into his Cherokee and headed for town.
As he drove Bertram became increasingly certain that Kevin and the women
had managed to go to the island, and it angered him. He berated himself
for allowing Siegfried to lull him into a false sense of security.
Bertram had a growing premonition that Kevin’s curiosity was going to
cause major trouble.
At the point of transition from asphalt to cobblestones at the edge of
town, Bertram had to brake abruptly. In his mounting vexation, he’d been
unaware of his speed. The wet cobblestones from the recent downpour were
as slick as ice, so Bertram’s car skidded several yards before coming to
a complete stop.
Bertram parked in the hospital parking lot. He climbed to the third
floor of the lab and pounded on Kevin’s door. There was no response.
Bertram tried the door. It was locked.
Returning to his car, Bertram drove around the town square and parked
behind the town hall. He nodded to the lazy group of soldiers lounging
in broken rattan chairs in the shade of the arcade.
Taking the stairs by twos, Bertram presented himself to Aurielo and said
he had to speak to Siegfried.
‘He’s with the chief of security at the moment,’ Aurielo said.
‘Let him know I’m here,’ Bertram said, as he began to pace the outer
office. His irritation was mounting.
Five minutes later, Cameron McIvers emerged from the inner office. He
said hello to Bertram, but Bertram ignored him in his haste to get in to
see Siegfried.
‘We’ve got a problem,’ Bertram said. ‘Melanie Becket didn’t show up for
a scheduled injection this afternoon, and Kevin Marshall is not in his
lab.’
‘I’m not surprised,’ Siegfried said calmly. He sat back and stretched
with his good arm. ‘They were both seen leaving early this morning with
the nurse. The ménage-a-trois seems to be blossoming. They even had a
dinner party late into the night at Kevin’s house, and then the women
stayed over.
‘Truly?’ Bertram questioned. That the nerdy researcher could be involved
in such a liaison seemed impossible.
‘I should know,’ Siegfried said. ‘I live across the green from Kevin.
Besides, I met the women earlier at the Chickee Bar. They were already
tipsy and told me they were on their way to Kevin’s.’
‘Where did they go this morning?’ Bertram asked.
‘I assume to Acalayong,’ Siegfried said. ‘They were seen leaving in a
pirogue before dawn by a member of the janitorial staff.’
‘Then they have gone to the island by water,’ Bertram snapped.
‘They were seen going west, not east,’ Siegfried said.
‘It could have been a ruse,’ Bertram said.
‘It could have,’ Siegfried agreed. ‘And I thought of the possibility. I
even discussed it with Cameron. But both of us are of the opinion that
the only way to visit the island by water is to land at the staging
area. The rest of the island is surrounded by a virtual wall of
mangroves and marsh.’
Bertram’s eyes rose up to stare at the huge rhino heads on the wall
behind Siegfried. Their brainless carcasses reminded him of the site
manager, yet Bertram had to admit in this instance he had a point. In
fact, when the island was initially considered for the bonobo project
its inaccessibility by water had been one of its attractions.
‘And they couldn’t have landed at the staging area,’ Siegfried
continued, ‘because the soldiers are still out there itching to have an
excuse to use their AK-47’s.’ Siegfried laughed. ‘It tickles me every
time I think of their shooting out Melanie’s car windows.’
‘Maybe you’re right,’ Bertram said grudgingly.
‘Of course I’m right,’ Siegfried said.
‘But I’m still concerned,’ Bertram said. ‘And suspicious. I want to get
into Kevin’s office.’
‘For what reason?’ Siegfried asked.
‘I was stupid enough to show him how to tap into the software we’d
developed for locating the bonobos,’ Bertram said. ‘Unfortunately, he’s
been taking advantage of it. I know because he’s accessed it on several
occasions for long periods of time. I’d like to see if I can find out
what he’d been up to.’
‘I’d say that sounds quite reasonable,’ Siegfried said. He called out to
Aurielo to see to it that Bertram had an entrance card for the lab. Then