by Scott Cook
Once aboard the ship, McClay set course for Limon. The city was supposed to have excellent medical facilities. The run to the port wasn’t long at thirty knots, and we called ahead to arrange for an ambulance at the dock.
“How we’re going to explain this,” I said as we neared the port. “I don’t know…”
“Leave that to us,” McClay stated from his position next to me on the bridge. “The British Embassy will gloss over the how of her injury.”
“What I don’t understand, Joe,” I said, “is how the damned Nicaraguan Army found us… and just in time, too. That’s a ridiculously convenient bit of luck.”
“I can answer that,” Andrea Wellesley said as she came onto the bridge and stood between McClay and myself.
Joe grinned at me, “I let her make a phone call.”
“You what!?” I exclaimed, staring at him indignantly.
He shrugged, “Small risk. She said she had a contact in the Nicaraguan Parliament.”
I gaped at her. She grinned, “Described what I’d seen in that photo and told them that there was a rebel army camp there. They knew about Garcia, of course. They just didn’t have reliable intel on where to look.”
My blood turned to ice water in my veins, “So it was you… all this time… you were behind the whole thing…”
She shook her head and touched me gently on the shoulder, “No. Garcia was Miles’ idea. I’ve been in contact with both Costa Rican and Nicaraguan officials for some time. I wanted to build the full-scale Cuidad Verde there all along. The prototype is already underway in Costa Rica, so why not?”
“Why Nicaragua?” I asked.
“Because they need it,” She explained. “Costa Rica is a stable nation. Sure they have their problems, but not like their neighbor to the north. What I have planned there could very well alter that country’s position in the world in a big way. A huge boost for its economy and its population. From the development side, labor is cheap as are many materials.”
“So all of this… it’s all because of you,” I said, feeling cold and a growing anger. “And on top of that, you’re giving this Ortega guy even more power.
“I can’t control what Miles does,” She said in a hard tone, meeting my gaze with a fierce one of her own. “I couldn’t battle him directly. This way, I could circumvent him and prove to the board how ineffective he’d be to run EcoLife on his own. I suspected he was trying to pull a fast one in Nicaragua. I’ve been trying to discover exactly what his plans were. And thanks to you and your friends, I did. And I was able to parlay his fuck up into more good will between the Nicaraguan government and EcoLife.”
“At the expense of whoever gets in the way, right?” I snapped.
“I didn’t know about Miles’ plan to capture your friend or his family,” Andrea said. “Hell, I didn’t even know you were in country until the other night. I’m sorry for what happened, but I did at least try to help. And as for the political side of things? Consider how a huge project like this might engender a better relationship between Nicaragua and the U.S. Think about how empowering the population with more wealth and a broader base of skill sets might lead to greater things down the road.”
I had to admit that, if a bit grudgingly. I was still unsettled by her admission, but I supposed there was little I could say. At any rate, we were close to the dock we were assigned to and there was work to be done.
“We need to get back to the States,” Conklin was saying after the ambulance had pulled away.
I’d asked if I could go, but the medics said no. Lisa would be rushed into surgery and then be in recovery, if all went well, for several days. I didn’t like it, but I knew there was nothing I could do for her at the moment.
“I guess the less you’re seen around here the better?” I asked.
He nodded, “Just in case anybody reported the Ballard going up and down the San Juan. It’s better if we take off after we finish refueling.”
“What’re you going to do with Palmer?” Juan asked.
I shrugged, “I don’t know. Nothing, I guess. Let him go back to his project. I think the fallout from this is going to cause Palmer quite a bit of grief with his board of directors. Honestly, though, it should probably be left up to the Delaneys.”
Umberto chuckled sardonically, “I wouldn’t get in Clay’s path if I were Palmer.”
I laughed, “Yeah, that’s for damned sure. But Palmer still says he took off running to help. And he swears that nobody will bother Clay or his family.”
“I will post some of my men to keep an eye on them and their house for the rest of their stay here,” Umberto said.
“When he’s not taking care of security for Juan and me,” Santino added with a smile. “Juan Alvarez that is.”
“And you?” I asked Andrea, who stood by quietly.
She grinned at me with that high wattage smile that still gave me butterflies. She was truly sex incarnate, “Well, if you’re not going to entertain me… too bad… I’ll be headed back up to St. Louis to take care of some things. Including Lisa’s medical expenses.”
I nodded, “Thanks.”
Andrea gazed at me for a long moment, “You should prepare yourself, Scott.”
I frowned, “I think she’ll pull through, she’s tough.”
Andrea sighed and shook her head. There was a sad look in her eyes, “That’s not what I mean.”
“When are you coming back?” Juan asked, sensing something and trying to deflect. “Sharon is going to ask me… and I need to have a good answer.”
“Scared of her, are ya’?” I needled and then shrugged, “A few days or so. I want to make sure the Delaneys are settled in and check on Lisa, too. It’d be nice to explore the country. It’s very interesting… but honestly, I think I’d just like to go back to Orlando and relax. Get back to some kind of normal life. Not running around through the jungle with automatic weapons and other crazy shit.”
