Chapter 5: The Decision


“Are you sure? There’s no way! It said they we—“

“Anne,” Guitierrez said, becoming more stern. “It was them. No doubt about it.”

“I guess,” she said. “I suppose…”

“I’m sorry Anne. It’s too late to help them. I mean, yes, we can call the government, but then again, they may never believe they were alive, so they’ll never go.”

“I know.”

Guitierrez became silent on the end, waiting for a larger response. Anne said, “I guess I’ll have to go now…I’d rather break it to the rest of the family in person, rather than over the phone. Maybe think of something, hope they come back.”

“Ok. Once more Anne, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s ok,” Anne said. “It’s ok.”

—–

After discussing her new plans to go back home with Guitierrez, he wished her the best and gave another condolence or two, before they finally hung up.

Anne sat on the bed, the ghost of tears forming at the base of her eyes. She had come all this way and hadn’t done a thing.

Now they’re gone…

She thought about Lisa, her parents, her uncle, Guitierrez, Marquez…Things had changed once again, as it had almost a half decade before.

She thought about ways to help. Guitierrez had been right, the government most likely wouldn’t budge to help. Guitierrez himself would probably deny being able to find a way to get to the island and help, or find someone to help them.

Going to her parents and uncle now and tell them seemed the right thing to do, but, then again, she realized it might not be so good to do such a thing so quickly.

No one else could help…

At least…

…not on the island.

An idea sparked.

But to take the trip there…That’s another thing.

She looked at the clock. It was a little past nine, and dark outside.

I have no choice…But, maybe finding help won’t be so hard…

She shook her head.

No! Then that’s the sure way to get stopped…On the off-chance someone would do it, they’d want money…Lots of it…I don’t have that much.

She closed her eyes, putting her hand on her forehead. But I have to give it a shot…I can’t leave Lisa behind like this.

Images flashed through her head: of Sorna; Marquez; the plane; everything that had happened after it had gone down…Swirling, mixing with her dreams.

“I have to go.”

Her mind was set. Her fears were settling in, causing her to doubt, but she fought it off. She had to.

She switched into shorts (after contemplating whether or not it might be cold, she figured it would be best for tomorrow may end up with the need for them daunting her) and then a fresh shirt, before pulling on a sweat-jacket.

She threw her old clothes into her suitcase, moving into the bathroom where she collected her bathroom accessories, which she also tucked away.

Twenty minutes after nine was when she looked around the room with her suitcase packed up, ready to go. She opened the door, flicking off the lights, locked it, and headed toward the stairs.

—–

The desk lady was sitting behind the desk, reading a book with the lamp on, next to the phone. She didn’t seem to notice Anne until she had come to the desk, when she closed the book and got up.

She looked tired. “Ah, Ms. Jones. I thought you might’ve gone back to bed.”

Anne smiled, giving a quick nod. “Shouldn’t you be off soon?”

“I close up around 9:30 and let the night guard keep watch. He should be here soon. His partner lets the other occupants in if they don’t make it back before I close, so it works out.”

“I see,” Anne said. “Well, I guess I caught you at a good time then.”

“Yes.”

“I’m checking out.”

“So soon? Why, you’ve only been here—“

“Yes, I know, but I’ve got to be heading back home now. A, uh, family emergency.”

“I…I see. Ok, then. Your key?”

Anne handed over the key as the lady asked, “Did you get everything from your room?”

“Yes.”

“And did you enjoy your stay?”

“Yeah.”

“Good!” She quickly hid a yawn, before turning away and writing for a few moments. “All set,” she said, turning around.

“We hope if you are ever back in Costa Rica that you come stay with us again.”

“Oh, maybe…”

Yet, I came back after last time, didn’t I?

“Oh, one other thing.”

“Yes,” the lady smiled.

“Do you know of a helicopter service anywhere nearby? One that can take you where you want to go in the country?”

“Um, no…I don’t think there are any. Maybe, but they are smaller, non-funded groups. Hard to find. Balloon services, though…”

“Nah, I’m fine.”

“Do you mind me asking, but why so late? If you’re leaving anyway…”

“Oh, no…Just curious. Thanks again.”

The lady nodded and Anne was out the door. Anne realized that wearing shorts hadn’t been such a bad idea as she walked along the street

Think Anne…Not shorts. Maybe there’s another way I can get to the island…Not by helicopter, or she thought, balloon, but…

It hit her.

Boat! Maybe there’s someone at the docks I can get to take me…Might not be such a bad idea, just have to try…

Anne thought about waiting for a taxi, but she figured it was too late to be just milling around, wasting time. The later it got, the chances of someone being at the docks could be slim. Maybe Carlos Sanchez could take her, the man she talked to the day she had arrived.

Nah, he knows better…

Someone…Someone had to be there who could help her.

—–

Shortly after ten o’clock, Anne walked down the dock toward a boat that at first glance had reminded her of the boat from Jaws.

