by Diane Rapp
*****
After the uniformed sailor watched bubbles move steadily across the bay through a pair of binoculars, he tapped out a text message for Jason Briggs. A chime from Jason’s smart phone drew his attention. “That went off like clockwork,” Jason whispered as he turned the screen for Natalia to read the message: Torpedoes launched per schedule from N.R.
Natalia leaned closer. “What does it mean?” she asked in a low voice.
He murmured, “The Latino twins are leading teams riding DPDs to reach the extraction point from the water.”
She remembered that Esteban had used the term DPD while describing the planned sea assault and visualized a scene from a James Bond movie with a dangerous underwater confrontation. She knew that Esteban and Amanda planned to leave the ship early and join Roberto and Geraldo at the U.S. Naval Reservation near Zachary Taylor Park. It seemed like a long swim to Natalia, but Esteban explained that underwater scooters were powerful and speedy.
Having decided to trust Jacquie, Drew helped her compose a suitable message to send to Raven: Drew has been located aboard ship and will come to the monument on time. If I accompany him, what do you want me to do to insure success of your plan?
Everyone read the message and agreed that knowing more about Raven’s plan might help save Felix. Drew turned off the cellphone jammer and the foursome waited nearly five minutes before Jacquie’s phone received a reply: Great news! Glad to hear you will be with Drew and verify his I.D. I will watch from the sea, so suggest you stand behind the monument when the shooting begins.
Drew’s jaw clenched as he read the text but Jason grinned. “This is great. Give me a few minutes to update the team on our chopper and give the twins a heads-up,” Jason said, his fingers moving rapidly across the virtual keyboard to compose new texts.
Natalia asked Drew, “Are you wearing the vest under your shirt?” He nodded but glanced at Jacquie, worried.
Jason turned to see three pairs of eyes on him. Natalia stated, “We need another vest to protect Jacquie. We can’t expose her to Raven’s marksmanship when things go south.”
“No worries. I’ll contact my supplier and have a vest for her straight away.” He started tapping out a new text and waited for a reply. A ding sounded and he held up the phone’s message. See the man at Hemingway House for supplies. “You see? We’ll get her into a vest with time to spare.”
Natalia looked at Jacquie’s light blue dress. She turned to Drew and asked, “You don’t happen to have a windbreaker she can wear over that vest? It might raise a flag if Raven sees her wearing Kevlar over a designer dress.”
Jacquie crossed her arms over her chest and shivered. Drew rushed to a coat closet and produced a navy blue jacket. “It’s too large for your petite figure, but it might do,” he said, handing the windbreaker to Jacquie.
“Good grief,” Natalia groaned. “Get me a pair of scissors, packing tape, and a wide belt!” She grabbed the jacket and carried it into the dining room while Drew rushed to find the supplies.
Grabbing the scissors, Natalia cut six inches off the bottom of the jacket, curled over the fabric and taped a new hem on the inside. She cut excess material from the sleeves and created cuffs using the packing tape to hold the rolled material in place. Jacquie slid into the jacket and Natalia used a white woven belt to cinch in the waist. She cut off excess belt and used a match to burn the ends. Natalia nodded at the result.
“From a distance, no one can tell this is not a proper jacket for a petite woman. Turn around and show the men,” she ordered.
Jacquie modelled the new design for Drew and Jason, who stood with their mouths open. “Well?” Jacquie demanded, “Will this keep me safe?”
Jason laughed. “I do believe that Tally has hidden talent in clothes design.”
“I paid $250 for that jacket, but it’s never looked so good. Thanks, Natalia. I don’t want Jacquie put at risk.”
Jason looked at his watch and Natalia said, “Okay. Time to visit Hemingway House.” She opened the front door and took Jason’s arm. “Are all your ducks in a row, commander?”
“The ducks have all reported their progress so it’s time to implement the plan. Coming?” he asked Drew and Jacquie.