That got a laugh from everybody.
In spite of everything, Clay and Missy decided that they simply wanted nothing more to do with Miles Palmer. They said they simply wanted to go back to their house and pick up their stay in Costa Rica where it had been left off. I understood how they felt.
When we arrived back at Juan’s boat, there was a very warm reception and a lot of laughing and crying. We had a hell of a wing ding, though. Lots of good food and relaxation for a change.
“I don’t know what to say,” Missy told me as the sun was setting. “Who else would’ve risked so much for us?”
“Nobody,” I said light-heartedly, “that’s why I get the big red S. Not to mention the big bucks… well, not in this case… but sometimes.”
She smiled but stared into my eyes. She hugged me tight, “Seriously… thank you.”
“I couldn’t have done otherwise,” I said softly to the top of her head. “And Clay would’ve done the same for me. And to be fair, we owe a lot to the rest of the team, too. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
She chuckled, “I bet you would’ve. But yeah, we definitely have to have them all out to the farm for a big to-do this summer.”
“A pig pickin’?” I asked. “A hog horkin’… swine smokin’…”
“You’re crazy,” Missy said and stood on her tip toes and kissed me on the cheek.
“Hey, what the heck?” Clay asked as he stepped out from the dining saloon and up to us. “You guys making out again?”
“Not without you, gorgeous,” I said, pulling him in to a three way hug.
We laughed. The hug broke up and Missy looked at me, “Are you staying for a bit?”
“Maybe a day or two,” I said. “I need to go back up to Limon and check on the kid. This has been quite a cluster fudge, honestly. I think I’ll be headed back to Florida from Limon. Want some kind of normalcy. Plus I miss my pup.”
“All this craziness aside,” Missy said, “it’s pretty cool here.”
I sighed, “Yes… but I don’t know… it’s been a lot. Maybe I�
��ll come back next month, though. After it’s died down a bit.”
Clay nodded, “you okay?”
I shrugged and smiled, “Why does everybody keep asking me that? What’s a few chases, revelations and killings… maybe I do need a break.”
He nodded and Missy sighed, “I get it. You think… you think anything will happen with Lisa?”
“I honestly don’t know,” I said. “I can’t help but be hopeful… guess we’ll see. I called the hospital a few minutes ago and she’s out of surgery. She’s in critical but stable condition and she’s expected to make a full recovery.”
“Thank God…” Missy said.
I spent the next day with my friends, helping them get back to normal. Then I drove over to Limon early the following morning and waited outside of the hospital until visiting hours began.
I was shown to a private room. Lisa had just been moved into it early that morning from the ICU. It was a typical sterile hospital room. No plants, no color. Just linoleum, chrome and wood.
She was still asleep when I walked in, accompanied by the nurse.
“She should be awake anytime now,” the portly woman said kindly in her thick accent. “You can sit by the bed for a while.”
I pulled a chair over next to Lisa’s bed and sat, staring at her face. It seemed peaceful, no sign of pain or strain to disturb her sleep. I reached out and carefully brushed a lock of dark brown hair out of her face.
Her eyes fluttered open and it took a moment for her to focus on me, “Hey…”
“Hey, yourself, beautiful,” I said quietly, taking her hand under the blanket. “You with me?”
She smiled slightly, “Not sure… little groggy. Where am I? What happened?”
“We got you back to the sub and aboard the ship,” I stated, “then to a hospital in Limon.”
“Wow…” She said, sounding a little out of it, “I have to hear this story…”
The nurse poked her head in and when she saw that Lisa was awake, she stepped inside, “She’s with us?”
I nodded.
The nurse smiled and injected something into the IV port, “That’ll help you wake up, Mija. And help to counteract the morphine. You should be able to get out of bed in a little while, at least to go to the bathroom. Just call me when you’re ready.”
“Counteract the morphine?” Lisa asked, already seeming a bit more with it. “Doesn’t she mean the anesthetic?”
I grinned at her, “I think that was in the shot too… but morphine has an unfortunate side effect. We gave you some on the mini.”
“What side effect?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, “It gums up the works.”
Her face screwed up in consternation.
“Constipation,” I said.
“Oh, great…” She grumped but still smiled.
“That was very brave, rushing to us like that.”
“No admonishments about almost getting killed?”
“Nah. I think you learned your lesson.”
She scoffed, “You keep putting yourself in danger and haven’t seemed to learn yours.”
“Well, that’s different,” I sniffed. “I’m as strong as a horse.”
“And damned near as smart,” Lisa replied wistfully.
We stared at each other for a while. Finally I broke the silence, “Wonder if this will count toward getting that private investigator’s license.”
“I hope so,” She replied, trying to adjust. “Can you angle me up, please?”
I pressed the button and raised her into a half-sitting position, “I’m happy to give you a reference, if you need it. Your hours working for me should help.”
“Thanks,” She said.
“Too bad I didn’t know sooner,” I suggested. “I’d have called the Missouri licensing board for you.”
She sighed, “Well… I didn’t… that is, until I came here…”
The hope I’d been holding on to was starting to fray. Lisa must have sensed it too. She held my hand for a long moment without saying anything.
