by Mac Fortner
“Can, just don’t want to,” I said and hugged her.
She held me tight. “Guess I’ll miss you too.”
“Can I have a hug too,” Sheriff Buck said.
“Didn’t hear you coming,” I said, turning to see him standing on the dock again.
“Part Indian. Here’s my files,” he said, holding them out to me.
“Come on board, Willie. We were just about to have a drink.”
Sheriff Buck looked at his watch. “A drink?”
He looked at Diane and then back at me. “What the hell,” he said and stepped over the rail. “Line ‘em up.”
We sat at the table on the patio and sipped on Wild Turkey.
“Anything else you can tell me that’s not in your files?” Buck asked.
“It would only be speculation. One thing, though, I would like for you to check on is Dave the bartender, down at Schooners. He’s been missing for about four days. He was holding the chip with the pictures you’ll find in the file. I went back to see if he could I.D. someone but he was gone.”
“Who did you want him to I.D.?”
“Some Iraqi men,” I lied. I had removed the picture of Jenny from the files. I didn’t want to involve her yet.
“Iraqi men? You think they are involved in all this?”
“Yeah, I don’t know how, but I think they are.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. The FBI might end up getting involved in this deeper than they already are.”
The sheriff finished his drink and stood. “And my files?” he said.
I nodded at Diane. She went inside and returned with them.
“Let’s get these guys,” Buck said.
“We will. I’m sure of it,” I said.
Buck shook my hand. “It’s not going to be the same around here without you. I might even get a day off to go fishing.”
He turned to Diane. She extended her hand. “Thanks for your help,” she said.
“I’m only doing my job,” he said. “You two are a thorn in these guy’s sides. Don’t push them too far. It looks like they don’t mind killing.”
After the sheriff left, Diane said, “He always seems friendly, but I don’t trust him.”
“I don’t either,” I said. “But maybe it’s just his way. We’ve never had any problem with him. He has a big job.”
“I guess,” Diane said, and turned to watch him walk through the gate and out to the parking lot. He was a big man, she thought, and I bet he could be a mean one too.
Chapter 38
My plane touched down at JFK airport at two ten. I stayed on board until most of the passengers had deplaned. As I walked through the door, a stewardess who had been waiting on me handed me a piece of paper. “Call me,” she said and smiled.
I nodded my head at her and moved on. I already loved New York.
“CAM,” I heard Chad yell.
I turned to see him standing next to the baggage area. He was dressed in a very expensive looking blue suit with a red tie. He had long black hair combed straight back. He looked as though he had been working out with a trainer every day. I thought about the shorts and t-shirt I was wearing and suddenly became very self-conscious.
“Cam, you look great. All tan and fit,” he said and hugged me.
“You look pretty damn good yourself. I guess the easy life agrees with you,” I joked.
“Pretty much. Let’s get your bags.”
We stood by the conveyor and waited for them to come by.
“Those two,” I said, pointing at the two most worn bags on the conveyor.
Chad pointed at them, and a man reached down, pulled them off the conveyor and placed them on a cart.
“This way,” Chad said to both of us.
The man followed us to the exit. As we stepped through the door, a long black Lincoln pulled up to the curb, and the trunk popped open. The man placed the bags in and closed it. I reached for my wallet, to tip him. Chad said, “That’s not necessary, Cam. He’s with us.”
“Oh,” I said and stuck my hand out. “I’m Cam Derringer.”
“Nice to meet you, Cam, I’m Larry Carroll,” he said.
Larry opened the door for us to get in and closed it behind us. He then got in the front seat with the driver.
“How was your flight?” Chad asked.
“Smooth. I had wonderful service and then got the stewardess’s phone number.”
“Some things never change,” he said.
We talked of old times and old friends as we rode through the city and into Manhattan. We turned into the parking garage for the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
“Do we have business here?” I said, looking down at my clothes. “I’m not exactly dressed for this.”
“No. No business. This is where you’ll be living until you find an apartment.”
“Jesus, I’d forgotten what it was like to have money, but really, Chad, I can’t afford this. Not yet.”
“The firm is paying,” he said. “Just enjoy.”
“Okay, if you insist. I will,” and laughed.
I had stayed here before, back when I had money and could stay anywhere I wanted to. Now, though, after living in Key West for all these years, I had forgotten how the other half lived.
We checked into the room, and Chad and Larry came up with me. The room was exquisite. A bottle of Wild Turkey sat on the center table next to a full ice bucket. A table along the wall held an assortment of appetizers.
Chad took off his jacket and loosened his tie.
“Ready to unwind a little?” he said.
“Oh yeah,” I replied. “I’m ready. You’ll join us won’t you, Larry.”
“Just water for me,” he said. “Stomach thing, you know.”
We ate and drank and regressed a little to our college days.
Around six o’clock, Chad said, “Take a shower and change clothes. I’ll be back in one hour to get you. We’ll go eat and then to a nightclub.”
