With Drea powerless to stop Anne, or to follow, the best she could do was to see what could be accomplished while they were on this particular boat. While Hieata operated called the police on the radio, Drea conducted a search of the boat. She decided to go first to the main cabin. There she found two women lying face down on the bed. Their wrists and ankles were bound and legs drawn up with a piece of rope connecting the bound hands and feet. Bulging cheeks testified to some sort of packing secured by tight cleave gags. Neither one wore so much as a stitch.
Drea found a knife and cut the bindings. Once she undid the gags, the two women spat out the packing. "Who are you?" asked the short haired one.
"My name's Drea Rodgers, and I'm a detective. What happened here?"
"My name's Teagan Mac Pherson and that's Lydia Cole. We were in here having a go at it when those masked sheilas burst in and tied us up."
"What do you mean by 'having a go?'"
"Take off that sarong, dearie, and we'll show you," Lydia said.
A light went on in Drea's head, but she stuck with the business at hand. "I think those may be the women I'm trailing."
Hieata then stuck her head into the cabin. "I called the police on the radio," she said. "A boat is on the way."
Teagan and Lydia hastily slid on one-piece swimsuits. "Is she working with you?" the latter asked, indicating Hieata.
"Sort of," Drea said. "She's a client and hostess, but also a local guide. Her help is invaluable."
"Don't mind Lydia," Teagan said. "Anything that looks good in a skirt interests her."
"I'm more interested in my partner," Drea said. She explained the situation to the two Aussies.
When the police boat arrived, Hieata explained the situation to the police, and her presence helped to add credence to the story. An inspector and an officer were left behind, while Drea accompanied the boat to the place where the two craft had been beached. She also went ashore. And followed the officer into the shack. Inside, there were no criminals or stash of loot, just two captive bound back to back, gagged and blindfolded. Drea was immediately by Anne's side. "I ought to leave you like this for another hour or two," she hissed into her friend's ear.
Soon Anne and Evie were free and giving their statements.
"We may have been a little careless," Anne conceded to Drea, "but we found a piece of evidence."
"How so?" Drea wondered.
"Anne is quite right," Evie said. "You saw the rubber boat?"
"Of course! The serial number on the outboard motor."
"Exactly," Anne said. "It can be traced to the whoever sold it."
The officers would take the raft in on their boat, while Drea, Anne, and Evie took the grounded runabout. Drea chided Anne for charging into situations impulsively with caution thrown to the wind.
"Drea, stop being such a worrywart," Anne said. "If we sit back, we my be too late to do anything."
These conversations ultimately led nowhere. Drea was legitimately concerned that Anne would go off foolishly into a dangerous situation at the cost of her life. If Jason popped the question, perhaps marriage would cause Anne to be a bit more cautious.
Hieata was relieved to see Anne and Evie emerge from the ordeal unscathed. Unfortunately, though Drea and Anne knew for a fact Glenda Chafee was on the island. No record of her entering French Polynesia since her visit months before existed, so there was no way to check where she might be staying. As for the bandits, they made off with what they could carry easily: cash, travelers' checks, and costume jewelry.
"Going by what those two women said, and practically everybody else, one of these bandits is a local woman, or at the very least a Polynesian," the inspector said.
"If Glenda Chaffe is indeed on this island, it would make sense for her to have a local contact who could put her up somewhere, or slip her in undetected," Anne said.
"Indeed, but we need proof."
After the police left the scene, the associates and their two companions returned to shore. "Evie, do you still think the Debernard case is an inside job?" Anne asked.
"Until I see anything to the contrary, yes," Evie replied.
"I want to get another look at that wrecked boat,' Anne said. "We'll need somebody smaller who can get into it easier."
"I agree," Drea said.
"It's still early," Hieata said. "I think I can get a diver who would fit in perfectly."
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The Bikini Bandits convened at the home of their local contact. "I'm afraid we'll have to change plans," Glenda said. "Instead of splitting the cash and money from the jewelry four ways, you take all the cash, and we'll split money from the jewelry three ways."
"No exactly an even split," the contact said. "I'm not sure who is getting the better end of the deal."
"Unfortunately, this will have to be our last job," Ilsa said.
"I know," Glenda said. "I was reluctant to go after that boat, but it was too big to resist."
Ilsa shrugged. She found this life exciting. In her native Sweden, high taxes had sapped peoples' initiative and made for a dull, though comfortable existence. When she took Glenda's introductory class in American Literature, she simply wanted to find out a bit about the country where she was studying. Instead, she fell in with this unique and interesting woman. Theft didn't bother her. What she did as a member of the Bikini Bandits was no different than the government sanctioned theft euphemistically referred to as "taxation".
"All right," Glenda said. "Tomorrow, we get the cash and jewelry from the stash on the wreck. Ilsa and I will take the jewels out on the boat, while Erika takes a commercial flight to L.A."
"With any luck, our detective friends will still be looking for us when we're gone," Erika said.
"Don't underestimate them. I know them very well, and they will keep after us. Remember, a lot can happen between now and the time the boat arrives."
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The four people went their separate ways. Drea and Anne wanted to stake out the place Erika rented, Evie chose to report back to Madame Debernard, and Hieata tried to recruit divers to recover the booty in the sunken boat. Evie appeared the Debernard home and was admitted. Madame Debernard was in conversation with two rather tall women.
"I don't believe you have met two friends of mine," Madame Debernard said. "Glenda and Ilsa."
