by Wolf Wootan
She said, “Hello, Ms. Steppe. Mr. Lincoln. I was just on my way to the Ladies’ Room when I saw you two. I thought I would just say ‘hello.’ I see you are winning again, Mr. Lincoln.”
Hatch laughed, “It seems that when you can afford to lose, you never do.”
She replied, “Ah, yes. The rich get richer. Well, nice seeing you again. Ta-ta!”
Hatch nudged Syd lightly with his elbow. She stood up.
“I think I’ll go freshen up, too, Hatch,” said Syd sweetly. “Do you mind if I walk along with you, Lady Morley?”
“Not at all, my dear. Come along.”
Syd finally realized that Judy Beecher was trying to get a message to Hatch, and the Baccarat table was too crowded to have a conversation without being overheard. Syd could set something up with her in the Ladies’ Room. When they got there, they found it crowded with a dozen or so women. Judy shrugged and nodded to the door and they went back into the casino. Syd followed her to the escalator and they both went down to the first floor and outside to the deck overlooking the water. The deck was made of concrete, was about 20 feet wide, and had an iron railing on the water side. Further down, boats could tie up and their occupants could come to the casino and gamble. Several varieties of potted palms were spotted every few yards along the walk.
Judy said, “I need to talk to Hatcher again, but I’m afraid I’m being watched.”
Syd said, “Tell me what you want to do, and I’ll set something up. Or tell me what he needs to know. I’m trustworthy.”
Judy opened her purse and took out a gold cigarette case and opened it.
“Do you smoke? I’m going to light up one so it will seem as if I stepped outside for a cigarette,” said Judy.
“Sure, I’ll join you. Make it look better.”
• • •
They both lit one of the English cigarettes and Judy continued, “First, tell him the place is crawling with SISDE agents, as well as at least one more team of Company agents. Team of four, I think. More importantly, I think—since I know of his visit to Don Tessitore—is the fact that Casino Barone is being used as a laundry by a bunch of wise guys. We weren’t looking for that, but we’ve been here a while, and finally picked up on it. I sent the information—including pictures and fingerprints—up my chain of command, but who knows what will happen with that.”
Syd blew smoke and asked, “Wise guys?”
“Don’t you watch mob movies? They’re Mafia. What I’m worried about is that they may have spotted one—or more—of us. If they have, that could cause a distraction for us,” said Judy as she puffed on her cigarette.
“Why would Hatch—Mr. Lincoln—need to know about this?” queried Syd, starting to feel uneasy.
“I don’t know. He’s the one involved with the bloody Mafia for some reason.”
They both saw the man at the same time. He appeared from behind a clump of small fan palms. The semiautomatic in his hand had a silencer attached and he was pointing it right at them from 20 feet away. Lady Morley dropped her cigarette and her right hand went quickly into the large, beaded handbag that hung from a strap over her shoulder. She moved with great swiftness to her right, bumping into Syd, causing Syd to fall to her knees. The silent lead slug hit Lady Morley in her left shoulder just as she pulled her own Glock 9mm from her handbag. She took the slug with a grunt, then aimed and fired, hitting her assailant in the chest. Since her gun had no silencer, the sound of her shot echoed down the concrete walkway.
Syd was back on her feet as the second gunman appeared. Judy Beecher was starting to sag when the new attacker’s silenced slug hit her in the right chest. Syd’s brain had been locked in stunned mode for a second, but when she saw Judy’s gun start to fall from her hand, she grabbed it deftly, dropped to one knee, and the pistol roared again. Her shot hit the man in the left eye and knocked him over the railing into the water.
Syd turned and saw Judy Beecher flat on her back with bloody bubbles forming on the corners of her mouth. She could see that Judy was still alive—barely.
Syd gasped, “Hang on, Lady Morley! I’ll get you some help!”
Lady Morley gasped, “Those shots will bring help, but it will be too late! Put that gun back in my hand and get out of here! No use you being involved.”
“No! You’re going to make it! Do you carry any ID connecting you to the CIA?”