Removing the jacket, Jacquie followed Drew out the door, praying that they’d all get out of this alive.
*****
The Navy helicopter whizzed through the sky employing a standard search grid over the island. However, the personnel conducting this search were definitely not standard: two middle-aged women and two twenty-something girls. The pilot reached the northern part of his search grid and prepared to swing back toward the historic district.
“Captain, we have a message from Jason Briggs. The shooter is aboard a luxury yacht heading for Southernmost Point monument,” Kate spoke into the microphone attached to her headphones. “We must head in that direction and find the yacht.”
“Orders confirmed,” the Captain said into his own microphone. He made a sweeping turn and followed the coastline toward the monument.
Patsy announced, “I see something in the distance. It looks like a yacht moving quickly toward the shore.” She pointed out the window.
Although frustrated with untrained citizens, the Captain calmly said, “If this window was the face of a clock, tell me which hour you’d place the target.”
Patsy drew a mental clock and replied, “The yacht is approaching nine on the clock, sir.”
“Copy that.” He swung the helicopter left and leveled out as he spotted the craft. “Use your binoculars to read the ship’s name if possible as we pass overhead.”
Kimberly leaned over Patsy’s shoulder, and both girls tried to spot the name on the yacht. Kim found it first. “The Lady Luck is the name on the yacht.” The girls gave each other high fives as the helicopter drifted away from the target. Then Kim asked in an urgent tone, “Can we make one more pass over that yacht. I think I saw a gun mounted on the roof.”
“No. A second pass might scare off the shooter.” The Captain turned to Kate and said, “Send a message to Jason Briggs. Tell him the yacht’s name and destination. I can see the monument ahead. Warn Briggs about a possible gun mounted on the roof of the boat.”
Alarmed, Kate slowly tried to compose a coherent text but grew frustrated. “Can I do it for you, Mom?” Kim asked. “Your fingers are shaking too much to hit the right letters.”
Kate nodded and handed her phone to Kim.
The Captain added, “Tell Briggs that I can see our divers about a hundred yards from the monument. We don’t want the chopper to spook the target, so we’ll head back to base and wait further instructions.”
“Got it,” Kim said. A few minutes later she read the reply and told the Captain, “Jason says they’re all set. He’ll call when he needs a lift.”
Emily grasped Kate’s hand and gave her a thumbs up signal. Kate nodded but tears glistened in her eyes. Now that she’d finally found her family, she had so much to lose.
Chapter 11 ~ Confrontation at the Monument
The white van arrived and pulled into a parking place, a block up the street from the Hemingway House. Shirley stood to look out the windows, but the goon turned off the motor and growled, “Give him the shot, now.”
He was suddenly distracted as three people glided past the front window. The goon pointed at Matt. “Isn’t that your brother? Maybe I can grab him, too!”
The man squeezed past Shirley and drew out his gun with his right hand. With his left hand, he started to turn the door handle. A sharp prick in his neck made him whip around and glare at Shirley. “What the…?
Shocked, the goon fell and smacked his head on the wheelchair. His gun clattered across the floor, landing out of sight under the back seat.
“It worked!” Tim exclaimed. “He’s out cold, so now what do we do?”
Shirley said, “We need to tie him up and get out of here pronto.”
“No!” Felix cried. “Raven or Rose, whatever her real name is, has been
trying for years to kill my birth father, and now she wants to kill Matt and me. She won’t stop at anything! We must help Jason Briggs catch her!”
“How?” Shirley asked.
Felix pointed at the goon. “Check his pockets for a phone. I memorized Jason’s phone number from the card he gave me on ship. We’ll call him and get instructions.”
They searched the goon’s pockets but ended up spotting the phone on the front passenger seat. Using leftover twist ties, Tim cinched the goon’s hands and ankles. As the siblings rolled the goon’s body against the back seat of the van, Felix entered Jason’s number into the cellphone.
“Briggs here,” Jason answered after the first ring.
