A DANGEROUS HARBOR

by RP Dahlke

  "He's going to jail; we'll see to that. Now, let's get you out of here, sweetie."

  Fred and Gabe tied Jeff's and the Mexican's hands behind their backs and led them off the boat. From the dock, Fred called hotel security and within minutes they were surrounded by guards who took the two men away.

  Katy looked from Gabe to Leila and said, "I'm going to the police station. I need to see if anyone can tell me about Raul. Here, Gabe," she said, handing him her Glock. "Tempting as it is, I can't take this into jail with me, and in any case, I'm going to enjoy telling Spencer his plan backfired."

  Fred tossed her the keys to his car. "Take my van. It's the gray one by our dock. And give him a swift kick for me?"

  She bounced the keys in her hand. "Is Myne the only reason you're interested in Spencer?"

  "Officially? I work as an investigator for the IRS. This yacht is just one of the props I used to get closer to Spencer Bobbitt. My sector chief knows our family drama, so he sent me instead of someone else, with the agreement that I'd see if I could find Spencer's hidden assets. Is it true that he planted a bomb at the chief inspector's home?"

  "Yes," she said, her voice catching in her throat. "Though nothing's official yet as to whether or not he was in the house at the time."

  "I'm sorry to hear that. I understand he was one of the good ones."

  "Yes, he is—or was."

  "Well, good luck with Spencer, then."

  The police station had emptied of most of the officers. Sergeant Moreno was nowhere in sight and a pimply faced youth sat at the reception desk, obviously uncomfortable at having to answer questions and since he didn't know the whereabouts of either the sergeant or anyone else in authority who could answer her questions, she guessed he was recruited for the job at the last minute. He was, however, suitably impressed with her American police ID and happily escorted her upstairs to the visitor's room, where he haughtily ordered the jailer to present the prisoner to the American police woman post-haste.

  Still worked up from the last hour of drama, she paced the tiny room until at last the door opened and Spencer walked in, his face devoid of expression.

  "Perfect. You're here and just in time."

  Katy lifted her chin and said, "You're completely out of bargaining chips, Spencer. I found my sister on your boat and Jeff and the Mexican are now in custody."

  "Yes, yes, I figured as much. Never let a boy do a man's job, I always say." He drew out a gun and pointed it at her. "Which leaves me with you. You're going to be my ticket out of this God-forsaken country, and if you're a very good girl, maybe I'll ransom you to your wealthy family instead of giving you flying lessons from three thousand feet."

  He pounded on the door and when it opened, he was handed a linen jacket which he laid over his gun hand, and pulling another envelope out of his pocket, he handed it to her. "Copies of the paperwork you thought you didn't need."

  Then he motioned the jailer to clip on a pair of metal cuffs, his left wrist to her right hand. With his right hand tucked under the jacket, they took the elevator downstairs.

  "You can't possibly think you're going to get away with this."

  "Of course I will. The plane is waiting and all you have to do is follow directions."

  When they were downstairs, he stood close to her, the gun dimpling her side while she handed the paperwork to the young officer. When the young man gave her a quick look, Spencer lifted their cuffed wrists to show that he was indeed in her custody.

  Outside, a taxi pulled up. The driver, seeing the two gringos, waited only long enough to hear the man say airport before popping the clutch and lurching into afternoon traffic. Katy wasn't surprised that he never gave his passengers another look. He was intent on driving two Americans to the airport in a timely and safe fashion, and then getting paid with a nice tip for a job well done.

  If only Raul was alive and got her message before she was dropped out at three thousand feet above the Sonoran Desert. Pushing away the sorrow and pain of her loss, she reminded herself that she wasting time. It was up to her to find a way out of this predicament before it was too late.

  At the airport, Spencer instructed the driver to take a side road around the small terminal to where a guard waited at a closed gate. At Spencer's nod, the guard opened the gate and let them through. With the gun still at her ribs, Spencer told the driver to aim for a line of private jets lined up at the far end of the tarmac. He shoved a fistful of dollars at the driver and motioned for Katy to open her door.

  She sighed and did as she was told as there was no sense in taking a stand here where the driver might be shot in the melee.

  She got out first, Spencer scrambling after her and kicking the door closed. The taxi driver never looked back as he sped off in a cloud of dust.

  She looked around. Nothing but a line of private jets and this one, the steps down, the pilot at ready, the engines revved up for takeoff.

  She dug in her heels. "Unlock the cuffs, Spencer. I'm not getting on that plane with you."

