by C. G. Cooper
“Might be a bit dehydrated,” said the corpsman, “but other than that, he looks pretty good.”
He patted me on the back and joined the working party who were loading bodies into the back of trucks, Hollie among them.
After two protein bars and another bottle of water, I walked over to where Hollie was talking to an ancient looking man, hunched at the waist. They looked up from their conversation.
“Feel better, son?” asked the older gentleman.
“Yes, sir. Thank you for…”
He waved the thanks away. “Us old dogs haven’t had this much fun in ages. You’ll see when you get to be my age. Times like these…well, let’s just say you won’t forget them.”
I realized that these old men, none younger than sixty, didn’t feel a bit of remorse for what they’d done. It was no small thing, waging war in an American town. Brave men.
Hollie interrupted my thoughts. “We’d better get moving soon. Now that the storm’s passed there will be people coming down the road.”
“What about Laney? Was he with these guys?” I pointed to the stacked cadavers.
“Nope. Not even sure he was here.” He turned to the other man. “Eli, let’s head back to your place. I’m sure Daniel wouldn’t mind getting cleaned up.”
As we piled in their vehicles I looked east just as the golden rays of morning cut through the filtering clouds. The beast inside of me howled.
+++
Max Laney parked the SUV in front of his friend’s condo. The drive had given him a chance to regroup. He was far from finished, but he needed time.
He’d driven by his beautiful home, now a smoldering ruin. There would be questions from the authorities, but he, Max Laney, could deal with it.
What he needed now was a vacation. Some time to think. Minutes later he climbed aboard his boat, taking in deep breaths of the clear air, savoring the promise of a new day.
Soon he was cruising out of the channel and into the gulf.
+++
Eli’s men listened with rapt attention to my story. It felt like a dream as I retold my swim to shore in the raging storm. Stealing a running car to get back to Defuniak Springs.
No one batted an eye when I explained how I’d ambushed the police chief or Laney’s man, Renley Watts. “Good riddance,” said one of the old-timers, spitting on the ground.
“What about the lawyer?” asked Hollie. “It’s hard to believe Henry Ellison knew what Laney was up to. He was shocked to see how bad I looked.”
I didn’t tell them that there had been a moment when anyone I could get my hands on, who had any connection with Max Laney, would die. But in that instant, the beast relented allowing a tiny sliver of my humanity to peak out.
“I put him somewhere safe. Thought he might be useful if we came through it alive.”
Hollie nodded with a smile. “That’s good to hear. Now, what do we do about Max?”
The beast in me growled. I cut it off with a click of my teeth, grinning wickedly. “Don’t worry about Max. He’s mine.”
+++
Defuniak Springs was coming back to life, crews working hard to clear roadways and restore power as quickly and efficiently as possible. The citizens knew natural disaster well, and most had weathered their fair share of tropical storms and hurricanes. Neighbor helped neighbor.
So it was with Eli’s band of warriors. Dispersed in separate directions, we soon had a plan concocted, one that would not only cover our tracks, but would see the Laney empire dismantled piece by piece.
+++
Henry Ellison shaded his eyes from the sun when we opened the woodshed door. I’d tied him to a work bench knowing he was too frail to put up much of a fight.
“Please don’t hurt me.”
Hollie stepped forward. “Mr. Ellison, it’s Hollie Herndon. We have some things to tell you.”
+++
Max couldn’t believe how calm the gulf was. Once a battle of waves and tides, the emerald water now glass-like, lazily lapping against the vessel’s hull. Laney sipped a water glass full of bourbon, savoring the burn running down his throat.
He wasn’t in any rush, already having made arrangements for his return home. The course set, Laney enjoyed the soft breeze blowing in through the windows, beckoning him westward.
+++
Henry Ellison sat in a state of shock. More than once he’d gasped at Hollie’s retelling. I could only imagine what was going through his head. He’d served the Laney family for years, never once questioning their motives. Finding out that he’d been, for intents and purposes, a willing participant in countless schemes of bribery, coercion and outright thievery, I was almost surprised the poor guy didn’t keel over and die.
