Bluewater Rendezvous: The Eighth Novel in the Caribbean Mystery and Adventure Series (Bluewater Thrillers Book 8)

by Charles Dougherty

  "No, boss. Somebody stripped him naked before they tied him up. No sign of his clothes or his stuff. But that ain't all." Franco paused.

  "Tell me," Guido said.

  "Somebody cut him up a little bit. Nothin' major, but they cut him to cause pain, like they were askin' questions, tryin' to make him talk."

  "Shit. Maybe Joe Bones is on to somethin'. But who the hell could be — "

  "With respect, Don Guido, I don't think that's it."

  "What else could it be?"

  "There was a chicken head stuffed in his mouth; fresh-killed. Still got feathers and shit on it. And on his chest, these weird drawings in blood."

  "What kinda drawings?"

  "Sonny says Voodoo shit, or maybe Santería. He thinks maybe some Cubans did it."

  Guido shook his head. "Cubans my ass. Somebody's screwin' with us, tryin' to cover their tracks. Get some more men in here; beef up the guard detail. And get rid of the body."

  "Okay, Don Guido. Anything else?"

  "How much did this Joey know? Where else he been workin' besides here?"

  "The warehouse."

  "You shithead. Which warehouse? The one on the river?"

  "Nah, not that one. The one out by the Interstate."

  "Where'd you put Stanwicke?"

  "The one on the river, like you told me. I didn't want him anywhere close to the product. Besides, it'll be easier to get him outta there unnoticed when the time comes."

  "Yeah, good. Okay get out to the warehouse and check on the product. Call me when you get there, okay?"

  "You got it, Don Guido."

  ****

  Vengeance was still charging along on a broad reach, making almost ten knots. The wind had built through the early morning hours, and the sea state had moderated as they came more into the lee of St. Kitts. The island was barely visible, no more than a gray smudge on the horizon, 25 nautical miles off their beam. The sailing conditions were near perfect.

  It was mid-morning, and Dani had just awakened from six hours of sleep. She had been on watch from 10 p.m. last night until 4 a.m. this morning, when Liz had relieved her. She made a pot of coffee, filled a thermal carafe, and joined Angela and Liz in the cockpit. The ringing of the satellite phone interrupted their exchange of "Good mornings." Dani picked it up from where it rested in a corner of the cockpit and looked at the screen. Seeing that the call was from her mother, she rolled her eyes, but she decided to answer.

  "Good morning, Mother."

  "Thank God you answered." Her mother gasped for breath and commenced sobbing.

  Dani waited for a break in her bawling, and when it came, barked, "Mother! Get a grip and tell me what's wrong."

  "It's Rollie," her mother sobbed.

  "What about him?"

  "It's his f-finger. The signet ring. I — "

  "What about his finger, Mother?" Dani dreaded the answer that she knew must follow.

  "In a package outside the door." Her mother broke down again.

  Dani pictured the private foyer outside the door of her mother's co-op in lower Manhattan. There was a surveillance camera, either in the foyer or the elevator. "Did you call security?"

  "No! He said not to tell anyone but you, or they would — "

  "Who, Mother?"

  "The man on the tape. He said they would — "

  "There was a tape?" Dani wondered how her mother had played a tape; she didn't have any audio equipment that old.

  "One of those miniature recorder things. It was in the package, too."

  "And he said not to tell anyone but me?"

  "Y-yes. You have to help, Danielle. Please?"

  "Okay, Mother. Now what were you supposed to tell me?"

  "You have to take someone named Angela to Caneel Bay."

  "Anything else?"

  "He said that they would call you late this morning. If they don't get an answer, they'll start sending me his other f-fingers, until you agree."

  "Okay, Mother. Get a grip. You've done your part. Now it's up to me."

  "You'll do what they want? Then they'll release him, they said."

  "Sure, Mother. I'm going to take care of it. I'm already on my way to the Virgin Islands. Is somebody there with you?"

  "Just the staff. Why?"

  "In case you need anything. That's all. I'd better get off the phone, in case they call. I'll let you know if anything happens, okay?"

  "Yes. Thank you, Danielle. You know he worships you."

  "Yes, I know. Good-bye, Mother." She disconnected the call and turned to face Liz and Angela.