There was something familiar to Evie about the two women. Three of the women she had encountered were quite tall. The one called Glenda urged some pleasantries about being a pleasure to meet her.
"We have already met, earlier today," Evie said. "I heard the voice of the ring leader. Your voice."
Ilsa sprung forward. She grabbed Evie with her left hand and clamped her right hand over Evie's mouth.
"Have you anything we can use to bind and gag her?" Glenda asked.
"I believe there are some scarves and bathrobe sashes you could use," Madame Debernard said.
"Get them."
Evie tried to struggle, but Ilsa's grip was too strong. Madame Debernard soon appeared with her arms full of handkerchiefs, scarves, and a sash. A handkerchief was balled up and crammed into Evie's mouth, then held it in place with a silk scarf. Two other scarves were used on the wrists and ankles, while the sash was used to secure the captive's knees. Another handkerchief was used to blindfold the insurance investigator.
"Let's take her to Erika's," Glenda said. "We'll have stronger bindings there."
"We'll have to sneak her out of here without the servants seeing anything," Madame Debernard said.
"Of course."
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Hieata drove out to Vitea's small ramshackle house. Although Hieata and her father paid their divers well be local standards, Vitea preferred to live simply. The diver happened to have the day off, and Hieata considered herself lucky for finding her at home.
"Hello, Hieata!" she said. "Why brings you out here?"
"My friends Drea and Anne aren't what they seem," Hieata said.
"I don't undertand."
"I didn't meet them in Hawaii. They are private detectives from Los Angeles. They found a wreck with some money in, which the think the Bikini Bandits are using to hide their loot. It is hard to move around the wrecked boat, so we thought a much smaller diver would help."
"I understand completely," Vitea said. She reached for a pareau sitting on a nearby sideboard and removed something from underneath. The Hieata's surprise, it was a large caliber revolver.
"Please face that wall and kneel down," Vieta ordered.
"Why?" Hieata asked. Previously, she and Vitea had spoken in French, but the one word question was given in Tahitian.
"Too quiet." That too was given in Tahitian.
As Hieata knelt with her back to Vitea, the latter removed a pair of shears from a drawer and began to cut the pareau into strips of various lengths and widths. When Vitea was finished slicing the strips, she took one and started to bind Hieata's wrists. "I really don't like doing this," Vitea said. "But I have no choice."
"If Glenda and the others leave here, you will take all the blame," Hieata said. By now, the initial surprise had worn off, but Vitea was working on Hieata's ankles. She balled up a shred of the pareau and crammed it into Hieata's mouth, to be held in place with a longer strip of cloth. As a final move, an extra wide piece was folded over and used as a blindfold.
Vitea went to the telephone and dialed Madame Debernard's number. Glenda was still there. "We'll pick you so we can take her to Erika's," Glenda ordered. "We'll take care of her there."
-----------------------
Drea and Anne stopped look enough for Drea to change into clothes more suitable for the task at hand: Shorts, a sports bra and a blouse, while both needed to change into hiking boots. With those minor changes out of the way, they went to stake out the bungalow. As was typical for a stake out, it was a long, dull process. The first inkling of something was happening was the presence of a car. "I haven't seen that one before," Drea commented as she gazed through the binoculars. She concentrated on the occupants of the car. There were three of them. "Madame Debernard on her twin terrors," Drea commented.
"Drea I've been thinking," Anne said.
"About what? You and Jason getting married?"
"No, about the local contact."
"Go on."
"Remember how, when we checked out the pearling operation Vitea showed up after the robbery? And the fact she's not diving today?"
"Coincidence."
"Perhaps, but she has acted as a guide for a photographer who might be linked with the Bikini Bandits."
"Just a guess, of course, but if the motor on that rubber boat can be traced to Vitea, I'd say you're right."
Anne took over the binoculars. Soon a battered old delivery truck came by. "Glenda and her crew," Anne reported.
Two more women were in the truck, both with wrists bound. They were also blindfolded and gagged. "Oh no!" Anne exclaimed. "Hieata and Evie."
She rushed forward, but was held up by Drea's restraining arm. "Hold it!" Drea declared. "We're not going to do them much good if we go in there like Custer and the Seventh Cavalry.
"I don't like leaving friends in the lurch any more than you do, but at least I have the sense to call in reinforcements. We have Glenda dead to rights on two charges of kidnapping. Let's go back and call the cops."
Drea was right, but Anne thought of herself as a woman of action. They turned to return to their car, not noticing when the truck pulled away.
When they returned to the car, they were surprised to see the battered truck parked right next to it. Glenda was waiting for them, along with Ilsa and the Debernard twins. Glenda pointed a Baretta ten millimeter at the two detectives. "Into the truck," she ordered.
"Do we get to tie them up?" Madeleine asked.
"I have always wanted to tie somebody up." Monique said.
As Ilsa drove the truck, Glenda showed the twins how to apply a wrist binding. The two were a quick study, as both detectives winced at the tightness of the bonds.
"We'll bind their legs when we get them inside," Glenda said. "We can gag them, though."
She produced two bandannas and laid them out as squares. She folded one into a triangle then folded it over until she had a proper gag. She then tied two knots at dead center and induced pulled it tight across Drea's mouth.
Monique folded the remaining bandanna as Glenda had with the previous one. When finished, she passed it off Madeleine, who made the two knots at the center, and slowly, almost as if she were savirng the moment and placed the knot into Anne's mouth and secured the two ends with a tight knot.
Chapter Ten