Cam Derringer Box Set

by Mac Fortner

  ~*~

  I pulled up in front of Jenny’s house and shut off the engine. I could see her in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove. Watching her doing such a domestic act, I wondered how she could possibly be connected to any of this. Maybe she wasn’t.

  She turned, looked out the window and saw me. She smiled and waved.

  I waved back and opened the car door as if I had just arrived. She met me at the door. We hugged, and I kissed her, taking in the fragrance of her perfume.

  She was wearing a very short white dress. Her tanned legs were quite shapely. The only other thing she had on, as far as I could tell, was a very expensive looking pair of diamond earrings. She was heart stopping.

  “Are you okay, Cam?”

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry for staring, but you look absolutely exquisite.”

  “Why, thank you. You look quite fetching yourself,” she said, again in her southern drawl.

  The house smelled magnificent. The aroma of Italian sauces mixed with her perfume perked my taste buds to the utmost. It made me hungry for dinner, and for her.

  “I brought reinforcements this time,” I said, presenting the bottle of wine.

  “The opener is in the dining room. I have some stirring to do,” she said, pointing to the table.

  A white tablecloth adorned it, beautiful crystal wine glasses and alabaster plates with gold trim set intimately at one end.

  “You have a beautiful house,” I said. When I’d walked her to the door the last time, I had only been able to see into the living room.

  “Thank you. I haven’t had much time to decorate the way I would like to, but it will do for now.”

  I poured the wine and took the two glasses into the kitchen. I handed her one, we clinked them and took a sip.

  “Wow, this is marvelous,” she said.

  “It used to be my favorite,” I said, a little sadly.

  “Thank you for sharing it with me then,” she said, clinking her glass to mine.

  “It wouldn’t be the same, drinking it alone.”

  We kissed softly and then stared into each other’s eyes. She finally broke away, back to her stove and her stirring. “You’re going to make me burn this,” she said. “Go have a seat; it will be ready in a flash.”

  It was. I poured more wine while she set the dishes on the table.

  “It smells fantastic.”

  “Thank you. It’s an old family recipe,” she said.

  We ate and made small talk. It was delicious. She then asked me if I had heard from Jack yet.

  “No, I haven’t. I’m quite worried about him. It’s not like him to be gone this long.”

  “I’m sure he will turn up. From what you’ve told me, he might just be with a girlfriend, holed up somewhere,” she said, placing her hand on my arm.

  “I hope so,” and wondered if she knew more than she was letting on.

  We finished our wine, and she said, “I hope you don’t think I’m being rude, but I have an early day tomorrow. I’m going to Miami to look at a boat. It sounds promising.”

  “Great. What kind of boat is it?” I asked.

  “Fifty-foot Sea Ray,”

  “Sweet.”

  “Yeah, I hope,”

  I helped her move the dishes to the kitchen, and she walked me to the door. I was a little disappointed to leave so early. I had finally realized it was time to resume my life. I had hoped that maybe tonight would have a different ending.

  “Good luck with the boat,” I said. “Call me when you get back.”

  “I will. And don’t worry about Jack. He’ll be okay.”

  I left, wondering how she knew Jack would be “Okay.”

  Chapter 23

  At ten o’clock, Jenny pulled her forty-foot Baha into the dock at the boss’s house. Ronnie was waiting for her.

  “Right on time, sweetheart,” he said.

  “Let’s get this over with.”

  Jenny stayed with the boat while Ronnie went inside the house. He returned with Jack, who was blindfolded, gagged and with his hands bound behind him.

  “Help me get him into the boat,” he said to Jenny.

  She grabbed Jack by the arm and pulled while Ronnie pushed. Jack wasn’t going to go easily.

  Once on the boat, Ronnie hit him on the head hard enough to knock him out. Jack slumped to the floor.

  “Take it easy, Ronnie. You don’t want to kill him before we can find out where those pictures are.”

  “Let’s go,” Ronnie said, roughly.

  Jenny eased the boat out of the canal and into the bay. Once clear of the no-wake area, she opened the boat up.

  It was another star-filled night. There was a full moon that allowed them to see the deck of the boat without any lights. Jack was starting to move.

  Ronnie was busy tying a concrete block to one of his ankles.

  “There ya go, buddy. That should hold you down.”

  He removed the blindfold from Jack’s face. Jack looked down and saw the block. He kicked at it, trying to remove it, panic on his face.

  “It ain’t going nowhere,” Ronnie said, “not unless you start talking. If you do, I’ll take it off and let you go.”

  Jack tried to talk, but the gag made it impossible. Ronnie pulled it out of his mouth.

  “What?” Ronnie said.

  “Screw you,” Jack said and spat in his face.

  Ronnie backhanded him, knocking him back down. Jack looked at him and laughed.

  “You’re all over those pictures. You’re going to fry,” Jack said, a new flow of blood running from the corner of his mouth.

  “Just let him be, Ronnie. We’ll be there soon,” Jenny said.

  Jack turned and looked at her as if he’d just realized there was another person on the boat.

  “You,” he said. “Why are you doing this?”

