In the Blink of An Eye

by Jerry Baggett

  Grant ran straight to the injured girl. He reached out with open arms, pulling her close. “It’s over now. Thank God you’re safe, Maria.”

  “I don’t want to die here, Grant. Please take me home to my son and let me die there.” Maria released a flood of tears, and collapsed against him.

  He passed the phone to Samantha and pulled her in close. “I can only imagine what you’ve been through.”

  Samantha dropped the phone in her pocket and attempted to ease Grant aside. She held out a bottle of water. “I’m a nurse. We’re going to take care of you until the paramedic arrives.”

  “Let me stay with him, please.” She had a firm grip on Grant’s arm.

  Samantha backed away. “You’ve been beaten and tormented. You may have serious injuries. The authorities will need to hear your story.”

  Movement from the thin man caught Dick’s eye. He’s reaching for something inside his clothing. He waved the Glock. “I wouldn’t try that if I were you. It might get you shot!”

  Dick leaned down and removed a small caliber hand gun from the man’s front pocket. “Your one-eyed friend here has gone into shock. I think he’s bleeding out. He’s getting ready for that long trip everyone takes alone. How many violent deaths are you two responsible for, aside from the abuse of this poor girl?”

  Suddenly, a thought hit him. “Samantha! Take Grant’s phone and call Agent Hunt. I believe we have a couple of his most wanted here with us. You remember his conversation about the man they call Big Ugly? This man fits his description to a T. I believe he’s going to bleed out, there on the ground. The paramedics aren’t here yet. They might have saved him.”

  Dick looked up at the sound of a loud engine. A sheriff’s helicopter hovered in the intersection. Grant shouted to be heard above the noise. “Help has arrived. I’m going to the hospital with Maria, if they let me. We can’t abandon her after all she’s been through. They’ll want statements. I need to be with her through all the questioning.”

  Dick stepped in close to Grant. “This is important. I’m going to have the sheriff’s people secure the road into this area before they leave. Sam and I are going back to that burned house for a better look at things before we catch up with you. We’ll find out where they’re taking Maria and meet you there at the hospital. I want to hear her story first-hand after she’s rested and cared for.” He put his hand on Grant’s shoulder. “She’s going to be OK now. But don’t forget, Grant. You’re still on someone’s hit list, along with Samantha. So be careful, once you leave the hospital.”

  Sheriff’s Sergeant Curry scowled at the two men on the ground. “We’ll take care of these two until the DEA enforcement people get here. They’re brothers, with long records of drug dealing and violence. The bigger man, the one you just put on the road to hell, was recently released from prison. He spent ten years in federal prison for a fatal barroom knifing. There’s a third brother running loose out there someplace. No doubt he’s still causing trouble.” He turned back to Dick. “I’ve been a law enforcement officer a hell of a long time, and I’ve never seen a self-defense tactic like that before. Have you had some kind of training for that kind of stuff?”

  “You might say that, Sergeant. I was fortunate enough to participate in the combat officer’s hand-to-hand self- defense course.” Dick asked. “What does the paramedic say about the girl’s condition? She’s in bad shape, it seems.”

  “She has severe internal damage. That’s all he could say until she’s examined in the emergency room where they have more equipment.”

  “Where’s the hospital they’re taking her to?” He handed Dick a card with the address of the closest hospital.

  Dick’s cell vibrated in his pocket. “Thanks for a quick call-back, Agent Hunt. You’ve obviously been filled in on what happened! We wanted to get word to you immediately. I’m sorry to say, I was wrong about this man being one of your most wanted. The sergeant said he’s well known and recently released from prison.”

  “You’re a lucky man, Dick. He would have killed you. He’s the brother of the man we’re looking for. The whole family’s a nest of snakes. Now, what’s the condition of our missing informant?”

  “She appears to be in terrible condition. The paramedic thinks she has severe internal damage. These bastards used her violently and then beat the hell out of her, only because they could. She told Grant she was brought up here by Harvey Marino, the club manager, and another man, called Hans. He must be the missing brother you’re after. Maria said they were looking for a place to hide out until the pressure let up.”

