by Scott Cook
“Did you like that, baby?” Sharon sneered and we both laughed.
Deac actually laughed too and opened the door. The cabin was maybe twenty by thirty feet. A living room area was set up to the left. The left back corner was partitioned off and was probably a bathroom. The other half was a combination kitchenette and bunk room. A couple of lamps were set up around the sofas and a set of powerful LED lights lit up the galley and small table.
What was really interesting about the room, however, was its occupants. Standing in the center of the room was an older man, perhaps in his sixties. He was about five-foot nine with a rugged build. His white hair was wavy and cut short and his face had a hardness to it even with the smile he wore. He might have been handsome if not for the unnerving look he wore at that moment.
There were two young men sitting at the dinette table playing cards. They were both dressed casually in jeans and gray polo shirts. Lying on the table next to each one was a large pistol. Both men were clean cut and well-muscled.
Finally, two other people sat in the living room section. One on the love seat and one on the sofa. The man looked tall, although he was seated, and he had an air of distinction about him. He was perhaps in his late fifties or early sixties and dressed in a navy-blue golf shirt and khakis. He seemed familiar. He was smiling as well, but it didn’t hold quite the same sinister air as the man standing in front of us.
Finally, sitting with her legs crossed and arms folded casually and with an odd expression on her face was Congresswoman Marsha Davies. I stared.
“Welcome, ladies,” the man in front of us said.
I would’ve asked who the hell he was but when Sharon entered and saw him, she froze as rigid as a statue. Her face was pale and her fists were clenched at her sides. From that reaction, I had a pretty good idea who the man was.
“You…you lousy… you’re supposed to be dead!” Sharon barely managed to accuse. Her voice quavered with the pent-up emotion of decades. I was secretly glad I wasn’t feeling the very unpleasant cocktail of emotions she must have been experiencing at that moment.
“Sorry to disappoint you, kid,” George Nolen said. “But here I am, alive and well. Kind of overdue for a reunion, aren’t we?”
“Jesus Christ…” I breathed and then took half a step forward. “What the hell’s the matter with you? She’s your daughter! Don’t you have any compassion at all? Any remorse for what you’ve done?”
Nolen seemed to study me for a long moment, “And what business is it of yours?”
I chuffed, “Hey, you dragged me into it, asshole. Sharon’s my friend. I… y’know… care about her.”
Nolen chuckled, “At least my information on you was correct. You really ought to be a redhead… well, Lisa… as far as I’m concerned, you and your goddamned boyfriend have been a thorn in my side for the past couple of weeks. Whatever I do, whoever I hire, there are the two of you, meddling in it and screwing things up!”
“Cry me a fuckin’ river,” I rejoined. “Obviously you’re a man who doesn’t learn his lesson.”
“Why?” Sharon managed to ask. “Why!?”
Nolen sighed, walked over to the counter and poured something into a tumbler. Looked like Jack Daniels. He took a sip and turned back toward his daughter, “That’s a loaded question, Sharon. I don’t have the time to explain it all now. Where’s Michael anyway?”
This last he directed at the two men playing cards. Before they could answer, the door opened and another older man stepped in, his hand on Troy’s shoulder, “Here, George. Just doing a check around the perimeter. Found your man outside groaning. Looks like somebody racked his jewels for him.”
That got a chuckle from several of the men. The new man guided Troy toward a wooden chair next to the door where he sat. Deac sat next to him, casually holding his pistol between his knees.
“Let me make the introductions,” Nolen said. He seemed to be enjoying this whole scene. It made my stomach lurch and I reached out and took Sharon’s hand. “These two gents’ playing cards are security. They belong to the Congresswoman, who I believe you know, Lisa. And Senator Thorne, here. The new man is your other uncle, Sharon. Michael Harney.”
Sharon didn’t even look at the new man, who walked over to pour himself a few fingers of the bourbon. Instead she stared at Nolen, “Did you kill my mother?”
“Sharon… why re-open old wounds,” Nolen chastised. “That’s ancient history. Isn’t that right, Mike?”
“True enough,” Harney said. “Best leave the past in the past… well, not all the past, huh, George?”
Nolen chuckled, “Not the distant past anyway. That past concerns all of our futures.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked and glared at the politicians.
