Bluewater Drone: The Eleventh Novel in the Caribbean Mystery and Adventure Series (Bluewater Thrillers Book 11)

by Charles Dougherty

  Marie laughed. "Maybe if he is American, someone will think that, but no. He must have some reason to carry them."

  "Then my mission is just to confirm their presence?"

  "Yes, for now."

  "How will I do that? Do you have some kind of detector?"

  "We do, but it is not something you can carry aboard. That would be too much risk. A visual confirmation is enough."

  "But what about the warhead? Don't you need to verify that it's a nuke?"

  "No. It is sufficient to know that he has the missiles on board. The kind of warhead is not material. No private person has business with weapons like these."

  "How big is this missile?"

  "Big. You say missile, but it will be a pod of six missiles. They are in a container which has separate compartments for each missile. This piece of armament, it is perhaps ten meters long, and roughly the shape of a shipping container. Probably, it must be directly below a movable section of decking. From pictures of the yacht, we think it must be below the foredeck. The complete pod would be lifted into the open to fire it. The front would be elevated slightly, but it is not necessary to aim the missile launcher. Each missile can be guided independently after it is launched. I will show you pictures, now. Then we discuss how to communicate, yes?"

  "Yes," Dani said. "Let's get to work. I told Liz we'd be done around lunch time. Is that okay?"

  "Yes, certainly. It is all very simple."

  ****

  "They found the two policemen, Don Petrillo," Vinnie said, as he watched the Don light his after-breakfast cigar. "As you suggested, they started at the restaurant."

  "And?"

  "They talked with one of the policemen. After a small gift, he told them that some white men who talked 'funny' had paid him and his partner to make the pick-up. They were off-duty at the time, and they borrowed a van from his partner's uncle. They were supposed to pretend to arrest Chernov — they didn't know his name — at the restaurant after they saw him get into a fight. Then they were to take him to a place where the road's close to the water. The shore has mangroves along there. Chernov was unconscious when they picked him up, and by the time they met the men in the mangroves, he had stopped breathing. The same men who bribed them to begin with were the ones who took Chernov from them. That's all he knew."

  "So, Chernov is dead, then," Don Petrillo said.

  "The cop was sure of it."

  "But we don't know who the men that talked 'funny' were."

  "Right."

  "What the hell do you suppose he meant by 'talked funny?'"

  Vinnie shrugged. "I don't know. They had an accent, maybe?"

  "All those damn people in the islands have accents, Vinnie."

  "I don't know, Don Petrillo. My guys asked him about it, and he repeated it. He said, 'You know, mon. Funny, like he don' be from Antigua.'"

  The Don shook his head and puffed the cigar. "Anything else?"

  "Yeah. My people on the charter boat saw Berger go ashore this morning."

  "Why do I give a shit about that? Did she do somethin' strange, or what?"

  "Another good lookin' blonde broad in a big, gray speedboat picked her up. They went around the corner to some little shit-hole town and had breakfast in a local place. They got hold of one of the men, but he couldn't get too close. The broad was showin' Berger lots of pictures. He could see that, but he couldn't make out the pictures or hear what they were sayin'."

  "How long did they talk?"

  "Coupla hours. He snuck up on their boat while they were eatin' and got a pretty good look at it, but it was locked up like Fort Knox, he said. He tried to break into the forward cabin to see what was there, but he couldn't do it. Said it looked almost like some kind of military boat, like maybe they chase drug runners with, or somethin'. It had a dull, medium gray paint job, and no markings that he could see. Just some numbers. Maybe 50 to 60 feet long, with three monster outdrives on it."

  "Now that's interesting. He take any pictures of it? Or of the broad drivin' it?"

  "Yeah, but you can't see shit about the boat. It just kind of blends into the water, like a gray cloud or somethin', and he was too far away from the woman."

  "Shit, Vinnie. Sounds like Berger's almost gotta be some kinda fuckin' cop, don't you think?"

  "Yeah, it's sure lookin' that way."

