Tuna Tango

by Steven Becker

  It was slow drilling through the wet pressure-treated wood, but after a few minutes the end of the bit emerged from the other side. As he was about to start work on the second pole, he heard a car drive up. He went to the door, checking the time on his phone as he went. It was still before 7, and he hoped no one had complained about the noise. That was all he needed. Shorthanded, he would need to work some extra hours to show Lance any progress.

  He walked outside and saw a truck with two men in the front seat pull up next to his. He walked over to the driver’s side and was greeted by a cigarette butt flicked from the window.

  “Hey, this is private property. Can I help you guys?”

  “We’re supposed to show up here and ask for this guy named Will. You him?” the driver said.

  “Yeah. What’s this about?”

  “Lance said we should come out here and help you.”

  Will eyed the two men. He knew he should be grateful for the help, but these guys looked like they would have a hard time walking and talking at the same time. They didn’t have the sun-worn, fit look of a carpenter or even a laborer. Both were overweight, one leaning toward obese. Their greasy hair was covered with stained ball caps and their sleeveless T-shirts did little to hide their tattoos. First-class redneck wear.

  “You guys got any experience?” he asked skeptically.

  “Got some, but Lance said we were working, and we’re here.”

  Will had to step back as the doors opened and the men emerged from the truck. He had little choice in the matter, but figured as long as they could do grunt work, they should be some help.

  “We have to wait until 7 to work around here, or the cops come. My guy should be here by then. He knows what to do up top, where you guys will be working. I’ll be underneath in the water.”

  The man that stepped out of the passenger seat grabbed a large cooler from the back of the truck and brought it to the curb where both men sat. The lid opened and they started digging through the cavernous interior, each coming out with a large pastry. At least they won’t be hungry, Will thought as he went back inside to continue drilling the poles.

  Just as he started to drill, he heard another door slam and he went back outside, hoping it was Dick. Disappointed, but not surprised, he waited as another man exited a small truck, went to the toolbox mounted on the bed, and pulled out nail bags. He put them around his waist, reached back into the box, and pulled out a framing hammer, which he set into the loop.

  Will didn’t care who he was; this man was what he needed. You could usually tell a carpenter from a yahoo when they put their bags on as soon as they got to work. He glanced back at Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, still sitting on the curb stuffing their faces, and shook his head.

  The other man walked toward him and extended his hand. “James. Heard you need some help.”

  Will wasn’t sure where he came from, but he looked like exactly what he needed. “Sure. Come on in and I’ll show you what we’re doing.” He looked over at the two men on the curb. “You, too. Let’s get to work.”

  Back inside, he finished the second hole and showed James what he had in mind. “We’re going to have to rig a block and tackle from the rafters, to lift the poles through the holes. They’ll still have to go through sideways, but it’ll help lift them.”

  James looked up at the old rafters. “Gonna need to reinforce them first. You hook that load up to a single rafter and try and lift that weight, it’ll bring down the roof.”

  Will pointed at a pile of lumber. It was nice to know there was someone that would be working up here that thought the way he did. The two rednecks were looking around the building probably for a place to nap.

  “Over here, guys. Let’s get these poles positioned while James hooks up the tackle.” They walked over to the closest pole and stood there with their hands on their hips. “Take one of those steel pipes and slide it through the hole. Then you can drag the end here.” He pointed to a spot on the floor.

  James had nailed a board across several rafters and had just finished drilling a hole in the center for an eye bolt, where the block would hang from. He climbed down the ladder and stood in front of Will. “I got it up here. You gonna work the water?”

  “Yeah. I’m going to jet the hole with this pump. You guys need to set the pole and rotate it. Should work.” He looked James in the eye. “I’m glad you’re here. Those two would probably get me killed.” Will had been around construction to know that hiring was often sketchy and sometimes you had to work with what walked in the door.

  James gave him a big grin. Will turned away and went outside to set up the dive gear and change into his wet suit. There was no sign of life on the sailboat as he sat on the seawall fitting the first stage of the regulator to the tank. With a wrench, he removed the air gauge and inflator hose from the first stage. He was not planning on using a BC in the ten-foot-deep water, and didn’t want the gauges getting in the way. The depth was fixed and his air supply would last for hours in water that shallow. The risk of the extra gear getting hung up on something was not worth the small safety factor it supplied.

  He screwed plugs into the vacant holes, turned the air on, and checked for leaks. Just as he had gotten into the three-mill wetsuit and was about to slide into the harness, he heard another car pull up.

  Hoping it was Dick, he turned around, ready to give him a piece of his mind. But it was Lance, and he wished he was in the water already so that he didn’t have to deal with him.

  Reluctantly, he stood and walked toward him. “Morning.”

  “Looks like you’re ready to get this done. I’m glad.”

  “Well, I should be thanking you for sending the help.” He looked at Lance, who was watching something over his shoulder. Wondering what had distracted him, he turned and saw Sheryl walking toward them. “Hey,” he called over to her.

  “Hey back,” she said as she approached. “Morning, Lance. Will, do you have some money so I can get some coffee and something to eat?”

