Cam Derringer Box Set

by Mac Fortner

  “Why are you telling all this now?” Toby asked.

  “Because I might need help getting our diamond back. You have the advantage that you know about him, but he doesn’t know about you.”

  Toby thought about that for a minute. He had no idea how he could use that information to get the diamond.

  “One more thing,” Tracy said. “He started coming to my room at the hotel. He raped me the first time. He said he had the pictures and records of everything I did, in a safe place. If anything happened to him, they would go to the FBI. So every time he visited me, we had sex.”

  “Sorry you had to go through that,” Toby said.

  “It wasn’t pleasant,” Tracy said softly.

  “So, what are we going to do?” Toby asked.

  “I’m not sure yet. I want that diamond, but my first priority is to get Cam Derringer behind bars, or dead,” she snarled.

  “Wait a minute,” Toby said. “I’m not killing anyone.”

  “You won’t have to,” Tracy said staring straight ahead. “I’ve been planning his death for a long time.”

  “I want you to follow Crane. Keep an eye on him. See if he goes somewhere where he might have hidden the diamond. If you come up with something, just call me, and I’ll take care of it. He says its north of Cudjoe Key.”

  “I’ll keep an eye out. We’ll get that son of a bitch.”

  “I knew I could count on you Toby,” Tracy said and leaned over and kissed him. “I feel better already,” she said and got out of the car.

  ~***~

  Kailey awoke in bed next to Cam. She looked over at him and smiled. He was sitting up reading the morning paper.

  “Good morning sleepyhead,” I said.

  “Good morning wild man.”

  I laughed, “Yeah, that was kind of wild, wasn’t it.”

  “Kind of?” she said. “I thought I was in the jungle there for a while.”

  “Well, I missed you.”

  “I’m going to have to stay away more often,” she said snuggling into my arm.

  “No way.”

  That’s when my cell phone rang and ruined the moment.

  “It’s Robin,” I said.

  “Good morning.”

  “You too. Is Kailey still there?”

  “Yes, she stayed the night.”

  “You think that’s safe?”

  “The sheriff already knew she was here. Long story.”

  “I’ve got some more news for you. FBI agent Riggs questioned workers at The DoubleTree and learned that a sheriff deputy was a regular visitor of Tracy’s. When he checked the tapes from the camera on her floor, he found out it was Deputy Crane.”

  “Crane’s, been going to see Tracy?”

  “Yep, even when she’s not there.”

  I had the phone on speaker. “That’s who stole the diamond from her,” Kailey stated.

  “What do you mean, stole the diamond?” Robin said.

  “Tracy is the one who robbed the ship,” Kailey said. “She had Toby plant the jewels on Cam’s boat and then find them in the search. I’m sure you already knew all that, but she kept the Foxfire diamond. It was worth around fifteen million. Someone stole it out of her room yesterday.”

  “Why would Toby plant the jewels?” Robin asked.

  “Because he owes Martin Filbekie, the mob, forty-five thousand bucks. They’ll kill him if he doesn’t pay.”

  “And you think Tracy is going to pay his debt?”

  “He thinks so, but I wouldn’t count on it if I were him.”

  “Someday you’ll have to tell me how you know all this,” Robin said.

  “Someday,” Kailey said.

  “Do you know where Tracy is now?” Robin asked.

  Kailey flipped on her phone and checked the camera. “No, she’s not in her room.”

  “Okay,” Robin said, still perplexed as to how Kailey knew that.

  “I’ll call you if I get something. You do the same,” Robin said.

  “Wait,” Kailey said. “There’s something else you have to know.”

  I looked at Kailey and squeezed her hand. She looked frightened.

  “We just found out that Tracy Alexander’s real name is Annika Gusarov,” Kailey said.

  “Gusarov? Andrei’s sister?”

  “Yes, that’s why she’s seeking revenge on Cam. She blames him for his death.”

  “You have the file from Toby’s office, don’t you,” Robin said.

  “I managed to get them,” I said.

  “I don’t care who got them, or how. I just want to see them.”

  “Not a problem,” I said. “Come on over today, and I’ll give them to you.”

  “I’ll see you this afternoon,” Robin said and hung up.

  “I think she’s mad at us,” I said.

  Chapter 61

  Robin returned to Carey’s house and knocked on the door.

  “Good morning Carey,” she said holding up her badge. “I’m Robin Anderson, FBI. I see your door was replaced okay. May I come?”

  “Are you the one who broke my door down?” she asked.

  “No, I’m not. We both know who did that, don’t we?”

  Carey dropped her gaze to the ground. “Come on in,” she whispered.

  They sat in the living room in silence for a minute waiting for Carey to come out of her trance.

  “Carey,” Robin said. “Did you see who killed Bret?”

  Carey started crying. She nodded her head. “It was a girl. She was here yesterday and then at my work. She’s watching me.”

  “Can you describe her?”

  She described Annika to a tee.

  “Okay, Carey. It’s going to be all right. We know who she is and we're going to get her. Meantime if you see her again, you call me,” Robin said handing Carey a card.

  They stood and hugged. Robin let Carey cry.

  “Lock your door,” Robin said as she left.

