Jon stayed inside his cabin for the rest of the journey. He felt claustrophobic and without anything of interest to look at, felt every movement of the boat. He could not take his mind off the image of the body being dragged across the deck and the trail of smeared blood. The crew did not seem at all disturbed by what they were doing, as if it was just some cargo that needed to be transferred somewhere. As for Captain Salazar, he seemed not in the least affected that one of his crew had died, but furious that Jon witnessed the body being pulled across the deck. Jon thought about the poor crew member who fell overboard and wondered if he or she was one of those who served him not too long ago. He inadvertently began recalling the faces of the crew whom he met when a question surfaced in his mind. How were they able to recover the body from the sharks? That one, Jon can answer: Perhaps they have tools on board, maybe a net or hooks, whatever they use for fishing. Then, another question came nagging at him. Shouldn't they be dragging it in the opposite direction? The crew seemed to be dragging the body towards the railing and they wouldn't do that. Unless... unless they were feeding the body to the sharks!
Cold air seemed to surround Jon as the realization hit him. He suddenly sat up and pressed his clasped hands to his chin as he tried to provide a logical answer to what he witnessed. Soon, he felt the yacht slow down and change direction. In a few minutes, he heard a knock on the door and saw two of the crew standing outside. One of the crew spoke and informed Jon that they were docking in a few minutes. They had come to fetch him and help him with his luggage.
Jon was relieved to be taking his steps outside of the yacht. He felt some relief being released from the cabin which he considered as a temporary prison. As he stood on the dock, he realized that instead of sandy beaches he imagined Orsica to have, there was only a rocky shore on which nothing grew except a few hardy mangroves. There were more mangroves in the distance and down the path they were walking on. Up ahead, the trees became thicker and seemed impenetrable.
The waves had become stronger with the rising wind and Jon was all the more thankful that they had arrived. He felt the water spray on his skin as more waves came crashing to the rocky shore, driven by the wind that was growing colder as the daylight slowly faded.
"Where's Captain Salazar?" Jon asked one of the crew when he did not see the captain while disembarking.
"He was summoned to the house by the master." The crew's reply was direct, as if read from a script. Jon noticed that even the crew shared the captain's lack of emotion. They merely helped Jon with his luggage with no intention of engaging him in conversation.
"I was hoping that I could talk to him and thank him personally," said Jon, thinking that he could probably talk to the captain at his client's house.
Just as written in the client's files, the house was located on a mountain near the western coast of the island. Jon could see it from the dock, a red mansion rising near the summit, and was awed by its imposing appearance against the verdant trees that covered the mountain, like a marble tombstone jutting out of grass-covered earth.
Twilight had given the mansion an almost unnatural glow as it faced the dying sun. The rosy light gradually became darker and turned a deeper red hue. Jon watched as the mansion soon became bathed in what seemed like crimson paint. A trick of light accentuated the already reddish wood and stone of the façade.
He was directed to a small station which was the terminal of a cable car that led to the summit. At first, Jon felt anxious as he observed that he would be suspended high above the ground, once more triggering his active imagination and his fear of falling. Jon's heartbeat raced when the wheels pulling the cable started to turn and he heard the sound of metal grinding against metal as the machinery pulled the gondola higher from the ground. To calm his fears, Jon concentrated on the view above and the imposing structure that signified his client's wealth.
It was dusk and for a few moments, Jon was able to catch a glimpse of the moon rising above the mansion along with a few stars. In some ways, he felt comforted by the sight of the waning gibbous moon. Then, black clouds covered the eastern sky, obstructing his view of the moon and all of its light.
Jon felt a sudden jolt and noticed that the gondola had stopped. The door opened and he stepped off. The feeling of the firm ground underneath his feet was reassuring and he gathered himself to meet his client.
A female attendant came to meet Jon and accompanied him on the short path leading to the mansion's entrance. The mansion was much more impressive up close and Jon was quick to admire the combination of colonial Spanish and modern architecture. He thought about the difficulty of bringing all these building materials to the island as well as the equipment and manpower necessary to construct such an imposing structure.
The tall doors opened and Jon was amazed at the large entrance hall. The attendant led Jon to one of the large comfortable seats and asked him to wait as the master would be with him shortly.
Jon was quick to notice the tiled floor and the rich carpet as well as the large paintings that adorned the walls. The geometric patterns on the walls as well as the tessellations on the tiles reminded him of the decorative art of the Alhambra. The artfully placed lamps highlighted the wall decorations and the paintings that featured scenes from ancient mythology and history. He recognized Charon ferrying tormented souls on the River Styx, a battle scene showing soldiers being trampled underfoot by Hannibal's war elephants, and gladiators battling to the death in one of Rome's arenas.
