Part 32 (1/2)
Amy waited tensely, wondering what would happen if Renner refused to accept the deal. She and Jed couldn't stay in the cave indefinitely. The water was warm as ocean water went, but it wasn't body temperature. After a while it would begin to sap their internal heat.
There was only one option and Jed was going for it. He had to convince Renner to let them out of the cave; had to convince the other man that he needed Jed and Amy if he wanted the emeralds.
”All right, Glaze. The two of you can come on out of the water. We can work something out, I think.”
Jed was silent for a moment, clearly turning the possibilities over in his mind. Then he said quietly to Amy, ”This is as good as it's going to get. Let's try it. He's nervous, but he hasn't worked himself up to the point of pulling the trigger on that Beretta. At least not quite. Definitely an amateur. He's never done this kind of thing before. He hired Vaden and Guthrie to do the dirty stuff for him. It's one thing to employ someone to do it for you, but doing it yourself is something else. Go ahead. You'll be safe. Renner's not afraid of you. I'll bring Guthrie.”
Amy glanced at Jed once more, trying to see his eyes in the shadows, but it was impossible. She handed Guthrie over to Jed and started forward into the outer pool. The rain was still falling lightly. She could feel it as she swam out into the open. There was a glare of light from one side of the pool and she knew Renner stood behind it, holding a gun.
He kept her in the spotlight for a few seconds, watching as she stripped off her fins and began to climb out of the rocky pool. Then he yanked the beam back to the entrance of the cave to cover Jed.
”Take it nice and slow, Glaze. Why don't you leave Guthrie in the water?”
”He's unconscious. He'll drown.”
”So? You were going to finish him for me, weren't you?” Renner taunted.
”That's part of the deal,” Jed agreed. ”But if I do it now, I have one less bargaining chip. I think I'll keep Guthrie around for a while.”
Amy looked back over her shoulder as she got to her feet. Jed was swimming slowly forward, keeping Guthrie's sagging body in front of him. She glanced speculatively at Renner and realized his attention was focused on Jed. Obviously he didn't consider Amy any kind of serious threat.
Now that she was only a few feet from Renner and the flashlight was pointed away from her, she could see the man more clearly. The rain had slicked his hair and thoroughly dampened his s.h.i.+rt. His face was rigid in the shadows and he held the pistol with a grip that appeared far too tight. Admittedly, she had only confronted one other person in this sort of situation, but it didn't take too much experience to recognize the fact that Renner was in the thrall of a dangerous anxiety. It would take very little to push him over the edge into outright panic. If he panicked, he would probably pull the trigger.
A small, m.u.f.fled sound from the foliage behind her captured Amy's attention. Automatically she looked around and saw a large man lying on the ground. He was tied and gagged.
”Hank!” She started toward him. Renner's voice stopped her in her tracks.
”Leave him alone. He stays where he is. Stupid fool tried to follow us. Vaden and Guthrie got him.”
Hank silently shook his head at Amy and she reluctantly turned back to watch Jed as he began his climb out of the pool. It wasn't easy because he was trying to handle Guthrie and all the equipment the other man was wearing at the same time. Even so, it seemed to Amy that Jed was making a great deal of work out of the project. He outweighed Guthrie by several pounds and Amy knew the strength of Jed's sinewy build.
”Hurry up,” Renner snapped.
”If you want speed, try giving me a hand with Guthrie,” Jed advised calmly. He was about halfway out of the pool.
”Wait a minute,” Renner said suddenly. ”Just hold it right there. Put Guthrie down on those rocks and don't come any farther. I've got to think.”
Amy saw the new level of tension that was seizing him and a wave of fear went through her. Renner was slipping over some invisible edge. She could almost see it happening. As quietly as possible she continued to fumble free of her diving gear. She had the tank off now and was holding the heavy weight belt in one hand. Renner still wasn't paying much attention to her.
”What's there to think about, Renner? Except the emeralds, of course,” Jed asked easily. He had stopped climbing out of the pool but he hadn't released Guthrie.
”Yeah, the emeralds. I've got to get a few more answers.” Renner shot a sidelong glance at Amy. ”You're pretty good at this cave diving business, aren't you? And you know where the emeralds are. It occurs to me I don't really need Glaze as long as I've got you. And you'd be a h.e.l.l of a lot easier to handle.”
Amy froze as she heard the new direction of his thoughts. There was silence from the pool. Wildly she sought for a way to deflect Renner's logic. She started talking, writing the scene off the top of her head as if she were sketching out an idea to use in a book.