  “So I’m told,” Hunt said. “They’re a step ahead of us. Grant told me that you and Samantha were going to look around the McGowin Trust property some more before returning to the island. Be damn careful out there alone. Don’t put Samantha at any additional risk. Hans Hampel will be after you with blood in his eyes after he finds out you killed one of his brothers.”

  “We’re not planning on being here more than an hour or so, before heading back. Perhaps we’ll catch you at the hospital.”

  A heavy mist began to fall. Dick removed the piece of tin roof covering the chest. Nothing had changed. “Stand back, far enough away from the mud and ash I throw out. I’ll shovel some of the stuff away and attempt to lift the old trunk out of the hole. It shouldn’t be terribly difficult.”

  Within minutes, He had cleared enough dirt away to grasp one of the handles. He attempted to lift that end of the chest. “Damn. The handle came off in my hand.” He reached for the other handle. “There’s too much decay and deterioration. I’m going to lift the lid. Come on in close now for a look at what we have here. I’ll give you a running commentary on everything, as I go through it.”

  The decayed, worm-eaten wood fell apart as he folded the lid back onto the ground. “The metal hinges have rusted up and pulled loose from the soft wood. There’s a velvet cloth on top of the tray. Worms have eaten most of it. No! it must have been a red velveteen bag holding the contents.”

  Samantha said, “Can the top tray be lifted out?”

  Dick brushed the covering aside. “Look at that! a tray full of tarnished silverware. It may be too heavy to lift out with the tray, the soft wood’s falling apart. We need something to place the silverware in.”

  “Good luck with that,” she said. “Hey! Stack everything onto a small piece of that scorched metal from the tin roof. We can carry it to the car that way. I’m anxious to see what’s underneath the tray. This’s so exciting. Too bad Grant had to leave. He’d get a kick out of exploring the chest.”

  “We can’t wait for that. We’ll fill him in later, in a private setting.”

  “Wait a minute, Dick! Has it occurred to you that those people causing all the trouble may have been looking for this long-buried chest?”

  “Oh yes. However, Maria said she’s the one who set the house on fire trying to attract the attention of the fire department.”

  “I know, but, Dick, someone must be aware of something valuable buried here. They may be hiding out someplace, waiting for us to find it. I think we should hurry on out of here.”

  Dick removed the deuterating wood tray, piece by piece, then motioned for Sam to come in close for a better look. Both stared down into the trunk. He dropped down on one knee and tossed out two large bundles of worm-eaten confederate bills. Then, two more bundles of old US bills. He thumbed through one bundle. “Fifty-dollar bills. There are four bundles of twenties and three bundles of fifties here.”

  He straightened up and looked around, then lifted out three heavy canvass bags. One bag tore open at the bottom as he placed it on the ground. Neither could speak for several moments. “That looks like very old US gold coin.” He picked up a coin and rubbed it with his fingers. “A twenty-dollar gold piece.” He grabbed one of three more larger bags, hefted it momentarily, and placed it next to the gold. “This is probably silver coin. It isn’t as heavy as the other.

  “There’s several, no, four gold ingots on the bottom
of the chest, not quite the size of a brick, four of them. They’re quite heavy, maybe one hundred ounces each.” He lifted one with two hands. “No! closer to two hundred ounces. I’ll carry them to the car one at a time. Boy! The family must have been well off when they buried this stuff. Open one of the larger bags and take a look at what’s inside while I remove the ingots. Try not to let the old bag tear open.”

  “You’re right, it’s old silver coin, Dick. I can’t believe it. Your ancestors buried this treasure. Your great-great-grandfather must have placed it here under the house. I want to hear the rest of the story.”

  Dick raised himself up and looked around. “All your talk about someone watching has me nervous. Keep your eyes open while I get the rest of this stuff out of the hole. There’s also a stack of five, thin, flat, silver plates stacked next to the gold. This must be how wealthy people stored their wealth. There were not a lot of trustworthy banks in rural areas at that time.”

