"I don't know. Nora said she was going to die anyway — Kelley planned to kill her for some other reason, so they just used her."
"But you recognized her voice when she spoke to you in that hotel room; you said she was Nora."
"Yes. Nora was in an adjacent room with a transmitter. They had a receiver and a speaker in the bag that was over the woman's head. So I heard Nora's voice, thought it was coming from the woman."
Mary frowned and shook her head. "They wasted her as part of a ruse. Bastards. I'm glad I killed the three of them. Wish I could have shot your friend Nora, in the bargain."
"Hold that thought. We'll get to her before this is over, but there's more."
"Did you find somebody who could decrypt the files?"
"I sent them off this morning; no news on that yet. There was a small distraction." I told Mary about my conversations with Aaron Sanchez, leaving out the part about Phorcys.
"She told them you had gone rogue?"
"It doesn't surprise me. Aaron couldn't tell me how the others reacted. They're compartmentalized. That makes it tough for rumors to circulate."
"If the organization's so compartmentalized, how do you know this Aaron person?"
"Years ago, she got him to call me and give me a briefing on a target. I recognized his voice. We go way back, to before either of us joined Nora's agency."
"Way back? You trust him?"
"Yeah. Aaron and I were in the Army together, in the same unit. We were part of a 12-person team that was sent into a certain Middle-Eastern country 22 years ago. The whole thing was super-secret. It's still under wraps."
"Was that when you were missing in action? When your wife divorced you?"
"Yes. I was listed as missing in action in a different country; that was part of the cover for our mission. Aaron was our intelligence officer, and my second in command. He was captured by the local secret police while he was working a source."
"And he escaped?"
"Yes. With a little help."
"Your help? You saved him?"
"So he says. I just did what I do; I killed a few bad people."
"How did you go from there to Nora's group?"
"Back then, it wasn't yet Nora's group. But the person running it recruited me. My job didn't change much, but the working conditions were better."
"Better how?"
"I could live like a normal human; sleep indoors in a bed, eat regular food. Didn't have to worry as much about getting my throat cut in the desert. That kind of thing."
"And they recruited your friend Aaron, too?"
"Yes. We were out of touch for years, until that telephone briefing. We didn't get much chance to compare notes until the last few days. When we talked before, it was strictly mission-focused. Neither of us let anybody else know we knew one another. We could slip in a few references to shared experiences every so often, but that was the extent of our conversations."
"What changed?"
"I called him to see if he knew any more about Nora."
"I'm fascinated, Finn. This is like spy-movie stuff." Mary nudged my leg under the table and winked. "So, what did he say?"
"About Nora? Only that she put out the word that I was a rogue agent. He knew that was horse shit. I asked him if he could find out how she learned about Abby. He knew about that whole situation from when we were deployed together."
"And?"
"And as best we could tell before he got fired, somebody got my Army records, which were supposed to be off limits to everybody but God."
"Aaron got fired?"
"It's a long story. Short version is somebody got wind of his request and both of our files from back then disappeared, like they never existed."
"But how could he do that, anyway? Get his hands on the files, I mean."
"It's what Aaron does. He knows people, cultivates relationships. A buddy of his worked in the department that handles the security for records like those. Somebody who owed him a favor."
"Another member of your Army unit?"
"No. Aaron told me all those people died on a mission right after he was transferred to what's now Nora's team."
"All they did was fire him? I'm surprised they let him out alive."
"Oh, they gave him an attractive retirement package."
"Why would they do that, Finn? It doesn't make sense. You two could bring them all down."
"Which is exactly why they did it. They're trying to give him a false sense of security. They got their hands on our old military records and discovered the connection between us. They already knew I asked him how they found out about my daughter. They figure he'll lead them to me. Then they'll kill us both."
"You're not talking to him anymore, are you?"
"Sure. Aaron and I are better at this than they are. We're both experienced field operatives. We're up against a bunch of desk jockeys like Nora. Black-hearted and evil, but they never broke a fingernail, let alone anybody's bones. Aaron's lining up somebody to decrypt the files right now. And he's the one I call when I need information about almost anything."
"But he must have been cut off from their data sources."
"I asked him about that. Seems that they're his sources. As Aaron put it, all that information is just data, sitting there. It's not their data. It's there for the taking, if you know where to look and who to ask."
"Where are you going with this whole Nora thing, Finn?"
"I'm going to kill her. I haven't worked out the details yet, and I want to make sure we get as much information out of her and her cronies as we can. But once I've done that, she'll die."
"I'm in."
"I know that. Thanks. You said you had news, too. Your turn."
"Let's get our groceries and go back to the boat. We need the laptop; I've got stuff on a thumb drive. It'll go faster if we can look at it while we talk. Besides, I've missed you; we need some private time."
"Yes, ma'am. Groceries and Island Girl, coming up."
11
I tied the dinghy to Island Girl's midship cleat and climbed aboard. Mary sat in the dinghy and passed the bags of groceries up to me. I plopped them down on the side deck.
Taking the last bags she gave me back to the cockpit, I examined the drop boards before I unlocked the companionway. My telltale piece of monofilament line was gone. Someone came aboard while I was in Guánica.
