Death on Mt Pleasant

by Steve McMillen

  TC looks up, his eyes open wide, and thinks to himself, Oh, my God, what if Captain Swinely didn’t die when the ship sank? What if he jumped overboard and swam to safety? What if he scuttled the ship himself and made it look like an attack from pirates?

  TC has a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He needs to check and see if he can find out if there’s any information on Captain Swinely. He goes up to the front desk at the library and asks the lady if there are any books available on pirates and ship captains from back in the late 1600s to the mid 1700s. She gives him three titles and tells him where they are located. He scans the three books and finds one reference to a Captain Swinely. The reference stated that a Captain Kent Swinely was a revered pirate and supposedly died when his ship sank off the coast of the Carolinas. However, several undocumented accounts from people swore they saw him later in the Bahamas. TC did notice a reference to the remains of a long boat, which was discovered on Goat Island in 1955 in Murrells Inlet. It is believed to be from the early 1700s, which would have been the same time frame as the sinking of The Queen Beth. What if Captain Swinely abandoned the ship in a long boat and rowed to Goat Island?

  Perplexed and feeling down, he opts to call it quits for the day. He feels it may be time to take a relaxing boat ride and scan the coastline from his boat. Sometimes good things happen when you least expect it.

  Penne, at the front desk of the library, makes a note of which three books TC referenced for her friend, the documentary film-maker.

  Chapter 45: Upset Brothers

  “Make a deal. What is this clown trying to do?” Von Spineback says to no one in particular after listening to his voicemail. He immediately calls Stu and tells him about the voicemail message. He then adds, “Here’s your chance, Stuart. Meet this joker on Friday and get rid of him.”

  Stu knows Von is upset because he used his full name. He tells Von he will take care of the situation. He no sooner hangs up with Von than there is a call from Dr. Jon with the same story. “Stuart, take care of this now! I don’t want to hear from this guy ever again.”

  “No problem, Dr. Jon, consider it done.” Stu notices that Dr. Jon also used his full name. Stuart can’t figure out why this PI would want to see both brothers on the same day, at the same time, and at the same place. His gut feeling is that it is a trap.

  Stuart is going to stand in for Dr. Jon and Von Spineback on Friday but he will be there around 6:30 or 7:00 to be ready for the Myrtle Beach PI. He will have no problem finding his way around because he has been there before, not too long ago. He breaks down his automatic assault rifle, and places it in a carry case along with a silencer. He also cleans his .357 Colt. He calls his other central Ohio client and tells him he may need backup. His client agrees to act as a backup if needed. Stu does not give the person any details on his target. He learned in the CIA that sometimes the less your operatives know, the easier it is to control the operation. Stuart will tell the person where to go, what to do, and when to do it. He hopes his client won’t be needed.

  Chapter 46: Beverly’s Guests

  Beverly has two choices: She can go in with gun blazing and ask questions later or walk in as if she does not know someone is there. She goes with the latter. If the person is a common criminal, she can easily overpower him with no problem, but if he is a pro, it may not be as easy.

  She puts her weapon in her front pocket with the butt exposed so it will be easy to get to, pulls out her shirt, and covers the gun. She takes a deep breath, unlocks the front door, and walks boldly into the living room as if she is completely unaware of an intruder.

  A middle-aged woman in jeans and T-shirt walks out from the kitchen, stares for a second, and then says with an English/Bahamian accent, “Oh, are you the new renter? I was just checking to make sure the place was clean. I didn’t know you had already moved in.” The woman has a shapely behind, big bust, and shrewd, judgmental dark eyes.

  From the corner of her eye, Beverly notices movement and another figure emerges from her bedroom. She turns to see a man, dressed also in jeans and a T-shirt. He also speaks with the same English/Bahamian accent, “Is there a problem, Donna?” He flashes a brilliant and insincere smile but Beverly can see a cloak of impatience all over his face.

