The Island Project: A Thriller (9 page)

His necklace was missing.

The keychain was gone.

CHAPTER 23

HILO GRILL

15 OCTOBER, 3:00 P.M.

Dr. Adler’s cell phone rang. He excused himself from the table where he was enjoying lunch with Tom and his daughter. He walked outside to the patio away from the guests.

“Yes, this is Dr. Adler.”

It was Kam. He had some bad news…

Dr. Adler walked back to the veranda where Kelly and Bennett were sitting at the table.

“I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news,” he said.

Kelly stood up. “What is it?”

“I just received a phone call from Kam. It appears he lost the keychain.”

“What! How?” Kelly asked. Bennett stood up.

“Apparently he dropped it in the cove out in front of his house while he was paddling home.”

Kelly stood there with her mouth wide open in disbelief. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I wish I was.” Dr. Adler replied with a look of concern.

Bennett stood up and grabbed the keys off the table. “Which bay is he at?”

“Richardson Beach. Just north of here about a mile,” Dr. Adler replied.

Bennett walked toward the door. “Kelly, you stay here with your father. I’m going to go help Kam.”

Kelly nodded in agreement and Bennett rushed out the door to his truck.

CHAPTER 24

DOWNTOWN HILO

15 OCTOBER, 3:10 P.M.

Richardson Beach was less than a mile north from Dr. Alder’s office. Downtown Hilo, however, was difficult to drive through quickly and not easy to navigate in a rush. To the locals, being in a rush was unnecessary—very much against the “
aloha”
spirit. But right now, Bennett was feeling anything but “
aloha”
. He was in a hurry, focusing on weaving through the string of cars in front of him.

He checked his watch. It was just after 3:00.  He knew people would still be on the beaches. With any luck they would be starting to pack up and head home by now.

Bennett pulled into the private driveway that led down to the beach. He made his way into the parking lot and found an empty spot. Kam was already making his way through the parking lot to Bennett.

“I can’t find it, Mr. Bennett,” he said between deep breaths. “I’ve been searching the water for the past 30 minutes, but nothing…” Kam sucked in another deep breath. “Nothing down there. So sorry, I really am.”

Bennett searched Kam’s face for any signs of deceit. The Adler family knew Kam well, but he couldn’t help but question the situation they were in. Bennett knew if he were being played he would have to address it now to expose the truth. But his curiosity was qualmed by the sincere and grieved look on Kam’s face. He had the look of a child that was expecting punishment. Ready and willing to receive any abuse cast upon him.

“Let’s not worry about how it happened. Let’s focus on where you lost it, and how we can get it back,” said Bennett. He grabbed his swimming goggles from the cab behind his seat and shut the door.

Kam led Bennett through the trees and into the beach clearing. Bennett removed his boots to walk more easily through the sand. The scene before him was worse than he was expecting. The shore was littered with beach umbrellas and sunbathing tourists. Adults lathering on sunblock and kids running around with boogie boards in tow. He could see a few snorkelers about twenty yards out ducking in and out of the water. Kids were playing in the waves and tumbling around on the sand. A boy was beach fishing down along the bank.

“Over there!” Kam yelled over the sound of the waves. “Next to that rock. I was over there when I got knocked off my board.”

Bennett quickly took in his surroundings. Instead of mapping out a strategy, he quickly began removing his shirt and taking out his wallet, phone and anything that could be damaged by water.

“Watch my stuff,” he directed Kam. Then Bennett dove into the water.

The waves were breaking short, causing quick, vertical rises and falls in the water. The current water condition wasn’t ideal for swimming. Bennett was surprised there were many snorkelers out at all. 

The rock Kam was referring to was about fifteen yards from where the waves were breaking. It protruded about three feet out from the water and was a good ten feet wide around the base. Bennett was making his way toward it. Flippers and tiny feet were kicking all around above him as he dove down to the base of the rock. Once at the bottom, he hovered at the base and scanned the geography of the ocean floor.  There were shells and rocks glinting with sunlight, covering the sand and gathering in clusters around the rock beside him. Multi-colored fish poked around the rock, ducking in and out of hiding spots, not seemingly affected by Bennett’s presence.