“About good old Uncle Rick and what he found so long ago,” Nolen said tightly. “And how he contrived to keep it to himself… in spite of our deal. I’m talking about what he knows how to find and what, I suspect, your damned boyfriend also knows how to find, Lisa. Pierre Meraux’s Spanish booty. Several hundred million in gold bars and coin! And it’s here, not a handful of miles from this very spot… and that fucking old Indian is as tight-lipped as a clam about it. Well, the time has come… the time has finally come.”
“So it’s true,” I said, continuing to glare at Davies and Thorne. “You two are part of this so that you can gain some kind of control over this area and use that money to push your own agendas through?”
“It’s complicated, young lady,” Thorne replied.
“Far bigger than you realize, Lisa,” Marsha Davies added. “I don’t expect you to understand.”
I scoffed, “Oh, please… dirty politicians in bed with criminals making shady back-room deals. Sounds like business as usual to me. But I don’t get it… how and why are you to connected to these guys? And why did you come out here at night almost all alone?”
“Lisa, we’re not going to explain everything like in some damned movie,” Nolen said. “We need the senator and the congresswoman, and they need us, that’s all that matters. But what we all need… is Rick Eagle Feather.”
“Your friend!” Sharon spat “God damn you…you lying, cheating, murdering son of a bitch! And you, Michael Harney… you don’t care that my shitty excuse for a father murdered your twin sister?”
Harney waved that away and chuckled, “How do you know it was him that did it, Sharon? And it was almost twenty years ago, so what’s it matter now? Not much against what’s to be gained.”
“You people make me sick,” I hissed, tightening my grip on Sharon’s hand. I wished I could do more for her. Wished I could comfort her or protect her from these venomous snakes but there was so little I could do.
“Well,” Nolen said, pulling a phone from his slacks pocket. “There’s little time to waste. I’m all done playing games. Jarvis is either going to deliver, or you two are going to die. I hope for both of your sakes that he cares enough about you to do the smart thing.”
“Fuck you…” Sharon said so softly I barely heard it. Yet in her voice was thirty-five years of pain, grief, anguish and rage. If it weren’t for the fact that we were surrounded, I think she’d have launched herself at her father and clawed his eyes out.
Nolen dialed a number and held the phone to his ear. He winked at me and said: “Scott Jarvis?”
I could hear Scott’s response even from ten feet away, “Yeah.”
“This is George Nolen. It’s been a few years, hasn’t it? Far too long. I think we should change that.”
“Uh-huh,” I heard Scott’s dry response to the arrogant tone in Nolen’s voice. I had to smile.
“You know why I’m calling,” Nolen said. Scott made a wise crack about the Twilight Zone and I was pleased to see the man’s face redden just a bit. “I’m not amused, Mr. Jarvis.”
“Oh, well pardon me,” Scott replied sarcastically. Nolen looked even angrier. “But since you’re dead, I’m not all that concerned about your amusement… oh wait, or
was that just a lie! Gasp! Yeah, Nolen, I know why you’re calling. You kidnapped your daughter after abandoning her, faking your death and oh yeah… murdering her mom? Now you think that I can deliver something in exchange for Sharon and Lisa, right?”
They exchanged another quip or two, ending in Scott threatening to feed Nolen to the gators. His words gave me a shiver. I guess it was empathy for these poor fools. Like most arrogant bad guys, they didn’t take him seriously enough. They had no idea how truly deadly Scott Jarvis was… and they’d pay for it.
Nolen laughed as if he didn’t have a care in the world, “Now you listen, you little shit! You will deliver Rick Eagle Feather to me. When you do, you’ll also deliver or convince him to deliver, the location of Meraux’s treasure. If you don’t do so by noon tomorrow… there will be several deaths… and they won’t be faked, I can promise you.”
Nolen hung up and smirked at Sharon and me, “Arrogant whipper snapper, isn’t he? Whose he think he is, threatening me? Jarvis can make all the noises he wants, but he’s just covering for the fact that he lost.”
Sharon beat me to it, “You’re a fucking idiot, you know that, Dad? You have no idea who you’re screwing with. If you did, you’d surrender right now before it’s too late.”
