"DUEL IN THE DEEP" "Stop that belt!" "There's someone on top!" "What is this?" "A big disappearing act?" "Can you walk?" "I'll crawl." "On your belly then." "Eddy..." "Eddy's calling you." "What about Eddy?" "You have to come." "That's Sylvia." "Hi, Sylvia." "Come in." "Sit down." "What would you like to drink?" "A soft drink, please." "Nice here." "Nice interior." "It's not mine." "This is Rob's house." "I'm only staying at his place." "Doesn't matter." "Why would you live in a house with no toilet if you have this?" "Too many nosey women come here." "You're not safe in the kunuku either." "What's wrong with those two?" "Misdirected affection, I think." "Your Dutch is improving." "I'm surprised you still speak it." "What's wrong with those two?" "Adjustment problems." "I'll drink to all of you." "And to life." "Well, well." "Yes, a drink to my saviours." "Cheers." "Cheers." "What happened?" "The Professor almost took his first diving lesson." "I'm still a nervous wreck." "I really thought I was a goner." "I still can't believe I'm here..." "What happened?" "Lucas?" "Lucky Luke." "Tell me." "He sits there crying." "And you're so tough." "Normal people have feelings." "What did I do?" "If I was Lucas, I wouldn't take it lightly either." "The sharks almost got him." "There are no sharks here." "As a manner of speech." "Although they love rolled meat." "Lucas, have a drink." "It helps." "You should know." "But I don't drink from anybody, as you should know." "Don't fight over me." "I'll get over it." "I just got a fright." "But tell me what happened!" "I don't like this place." "Yes, it's rather deserted." "The ideal spot for us." "The last job was easy." "Yes, but El Loco's very dangerous." "El Loco?" "What are you on about?" "Close it." "The wind's cool." "Do you really think he's crazy?" "Insane." "He's irresponsible." "He takes insane risks." "That's how he surprised us." "To do that... he must be crazy." "And also stupid." "Someone who acts crazy, isn't crazy." "Real crazy people act normally." "Like Laro." "He gets angry over the smallest things... but he pretends to be normal." "I can control myself very well." "I'm very disciplined." "Is that so?" "What is this?" "What could this be?" "And another one in another colour." "Beautiful." "They're..." "They're very valuable." "That's why..." "Put it back." "Don't touch it." "Keep your hands off it." "They're ours." "Give them to me." "Remember you're disciplined, Laro." "That's what I mean." "You're right." "The other one was a sissy." "We have to be careful with this one." "Because he's crazy, he's unpredictable." "Maybe he's buying it, but maybe he suspects something." "We'll find out soon enough." "Why didn't you call the police?" "The police..." "It's attempted murder." "I agree that we should call the police." "They have 1.5 police man on the island." "Of course we have to report it." "First they kidnap Sylvia and then they get me." "It was attempted murder, wasn't it?" "They just turn it into a game." "And remember that stuff with the domino, Eddy?" "What domino?" "Double 4." "You too?" "Didn't you find it?" "No, Mr Feliciano gave it to me." "It's a bad omen, a warning." "Eddy says it has to do with death." "From Feliciano?" "An asshole in a nice white suit." "A knife fighter." "A handsome man, a show-off." "Do you know him?" "Did he speak Dutch?" "Better than you." "And friendly." "But he was also poking me with the knife." "Where's your medicine cabinet?" "In the bedroom." "It's only a scratch." "Show me." "This afternoon someone threw a double 4 in my lap too." "I don't like those jokes so I asked him a few questions." "That's how I knew where the Professor was." "Take off your shirt." "I bought it fair and square." "Of course, how could you know?" "Would you have seen through it, Rob?" "Snails don't mean anything to me." "Feliciano kept talking about diamonds." "Maybe they mean something to you?" "Isn't it time to tell the truth?" "Of course diamonds mean something to me." "How about you, Sylvia?" "Wouldn't you like to have a handful of them?" "Looks beautiful in the palm of your hand." "If you move them a bit, they sparkle in the light." "But if you keep them here, they glow quietly." "As if they burn a hole in your heart." "Yes, diamonds