The Oracle (Fargo Adventures #11) - Clive Cussler Page 0,73
girls beneath it, as far back as they could fit. Above them, the men started a heated argument as to which way they should go.
“That way,” one said. “Before the rain starts.”
“Pili,” another called out. “Does that look like an arrow?”
Remi glanced up, shocked to see that one of the men was practically straddling the fissure. He leaned forward. She pressed back against the girls as he spit almost straight down at them.
“Look at that,” he said. “It looks like—”
“Listen,” Pili said. “I think I hear that helicopter again. Get to the trees. Before they see us.”
She breathed a sigh of relief as they moved off, their voices fading. A sharp gust of wind swept across the cliff face and moaned through the rock fissure. As if in answer, a cow mooed plaintively down in the valley. Remi signaled for the girls to remain where they were, then edged out, looking between the large boulders. A herd of white longhorn cattle grazed in the meadow below.
Remi glanced upward, grateful to see no sign of the kidnappers on the trail above. Nasha crept out next to her, pointing to the approaching helicopter. “Look. It’s coming this way.”
Remi returned her attention to the aircraft, knowing that even if someone was looking exactly this direction, they were hidden by the line of boulders at the edge of the cliff. Somehow, they’d have to get up top.
A sharp crack echoed across the valley.
Nasha ducked back, throwing herself at Remi.
The other girls looked up, thinking it was thunder.
Crack! Crack!
“Stay down,” Remi said as the helicopter suddenly veered off.
“What happened?” Amal asked.
“Someone down there’s shooting at them.” Remi wrapped her arms around Nasha, feeling her heart beating hard against her chest. “Are you okay?”
She looked at Remi through a sheen of tears, her hand shaking as she brushed them away. “They’re the ones who killed my parents. And my aunt.”
“Who did?” Remi asked.
“Boko Haram.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.
– UGANDAN PROVERB –
Pete watched the Land Rover bouncing up the dirt road toward the school, surprised that Lazlo was by himself and anxious to hear word on what they’d found on their way up the hill. Behind him, the military guards patrolled the gate. When one of the soldiers aimed an automatic rifle at the approaching vehicle, Pete called out to him. “It’s okay. He’s a friend.”
Even so, the point guard didn’t lower his weapon until the car cleared the gate and Lazlo got out, at first shaking hands with Pete, then pulling him into a hug. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you.”
“Where’s Mr. Fargo? I thought he and Okoro were coming back with you.”
“We heard gunshots and he changed his mind.”
“How far away?”
“Mountains, rock—echoes. Almost impossible to tell. He thought it might have been northeast of where we were.”
“Well, glad you’re back,” Pete replied, leading him to the office.
“The children? How are they?”
“Holding up fine. Worried about their friends, of course, but—kids.”
“Resilient?”
“More so than the rest of us. It helps that they saw nothing, being in the tunnel during the worst of it. They’re in class. We figured it was best to try to keep everything as close to normal as possible. To the children, it’s almost an adventure. Especially after the helicopter touched down, dropping off half their squad,” he said, indicating the soldiers manning the front gate.
“I must say, good show on getting them to safety.”
“It wasn’t me,” Pete said. “Mrs. Fargo’s the one who sounded the alarm. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over the guilt of letting her convince me that she should go out after the missing girls alone.”
Lazlo gave him a friendly clap on the back as the two men walked up the steps onto the porch. “Mere mortals like us simply get in the way. Why do you think I’m here instead of with Mr. Fargo?”
“I know you’re right . . .”
“In the time it would take us to assess the danger, the Fargos have already come up with ten different plans on the off chance the other nine fail.”
Pete laughed for the first time since the attack as he opened the door to the office.
When Wendy saw them, she jumped from the chair to wrap Lazlo in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“There, there,” Lazlo said, seeing that she was close to tears. “We’re all fine. That’s what counts.”
“You have good news, I hope?”
“As Selma says, guarded good news.” He spied the tall thermos