wrath of the Sea Queen (238 page)

"
Well, it looks like you are going to have to wait
until the
protestor
s leave
and we get a break in this weather
.  We can't get
through either of
them
to
get to
your car
right now.  As Apela said
,
we cannot allow you to
leav
e
here without proof of what you say.  So
,
let's
all sit down, have a cup of coffee, and wait out the storm and whatever that group is up to out there,
"
Maku suggested.  Stalling was the best solution
Maku
could
devise
on
the spot
.  The delay would give him time to think.  Hopefully, he could come up with a better plan before the crowd dispersed and the
fickle
weather let up.

Max wen
t to sit on Apela's lap on the far
side of the lounge.  Neither wanted anything to do with the blonde lady. 
Max watched the shoreline as if he expected to see something important in the water. 
Maku went to the kitchen to start the coffee
brewing
.  When he returned
five
minutes later, nothing had changed.  Maku decided to be polite and joined the lady
on the couch
while she waited.  He knew
this
wasn't her fault.  She was just doing her job.
  He introduced himself and engaged her in civil conversation.

"
So, Vicki, how did you get into this line of work?
"
 

"
Oh, I guess you could say I know what it's like to be rejected.  I
understand
what it is like when someone is kept by a person who should not have him in the first place.  Sometimes you have to pull the person out of that situation before he can begin to see how wrong it is for him.  I try to prevent that from happening to others,
"
Vicki explained her chosen career, though she neglected to mention how far
out of her way
she
had gone
in order to
work
on
this
particular
case
.

"
Do you really believe that Max is not well cared for by Apela?
"

"
On the contrary, I can see that Max is doing great.  What I cannot see is whether or not he belongs here.  Perhaps there is a worried father out there looking for his son.  Perhaps Max will do just as well with that man as he has done with Apela.  Don't you think that man has a right to raise his
own
son?
"
  Vicki countered
.

"
If that were the case, which it isn't, then of course he would.  I don't think this is the right way to go about
learn
ing the truth,
"
Maku concurred with her general theory
.

"
I have to be honest.  You couldn't have chosen a worse day to do this.  Apela's sister, Lorrie, passed
away less than
half
an hour ago
.  He does not
even
know about it
yet
.  I was on my way to break the news when I heard you two arguing.  Now, I cannot tell him.  It will be too much for him to deal with until the matter with Max is resolved.
"

"
Lorrie
's dead
?
"  Vicki was so shocked that her reaction caused her to begin to choke on the coffee she had just sipped.

"Yes.  Do you know her?"  Maku though
t
Vicki's reaction impl
ied
that she did.

"Not directly.
  I
read a lot about her
in my
case files
. 
She seemed rather fond of Max. 
Th
is
is
quite
an
unexpected and sad
turn of events. 
How did
she die?
"

Vicki inwardly held her breath.  She hoped that Lorrie had been able to finalize the adoption papers before her untimely demise, but Vicki intended to take Max with her regardless. 
She
was
overly
confident
and
too close to stop now.  She
would have
the
son
she wanted
. 
Max fit all
of
her
prerequisites.

The only piece
missing from Vicki's puzzle
was Vin, and
he
would be a bit trickier. 
Children were so much easier to
mold and
shape than adults. 
Lorrie
assured
her that C
a
eli would be out of the picture for good
before the week was over
.  If Lorrie succeeded
in accomplishing that
, then Vin could soon be made to forget
her
.  Vicki
was
certain of that
as s
he smiled to herself.  The lightning flashed wildly outside and the rain continued
to
pour.

CHAPTER
55

While they waited
for Colonel Franks to return
, Vin told Ben how he almost caught up with Scott on the beach.  If Vin's chase had
n
o
t been interrupted, then Scott's threat might
already
be nullified.  Unfortunately, Scott
slipped
away.  When Salma added details about Scott's plan to permanently enhance his own blood, it was all Vin could do not to rush off in the direction
S
cott
was last seen
.  The
bad weather did not discourage Vin at all
.  It was Ben who kept Vin from
charging
off
on a wild chase
.

"
Vin, you have no idea where
Scott
went or who might be with him.  What happens if you rush off and get yourself into more trouble than you can handle?  C
a
eli
will
need you
to be
here
when she returns
.  We will catch up with Scott soon enough
.  We have the advantage of knowing what he wants.  He
wi
ll
eventually
have to
come t
hrough
us
to get it
,
"
Ben said,
his
own
restrained anger tainting
his voice despite his
attempt to maintain a
calm demeanor.

Colonel Franks returned and joined them by the
cave
wall.  He reported that all of the
protestor
s
had been
rounded up and
were being bused to the jailhouse
.  Each was going to be charged with some
type
of crimina
l mischief, if not a more serious
crime, given the nature of events that
transpired
as a result of their actions.  The beach was safe,
though the
storm
continued to move
closer with each minute that
ticked by
. 
Now was the best time to move Dr. Erickson up to the hotel and call for an ambulance.  Jeremy arrived while the Colonel spoke and offered Ben a sling for Salma's arm, to keep it from getting jostled.

Several of the Colonel's men offered to
rig a stretcher and
carry Salma up to the hotel, but Ben politely declined.  He preferred to keep Salma at his side.  However, Ben did permit them to
take the lead
and make sure the way was clear and that there would be no further trouble
once
inside the hotel.  Subsequently, Ben, Salma, and Vin were alone in the cave and beginning to make their way onto the beach when the storm
finally hit the main island.

Large waves began to roll toward shore
.  Strong winds nearly knocked them from their feet as they headed for the safety of the hotel.  It was all they could do to make their way forward
through
the rain and wind.
  Vin stopped halfway to the hotel.  He
turned as if to
run toward the lighthouse to find
Maku's tunnel
.
  He didn't know w
hat was taking
C
a
eli
so long
, and wanted to be as close as possible when she made it out.

"
Please
, Vin,
stay with Ben and Salma.  Keep them safe.
"

Her voice was barely a whisper, but it made him stop.

"
C
a
eli
, o
h, thank God
!
 
Ben and Salma are fine. 
Where are you?
"