Drea and Anne turned the money in to the police then went to the beach. After all, they were supposed to be tourists, so they decided they should look the part. Drea found a place where she could rent a surfboard and she soon hit the waves, while Anne stayed closer to the shore, amazed by her friend's passion for surfing. She says I take too many risks, Anne thought, but she's the one who surfs.
She noted two figures emerge from the water and walk toward her. The Debernard twins, but with the wet hair, it was hard to tell them apart.
"Hello Anne," one of the girls said as she pulled a flower from her bag.
"Ah, Monique," Anne said.
"You remembered," Madeleine said.
"I have an eye for details."
"Where's Drea?" Monique asked.
"Out there on the waves." Anee said as she pointed to the waves.
"Have you been here all day?"
"No, only for about ten minutes or so." Anne decided to mention as little as possible about the diving and absolutely nothing about the money. The last the she needed was a horde of local divers and tourists descending on the wreck.
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Evengeline Clouseau lay spread eagled on a bed, each wrist and ankle securely tied to a bedpost and though the gag had been removed, the blindfold remained in place. Glenda, Erika, and Ilsa stood around the bed. "Ask her what she was doing," Glenda instructed.
"I do understand some English," Evangeline said. "My name is Evangeline Clouseau and I am employed by the Paris Insurance Company."
"Why are you here?"
"To investigate reports of stolen jewels."
"Of course they were stolen. We stole them."
"What do want of me?"
"We want you to tell your employer that we did indeed steal those jewels."
"Why?"
"We have our reasons." Glenda turned to Ilsa and said, "Re-gag her."
Ilsa picked up a roll of silver duct tape and pulled off a piece. It was easier that way than to employ a cloth gag.
"What do we do with her now?" Erika asked.
"We drop her off in front of the Debernard place," Glenda replied. "Madame Debernard said her insurance company was suspicious of our modus operandi. "This should convince them of the circumstances. If any suspicion fell on her, I don't doubt for an instant she would talk about us."
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Drea joined Anne and the Debernard twins on the beach. "They chatted about their lives and romances, surfing and scuba. When the twins decided to go home, Drea and Anne decided it would be a good idea to return to the Colbert house. As they pulled up, the daring duo noticed an abandoned car sitting just off the road in front of the Debernard place. "That's strange," Drea observed "Why is that car sitting there?"
"Let's go and see." Anne suggested.
"Hold it! Remember we don't have an invitation and as far as anybody else knows, we're two of Hieata's friends from college."
"You're right."
The two sleuths went into the Colbert house and found Hieata in the spacious bathroom's large tub. An unclothed servant was also in the tub, scrubbing Hieata's back. Drea and Anne fought very hard to suppress giggles.
"It's not what you think." Hieata said.
"What? You mean she isn't in the tub to make it easier for her to scrub your back and not get her clothes wet?" Anne quipped.
Drea and Hieata laughed heartily. The young woman, who didn't understand English, but gathered her employer's guests found the sight amusing, smiled broadly.
"Merci Pilea," Hieata said. The servant then climbed out of the tub, quickly dried herself off, and dressed.
"Did you find anything?" Hieata asked as she emerged from the tub.
Drea and Anne told her about the money they found in the wreck and all of the details. "We might need the help of one of your divers." Drea said. Somebody who's smaller than we are."
"I'll ask around," Hieata said as she encased herself in with a pareau. "Discreetly, of course. Either of you want to take a bath?'
"A shower should do. Drea said, "if only to rinse of the salt water residue."
After their showers, the distaff sleuths sat down to dinner then accompanied Hieata to the nightspot. As had been so the previous time, Madeleine, Monique, Erika and Vitea were there. The twins relayed the story of Evangeline Clouseau. "Those horrible women," Monique said. "Why don't they leave?"
"Perhaps they're not finished." Erika said.
"If they stay longer, perhaps they will make a mistake and get caught." Anne said, probing for a reaction.
"We can only hope so," Madeleine said.