He treaded water, trying to keep a steady eye on his surroundings as the waves above crashed and churned. Bennett was quite confident and aware of his ability as a swimmer. He knew with rested lungs he could hold his breath for roughly two minutes before needing air. His daily swimming regime included faithful morning laps in his club’s pool and a yearly entry into the
La Jolla Rough Water Swim
to battle it out for the title of
Gatorman
. He had taken first place two years prior, but gave up the title a year later due to his leave in Vanuatu. The task at hand seemed a challenge Bennett could easily handle. His uneasiness lay in the possibility that the key could be long washed out to sea, making all of this effort a hopeless and lost cause.

A shiny glint shone through the water from behind a coral bed and caught Bennett’s attention. He immediately changed momentum and swam toward the glimmering object. Pulling his body around the sharp coral rock he lunged down toward the object. His hope soon vanished as he reached out and grabbed a shiny Coke can lid and tossed it aside. He was starting to feel pressure in his lungs so he decided to swim up for air. As he emerged through the surface of the waves he adjusted his goggles to his forehead and shot a glance across the beach. Kam was waving his hands back and forth as if to indicate his position to Bennett. He changed his hand motions into a thumbs-up sign, hoping for a positive gesture in return. Bennett shook his head, letting Kam know that he had nothing to show yet.

The tide was working its way in toward the shore and Bennett could see that the kids were now playing further inland. The waves continued to rise and fall and were steadily becoming more choppy. He took a deep breath and dived back down into the water.

His attention shifted to a new formation of coral to his right. There were many clusters of debris around the base of the coral and it seemed as good a place as any for an object to gravitate to. The coral bed was a good twenty feet down and as Bennett descended he began to feel the pressure forming in his ears. He ran his hands along the bottom crease, purposefully disturbing the collection of shells, pebbles and coral fragments resting there. An eel peered its head out of an opening close by and locked eyes with Bennett for a moment before retreating back into its hole. Bennett navigated around the bed to the south side facing the deep blue water. It was then that his attention shifted to a single unmistakable object, nestled gently in a pocked indent in the coral. A feeling of immense excitement instantly overtook Bennett. He swam over the coral and reached out to the key, grasping it in his hands.

The key was back in his possession.

Holding the key securely in his hand, he thrust his legs and pushed toward the surface above. He looked up to the translucent; aqua-colored layer coating the ocean surface and felt the temperature of the water get warmer as he floated upward. He had just about broken through the surface when he felt a sharp pain in his right cheek, just under his goggles. It was a searing, jolting pain as if his skin were being torn off.

“What’s happening? Am I being stung?”
Bennett thought. He was confused.

The pain shot through his body and Bennett found himself in a semi-panic. He immediately reached his hand up to his face and felt his fingers run across an awkward protrusion coming out from his cheekbone. A horrifying feeling ran through him as he tried to pull the alien object from his face, only to feel it tear deeper. He ripped off his goggles and felt the saltwater pour into his eyes, stinging them and only adding to the pain. He kicked wildly about in the water, still stretching to break through to the air above. One final kick of his legs and he exploded through the surface. The pain made him completely discombobulated and Bennett realized he had lost all sense of direction. Trying to ignore the pain, he adjusted his eyes to the sun. His eyes searched for land.

He couldn’t see the beach at all.

Only a blurry expansive blue canvas in every direction. He squinted his eyes to try and clear the saltwater out. As he did he felt another shooting pain in his cheek. This time there was a tugging sensation accompanying the pain…on and off, on and off.

This thing is biting me
! Bennett thought.

He tried to yell out to Kam but the saltwater poured down his throat and drowned out his attempt. Bennett swung his gaze left and right until he made out land. He saw the children playing and splashing in the water, carrying on, unbeknownst of the situation playing out a few yards from them. His eyes examined the crowds of people along the shoreline and Bennett desperately searched for Kam. His attention stopped on a boy, seemingly fixed on the water. The boy’s actions seemed strange though, as if contorting or moving his arms in a wild upward motion. Bennett was trying to make it out when the pain came back again. And again.

It was biting him over and over.

He was pulled viciously underwater and he fought desperately against the relentless pain. His lungs burned and he started to feel light-headed. He felt his body become heavy, as if weights had been tied to his limbs and it soon became impossible to move. Bennett knew he needed oxygen but the alien object seemed to be pulling him further downward. He kicked his legs and managed to barely surface his nose and mouth only to inhale a crashing wave. He grasped around underwater for something to grab onto. He didn’t know what...anything. The lack of oxygen was affecting him. He started to see stars.

