It became apparent to Anne that the Debernard twins were simply using the water for recreational purposes and had no stash of jewels or cash at their dive site. Once she and Taureau returned to the boat, Anne decided to return to Papeate. As they entered the harbor, Anne noticed caught a glimmer of light out of the corner of her eye, as if the sun was reflecting off something. Curious, she picked up her pair of high-powered binoculars and took a good look at what caused the shimmer.
A photographer stood in waist deep water, apparently trying to get a better shot. The camera obscured the photographer's face, but was clearly a woman. Anne panned the binoculars in the general direction the camera was pointed and soon brought a large sailboat into view. The flag at the boat's stern resembled the Australian flag, except for the fact the southern cross and the big seven pointed star were on a red background rather than blue. She thought it was strange, then remembered the British used separate flags far Navy vessels, privately owned craft, and police and fireboats. Perhaps this was the same idea.
Anne shrugged it off. That boat certainly would have made a fine picture. However, she had more concern with Drea and Hieata.
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Drea came to and was confronted by the sight of Ilsa bent over. The sleuth got a good view of Ilsa's bust line, this caused by the low cut tank top. Ilsa secured a knot on the ropes, and Drea looked around and saw Hieata to her right, tied at the wrists and ankles and coming out of her induced sleep. "They're awake now, Glenda," Ilsa called out."
"I'm almost ready," Glenda returned.
A short time later, Glenda came into view. She wore an ankle length dress and flat shoes. Her hair was done up in a bun and rather passé horned rim glasses. Not exactly the best thing to wear in the cave, but Drea supposed Glenda was trying to make a point.
"Ah, we're awake," she said. "Now I have to figure out what to do with you. As you well know, Drea I don't believe in murder."
People have been known to change their belief system. The concept never got beyond Drea's brain, though. Instead she took a different tack. "Why the demure librarian look?"
"Just a little demonstration for your friend here," Glenda said with a nod toward Hieata. "Erika said you mentioned my appearance."
Glenda stood in front of Hieata and removed the glasses. Next, she simultaneously undid the bun and slipped off her shoes. Finally, she slowly unbuttoned the dress and slipped it off. She wore only a string bikini underneath. "There you have it," she said. "From demure librarian to sexy master criminal in a few short steps!"
"So you are as much disguised in your daily routine as you are when you are when you are committing your crimes," Drea said.
"Exactly."
Ilsa cleared her throat and Glenda said, "I haven't forgotten."
Ilsa opened a knapsack and took out two strips of terry cloth with knots in the center. She put one in the pocket of her shorts and moved to Hieata, who defiantly clenched her teeth and turned her head.
"It's best not to fight it," Drea said. "They could pinch your nose or pull your hair to get you to open your mouth."
Hieata sighed and reluctantly accepted the gag. Drea offered no resistance to the gag, and Ilsa smiled. "I enjoy this," she said.
Glenda slid on a pair of shorts and a blouse, which she didn't bother to button. "Let's gather our things and get out of here," she said. "We'll have to contact Sandy and Helen in Hawaii and have them bring the boat down."
She then stood before her captives and looked Drea straight in the eye. "You might be surprised to hear this, but I once considered recruiting you to be a Bikini Bandit," she said.
Drea was stunned. Glenda took a look at Drea's eyes and said, "the reason I never recruited you was the fact you were devoted to your swimming."
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Anne and Taureau called Colbert's house, his office, and the pearl facility, but none had heard from the pair. Anne started to worry and decided to check the place out. Taureau voiced no objections and decided to accompany her.
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Drea made a quick assessment of what she had to do. Despite Glenda's claim of not wanting to be part of a murder, two captives left alone for two or three days would eventually die of thirst. Therefore, Drea decided she would have to cut her way out. Her Swiss Army Knife would do fine, except for the fact it was hard to pull out of pocket with bound wrists.
Then it hit her. This was a cave on a volcanic island. Obsidian was sharp, and was of volcanic origin, so why not try to cut though by way of a sharp rock? Carefully, she began to search for such a rock.
The task of finding such a rock was difficult enough, but she found one. However, her efforts to free herself were limited by the fact the rock was not as sharp as knife would be. Often, she would have to stop and rest. Little by little, the small strand of rope parted, until enough were cut through for Drea to wiggle out of her bonds.
Once her wrists were freed, Drea pulled her knife from her pocket and sliced trough the ankle ropes. With that out of the way, she cut Hieata loose and tried to stretch her restrained limbs. As they did so, Drea and Hieata removed their gags.
"Do you have any idea where we might be?" Drea asked.
"No, none," Hieata said. "This could be the one we found the other day."
"It would be a good idea for two people who are supposedly not on this island to take up residence in a cave."
"Drea!? Hieata!?" a voice called.
"That sounds like Anne," Hieata said.
"It is Anne." Drea said "Over here!"
Anne raced into the cave. She saw the abandoned bondage implements and asked, "What happened?"
"We'll explain on the way. Is Taureau with you?"
"He's guarding the cave entrance."
"What about the Gallic Double Mint twins?"
"Nothing we could pin on them. I don't think topless snorkeling is illegal in Tahiti. There is something interesting we could show you."
The group made it's way down to the waterfront. They couldn't find the exact place the photographer stood, but had a good view of the boat. "Real fancy tub," Drea remarked as she lowered the binoculars. "Two women on board, one with long blonde hair, the other short and dark. Can't tell if they're passengers, crew or even owners. Name is Opal Queen IV."
"We'll need a small boat out there," Anne observed.