“She has a point, George,” Senator Thorne spoke up in his rich southern accent. “I can tell you firsthand that that young man is extremely capable. It’s dangerous to underestimate him.”
Nolen only chuckled and looked at his phone, “Oh, don’t worry, Max… I haven’t. You see, Sharon and Lisa… your little buddy Jarvis isn’t the only one who can play techno-games. Like secretly planting a GPS tracker in clothing. Two can play at that game. Your smart-ass boyfriend is right outside, Lisa, in Rick’s Maverick. He’s sitting out there right now, being pissed off at me and thinking he’s clever because in his mind, I don’t know he’s out there. But you see… I’m no idiot, pumpkin. I allowed him to track you two. And I’ve also planted a device in that boat so I could tell when he arrived. That’s why I called. To piss him off and get him to move. Sorry, ladies, but this time, Scott Jarvis has guessed wrong and has bitten off more than he can chew. Deac, Troy, you know what to do. Reed, Schneider, you do as well.”
Nolen slid his phone into his pocket and from the other, withdrew a small pistol. He aimed it at Sharon and me. Michael Harney pulled a shiny revolver from behind his back as well. They both smiled smugly at us.
“If either of you even think about calling out,” Nolen said. “I’ll shoot you down.”
I looked over at the two politicians, “Are you just going to sit there?”
“What should we do?” Davies asked haughtily.
Sharon scoffed, “Why not run away while you can?”
“In for a penny, Ms. Nolen,” Thorne replied expansively. He too now held a pistol.
Time seemed to creep past at a snail’s pace. Or maybe it was racing. In that room, so filled with tension and emotion and with only silence from outside, it was hard to tell. At least until Marsha spoke up.
“What’s taking so long?”
“I’m sure that Jarvis is being—" Harney stopped in the middle of his explanation when the sound of a human scream penetrated to our ears. It was oddly quiet because of the distance and the cabin walls, yet it was loud enough to be unmistakable.
Nolen laughed, “Sounds like your boyfriend is in trouble.”
Then the gunfire started. Pistol shots, shouts and the sound of three-round bursts from an assault weapon. Probably the M4. Another scream, this one cut ominously short. This was quickly followed up by the clatter of another assault rifle. This one had a lower register due to its larger caliber rounds. An AK-47.
“Uh-oh…” I said and grinned at the smug son of a bitch.
The door to the cabin burst open and the two security guards rushed in, panting, “Congresswoman, Senator, we need to go! Right now! There’s two of them and they have automatic weapons! The other two men are dead! Let’s move!”
Davies jumped to her feet and moved quickly past us. Thorne cursed and followed her, although reluctantly. At the door, he turned back to Nolen.
“Don’t worry, Max,” Nolan replied, still outwardly calm. “I’m not surprised and this is all part of the plan. Go ahead. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point shortly.”
“You’re sure?” Thorne asked. “I can stay if…”
“We need you intact, Max,” Nolen said. “It’s all right.”
Thorne frowned and stepped through the door just as the lights in the cabin went out. The almost inaudible sound of the generator that I’d heard through the walls was now silent. After a moment, the LED lights in the kitchen blinked back on.“Clever,” Nolen said. “Mike, over there. You two, on the couch. We’re about to have guests.”
With the door open, I could hear the sound of one of the pontoon boats’ outboards starting up. It revved and then the sound slowly grew fainter as the boat raced away. After a minute or so, only the ghostly sounds of the night remained.
“Nolen!” Scott’s voice called out from the darkness. “We’ve got you covered! Come out of there with your hostages. I want to see your hands!”
Nolen said nothing. He only looked at Sharon and me and put a finger to his lips and then grinned. From outside but seemingly from behind me, Juan’s voice also called out.
“Give up! This is the police! Release your hostages or we open fire!”
Nolen sank down to one knee. He then raised his voice, “Jarvis… are you going to shoot through the walls? Take a chance on hitting your girlfriends here?”
No response.
“I want you two men to come in here without your weapons!” Nolen called out again. “I want to see your hands, Jarvis. I’ll give you five seconds and then I’m going to open fire.”
“Scott, don’t!” Sharon shouted.