mean something to me." "Diamonds..." "I never heard the details about that adventure in Venezuela." "Did you find diamonds back then?" "When I came back to Bonaire, you didn't exactly welcome me." "I had been gone for years." "We'd been writing each other letters." "Or at least, I had been writing letters." "But when I came back, you were not at the airport." "I went to your house, this house." "There was nothing here." "I went to our spot." "Nothing." "Let me finish." "I came back to Bonaire and I heard the strangest stories." "But Antilleans are loyal friends." "You were playing the bum in the kunuku." "And the diving club was going to the dogs." "So I didn't get a job with Papá Gomez." "I started to run the diving club." "As long as you needed to stay away from me and everyone..." "I didn't bother you." "And when others came up with crazy stories, I didn't listen." "Shut up!" "So Eddy Gomez lives in your house, works in your club and waits." "But today I'm fed up with that." "Today I want an explanation." "Today you'll tell me the truth or I'll start working for my old man." "And it'll be your fault." "You were gone for half a year when Jimmy Aures moved here." "With his sister Alma." "With his sister Alma." "Laro?" "Yes?" "I need to go." "Go then." "But it's so dark." "Wait a moment." "Turn off that light." "Go with him." "You can hold his hand." "Chepito's not afraid in the dark, but there's a lot of rubble there." "If he trips, he can hurt himself." "Finally, there he is." "What took so long?" "It went all wrong." "What?" "He threatened me with a knife." "You could almost have waited forever." "That guy's dangerous." "I mean, I just gave him the domino." "In a friendly way." "Like you said." "But he got so angry!" "So he got angry." "But he couldn't scare you." "You didn't tell him anything." "Of course not!" "Jimmy Aures was a real adventurer." "He'd try anything." "But he was smart and reliable." "Exactly the right buddy for the job." "We got some money together and left." "We were both single and good divers." "What did we have to lose?" "But Alma came too, didn't she?" "Alma was a better diver than Jimmy and I. A natural." "Did you really believe it about the diamonds?" "I'll tell you something you didn't know." "There are mountains in Venezuela that you can't reach." "That we can't reach." "But the rain can." "And it rains hard there during the wet season." "All that water does something we can't do." "It erodes the mountainside." "Over centuries, it erodes the rock bit by bit." "And the little rivers take the material down into the valley." "Those valleys are jungles in Venezuela." "The rivers are wide and slow." "So the eroded material sinks to the bottom." "Sometimes the bottom's full of grit that came from the mountain." "And that grit contains quartz, crystal, tourmaline, topaz... all kinds of valuable minerals." "And why not diamonds?" "In some places the bottom of the jungle rivers is full of diamonds." "If people know this, aren't they looking for those diamonds?" "They still dive the old-fashioned way, with helmets." "Anyway, why shouldn't we try our luck?" "Jimmy knew a spot in the jungle where they've found diamonds before." "We went there." "The water was full of whirlpools and it was deep." "And it was pitch dark." "Didn't you bring lamps?" "Yes, we were ready for anything." "But not for electric eels." "The big ones can zap you to death." "A 3 metre eel can hit you with 550 Volts." "And that's under water." "They're not aggressive, but there's one problem." "They're attracted by light." "It was deep, dangerous and dark." "But we risked it." "We took turns." "We were feeling around through the mud." "In the dark." "It makes you nervous." "But we did find diamonds." "That's what I told him." "And what did he do?" "I didn't wait for that." "If he's looking for his friend, he'll be looking for a long time." "Why?" "You don't need to know." "Say, you didn't... because I don't want to be part of that." "Of course not." "Oh, good." "But you can't fool El Loco." "He's a tough one." "So you don't know what he did this afternoon." "No, I could hardly keep following him, since he knew what I was up to." "Am I right or what?" "You messed it up a bit." "It wasn't my fault." "I did