“Of course not,” coughed Judy Beecher.
“Good!”
Syd wiped the gun clean of prints using the bottom of her cocktail dress and tossed it over the railing into the ocean. The wound in Judy’s left shoulder was bleeding badly, so Syd rustled through her purse and found a Tampax. She ripped it open and stuffed it into the wound. It seemed to stem the flow of blood for the moment.
“Here’s the story. We just got caught in somebody’s crossfire! We don’t know who they are. Ah, here comes some help!” exclaimed Syd, but Lady Morley did not hear her. “Over here! We need a doctor and an ambulance!”
People flooded out of the casino and there was confusion everywhere. Hatch arrived and put his arm around Syd, and Captain Rossini was barking orders. The Monterran equivalent of paramedics arrived, and a few minutes later, Lady Morley was whisked away.
Captain Rossini came over to Syd and Hatch. He was not in uniform since he had worn a white dinner jacket for his date with Sara. Syd saw Sara checking out the body that had not fallen into the water. Bruno stood very close to Karen and was surveying the crowd.
Rossini asked, “Can you tell me what happened, Syd?”
Syd swallowed hard and said, “It happened so fast, Charles! Lady Morley and I came out for some air and a cigarette. In fact, Hatch, could I have one now, please?”
Hatch got out his flat, silver cigarette case and extracted a cigarette for each of them. Syd hated lying to Rossini, but she figured she had no choice at this point. After she and Hatch lit up, she continued.
“Three men appeared all of a sudden—two over there, and one over there. A gun fight started and Lady Morley pushed me down on the concrete.”
They looked at Syd’s knees. Her pantyhose were ripped over her knees, and one knee was abraded and bloody.
Syd went on, “Lady Morley was hit. The man on my right ran away after killing the other two.”
Rossini said, “Two? I only see one body.”
“The other one fell over the railing into the water,” replied Syd. “I need a drink, Charles. Can we go inside, please?”
“Certainly, Syd.”
Sara joined them and asked Rossini, “How’s Lady Morley?”
Rossini replied, “Close to death when they took her to the hospital. She still had a pulse, but she was bleeding internally. I’ll check with the hospital later. Let’s go inside while my people cordon off this crime scene.”
• • •
Lady Morley’s escort, Dave Wilson, mingled with the crowd right after the incident. He looked intently at the body on the concrete. It was one of the wise guys they had spotted at Casino Barone. After accompanying Lady Morley to the hospital, he slipped away to call Langley.
• • •
After going over the incident again for a person whom Rossini identified as his Chief Investigator, Syd said she wanted to go to her quarters and change her pantyhose and tend to her knee.
Hatch went with her to her suite and found some antiseptic in the bathroom. Syd stripped off her pantyhose and threw them in a wastebasket and sat on the couch as Hatch knelt before her and cleaned her knee.
“Poor Judy!” exclaimed Syd, then she told Hatch what Judy had told her, and what had really happened out there.
Hatch poured them both a brandy and sat next to her on the couch.
He said, “So, she didn’t know which specific organized crime group was laundering the money? Hmm. I wonder if they’re Tessitore’s thugs?”
“She used the name Mafia,” said Syd as she got up and went to get some new pantyhose. “That’s all I know.”
“Well, we don’t
have to worry about shutting them down. The CIA will take care of that—and quickly. They do not tolerate the shooting of one of their own,” mused Hatch. “I’m sorry I put you in the middle of that, dear. I nearly got you killed again!”
“I got lucky! Did I do the right thing in protecting Judy’s real identity?”
“Oh, yes! That was quick thinking under fire! Now the Company can take care of things very discretely. They are very good at that sort of thing. This way, I may not have to tell the Prince about his tainted casino.”
Syd got redressed and said, “I still have some butterflies, but I think we should join the others now. How much of this should I tell Karen?”
“Let’s keep it between us for now. I want to check on Judy’s status, too.”
There was a soft tap on the door. Hatch moved to a position that would put him behind the door when it was opened, then motioned to Syd to open it. Syd opened the door without undoing the chain and saw that it was Dave Wilson, Lady Morley’s supposed escort.
