“Where’s Chauncey’s ex-husband now?”
“He’s dead.”
“What happened?”
“James Senior was out on bail when he was killed by sharks. He sacrificed himself to save his son. They were out in a boat fishing when a storm suddenly came in. James Senior thought it was a rainsquall, but the wind was more severe than he thought. The boat was pushed by a large wave and struck a reef. The younger James—he couldn’t have been more than ten years old at the time—fell into the water. Sharks feeding on the reef began circling. James Senior, knife in hand, jumped into the water and stabbed one of the predators. Drawn by the blood, the sharks started ripping apart the wounded shark. Senior thought he saw an opportunity for both he and his son to escape. He pushed Junior ahead of him, and when he saw an opening yelled for him to swim. Senior wasn’t so lucky. A shark attacked him before he could get away from the reef. He stabbed and flailed, causing more blood to spread in the water. Young James later told the police that he turned to see his father wave at him before submerging in a sea of fins. He made it to shore because of his father’s sacrifice. James Junior bears scars from that day. One of them runs from his right eye to his neck, and there are several gashes on his body.”
Mandrago walked over to the starboard rail and threw the remaining coffee from his cup into the water. A pelican sitting on the bow of an adjacent boat, thinking the swill was fish remnants, dove into the water followed by several squawking seagulls.
Mandrago smiled.
“But the worst part, Jac, is that incident caused Junior to grow up idolizing his father. He blames the police and Gaylord for causing his mother to file for the divorce, and he blames them for his father’s arrest. Gaylord said James is purportedly the head of an organized criminal enterprise, and so far, he’s been able to avoid arrest. James despises Gaylord for what he thinks Gaylord did to his father. Gaylord is safe since the police and everyone on the island know that, if anything happens to him, Junior will be arrested. Junior threatened Gaylord when he introduced me to Chauncey.”
“Maybe that’s what’s bothering her,” offered Jac.
“Maybe. But—”
The sound of a phone playing “God Save the Queen” sang out from Mandrago’s shirt pocket.
“Mr. Kidd?” a woman’s voice inquired.
“Yes.”
“This is Chauncey Rutherford. Come right away. It’s urgent.”
“Okay. Where?”
“Meet me in the lounge at the Regency Hotel. Tell your son, Jac, I need to see him. It’s important. Hurry!”
“Chaunc—”
Click.
Mandrago looked at his phone and then at Jac. “We have to go now, Jac. She wants to see you too.”
CHAPTER 20
Dockside, Montego Bay
Aboard the Golden Adventurer
Michael turned over to read the clock and just caught himself from falling out of the top bunk. He shook his head in disbelief. He had slept for over fifteen hours. Smelling the sweet aroma of coffee, he knew he needed caffeine to dissolve the fuzz in his brain. When he found the main salon empty, he called out for his uncle and Jac, and listened for anyone moving around above him. He poured himself a mug of coffee and climbed up on deck expecting to find one of his partners, but he was alone. He leaned on the rail and looked out over the water thinking back on when he arrived in Montego Bay … and meeting Roni. She was beautiful. Her teeth, when she smiled, made him think of the slightly pink opalescent luster of perfect pearls. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. At dinner, she smiled at him when he asked questions about the facts of Abigail’s discovery. Was he imagining that she’d been flirting with him last night? He felt queasy remembering her eyes glowing greenish blue in the moonlight, like fire opals. He began to sweat.
“Hey, mon, you own this boat?”
Michael warily moved to the port side and looked down toward the dock. Staring up at him, hands on hips, were two husky black men, one with Rastafarian dreadlocks and the other with a shaved head. They were obviously waiting for an answer.
“No. Why do you ask?”
“You tell the old man—the captain—to stay away from the bookstore lady. You got that … mon?”
Remembering Mandrago had told the story of his meeting with the owner of the bookstore, and his encounter with her son, James, he answered, “I’ll be sure to tell him.”