exactly as you said." "In that case, he wouldn't have seen you." "A pity." "Do you still have the money I gave you?" "I bought a few drinks for friends." "How generous." "Nice bike you have there." "Yes, I had to save for years." "My brother helped me assemble it." "He knows a lot about it." "Laro..." "Chepito..." "Nice bike." "It's a bit dirty." "How fast does it go?" "Over a hundred." "Start it." "Listen to the sound of the engine." "No, don't!" "After a few weeks, we had a fortune worth of diamonds." "We took turns diving." "Alma too." "We were obsessed." "We couldn't stop." "Until Jimmy didn't come up again." "I still don't know what happened." "Probably an electric eel." "When I had a look, he was dead on the bottom." "We left right away." "But we were stupid." "While we were diving, they left us in peace." "But now they came." "Guys in fast boats with knives like this." "They appeared when we wanted to leave." "With fake documents about rights to this part of the river." "And that they were entitled to 90% of our diamonds." "Gangsters!" "I'm a sore loser." "And the idea that Jimmy died for them!" "So you ran off." "In the middle of the night." "In a boat." "It became a race." "It worked." "We got halfway to Bonaire." "Then they caught up with us." "But I didn't want to stop!" "They started shooting." "An explosion!" "And we sank." "And then what?" "The coast guard came to check out the explosion." "The bastards fled and we were taken in." "That's the whole story." "And the diamonds?" "Lost." "How lost?" "You could dive for them." "I think that's what Alma tried." "I told her not to." "It's more than 90 metres deep there." "But once you've had diamonds in your hands..." "Those guys think Alma's still alive." "Yes, since you appeared." "So they also think she has the diamonds." "Or at least that she knows where they are." "And everyone who has anything to do with Sylvia, gets those guys after them." "Wait, you're not going to the kunuku on your own in this situation." "Did you forget about the double 4?" "I'll see." "I'll go with you." "Why?" "How did you put it?" "As a shield." "I'm coming too." "Me too." "We'll have a party." "Hi, did you bring people?" "No, I'm just telling you I'll be late." "We're having a party." "Where?" "Are you coming?" "I have to get up early." "Where are you going?" "To Rob's place." "That scary hut?" "Not my cup of tea." "I'm in good company." "Your brother and the Professor." "It's up to you." "Wait." "Take something warm." "Don't worry if I'll be back late." "Bye." "Bye." "If they creep up on us, we'll have a laugh." "Anybody there?" "I've come to tell you something." "I'll be damned." "What's he doing here?" "Don't shoot." "I've come to warn you." "Are you alone?" "Of course I'm alone." "Eddy, have a look." "Nobody." "Also nobody." "Look at that." "I've come as a friend." "Did you find more special snails?" "A beautiful domino?" "I've really come as a friend." "I'm here to warn you." "They want to kill you." "Well, well." "So you're warning me." "Yes, they're coming." "Get out of the light, Lucas." "What about him?" "Leave him to me." "Nice to be all together." "You have to believe me." "They really want to kill you." "I believe you." "But to what do I owe this friendship?" "They threw my bike into the sea." "You're kidding." "Yes, in front of my eyes." "They threw it off the rocks." "The assholes." "People are hard to understand." "This morning he was conspiring with a bunch of killers." "Now he's helping us." "And why?" "Because they threw his bike into the sea." "Are you helping us out of revenge?" "Is that it?" "I'll never have a bike like that again." "That's it, revenge." "Who are those guys?" "They came by ship from the other islands." "I don't know what they want exactly." "But it's got something to do with the lady." "They're angry with you and Caracol." "I bet." "And they'll be coming tonight." "We're prepared for them." "How do we go about this?" "Yes, shall we beat him up?" "Relax, it's only one man." "Yes, but that man's crazy." "You're hopeless." "You've ruined everything." "We had some bad luck." "Laro's right." "That affair with the snails was well planned." "It was a success." "Wasn't it?" "Alright, but wait here with the car." "You only do