Only coercion, and a beautiful government agent, could force Harry Thursday out of retirement. This time to find the mythical Mask worn by the Minotaur over three thousand years ago. The history of the mask resurfaces during the time of Count Bruno...
There was a truck hidden in the thick trees about twenty paces away from the plane and it sat unattended, and a small lean-to with a generator in it powered the light they had seen from above. Judging from the overgrowth, there hadn't been anyone to use the makeshift landing strip for about three months. But why was it there in the middle of the jungle Harry wondered.
Sara opened the door and jumped out of the plane even before it had stopped running and ran into the trees. Harry secured the plane. What could have caused them to lose altitude like that? He sat quietly and reviewed the control panel and noticed that the gas meter was near empty but still enough to last another half an hour. By his calculations, there should have been three hours left. He climbed out of the cockpit and went under the engine to examine the damages. There was only one bullet hole in the fuselage and it wasn't anywhere near the tank. The propellers had large pieces missing, but that had happened on landing, and the tail wheel was shorn off.
Just then, Sara returned. "We're alone."
"This hardly seems the place or time," he joked.
She carried a new rifle and a canteen of fresh water. She was sweating and wiped the moisture from her forehead with her forearm. He could not help thinking of the night they slept together in the same bed and how things could have gone differently, how desirable she was right at that moment.
"Shut up Harry," she said and walked to the lean-to and searched the small table there. "There should be someone here to greet us."
"How many people do you have working for you? Maybe they got tired of waiting and left."
"Those lights aren't running by themselves. If he did leave he must have just done it. There's only one vehicle."
"I'm losing confidence in you by the minute. It seems that no one is safe with you around. People are dropping like flies."
"No one's dropping," she said. "No matter. You had better get your things and come along. Hurry."
He climbed back into the plane and grabbed his bag and shotgun, and when he came out he passed the wing and took notice of greasy smudges near the panel on the right near the flaps. He said nothing about that.
Sara waited at the truck and lit up another cigarette. In her hand, she held a piece of paper. "A note," she said displaying it as evidence, "from the man who was supposed to be here. He says they couldn't wait anymore and would meet up with us in the city. "Well, at least they left us the truck." She was standing at the rear gate of a Ford 150 and opened it climbed in and rummaged through the contents. Strapped to the side was a large metal container with a spigot. Harry helped himself to the water with a tin cup that hung from a small chain on the spigot. He saw a cooler there too and opened it. "Food," he said.
She found a duffle bag and pulled out clean clothes which she held up to herself. She smiled and began to undress.
She nodded her head at the things there and said, "Look see," and continued to strip down to her underwear and pulled out a bar of soap and held it under the spigot and began washing herself.
Harry was surprised at her candor. He stood back and watched her clean herself with a surprisingly little bit of water.
"Why don't you stop gawking and do the same thing?"
"Is there anything in there for me?"
He found a bag with things for a man in it. "Is this for me or the other guy?"
"What difference does it make? Would you mind turning around a minute?" He took a canteen and walked into the trees. Sara took off her bra and panties and kept washing with her back to him as if he might take a peek and see her naked.
He searched the area and looked up at the trees. The tops were thick but allowed the sun to glean off the tops and filter down into the floor. He turned around to look at Sara. She was naked and working up a vigorous lather. He smiled and kept walking. "Nice ass," he couldn't help saying out loud. The trees thinned out into an open glade. Stumps littered the area and many unclaimed trees lay about where they had been felled, but already new growth had begun to reclaim nature's own. This must be why the strip was there - to supply crews with supplies. He had seen enough and headed back to the truck.
"Are you finished?" he yelled ahead for her sake. He could see her through the thinning trees and she was turning this way and that to try and see where he was.
"You can turn around now," she said. She had dried herself off and was sorting through the bag for what to wear. "You next," she said and placed the soap in his hand and took her clothes with her to the front of the truck and dressed. Harry wasted no time stripping down and washing himself. She came back around, and he turned toward her, surprised. "Sara, please. I'm naked here."
"I have a brother. Besides I've already seen you naked, remember?"
"That was different. I'm washing now and it seems...dirty. Besides, I've seen many women naked, and yet, seeing you without clothes on is..." He paused thinking how to describe seeing her naked, "Titillating." He watched for her reaction and enjoyed the little bit of blushing.
She took the shotgun and went off into the trees. "I promise not to enjoy it, okay?"
When she returned he had already dressed. "You didn't change your shirt," she said.
"It's too small." He opened the cooler and found two bottles of beer and fried chicken inside. "This is certainly a well-equipped truck."
They rent them like that here. It's never safe to go off anywhere without water. He read the note again. "Good news, but I thought we were off to Switzerland. What happens there?"
"That's all I have for now."
"How do we get there?"
"Over there," she threw her hand in that direction, "is a logging road that will take us to Panama. We can hop on a flight to Europe. Meanwhile, we should get some rest. She took the duffle bag and climbed into the back seat of the truck and slept almost immediately. She breathed heavily.
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