At the center of the hall was a crystal chandelier that brilliantly lit the room. Near the stairs, there was a bronze sculpture that Jon was eager to look at. He approached it and he was reminded of Michelangelo's sculpture of the Rebellious Slave. However, aside from being made of metal instead of white marble, the sculpture did not seem to show defiance, but pain and torture. Jon once again remembered the grotesque rock formation he saw while on board the Golden Cowrie and heard the silent scream in his head.
Jon was motionless for a moment and then turned from the bronze sculpture to face the hall. His eyes watered at the gleaming assault on his senses. The hall looked like an art museum, Jon thought, and observed the absence of windows or any natural light. As much as he adored art, Jon wondered if he could live in this place. Everywhere he looked, he seemed to be surrounded by images of agony and human suffering.
Jon felt a quickening of his heartbeat and he tried to breathe normally as the light from the lamps seemed to sear through his eyes. In his head, he heard the screams of tortured slaves and dying soldiers. The sound of clanging swords and galloping horses joined the wails and cries of souls begging for release. The walls seemed to revolve around Jon and he tried to stay on his feet. He was still gasping for breath when he saw one of the doors open. Suddenly, everything went still and the hall was once more silent as a graveyard.
A door creaked open and a man seated in a wheelchair came in, pushed by the attendant who met Jon earlier.
"I see you are already admiring my paintings. It isn't often that I see someone as appreciative of my collection." Dante's voice sounded eerily calm in a room that only moments ago sounded unbearably loud to Jon.
Jon recovered from his disorientation and shook his client's hand. He introduced himself and was quick to receive a peremptory nod. Dante's hand felt cold, thought Jon, as he was told by his client to sit on one of the sofas in the room. Jon was relieved to have the weight off his legs and tried to relax.
Dante turned out to be quite different than Jon had imagined. The dossier did not mention his client's age, so he was quick to think that he was an elderly man who had probably amassed too much wealth than he could handle. The man in front of Jon turned out to be a lot younger, probably in his late forties. His face still bore no deep wrinkles that Jon expected and his hair was jet black with wavy curls. His eyes were a deep black which gave a penetrating stare.
Dante spoke again. "I am sorry that I was not able to meet you down the dock, but as you can see, I am hardly able to pull myself up. I trust that your journey was comfortable." Dante said in his deep voice that was cold and devoid of expression.
"It had been a long trip to be honest, but I am glad that I was able to arrive safe and sound," came the reply from Jon.
"I am not one to receive many visitors and you will be one of just a few in many years." At this, Dante waved his hand and his attendant left the room. "I suffered great misfortunes due to the deceitfulness and betrayal of people I trusted. I hope that you will not be one of them." Dante paused. "There are some properties that I am interested in buying and given my current condition, I am unable to personally go and oversee the transactions. I am once again placing my trust in other people." Dante's voice rose and he looked intently at Jon, watching for reactions.
Jon found his voice and with a slight bow said, "I will do everything I can to help you accomplish your goals. I am all at your disposal."
At this, Dante's eyes gleamed and from the corners of his mouth formed a slight smile. His lips parted slightly, revealing peculiarly sharp teeth.
"I am glad to hear you say that. As you can see, I have amassed considerable wealth over the years and I am also aware how easily these can be taken away from me. That would have been the case had I not discovered the duplicity of someone I placed my trust to." Dante heaved a sigh, his eyes appeared to be searching the far wall."I don't know what more reassurance I can give you, Sir, but I'm sure you have heard of our firm's reputation and our promise to all our clients," said Jon, remembering the marketing materials he was required to read at the start of his employment. "We have been in the business for more than a century and we have grown with our partners over the years. In fact-""It is not your firm that I'm worried about." Dante cut Jon mid-speech. "I have had transactions with your firm many years ago. What I am looking for is someone whom I could trust with my work, someone who would see it through whatever happens."Dante seemed composed as he faced
The way that Dante brushed off the death of one of the people under his employ like some mundane occurrence troubled Jon. He too nearly lost his life to the sharks if not for the quickness of Captain Salazar. Or is Dante intentionally evading discussion of the incident? Could he be hiding something?Questions flooded Jon's head, but he decided not to talk about the incident any further with his client. Dante seemed to be no different from the captain of the Golden Cowrie as to his apathy and coldness towards people under his employ. If not for the difference in physical appearance and state of health, Jon would have thought of Dante and the captain as the same person.Dante seemed more alive than when Jon saw him at the entrance hall earlier. His movements were faster, his speech clearer, and his face, though still pale, seemed more relaxed and youthful. Perhaps, there was some truth when he likened himself to nocturnal creatures who become fully awake at night as they
Jon looked at the painting and was immediately transfixed by the glowing eyes of a dark creature that appeared to be coming out of an abyss. The red eyes seemed to glow even brighter the more Jon looked at them and he felt paralyzed under the creature's hypnotic stare. He felt as if he were floating and being led through a tunnel of concentric circles of smoky grays and coal black, down a spiraling path into what chasm the creature seemed to have come from. Jon felt himself falling into that unknown world which seemed devoid of light and color as screams of agony filled his ears.Jon blinked and suddenly found himself back in the library looking at the strange picture. He felt his feet touching the floor and heard the soft hum of the library's air conditioning. Still looking at the painting, he gazed at the creature again and recognized the combined features of the bat and snake.Dante watched with a self-satisfied air as Jon stood transfixed in front of the painting.
