Sorry for the long period of no updates. Life has been happening... Which I suppose is a nice way of saying health issues have kept me from focusing. Which is never fun. If anyone is still reading this one feel free to give a shout. Keep me motivated to stay focused ;) Hope you all are doing well! -Carly

-17-

The Cattleya was a 52-foot boat of unknown age. With its double deck and multiple cabin layout it was clearly not a vessel built for speed. But it did afford the group who chartered it some degree of comfort as the craft churned along a southeastern course down the Amazon River.

They had been on the river about six hours. Having departed Manaus just before the break of dawn the craft was slowly making its way along the river to its eventual destination, Anama.

The boat was carrying the Hardys, Chet, Maddie, Jamie, along with their two guides and the boat's captain, who went by the name of Agosto. Agosto was a native of about 70 years of age. He had a lean physique and swarthy complexion. He stood firmly at the helm of their craft with his eyes locked on the waters ahead.

Chet looked at their captain somewhat dubiously from the deck table where they sat. "Are we sure he is not asleep?" He asked in a low tone, noting the man hadn't really changed position or even moved for the last half an hour.

Antonio nodded to his boss and waved casually. "He is quite awake, Senhor Chet." His guide assured him.

"Chet, you need to try to relax." Frank advised. "You will need to be focused when we get to Anama."

"It's true, Chet." Joe chimed in. "The captain knows what he is doing. He will get us there."

Their stout chum glanced nervously about. "Well, I sure wish he'd get us there quick!" He said pensively.

Joe couldn't help but give his friend a sideways glance with an amused look. He gestured towards the large boat as its diesel engine chugged steadily. "Chet, look at this thing. It's over fifty foot long and has two stories on it. It was not built for speed."

Marcos nodded his agreement. "Very true, Senhor Joe. There were not many options to us for renting a boat that could carry seven persons and the supplies. This boat was designed for tourists and fishing, not getting to somewhere fast."

Chet nodded wearily to the others. "I know, I know. But it is hard to stay calm with Callie in the hands of a nutcase, who is assisted by an assassin for good measure. To say nothing about the other issue." He said making a gesture to the deck above theirs where Maddie and Jaime were riding.

Frank nodded soberly. "This is an unpleasant situation all around, pal." He conceded. "We need to keep Maddie and Jaime safe and pursue Reese and Ms. St. Clair."

"This is getting very real." Jamie said quietly, glancing nervously about, then looking across the small table at Maddie. The boat chugged along steadily as she watched her friend stare out at the overgrown greenery. She wasn't sure what Maddie was thinking. She had been quiet for several minutes.

A moment later she blinked a few times, emerging from her trance, focusing on Jaime. "I'm sorry, girl. What did you say?"

Jaime took a breath and looked nervously about. "I don't know… maybe I am just realizing how scared I am. I have never been here before. All I have ever known about the Amazon is what I saw on TV. All the dangerous animals…" her voice trailed off as she closed her eyes. "And the most dangerous one of all is down here among them. As much as I want to get him, I don't know if I have it in me."

Maddie slowly nodded. She could relate to how her friend was feeling. It was only the drive to find her mother that kept her so determined. If she hadn't been kidnapped, there was no way that Maddie would be there trying to find the man who so traumatized her. "I know how you feel, and I am scared, too. I figured my dad would have found some way to send me back home, or have the police keep me in some kind of safe custody. But now that we are going down the river with him to find mom, and uhm… him, I guess it is feeling pretty real for me as well."

Jaime's eyes dropped down to the table where Maddie's hand tapped nervously on a small handbag. She knew her friend had put the pistol she took from her dad's safe in it the day before. The distant, determined look covering Maddie's face caused Jaime to swallow hard.

Callie lay upon her small bed as the morning light crept in through the bars in the window of her small prison. Her eyes fluttered as she came to consciousness. But it wasn't the light that woke her. The intense headache she felt had made it hard for her to sleep. For a brief moment she had wondered why her head hurt so much. Callie was not prone to headaches. But she soon remembered the evening before. Being at the dinner table with him. It was not too far-fetched to presume that her captor had been plying her drinks with some unknown substance. It wasn't just the alcohol which had made her ultimately lose her inhibitions. No doubt he had planned for an evening where Callie would be placed in a compromising position with the young servant, Isadora.

Slowly rising to a seated position, Callie felt an intense rush of pressure in her head. She blinked several times at the sensation. "Don't know what you put in my drink, you bastard… But it sure did a number on me." She muttered under her breath and rubbed her head ruefully.

With an audible grunt Callie rose to her feet and made her way over to a small wash basin and looked into the mirror. The previous evening, he had ordered her to wear makeup and she grudgingly complied in order to receive food. The makeup was now distorted and smeared. She touched her cheek briefly, feeling a sticky sensation. Her eyes closed as she began to recall the previous evening's activities with the young woman.

Woman? No... not by a long shot.

Callie began to shed tears as the past evening's activities swept through her mind. "Dear God, forgive me." She wept.