During the course of the evening, the women mixed and mingled. Drea and Anne separated from Hieata and each other. When the detectives reunited, they asked where Hieata was. "There she is," Drea said. "Lucky her, to locate those two hunks."
"Why are they heading for the back door?" Madeleine asked.
"Something's wrong," Anne observed. "Why is she in between them?"
Without further word, Anne set of after them, with Drea close behind. As they emerged from the building, they saw the two men trying to force Hieata into the back seat of an old sedan. Anne rushed forward and was promptly gut punched. As Anne fell to the ground, the two men finished pushing Hieata into the car and drove off. As the car started to leave, there was a near collision with another car.
Drea and Anne commandeered the other car and set off after Hieata and her abductors. They found themselves heading for the warehouse district, and soon stopped in front of one particular warehouse. Anne hurried out of the car and ran into the warehouse, with Drea close behind. Drea came along more to prevent her friend from making a bad situation worse than a desire for action.
They found three men standing around a chair to which Hieata had been bound. All three were big and brawny, which left the detectives in a situation of run or fight. The thugs tried to pounce on Drea and Anne, who came out kicking.
It soon became apparent that the three wanted to try brute force rather than any fighting skill. Two left their groins vulnerable and paid for their mistake. The third got kicked in face for his efforts.
While the three thugs recovered themselves, Drea and Anne looked around for objects they might be able to use as weapons. Anne picked up a waste paper basket and hurled it at her antagonists. Drea noticed that a shelving unit was unstable, and motion Anne to join her. They pushed on the shelves, which toppled over onto two of the thugs. "You take care of Hieata," Anne said as she went to confront the last thug.
Hieata, who still wore the pareau she had donned after the bath, had ropes around her arms and chest to secure her to the chair, other ropes secured her thighs to the chair, but her ankles were loose. Apparently, Drea and Anne had interrupted the thugs before the ankles could be bound. Drea glanced over to Anne, who seemed to be holding her own.
Unfortunately, Anne slipped and fell onto the concrete floor, an angle from which her antagonist appeared to tower over her. Suddenly, the man fell to his knees and revealed a woman standing behind him and brandishing a blackjack.
By now Hieata was free and she asked Anne is she was all right.
"I'm fine," Anne insisted. "Let's tie these creeps up and find out who our friend is."
The woman identified herself as Evangeline Clouseau and stated her business as an insurance investigator. Drea and Anne stated their business, but only after getting an assurance the investigator not reveal the fact to anybody.
"Do you suspect inside knowledge of the Debernard theft?" Drea asked.
"One thing I noticed is the twin girls favor their mother over their father," the insurance investigator replied. "Perhaps they might have arranged this to spite him."
"It's possible," Anne allowed. "It there anything else that might help us, Mademoiselle Clouseau?"
"I'll let you know if I find out. And please call me Evie, all my friends do."
Though shaken by the ordeal, Hieata had the presence of mind to call the police. The three thugs were hauled into custody. Evie drove the three back to the nightspot, but Hieata wanted to go home and go right to bed. On arrival, Drea and Anne headed for their guest bedroom. Anne sat at a dressing table and brushed her hair. Her blue cocktail dress was draped over the back of the chair, torn in two places. "My favorite," she commented.
Drea stood in the doorway, encased in a bathrobe, as was Anne. "You could have ruined more than that damn dress," she retorted. "How much good would it have done Hieata if we'd been caught?"
"We weren't so it's okay."
"Why do you insist on chasing after crooks on impulse?"
"And let them get away, with no trail? I don't think so."
"You know as well as I do that a ransom kidnapping is a high risk crime. We could have caught them at the ransom drop."
"Assuming it was a ransom kidnapping. Besides, we caught them by surprise, didn't we?"
"Sure we did. But an enemy like Glenda who knows us can use it to her advantage."
"Why are you such a worrywart, Drea? There risks involve in skiing, scuba diving, surfing. All things you've taken part in."