“Are you sure about this, Hollie? I mean, are you really sure?” Ellison’s eyes pleaded.
“I’m afraid so, Mr. Ellison. Just sorry you had to hear about it like this.”
Ellison nodded, lost in his own thoughts, visibly calculating his next move. To my astonishment, the old man looked up, his eyes burning with determination. “You know, there was a time when a lawyer was afraid to look across the aisle and see Henry Ellison.” He stood. “I think it’s time to be that man again. Tell me, Mr. Briggs, what can I do to help?”
Chapter 44
He made a stop in Gulfport, Mississippi to buy supplies and a fresh wardrobe. Johnny and Watts had dumped most of the things in the stateroom, and Max Laney would not be seen wearing day-old trousers.
Now freshly showered, wearing a pair of loose khaki shorts and a Tommy Bahama button down shirt, Laney sipped his first cocktail of the night, gazing out at the setting sun from Smuggler’s Cove.
There wasn’t anything on the tiny Cat Island, but it was close enough to shore that he could stop in at any time. Besides, he’d picked the spot at random, liking the ring of the name Smuggler’s Cove, thinking that he’d probably had ancestors who had used the very same spot to smuggle goods into the country.
He lounged on the aft deck, the boat’s position giving him a perfect view of the sunset. The only sound that tingled his senses were the occasional screeches from soaring seagulls, doing a pass to see if he had any food.
The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a tangerine glow. Max closed his eyes, lulled by the gently rocking vessel.
+++
He hadn’t been hard to track. I’d gotten lucky. When I ambushed Renley Watts, I found the GPS locator he’d used to track me and Hollie before. It even had a piece of blue tape with Herndon stuck above one of the small screens. Next to it was another name, on the same blue painter’s tape. It said Laney’s Boat.
+++
The glass almost slipped from his hand, but he grasped it before it fell. Must have dozed off, thought Laney, shaking his head. Yawning, he lifted the nearly empty glass to his mouth when a searing pain tore through his leg. He screamed in shock, almost falling out of his seat when he tried to stand and look down.
The pain was unbearable. Laney flipped a switch next to the table and the area was suddenly bathed in soft light. He lifted his throbbing leg and found an arrow, or was is a spear, sticking out of his calf.
“What the…”
A whistle behind him made him turn, the fright clear in his bulging eyes.
“Hello, Max.”
+++
He felt the venom in my voice and backed away a step.
“Briggs?”
I nodded.
Laney looked around, probably looking for something, anything, to use as a weapon. Too bad for him, nothing would help.
“Uh, I’m sure we can talk this through, Mr. Briggs. I’m a wealthy…”
“I don’t care about your money.” I laughed. “Some other people do though. I’d say right about now your bank accounts are being emptied and the grateful citizens of Defuniak Springs are getting a call from Henry Ellison telling them you’ve given them their land back.”
“What?! I…Henry Ellison is dead.” It came out as more of a question. He didn’t kno
w. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost. I wanted to let the beast loose, tear him to shreds and sink his body to the ocean floor.
But I couldn’t. There was something I had to take care of. “Okay, Max. If you want to keep your money, all you need to do is sign this one piece of paper.” I held up a sheet encased in a waterproof bag. “What do you say?”
He scrunched his tanned face, trying to figure out if I was bluffing, not that he had a choice. “Can I see what I’m signing?”
“Sure.” I stepped closer, coming within feet of the coward.
“Can I hold it?”
“Nope. You can read it from there.”
He looked like he was going to protest, but decided against it, instead reading the document in my outstretched hand. A minute later, his eyes met mine. “This is a power of attorney.”
“You’re a smart man, Max. Now let’s get to signing.”
“How do I know you won’t go back on your word?”
I smiled. “You don’t. You’ll just have to trust me.”
It took him a moment. “Okay. Let me just go an grab a pen.” He started to turn.
“That’s okay. I’ve got one right here.” I pulled another waterproof bag out of my waistband, seawater dripping onto the carpet.
Throwing me a hateful look, Laney grabbed the pen. “Can I at least sit down?” I could see he was trying not to show weakness. I’ll bet that fishing spear hurt.