Maybe Quint can take me…

She laughed momentarily at the thought, and saw that someone was standing just outside the light on in the back of the boat, smoking. Another man came out of the cabin, said something to him, and began to turn back, when he spotted Anne coming up to the boat.

“Buenos noches senorita!”

“Uh, hello…”

“Oh, you speak English, then? Good…” This man was slim, slender. Had the appearance of a fisherman and movie drug-dealer rolled into one. He grinned in the light from the boat’s cabin.

“How can we help you?”

The second man, who had been smoking threw his cigarette over the boat, turning around. He stepped up next to the man.

He was definitely older, looked a bit more like a fisherman (and less like a drug-dealer, Anne thought.)

He said something in Spanish, before the first man replied, looking back at the cabin. Anne said, “I’m looking for a boat.”

“You found one,” the first man laughed. “But seriously, go on…”

“I need one to take me to Isla Nublar.”

The first man laughed again, a bit awkwardly. He started to say something when the second man interrupted. “Isla Nublar, you say?”

“Yes. One to take me there and back, give or take a day or so between.”

“Ah.”

“I was wondering if you could help me.”

“Depends…”

Anne kept quiet. The man continued, “If you’re ready for help now, there’s an offer. If that offer is passed on, you’re passed on.”

“I can pay you twenty-five dollars here, twenty-five dollars back.”

The first man laughed. The second man kept a straight, serious face. “Ma’am, I think you’re going to have to move on down to renting a canoe for that offer.”

“Seventy-five. Same there and back. That’s one hundred and fifty.”

The first man stopped laughing, once again speaking in Spanish with the second man. The second said, “How long do you expect to stay on your little trip?”

“Like I said, a day or so…I don’t know.”

“So you expect us to just wait?”

“Depends. You can or you can come back…That’s all whether you want the money or not.”

“True, true… But seventy-five dollars is not a whole lot to get excited about.”

Anne was silent again.

“But, then again…It’s not something one would want to pass up if it’s so easy to obtain.”

One step closer…

“We get paid for the trip there in advance right?”

“The moment we get there.”

He gave a small laugh. “You know how to make a deal.”

The first man looked at him, before turning away toward the cabin. The second man said, “Deal. Come aboard.”

Anne climbed off the dock into the back of the boat, where the second man helped her down. “Need a place to store your case,” he asked, indicating toward her suitcase.

“Yes, please.”

He nodded, motioning her toward the cabin. “My name is Marco Swanez. My friend’s name is Pete Nuvero.”

“Anne…Anne Jones.”

“Well, Anne…May I call you Anne?”

“I suppose.”

“Good,” he said, smiling. One of his front teeth were missing, she could see in the light. He led her into the cabin, where he pulled open a door in the small hallway to a room where he had her store away her case.

He led her to the main compartment through the tiny hall where they entered a larger front room which housed the ladder to the top section of the cabin where the boat was manned.

He called up, “Pete?”

“Yeah.”

“We’re taking Anne Jones here, and just stored her suitcase in the room compartment.”

“Welcome aboard, then,” Pete said from the upper door, looking down at Anne for a quick moment.

She nodded. Marco said, “If you want to rest, you can come here, go up into the main cabin, or outside. The beds are too messy.”

Such hospitality, she thought. “Ok.”

“Since we weren’t planning for such a trip tonight, we’re going to swing across the bay and inform our other partner we’ll be gone for a bit.”

“That’s fine.”

“May set us off an hour or so, but we should be to Nublar by, oh, dawn.”

“Ok.”

He nodded, starting to climb up the ladder. “Make yourself comfortable, then.”

“Thank you.”

He disappeared up into the upper cabin.

—–

Anne had gone to the back rail of the boat, looking out at the sea as the boat crossed the bay toward the peninsula. The lights from Jaco grew smaller over time.

The upper cabin was enclosed, with the ladder leading down into the lower cabin, as well as a door leading out onto a small “patio”-like area on top which ended with another ladder leading down to the main deck.

Inside the cabin, Marco turned away from the window overlooking the deck below. “We must’ve gotten lucky. One hundred and fifty dollars so easily. No doubt she has more, if she has that much with her.”

“But how do we know she has seventy-five for the trip back? Let alone seventy-five for the trip there?”

“She knows how to make a deal, I can tell. She has the mind not to mess with such matters.”

“So you think she has more in her suitcase? Something we can…loot?”

“I’m guessing so, yes.”

“That’s ridiculous. Why would she go to this island with so much cash? She could’ve left it on land.”

“She must be hiding something then. No one in their right mind would go to the island without being stopped if they had told someone.”

“But that group of people a few days ago, they were searching the docks for a boat. They didn’t take any caution.”

“They probably thought they could come back. No worries. But she is alone. We can take her for all one hundred and fifty and more without having to risk being caught by the government just sitting by that island.”

“But what if she catches us?”

“Even if she does, she’s going to the island…”

Pete quieted down. He saw some sense behind Marco’s plan.

After all, this hadn’t been the first time they had stolen from someone.