  Before he could answer, Lance moved toward her. “Give me a minute to have a look around, and I’ll take you to breakfast.”

  She shrugged. “OK. Did you call anyone about Kyle?”

  “As a matter of fact, I did. A friend from Fish and Game was going to talk to the sheriff. I suspect they’ll find him pretty quick.” He turned to Will. “I’ll keep you and the other boy out of it as long as this keeps moving along.”

  The threat was not lost on him. He was about to ask Sheryl not to go, but she was already moving toward the SUV. Lance was somehow mixed up in this, he just had to figure out how. But from the way it sounded, as long as he kept working, Kyle would miraculously return.

  Once he had some cash and knew Kyle was safe, he could try and do something.

  ***

  “You really think your friend is going to get him back?” Sheryl asked. They sat across from each other at a restaurant overlooking the water. She felt a little Machiavellian sitting there with him. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, certainly applied to this meeting.

  Lance sipped his coffee. “Good chance. But never mind that. I see you stayed on Will’s boat last night.”

  She didn’t know what to think about that statement. Was he hitting on her, or just making conversation? She’d given him nothing to be jealous about. The suspicion that he was involved in this more than he let on still unsettled her, but despite his aggressive behavior yesterday, as long as they stayed in a public place, she felt safe.

  Why not play a little, she thought, maybe get some info out of him.

  “Yeah, but not like that. I had a couple glasses of wine and didn’t want to drive. I don’t have to work until Thursday night.”

  He continued to eat. Finally he put down the fork, wiped his face, and pushed the plate away. “I can give you a ride home, if you want.”

  She hadn’t thought of that. They had used Kyle’s car yesterday, and Will might need the truck. Still mad about him spending money on the sai
lboat and not putting it toward a car for her, she had to put the anger aside and think of Kyle. If she took the truck and Will needed materials, it would slow down the job. And that might keep Lance from finding Kyle.

  No matter what happened with her and Will, she wouldn’t be responsible for that happening. “That would be great, if you don’t mind.”

  “No trouble. I have a couple of stops to make on the beach before I can take you, but if you don’t mind riding along, I’ll drop you afterward.”

  “Sure. I don’t have any plans.”

  They finished their coffee and Lance paid the check. She cringed as he put his hand on her shoulder and they walked through the door into the parking lot. Back in the SUV, he pulled out of the lot and headed north on Gulf Boulevard. Half watching where they were going and half watching the beach, she missed the street name as he turned right and then made a quick left. He pulled up in front of a house across from the water with a dock across the street. She looked over and thought the boat looked familiar.

  “Want to wait here for a minute?” he said as he got out of the SUV, leaving it running so she could use the air conditioning.

  She nodded and reached into her back pocket for her phone. It wasn’t there, and she had to think for a few minutes before she remembered that Dick had it. Anxiety took hold of her as she realized her safety blanket was gone, and thought about bailing out of the truck and walking back to the fish house.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when Lance came back out of the house. He walked to the SUV, but instead of getting in the driver’s side, he went around to the passenger door and opened it. Without asking he grabbed her arm, pulled her from the vehicle, and walked her across the street to the house.

  “You could at least ask.” She squirmed in his grip, but it was too tight to break away.

  “Just behave, if you want the boy back unharmed.”

  They walked side by side into the garage and through the door to the house. He pushed her down the hallway and into the living room, where a large man sat. “This is George. He’s going to take care of you for a little while.”

  “What are you talking about?” She fought his grasp.

  “Well, look what we have here,” George said as he approached, his belly reaching her before he did. “You’re Will’s old lady. That’ll get some work out of him.” He put a large hand on her shoulder and turned to Lance. “Take the boy back. At least he can help get the job done. This nice young lady will be my guest for a while.”

  “Did you say Will?” A girl walked into the room wearing a bathrobe, her blonde hair disheveled. She sat next to George. “You know that idiot?”

  Sheryl just stared at her, wondering where this was going.

  “Bastard almost killed me in that stupid boat of his. Owes me ten grand.” She turned to George. “You gonna take care of that for me, baby?”

  He jerked his head as if he understood.

  “What the hell is she talking about?” Sheryl screamed.

  Chapter 18

  Will was in the water when he heard the sound of an engine that sounded much closer than the other boats that had been passing by on the intracoastal waterway all morning. It sounded small, but from the vibration of the propeller, he knew it was close. He popped his head out of the water and saw the aluminum skiff pull up to one of the outside pilings. Seconds later, he heard a large splash, and the engine rev as it increased speed and pulled away.

  It was almost noon and he had been happy with the progress his new crew had made. It was comforting having James above supervising Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and Dick had finally showed up around an hour ago. He knew he should have been more upset with him, but he was actually grateful that he was all right. The first piling had taken several hours to set, but now that the procedure was refined, the second pile was going in quickly. If they could continue at this pace, they could start to set the beam later today.

  Just as he was about to drop down again, he heard something big moving in the water nearby. He sensed it was closing in on him, and remembered the fish carcass still in the water. Suspecting a shark, he lifted himself out of the water and clung to the platform.