Felix blurted out, “It’s Felix. We knocked the guard out and now we need instructions.”
“Where are you, Felix?” Jason asked, making sure his companions knew who was on the phone.
Felix surveyed the area outside the van but saw no street signs. “We’re parked in a white van on a street somewhere. I feel we must go ahead with Raven’s plan so we can help capture their gang.”
“Good thinking. We can’t let them get away again. Do you have any idea where the van is parked?”
Felix shook his head. “No, but we just saw Matt, Suzanne, and Tania ride past on Segways. What’s the plan? We want to help you catch that woman.”
Jason stepped out the gate of Hemingway House and looked up the street. He spotted the van and the Segways. “Good news, Felix. The van is parked just up the block from our location. Leave the van and head down the street toward the Southernmost Point monument. Raven is watching through a rifle telescope, so play your part.”
“We can do that,” Felix replied. “She expects me to act sedated and ride in a wheelchair pushed by Tim and Shirley. I won’t move.”
“Good. When you pass the entrance gate to the Hemingway House, move close to the block wall out front. Have Shirley leave the driver’s phone and keys on the wall then keep moving forward. It’s important that we monitor calls from Raven so she doesn’t get antsy.”
Felix laughed. “She always acts antsy, but I get what you mean. Shirley will leave the phone and keys on the wall for you.”
Over the next few minutes Jason explained the rest of their scheme to capture Raven. Felix ended the call and explained the plan in detail to Tim and Shirley. They appeared frightened but knew they must help put the gang in prison. All of their lives depended on success.
*****
Jason’s group welcomed each team of twins as they checked into the garden entrance of Hemingway House. Natalia and Jacquie checked each person to make sure the Kevlar vests were on properly and hidden by loose clothing. The twins quietly slipped back out to proceed toward the Southernmost Point monument at the end of the street.
After the call from Felix, Matt and the two girls entered the garden but parked the Segways at the gate. Jason rapidly updated them on the situation with Felix.
“What?” Matt turned toward the gate. “He was in that white van we passed up the street? I noticed people moving inside, but assumed they were just getting ready to open the side door. The van is rigged for a wheelchair lift, so it’s parked the wrong direction with the wheelchair door on the street side.”
Suzanne asked, “If they disabled the driver, why don’t they get away in the van?”
Matt shook his head. “That crazy woman has already made several attempts and will surely keep trying if we don’t nab her now. I’m sure that’s what Felix told you.” Matt looked at Jason.
“Spot on! You twins certainly think alike, and I concur,” Jason added. “We’ve initiated an elaborate plan. Our helicopter spotted Raven’s yacht, and there’s a gun mounted on the roof. The boat is anchored not far from the monument. We can’t afford to spook her with any changes to what she expects.”
Tania finished strapping on the Kevlar vest and checked her watch. “We’d better hurry. Time’s running out.”
Jason handed Matt a helmet painted with wild stripes. Matt raised his eyebrows and Jason chuckled. “The helmet was originally a military green color, but we decided that might raise suspicions. This paint job is approved at the highest levels.” He nodded at Natalia and winked.
“Okay, I admit the paint was my idea.” Natalia raised her paint-splattered hands as proof. “I recently watched a television show about submarines and how they were painted with wild stripes to confuse German U-Boat torpedoes during WWI. I thought it might help.” She handed Matt elbow and knee pads.
“Why am I the only person wearing all this protection?” he asked in an exasperated tone, while placing the gear over his knees and elbows.
Jason shrugged. “Initially we wanted to be certain Raven couldn’t recognize you, but we discovered that Felix must ride in a wheelchair…well it seemed safer for you to crash right into the wheelchair with the Segway. Sorry, chum.”
“Crash? I thought I was meant to cause a minor distraction, fall down or disperse the crowd, but now I must actually crash?” He stepped back and held his hands out defensively.