  "Okay, good work. I'm gonna call my contact in Antigua and see if he knows anything about her or this broad with the gray boat. He might not know Berger, but if there's a boat like that chasin' drug runners, he coulda heard about it. Lemme know if you get any more from them fellas on the boat."

  ****

  "It was a busy day," Liz said. She and Dani sat on the foredeck in the evening breeze, enjoying the last of the wine left over from dinner. Their guests were asleep below deck, so they spoke softly.

  "Yes," Dani agreed. "I feel unprepared for tomorrow."

  "But you spent the whole morning with Marie."

  "That's not the part I'm worried about, Liz."

  "What, then?"

  "Strong."

  "Why? Did he say something that worried you?"

  Dani had called him just before dinner and they had agreed that he would pick her up in the early afternoon tomorrow. He had suggested she bring what she needed to spend a few days aboard Platinum Odyssey.

  Dani shook her head and took a sip of wine. "No. It's just that I know he's going to expect me to ... to ... well, you know, Liz."

  "You don't have to do anything that you don't want to do, Dani. Of course he wants to sleep with you. That's no surprise, is it?"

  "No, but I've led him on, now, and I don't even like him. He's a slime bag."

  "Just keep leading him on, Dani. Don't give in if you don't want to."

  "But he'll get angry, Liz."

  "I doubt it. Men are like fish. If you keep dangling the bait just out of his reach, it'll drive him to distraction. He won't be able to think of anything else, which is okay, isn't it?"

  "What do you mean, okay?"

  "You don't want him to spend too much time thinking. Having him incoherent with lust should suit your purposes."

  "What if he won't take no for an answer?"

  "Now you're being foolish. After what he saw you do to that mugger, you can't seriously think he'd try to force himself on you. You said he was a wimp."

  "I know you're right, Liz. I've never been a tease, though."

  "You've done well, so far. If it gets too intense, give him the walking wounded line; beg him for understanding. Remember?"

  "Play the 'my last two relationships failed, I'm not ready to get back on the horse yet' card? You think that'll really work?"

  "The more determined he is to seduce you, the better it'll work. When you break down and share that with him, you set him up to show you what an understanding, kind, gentle person he is, in contrast to those jerks who hurt you so badly. It'll work; he's a ladies' man, not a monster. And if he turns out to be a monster, you don't need my advice. You know better than I how to deal with that."

  "Okay, thanks. I just needed a little encouragement, I guess. I feel better about it now."

  "Good. How do you think this is going to finish up?"

  "You mean, how am I going to get away?"

  "Yes."

  "Marie suggested that once we get through the audition, he's going to want me to move in with him, more or less for the duration of the movie project. I asked him where the actual filming was going to happen, and he said they had a villa lined up to use as a base of operations. There will be living quarters there for the cast."

  "A villa? In Antigua?"

  "Yes. Some famous rock star's estate on the southeast coast."

  "Uh-huh. That sounds reasonable. Marie's probably right about the moving in part, but how are you going to break it off?"

  "After a couple of days, one of two things will happen. If I fail miserably as an actress, I'll just come home. If he still wants me in the movie after he sees how inept I am, then I'll
tell him I need to come home and pack a bag, and wrap up loose ends. So either way, I should be back aboard Vengeance in a day or two."

  "And then what? Where does that leave Marie and company?"

  "If the missiles are aboard, their client has to decide what to do about it. She's got the wherewithal to blow Platinum Odyssey out of the water, if it comes to that. That's what she thinks will happen."

  "Whoa! What about innocent bystanders?"

  "You're thinking of Strong? No great loss, if you ask me."

  "No, actually I was thinking about the missing agent, and those women around the pool."

  "I don't know, Liz. Marie's focused on the nuclear threat; the presumption is that Danilov's carrying those missiles with the intent to use them. They don't know what his target is, or what his motivation is, but you have to figure somewhere in the eastern U.S. is at risk. They're probably weighing millions of lives against a few — collateral damage and acceptable loss, I guess."

  "I don't like that,” Liz said.

  "I don't either. I've got in mind doing whatever I can to get them off the yacht."

  "Why wouldn't they capture Danilov and the ship?"