  “Hey!” a voice yelled.

  Will turned toward the sound and took off his mask. His peripheral vision restored, he saw it was a man in the water. As it moved closer, he recognized Kyle. He let loose the line tying the platform to a nearby piling, and quickly moved toward him. Kyle was exhausted, flailing in the water as Will approached. He reached for the kid’s arm and started to pull him onto the surface of the platform, but the raft shot out from under him every time he pulled.

  “My feet are tied,” Kyle said as he set both elbows on the plywood and caught his breath. “Just give me a minute and let me catch my breath.”

  Will couldn’t see his feet in the murky water, but knew he wouldn’t be able to haul him onboard without help. “Are you hurt?”

  “No. I’m good.”

  “Just hold on. I’ll pull us out of here,” Will said as he started to pull against the floor joists. When they were out in the open, he tied the rig to the pier by the seawall and hopped into the knee-deep water. With his dive knife, he reached down and felt for the bond holding Kyle’s legs together, and cut through the tie. They both walked toward the seawall and pulled themselves out of the water.

  “You sure you’re ok?

  “Yeah. Those guys were jerks, but I’m fine. Where’s Dick?”

  “Dick!” Will yelled.

  A few minutes later, Dick appeared. “Dude.” He went to Kyle and nodded. “What the fuck happened to you?”

  “Can I get out of here and get some water or something?” Kyle asked as he rose to his feet and walked toward the building.

  “Sure, whatever you need.” Will said as he followed him inside. Kyle went to the water jug, set his head underneath the spigot, and drank deeply. Several drafts, later he was ready to talk.

  “Not much to say. We went on this boat ride and they were fishing. Caught another of those monster bluefin and then lost one. Then they tangled the line in the prop. I swear they were going to kill me until I got the line off and they were all buddy-buddy and shit. After that they kept me in this bedroom of what looked like a real nice house. Cable TV and all.”

  “Did they say why they let you go?” Will asked.

  “They said to tell you to keep up the good work,” Kyle said. “That you would know what he meant.”

  “We know it was George. He must have had you at his house,” Will said.

  “Any idea what he did with the fish?” Dick jumped in.

  “Nah. I think they dropped it somewhere after they dumped me off. They had a bandana covering my eyes like it was some top secret place.”

  “Why don’t you two catch up. I’ll let the guys inside know what they need to do next,” Will said, and walked away.

  “There’s one more thing,” Kyle said.

  Will turned and walked back.

  “I heard Sheryl’s voice talking to them outside the room right before they took me out. I don’t think it was a good conversation, either.”

  “Shit,” Will said, and went inside. The three men were sitting on a pile of lumber taking a break. “You guys can take off. Come back tomorrow morning, though.” He was too distracted to work.

  ***

  “You have a plan for her?” George asked. “All’s I know is we better keep these two cats apart, before one of them gets scratched. I wouldn’t mind seeing them go at it, though, if you know what I mean.”

  “It’s just leverage. Give him back the boy so he knows nothing bad’s going to happen to her. If the kid’s pot-soaked brain can remember the message, he’ll understand.”

  “Understand this. We got a run of big-ass fish going on out there, and without the fish house for a drop-off point, it gets really dicey. I got nowhere to take them without being seen. I was starting to get worried about the freezer and then look what happens.” He pointed to his head. “George knows.” />
  “Just keep her here for a day or two and we can deal with Will and the kids. James is a good hand. He’ll figure out how they’re doing the work soon enough.”

  “I’m going out again tomorrow night. I’m telling you, I haven’t seen them this thick in years.”

  “Keep the girl here, and remember that this is bigger than a few fish. It’s a long-term solution. Once that building is safe and the city is off our backs, it’s perfect. The fish come in under the building out of sight and are processed before they go out the front door with the Federal Express truck waiting to take them to Japan.”

  “Yeah, I know. And a nice fish is pulling twenty large right now,” George said.

  “Let them work all day tomorrow. I’ll talk to James tonight.” Lance moved toward the door. “Stay with the plan. You run this off the tracks and I’ll cut you out.” He looked over at Sheryl and Jazmyn. “And keep those women apart.”

  ***

  Will went back to the sailboat after locking the building. The new guys had been upset about not getting an eight-hour day, but he promised them a full day’s pay for getting so much done. He picked up the phone and scrolled to his favorites screen, where he hit Sheryl’s name. The phone rang, but a male voice answered.

  “Dick?”

  “Dude, she gave me the phone. I forgot to give it back.” He set it on the bench.

  “Never mind.” Will hung up and started to think. Lance’s involvement in this was a sure thing now - but where was Sheryl? It was too much of a coincidence that she had gone to breakfast with him and was now at George’s - but why? And he’d as much as said that Kyle would be released if they got work done. Maybe the police were the best option.

  He locked up the boat and went down the dock to his truck. It started and he entered the St Petersburg police station into his map app while he waited for the air conditioning to cool the interior. A pin dropped and he hit start. The directions showed on the screen and he pulled out of the parking lot.