Drea was stumped by this last response. She and Anne had this conversation every few weeks and, as usual, it led nowhere. Anne would continue to act on impulse until something went wrong. Drea hoped Anne would live to take the lesson. One of the rudest aspects of adulthood she had encountered was the lack of true friends one met in life. Anne was one such friend.
Drea shrugged her shoulders and closed the door. She removed her robe and revealed her usual sleeping attire, a bra and panties. Anne chuckled from as she set her brush aside. "You don't have worry about getting jolted out of bed by an earthquake around here," Anne teased, with the full knowledge as to Drea's reason for not sleeping nude.
"I don't want to break the habit," Drea said as she slipped beneath the covers.
Anne removed her robe and set it at the foot of the other bed. She wore nothing else. "Just another risk I'm taking," she said as she turned off the light.
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The next morning, Drea and Anne came down to breakfast. Wrapped in their robes, the two sleuths discussed the previous night's events with Hieata and Colbert. "I think it would be wise if Hieata did not leave this unless she is accompanied by one or both of you."
"There's no problem with that," Drea said. "If Taueau's offer to help still stands."
"It does."
"Good. We can split up and go in two different directions."
"How much French do you know Drea?"
"Not enough for it to be useful."
"Each one of you should go with somebody who knows the island."
"You will have to go with me," Hieata said. "I doubt you speak Tahitian and Taureau, as you would say it, does not know enough Enlglish for it to be useful."
Anne noticed the disappointed look in Drea's eyes. At least that way, Drea would keep her mind on the task at hand. "Okay," she said. "Once we finish eating, we can map out a strategy."
During the session, they discovered the Debernard twins were snorkeling near one of the smaller islands. Apparently, the servants at the two households liked to exchange gossip about their employers. "It's settled," Drea said. "Anne and Taureau will follow Monique and Madeleine, while Hieata and I look into Erika's problem.
Drea and Hieata set out for the rental house they wore bikini tops and shorts, an irony not lost on Hieata. "I hope nobody thinks we are the Binkini Banditis," she said.
"Sometimes," Drea said "it's easier to find who you are looking for when you resemble what you are looking for."
Anne set off with Taureau, who had offered the use of a small, open runabout. They transferred scuba gear to the runabout and set out after Madeleine and Monique. The twins' boat was a runabout as well, but shiny new, compared with the weathered one tailing them. Taureau steered, while "Miss Anne", as he called his companion, observed through binoculars. Taureau wore his strained swim trunks while Anne retained her t-shirt. Her ever-present dive knife was already attached to her right calf.
The twins were wrapped in pareaus. As they approached the small island, the one not steering undid her pareau and revealed only a bikini bottom. Anne set down the binoculars. She felt like a voyeur. "Stop the motor," she instructed then removed her t-shirt.
"I must go with you," Taureau said as he threw the anchor over the side.
Anne nodded as she geared up. She always followed the First Rule of Diving. When both were ready, they both rolled over the side and into the water.
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Drea and Hieata watched the house Erika had rented. There was no sign of the photographer. No surprise there, she was probably out taking pictures. "I wonder if the door is locked?"
"Unlocked doors are common in Tahiti," Hieata said.
The door was indeed unlocked. In an unused bedroom, a portable darkroom was established. Most were of buildings, including the Debernard place, but some were of cruise ships and port facilities.
"They must have taken these pictures while scouting for robberies," Drea said.
"All are places that have been hit, as you say, by the Bikini Bandits."
"Do you recognize any as places that haven't been hit? It might give us a clue.
Hieata glanced through a few more photos and said, "No, I don't think so." She looked around and said, "Did you hear something?"
"I didn't hear a thing."
They continued to sift through the photos. "About all I can see is a link with The Bikini Bandits is the fact Erika is connected somehow, " Drea said. "Which is something we already- mmmphh!" Some kind of cloth was clamped over her mouth, and a sickly-sweet aroma filled her nostrils. She saw Glenda Chafee holding a similar cloth over Hieata's face before passing out.
Chapter Eight