  "I asked. Nobody, least of all their client, wants to admit that this is even happening. Imagine how it would play out if word got to the press or to the politicians. An unfortunate yachting tragedy will end the whole thing quietly. They don't even know who's behind Danilov. Maybe they suspect, but they'd rather leave the instigator the option of forgetting the whole thing. I don't know. That kind of diplomatic BS is beyond me."

  "Does Marie know you have your own agenda?"

  "No. She'd have a serious problem if she suspected; keep it to yourself."

  "How do you think you can get the women off Platinum Odyssey without her help?"

  "I don't know yet. I'll think of something."

  Liz laughed.

  "What's funny?"

  "You. You're having an anxiety attack over how to fend off a lecherous movie producer, but you're supremely confident that you can manipulate this whole nuclear missile situation to your own ends."

  Dani shrugged. "I guess I don't have the same personal stake in the outcome." She chuckled.

  "What amuses you about that?" Liz asked.

  "Oh, I just remembered this phrase that Americans use sometimes. It's a sports reference, I think. They'd say I don't have as much skin in the game when it comes to the missiles as I do with Strong."

  "That's almost too descriptive," Liz said. "You could take it literally in the one case." She giggled.

  "Okay, enough of that. What did you do today? You said you took them beachcombing. Did they have anything interesting to say?"

  "No, but I'm glad you asked. I got so wrapped up in your stress just now that I almost forgot to tell you about the call I got from the maître d' at Le Gaulois."

  "What did he want?" Dani frowned.

  "He said two rough-looking Americans came by asking questions about your attacker."

  "What?"

  "Yes. He couldn't tell them much; he'd never seen the man before he glimpsed him slipping through the dining room onto the patio. But they also asked about the policemen."

  "And?"

  "One of the busboys recognized them; he grew up with them. He gave the Americans their names and told him where one of them lived, and they left."

  "Americans," Dani said, shaking her head. "I wouldn't have been surprised if some of Danilov's people had been asking questions, but the only Americans I can connect to this are Blaine and Mindy."

  "Right. They don't fit the description. It's a random bit of information, but I thought you should know."

  "Thanks. Pass it along to Marie when you get the chance, please."

  "Sure, I'll do that. Drink up; it's past my bedtime."

  Chapter 23

  "She should be here any minute," Dani said. She and Liz and their guests were having breakfast in the cockpit. Vengeance was anchored in what had become Mindy's favorite spot, behind the fringing reef north of Green Island in Nonesuch Bay. "She's eager to get to know the two of you."

  "She seemed pleasant when we met her yesterday," Blaine said, "even though we didn't get a chance to chat."

  "You spent the whole morning with her; you must have told her all about us," Mindy said.

  "Actually, we spent most of the time talking about Martinique," Dani said. "I have family ties there, even though I haven't spent much time living there."

  "I thought you were American," Blaine said.

  "I am, but I'm also French. My father's from Martinique, originally."

  "Oh," Mindy said, "and you haven't spent much time there?"

  "It's a long story," Dani said. "He left when he was young. He's lived in Paris for most of my life. He and my mother split up right after I was born."

  "Is Marie related to you?" Blaine asked.

  "No, but she works for a company owned by one of my father's oldest friends."

  "I see," Mindy said. "Liz told us a little about her consulting work. Martinique seems like a strange place for a firm like that."

  "I suppose it does, but Martinique has quite a history in the shipping business. It's also a part of France, remember, so it's like an outpost of the E.U. in this part of the world. Most of their clients are European, so it makes business sense."

  "Here she comes," Liz interrupted, standing and walking forward along the port side to take a line from Marie.

  "No need to cleat it," Marie said, as Liz bent to tie the line off. "The boys have to get moving."

  Tossing a duffle bag onto Vengeance's side deck, Marie scrambled up. She picked up her bag and waved to the man at the helm of the gray boat, watching as he pulled away and then accelerated toward the channel on the south side of Green Island.

  "Hello again," Marie said, as she stepped into the cockpit, followed by Liz.

  "Hi," Blaine and Mindy said, in chorus.

  "We were just talking about you," Mindy said.