  “It’s starting to rain again,” Samantha said. “Let’s sit here, in the car, and think things over for a few minutes. Tell me more about your family around the time this stuff was buried here.”

  “It’s a long story but I’ll try to give you some of what I remember from going through old family papers with my dad.”

  “The McGowin family came over from Scotland and England. They settled in Connecticut, and the Philadelphia area. Two young, well-educated brothers started a dry goods mercantile business in New York, learned that most of the wealth at the time was concentrated in the south because of the slave economy. They cashed out that business, purchased a merchant ship, filled it with merchandise, sailed south to Mobile, Alabama and started a new business there, on the waterfront. A ships chandlery mercantile business. They soon found out cotton and other crops from the slave economy destined for Europe, lay idle on the docks for lack of merchant ships. Somehow, they ended up with two more merchant ships. Profit from that venture went toward the purchase of land around Mobile, then in the rich farming land along the rivers flowing south toward Mobile and Pensacola.”

  “Start the car, Dick, so you can clear the windshield,” she said.

  “The brothers found the crops grown from the plantation more lucrative than the mercantile business. After losing one of their ships in a storm, the profitable shipping enterprise was sold to investors from New England who continued to ship their timber and farm products to Europe at a favorable rate. That’s what I can give you in a nutshell, sweetheart. More about the McGowin family will have to wait.” He waved his hand, pointing ahead. “We need to get moving. We’d better call Hunt. Maria was in terrible condition when they carried her out of here.”

  Chapter 38

  Angel texted; ‘today is the day’, three times in succession and waited for a response.

  Moments later, he called. “You won’t have to be accounted for in the doctor’s practice for as much as a week,” he said. “It’ll take at least that long to get the smell out of the office. Everything worked out just fine. Now, what’s the emergency?”

  “The end game has started. You need to realize we’re done here. The tent’s collapsing down on top of everybody, the way I thought it would.” Angel listened to him unload about losing his brother, then spoke up. “You’re in the clear if you’re out of California, and don’t go back. Just remember our survival plans. You can’t fool around. It’s time to protect our assets and get the hell out safely, while we can. Here’s the rest of what you need to do.” She explained her plan for extracting themselves from the organization. She wanted little or no trail left to be followed. “Now, precisely, where are you?”

  “Been waiting for you to get back in country,” he said. “I’m keeping a low profile here at the ranch, in one of the out buildings. I agree with your assessment, babe. Marino’s on his own schedule. I’m pretty sure he’s hiding here on the ranch someplace. My only contact with him has been a burner phone. He thinks going after McGowin for killing my brother’s crazy. I won’t let either of them off the hook for that.”

  “It’s a damn crazy idea, Hans. Everything’s on the line now. You can blow our chance to disappear before the hammer falls. The ranch is going to become the center of attraction very soon. I have our passports and everything else we’ll need from here on. It’s all on board the boat in West Palm Beach. All you have to do is drive there. I’ll be waiting for you. Do it now.”

  “No! I want one more try at that McGowin guy. You can help me find out where he’s hanging out. There’s something else we ought to do, hon. Take some of the cash from that big safe here on the ranch property.”

  “Hell no, Hans. That would be suicide. Half of Mexico would be chasing us for the rest of our lives. You know that. We have to be smart, not get greedy or bogged down with small grievances. You could blow up any chance we have for a clean disappearance.” She heard no reply. “By the time the dust settles, we’ll be kicking back with our twenty-year-old island identity. You haven’t forgotten that, have you?”

  “Not likely. Is everything still in play, the way we set it up?”

  “Damn right. I’ve had a couple people on St. Croix, using and living our official family identity. They’re looking forward to moving on with a half-million bucks in their pocket. The money will be released once we’re settled into things there.”

  “That all sounds good. When can I expect you back here at the ranch?”

