by Dan Kelly
Smiling, Bill turned and left the casino and Popeye tried his luck at the black jack tables. An hour later he was up $900 bucks and quit while he was ahead. As many sailors are, Popeye is very superstitious and is thinking that maybe his winning is a good omen for success come Monday. For insurance, he’s made up his mind that he’s going to be in one of those sheds come hell or high water.
Chapter 30
At 5:30 Monday morning, everything and everybody is in place at the Pompton Ski Resort, Popeye included. When Popeye showed up around 5 a.m., Chuck was adamant about him going back to the Floating Fantasies and waiting until everything had gone down. Chuck promised him that he would be called when it was all over, but Popeye was having none of it. It would have taken at least six of his men and an eternity to get him out of there, so he finally relented and let him stay, but he wouldn’t let him hide in one of the sheds. It was a snug fit for two normal sized men to hide in one. If Popeye were to hide in one, nobody else could join him. Chuck wants to have as many men as possible as close to the cabin as possible, so Popeye had to be content with hiding in the woods.
What happened to Popeye’s kid sister was in the forefront of Popeye’s mind and would stay there until the meeting was over, the Chameleon captured and Jillian was safe and sound. Nothing was going to make him budge until then.
Unbeknown to Chuck, Popeye has also come armed with a Sig Sauer P229 9mm handgun concealed in a holster on his belt in the middle of his back and under his black car coat and he always hits what he aims at. . He also has a British Fairbairn-Sykes combat knife strapped to his leg under his black chinos. This is a mean looking sucker that looks more like a dagger and Popeye keeps it razor sharp.
Having given his men their final briefing and making sure that everybody’s
communicator is working properly, Chuck is leaning against a big elm tree, intently watching Popeye. “I’ve got a feeling that the big guy has done this before. He knew how to dress and he’s extremely disciplined in his conduct; not talking, smoking, making noise of any kind and remaining keenly alert and barely moving. Bill told me he spent a lot of years in the merchant marines before signing on as the captain of the Floating Fantasies, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was just a cover for something a lot more dangerous.”
Back in Red’s office, Red, Bill, Sylvia and Jillian are going over one last time the list of suggestions she’s going to bring to the meeting. Red is the one pacing this time and he’s saying, “I think we’ve put together an impressive list that will convince the Chameleon that you are really putting a lot of effort into helping him, Jillian.
“I just wish Bill and I could be part of the surveillance team. Chuck didn’t want us to be in the woods with his men. He said we would only get in the way. Does anybody know where Popeye is? I thought he’d be here with us making sure that we’ve thought of everything to keep Jillian safe and sound.” Not waiting for an answer he continued to vent his frustration with, “I wanted to have Bill and me hide in one of the adjoining cabins, but Chuck nixed that idea. He said that he wants to keep the surveillance under wraps with as few people as possible knowing what is going on. Less chance of leaks that way and if he asked Sylvia to get keys to more cabins, her friend would start to ask questions which he didn’t want to answer. He also feels that the fewer people around the less chance for someone getting hurt if something goes wrong.”
Realizing what he just said, he paused, stopped his pacing and walked over to where Jillian was sitting and said, “Nothing should go wrong, Jillian. There will be cops all over the place listening to every word that’s said. At the first sign of trouble, they’ll surge in like the New Orleans Saints blitzing a quarterback. Are you still mad at me for suggesting that you back out?”
“No, I’m not, Red. In fact, when I cooled down I realized it was kind of nice to have someone worrying over me. I know this meeting isn’t going to be a walk in the park and that it’s going to take all of my skill to get him to open up and talk about his attempts to bring you down.
“If all goes well and the Chameleon and I agree on a combined list of suggestions to present to the arson investigators in Chicago, that will be the appropriate time to try to get him talking about his vendetta against you. Once he’s admitted to the things he’s pulled, I’ll end the meeting by standing up and saying something like, ‘We now have a game plan. Let’s not push our luck by staying here any longer. Even though it’s off season, someone could come by, spot my car or us and get nosy. I’m going to use the bathroom then stay in the cabin a little longer to compile my notes before I call the arson investigators. I can’t spend too much more time here because I’ve got a job to get back to at the Go For It.’ I’ll walk him to the door, lock it when he leaves and the surveillance team can then arrest him. I know there’s some risk involved, but I’m willing to take it.”
“Okay then. Bill, Sylvia and I will sweat it out here. Call us as soon as it’s over. When do you plan on arriving at the resort?”
“I told him I’d meet him at eight o’clock, so I plan on getting there a few minutes before. Hopefully, I won’t have any traffic problems.”
Jillian got up, walked to the door, turned, smiled and said, “Curtain time. If someone says break a leg, I’ll break their neck.” She waved and then she was gone. When the door closed, all three of them began to pace.