Jon was taken aback by the strange vision, but he was able to quickly shut his windows and draw the curtains before sitting down on his bed. He was motionless for a few minutes, his brain trying to process what he just saw. Several minutes had elapsed before he ventured another look outside, but the mansion's walls were dark and he realized that the library lights had been turned off. He could still see the manicured lawns because of the few lights that were scattered across the grounds, but there was little else that he could discern outside.When the moon came clear of the clouds, he saw the shadows casted by the nearby trees on the walls. A light breeze blew and moved the shadows, creating dark figures that in Jon's imagination could easily become howling wolves and flying bats... and giant lizards climbing down walls. Why not? Jon thought. There may also be fireflies around that created the illusion of glowing eyes. Why were they glowing red, like embers? His imagination,
Jon felt a wave of panic as he looked at the wide expanse of the island and realized how difficult it would be to get back to the mainland should he choose. The first hurdle would be how to get to the shoreline. The mansion was built on the edge of a precipice with its back to an almost vertical wall of the mountain. He knew that to get to the shore, he would need to use the cable car which could only be operated by one of Dante’s staff. Without the cable car, he would have to manage climbing down the steep incline and then hike through a forest, probably without any path to guide him to the beach. Then, he would have to make it to the water before anyone realized that he was missing.Upon reaching the beach, Jon would still need a boat if he were to cross the sea to the nearest inhabited island. From his vantage point, Jon could see the edge of the island where its rocky shores met the sea. He could see the dock where the Golden Cowrie was moored the day before, but the yacht was nowh
Jon stopped eating and listened to the maid's story. He drank the water she poured him and wiped his lips with the tablecloth.The maid continued. "According to my mother who also heard it from her grandmother, the island used to be uninhabited because of the lack of good soil to farm. However, the presence of fresh water made it known to the fishermen who would sometimes replenish their water supply by coming here. She said there are caves not far from the dock where the fishermen used to stay during bad weather as well as a network of springs and waterfalls that were probably the same sources where the fishermen get their water from."The maid stopped speaking and looked at the door which remained closed."Go on." Jon glanced at the closed door and then urged the maid to continue. "Tell me how Dante came to be in possession of this island.""My grandmother told me that a dinghy was washed ashore here many years ago carrying a man who turned out to be Dante's ancestor. No one knew whe
Jon was taken by surprise at what he had just witnessed. He remembered seeing Dante frail and weakened by some physical malady just the night before. Could it be possible that Dante had completely recovered within just twenty-four hours? Was he just acting the night before? What would Dante gain from feigning illness in front of Jon?Jon withdrew and took a few deep breaths outside the library. He waited a few seconds before finally raising a fist and knocked gently on the library door. Immediately, he heard Dante's voice from within telling him to come in. Jon held his breath before fully opening the library door. When he looked inside, he was surprised that Dante was already seated at his desk and busily working at his laptop. Jon tried to hide his surprise, but in his mind, he was thinking how Dante was able to cross the room and take his seat within a span of a few seconds. Jon also noticed that Dante’s cane was placed on top of the table."Come in, my friend," said Dante with a sm
"Now it's my turn to apologize for saying such things," said Dante with a laugh. "I am happy to have this island because it has nourished me for so long. It has made me stronger to be able to do my work. Its very soil sustains me that I could not bear to stay away from it too long, but I know that I cannot stay here forever and there are some things that I need to do back in the mainland. And that, I can only do if I conquer my fears and travel across the sea." There was a pause and Dante tapped his desk with his long fingers before saying to Jon, "Now, tell me of the other properties that you have found for me."Jon took his cue and turned to his laptop to open the documents that he had prepared earlier. “Balete Park was a great find,” remarked Dante as Jon finished opening his documents and turning his laptop to face Dante.“Yes, I didn’t expect it to be the one that you’re likely to buy, but it did pass all of your requirements,” said Jon.Dante made a soft laugh and said, “You’re