  “I have no intention of going back. I was in St. Croix for several days. I’m in the Bahamas now, be back in Miami by tomorrow afternoon. My Escalade’s at Miami Airport. I plan to drive straight to the boat in Palm Beach and wait for you. Law enforcement’s kicking over every stone on the west coast. The business end of things is out of our hands, finished. Listen, don’t hang around the ranch too long. The crap’s going to hit the fan immediately after you finish the few chores we talked about. And, Hans, our partners aren’t stupid. They’ll be after that money.”

  “I know. They’ve used us long enough. Taking their money would give me great pleasure. How much is there, anyway? They’ll be rushing in here to see who can empty the safe first.”

  “There’s approximately four million in the box. The goods stored there are much more valuable than the cash. That’s not a good reason for us to risk our lives. Let them take their chances.” She thought for a moment. “Listen carefully, Hans. The attorneys who handle the ranch have been notified of the abandonment. It was part of our plan. I submitted a thirty-day notice, dated three days ago, advising them we needed the entire month. That should avoid suspicion, allowing us a small amount of time. So, I’m forced to use my old established name from here on out, wherever I go.”

  She thought for a moment, then decided. “There’s something else, Hans. Don’t be surprised if McGowin and Samantha show up at the ranch. They’re already in the area because of that stupid episode you and Marino pulled with that girl. They’ll hear it from the trust attorneys and want to hear from me. They’re most likely pissed because I didn’t let them know I held the lease on the ranch in my name. You might consider that a second chance to nail them, but I don’t recommend it. I suggest you forget about revenge and leave before they get there. Everyone’s been outed. The dominoes are going to fall fast.”

  He’s thinking about the money too much. Hans is over confident. He’s been lucky in his association with Marino. It’ll take more than luck to get away from there if he confronts Marino and his partner. He’s on his own if he tries to steal the money.

  Chapter 39

  Hunt kicked his chair back with some difficulty, and managed to stand. He’d been walking with a cane since the attempt on his life put him in the hospital. “Run that by me again, Margie.”

  “There’s a woman on the phone with information about an offshore bank account. She said she has important details about personal bank accounts for several people who may be laundering drug money through a bank in the Bahamas. She admits she’s on a burner phone and doesn’t mind staying on the line. She’s
willing to provide the first bit of information for a small deposit made into her offshore account. If that’s satisfactory, she will offer up more. The price will increase with each bit of information.” Margie looked down at her notes. “We’ve traced the call to the Grand Bahama Island. Would you want to take the call? Each time she calls she’ll be using a different phone. She sounds awfully confident.”

  Hunt scratched his head and nodded. “Is this the first time she’s called?”

  Margie said, “She called the Sheriff’s department earlier and they gave her this number.”

  Hunt picked up the phone. “Whom am I talking to?”

  “If you insist on a name, just call me Bernice.”

  He said, “How old are you, Bernice? You sound young enough to be skipping school today.”

  “Old enough to know what I’m doing. So, put up or shut up. The information will be gone within hours. I could care less about this, in the whole scheme of things.”

  “What do you mean by the scheme of things?”

  “You ask too many questions and you can’t make a decision. Hook me up with a decision maker.”

  “OK, so what do you suggest as a nominal fee for this first bit of information? I could be buying a pig in a poke.”

  “We can start with one thousand. You can put that small amount on your expense account.”

  He said, “I’m passing the phone back to my assistant. She’ll work out the details with you.”

  Dan yelled from his desk outside, “Pick-up on line three, boss. The sheriff’s holding to talk with you.”

  Hunt said, “Morning, Sheriff Dickson. Thank you for that Bahamas call.”

  “You got that, did you?”

  “Yeah, I’m not sure about what to make of it, yet. Any thoughts?”

  “Could be a gold coated brick. Somehow, I think it’s much more than that. I’ve something else you’ll want to know. We had a call this morning from Doctor Steven Peyton, on Catalina Island. He had a break-in last night. The perps tore open the drug cabinets without finding much. Here’s the odd part. A three-hundred-pound rotting hog was left, gutted, in his office. What the hell do you make of that?”