  Beverly notices a bulge on his left side under his shirt near his waist, which could be a weapon. Smoothly and quickly, she draws her weapon from her pants pocket and points it at the man. “Don’t make any quick moves or you will die. You, Donna, move over beside him and both of you put your hands on your heads. Do not speak unless I ask you a question.”

  Beverly watches as Donna moves slowly toward the man and notices that her nails are well manicured, not the hands of a house cleaner. She also wonders who the lady thinks the stuff in the home belongs to if not her. Looking directly at the woman and with coldness and authority in her eyes, she says, “How did you get in here? The front door was locked.”

  Donna hesitates and then replies, “I have a key to the back door. I told you ……………” Beverly puts her finger up to her lips and Donna does not finish her reply. She now turns her attention to the man. “Pull up your shirt slowly with your right hand.”

  Chapter 47: Plan of Attack

  Since I figure whoever shows up Friday morning will be there early, possibly 7:00 or 8:00 to setup an ambush, I am planning to be there by 4:00 or 5:00. I need somewhere to park my car as close to Mt. Pleasant as possible. I don’t foresee a lot of traffic at that time of the morning, but a man in full camouflage with a rifle may be a little bit suspicious. I decide to enter Mt. Pleasant from the Fair Avenue side. I remember as a kid there is a back way in from Fair Avenue.

  Next, I call Jake. “Jake, do you have any friends who are real-tors?”

  “Sure, why do you want to know?”

  “I need you to find out if there are any houses on Fair Avenue, close to Mt. Pleasant, which are for sale and vacant.”

  “Please tell me you are not going to break in to someone’s house,” Jake replies in a begging tone of voice.

  “Of course not, just trust me on this one, and I need to know ASAP. And Jake, don’t mention my name.”

  “Your name, damn, I may not mention my name.”

  Jake calls me back in thirty minutes. “There’s a house right across the street from the mountain for sale and the realtor said it is vacant and on a lockbox.”

  “Great, give me the address and I promise I won’t break in and get you in any trouble.” I write down the address and tell Jake I will keep him advised.

  Tomorrow I will do my recon and get everything ready for Friday.

  The following morning, I have a big breakfast at Shaw’s and then head over to Fair Avenue. I find the address Jake gave me and it will work fine. The house sits on the corner of an alley and has a large covered carport in the alley behind the house next to a one-car garage. I can park my car there and no one should notice, particularly at that time of the morning.

  I go on down to Maple Street and turn right down the hill. I remember this was always a great sledding hill as a kid. I park on Maple and walk back up the hill to try and find the back entrance to the mountain. About halfway up, I notice a car turning down the hill. The car looks familiar and when the occupant completely ignores me as it passes, I decide big Steve has put a tail on me. He looks like Officer Barrish who brought me the info from the Reynoldsburg detective. That’s okay with me as long as he doesn’t mess up my plan. It’s nice to know he has my back.

  I find the partially hidden trail almost directly across the street from Maple, and once I get in the woods I look back down Maple and see the car pull up on the other side of the street and park. Now I’m sure big Steve has put a tail on me. I doubt that he will follow me up the mountain. He probably figures I will return to my vehicle sooner or later.

  I pull out a small pad and pencil and make notes as I traverse the trail to the crest of Mt. Pleasant. The trail is very narrow but well defined. Anytime you have a chance to look at terrain
in the daytime when you are going to travel that same terrain at night is a good thing. I spend almost an hour previewing the area in and around my ambush location. Once I get back to Shaw’s I will go over the entire route and location in my head using my notes.

  Now I know where I will enter the trail and how long it will take me to get to the top and my secluded lookout position. The house where I will park is only eight houses down from Maple Street and the beginning of the trail. As I near the trails end on Fair Avenue, I look back down the street and the car that had parked there is still there. As I emerge from the woods, I notice he leaves and turns west onto Lake Street.

