Page 106 of Enthrall Shadows
I grabbed my sunglasses off the table.
He glanced back at that strip of paper containing one of T.S. Eliot’s most compelling quotes.
We headed out, both of us scouring the area for the thief, listening to every sound and hardly talking until we were clear of the hut.
Losing my backpack did make it easier on me. Still, I’d never get over the embarrassment.
As though sensing my reticence, Henry said, “We don’t blame the victim.”
“I take full responsibility.”
“If life gives you lemons, make some hard lemonade.”
“I love that.” He had this calming effect on me.
“Wait here.”
“Where are you going?”
I waited for Henry beneath the shelter of an enormous Banyan tree, the kind I’d climbed as a child.
He’d circled back to make sure we weren’t being followed, checking for footprints in the dirt and recently broken brush, using the skills he’d once mastered.
I gripped my two-way radio in my sweaty palm, poised to talk with him if I heard or saw anything.
Henry reappeared on the path, offering me a big thumbs-up to indicate we were in the clear.
He continued to competently navigate us onward.
As the day drew on the heat peaked and the temperature began to cool.
Just before sunset, we found a clearing where it seemed safe to set up camp overnight.
Our hideaway was surrounded by tall mangroves, well off the beaten track.
“Stand back,” said Henry, who had lain down a square of canvas.
Jaw gaping, I watched as the square was transformed into a state-of-the-art tent. He’d pressed a button on the canvas and a ready-made shelter had sprung up.
The generous height and width allowed two to fit comfortably. This was the kind of luxury camping I’d not expected.
I glanced over at him, impressed.
“Why not?” he said, reading my expression. “I’m over having to sleep rough.”
“This is still sleeping rough,” I said.
He pointed at the tent. “This is a palace.”
Still, we only had one sleeping bag. The thought of having to lie down on the earth wasn’t something I had even considered.
Henry set his rucksack close to the tent’s entrance. Neither of us was letting it out of our sight.
With a steady hand, he shoved a post into the ground with a camera set on top of it. He pressed a button and the device began slowly spinning.
“It detects all movement in a 360 degree radius,” he explained. “Constant monitoring.”
“Does that include animals?”
