“Damn, he’s going to make me look stupid again.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Okay, Thomas, one more time for those of us who took remedial science classes and only got undergraduate degrees in college,” smirked Luke.
“All of these islands lie along a large geothermal fault line. It’s not like a fault line that creates earthquakes and tsunamis, although it’s possible. This line is believed to house immense resources in oil and gas, but because of their locations, depths, and the dangers of digging in a geothermal fault line, no one has dared touch them.”
“So, they belong to the islands?” asked Ham.
“Technically, yes. Although the argument could be made that no one owns the ocean,” said Thomas.
“Do we think that Myer is trying to take control of the islands to gain access to this geothermal fault?” asked Chief.
“It makes sense,” said Thomas. “Think about what he would own if he had access to that. He may not want control of the islands in a governmental way but rather control of the resources below the surface. Maybe his plan was to come in and be the savior. Claim that he could fix the reefs or return the idols? I’m not sure what happens in a madman’s mind.”
“Unfortunately, we do,” frowned Ham. “Thomas? Is there any way to stop this? If he claims legal drilling rights, do the islands have to give it to him?”
“That’s a no,” said the voice of Kari. She waved at the team on the screen, and they smiled at her. “Pierre, don’t hurt your grandpa, honey. He’s old.”
The entire room bubbled with laughter as Miller galloped around the living room with Pierre on his shoulders.
“Sorry, we’re watching Pierre today. He had a bit of a temp, and they didn’t want to take him to school. As I was saying, the islands have final say about what happens in the immediate area, up to twelve nautical miles. Unfortunately, what that means is he could go further out and drill, but then he’d have to notify all sorts of international agencies. I don’t think he wants to do that.”
“Grandmére! Grandpére said a bad word!”
“I think that’s my cue to leave. Call if you need me,” said Kari, signing off.
“Miller Robicheaux playing horsey with a five-year-old,” smiled Chief. “I’m going to use that one for a while.”
“Careful,” smirked Sadie. “That horsey bites. Okay, so he can’t drill within twelve nautical miles of the islands, and we know he wouldn’t want to go to international authorities for approval. Now that we know his game, maybe we start taking the offensive.”
“How do we do that?” asked Chief.
“I’ve got my connections at the U.N., and lord knows you all have connections with the president. Bodwick is in office until January, and then Frost will take over. I say we make this an international manhunt. Put Myer on the run. At the very least, he’ll leave these islands alone, and we can fight him on our ground.”
“I think we need to be sure he’s in the states right now,” said Cam. “We’ll have the tech boys look at all the cameras to see if he came back in for something. If he did, we’ll make sure he doesn’t get out.”
“I think we have a plan,” smiled Ham. “Now, I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”
The restaurant staff was happy to see their new favorite customers. They ordered twice as much food as anyone else, ate it all without complaint, and tipped unbelievably well. They were polite, considerate to the staff, and always thanked them. An older woman walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate.
“Eat,” she smiled. “It is my own recipe of a Micronesia pudding. Coconut, milk, sugar, lots of good things to help make you strong.”
“I’m in!” smirked Chief. They all took a bite, moaning with delight as the smooth custard-like pudding hit their throats.
“I’m glad you like it,” she smiled. “I like cooking for big boys who want to eat.” She looked up and frowned, then scurried back to the kitchen. Ham and Bron laughed at something innocuous, signaling to the others that four visitors had just entered the restaurant.
All four men wore black cargo pants and t-shirts. Their boots were muddy, their hands dirty, and they looked pissed off.
“You boys go for a walk in the jungle?” smiled Sam.
“Yea, that’s right. We did. Someone stole our things. You fellas wouldn’t know who would do such a thing, would you?” scowled the man.
“Nope,” said Ham, shaking his head. “Seems to me if it belonged to you, you would have kept it in your room or on your person. No one on this island would steal someone else’s things. What exactly was it? Maybe we can help.”
The men stared at one another, unsure of how to take the group before them. They whispered to one another, then the first man spoke again.
“Were you boys up on the volcano?” he asked.