  I go back to Shaw’s and begin to get mentally ready for tomorrow. I go over every step of the way from Fair Avenue to the top of Mt. Pleasant. Next, I pack all of my camouflage clothing and grease in the backpack along with the mosquito repellent, two bottles of water, an energy bar, ammo belt, knife, and recorder. When I leave Shaw’s in the wee hours of the morning, I want to look like a person going for an early morning walk, not a soldier on a search and destroy mission.

  I test the recorder to make sure it is working. I hope I’ll be able to get Stuart or whoever shows up to confess on tape to Sissy’s murder.

  Now it’s time for a power nap. Before I dose off, I picture in my mind my entire trip up the mountain from the time I leave my vehicle until I get to my final destination on the top of Mt. Pleasant. I also go over all entry and exit routes.

  I awake ninety minutes later and go downstairs for a nice early dinner. After dinner, I return to my suite, take a nice hot shower, and get in bed by 7:30. I set my alarm for 3:30. I go over the entire plan repeatedly, as I wait for sleep to find its way into my body.

  Chapter 48: Beverly’s Mistake

  Beverly watches closely as the man slowly lifts his shirt and exposes a cell phone in a clip-mounted leather holder. Beverly lowers her weapon to her side and says, “Sorry, I’m a security specialist with Marriott and I am here on a fact-finding mission for the hotel. I get nervous when I find strange people in my house.”

  “No problem, miss, my husband and I own this home and we were not expecting you until later this evening. We will be leaving now and won’t bother you again.”

  Beverly quickly replies, “Thank you. I would appreciate it if you did not tell anyone I am in town. This is a surprise visit to check on the hotels security awareness. Only the GM knows I’m coming.”

  “No problem,” she states.

  Beverly notices a quick glance between the two of them. As the man turns to exit, Donna falls in close to him as they leave the house. Beverly is still just a little bit concerned. She is still holding the weapon in her hand. She saw no cleaning supplies. Maybe they are in the van they are getting into. She walks out behind them, waves, and takes notice of the license number. She will contact Liz and have her run the plate because as the man was leaving and before Donna had a chance to get behind him, she noticed another bulge in the small of his back. It could have been a gun. She decides to call Liz first and ask questions later.

  However, on second thought, she races over to the van and again points her weapon at the man’s head. She remembers the man coming from her bedroom. If he does have a gun, could it be the .9mm she put under the bed?

  “Donna, put both hands on the dash and don’t move. You,” she says, pointing her weapon at the man’s left eye, “get out of the vehicle and put your hands on the van.”

  As soon as he puts his hands on the vehicle, she pulls up his shirt and sees the .9mm gun she had placed under the bed. She removes the weapon, places it in the small of her back, and tells him to turn around. She now points her weapon at his crotch and says, “You know. I should probably just shoot your sorry ass for stealing my gun. Donna, get out of the vehicle and come over here.”

  The man’s eyes are filled with terror and he is beginning to sweat profusely at the thought of losing some very valuable body parts. Donna comes around the van and stands beside him.

  “Now, which one of you is going to tell me what really is going on here?”

  Donna raises her hand and speaks, “Okay, the truth is we were watching you from the beach and when we saw you leave the house and come over to the beach, we went over and found the back door open. We were looking for something to steal and sell. We are sorry. We do not mean to cause you any trouble.”

  Beverly makes a quick decision. “OK, Donna and”, looking at the man, “what is your name?”

  “Sam.”

  “OK, Donna and Sam, I have some work that needs done here on the island and if you two are willing to help me, I will not call the police.”

  “Anything, just name it,” Donna replies and Sam nods.

  Beverly looks her in the eyes and says, “Do not screw up. I can be a very vengeful person. Do you understand?”

  They both nod their heads affirmatively.

  She takes them back to the front porch and gets a stack of flyers and the staple gun. Beverly tells them she is actually here to try to find her sister who has been missing for six weeks. She tells them to take the flyers and put them up and pass them out around the island. After they’re finished, she tells them to bring the staple gun back and to put it on the porch so she will know they have completed their task. She also tells them that if she goes around the island and does not see any flyers, she will call the police and then she will come looking for them. She makes it very clear to them that if that happens, they had better hope that the police find them before she does.