I put the groceries down and turned to intercept Mary. By then, she was on the side deck, picking up two of the bags we piled there. Taking them from her, I set them on the coachroof and put my arms around her.
"Welcome home," I said, as she melted into my hug.
"Mm, I've missed you," she said, her head on my shoulder.
I put my lips close to her ear and whispered, "I've missed you, too. But somebody's been aboard since I left. Don't say anything you wouldn't want them to overhear, okay?"
She nodded and spoke in a normal tone. "Let's get this stuff put away, then we can celebrate our reunion."
"Okay." I kept my voice low. "Entertain yourself in the cockpit until I clear the area below. Sort the groceries, or something."
She nodded and gave me another kiss.
Taking a step back, I retrieved the two bags of groceries from the coachroof. I took them back to the cockpit, putting them next to the ones I left there a minute before. Leaving Mary to bring the rest of our groceries back, I put my key in the padlock and opened the companionway, setting the drop boards in the cockpit.
After a quick look around below deck, I could tell whoever boarded Island Girl searched her. They were good; there weren't any obvious signs of things being disturbed, but I left a few items deliberately out of place — things that I remembered to check. A folded shirt that wasn't quite aligned with the rest in the stack, that kind of thing. Nothing was out of place. They put things back more neatly than I left them. That gave them away.
Since I took the laptop and my phones ashore with me, there wasn't much for them to find. I opened the lid of the chart tabl
e and took out the stack of paper nautical charts, setting them aside. Far in the back of the chart storage area, there was a ten-inch-square opening in the bottom. It was concealed by a carefully matched piece of plywood, which I levered up with a fingernail.
Everything I kept in the hidden compartment — mostly the new electronics — was intact. I took out my bug detector and went over the entire area below deck, checking for listening devices or video cameras. Finding none, I picked up another scanner designed to spot GPS tracking devices. I got a hit against the underside of the coachroof, just forward of the mast.
"Okay," I called. "Come on down."
"Find anything?" Mary asked, as she backed down the companionway ladder.
"Yes. A GPS tracker. No audio or video bugs. We're probably clean that way, but I'll check above deck later, just to be sure. Meanwhile, we'll just speak softly down here. Don't say anything private on deck until I clear it."
"You think they would bug the outside and not the inside?"
"Better safe than sorry," I said, shrugging. "Probably not. But they're likely to be watching us, too. If they are, a parabolic mike wouldn't be a big surprise."
"Why do you think they're watching us?"
"The boat was clean when I brought her in last night. I didn't go ashore until this morning, so they searched her and put the tracker on while I was in Guánica. These people were good; they would have had a lookout ashore to warn the boarding party if I started to come back."
"But you can't see Island Girl from town. That point of land is in the way."
"Right. But they could have a lookout anywhere along the shoreline of the cove. That's park land to the north of us; it's public."
She nodded. "What did you ever do with the tracker Frankie's people put aboard when we were in Bequia, anyway? You mentioned it earlier."
"Stuck it on a random charter boat in St. Martin the other day when I was there."
She chuckled. "So they know you were there."
"If anybody's still tracking that one. There's a good chance everybody who knew about it is dead."
She smiled. "We can hope. How about your friend Nora? Think she knew?"
"Maybe. I figure she was a step or two removed from Frankie and O'Hanlon, though, so maybe not. It's possible Kelley told her about it. I'm not sure why she would have cared, though. Back then, she could track me using that special satellite phone she gave me. But that's why I put that tracker on the charter boat. Just in case somebody's watching it. Never miss a chance to confuse the enemy."
"What do you think we should do about this one?"
"The tracker? I don't know. They already know we're here, so it doesn't matter until we leave Bahia Guánica. I think we should take our time deciding what to do with it. You haven't told me your news, yet. Or your plans."
"No, I need to do that. But there's something else that's more compelling right now."
"What's that?"
"You sure they can't hear us, or see what we're doing?"
"Not below deck, they can't. Why?"
"I'll show you," she said, giving me a steamy look as she sauntered into the forward cabin. "Come with me, sailor."
"Is there any way I can persuade you to keep the fire burning for a little longer?" I asked.
"What?" Her look changed from steamy to stormy.
"You're making it tough, but we need to haul ass out of here, Mary."
The stormy look faded into a frown. "Why? This seems like such a peaceful spot."
"Yes, except we know we have company here, remember? Whoever planted the tracker probably saw me meet you in town."
"You think they might come after us? Here?"
"Yes. If we give them time to assemble a team. And I don't like this spot, given that they know we're aboard. We're surrounded by land. It would be easy for somebody to sneak up on us."
"Well, shit! You really know how to take the wind out of a girl's sails, Finn."
"You can't imagine how sorry I am. I — "
"No. It's okay. I know you're right. Let's get moving. Take a rain check?"
"You bet. Once we're offshore…"
12
Twenty minutes later, we were motoring out of the Bahia Guánica channel. Mary raised the sails while the headlands were blocking the wind. She sheeted them in to keep them from flogging and sat down beside me.