“Okay, Chad, I know we have some lost time to make up for, but how about we just go eat tonight and maybe do the club tomorrow night. It’s been a long day for me.”
“You’re right, Cam. I get a little carried away sometimes. I’ll see you in an hour.”
“Sounds good.”
When Chad and Larry left, I called Diane.
“Wish you were here,” I told her.
“No, you don’t. I bet you’re staying in some first-class hotel and drinking champagne,” she said.
“Wild Turkey,” I said.
Chapter 39
Amar Mustafa walked out of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse along Miami’s Little West River.
A man waited for him in a black Jaguar. Amar got in, and they drove away.
“How did it go?” Kasim asked him.
“Not good, now he says he needs seven hundred thousand for the Bomb.”
“Can we get it?”
“We can get it, but it won’t be easy. We need it in one week. After I do get it, I will kill all of these men. They lied to me. I will pay them, but I will kill them,” Amar repeated.
Amar called Juba on their private cell phones.
“Yes,” Juba answered.
“We have to talk,” Amar said.
“Same place tomorrow morning at ten o’clock.”
“No, I’m flying back from Miami. I’ll be there at eight thirty.”
“We can’t meet there at eight thirty. It wouldn’t be safe.”
“Let’s meet at your house at nine.”
“Too dangerous.”
“Meet me at the shipyard, dock two where we met before,” Amar said.
“Okay, be careful you’re not followed.”
They hung up, and Juba called Billie Daryl and instructed him to hide in the storage building at the dock. “Take a rifle. If Amar so much as acts like he’s going to attack me, shoot him.”
“Will do,” Billie said.
~*~
The docks were abandoned except for a few small fishing boats in
the evenings. On one side, seven were rocking slightly from the waves created by a passing pleasure craft.
An old freightliner, long neglected, blocked the other side. It’s rusty hull and bent railing holding perfectly still like it might actually be sitting on the bottom.
Juba pulled into the lot and parked. He got out of his car and walked toward two men who looked as though they were fishing from the end of the dock.
“Catch anything?” Juba said.
Amar turned and smiled, “Not today my friend.”
“What’s so important to take a chance of being spotted together?”
“We need another three hundred thousand in one week to get the bomb.”
“Are you crazy?”
“Some may think so, but not you, Juba. I know you understand more than anyone how important it is to carry out this mission for Allah.”
“Even so, how are we going to get the money so quickly?”
“I trust you to find a way,” Amar said.
Juba turned to leave just as the pleasure craft was docking. The couple aboard it were in the dark, but the girl looked up in time to see Juba getting into his car.
I wonder what he’s doing here, Diane thought. She looked around the dock and saw the two men at the other end. They appeared to be fishing, but they weren’t really dressed for it and didn’t have a cooler.
She hugged her date and kissed him softly. “Let’s have a drink before we leave, okay?” she said.
“Sure,” he said.
While he was fixing the drinks, Diane moved to the other end of the boat to get a better look at the men.
They turned to leave when they were sure Juba had gone.
Diane could see their faces now. They were the Iraqis from the boat.
“That’s strange,” she said to herself.
~*~
After Amar left, Billie Daryl stepped from the storage shed. He held his rifle down at his side.
He looked around to be sure no one would see him before he stepped out into the open.
He saw a couple on a small pleasure craft across the dock. The girl was watching the Jaguar leave. He stepped back into the shadow and aimed his rifle at the girl in order to see her more clearly through the scope.
I know her. That’s Diane, Cam’s assistant, he thought to himself. I wonder how much she saw.
Chapter 40
I met Chad in his office the next morning.
“Good morning, Cam,” he said. “How’s the head this morning?”
“I’ve been better. Remind me to never go to supper with you if I can’t stay out until one A.M.”
“I tried to get you to go home, but you kept insisting we have one more.”
“Really, I don’t remember that.”
“Anyway, let me show you around the shop,” Chad said, opening the door and standing back for me to go first.
Larry was waiting outside the office.
“Cam, Larry will be available to help you settle in. If you need to go anywhere, just let him know.”
I shook Larry’s hand. “Thank you, Larry. It’s nice of you to help.”
“If you need anything, just let me know,” he said.
“I will.”
We continued to tour the offices. Larry came with us.
“The space is quite impressive,” I said.
His offices were very tastefully decorated and spacious. Five of them had fantastic views of Manhattan.
“This is your office,” Chad said as we entered one of the rooms with the view.
“Are you sure?” I asked him.
“I told you you were going to like it here.”
“I think you were right.”
I walked to the big window facing along Broadway. I could see Battery Park.
“Beautiful,” I said.
“Yes, it is,” Chad said.
There was an oversized cherry desk with its back to the window. A pair of cushioned chairs sat by the window, offering the lucky occupants a beautiful view of Manhattan.
