AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What? Of course he isn’t,” Sam said.
“You think I’m going to let you shut me out of finding the treasure? Not a chance, as you American capitalists say.”
“You heard the doctor. You’re to stay off your leg.”
“I have. For twelve full hours. Why, are you planning to go right now?”
“No, not until tomorrow . . .” Sam conceded.
“Then what’s the problem? I heal quickly. I’m Russian, remember? You can’t hurt me.”
Sam exchanged a glance with Remi. “It’s nothing personal, my friend, but we don’t want you injuring yourself further.”
He waved the concern away with a sneer. “A few scrapes and cuts. Nothing broken. I’ll be ready tomorrow. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Remi said.
“He is an adult male,” Sam said.
“Who almost got himself killed.”
Leonid snorted. “I wasn’t watching where I was going. Believe me, that won’t happen again.”
Remi shook her head, exasperated. “Fine. I’m not going to fight you on this. But if you slow us down, we’ll leave you to the crocodiles.”
“I hear they can smell blood a mile away,” Lazlo chipped in.
“Then it’s decided. What time do we leave?” Leonid asked.
“To be determined. Probably early,” Sam said.
“I’ll be ready.”
Remi stood and looked to Sam. “We going to deal with the tow truck?”
Sam sighed. “I suppose we have to, don’t we?” He glanced at Lazlo. “Can you keep our Russian friend here entertained for a few hours?”
“I think that’s within my considerable abilities,” Lazlo replied with a mischievous grin.
The trip to the rental car agency was as painful as they had expected. The owner of the lot was considerably agitated by the report that one of his prize vehicles was stuck in the middle of the rain forest with four flat tires.
After dealing with that chore, they headed over to the hospital, hoping to find Vanya. When they entered the now-familiar building, she was behind the reception counter, talking to the attendant, the waiting area empty.
“Well, hello! What brings you here?” she asked, smiling as she rounded the counter to greet them.
“We were just in the neighborhood.”
“I was looking over yesterday’s entries and I saw that you brought in your colleague. Dr. Berry left comprehensive notes.”
“Yes. He had a hiking mishap,” Remi said.
“Those happen all the time around here. I’m glad it was relatively benign. You should stick to the trails—the island can be dangerous. Where was he hiking?”
“Over on the other side of the island,” Remi replied vaguely.
“That can be especially challenging.”
“So we learned,” Sam agreed. “Listen, Dr. Vanya, we wanted to talk to you about something. Do you have a minute?”