"I'm sure the one you and Taureau used should be enough," Hieata said.
As they prepared to leave the scene, they encountered Evangeline Clouseau. She had trailed Madeleine and Monique to the waterfront, but was unable to follow them everywhere. "I am not a good swimmer," she explained.
"We think we may have found a possible target," Anne said. "That sailboat out there."
Evie took the binoculars and looked out over the water. "It's possible," she conceded.
"Then we meet tomorrow morning, by those docks," Drea pointed to a group of docks some 200 yards away. "It's getting too late in the day to go there now."
At dinner that night, Colbert revealed that the men who tried to grab Hieata the night before were local talent trying to hit it big with a ransom. There was no connection with the Bikini Bandits. When told the sleuths had a possible lead on the bandits, Colbert merely smiled and wished them well.
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"Maman, why would Mademoiselle Clouseau want to follow us?" Monique asked that evening.
"Perhaps she thinks you two might have had something to do with the jewels being stolen," her mother replied. "To spite you father."
"Notre pere may ignore you, but we did not steal the jewels to spite him." Madeleine said. She thought for a bit then said, "Oh, maman, you did it."
Françoise Debernard merely nodded. To her surprise, her two daughters rushed forward to embrace her. "We understand," Monique said.
"Of course my dears, of course," Madame Deberanrd said. "There is something you must also."
"Yes?"
"The two Americans. Hieata's friends are detectives hired by Monsieur Colbert to capture the Bikini Bandits. If the bandits are caught, they will no doubt implicate me to have a shorter time in prison."
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Drea crawled out of bed and stretched. Anne entered the room drying herself off with a towel. Drea preferred night showers, so she contemplated her clothes for the day. "Anne should I wear the full bikini or just the bottoms under the pareau?" she asked.
"I don't think it really matters." Anne said. Drea turned to see her friend slip on a pair of shocking pink bikini bottoms Anne nothing else. She then reached for a Hawaiian shirt and tied it off just above the waist. For the rest of the day's clothes, Anne chose a well worm pair of denim shorts. Drea simply slid on the bikini bottoms then wrapped herself in a pareau.
The two headed downstairs just ahead of Hieata, who wore a t-shirt and very skimpy shorts that barely covered her buttocks. "Now I know why so many people go both ways," Drea quipped.
"You're terrible," Anne said, but giggled as she did.
Breakfast table conversation was more concerned about underwater activities than about what they needed to do on the surface. When breakfast was finished, they headed straight to the dock, where Evie was waiting. She wore jeans and a blouse. They boarded the boat and while Anne started the motor, everybody cast off their footwear. Once the lines were cast off, Evie shed her blouse and jeans and revealed a bikini with some avant-garde art pattern Anne couldn't begin to fathom.
Fortunately for them, Opal Queen IV was anchored in the same place as the previous day. The only difference was the fact a rubber Zodiac boat was tied to the stern. They hadn't noticed that the day before. "Maybe they're planning to sail around the island in the next day or so," Drea speculated.
Anne cut the motor and they came along side the bigger boat. "Ahoy there!" she cried, but received no reply. Once a line was secure, Anne boarded Opal Queen IV, followed closely by her companions. "Hieata, you and Evie stay up here while Anne and I look thinks over," Drea instructed.
Before they could do anything else, four figures emerged from below. All wore bikini tops and shorts and were masked, with sunglasses and ball caps completing the outfit. They came out swinging, and knocked Drea and Anne to the deck. The criminal quartet leaped into the Zodiac and cast off.
By know, Anne was back to her feet and leaped into the other boat, with Evie right beside her. Anne started the motor and they took off, with Drea and Hieata left behind. "Anne Elizabeth Thorne, you come back here right now!" Drea shouted before she realized how ridiculous she sounded.
Anne set off after the bandits, who despite a fairly good head start had a much smaller motor. She narrowed the gap, but not before her quarry reached shore, where they raced into a shack of some sort. The boat she was steering drew very little water, but Anne had to cut speed drastically in order to avoid damaging the vessel.
Anne and Evie raced ashore and toward a shack, which the bandits used as some sort of base. They rushed inside, where they were immediately set upon by the bandits. Why do I always do this? Anne wondered as she struggled in the grip of Glenda and Ilsa. Jack lectured her at least once a month on the dangers of going off on her own or going against superior numbers, while Drea teased Anne a bit more frequently.
By now their wrists were secured. Evie's captors were about to secure a bandanna around her mouth when Glenda objected. "Blindfold them so we can unmask," she said. "We can tape up their mouths."
Once the blindfolds were in place, each of the bandits removed her mask. The shack was a temporary base. Four backpacks were scattered about. The only furniture was a single warped wooden chair. On it sat extra rope and a roll of adhesive tape. "Let's tie them back to back," Erika suggested.
Glenda nodded, and the two captives were gently set on the floor. Their ankles were bound and a lengthy coil of rope secured around their arms, waists, and chests. Finally, Glenda took the roll of tape and carefully placed a wide strip over each captive's mouth.
"Change!" Glenda ordered. Different garments were extracted from the backpacks. The local member of the team merely wound a pareau over what she was wearing. Erika donned a t-shirt and exchanged her shorts for a denim miniskirt, while Ilsa exchanged her denim cutoffs for white shorts and her bikini top for a tank top. Glenda had the most dramatic change. Shorts for knickerbockers, and the bikini top for a tube top, with a blouse she didn't bother to button. All had gone barefoot on the mission, so the slid on sandals or sneakers before donning the backpacks and departing.
Chapter Nine