  Annika watched Robin leave Carey’s house. Now wasn’t a good time to go in. She would be on the defense. I’ll get her tonight.

  Robin drove away, and Annika followed her. Maybe she would go see Cam. Perhaps he didn’t leave town at all.

  They drove to a more impoverished part of town that Annika hadn’t been to. She kept a block back allowing Robin to stay a turn ahead of her. Driving down a half-deserted street, Annika saw Robin’s car parked in front of a small house. She moved on past and parked down the street. A man was sitting on his porch watching her. He stood and walked to his steps. She started her car again and left.

  That had to be where Cam was staying. She would find him later. Right now she needed to talk to Crane.

  Annika returned to her room. She went into the bathroom and pulled the access panel to the hot tub controls away from the wall. She reached in and pulled out a bag.

  She emptied the bag on the dining table and started counting the money. Satisfied, she put it back in the duffel and zipped it shut.

  We gave Robin the report on Annika. She looked it over. “What a sweetheart,” she said.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” I said. “She would stop at nothing to get me and that diamond.”

  “We're going to have to bring Chief Leland and his crew in on all this,” Robin said. “We need help, and we can’t trust anyone at the sheriff’s office.”

  “What about the FBI working on the case now,” I said.

  “One man, Riggs, is here now. The others can probably be here by tomorrow, but we might need help sooner.”

  “I’m coming out of hiding. I’m not worried about Toby or his men anymore. Will you explain to Leland that I’m helping you?”

  “Don’t worry about that. Just watch your back,” Robin said.

  She called Leland and told him the whole story. She also asked if he could spare someone to go get Carey. “I’m worried about her,” she said.

  “Will do Robin. Tell Cam he’s a free man for now.”

  “Thanks, I will,” Robin said.

  T
hey hung up, and Robin told Cam he was good to go.

  “Great. Now maybe I can be of some use.”

  “We need to find Annika though,” Robin said.

  Kailey pulled out her phone and opened the camera from Annika’s room.

  “She’s not in her room right now,” Kailey said. “Let me back it up a little.”

  She backed up the video until she saw movement. “There,” she said.

  They all watched the film.

  “Look at all that money,” I said. “Wonder what she’s going to do with that.”

  They watched Annika put the money back in the bag and then check her pistol. She put it in her purse.

  “Her rifle must still be in her car,” Kailey said.

  Annika took the bag and left the room.

  “She’s going to meet Crane in Cudjoe,” Kailey said.

  “How long ago did she leave?” Robin asked.

  “Five minutes,” Kailey said.

  “You guys wait here. This isn’t your job. I’ll call Leland on my way,” Robin said as she was leaving the house.

  “What are we going to do?” Kailey said.

  “You’re going back to the boat. I’m going to Cudjoe,” I said.

  “You’re not leaving me here,” Kailey said.

  “Please Kailey. If I have to worry about you too, I can’t concentrate on what I’m doing. I’ll be fine. I’ll call you when I know something.”

  Kailey hugged me and said, “You’re right. Be careful.”

  “I’m going to take your car,” I said.

  “Go ahead. Love you,” she said.

  “I love you too.”

  Kailey waited one minute after Cam left and grabbed the key off the hook.

  Walter came running into the kitchen and plucked his leash from the wall.

  “Not this time boy,” Kailey said. “You wait here.”

  She opened the door, and Walter almost knocked her down running past her to the car.

  She didn’t have time for this, so she opened the door and let him in. When she went around to her side, Walter was behind the steering wheel. “Move,” she said. He did.

  I was driving up the Overseas Highway toward Cudjoe. I figured everyone was at least two miles in front of me. No one knew where they were going other than up this way.

  Annika arrived at the intersection and saw Crane’s car. She pulled over, and he walked to her car.

  “You bring the money?” he said.

  She unzipped the bag and let him look.

  Satisfied, he said, “Follow me.”

  He got back in his car and left Cudjoe heading north again on the highway.

  When they got to Summerland Key, they turned right onto East Shore Drive. They drove to a small house on the right and stopped.

  “Come on in and bring your bag of cash,” Crane said.

  Annika followed Crane into the house. There was another man inside holding a gun.

  “Is that the way it’s going to be?” Annika said.

  “We're not going to harm you. It’s just a precaution,” Crane said.

  “Where’s the diamond,” Annika said.

  “Jimmy,” Crane said.

  Jimmy opened a drawer in the kitchen and removed a pouch.

  “Give it to her,” Crane said. “And you put the bag on the table,” he said to Annika.

  They each did as instructed. Annika opened the pouch and saw the diamond. She smiled.

  “Fair swap,” she said. “Now you stay out of my life.”

  “Oh, I’ll see you from time to time,” Crane said.

  “I don’t think so,” Annika said and tossed the empty pouch to Jimmy.

  As he caught it, she pulled her gun from her pocket and shot Jimmy in the chest. Then she turned the gun on Crane. He went for his own gun, but he was way too slow. She shot him once in the chest and once in the crouch.

  She collected the diamond and the bag of money and left.

  Chapter 62

  As Annika was driving back, she saw Cam turn right in front of her onto Blimp road. She drove on past and made a U-turn on the highway and turned in where Cam had.