  “It’s what I do,” she said. “Things will go a lot smoother if you tell us where the pictures are.”

  “No way, bitch. You’re in them too. Maybe they’ll give you two a cell together.”

  Jenny slowed the boat. “We’re here,” she said.

  “Well, Jack, your ride is over. I’ll have to cancel your ticket now,” Ronnie said and laughed.

  “Help me with him,” he said to Jenny.

  “No. I’m not going to do this part. It’s all you.”

  Jenny busied herself flipping switches and scanning the ocean for any visitors.

  “What’s all the noise?” Ronnie said, hearing a hum.

  “Pumping the bilges,” Jenny replied. “We don’t want to sink out here.”

  Ronnie pulled Jack to the side of the boat. He threw the block over first. It banged the side of the boat.

  “Hey, easy on the boat!” Jenny yelled.

  “If you would help me instead of acting busy, it wouldn’t have happened.”

  Jack was trying to fight Ronnie, but the ropes held his hands tight behind him.

  “Any last words?” Ronnie said.

  Jack looked at Jenny. “Please don’t do this.”

  “Take a big breath and hold it as long as you can. This will be over with soon,” Jenny said.

  With that, Ronnie lifted Jack and dropped him over the side. They heard the splash.

  “So long, buddy,” Ronnie said.

  He turned back to Jenny. “That was fun, wasn’t it? Now, why don’t we have a little fun ourselves?”

  He moved toward her. Jenny pulled a gun and pointed it at him.

  “I don’t think so, Ronnie.”

  “Oh, you wouldn’t shoot me. I just want to have some fun,” he said and moved toward her again.

  Chapter 24

  Jenny pulled the Baha up to the dock for the second time that night.

  She shut it off and tied it to the dock, dreading the conversation that was to come.

  The lights were on in the house, so she walked to the back door and knocked. A noise behind her startled her. She turned to see the boss standing there.

  “Where’s Ronni
e?” he said.

  She jumped. He was holding a gun. At least it wasn’t pointed at her.

  “You have anything to drink?” Jenny said.

  They went inside. Jenny was uneasy and needed that drink.

  The boss went to the bar and poured them both a scotch.

  “I don’t think I’m going to like what you have to say,” he said.

  “No, probably not.”

  He just stared at her, waiting for her to speak.

  “After we dropped Jack over the side, Ronnie thought we should have a celebration. I didn’t agree with him. One thing led to another, and I shot him in the head and threw him over the side with Jack. I didn’t have any choice. I’m sorry,” she said, solemnly, bowing her head slightly.

  “Did you tie a block to his ankle?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  Juba just stared at her for a moment. He then started laughing.

  “I never did like that son of a bitch. I could just imagine him doing what you said. I bet he was surprised when you pulled that trigger.”

  Jenny was relieved. She had dreaded telling him.

  “He was. And so was I.”

  “Well, I’m sure he had it coming. I’m sorry I put you in that situation.”

  “Thank you. I was afraid you would be mad.”

  “No, not really,” he said and fixed them both another drink.

  “I think you are going to prove to be a real asset. You are now officially taking Ronnie’s place.”

  “Thanks again,” Jenny said with relief in her voice. This might be the break she was looking for.

  Chapter 25

  My cell phone rang early the next morning. Picking it up, I read the caller ID and smiled. It had been too long.

  “Chad, to what do I owe this pleasant surprise?”

  “Hey, Cam, how the hell have you been?”

  Chadwick Kendall had been my college roommate and fraternity brother. I hadn’t talked to him for about a year now.

  “I’ve been doing great,” I lied. “Are you still practicing in New York?”

  “As a matter of fact, I am, but I left Canner and James and opened my own law firm.”

  “Great, congratulations,” I said, feeling like a bit of a failure but still happy for Chad.

  “Are you sitting down? I have some great news,” Chad said, excitement in his voice.

  “You mean it gets better?”

  “Sure does.”

  “Okay, shoot,” I said, sitting down.

  “Well, I need an associate to work for me, someone I can trust and count on. I thought it over and decided you were the only man for the job.”

  I went silent. I had lost my license to practice law. I know I told Chad about it when it happened.

  “Before you get tongue-tied, I have even better news. I made a deal with the board committee, who needed a favor. If you come and work for me for one year and prove yourself to be, uh, let’s say reformed, you will be reinstated and get your license back.”

  I couldn’t be sure I heard that right. I can get my license back? No way.

  “Cam, are you there?”

  “Yeah, I’m here. Are you serious?”

  “Sure am. What do you say? I have a great office for you, and I’m sure you’ll be a partner in a couple of years.”

  “Wow,” is all I could say.

  “Yes, wow is right. It’s a second chance. Not everyone gets one of those.”

  “That’s quite an opportunity you’re proposing. Are you sure they will give me my license back?”

  “Yep, we have a deal. If they back out they will be the big losers.”

  “When do you want me to come and meet with you?” I asked, my head spinning a bit.

  “I’ll consider this our meeting. All you have to do is say yes.”