“Hello, Mr. Wilson,” she said for Hatch’s benefit. He nodded for her to let him in.
She closed the door, undid the chain, and let Dave Wilson enter the room. When she closed the door, he jumped when he saw Hatch on his right, very close now.
Hatch said, “Ms. Steppe is very jittery right now, so keep your hands in sight and don’t make any sudden moves.”
That suited Wilson all right, since he was not here to intimidate Syd, just to get information.
“Don’t get jumpy,” he said. “I’m just here for information. I have some containment to do. Lady Morley had a pistol in her purse, and when the purse arrived at the hospital, there was no gun. Any comments?”
Syd replied, “You were at the hospital? How is she doing?”
“She may not make it. She lost a lot of blood. Thanks for your concern,” he answered, clearly very upset.
Hatch took over at that point, since he knew Syd would not know how to proceed.
“I’ll tell you what, Wilson. We’ll trade info. You saw that dead man. Was he one of those involved in the Casino Barone thing?”
Dave Wilson looked at Hatch and considered his options. Lincoln obviously knew about the money laundering at Casino Barone, and he knew now—if not before—that Lady Morley and Dave Wilson were not exactly who they seemed to be. How much more Lincoln knew he could only guess. But he had to find Morley’s gun.
“Yes,” he finally answered, but offering no more information.
Hatch said, “Lady Morley’s gun was wiped clean and tossed in the ocean.”
“So Lady Morley shot the man?”
“Yes. There were two men. Ms. Steppe here shot the other man with Lady Morley’s gun, then ditched it. The other man went into the water. The local authorities will be retrieving the body,” answered Hatch.
“Well, I won’t ask why you got rid of the gun, Ms. Steppe, but thank you. Also, for shooting the other shooter. He would have finished her off for sure,” said Wilson.
“And me,” added Syd. “I had no choice.”
“A word of advice. Stay away from Casino Barone for a few days. It will not be a safe place to be,” added Wilson, then he was gone. He knew that the midnight plane arriving from Rome would be carrying enough agents to scour this island of all the wise guys, whatever their affiliation. The decree had come directly from Langley.
• • •
Syd and Hatch rejoined Bruno, Karen, and Sara at the bar in the casino. Bruno had his gun in its holster on his left hip, and Sara had hers in her handbag. They were not going to take any more chances. Karen was more concerned about the close call Syd had endured. Hatch had been able to tell Sara and Bruno privately what had happened out there, and about Wilson’s visit to Syd’s suite. Bruno was told to redouble his watch over Karen.
Captain Rossini approached their table and sat down next to Sara, then said, “I just got a report from the hospital. Lady Morley will recover, they tell me. Bloody awful incident! Things like that are rare in Monterra. We have very strict laws and swift justice! Thirty days in the ancient dungeons of the old prison built by the French in 1412—Chateau de Blois—causes any criminal to rethink things. They are dank, dark, and damp.”
Sara let her left hand rest innocently on Rossini’s thigh under the table. He covered it with his hand.
Sara said sweetly, “Maybe you could show me your dungeons sometimes, Charlie.”
He squeezed her hand under the table and thought of other things he wanted to show her.
“Any time, Sara,” he said instead. “The place is quite historic. There’s even an original old torture rack there.”
Even though the casino was teeming with gamblers again, Hatch decided that he had had enough gambling for the night, so he and Syd said they were going upstairs. Bruno left to sweep the rooms again before anyone retired.
• • •
Syd, of course, was really staying in Hatch’s suite with him. He produced a silenced Sig Pro from the false bottom in his briefcase and put it on the end table in easy reach from the bed. Syd was still hyped up on adrenalin, and had an itch that only sex with Hatch would scratch. He agreed to scratch it for her, with enthusiasm!
• • •
Captain Rossini escorted Sara to her suite and she asked him in to check under her bed and in her closets for bogeymen.
He laughed, “I think you are pulling my leg, Sara. I know you are licensed to carry a weapon while you’re here! I’m sure you don’t need me to scare away any bloody bogeymen!”