  I turned onto Blimp Road. I was looking for Annika’s car or a sheriff car. I followed Blimp to the end and turned around. It was the only way in and out. I hadn’t been here since Robin found me lying in the mud almost two years ago. She helped me then and has been helping me ever since.

  About halfway back my windshield exploded. I slid to a stop on the side of the road and climbed out on the passenger side. Another round took the mirror off my car right above my head.

  I guess Annika found me before I could find her.

  I reached over the car and fired a few rounds back in her direction then quickly rolled down to the edge of the road and behind some Mangrove trees. They were thick here and provided excellent protection.

  I moved as far as I could away from the car. Another shot broke a branch only a foot from my face. The splinters cutting my cheek.

  I fired my gun blindly again, hoping to at least slow her down.

  I kept moving. The shots had stopped. Hopefully, she lost me.

  I came to a small trail, probably used by hikers that led off into the trees. It was a good way to put some distance between the road and me. As soon as I stepped onto the trail, I heard Annika say, “Hello, Cam.”

  I turned around slowly. Annika was pointing her sniper riffle at me only ten feet away.

  “Annika,” I said.

  “So, you figured that out, did you? Drop your gun please,” she said with an evil grin on her face.

  I didn’t like that look at all. She wasn’t going to let me leave here alive. Reluctantly I dropped my gun.

  “Yes I did, and so did the FBI, and the local police, and of course as you know the Sheriff’s Department.”

  “They’re all idiots as far as I’m concerned,” she said. “I’ll kill you and leave town, and they’ll never see me again.”

  “They might,” I said. “They’re on their way here now.”

  “Well, we be better get this over with then,” she said and raised the rifle.

  “First,” I said, hoping to delay the inevitable, “What role did Sheriff Reynolds, play in all this?”

  “First, he stole the jewels from your boat. I watched him do it, so I made him return them the next day. I offered him sixty-thousand dollars to make sure you went to prison. He was happy to do it since he owed the mob forty-five thousand.”

  “What about Crane?”

  “He’s dead.”

  “And the others,” I said. “You killed all of them?”

  “Yes. I did what I had to do to make you pay for killing my brother.”

  “I killed him in self-defense.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” she spat. “You killed him.”

  She raised her gun again and smiled, “Goodbye, Cam.”

  There was a loud bark behind her. She turned to see Walter charging her. She tried to bring the rifle around, but it was too long. Walter had her before she could get an aim on him.

  She went down with him on top of her. She managed to kick him free of her and pull her handgun. Walter laid still. He was stunned. She pointed her pistol at me and said, “See ya.”

  There was a loud explosion, and Annika fell on her back.

  I looked up and saw Kailey standing there with her pistol in her hand. I looked at Annika. She was dying. Part of her neck was blown off.

  Kailey walked to her, “I warned you about messing with my man,” she glowered.

  Annika looked at Kailey and closed her eyes. She was gone.

  I went to Kailey and hugged her. She fell limp in my arms. I laid her down gently on the ground. Walter got up slowly and came to our side. I hugged him. He laid his head on Kailey's stomach and stared at her.

  I could hear sirens coming down the road. I called Robin and told her we were on the small trail leading through the trees from near my car.

  I took the gun out of Kailey’s hand and placed it in my
belt. Then I hid my gun under a rock near the trail. I would get it later.

  Kailey woke as Robin and Chief Leland approached the scene.

  “Is she okay?” Robin said.

  “She’s fine. Just fainted,” I said.

  “What about that one,” she said pointing to Annika.

  “She wasn’t so lucky. Walter got the drop on her and I was able to shoot her,” I said.

  “Any sign of Crane?” Robin said.

  “He’s dead. Did you find Annika’s car?” I said.

  “We saw it off the road about a quarter mile back,” Robin said.

  “You better get there. I’ll bet there’s a lot of money and a big diamond in it.”

  Leland instructed one of his men to go secure the car.

  “We just got a call about shots fired on Summerland Key about twenty minutes ago,” Leland said. “The local police are there now. There’s a dead sheriff’s deputy and another man.”

  “Crane,” I said.

  Chapter 63

  We were all on the boat that evening. The mood was a little sedate.

  “I’m glad you didn’t need me,” Chad said. “I doubt if you could afford it.”

  “I have friends with money,” I said.

  Kailey, Robin, Diane, and Jack were all there too, to rally around me. Stacy was sitting on the deck with Walter who was laying down gnawing on a big steak bone.

  “I’m gonna get me a dog,” Stacy said.

  “If I ever had one,” I said, “He would be just like Walter.”

  “I think we should all celebrate,” Kailey said. “Cam’s a free man.”

  “I guess I could stay up for one drink,” Robin said.

  Everyone agreed. One drink and then bed. It had been a long day.

  Kailey said she would get them. When she went inside Robin went with her.

  Kailey placed the glasses on the table while Robin filled them with ice, then poured a generous serving of Wild Turkey in each.

  “So,” Kailey said, “What do you want to ask me?”

  Robin stared at her for a second, and then said, “Did you hire Bloodshot to kill William?”