“You’re going back to St. Louis,” I stated finally.
“You don’t miss anything,” She said with a small smile. “You always know.”
“Yeah… a mind reader, that’s me,” I said unhappily. “Just not good enough to…”
“To what?”
I sighed, “To read a woman’s mind and keep her happy. Keep her with me… I guess that’s the price I have to pay.”
“Scott,” She said sadly. “I can only speak for myself, but I’ll go out on a limb here… no woman who’s ever been with you has ever been unhappy. You’re thoughtful, kind, funny as hell… you cook, you’re fun and you’re incredible in bed. I guarantee there isn’t a woman who’s been with you that’s glad she isn’t now.”
I chuffed, “yet here we sit. You left me and you’re going back alone. The latest in the string of women who…”
I trailed off, not wanting to sound self-pitying. Perhaps it was the price, as I’d thought before.
“It takes a strong woman to love a hero,” Lisa said.
“A modest success in my career and a failure in my life,” I said thoughtfully.
“Come on, now,” Lisa said with a smile. “You know that’s not true. You’re Scott motherhfuckin’ Jarvis, remember?”
“Hero of tale and song,” I joked. And then to myself, and loved by none…
“I have to go back,” Lisa stated. “I have unfinished business there.”
“That damned Palmer?”
She scoffed now, “No. Miles was a mistake. A very inadequate replacement for what I’d given up… no, it’s still me. I’m still trying to find my place in the world. Who I am.”
I nodded, “I can think of a place for you.”
She smiled and touched my chest, “I know. The best place I’ve ever been. Would you really have me back?”
I chuckled, “In a heartbeat, sugar tits.”
“Then why don’t you ask me?”
“Would you accept if I did?”
“Why don’t you find out?”
I sighed, “I think we both know the answer to that. If you’re not convinced it’s the right thing… if you still need to find yourself or whatever… then my asking you to come back would be a mistake.”
She sighed, “Maybe I’m wrong.”
“Maybe I’m wrong,” I said, “but I think it’s still your decision to make without pressure. You know how I feel already.”
“Damn you,” She said it without anger. “Why can’t you just be a typical man.”
“Beg you to get back together?” I asked with a bemused smile. “Or do you mean talk more about sports and hunting and testicles n’junk?”
She laughed and then sighed heavily, “Like you’d have to beg. I’m the one who should beg.”
“So what do you want to do?”
A tear rolled down her cheek, “It’s not what I want… it’s what I need to do.”
“As Willy Shakes told us through Polonius … ‘To thine own self be true…’” I remarked, trying not to sound as profoundly sad as I felt. “I wish you all the luck… and happiness…”
“You’re not leaving?” She asked, sounding a little panicked.
I grinned, “Of course not. I was just being nice, not giving an exit line.”
She sighed dramatically, “Phew! At least not without another roll in the hay. Gimme somethin’ to diddle myself to on cold nights.”
“Geez…” I laughed. “It’s like Sharon’s spirit is hovering around us even now… So what, right here in this bed?”
She grinned, “Oh, God yeah! Climb on in and… oh wait… hold that thought.”
She pressed the call button.
“Meds hittin’ ya’?” I asked with a snicker. “And here I thought I was gonna make you go off like Mount Vesuvius.”
She giggled and then groaned, “Gross! You’re an asshole.”
The nurse appeared and I smiled at her, “Her time has come.”
Epil
ogue
Two months later…
It was mid-August, and somebody thought that it was high time to host a massive sandbar party just inside of John’s Pass in Saint Petersburg. John’s Pass was the gap between Treasure Island and Madeira Beach. About a half mile or so from the bridge over the inlet, a sandbar occupied a large section of the Intracoastal Waterway. Enough to host hundreds of anchored boats.
There was a barge acting as a stage and a series of live bands playing all day and would go until dusk. There must have been two or three hundred boats all anchored practically gunwale to gunwale around the perimeter of the roughly trapezoidal bar. Inside of this perimeter were thousands of people finally enjoying an event where social distancing wasn’t a requirement.
It was still easy to see the effects that COVID-19 had left on people. Although most folks weren’t social distancing quite as strictly as in previous months, they were keeping out of arm’s length of strangers, for the most part. It was nice to see some old normal coming back, though.
It was also a much needed bit of Florida summer for me. My time in Costa Rica had been rewarding but stressful. Some interesting things had come out of it, yet I was glad to be home. Somehow, getting back to a regular life made it easier… easier to once again try and put my time with Lisa behind me.
One interesting thing was that Andrea Wellesley sent me a rather substantial check. She thanked me for my help and said that she sincerely hoped we’d work together again.
I kept a portion of the money she’d sent as a fee and to cover my expenses. I also split some with Juan Fuente, who’d taken time off and risked his lives for me and for the Delaneys. The majority of the remainder, nearly thirty-thousand dollars, was sent anonymously to a small Catholic church in the mountains of Nicaragua. The only thing I wrote was a note to Padre Lopez stating that he shouldn’t be bothered again, and this time he could use all of the donation to do his work.