Nolen grinned broadly and pulled his trigger. The bullet shattered the glass of one of the small front windows next to the door. He hadn’t meant to shoot either one of us, just make a point.
It was made. Scott stepped into the door frame, his tall broad form filling it. In his right hand, he held his 1911.
“Nice and easy,” Nolen said. “You’re covered, step in and let your partner enter.”
Scott did so and Juan slid in, his own pistol aimed at Michael. All four men held weapons. Unfortunately, while Juan and Michael Harney covered each other and Scott held his own, Nolen was still aiming at Sharon and me.
“I take it Deac and Troy are dead?” Nolen asked casually as he got to his feet.
“Your men met with an unfortunate accident,” Scott growled. “What do you want, Nolen?”
“You know damned well what I want.”
“Same thing Thorne and Davies want, right?” Scott asked, jerking his head toward the open door.
Nolen chuckled, “You figured that out, huh?”
“Partly,” Scott said, his weapon never wavering. “I saw them leave. Not surprised, as both Lisa and I hinted that we had some useful info for them.”
Nolen laughed humorlessly, “So smart, eh? Well, they were already interested long before, so don’t pat yourself on the back too hard, Jarvis. Where’s the treasure?”
“What treasure?” Scott replied casually.
Nolen sighed, “Jarvis, do you think I won’t pull this trigger?”
“Do you think we won’t pull ours?” Scott asked. “You and… who, Michael Harney? Must be… will be dead.”
“And so will your friend and at least one of these lovely young ladies,” Nolen replied. “Not a chance you can take. So I ask again… where’s the treasure and where is my old friend Rick?”
“I don’t know,” Scott said.
“Sharon come here,” Nolen ordered.
“Fuck you,” Sharon snapped.
“If you don’t come here, I’ll shoot your friend,” Nolen said, the barrel of his pistol suddenly looming large in my vision. I had no doubt he’d do it.
Sharon didn’t either, I g
uess, because she got to her feet and stepped over to him. With his left hand, Nolen spun her around and pressed her against his chest.
“Now, Jarvis… answer my questions.”
“I can’t,” Scott said, some anger finally showing. “I don’t know where Rick is, and I don’t know where the treasure is.”
“Oh, I think you do,” Nolen replied. “I think you found out today. It’s your choice, Jarvis. You can tell me now, or tell me by noon tomorrow. You’re not in a good position here.”
Scott chuckled sardonically, “Neither are you, George. It’s over. This ends tonight. No treasure, no big political plans for the islands. Surrender now. You can’t win.”
“Oh, but I can,” Nolen said. “You see, Jarvis, the problem with you do-gooders is that you won’t go that one extra step. Do the one really terrible thing that gets the job done. Given the choice, you have to do the honorable thing. That’s why you’re weak, and that’s why we’re strong.”
The cabin seemed to fill with the bang of a pistol discharging. A roar that seemed somehow more than it really was. My brain registered that there had been two shots, almost simultaneously. The double blast was punctuated by a woman’s scream. Sharon’s scream.
It took me a second for my mind to comprehend what had just happened. Yet in that split second, the entire situation had changed.
Juan Fuente lay on his side, his teeth gritted and his breath coming in ragged, agony filled gasps. He’d dropped his pistol and held both hands to his left thigh, and they were already red with blood that was soaking his jeans in a visibly spreading dark stain.
I looked around in shock. Nolen held his pistol up against Sharon’s left breast and Harney was lying against the kitchen counter, a rapidly spreading stain on his chest.
“Here’s your choice, Jarvis,” Nolen sneered. “Maybe you can take me down. Maybe the three of you can stop me from getting away… or you can save your friend. Looks like he was hit in an artery and is bleeding out right now. What’s it gonna be? Save him or catch me? Because that’s your only option.”“Lisa…” Scott began.
“Uh, uh, uh…” Nolen chastised. “No fair cheating now. If she moves, I’ll shoot her. It’s all on you, Scott Jarvis. Save your buddy or stop me. Oh, and just to sweeten the deal, I’ll let your girlfriend go if you choose the noble thing. Then my daughter and I leave… and you’ll have until noon tomorrow to deliver or I’ll deliver Sharon back to you… in a body bag. Choose now.”