“Sure.” I waved him into a white lounge chair and extracted the power of attorney. Standing almost on top of him, I watched as he scrawled his signature on the document. Lifting the paper from the table, I inspected his work. Henry Ellison had shown me a sample of Laney’s official signature, just in case he tried to pull a fast one. He hadn’t. It matched the one I had seen. I placed the sheet back in its waterproof container.
“Now what? Are you going to let me go?” asked Laney, spitting out every word.
“Tell you what. Why don’t you grab each of us a drink,” I pointed to the well-stocked bar, “and then we’ll cruise back in a few minutes.”
Laney nodded, wincing as he got up to prepare the drinks. I turned as well, stowing the pen and paper, re-zipping my wetsuit. “I’ll be right back. Gonna take a leak. Don’t go below. I’ll still be able to see you.”
He didn’t even turn, knowing he couldn’t move fast enough with the spear stuck in his leg.
I walked to the back landing and took my time. My piss splashed into the salt water. Finished, I walked back slowly. Laney had turned his back to me. He’d already downed half of his drink.
I didn’t hesitate. In one swift move, I looped the line around his neck two times before he could get his hands up. Yanking Laney to his feet, I turned him around to face me. His eyes wide with fear, blood rushing, he tried to gasp. I was done playing.
“This is for Kelly Waters.”
My soul slipped away, replaced in an instant by the creature inside. I watched it like a movie, an innocent bystander, the moves of a monster no more than a tale of horror on my mind’s television screen.
Up and over the beast’s shoulder went Laney, mouth trying to scream as he flew past the railing, hitting the side of the hull with a loud thud. Wordlessly, mindlessly, the beast tied off the line and walked aft, the sounds of Laney’s struggling still thumping against the boat. A moment later the beast was back, a mask of fury as it tied the other end of the line to the fifty pound drifting anchor he’d pulled from the shallow bottom.
I watched silently as my other self untied the line and threw the anchor into the water, taking the still flailing Laney with it to the ocean floor.
The splash quickened my body and I felt my body once again move to my command. I waited. I counted. Three minutes and twenty two second later, the line and Laney’s body bobbed to the surface, facedown. I waited another five minutes, watching the body float around the small point of Cat Island.
Chapter 45
We sat in a small coffee shop watching the steady stream of tourists heading in and out on Highway 90.
“You sure you can’t stay?” asked Hollie, for the third time.
“I need to keep moving.”
“I sure could use your help on the farm. Me and some of Eli’s friends would be happy to pay you.”
I smiled. “That’s a really nice offer, and please tell the others I’m grateful, but my heart tells me there’s somewhere else I need to be.”
Hollie nodded, looking down at his coffee. “Daniel, I…I know men like you and me, soldiers and Marines who have seen and done things…I know it’s hard, son. I sure wish you would let me, or let someone else help you. Lord knows I needed it.”
He was right, but I wasn’t ready. My demons wouldn’t allow it. “I promise I’ll try, but I can’t do that here.”
Hollie reached over and put his hand on mine. “Now listen, if you need anything, anything at all, you make sure you call me. I’ll hop on a plane, ride on a train, whatever. You’re family now, Marine. I hope you know that.”
I patted his hand, genuinely grateful for the old man’s words. In another life I might have stopped. I could have stayed. But my mind was set. Something called. I wasn’t sure what it was. It didn’t matter. I had to go.
“I better get going. My bus will be boarding soon.”
We both stood, Hollie looking at me like he wanted to say something else, somehow make me stay. He stuck out his hand.
“It’s been an honor meeting you, Marine.”
I clasped his hand tight. “The honor was all mine. Semper Fi.”
Releasing his grip, I grabbed my pack and headed for the door, resisting the urge to look back as I stepped out into the blazing sun.
+++
I got a seat at the back of the bus, next to the window. There weren’t many people onboard and I’d figured out how to keep others from sitting next to me.
With a sigh, I opened up my rucksack and pulled out the bottle of Jack Daniels. Twisting the top and breaking the seal, I put the bottle to my lips, once again headed to nowhere.
+++++
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