  "That would be boring," Marie said, "but I am flattered even so. Now you may ask me whatever you wish. Dani and Liz maybe make me seem more interesting than I am in the person, yes?"

  "Liz told us a little about your work," Mindy said, "That sounds exciting."

  "Exciting?" Marie said. "Perhaps if it is not what you do for money to live. What part of it sounds exciting to you?" Smiling, she sat down across from them at the cockpit table and took the mug of coffee that Liz offered.

  "She said you traveled all the time, to some out-of-the way places," Blaine said.

  "This is so. Sometimes to more well-known places, too. Most of the places where ships or airplanes deliver cargo, I have been. This sounds exciting only if you have never slept the night on the floor in a dirty, dangerous third-world airport. I do not get sent to very many resorts." She flashed them another warm smile and took a sip of her coffee. "You must travel to some nicer places to make the video, yes? Dani has told me some about your documentaries."

  "We've seen some interesting spots," Mindy said, "although we concentrate on places that most people don't think of as resorts."

  "I wouldn't say they compare with sleeping on the floor in a third-world airport," Blaine said, "but we specialize in adventure travel destinations. Our show is called Off the Edge, meaning off the beaten path."

  Marie frowned. "What is this 'beaten path?'"

  "It's slang for a place that an ordinary tourist wouldn't go," Liz said.

  "Ah!" Marie said. "I like this phrase. I will remember. Most of the places I go for work are off this beaten path, exactly. Thank you."

  "While you get acquainted, I'll just put your things in the forward stateroom," Dani said, picking up Marie's duffle bag and stepping toward the companionway.

  "Thank you, Dani. The things I brought you from Martinique are in a small flowered cloth makeup case on the top of my clothes, if you wish to get them out. Make sure they are what you wanted; I can get anything else you need."

  Dani nodded and went below.
>
  "The French cosmetics," Marie said, "they can be hard to find in some of the islands. So where do you plan to go, while Dani is off being the movie star?"

  ****

  "I just got a call from the people watchin' Berger," Vinnie said.

  "Yeah? What's happenin'?" Don Petrillo asked.

  "The other broad showed up while they were all eatin' breakfast in the back of the boat. The one she went off with yesterday."

  "She showed up? Whaddaya mean, showed up?"

  "In that same gray boat, but this time, there were two men with her."

  "Two men? What happened."

  "They left the broad on Berger's yacht and took off."

  "Where'd they go?"

  "Out in the ocean."

  "Your boys didn't follow 'em?"

  "They couldn't keep up with that gray boat; it was outta sight in a coupla minutes, they said."

  "Shit," Don Petrillo muttered. "Anything else?"

  "Yeah, they got a pretty good look at the two men while the broad was gettin' out of the boat. With binoculars. Said it was like they could reach out and touch 'em. White men with dark tans, heads shaved. Wearin' wraparound sunglasses. Real fit lookin'. The boys said cops, or maybe soldiers."

  "Were they in some kinda uniforms, or what?"

  "No uniforms. Plain, dark T-shirts and blue jeans. Wearin' runnin' shoes. Said one of 'em had arms like boa constrictors."

  "Say what?"

  "Them big snakes that swallow animals whole. Real big muscles. He said they looked tough as hell. Treated the broad like she was their boss. She kinda gave 'em a little wave, and they nodded at her and hauled ass."

  "Guns?"

  "He's pretty sure they had pistols in their waistbands, under the T-shirts. Somethin' makin' bulges there."

  "The broad take anything on that boat with her?"

  "Yeah, thanks. I almost forgot. Duffle bag."

  "Big? Or little?"

  "Coupla feet long, maybe. He said it didn't look heavy. She kinda flipped it up onto the yacht."

  "Whaddaya think, Vinnie?"

  "My gut says cops of some kind."

  "Yeah. Mine, too."

  "You talk to your contact?" Vinnie asked.

  "Yeah. I didn't get anything on the broads — either one of 'em. Or the gray boat, but he said no foreign law enforcement vessels were operating in their waters to his knowledge, and they're supposed to check in with his people."