"Thanks for humoring me," I said.
She smiled. "Thanks for not being blinded by lust like some people we know."
"It wasn't easy to pass up your offer, lady. Thanks for being good-natured about it. I'm just trying to make sure I have you around for a long time."
"It's not just me. You're on their hit list, too."
"Oh, sure. I know way too much, so they're going to try to nail me. Not until I lead them to Aaron, though. Or vice versa. But there's no reason for them to wait to grab you. They were probably figuring on trailing me until I connected with you," I said.
She smiled and nodded. "You could be right."
"You know I am. What they're really after is you and your files, remember? I'm just bait, for now. They might figure on knocking me out and taking you — come after me and Aaron later. You're their big problem. We don't want to hang around in places where they might be tempted to snatch you. That's why I wanted to get moving before they get their act together."
"Right," she said. "But now you've got me worried, too. There's still the tracker. Just leaving's not enough; they can follow us. Unless you're thinking of getting rid of it."
"Not getting rid of it, no."
"But why not? Why keep it aboard?"
"At some point, we may want them to find us. We can use it to lead them into a trap where we'll have the upper hand."
"But if we leave it alone, they could pick us off anytime," she said.
"I'm not planning to leave it alone."
"You've lost me, Finn."
I grinned. "I'm thinking of diddling with it."
"What?"
"Using some of the exotic electronic gear I bought." I waved my hands and wiggled my fingers, like a magician about to pull a coin from thin air. "I can scramble the tracker's little brain, make it tell them whatever we want."
"You're serious?"
"Absolutely."
"Wow! Cool! But Finn?"
"What?"
"I'm game, but where will we go?"
"We'll check out some of those uninhabited islands you wanted to see."
"What about reprogramming the tracker? When?"
"Soon. After we're far enough out so we don't raise their suspicions, in case they're watching."
"I'm glad to be back with you, Finn."
"And I'm glad you're back."
We were about to clear the headlands; I could feel the wind picking up.
"Take the tiller while I ease the sheets?" I asked.
We traded places, and I gradually let out the sheets as the sails filled. In a minute or two, I bent down to the instrument panel and shut off the diesel.
"That's better. It's nice to be sailing again," she said.
"One of the best parts of living like this," I said.
"Not to nag, but where are you taking me, skipper?"
"Have you done any research on those uninhabited islands?" I asked, with a smile. "Got one in mind?"
"No. No time for that until now. I'm at your mercy. You must have somewhere you're thinking about."
"Yep. Isla de Aves."
"Bird Island. Where is it?"
"Around 240 miles east-southeast. Maybe 150 miles west of the northern Leewards. Sits out there all by itself."
"How big is it?"
"Not very big. A few hundred yards long. Less than 100 yards wide. Got some big reefs out to the east, to break the swell. The highest point's maybe 10 or 12 feet above sea level. It's just big enough to have a decent anchorage on the west side."
"There's nothing there?"
"Birds. And the ruins of a marine science laboratory from the '70s, maybe."
"
Maybe?"
"Not sure what the last season's storms may have done to it."
"Whose laboratory was it?"
"Venezuela's. They own the island, more or less."
"More or less?"
"Oh, the ownership's been contested over the years. I'm not sure where it stands, right now. The island itself isn’t worth arguing about, except that it would expand the territorial waters of whatever country it belongs to. And there may be oil and gas under the seabed in the area."
"Does Venezuela patrol it, or anything? Will we have to clear in?"
"In theory, we should get permission from the Venezuelan Navy to go there. But given the present situation in Venezuela, I don't think they're likely to know or care. If they show up, they'll probably give us a little grief, but nothing that cold hard cash won't fix. Or maybe cold beers, depending on who's in charge. But I doubt we'll see anybody, Navy or otherwise."
"You've been there?"
"Yes, once. Just out of curiosity."
"Anything interesting?"
"No, not really, unless you're a serious bird-watcher."
"Sounds perfect. Just what I had in mind."
She was quiet for several seconds, watching two seagulls swooping along in the slipstream from our sails.
"And what are you going to tell the tracker to report?" she asked, when the birds left.
"I thought the Bahamas. Maybe the Out Islands. There are lots of uninhabited islands there, too. Most of them, in fact. We can keep those people busy chasing phantoms for a good while up there. And the best part is that it's the opposite way from where we're going — maybe 500 miles in the wrong direction."
"So, by the time they figure out what's happening, we'll be far, far away," Mary said, grinning.
"That's the plan."
"I like it. How long will it take you to 'diddle' it?"
"I don't know. I should probably go get started; I've got to cope with a learning curve. By the time I figure out what I'm doing, we should be far enough out. You okay to steer for a while? Just keep us headed roughly south, for now."
"Sure. Once you finish, I'll cook us some supper."
13
Sitting at the chart table, I studied the thick manual for the GPS spoofing device. The setup was more complicated than I expected. I plotted a route with latitude and longitude waypoints. By running a simulation at a specified boat speed using the navigation software in my laptop, I generated a data set that included waypoints and time/date stamps. I uploaded that data to the spoofer device.
Vigilantes and Lovers Page 4