something if he tries to escape." "I'll do the rest." "Man against man." "That'll be interesting." "It's your decision." "Do you think I can't handle him?" "It's a risk." "That's true." "Man against man, ridiculous." "Shut up, jerks." "I just fixed it up." "The paint, the ball bearings." "The tyres were fine." "The assholes." "Be quiet." "I don't trust it." "The show-off." "It's our job." "Amateur." "Let's follow him." "No." "Let him go if he wants." "Suits us fine." "He's taking over our work." "Don't move or you're dead." "Good evening, Feliciano." "You didn't expect this, did you?" "Mr Achterberg himself." "Is that a disappointment?" "Eddy, see where those idiots are." "It doesn't make sense what he's doing." "But it's up to him." "As long as he doesn't blame us when he fails." "But what could go wrong?" "It's very simple." "That's true." "It's easy." "Just go inside and..." "Do you know what they say?" "That crazy people never sleep." "They're on the look-out." "They're angry that you wanted to do it on your own." "Do what?" "He wanted to kill me." "But not in my sleep." "First, he wanted to ask some questions." "Right, Feliciano?" "That's why those two had to wait outside." "Because I might have something interesting to say." "What do we do now?" "Well, I do have something to say." "But first you call your two apes." "Tell them to go home." "Because I actually want to talk." "I want to end the nonsense." "Before people get hurt." "Eddy, Lucas and Sylvia have nothing to do with it." "Open the window." "I'll understand everything." "Laro, Chepito." "Wait, it could be a trick." "Do you think?" "You never know." "I'll go first, then you." "No, let me." "It's too dangerous." "No way." "I'll go first." "No, I will." "What took you?" "We thought it was a trick." "It could have been." "You can't be careful enough." "Go to the car." "What?" "Wait there for me." "Is everything alright?" "Go to the car, I said." "Yes, boss." "Hard to find good staff, these days, isn't it?" "Let's sit at the table and turn on a light." "I still think it's suspicious." "Me too." "Look, the light's on." "That's strange." "I don't understand it." "Me neither." "Let's have a look." "No, we won't." "What if it goes wrong?" "Then we'll be in the car, as he said." "You're right." "Let's play some dominoes." "You're really smart, Laro." "I know what you're thinking." "It speaks for itself." "I would have thought the same thing." "And so do many other people on the island." "But this young lady isn't Alma Aures." "Did you hear me?" "I hear you just fine." "But you don't believe me." "If you say so, it must be true." "If I say it with a knife in my hands." "Look at her." "Look at her." "Look at her!" "So this isn't Alma Aures." "What do you expect of me?" "That I pretend I'm crazy?" "She's Alma Aures and you know it." "And she knows where the diamonds are." "And I came here to find out." "Where are they?" "The diamonds are on the bottom of the ocean." "I've already told you that." "We never believed it." "We understood what had happened." "You walk around like a bum." "They call you El Loco." "And why?" "Because Alma walked out on you." "She left with the diamonds." "Poor bastard, hit me again if that helps you." "Shut up!" "It doesn't matter what happened." "It doesn't matter to us what Alma did to the diamonds." "It does to us." "But this isn't Alma." "This is Sylvia Sommer." "She's a singer from the Netherlands." "You can see her papers if you want." "Sure, my name's Van De Berg." "If you give me some time, I can show you papers too." "Easy." "It's true." "I'm not Alma." "I look like her but I'm Sylvia Sommer." "I've never been here before." "Of course." "You're new here." "And who do you contact?" "This strange man here." "What a coincidence." "Listen, Feliciano..." "Alma's dead." "She didn't leave with the diamonds." "She's dead." "Alma tried to dive for the diamonds." "She died in the process." "No one has the diamonds." "They're too deep down." "If I could get to them, I would have done so already." "And Sylvia was in the Netherlands two years ago." "She was probably performing already." "There must be pictures and articles." "When Jimmy, Alma and I were diving, she was in the Netherlands." "That can be proven." "She can call