  "Well?" Liz asked, after giving Dani a moment to collect herself.

  Dani told them what had happened.

  "Oh, Dani," Angela said, her face pale. "I'm so, so sorry. I had no — "

  "You didn't do it, Angela. Don't feel guilty. You can't be responsible for your father's actions."

  "But if I hadn't — "

  "No! Stop it. You only did what you had every right to do. This is his fault; he has to bear the responsibility."

  "But they do things like this. They get away with it, Dani. They always have."

  "Not this time." The muscles in Dani's jaw twitched as she clenched her teeth. Her eyes changed from the deep blue of the surrounding water to the color of ice as she looked at Angela. "I'm sorry for you, but your father's going to pay. I don't expect you to — "

  "I told you, I didn't choose my father. I meant it when I said I was with you all the way. I just hope you know what you're up against. I'll do everything I can to help you, but ... "

  The satellite phone interrupted Angela.

  The phone was still in her hand. Dani pressed the connect key and lifted it to her ear. "Hello?" She listened for a few seconds. "Yes, I heard from my mother. We're on our way to St. John right now." She waited. "It depends on the wind; probably about 24 hours to Caneel Bay. We'll pick up a mooring like you said before." She hung up.

  "So?" Liz asked.

  "Wanted to know where we were and when we'd arrive," Dani said.

  "We'll get there late this evening, at this rate," Liz said.

  "I'm counting on it. In 24 hours, they're going to be licking their wounds and wondering what happens next."

  She looked at the phone as she scrolled through the directory screen.

  "Calling Sharktooth?" Liz asked.

  Dani nodded as she raised the phone to her ear.

  ****

  "Yeah," Guido barked as he answered the call from Franco. "Everything okay at the warehouse?"

  "No, I don't think so," Franco mumbled.

  "The fuck you mean you don't think so? Is somethin' wrong?"

  "Yeah. Looks like it's burnin' down. I can't get close enough to see much. The goddam cops and the firemen got everything roped off."

  Guido swallowed hard, picturing the warehouse complex. "Can you tell if it's ours or one of the others?"

  "Not for sure, but it looks like ours. I can't get a good angle on it from way back here. Mostly I just see all the smoke."

  "Shit. How much product we got in there?"

  "About two thirds of the last shipment, I guess. Trucks started haulin' it out yesterday."

  "Jesus. We're fuckin' out of business in a few days, then. Next shipment's not for a week, right?"

  "Right. But we better be plannin' to put it somewhere else."

  "You do think it's ours, then?"

  "I think the cops are gonna be thick as flies around a dump, whether it's ours or not. They got the arson squad here already, and the damn fire ain't even out."

  "So somebody torched it, huh?"

  "Looks like they think so, anyhow. Even if it ain't our warehouse, we better figure that product's gone. No way we could get it repackaged and shipped outta there with the damn cops crawlin' all over the place," Franco said.

  "Yeah, okay. Come on back here, then, and let's get to work. We gotta find some more stuff and somewhere else to put it."

  ****

  "Hey, Sharktooth. You're on the speak
erphone now."

  "Good morning, ladies," the rich, bass voice boomed, a bit distorted by the speakerphone.

  "So where are you?" Dani asked.

  "I'm in St. Thomas. You still want me to meet you at Coral Bay?"

  "No, I don't think so. We've got a fix on where Cappelletti's villa is. I'm thinking we'll pick you up at the fuel dock in Redhook Bay and anchor Vengeance in Christmas Cove over on Great St. James Island."

  "Okay, tha's easy. Where the villa is?"

  "On Cowpet Cove, across from the yacht club. We'll take the dinghy across Current Passage and tie it to a vacant boat on one of the yacht club moorings. The villa's got a little private beach, so we can swim in."

  "Sounds good. I'll go hang out at Redhook, 'round the yacht harbor. Some good restaurants there; I'm hungry. You call me 'bout ten minutes before you want to pick me up."

  "Okay, that's great," Dani said. "Now, you said you had some information about Rollie?"