Since both men seemed to display an attitude that signaled a warning, Michael decided not to ask why they were issuing this demand. He hesitated for a moment and asked the one question he felt might not provoke an angry response. “Who’s the message from?”
“You just be sure and tell him,” the bald man said. “He’ll know.” The two men turned and sauntered toward the road where a black sedan was waiting with its doors open.
Michael hurried to his cabin, grabbed his cell phone, and returned to the deck. He was about to dial Jac’s number when he saw a police vehicle pull in front of the black sedan, blocking it from leaving the dock. Two policemen got out of their vehicle and began an animated discussion with the men who had delivered the message. Five minutes later, the conversation ended, and one of the policemen moved the police vehicle out of the way and allowed the sedan to leave. A moment later the two policemen stood next to the boat, and one of them asked Michael if they could come aboard.
CHAPTER 21
Montego Bay Airport
The Sangster International Airport, right outside of Montego Bay, reeked from the overripe fruit that was being hawked to passengers as they cleared the customs line. Remy and Kincaid pushed their way through the crowded terminal toward baggage claim where a large muscular black man with long dreadlocks flashed a white sign with large black letters: Austin.
Through darkened windows as the car wound its way from the busy airport, Remy and Kincaid watched braided men and women competed to sell home-crafted tourist merchandise along the main street. The bald man sitting next to the driver explained that, unless they worked in the hotel, locals were not allowed through the gates of the opulent hotels along the beach side, so they waited outside for the guests who were brave enough to venture into their world.
“James Murdoch will meet you in an hour. There’s your hotel,” the driver said, turning the limo across the road and pointing toward a gold plaque set into a column at the head of a circular driveway: The Regency Hotel.
CHAPTER 22
Montego Bay Police Headquarters
Rupert Townsend, chief inspector of police in Montego Bay, pondered the information in the intelligence report. He slammed his fist to the desk, shouting, “Finally, I’ll get the little rat!”
Townsend was the only police inspector on the island of Jamaica with the prestigious credentials of Scotland Yard training. He had a fearsome reputation for honesty and fairness, and he was proud of his near-perfect record for tracking down and ferreting out criminal activity. He never yielded, knowing that even so-called smart criminals always make mistakes. And when they did, he swooped in to bring them to justice. But his record was marred by the one criminal who had eluded him for the past ten years. And, ironically, Townsend had saved this man’s life and pulled him out of the water the day his father was killed. But today, James Murdoch, you’ll be mine.
An informant had reported that Murdoch’s men had picked up two men at the airport and driven them to the Regency.
Patience is more than a virtue, Townsend thought. He turned to his desk sergeant. “I’m going to the Regency Hotel. Send me two plain-clothes for backup. Have them wait for me in the lobby.” Townsend strutted out the door to the garage, his mind assuring him, Today is the day—I feel it!
CHAPTER 23
The Regency Hotel, Montego Bay, Jamaica
Jac had insisted they come to the Regency and stand by to meet Chauncey if Jac needed them. Abigail and Roni went in to the hotel lobby and decided
they would have lunch at the hotel’s beachside restaurant.
“Roni, you get us a table. I’ll be right back,” Abigail said.
A few minutes later, Abigail walked out onto the restaurant’s verandah and found Roni at the edge of the patio, waving. She thought it strange when she saw a man at the table sitting next to Roni. As Abigail approached the table, the man stood up and smiled at her. He apologized and said he had a meeting, but would see them later. He turned and walked quickly toward the hotel. He disappeared through the door into the hotel lounge.
Roni glowed with a broad blushing smile.
“Who was that?” Abigail said.
“He came over, said hello, and asked if I was staying at the hotel. He said he’d like to buy me a drink, and he asked if I was alone. I told him I wasn’t alone.” Roni crossed her legs and looked toward the hotel door. “He said that was too bad, but when I explained that we were two single women on vacation, he ordered us drinks and said he would be back after tending to some business that wouldn’t take long.” Roni paused when a waitress set down two drinks with little umbrellas that served as skewers for three pieces of tropical fruit each.