Chapter 31
It’s just a little past 6:00 a. m., it’s still dark outside and a thick morning mist has moved in and settled down on the cabins and the surrounding woods, making it very difficult to see more than 25 yards in any direction. Chuck whispers into the two way communicator pinned to his jacket, “Damn, I can’t see a thing in this pea soup. Stay alert and stay focused everybody.” Just like Chuck, everyone else on the surveillance team has a two way communicator, but no one feels the need to respond.
Just as Chuck finishes speaking, Popeye spots some movement in the wooded area behind the cabin where the meeting is to take place. Scanning the area with his binoculars which he almost didn’t bring with him, he sees what appears to be a man dressed in camouflage clothing and wearing what looks like night vision headgear. “Psst, Chuck, there’s someone behind the cabin dressed in battle fatigues and night vision headgear. It’s got to be the Chameleon. Man, this guy is cautious with a capital C. He’s not acting like he knows we’re here, so I think we should just stay put and not move a muscle or make a sound until he’s finished with his reconnaissance and has left the area.”
“Agreed, Popeye. Everybody freeze until I give the order to do otherwise.”
Popeye’s thinking, “I don’t like this guy creeping around dressed like he is. It can only mean one thing. He hasn’t completely put his trust in Jillian. She’s going to have to be extremely careful about how she acts around him as well as what she says to him if he shows up at 8:00 a.m.”
As the man stealthily prowls the wooded area surrounding the cabins which hug the rim of the broad circular area in front of them, Popeye is doing his best to keep the guy in sight with his binoculars, but is finding it very difficult. The fog is so heavy in places that Popeye has lost him in it a half dozen times. It takes the Chameleon about a half hour to work himself three quarters of the way around the open area. He’s getting too close for comfort to the area where Chuck and his surveillance team have stationed themselves. Fortunately, they’re deeper into the woods than the Chameleon has so far searched, they’re all dressed in black from head to toes and if he continues his pattern they may go undetected. Chuck is afraid that if he orders his men deeper into the woods the Chameleon might spot the movement and, if he’s armed, all hell might break loose.
The surveillance team’s luck holds as the Chameleon walks by them only fifty feet away and returns to the spot he started from behind the cabin where he is to meet with Jillian. He hunkers down behind some thick shrubbery for about another half hour then disappears in the fog and isn’t spotted again.
By this time, the sun has crept above the
horizon. The fog is slowly beginning to dissipate but not the tension that has built up in the surveillance team while they sweated out being discovered by the Chameleon. It is eerily quiet. The usual morning sounds of squirrels scurrying through the trees and birds chirping their wake up calls are absent. It’s almost like they too are holding their breath, waiting to see if the Chameleon will show up for the meeting and if things will go as planned.
The silence is broken by Chuck speaking softly into his communicator. “Good job everyone. We managed to dodge that bullet. Let’s hope the real McCoy don’t start flying around when the meeting gets under way.”
Popeye whispered, “I wish we could get ahold of Jillian and warn her to be extra careful and to be on the alert for any signs that things might be going in the crapper. This guy is highly suspicious and how he might react if he catches on to what we’re up to is anyone’s guess. I just tried to call her using my cell phone, but couldn’t get through.”
Chuck responded with, “Cell phones are worthless in these mountains and we can’t take the chance that the Chameleon is still around somewhere and that he’ll see one of us walking from the woods to try to use a land line. We’re just going to have to sit tight and let things unfold.”
Chapter 32
At a few minutes to eight, Jillian drives up and parks her car in one of the slots assigned to the cabin. She takes a lap top and a briefcase out of the trunk, walks to the door of the cabin, unlocks it with the key she picked up at a realtor’s office in Bettendorf, enters and closes the door behind her. Twenty-five minutes later the Chameleon hasn’t shown up and Chuck is beginning to think that it’s a lost cause and he should shut the surveillance down. There’s not a soul in sight. The cabin area is completely deserted without even maintenance people or grounds keepers doing their thing.
Before he can act, however, a tall gray haired guy, slightly stooped, comes walking around the corner of the office cabin, his heels thumping on the wooden slats of the porch he’s walking on. At his side, is the biggest German Shepherd Chuck has ever seen.
The office cabin sits on the rim of the open area closest to the driveway that leads down to the main highway and is much bigger than the other cabins used by the guests. It has a big wrap around porch attached to all four sides of the building with stair access on each side. He evidently got on the porch using the stairs at the back of the cabin or on one of its sides. He has stopped in front of the office door and is peering into the office through one of the small glass windows in the door. The office is closed during the off season, so Chuck is wondering what the guy is looking for or hoping to see.
Apparently losing interest, he turns and walks to the head of the stairs leading down to the parking area in front of the office and begins looking around the perimeter of the open area that the guest cabins are set on. As he’s doing this, the German Shepherd sits down on its haunches alongside the man and begins to look around and sniff the air.
The surveillance team hears a soft “Oh, shit.” coming through their communicators. It’s Popeye. He follows up with, “If that dog catches our scent and this guy is the Chameleon, the game’s over and we might have an attack dog on our hands.”