  "Mm-hmm. Not much, though. I talk to this ol' boy, Joey DeLuca. Found him on Cappelletti's dock, supposed to be watchin', but he didn't look hard enough." Sharktooth chuckled. "Anyhow, he say that yo' bruddah was there mos' of the day yesterday. This gal, call girl that work for a fella named Andretti, she bring him there yesterday mornin'. She feedin' him coke an' messin' aroun' wit' him mos' of the day. Then Andretti cut yo' bruddah finger off, and some other men, they take him to warehouse. Joey, he used to guard the warehouse, so he know where it is."

  "Did you give Luke the address?" Dani asked.

  "No, I go to check it out first. Joey, he tell me wrong warehouse, I t'ink. He say he hear them say they take yo' bruddah to warehouse, an' he only know one warehouse, where he used to work, see. But I t'ink mebbe this Cappelletti, he have more than one warehouse. Anyway, I want to see before I call Luke, so I go check it out. No peoples there, 'cept fo' two more sleepy guards. Lots of cocaine, though."

  "Did you tell Luke about that? He could — "

  "He don' answer the phone, an' I runnin' out of time, so I put the guards to sleep good, an' leave. I t'ink mebbe one of them wake up and light a cigarette, though, 'cause I see warehouse 'splode while I leavin'. Warehouses ver' dangerous places. Blow up pretty often, I t'ink." Sharktooth laughed, a deep rumbling sound. "So no need to bother Luke now. Warehouse gone."

  "Okay, Sharktooth. Maybe one of the guys we're meeting tonight will know where Rollie is."

  "Mebbe so, Dani. This boy, Joey, he tell me somebody called 'Joe Bones,' he take care of all the warehouses for Cappelletti."

  "He should be there tonight," Dani said.

  "Good. We ask he, then call Luke. I bettah go get some lunch. Sound like you got some hungry work for me tonight."

  "Good, Sharktooth. We'll call you. Probably about 10 p.m."

  "Mm-hmm. Have a good sail, ladies."

  Dani disconnected the call and put the phone away.

  Angela said, "I can't believe he got Joey DeLuca to talk. I've heard them talking about him; he's a killer. Sharktooth's lucky."

  "He's something, all right," Liz said. "But I don't think there was much luck involved, unless it was bad luck for this Joey character."

  "You're right about that," Angela said. "Franco Andretti will kill him for sure."

  Liz and Dani traded glances. "Who's Franco Andretti?" Dani asked.

  "He's the one who manages all my father's business in South Florida. Another cold-blooded killer."

  "His day will come," Dani said. "Soon."

  "Do you really think there's a happy ending for this, Dani?" Angela asked, frowning.

  "Oh, I'm betting on it. Not for your father and his friends, though. For them, it's just going to be a plain old dead end, I think. They may suffer a little, but probably not enough. When we're done, they won't be able to bother anybody, though. Count on that."

  Chapter 25

  Sharktooth rolled over the side of the dinghy, sliding into the water without a ripple. Dani pulled on her neoprene booties and slipped in after him. She followed in his wake with an easy breaststroke that didn't break the surface. She had covered her blond curls with a neoprene hood and smeared camouflage paint over her face.

  Glad that there was still no moon, she marveled at how invisible the big man was. His dreadlocks spread over the water around his head, breaking up his profile and making him look like one more small wave. Except for being able to feel his wake in the water, she would have lost him. He stopped a few yards from shore, and she had to back water with her arms to avoid running into him. Her legs dropped, and she felt the rocky bottom under her feet.

  They stayed there, not moving for several minutes. They took their time studying the big, one-story house that looked out over the small strip of beach. There was a flicker of pale blue light from one of the picture windows that faced them; otherwise, the house was dark, at least on this side.

  Sharktooth reached back for Dani's shoulder and drew her forward, pulling her in close. The water was at shoulder height on her; she knew he must be on his knees. He put a big hand on the back of her neck and put his mouth close to her ear. "TV?" he murmured.

  She nodded her agreement. She pointed at him and then at the left edge of the beach, then at herself and the right edge. She raised her eyebrows, and cocked her head. He nodded. She held up three fingers, folding them down one at a time at one-second intervals. As her fist closed, they began wading, careful not to break the surface of the water. They approached the beach at the same speed while the lateral distance between them increased.

