“That’s me,” Rollie said, pausing his work to glance up at him.
Julian checked his watch. Almost midnight. “Look, I’m low on cash. Got lost hiking and have had a shitty day. Just trying to get over to St. Felipe, Tango Lowlands. Guy over there said you fish in the area and might help me out.”
“How much money you got?” Rollie asked.
Julian shrugged. “Five bucks.”
“That’ll do,” Rollie gave him a wide grin after Julian placed the bill in his hand. “Hope you can swim. I don’t have life jackets if the seas get rough.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty good at swimming,” Julian said. He’d been the fastest swimmer in BUD/S, tackling all the water training and tests easily.
“Well come on now, I don’t have all night,” Rollie said, ushering him forward.
Julian stepped onto the small boat, then tugged the cap down further to hide his face. Seconds later, Rollie pulled the ripcord. The boat shook from the force of the motor as the old man eased it away from the beach and into the darkened waters. Sea spray pelted Julian’s face. The waves slapped against the boat as the low hum of the motor filled the air. The overcast sky blocked the moonlight, bathing the boat and the sea in eerie darkness.
Thirty minutes later, Rollie eased the boat onto the coarse black sand beach of Tango Lowlands. Julian thanked the man, shaking his hand, then stepped out. Turning toward the towering palm trees that stood like a fortress, Julian jogged across the beach. He followed the single road that meandered through the secluded village of recluses. Skirting towards the eastern edge of the lowlands, Julian raced toward Uma Fischer’s rental. He slowed as he approached the yellow house across from the horse stables.
Grabbing the burner phone, he accessed the note taking app, found Uma’s number and texted.
I’m alive. Get word to your bf that our deal is still on.
Julian slumped down against a tree about fifty yards from the house and propped the phone on his leg, waiting for her reply.
As much as he hated to admit it, he and Russell had a lot in common. At the top of the list, an enemy that both of them wanted to be rid of. The pacemaker kill switch Dumay had placed in Russell without his knowledge was a testament to the woman’s diabolical commitment to controlling her criminal empire. Russell was powerless to go against her. Dumay hoped the laptop from Central Sulawesi would give her the same control over Julian. But she hadn’t anticipated Russell using it for his own plans.
Twenty minutes later, he got the response.
Will be in touch with instructions.
Minutes later, Uma emerged from the back of the house. She reached down and unlocked the chain that secured three bicycles to a tree in her yard. Mounting the ten speed, Uma took off down the road toward the steep mountain pass that led up and out of the Tango Lowlands.
Julian waited several moments before running over to grab one of the other bikes. Jumping on, he pedaled through the jungle, keeping enough distance to prevent Uma from realizing she was being followed.
Where the hell was she going?
Julian assumed Russell was still in PIIB custody. Had the bastard slipped away from them for a third time? Was she going to lead Julian right to him?
Julian slowed as Uma came to a stop at the bottom of the steep road. Time ticked by excruciatingly slow as Uma struggled up the forty-degree grade toward the top of the mountain. Julian glanced at the burner phone. Almost an hour had passed when Uma finally reached the top. He watched her disappear around the S-curve that led to the St. Felipe Outer Coastal Highway.
Switching the gear on his bike, Julian took a wide arc to build up speed and raced up the incline, covering the distance in about fifteen minutes. Uma biked along the deserted road headed toward the nearest town to Tango Lowlands—King Township. The town was home to the Original Hullabaloo Coffee Shop, had a convenience store and a farmer’s market where Tango Lowlands residents sold their crops and fruit to tourists flooding the area each day.
He followed her at a safe distance until she arrived at the town. Pulling his bike to a stop along the side of the road, he watched as Uma clutched a box under her arm. Just past two in the morning, the town was quiet and still. A few streetlights illuminated the area, but most of the roads and businesses were dark. Julian emerged from the shadows and followed her.
Uma walked past a couple of shops hawking Hullabaloo and Felipe Brewery Company souvenirs until she reached the St. Felipe Post and Parcel. She pulled out a small flashlight and pointed it at the deadbolt lock on the door. Inserting a key inside, she turned the knob and disappeared into the post office. Four minutes passed, and she exited the door, empty handed, and locked it behind her. Uma darted across the street to where she’d laid her bike along the sidewalk and jumped back on, pedaling furiously back toward the road that led down to Tango Lowlands.
Julian glanced toward the pastel pink stone building. Uma had a key to the government-controlled post office in King Township. The key around her neck must open a P.O. box inside. What was in the box and why had his text prompted her to bring it here in the middle of the night? Could that be the evidence he needed to clear his name? Was that how she kept Russell’s evidence safe by sneaking into the facility with a stolen key? He had to admit, it was a smart plan. No one who worked at the post office would ever see her entering or leaving the building, making it that much harder for Russell’s enemies to find his stash.
As soon as he could get the replica key he’d sent to print on his 3-D printer, the sooner he could see exactly what Uma and Russell were hiding in that post office.
Slipping the burner phone from his pocket, he dialed the number he knew by heart.
The line answered after the first ring.
“Julian? Is that you?” Mena asked.
“Yeah,” Julian smiled, thankful she’d been able to answer his call. “It’s me.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
