The Solomon Curse

Rubo looked away. “Med.”

“Med? You mean ‘medical’?”

He nodded. “Yes. With white man. But not American.”

Sam stared at Remi. “Japanese experimenting on locals with white men. Want to take two guesses what nationality they were?”

They turned their attention back to Rubo. “Why haven’t we heard anything about this before?”

He shrugged. “Du

“Japanese engaging in war crimes here? I can’t believe that would be swept under the rug.”

Rubo gave her a blank look. “Rug?”

“Sorry. An expression.”

“Back to the king and his temples. Can you tell us the whole story?” encouraged Sam.

Rubo shrugged. “Old. Not much to tell. King build temples and palace. Gods angry, destroy it. Place cursed. Everyone forget about him.”

“That’s it?”

“Pretty much.”

Sam sighed. “What about giants? What are the legends about them?”

Rubo’s eyes widened. “They real. Use to be lots. Now not same. But real.”

“How do you know? Have you seen them?”

“No. But many I know have.”

“Isn’t it a little strange to believe in something you’ve never seen? I mean, it’s like ghosts. Lots of people believe in them, but . . .” Sam stopped talking when he saw Rubo’s face.

“Ghosts real.”

Remi took over. “So you think there are really giants in the caves?”

“I don’t go there.” The old man shifted on the log. “Bad spirits in caves. Jap officer do things there. Many ghosts. Angry. And giants. No good in caves.”

Sam exchanged a glance with Remi. Rubo was clearly not a fan of the Japanese or the caves. And he seemed to have exhausted his limited repertoire of stories about the king.

Remi cocked her head and leaned toward Sam. “Did you hear that?”

“No. What?”

Rubo was lost in his thoughts, staring into space.

“I thought I heard an engine. Down the track.”

Sam shook his head. “Not me.” He returned his attention to Rubo. “How well known is the story about the king?”

The old islander shook his head. “Nobody talk about the old days. Just as well.”

A crack of branches sounded from the river, and Remi started. She and Sam peered into the brush but saw nothing. They listened, ears straining for any further sound, but the area was quiet other than the sound of the river rushing past and the occasional flutter of birds overhead. Rubo didn’t seem to notice, and after several minutes they relaxed.

Remi took the lead in asking more questions about the legend of the lost city, but the old man’s responses became even more terse. When Remi took Sam’s hand and stood, he didn’t resist.

“Rubo, thanks so much for taking the time to tell us about the island’s history. We really appreciate it,” she said, her smile lighting up her face.

Rubo studied his feet with a shy expression. “Good to see people. Talk. Long time.”

They retraced their steps to the Xterra and were greeted by a blast of cool air when they opened the doors. The little motor was still chugging along and the AC with it. Remi strapped in and turned to Sam. “What did you make of that?”

“It’s another piece of the puzzle. Makes sense, though. Sounds like a natural disaster destroyed the king’s work and that that was interpreted by the locals as angry gods swatting him like a fly. Also explains the curse. Even if the specifics have been forgotten, legends like that have a way of lingering.”

“Leonid will be pleased to have more to go on than a question mark.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, Leonid’s hard to please. Ever.”

“Leonid is a grumpy guy.”

“It goes with being Russian. All the snow. Or the cold soup.”

Remi eyed the shack. “He really did look like he was a hundred.”

“He’d have to be close to that if he was around during the war and old enough to help the Allies.”

“The bit about the Japanese colonel conducting experiments was more than a little creepy. I can’t believe something like that could happen and wouldn’t be recorded by history.”

“It’s a small island. History tends to miss a lot of the minor events. We more than anyone should know that.”

“Kind of our edge, isn’t it?”

“That and your charm. Judging by Rubo’s reaction, that can’t be underestimated.” Sam smiled and slid the transmission into gear. “So? What next? Gold mine sightseeing or back to town?”

“I say let’s look at the hole in the ground. Not that I’m complaining, but it’s easy to go stir-crazy sitting in a hotel room all day.”

“Then gold mine it is.”

—

The drive back to the main road seemed longer, if anything, and by the time they made it to the asphalt they were both over the thrill of rural off-roading.

The pavement degraded after they turned off the coastal road until soon it was loose gravel over potholes and ruts deep enough to break an axle. Acres of trees of a palm oil plantation lined the way, one of the island’s principal industries. As they climbed into the mountains, Sam checked his rearview mirror several times.

“Looks like we’re not the only ones out for a drive,” he said.

“I wonder if that’s the one we heard back by Rubo’s? That’s the first car we’ve seen today outside of town, and this is a pretty rural area.”

“In a way, it’s reassuring. At least if we break down, we won’t be walking twenty miles for help.”

“Why do you have to jinx us by thinking negative thoughts like that?”

“Sorry. Just the way my mind works.”

They passed a lagoon with a small traditional village and then a small company town of abandoned Quonset huts.

“Ghost town, isn’t it?” Remi said.

“Makes sense if the mine’s shut down. Not like there are dozens of ways to make a living out here.”

They continued south and, when they came over the crest of a hill, saw an expanse below them that looked like a giant hand had scraped the jungle from the mountaintop, leaving only bare earth. A security gate blocked the road in front of them, but the buildings behind it were empty, their glass shattered, and the gate broken.

“Are you sure about this, Sam?” Remi asked.

“Looks like we’re not the first to want to poke around.”

“Right, but it’s private property.”

“Well, maybe, but since the mine’s closed, I’m not sure that matters. Besides, it’s not like we cut chains or jumped the fence. And we’re not here to steal anything.”

“Save it for the cops.”

“I don’t think they have any outside of town.”

“And that’s a good thing?”

Sam coaxed the Nissan forward and farther up the mountain road until they were above the main processing plant. He stopped by the massive conveyor system that had once hauled ore to the crushers and eyed the line of abandoned ore trucks.

“Not a soul around. A little eerie, isn’t it?” he said, his voice low. “You want to get out or keep going?”

“Keep going.”

The road twisted along the ridge, and when they rounded a curve, they came face to face with the open pits, where the land had been methodically excavated and hauled to the plant for processing. The road ended at the southernmost, largest pit, and this time when Sam stopped, Remi agreed to look around. They got out of the vehicle and the heat immediately assaulted them.

Remi turned to Sam. “It’s like they cut off the top of the mountain. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s . . . it just seems so destructive.”

A hot wind gusted across the mountain, carrying with it a low moan from the plant as it blew through the towers. Eventually, Sam led Remi back to the truck. They buckled up and Remi shook her head. “I don’t know what I was expecting to see, but it wasn’t that.”

Sam twisted the wheel and they backtracked down the grade. When they passed the security gate, they accelerated, kicking up dust as they rolled down the mountain. Remi closed her eyes, enjoying the cool air blowing from the vents, and then Sam’s voice jogged her out of her thoughts.