I’m drowning!

Bennett couldn’t believe what was happening to him. He tried to focus his thoughts to pull himself together and get back to the shore with the key.

The key…

Where was it? Throughout the attack he had forgotten to keep track of it. He looked down at his hands just as the pain came shooting back. He grabbed at the object on his face and channeled what strength he had left to pull it off.

One...two….

Everything went black.

All was still.

Distant waves crashing on the sand sounded through Bennett’s ears. Seagulls cawed and flew close by. Light slowly filled Bennett’s eyelids. He woke up to Kam’s face peering down at him. Three other heads hovered around, all peering down toward Bennett, each with worried and curious look.

“Mr. Bennett? Can you hear me Mr. Bennett?”

Bennett reached his hand toward his face and placed his fingers where the attack had been. He felt something flat and cold.  It was an ice pack—the kind you keep in small coolers. He pushed it away and felt underneath. The object was gone. The only thing left was a fleshy wound that he ran his fingers over.

Bennett struggled to speak, “Kam….the key. Do you—”

Kam cut him off. “I’ve got the key, Mr. Bennett. You almost drowned. You had it balled up in your fist. I had to pry it out.”

Bennett felt relieved at the news. He lifted his head and looked around at the people surrounding him, recognizing the boy he had seen fishing earlier. The other people staring at him appeared to be on-lookers.

“I’m very sorry,” said the boy. “I had no idea how it had gotten stuck.”

Bennett looked down at the boy’s hands and saw the fishing pole and the lure dangling from the line. Crimson red coated the lure. Blood spotted the boys hands.

“We need to get you to a hospital, Mr. Bennett,” Kam said. He looked worried.

“Help me up,” Bennett whispered.

Kam helped Bennett to his feet.

Bennett felt exhausted. As if he had just swam a marathon. The realization as to what just happened began to sink in. Bennett wanted to leave. He wanted to get away from the tourists and he wanted to get the key in a safe place.  He had a slight feeling of embarrassment as to what had just taken place and the fact that he had become somewhat of a spectacle on the beach.

“Kam, let’s get out of here.”

“You got it, boss,” he answered.

They walked up the path away from the beach and stopped at Bennett’s truck. “Mr. Bennett, I really think you need to go to the hospital,” Kam said still concerned.

Bennett evaluated his injury from the side-view mirror on his truck. The gash wasn’t as bad as he expected. In fact, it was fairly superficial. The hook must have just embedded itself into the epidermis. The wound had stopped bleeding and from what he could tell didn’t look to be too deep. He pressed on the area around the wound. The skin was firm.

“Kam, do you have a First-Aid kit handy?”

“I’ve got one here in my house.” He pointed to a little beach house to the right of them—suspended on stilts with a surfboard out front and a hammock between two trees.

“But Mr. Bennett, don’t you think you should go to the hospital?” Kam was still quite concerned.

“Thanks Kam. I’ll be fine. Just need to clean it up and keep it closed.”

They walked inside Kam’s beach house and Bennett took a seat on the couch next to an Xbox controller. Kam ducked into a doorway and returned with a box. “Here you go. I’ve never used it, so I’m not sure what’s in there.”

Bennett took the kit and opened it up. It was a standard First Aid kit. Band Aids, gauze, cleaning solution, tweezers, scissors, pads and such. He shuffled the items around until he found a butterfly bandage. “Here we go.” He pulled it out and set it on the table.

“One more request.” Bennett said.

“Sure.”

“Do you happen to have any Super Glue?”

Kam looked puzzled. “Actually, yeah. I have some in the kitchen. Why?”

Bennett smiled. “It’s the same stuff the Doc would give me if I went to the hospital. Just need a little glue to hold the cut together under the bandage.”

Kam looked surprised. First he was impressed with Mr. Bennett’s pain tolerance. Now he was impressed by his resourcefulness.

“Ok, you got it,” Kam said as he headed to the kitchen. A moment later he returned with a small tube of Super Glue.

“Thanks Kam. I’ll take care of it from here. Why don’t you start on the keychain and I’ll fill you in on what we’re looking for.