  Two minutes later, they were each creeping along opposite edges of the rough lawn that sloped down to the beach. They timed their movements to reach the opposite ends of the veranda on the back of the house at the same time. Dani crept across the strip of grass between the dunes and her end of the veranda. Before she got there, she reached down and pulled her commando knife from its sheath on her right calf.

  She lost sight of Sharktooth for a moment as he moved into the shadow. Her knife in hand, she peered over the edge of the veranda and saw a dark mass at the other end as he climbed up. She hoisted herself to the waist-high floor and slithered under the railing. Rising to her feet, she took up a position that mirrored Sharktooth's. She slipped along, her back to the wall, dropping to a crouch and duck-walking her way under the windows. She stopped when she reached the sliding glass door about a third of the way across the back wall of the house. She waited in the shadows as she watched Sharktooth approach the other side of the door.

  When he was in place, she twisted so that she could peer into the opening. There were draperies, opened and hanging along the inside of the door. They covered about 18 inches of the opening. She saw a dimly lit room with two men watching television. Their backs were to the door; the wide-screen TV was mounted on the far wall. She registered that the door's lock was on her side of the opening. Catching Sharktooth's eye, she pointed at it and mimed sliding the door in his direction. He nodded.

  Dani reached down to test the lock, but from the corner of her eye, she saw a third man enter the room. She paused and watched as he stood facing her, talking to the two men who sat in front of the TV. After about 30 seconds, he turned and left the room.

  She pointed at the two men and held up two fingers. Sharktooth nodded. She flipped her hand upside down and made a walking motion with her fingers, and then held up a single digit. Sharktooth nodded again. She turned her hands palms up and shrugged to indicate that she didn't know where the third man went. Sharktooth made an 'okay' sign with his thumb and forefinger.

  She reached down for the door handle and was about to try to open it when a loud rumbling sound broke the silence. It came from the side of the house; she whirled and crouched but saw nothing. She counted fifteen seconds before the noise stopped. Then there was the short beep of an automobile horn as someone disarmed an alarm with a key fob.

  The beep was followed seconds later by the sound of a car starting. She pictured the car backing out as she listened to the sequence of sounds. F
or a few seconds, she heard crunching gravel as the car negotiated a driveway. She waited for the sound of the overhead door closing, but it didn't come. She concluded that the man must be returning soon.

  She turned back to Sharktooth, who nodded again. She reached for the door handle, and finding it unlocked, opened the door far enough to step inside. She slipped behind the draperies, careful not to disturb them as she reached back and waved for Sharktooth to come to the opening. She kept her eyes on the two men; they were engrossed in the hard-core porn video on the screen in front of them.

  She was grateful for their choice of entertainment. The grunts, groans, moans, and squeals would cover any noise that she and Sharktooth might make. When she felt him touch her shoulder, she side-stepped from behind the draperies and moved toward the man on her left. She adjusted her pace so that she and Sharktooth arrived behind the two men at the same time.

  She raised her combat knife over her shoulder and brought it down in a hammer blow. The knob on the handle of the knife struck her target behind his right ear. He slumped sideways on the couch. Sharktooth put one hand on each side of the other man's head and jerked him backward over the sofa, tossing him to the floor like a rag doll. Dani recognized Willy from his picture as he tried in vain to scurry away from Sharktooth.

  She vaulted the sofa and took a coil of light line from a loop of Velcro at her waist. She rolled her victim over on the cushions, crossed his wrists behind him, and tied them securely together. She was about to tie his ankles together when she saw the knee brace that covered a bandage on his left leg. A damaged knee might be a vulnerability that she could exploit. She looped the line around his right ankle and drew it up against his wrists. He was immobilized, but his left leg could be manipulated.

  As she finished, Sharktooth walked around the sofa, the hogtied Willy dangling from his left hand. He tossed Willy onto the sofa next to the other man, who was beginning to moan and writhe as consciousness returned.

  ****

  Fats inhaled the aroma of garlic and ginger that wafted from the bag of takeout Chinese food on the seat beside him. He pulled into the garage and pressed the remote control, closing the door. Picking up the bag of food, he slipped out of the car and locked it with the key fob, setting the alarm. He opened the door and stepped into the kitchen, struck by the silence. Willy was damn near deaf; he always had the volume on the TV at ear-splitting levels.