“The gentleman took care of the bill,” the waitress said.
“He seemed nice. He’s a hunk, even with that awful scar on his face,” Roni gushed.
Alive with the sound of calypso music, the Regency Hotel Bar and Restaurant was jumping. Jac stopped at the bar’s entrance. The band was playing his favorite Bob Marley song, “No Woman No Cry.” It was all about good friends and remembering the past.
After a minute to let their eyes adjust to the dark, Jac, Peri, and Mandrago wove through the crowd. Waitresses wearing bikinis and swaying to the music served drinks in a variety of colors, each adorned by fruit pierced with plastic skewers. The beat of the calypso music and the mellow sounds of the steel drums had the large crowd waving to the rhythm. Most of the men wore Bermuda shorts and brightly colored shirts. Women of all sizes wore bikinis, and even in the dimly lit room everyone looked to have a suntan. The sound of clicking heels and the slap of flip-flops on the wooden floor kept beat to the music. A two-sided bar at the far end of the room served drinks and food to the inside crowd as well as to the customers outside on the verandah enjoying the ocean views and sunshine.
Jac smiled when a woman, standing at least six foot five and probably weighing in excess of three hundred pounds, wearing a muumuu with a large white flower, grabbed Peri’s hand and pulled him to the dance floor.
“Jac! Help me!”
“I’ll take care of this, son,” Mandrago said. He stepped onto the dance floor and tapped the shoulder of the woman who was pushing a helpless Peri around the dance floor.
She turned to Mandrago with a look that signaled she wouldn’t give Peri up without a fight.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but he has an important appointment, but I promise I will return him to you when we are through.” Mandrago smiled.
The woman smiled and gave Peri a coquettish wink.
“Peri, you dawg,” Mandrago said. “You have to stop breaking hearts everywhere we go.”
“She was very determined to have me, wasn’t she?”
They all laughed.
“There she is, back there,” Mandrago said, pointing to a neatly dressed, middle-aged woman sitting at a round table in the far corner of the large room.
Jac felt a sudden chill run through his body. He’d experienced it before, and usually listened when the sensation of apprehension signaled an impending threat. He looked around, shook his head, moved into the shadows, and found an empty table where he could observe the room. He watched as Mandrago and Peri greeted Chauncey. Peri and Mandrago looked around and at each other as if to say, Where’s Jac?
Jac’s cell phone vibrated. The display screen indicated the call was from Peri’s nephew, Michael.
“Jac? You there?”
“Michael, what’s up?” The loud music in the background made it hard to hear.
“Listen, Jac, two really big guys came by and left a message for your dad. They warned him to stay away from that bookstore lady. And right after they left, the police arrived looking for Abigail. It seems the police in Winchester, Virginia, picked up your names from the passenger manifests of the airline. The detective who called told the Montego Bay police that Abigail took some valuable church property—perhaps mistakenly—and they want her to call them to clear it up.”
“It was no mistake. Mike, what’s the name of the detective she’s supposed to call?”
“George Austin. Do you think he’s related to the guy you said threatened Abigail?”
Jac smiled. “Yeah, Peri found out about the connection when he was snooping around Winchester. George is Remy Austin’s brother. And he’s also the state homicide investigator who investigated Abigail’s mother’s death.”
“You don’t think …”
“Yeah, I do, but I can’t prove it. Give me his number.”
Jac wrote the number on a cocktail napkin while thinking, I feel it. Remy and Kincaid are in Jamaica.
“Where are you?” asked Mike.
“We’re meeting with the bookstore lady at the Regency Hotel. I’ve got to go. We’ll talk later.” Jac disconnected and stood up. It was time for him to meet Chauncey.