  Donna and Sam thank her and go off on their assigned mission while Beverly goes inside and locks the back door to the house.

  As they drive away from Beverly’s house, Donna turns and says to Sam, “Mission accomplished.”

  Chapter 49: Ambush

  The alarm clock in my head goes off two minutes before the alarm clock on the nightstand. I turn off the alarm and bounce out of bed. I had a good night’s sleep and now it’s time to go hunting and see if anyone gets caught up in my snare.

  I see no one as I leave Shaw’s. The night clerk must have been in the bathroom. The drive over to the mountain is quiet and there is hardly anyone on the streets. I turn off my lights as I turn down the alley and in to the vacant carport in the alley behind the house. I get out of the car and change into my hunting attire. I venture up to Fair and wait until no headlights are visible, and then jog across the street into the tree line. I pause and wait for a few seconds until my eyes become accustomed to the darkness.

  I stay in the tree line as I maneuver toward the trail, pausing twice as two cars approach and pass by me on Fair Avenue. I reach the trail and start my journey to the summit. There is a bright crescent moon lurking in the lucid sky, so the trail is easy to follow and there is no need to use my maglite. After an easy ascent, I come off the trail and see the rocky outcrop of the summit. Since I am now in the open with no trees for protection, I carefully and quietly venture forward, my AR-15 at the ready. The sounds and creatures of the night momentarily halt their nightly concerto. The crescent moon is illuminating the rocks, and I stop again to allow my eyes to adjust to the change in light. I slowly frisk the area in front of me with my eyes several times for any movement. I see none.

  I reach the top of the mountain where Sissy died and I take time to slowly walk over to the railing and gaze at the twinkling lights of the city below and wonder what it must have been like for her that fateful day.

  I quickly return to the present and walk back toward the tree line where I found the Kleenex and the possible location of her waiting killer. I had broken a branch from a tree where I wished to enter when I was up here yesterday and that branch is now visible. I enter the tree line no more than three feet, just far enough not to be seen but not too far back that I can’t view a large portion of the rocky pinnacle. I find a tree to rest my backpack and back against and choose a larger tree close by to use as a shield if need be. I settle in for as long as it takes.

  The only exposed parts of my body ar
e my face and hands. I smear the camouflage grease on my face and spray repellant on my hands, neck and ears. I can hear the buzz of the mosquitoes but they seem to be shying away from me. Nothing can turn a surprise attack into a disaster as quickly as a swarm of mosquitoes.

  My mind wanders back to a night training exercise at Fort Bragg. Twelve of us went out at 2:00 in the morning on a hot and muggy August night. We had to set up an ambush beside a road with tall grass, next to a swamp. It was so bad that the instructors wore mosquito netting over their heads, long sleeves, and gloves. We did not have that luxury. We had to wait for twenty minutes for the convoy to appear that we were to attack. It was absolutely hell, but it was also mind over matter. Ten of us survived but two were sent back to the barracks early. We never saw them again. That was not a fun night.

  I have protection now so this should be a walk in the park. I carefully check my watch: and it is 4:15. My eyes have adjusted to the darkness, and with the help of the city lights below I can see the entire rocky top of the summit.

  Twenty minutes later, just as I am about to reach for a bottle of water, my mouth goes from dry to parched as I hear a branch snap off to my right. My weapon is on my lap pointing left, so I quietly and slowly move my head, shoulders and weapon to the right. At first, I don’t see anything, and then about 20 yards away I notice two eyes illuminated by the crescent moon. Just above the eyes, I finally spot the rack of a six-point buck feeding on some tree branches. I remain motionless and the buck, not concerned with me in the least bit, gets his fill and slowly moves away. I am not sure if I have taken a breath in the last five minutes, so I take several deep breaths to slow down my elevated heart rate. I slowly stretch one leg at a time just to keep my legs from going to sleep. I don’t need numb legs in case I need to move in a hurry.