Jason’s expression turned deadly serious. “We didn’t count on Timothy and Shirley pushing that wheelchair with Felix pretending to be sedated. To deliver two extra vests, our team needs the crowd to gather around a crash, acting as though they are helping you both.”
Matt frowned but plopped the crazy helmet over his dark hair. “Who delivers the extra vests while I roll around on the ground in pain?”
Jason pointed at the girls. “Your companions will carry extra gear in these backpacks.” Jacquie helped Suzanne and Tania shrug into the loaded backpacks.
Jacquie said, “While the brave girls deliver extra vests, the Chinese twins will help Felix get into his vest and lift him back into the wheelchair. We’re pleased that Felix is actually wide awake and not the weight that is dead to carry.”
Everyone turned and stared at her with shocked expressions.
“What did I say? I may be French, but I know the English words. Did I say wrong words?” Jacquie put her fists on her hips.
“The correct idiom is dead-weight,” Drew said and patted Jacquie on the shoulder. “None of us wants to become ‘the weight that is dead,’ my dear. Felix will be alive and walk out on his own.”
Everyone laughed at that.
“Mon Dieu! You English are too literal if you ask me. French is a more precise language.” She huffed and folded her arms.
Natalia had a feeling that Jacquie deliberately misused that phrase to break the rising tension, and it obviously worked. The three companions climbed on their Segways and rolled down the street.
Jason pointed out the gate. “Tally, can you fetch the phone and van keys from that wall? Shirley managed to drop them off.”
Without answering Natalia pulled her hair into a ponytail, shoved on a baseball cap, and walked calmly over to the wall. She sat down near the phone and keys, pretending she was on a break while she checked messages on her phone. A few minutes later she gathered up the keys and meandered back inside the gate with the phone to her ear.
*****
The Diver Propulsion Devices slowed as Esteban noticed waves crashing against the hull of a boat overhead. He spoke into the microphone mounted inside his full-faced mask, “Remain in place. I go to de surface to check what be happening. I tell you soon.”
The divers all wore similar masks so they could communicate by radio underwater, however, they gave him a thumbs-up to avoid being overheard by other listeners. Esteban broke the surface, aware that his wet-suit head-cover resembled a seal bobbing on the surface.
He removed the mask and surveyed the scene in each direction. He gasped, replaced the mask, and sank under the surface. By releasing air from his BC vest, he drifted to the white sand bottom and swam over to the DPDs. Holding a finger to his lips, he removed a white board and crayon from a pocket and started to write a message: Yacht 20 meters south with rifle & scope mounted on roof. See 2 women & 3 men with guns.
What should we do?
Amanda wrote on her own board.
Esteban considered while he erased the board. He drew a rough picture of the yacht, placing marks in key locations. He pointed at Geraldo and Roberto and wrote: You 2 board here & here. He pointed at Amanda and the two Navy SEALs and wrote: Go 2 shore, 4 ground support & send Jason message.
Amanda nodded. She knew better than to argue with her husband, especially when he commanded the mission. She clipped her tether onto the Seals’ DPD and waved at her family before drifting away through the shallow surf.
Esteban and his sons anchored their DPDs on the bottom, using long spikes and tethers to keep the vehicles from drifting away. Esteban swam close and gazed into the masks of each son. He gave an okay signal and waited for the return hand signal from the boys.
It was time.
The three divers swam over the bottom until they reached the shadow of the yacht above. Esteban checked his watch and held up ten fingers. They must not board until the activity on shore was scheduled to happen in ten minutes.
The divers slowed their breathing, avoiding bubbles that might be seen from above, and reduce their heart rates until it was time for action.
*****
Paul and Abby were the final pair to check in at Hemingway House. As Natalia tightened their vest straps, Jason and Drew explained recent events. While they were discussing the plan, Drew heard a chime on the goon’s phone and swiped the screen. He blanched and quickly handed the phone to Jason.
“I think you’d better see this,” he said. The text on the phone read: Drive van to extraction point. All witnesses die today, so you must not be caught. We do this for Jim!