Catherine's Cross (44 page)

Jenks phoned Seth at the sheriff's department and he immediately came on the line with her.

“I received two more photos of the man who Mr. Price thought could be Frank Hiller.”

“And what do you think?”

“I'm just not sure if it's him.”

“I can go down to Belize to identify him.”

“He murdered my sister. I want to be the one to identify him. We'll go together.”

“Are you sure that I can't talk you out of this?”

“No, sir—absolutely not.”

CHAPTER 18
Little Bird

T
he drive from Belize City to the Orange Walk District took about an hour on the Northern Highway. Once they left the main highway and traveled on rural roads, the surroundings became dense with jungle flora. The roads were unpaved and so pitted that Jenks felt like her teeth were about to be knocked out.

They passed by some dwellings that looked barely habitable. There was no electrical wiring connected to the shacks, no telephone poles, and clothes hung on lines to dry. Instead of doors, a section of cloth hung in the doorways of several dwellings. Children played naked in front of some of the huts.

Mr. Price had picked Jenks and Seth up when their flight landed in Belize City for their drive to the Orange Walk District. In person he was just as he had been on the telephone, reserved and polite. He was almost as tall as Seth and wore a white linen shirt and khaki pants. He had dark, serious eyes and graying hair beneath a straw fedora.

When they reached the area where the Canadians' house was located, Mr. Price pulled the car off the road and parked behind a stand of bamboo near a stream. “We will walk in from here,” he said as he handed them both insect repellant. “Mosquitos,” he commented dryly.

They walked along an old roadway that had thick vegetation on either side. “This is an old logging road,” Price said quietly. “When the British Honduras Mahogany Company was in operation, they were very active in this area.” He pointed to the thickness of the jungle that encroached on the trail. “It doesn't take very long for the wilderness to take over.”

He continued, “There are many unexcavated Maya sites in this area. The jungle is so dense that most of the locations are covered by centuries of plant growth.”

Seth held out his hand to Jenks and pushed some branches out of her path. “What happened to the Maya?” Jenks asked.

“Their society flourished for many centuries, but by the time of the Spanish Conquest, the Maya civilization had collapsed. The cause of their decline is uncertain, but I have heard some scholars put forth the theory that deforestation led to their demise.”

“How did that happen?” Seth asked.

“The jungle was cleared for farming, but strong storms caused the washing away of the fertile soil. They were unable to grow enough crops to support the population. I have also heard that perhaps deforestation led to long-term drought. There are many theories.”

“History hath but one page,” Jenks said softly as she thought back to the Thomas Cole series of paintings,
The Course of Empire.

“Miss?” Mr. Price looked at her quizzically.

Just as Jenks was about to explain, a slight movement of something on the trail in front of them caught her eye. She was behind Mr. Price, and Seth was following in the rear. She grabbed Mr. Price by his arm. “There was something moving . . . just ahead.”

All three of them stopped in their tracks as they studied the trail.
“Mi Dios!”
he exclaimed, crossing himself. “Good eye, Miss Ellington—now watch yourselves . . . yellow-jawed tommy goff,” Mr. Price put his arm out to stop their forward progress.

“Big female from the looks of it,” he continued.

They all stood motionless as a brown-and-tan snake with triangle designs on its body moved in a serpentine across the trail. “Back up . . . give it a wide berth.”

They slowly retraced their steps, giving the snake plenty of room to move into the jungle.

“Poisonous?” Jenks choked out the word.

“It is not the most poisonous snake, but it can be very dangerous. Mostly, it is nocturnal—we may have disturbed it from rest. It is a pit viper . . . also known as the fer-de-lance. There are a number of bites in Belize each year, mostly occurring while farmers are tending their fields.”

“Can you die from the bite?”

Mr. Price removed his fedora and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. He looked intently into Jenks's eyes before saying, “Oh yes, Miss. If untreated, the bite can be fatal. Belize is a very rural country. Doctors are mostly in the cities, so a bite victim may have many miles to travel for treatment.”

“Oh, my.”

“Just to let you know—I have heard that the Maya built their cities in locations where these snakes were prevalent, to ward off intruders.”

After a moment, the snake disappeared into the jungle, and Mr. Price motioned for them to continue.

“Perhaps that's how the Maya civilization collapsed,” Jenks murmured softly to Seth.

He squeezed her hand and gave her a wink as they went forward.

After another fifteen minutes of walking, Mr. Price pointed through an opening in the jungle to the house formerly owned by the British Honduras Mahogany Company. The structure stood out like a white jewel in contrast to the background of greenery that surrounded it.

The threesome moved as close to the beautifully manicured lawn as they could while still staying out of view. Many lush tropical plants were included in the landscaping. Hummingbirds were darting around red flowering plants and multitudes of butterflies were fluttering above a fountain in the yard.

“This place is like a vision of paradise,” Jenks whispered.
What is Frank Hiller doing in paradise?