her manager and he'll send all the material." "Right?" "If you'll wait for the proof, I'll send it to you." "Just say where." "You mean you'll let me go?" "What else can I do?" "You tell them in Venezuela." "That they've made a mistake and that we'll prove it." "And then I hope we'll get some peace." "Clear?" "What are you doing?" "Stay out of it." "You're crazy." "We'll be seeing each other." "I'll come for the proof myself." "Idiots, asshole!" "Give me that." "That was..." "Yes, that was very fast." "Thanks." "I already regret it." "And don't forget your letter-opener." "And give them my regards." "Eddy, show him out, please." "Good riddance." "Where's the bottle?" "Sounds like a movie." "I'd go to the police." "I intended to, but who knows what would happen then." "Rob could get into trouble, for instance." "I don't think Rob told us everything." "What do you think, Eddy?" "I don't know." "He acts so mysteriously." "He doesn't want us to go to the police." "You can do what you want to." "I'll wait and see." "If it ends here..." "You're crazy." "Can you contact your manager?" "The quicker he sends the proof, the better." "That would put an end to this." "We'll go to the post office, ok?" "Ok." "And?" "What did I do?" "Can't he send it?" "He'll drop it off himself." "What?" "He had to be in New York anyway." "Expensive trip." "Typical of Joop." "I bet he'll try to take me home." "He'll have to kidnap you." "You look great!" "Calina, meet Joop." "Just call me Joop." "Did you bring the pictures?" "Of course, but why?" "I'll explain." "Are you coming?" "Which hotel did you get?" "The Bonaire Hotel." "That's where my diving club is." "Your what?" "I'm learning to dive." "Are you crazy?" "Don't forget you're my income." "She even plays with sharks." "She's gone crazy." "It's a good thing I'm here." "I'd never have thought you'd like this sport." "Me neither." "Can't be good for you." "It's very good for you." "Especially for men with manager's disease." "Eddy explained it all to me." "People don't belong there." "True, that's why it's great fun." "Come along one time." "Me?" "You don't have much confidence yourself or you wouldn't use this jacket." "It's for safety reasons." "So you can float." "The water pushes you up." "That's why you need a weight belt." "But what works well at 5 metres is way too heavy at 30 metres." "30 metres?" "So you have to make yourself lighter." "You do that by blowing air into your bottle." "But only a bit or else you shoot up and that's very dangerous." "Did I explain it well, Eddy?" "Excellent." "But if you run out of air, you can't blow up the jacket." "That's what this is for." "Compressed air." "When you pull this, you go..." "But you should never run out of air." "This meter tells you how much you have left." "But I'll explain that tonight." "Yes, we need to have a serious talk." "But I am very serious." "Ok, stop the engine." "See you later." "So we have three studio days this week." "And another day next week if we need it." "What do you say?" "Of what?" "If we don't grab this chance, you won't make a record any time soon." "Nice, isn't it?" "We'll have to book the return flight." "I'll do it tomorrow morning." "I can't do it, Joop." "I really need this holiday." "Things will be better when I come back." "But right now, I can't do it." "You'll get paid back in the long run." "You'll miss it." "If you leave on Monday, you can be in the studio on Wednesday." "Ok, not Monday." "When then?" "I'll call you." "But I need to book the studio." "I won't make a new record until I get better songs." "I wrote a few myself." "Oh no." "Don't worry, you have a say too." "Call me in the office on Monday." "Ok, deal." "But I will stay here a bit longer." "You must be joking." "Bye." "Don't be angry." "You're taking advantage of me." "SYLVIA CONQUERED LEIDEN" "This has to convince them." "Do you want us to stay?" "Better not." "Hi, how are you?" "Fine." "Did he talk you into it?" "Almost." "I'm used to doing everything he says." "But he took it well." "I'm doing well too." "How's our singer?" "So the manager only came to drop off an envelope." "There must be a lot of money in the record business." "Found any new snails?" "I'll tell you all about it, but let's get some fresh air."