”You don't need him to get the stones for you,” Amy agreed. ”But you better find out just who Glaze is before you kill him. You don't want to leave any loose ends, do you?”
”Who is he?” Renner demanded, swinging his attention back to Jed, who was waiting quietly in the shadows of the pool. ”A friend of LePage's?”
”Not exactly a friend,” Amy murmured with a coolness she was far from feeling. ”But you're close.
LePage was the source of the information about the stones. Haven't you figured it all out yet, Dan?
Jed's an employee, like Guthrie or Vaden, but he's in a league neither of them will ever be in. Jed's first cla.s.s talent.”
”Who hired him?” Renner's tone was shaky with nervous agitation. ”Tell me, dammit. Who hired him to get those stones?”
”Now you're asking the right question,” Amy said approvingly. Idly she swung the weight belt from her right hand. The movement was barely perceptible in the darkness. ”The answer is that he's working for a gentleman who goes by the name of Cutter. Mr. Cutter, it seems, is a collector of fine stones, especially emeralds. Mr. Cutter has been collecting them for years. He's rich, powerful and quite untouchable. He has friends in high places, as the saying goes. Very high. He can afford talent like Jed. What's more he can afford to have you conveniently removed if he learns that you got between him and the emeralds. If Jed's offering to split the profits with you, then you can a.s.sume he's speaking on behalf of Mr. Cutter.
Cutter will trust Jed to make a deal and he'll probably honor it. But if he thinks he's been cut out completely, he's likely to be very angry. Cutter knows all about you.”
Renner's eyes snapped back to her for an instant before returning to Jed. ”How do you know all this?”
”Let's just say Jed talks in his sleep. The advantage of taking Jed up on his offer is that he can deliver.
He can cover up this whole mess for you. With Cutter's help, he can make sure your connection to the emeralds is never known. No one will find out, for example, that you're Michael Wyman's son.”
”Sonofab.i.t.c.h. How did you know?”
”I didn't know. Not until Mr. Cutter found out and informed Jed. I told you, Cutter has friends. He also has access to all kinds of information. Who knows what Mr. Cutter would learn if he started really investigating you, Renner?”
”Shut up, d.a.m.n you!” Renner was distracted and frantic now. The Beretta was wavering in his hand, as if he couldn't decide who to point it at.
”Better take Jed up on his deal,” Amy said. ”Everything will turn out fine if you do.”
”No!” Renner shouted. ”Everything's not going to turn out just fine. Everything's going to h.e.l.l! I've got to get rid of all of you as soon as I've got the stones and the photos. That's the only way out of this. I've got to get rid of everyone who knows about this!”
”What about Cutter?” Amy asked softly.
”I'll make a deal with him, myself,” Renner announced as if he'd just been struck by a revelation. ”That's what I'll do. I'll make a deal with him, myself. I don't need Glaze.” The Beretta steadied, the wicked snout pointed at Jed.
Amy knew her story hadn't worked. Renner was too frightened of Jed. He was going to kill him. She saw the way Renner steadied himself, clearly preparing to pull the trigger.
She lifted the heavy weight belt that had been swinging lightly from her hand into a quick, short arc that brought it cras.h.i.+ng down across Renner's hands.
There was an explosion and Renner yelled. Before he finished the scream, Amy whipped the lead-filled belt back up to strike the side of his head.
Renner screamed again and staggered to the side, raising his hands to his head. He reeled and then tumbled head first into the pool.
”No!” Amy shouted. ”You can't die like that. Don't let it happen again!” It was like a repeat of the nightmare in October. Amy watched, stunned, as Renner sank into the water. Then she grabbed the flashlight that had fallen from his hand and raced to the edge of the pool. She started down the rocky slope.
”Amy, don't worry, he's all right.” Jed had released Guthrie and was already heading back into the water to retrieve Renner. ”He's alive, Amy. See? He's moving.”
Jed was right. Renner was surfacing, albeit in a dazed manner. He got his head out of the water just as Jed reached him. Amy breathed a shaky sigh of relief. The thought of another drowning death in this pool, regardless of the circ.u.mstances, was more than she wanted to deal with after all she had been through.
Renner was sputtering and holding his head where the weight belt had struck him. ”b.a.s.t.a.r.ds,” he hissed.
”All of you. Those emeralds are mine. My father made the deal for them. They're mine, don't you understand?”