A door from the verandah opened, sending a stream of bright sunlight at Jac, momentarily blinding him. He stumbled against a table, sat down, and rubbed his eyes. When Jac heard the door close his eyes readjusted to the darkness, and he saw that a man in a red flowery Hawaiian shirt had entered. The man waved at the bartender and looked around the room. Even in the dim light, Jac could see the scar that covered one side of the man’s face. It dawned on Jac from his father’s description that this was probably James Murdoch, Chauncey’s son. Then another thought hit Jac as he looked toward his father sitting with Chauncey and Peri. What the hell is he doing here? Did Chauncey set us up?
James moved to the bar and was immediately greeted by a short, stocky man who said something unintelligible while shaking James’s hand. Another man, who had been sitting next to the shorter man, very tall and thin with white hair, stood up and extended his hand. Jac knew from the description Abigail had given him—it was Remy and Kincaid.
Jac sat silently watching Kincaid pick up the drinks from the bar and follow Remy and James to a nearby table. James looked around the room and stopped his gaze directly at Jac, clenched his fist, and pounded it on the table. Jac thought he had been discovered and was about to get up when James yelled out, “Damn her!”
Jac was relieved, but then he thought, It’s obvious from James’ reaction that he didn’t know his mother was here.
Mandrago introduced Peri to Chauncey and sat down. “Jac will be with us shortly,” Mandrago said, knowing Jac always had a reason for his actions. “What is it that you want with Jac?”
“I’ll be honest. I’ve done some checking,” Chauncey explained. “It isn’t every day that someone walks into my shop asking for information, especially regarding the two women pirates, Mary Read and Anne Bonney. So I made some discreet inquiries about you and your sons and found information confirming my suspicions. You’re treasure hunters.”
“I’m sorry for the deception, but you must understand this business lures many who are looking for that elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and I’m sorry to say, most have no scruples,” said Mandrago.
“Please be assured that we are not of that element,” Peri interjected.
“I know that now. Oh …” Chauncey said. She turned to look directly into Peri’s eyes, “I love to cook! I saw you on television.” But suddenly her attention was diverted. “James!” Chauncey shrieked.
Mandrago stood up and saw knuckles coming at his face—too late. He crashed backward over the top of table and fell to the floor.
“You son of a bitch! Stay away from my mot
her!” James stood scowling and waving his fist at Mandrago’s limp body.
“James!” Chauncey screamed. “What is wrong with you? What have you done?”
When Peri started to move toward James, Chauncey stepped in front of him.
No one saw Jac emerge from the darkness, tap James on the shoulder, and hit him squarely on his jaw.
James’s eyes rolled up into his head. He stumbled backward, hit his head on the edge of a table, and slumped to the floor.
“I’m so sorry,” Chauncey said, “but James deserved that.”
“Glad you finally made it, Jac,” Peri said. “Nice sucker punch!”
Mandrago struggled to stand. “Meet my son, Jac,”
“Sorry.” Jac grasped Mandrago’s arm to help him up. “Your eye is going to look like hell, Dad.”
Mandrago feigned a smile. A mound around his right eye was rising like a volcano about to erupt. “I’ll need a raw steak.”
James hadn’t moved.
Jac turned to look toward the bar. The men James had been talking to had disappeared into the crowd.
Chauncey, who had knelt to tend to her son, screamed, “He’s dead!” Blood dripped from her hand.
CHAPTER 24
When he heard the spit of a silenced gunshot, Inspector Townsend watched a well-dressed Jamaican woman at a nearby table tuck a gun into a straw beach bag, get up, and walk casually toward the door leading to the hotel lobby.
“Leaving so soon?” Townsend stood up, reached out, and firmly grabbed the woman’s arm.
Her hand strained against Townsend’s grip to get into her bag. She screamed, “Rape!” followed by several obscenities.
Townsend grabbed onto the woman’s shoulder, pushed her to the floor, and yelled, “I’m the police.” Another swift move, reminiscent of a champion rodeo cowboy tying a calf’s legs, and he had handcuffed the woman’s hands behind her back. Two plainclothes officers who had been sitting with Townsend held up their badges and told everyone to remain seated. Townsend told the men to pick the woman up from the floor.
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