She pulled him to her and kissed him.
“You’re right, Charlie. I wanted to show you what you missed by not taking me to the nude beach!”
She turned her back to him and said, “Unzip me, please.”
His fingers trembled as he reached for her zipper.
• • •
In Karen’s suite, Bruno locked them in and then took her in his arms and kissed her, their tongues dueling.
“Damn, I’ve wanted to do that all day, Karen!” he exclaimed.
“Me, too!” she gasped. “I don’t like being part of your duty! I’m going to tell Syd that I’m sleeping with you! Fuck ’em! Syd’s getting laid, and I bet Sara’s got ‘Charlie’ in a leg lock as we speak! Why do we have to hide it? In a few days, I’ll be back in San Francisco and you’ll be in Florida. Why can’t we enjoy each other while we can without guilt?”
“Karen, it’s complicated, but I agree with you. I have something to do now,” said Bruno as he opened his case of gadgets. He took out two long, metal tubes and fastened them together to make a longer one, then angled the device so one end was under the doorknob and the other was firmly anchored in the carpet. He adjusted a knob in the middle of the tube, then took a small device from his case and walked to the bedroom. Karen followed him to the bedroom and began to undress.
She asked, “What in hell are you doing?”
“A little extra security. If anybody picks the lock, and intends to cut the chain, any pressure on that piston when they try and open the door will send a signal to this device, which I’m connecting to this lamp. The signal will reverse the state of the lamp—on to off, off to on. If that doesn’t wake me up, after 5 seconds, an alarm goes off.”
Karen finished undressing and went to the bathroom. When she came back, Bruno was stripped, and ready for her.
“When are you going to tell me what’s really going on? Why do I need all this security?” asked Karen as she went into his arms and luxuriated in the feel of his muscular, naked body.
“Maybe later. My mind is elsewhere now.”
He lifted her easily, and her legs locked around him as he entered her.
Chapter 36
Monte Cristo, Monterra
Sunday, August 26, 2001
5:00 P.M.
By 5:00 P.M. the next day, at least 14 people who worked at Casino Barone had disappeared—at least, they did not show up for work. Not quite as obvious, but nonetheless true, was the disappearance of several
gamblers—those who actually laundered the dirty money through the crooked dealers.
A large black helicopter landed on a deserted beach on the northwest coast of Monterra on Sunday morning at 4 A.M., and several cars came and went, dropping off people with their hands tied behind their backs and gags in their mouths. Some were delivered already dead. These bodies and people would never be seen again. They would get a watery grave. Anyone who escaped the initial deadly and thorough sweep would be tracked down and terminated when found.
Casino Barone was able to operate only half of their tables, and the manager—who never knew his casino was being used for illegal purposes—scrambled to try and hire more people.
• • •
At 8:00 A.M. on Sunday morning, James Gramble, in his Langley office, met with his Senior Agent In Charge of operations in Monterra. Doug Cannon was a career agent, and at 54 years old, had been in the Company longer than Gramble. He had no political aspirations, so did not envy Gramble’s faster climb through the ranks. He was a field man and wanted to keep it that way until he retired next year.
Cannon briefed Gramble on agent Beecher’s progress in the hospital, then gave him the results of the punitive action taken against the Mafia in Monterra.
When Cannon finished, Gramble asked, “What about our surveillance of Van Lincoln?”
Cannon hesitated, then said, “I asked Wilson about that when he reported in and he said Beecher called it off yesterday. He assumed the order came from me, but it didn’t. Beecher is still in the ICU, so we can’t get near her yet and ask her.”
“Shit!” blurted Gramble. “What the fuck is going on?”
I would have had Lincoln disappear in that sweep if I could have gotten away with it! Why did Beecher call off the fucking surveillance? If she lives, she had better have a good answer!
Cannon replied, “I don’t know. Until I can talk to Judy Beecher, I won’t know what was in her mind.”
“Well, put the surveillance back on. Do we know where Lincoln was when Beecher got shot?”