Jillian has opened the door of the cabin and is standing in the doorway also wondering if the gray haired man is the Chameleon. Slowly, the man descends the stairs and begins to walk across the open area toward where Jillian is standing, the dog close at his heels. He stops ten feet in front of her and says, “Sorry I’m late, but as the saying goes ‘better late than never.’”
Jillian is nervously staring at the dog and asks, “What’s with the hound? Will he bite if he doesn’t like me?”
“Not unless I tell him too. He’s actually very gentle and wouldn’t hurt a fly unless he finds himself in danger or is ordered to attack.”
“Somehow that doesn’t make me feel any better. Would you mind leaving him outside? He makes me nervous.” All Jillian’s been worried about is the Chameleon showing up with a gun which he might use if provoked. An attack dog never entered her mind.
After a few moments of hesitation, the Chameleon orders the dog to lie down outside in front of the cabin door and goes inside.
Chuck mutters into his communicator, “Oh great! This is just dandy. How are we going to take this guy down when he comes back outside with that brute protecting him? We’ve got the cabin surrounded with all avenues of escape covered, but as soon as we make our move the dog will see or smell us, warn the Chameleon who will probably then take Jillian hostage and things will go downhill from there. What a mess this is turning out to be. It might be best if we stay out of sight until the Chameleon leaves and it’s safe for us to approach Jillian. If the Chameleon leaves thinking everything is on the up and up, we can still use Jillian to set up another trap to snare him.”
“Now hold on a minute, Chuck. Let’s not give up yet” This is from Popeye. “Maybe there is something we can do to distract that fellow and lure him out of the area.”
Exasperated Chuck asks, “Like what? That dog appears to be too well trained and taken care of to be tempted to disobey his master. Besides, how could we do that without the dog seeing or smelling us?”
Chuckling, Popeye says, “Male dogs aren’t much different from human males when it comes to female companionship. When a chance to score presents itself, very few will pass up the opportunity to do so.”
Beside himself, Chuck demands, “What in blue blazes are you talking about?”
“A former shipmate and good friend of mine lives about ten minutes from here. He has a beautiful chocolate Lab named Cadbury who is currently in heat. If I can convince him to let me use her as bait to lure that German Shepherd away from the cabin, I might be able to buy us enough time to spring our trap.”
Chuck asks, “How are you going to get the Lab close enough to the German Shepherd for him to pick up her scent and not yours?”
“Cadbury is whistle trained. You know, the kind that dogs can hear, but not humans. When he hears that whistle, he’ll immediately run to where the sound is coming from. All we have to do is get a small receiver close enough to the Shepherd so he can pick up Cadbury’s scent.
“And how do you plan to do that?”
“With a bow and arrow.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Who do you think you are, Robin Hood?”
“I’m a pretty good archer, Chuck. I’ve done a lot of hunting with a bow and arrows and have brought down more than my share of bucks and pheasants. I’ll jury-rig a ring onto a receiver, loop the ring over the shaft of the arrow and shoot it into a tree behind the cabin where Jillian and the Chameleon are. I can use my communicator as the receiver with the volume control all the way open. We can release Cadbury on the opposite side of the open area from the cabin and we can blow the whistle into your communicator, Chuck. The sound of the whistle should cause Cadbury to run right by the Shepherd and into the woods behind the cabin toward the receiver. While the dogs are getting to know each other, we can take the Chameleon into custody.
“Cadbury is very well trained and will not bark if told not to. The instant the cabin door begins to open and before the Chameleon steps outside, you’ll begin to blow the whistle and I’ll release Cadbury.”
“Won’t the Shepherd react to the whistle also?”
“Definitely. He probably will start to pace nervously if the sound is new and perhaps annoying to him. Some dogs react to hearing the sound of one of these whistles for the first time by whining, barking or howling, but I don’t think this Shepherd will do that. Shepherds in general are very intelligent dogs, they don’t scare easily and, if trained properly, they will investigate before raising a ruckus. As you pointed out, Chuck, this Shepherd appears to be well trained, so he’ll probably yield to the temptation to find out where the sound is coming from and disobey his master. Of course, this is what we want him to do. His natural inquisitiveness coupled with the scent of Cadbury should keep him occupied long enough for you to surprise the
Chameleon and get the cuffs on him.”
“Why won’t these dogs head for me or someone else on the surveillance team instead of the communicator you shoot into the woods?”
“Because I’ll set the volume control on my communicator as high as it will go. The sound will be louder there than at any of the other communicator locations. You won’t have to blow the whistle very hard at all into your communicator.”
At first, there’s no response from Chuck and Popeye is thinking that Chuck’s not buying anything he’s saying and probably thinks he belongs in a funny farm somewhere. Then he hears some soft laughter and Chuck saying, “I must be losing it, but I actually think your cockamamie idea just might do the trick. The sixty-four dollar question is where are you going to get a bow and arrow?”