stealthily, his footsteps growing lighter and lighter.
“Quiet,” he warned Cindy, over his shoulder. “We don’t want to let them know we’re coming.”
“Who?” Cindy shivered.
“Someone’s there,” Felix answered. “The place isn’t empty.”
Cindy froze. How could he be so sure? There was only a tiny light from some scattered stars shining on it.
“I smell it,” Felix answered. “Human flesh smells strong in the rain forest at night.”
Cindy wanted to throw up. “Who would be there besides Kara?” she demanded. Was Felix smelling her corpse? “How long has she been in that hut anyway?”
“Patience, patience.” Felix lifted his hand toward Cindy. “You ask too many questions. Wait and see for yourself.”
Cindy grew silent. He was right. Felix had a native wisdom that she had to rely on now.
“A few more steps,” he whispered, as they were suddenly at the ramshackle hut with a small, outdoor porch that looked like a shed.
Cindy took another step, and to her shock, suddenly saw someone there on the porch, curled up close to the floor. Whoever it was probably was as frightened of her as she was of them.
“Hello, hello,” Felix called out into the strange, damp night, spotting the figure.