  I thought it over for a minute. “I’ll have to get back to you tomorrow. That’s a big move for me. I would have to leave Key West and live in New York. They are the complete opposite of each other.”

  “Yes, they are. New York, of course, being the more exciting of the two.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. It’s been pretty exciting around here lately,” I said, thinking of all that’s happened in the last few weeks.

  “Well, think it over and call me tomorrow. I hope you decide to take me up on it. It will be good being together again. And don’t forget, you’ll get your license back to boot.”

  “Alright, thanks, Chad. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Chad hung up the phone and turned to the two FBI agents standing in his office.

  “Is that what you wanted?” he asked them.

  Chapter 26

  I watched Diane walking toward me, her flip-flops beating a steady rhythm on the wooden dock which vibrated slightly at her steps. She looked magnificent in her shorts and t-shirt. She reminded me of Malinda in her younger days. Always so vibrant and full of life. How could I ever leave Diane? She was just like the daughter I never had.

  “Hey, Cam,” Diane said. “Why the serious look?”

  I guess I was staring at her.

  “Just thinking,” I said.

  “Oh, trying something new, huh?”

  “Funny,” I said. “You bring me breakfast?”

  “Of course; its Sunday isn’t it?” and she held up the sack she was carrying and shook it.

  For years, we’d never missed a Sunday breakfast together. It was a time for us to talk serious and ponder on the week we’d had. Sometimes we actually came up with solutions to our problems.

  “I’ll get the milk,” I said.

  I went to the galley and got a carton from the refrigerator and two glasses from the cabinet. When I returned to the patio, Diane had the plates I had set out earlier, filled with two huge Chocolate cinnamon honeybuns.

  “Um, Um,” I said. “I think those are bigger than last week’s.”

  “Barry said he held them back for me,” Diane said and giggled. “I think he’s going to ask me out when he gets the courage.”

  “Well, if you turn him down, go easy on him. I wouldn’t want to lose this benefit.”

  We each took a minute to tear off a bite of the rolls and stuff them in our mouths. We smiled at each other and then sipped our milk.

  “My favorite meal,” Diane said.

  “I’d do it every day, but then it wouldn’t be special.”

  “So, what big dilemma do you want to challenge today?” she asked me.

  I didn’t want to tell her about my offer, but I’d vowed never to hold anything back from her. She did the same, and our relationship has been very strong because of it.

  “Let’s eat first,” I mumbled through a chocolate filled mouth.

  It was another beautiful morning. We both sat and looked out at the gulf while we ate.

  “You know,” I said, “there is nothing to look at out there, but you can’t help but stare. What is it with a large body of water that makes you look?”

  “It’s the nothingness. It frees your mind’s eye to see what you want to see without everything else getting in the way.”

  “Well, aren’t you deep this morning,” I mused.

  She laughed and then turned and stared again.

  “But you know, I think you’re right,” I said.

  We finished our rolls in quietness, neither one of us taking our eyes off the water.

  Diane presently got up and took the plates and glasses to the kitchen and then returned and sat down. She placed her chin on her folded hands, elbows on the table, and stared into my eyes.

  “What’s on your mind?” she asked.

  “Really,” I said. “You can tell?”

  “I always know.”

  “Okay, here goes.”

  I told her about my conversation with Chad.

  “Cam, that’s great. You can practice again,” she said, excitedly.

  “Maybe, but is that really a big deal. I’m happy here, and I have everything I need. New York would be a rat race.”

  “You know how
much you loved being a lawyer. You couldn’t wait to get up in the morning and start the day.”

  “Yeah, but this is pretty good too.”

  “Are you just worried about leaving me? Because if you are, I can come and visit you once in a while, and you can come here too. I even have some free time coming up. I’ll help you get settled in,” Diane said, trying to coax Cam into taking the job.

  I stared at her for a moment. “You just want to get rid of me.”

  “Really, you can tell,” and she laughed.

  “Okay, I’ll think it over. I can probably return in a couple of years and pick up here where I left off.”

  “It’s just that I feel like I’m getting close on the boat theft ring. I feel like I’m giving up on Malinda.”

  “You can’t feel that way, Cam. You’ve done more than most people would have in a lifetime. I’ll keep up with the local happenings and keep you informed.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Chapter 27

  After Diane left, I did some soul-searching. I’d tried hard to find the reason for Malinda’s disappearance. I guessed I’d been overly obsessed with it. Realistically, if I hadn’t found anything in five years, the chances that I would find something the next day, or the day after, were pretty slim.

  I’d give it today and call Chad tomorrow with my answer.

  My phone rang. I looked at the ID and answered.

  “Jenny, I was just thinking about you,” I lied. “How did it go with the new boat?”

  “It’s a beauty. A lot of money, but well worth it. My agent is negotiating with them. We’ll know something in a few days.”

  “Great, good luck with it.”

  “Thanks. So, I think I owe you an evening,” she said.

  “That would be nice, but don’t think you have to.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “Okay, I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  “Dress casual. We won’t be going out.”

  “Good.”

  “Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  I hung up and thought about Jenny. Did I really want to leave her? Maybe I had better find out more about her first.