Mr. Price removed a telescopic lens from a camera bag. They drank from water containers and took positions to watch for the tall man who had leased the property.

Thunder faintly sounded in the distance and as time passed grew louder and more frequent. Rain started to fall, lightly at first, but after a few minutes they were drenched by a downpour. The threesome got underneath the boughs of a large tree in an effort to stay dry. Jenks snuggled close to Seth, but after several minutes in the deluge, she was soaked.

Even though they were in a tropical climate, Jenks felt cold chills, and she realized she was trembling. She snuggled close to Seth in an effort to stay warm.

Mr. Price noticed her shivering and said, “We can come back tomorrow if you like.”

Determined, Jenks replied, “No, I've been waiting for this for some time. I'll be all right. Let's wait.”

“Come closer,” Seth told her as he hugged her against him.

They waited. Several hours went by. Mosquitos descended upon them and were humming in their ears. Jenks took her jacket off and put it over her head.

Eventually the rain passed, and multitudes of birds, some very colorful, alit on the lawn in front of the magnificent white house. “I've never seen so many different types of birds in my life,” Jenks said softly.

The quietness was suddenly shattered by extremely loud growls and howls.

“What was that?” Jenks said in shock.

“Do not worry. That is the call of the howler monkey. Their cry can be heard for miles.”

The calls continued and Jenks huddled close to Seth.

The sun was getting low on the horizon, and Mr. Price spoke up after a long silence. “We have only a little light left in the day. I have made arrangements for us to stay at a jungle lodge not far from here. I think we should call it a day. I prefer not to be on the logging trail after dark.”

Just as he finished his last sentence, the sound of a car engine became audible in the distance. A white Range Rover came into view from the jungle road and parked in front of the house.

Mr. Price handed Jenks the telescopic lens and nodded his head for her to take a look at the vehicle's occupant. She quickly raised the lens to her eye and stood motionless.

The driver stepped out of the Range Rover and came around to the passenger side to remove two shopping bags.

“Can you tell if it's him?” Seth asked.

She quietly studied the man for a few moments before saying, “Yes, I can. It's Frank Hiller. I can see his blond roots from here.”

She handed the lens to Seth so that he could take a look. An expression of deep determination crossed his face as he studied the man. “That's him, all right.”

They watched as Frank got back into the vehicle and drove into a garage. A few lights came on inside, and the white house glowed warmly against the deep green of the jungle flora.

That evening from the Chan Chich Resort, Seth and Mr. Price made phone calls to the police in Belize City and to the FBI legal attaché in San Salvador. Detective Campbell would fly to Belize to accompany Seth when they returned to the United States with Gigi's killer.

Detective Alvarez would be going before a magistrate in the Northern Court Sector of Belize the next day to obtain an arrest warrant for homicide for Frank Hiller. Then the combined forces of the Belize Police, the FBI, and the Beaufort County Sheriff's Department would serve the warrant. Jenks was told there would be at least six officers to make the arrest.

“Do you think that's enough?” she inquired.

“Yes, I think so,” Seth replied.

“Mr. Price—thank you for all your help with this,” Jenks said.

“Miss Ellington, I plan to see this through with you. A good detective doesn't abandon the case until it is complete. If you'll excuse me now, I will retire for the evening. I will see you two at breakfast . . . at eight.”

“Yes, sir,” Jenks responded.

Seth put his arm around Jenks and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Would you like something to drink?”

“I'd love some white wine.”

Seth went into the bar and when he returned he had a bottle of Chilean Chardonnay and two wineglasses. They left the lodge and walked across the torchlit grounds of the resort to their cabana.

Jenks collapsed onto the bed and Seth opened the bottle of wine and poured her a glass. “Here you are young lady,” he said handing her the wine.

She sat up and took a sip. “Mmmm . . . I don't think I've ever had Chilean wine before.”

“How are you feeling?” Seth asked.

“I'm exhausted. Thank you for holding me during the rainstorm today.”

“My pleasure.” He gazed at her for a moment and then a slight frown crossed his brow. “When we serve the warrant on Frank Hiller I want you to stay here at the resort. I've already spoken with the manager, Elder, and he'll arrange transportation for you to Belize City for the flight back to the US.”

“I'm coming with you. I want to see him arrested.”

“If you're present, then I'll have to worry about you as well as making the arrest.”

“I'll make a deal with you. I'll ask Mr. Price to stay with me, and we'll observe the arrest from a distance.”

“Jenks, the other officers may object to your presence as well.”

“I'll think about what you've said.” She took another sip of her wine. “I'm tired, but I'm so anxious about Frank Hiller being caught, I don't know if I can sleep.”

“You'll have no energy tomorrow if you don't sleep. Let me help you.”

He climbed onto the bed beside her. “Lie on your front.”

She did as she was told and Seth massaged her shoulders. “Why don't you take a shower, and then I'll continue this.”

“You're so good to me.”

“It's easy to be good to you.”

After her shower and Seth's back massage, Jenks fell into an exhausted sleep.