“Shall we see the rest of the building?” Chad said.
“Lead the way.”
We ended up back at Chad's office. Larry was with us every step of the way. I wondered what his job was. It seemed to me he didn’t want Chad and me to be alone.
“Okay, Cam, that’s the grand tour. What do you think?”
“I think you have done very well for yourself. You must be very proud.”
“I am, thank you. And you will be doing very well for yourself also.”
“I hope to,” I said.
It was Thursday. Chad told me to take off until Monday morning and search for an apartment. He handed me a list. “These are some prospective apartments. My assistant scouted them for you. You might want to look at these first.”
I took the list and glanced at it. They were all in the downtown Manhattan area—a very expensive area.
“You get a ten thousand dollar a month budget for living expenses,” Chad said.
“Thank you again,” I said.
“You are welcome. Thank you for coming. I know I’m the one coming out ahead on this deal.
Chapter 41
Juba sat at his desk in his private home office. Amar needed three hundred thousand dollars to complete the mission. The money wasn’t a problem. Juba had that much in his safe. The problem was that the supplier was holding the bomb ransom from them. Juba didn’t need anyone who wasn’t loyal to the cause walking around and maybe telling someone he was involved.
And now, according to Billie Daryl, Diane might be piecing things together.
Juba called Jenny. “Can you come over tonight around five?”
“Not a problem. What do you need?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here.”
“Okay, I’ll see you at five.”
When they hung up, he called Amar.
“Juba,” Amar said, “that was fast. I hope you have good news.”
“I do. Jenny will bring the money to you at six.”
“Fine, I knew you could be counted on.”
“I would like to know the names and location of the men holding the bomb. I don’t like to be taken advantage of.”
“I will take care of these men and bring the money back to you.”
“Thank you,” Juba said.
~*~
Jenny rode her bicycle down to the docks where she had met with Amar. The dock security house door was standing open, and she could see a man inside.
Jenny walked to the door and knocked lightly. “Hello,” she said, softly.
The man turned around, and seeing Jenny, smiled. “Hello, what can I do for you?”
Jenny stuck out her hand and smiled her best smile. “I’m Jenny Jacobs.”
“I’m Dan Haden,” he said and shook her hand.
“I’ve been looking at boats for sale and wondered if you could tell me a little about one that is docked here?”
“Sure, if I can.”
They stepped out of the building and onto the dock. Jenny pointed at Amar’s boat. “That fifty-two-foot Tiger.”
“I didn’t realize it was for sale.”
“Yes, I looked at it a few days ago.”
“Well, I can’t really tell you much about it except that it is owned by an aircraft restore company in Chicago. There are two Iraqi men here on business who checked in with me last week.”
“Do they seem to be legitimate?”
“They do to me. They haven’t caused any trouble and are current on their fees. How did you know the boat was for sale?”
“My broker told me,” Jenny said. “Well, thanks for the info,” and shook Dan’s hand again.
“You’re welcome. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.”
“You were plenty of help,” Jenny said as she turned and walked away.
Jenny walked back to her bicycle, satisfied that if anyone asked about the boat now, Dan would tell him or her it was for sale. Her cover to Cam would be safe.
Chapter 42
/> Sheriff Buck called me early Friday evening in New York.
“How’s the big city treating you?” he asked.
“Actually, not bad. How are things there?”
“I checked things out down at the docks today. There was a fifty-two-foot Tiger in the slip you were questioning in your files. I asked the dock-master, and it seems there are two Iraqi men on board. Supposedly, they are here on business and are trying to sell their company boat while they’re at it. I met with them, and they seem okay,” Buck said.
“Good, you don’t know how glad I am to hear that,” I said, thinking now that Jenny was being level with me about her business with them.
“Have you moved into a condo yet?” Buck asked.
“No, still looking. Diane is supposed to be here in two days. She’ll help me get settled.”
“I don’t doubt that. She doesn’t let any grass grow under her feet.”
“Yeah, I know. You have anything else yet?”
“No. I’ll call you when and if I hear anything.”
“Thanks for the update.”
“That’s okay. Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
Sheriff Buck hung up and felt satisfied with his talk to Cam.
He heard a knock at his door.
He looked at his old German wall clock that always ran three minutes slow. Four fifty-seven.
He opened the door. “Jenny, right on time.”
“Hello Juba,” Jenny said.
Chapter 43
“Come on in, Jenny,” Buck said. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Don’t mind if I do.”
“I just hung up from Cam. He’s doing fine. Still looking for an apartment,” Buck said while filling two glasses with ice.
“Does he suspect anything?
“No, I don’t think so. It’s lucky for him that job offer came through for New York, though. I was afraid we were going to have to take him for a boat ride. I would have hated that.”
“Me too,” Jenny said. “I spent a lot of time with him to make sure we knew what he knew. I kind of got to like the old boy.”