“I was fooled by him,” she said, shaking her head. “All the things our fathers and grandfathers taught us, all the things you all tried to teach me, I didn’t listen to that inner voice.”
“Sadie, there’s more, honey,” said Jalen. “You weren’t his first victim. He was part of the security detail for Michelle Tyler, an executive with Morrison Mechanical. They were attempting to build a facility in Australia, negotiating with indigenous tribes to secure the land. Somewhere in all of that, she and Myer became involved. He was married at the time with one child.”
“Damn,” muttered Sadie.
“Michelle had no idea, just like you. She was approached by the government officials in the state of South Australia and told that there had been a theft of antiquities at a dinner she’d attended the night before. They asked if they could search her room.”
“No. Please tell me he didn’t hide it in her room,” said Sadie.
“He did not,” said Jalen, “but the government effectively asked them to leave, still suspicious of the group. When they returned to the U.S., Michelle discovered that she was pregnant. She called Myer and told him, actually hoping he would be excited. Of course, we know that he wasn’t. He said that what they’d had was fun, but that’s all it was.”
“Did she confront him?” asked Sadie quietly.
“She did. She asked a friend to find out where he lived, and she went to his home.”
“She was the other woman,” said Ham. “The one that Myer’s wife referred to. She said she’d forgiven him once before.”
“That’s right. She knocked on the door, and the wife answered. Myer was home and, of course, demanded that she leave, but his wife, or ex-wife now, I guess. She asked the woman to come in. She told them she was pregnant, and she didn’t want anything other than for Myer to admit what he’d done.
“That proved too much for Myer, calling Michelle a liar and a tramp. He then shoved her out the front door, where she tripped and fell backward, losing the baby.”
“He should be charged!” yelled Sadie. The other patrons in the restaurant turned and stared at the young woman. She could only shake her head. “I’m sorry. But he should be charged for murdering her unborn child.”
“He should have been, but Michelle was humiliated and only wanted to retreat from the world. She quit her job with Morrison, bought a motor home, and just travels around the country taking on consulting work.”
“I feel terrible for her,” sniffed Sadie. “I know what that feels like, and she was alone.”
“The obvious here, baby, is that if he’s done it with two women, chances are pretty good he’s done it with more,” said Ham. “Our big issue is trying to find out why he took those two items and what he hopes to accomplish by it.”
“I think he’s also responsible for killing the coral reefs,” said Patrick. “We saw something tied to the coral, and I’m going to bet that it was something that would kill the reefs, terrifying the locals.”
“Do you think he’s going to come forth with the lost items and claim he’s some sort of Messiah?” asked Ham.
“I don’t know, but I know that I want to help these people,” said Patrick. “I admire the hell out of them. They’ve been here for at least a thousand years, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Think about that. The closest large country is Papua New Guinea, then Australia. If they were in dire danger, they have no one who can help.
“Even the other islands of Micronesia, Wake, Marshall, Solomon Islands, to name a few, are so far away, they wouldn’t be able to lend assistance if they needed it. I admire the hell out of them for staying and keeping their traditions alive.”
“I agree,” said Bron. “I want to help them, but that jungle is overgrown and dangerous. Getting up to the top of the volcano is going to be tough.”
“Do we have any drones?” asked Sadie.
“The humidity is so thick here it’s making the motors short out. Even those that we’ve gotten off the ground, the camera lens is covered in condensation,” said Thomas. “If we were closer to the larger island, Chipper, Evie, Doug, or Savannah could rent a helicopter. It’s just not feasible.”
“Then I guess we’re hiking to the top tomorrow,” said Sadie.
“Let’s meet here for breakfast at 0700,” said Patrick. He turned to see their two guides from earlier enter the restaurant. Waving at them, they walked toward the group.
“We will be your guides to the volcano tomorrow,” said Temuk. “Despite the temperatures, it’s advisable to wear long pants and long sleeves. The bugs are large and merciless, and the jungle is very thick.”
“Carry as much water as you can,” said Altem. “There are only a few freshwater holes along the way.”
“Thank you both,” said Chief. “We’ll be here early tomorrow morning.” The two men nodded, turning to leave. Altem stopped and turned back.
“We are very grateful for your help, and we hope that you can restore our idols, but nothing will get our coral reefs thriving again. It will take centuries,” he said with a sad expression.
“Maybe not,” said Jalen. “We have a few more friends that will be arriving tomorrow. We think we can help.”
The two men frowned at the table of people, staring at one another, then back at them.
