Leia remembered what Dirk had said about Candace’s family. “Your twin and your parents died in a fire.”
“Fire is handy. It cleans up so many details.” Candace was watching her like Hina watched Ajax. Like she was just waiting to pounce. “The treasure hunt was all Dirk’s idea, but he was useful for that much.”
“That’s a lie,” Dirk shouted. “It was all her idea. She was the receptionist at Marks Security. She moved here and married Tony, then called me and told me Akoni lived here, and she had a plan to get the artifacts.”
“Why did you marry Tony?”
“He was useful,” Candace said, still smiling in that chilling way. “And he was fun. Besides, he knew your family well, and I needed an inside track to figure out what your dad did with the artifacts. And I thought there was at least a shot he might know where that ship was. That would have been a bonus if I’d been able to get both treasures.”
Leia shuddered. “I never knew you at all, did I, Candace?”
“I wish I could let you live, Leia. You were always good to me. But I have plans that I’ve worked on a long time. I can’t go soft now.” She disconnected the propane line from the stove, and it began to hiss. Candace walked to the door. “So long. Sorry it had to end this way.”
She didn’t look sorry. Her face was bright with color, and her eyes gleamed with exhilaration. She’d won, knew it, and relished it. Leia squirmed and tried to get the little knife in her hand to open, but it resisted her efforts. One by one, Candace carried the three boxes of artifacts out of the cabin and to an ATV that Leia could see parked in the jungle. With the last box, she shut the door behind her with a decisive click. Leia could hear her humming as she walked away.
“I’ve got Eva’s knife. Help me get it open, and I can get us loose.” Bane thumped his way over to her. She bounced as well, and they managed to get their backs to one another. “Hurry, the gas odor is getting thicker.” Bane’s fingers were strong, and he got the knife open, then began to saw at the bonds. The movement caused the rope to burn into her wrists, but she didn’t care. If they didn’t get loose, she wouldn’t be feeling much of anything in a few seconds.
“They’re getting looser.” She twisted her wrists, and then they were free. She leaped to her feet and grabbed the knife from Bane’s hand. “Come on, come on,” she begged. The knife sliced a little deeper, then moments later, he was free too.
“Get out of here. I’ll get Dirk.” He took the knife and rushed to where Dirk sat.
Glass tinkled onto the floor, and Leia wheeled toward the window. Candace had thrown a flaming stick through, then run off. “It’s going to blow!” She dashed for the door and threw it open. Maybe the fresh air would buy them a few seconds. She darted a glance behind her and saw Bane and Dirk running for the door. She raced through. Just as Bane and Dirk reached the doorway, something behind them rumbled. A massive whump impacted Leia’s eardrums, more with pressure than with sound, as the propane tank blew. The explosion tossed Leia high in the air. She grappled for something to grab hold of to break her fall but found nothing. The ground rose up to meet her, and she slammed facedown into the dirt. She groaned and sat up. Where was Bane? Her vision blurred as she tried to focus on his face. He and Dirk were moving where they’d fallen too.
She turned to look at the cabin. Flames were shooting out the windows and door of the cabin. The heat from the fire shimmered in the air. Ash and smoke made her cough as she struggled to rise. The acrid odor of smoke burned her nose and landed on her tongue.
Bane lifted her to her feet, then grabbed Dirk as he was trying to run for a boat. “You’re not going anywhere. We’ll just wait down here for the police.” He yanked some vines from a nearby tree.
“What about Candace?” Leia asked.
“Let’s see if we can catch her and get those artifacts back.” Bane tied Dirk to a tree with the vines, then took Leia’s hand and ran.
Leia had always prided herself on being a good judge of people, but the evil that lurked behind Candace’s beautiful face had rocked her. She’d thought they were friends, but Leia didn’t know if Candace was capable of real friendship. At least Tony had died never knowing he’d been duped.
Her lungs still burned as she and Bane ran toward the beach. “She can’t get away,” she told Bane.
“There she is!” Bane pointed.