  "Oh, I think you will. A simple phone call can connect me with someone to finish the job on your sister."

  "You already tried that once and it didn't work. She's safely surrounded by friends and out of your reach."

  Spencer showed her his big teeth. "I still have influence." Then he reached into his pocket and pulling out a key, unlocked the cuffs. "You have a choice; go with me and know that your sister is safe, or take the chance that you can warn her in time."

  Glaring at each other, neither of them noticed the black Mercedes speeding up the tarmac.

  Raul Vignaroli braked the car so hard it shuddered. He got out and with his hands up so Spencer could see that he was unarmed, and walked towards them. "Let her go, Spencer!"

  Pushing her in front to act as a shield and backing them both towards the steps of the plane, he said, "Oh, but I have. See?" He held up the handcuff now only attached to his wrist. "She wants to come with me, don't you Katy?"

  Katy called a warning to Raul, "He has a gun!"

  Raul nodded, keeping his empty hands where Spencer could see them as he continued advancing. "You can leave, but you must let her go."

  Spencer backed awkwardly up the steps, dragging Katy along as his shield while Raul stood helplessly at the bottom of the steps. At the last minute, Spencer pushed Katy down the steps and ducked inside.

  As Raul rushed to break her fall, the jet revved its engines and the steps started to retract. They stumbled back out of the way as it moved off down the runway.

  Raul crushed her to his chest, dragging his mouth across her wet cheeks, her eyes and finally her mouth.

  She pulled back, her voice shaking with the adrenaline of the last few hours. "Took you long enough." Then she reached up and touched his face. "I thought… I thought you were dead."

  They turned to watch the jet ready itself at the end of the runway. "Can't you keep him from taking off?"

  "No, I can't stop him without a squadron here to close off the runway and I didn't want to take the chance that you would be on it."

  "Then he's just going to get away with everything he's done? Murder, extortion, kidnapping?"

  "I don't think Spencer Bobbitt is going to get very far."

  They stood together watching the wheels folding up into the wheel-wells as the jet rushed up to meet the thin hot air of Ensenada, and there was a part of her that was glad to see the last of Spencer Bobbitt.

  As the jet soared up and over the barren hills of Ensenada they heard a popping sound and then the air was rocked by the blast of a tremendous explosion. The jet was now a fireball, metal pieces falling back to the earth.

  Katy clutched Raul's arm. "What...?"

  In the distance she heard sirens.

  "I suspected as much," he said, turning her toward his car. "The Mexican cartels do not like loose ends and Spencer Bobbitt was now more of a liability than an asset."

  "Raul, please don't take this the wrong way," she said when she was in the passenger side
. "I'm happy to see you and all, but where have you been?"

  "I'm sorry, but I had to set up a command post to sort out who had engineered the attack on my home. It was determined that this was not an act of terrorism but a simple attempt on my life by one of Señor Bobbitt's henchmen. And since I survived, the Sinaloan Cartel, being the pragmatic sort that they are, determined that Señor Bobbitt should be eliminated."

  In his car, and away from spectators, he drew her into her arms and held her tightly.

  She pulled back. "Your home… is it completely gone?"

  "Yes," he said, kissing her forehead.

  "I'm so sorry. What about the parrot?"

  He drew back. "You know, until this moment, I'd completely forgotten about him. Poor thing. I don't suppose, no… once the detonation on the explosives took the foundation, the entire structure went over the cliff. It's a miracle no one below was hurt as it went down that mountain. The house, the parrot. Do you know something? I believe… yes, I know I am relieved. I am finally free. That's a good thing, yes? Yes, I believe it will be a very good thing. Would you want to…"

  "Yes," she said, holding onto his hand as he drove. "Let's go somewhere. Puerto Vallarta, anywhere."

  "What about your sister… and Gabe?"

  "My sister… oh dear. Of course. Let me check on them first, okay?"

  When they got back to her dock, Leila shouted a greeting from the transom of Fred's boat and ran down the dock to meet them.

  "Where've you been, sis? You've missed all the fun! Gabe makes the best margaritas, and I can't think of a better painkiller for all we've been through." Leila ogled Raul, winked at her sister and put out a bangle-bedecked hand for him to shake. "I presume this is Chief Inspector Vignaroli? Gabe has told me so much about you."

  Raul, to his credit, smiled warmly at Leila and taking her hand, brought the back of her knuckles up to his lips in a light kiss. Leila, obviously into her second or third margarita, giggled and rolled her eyes at Katy.

  Katy looked at her sister and laughed. "How many of those painkillers have you had?"

  "Oh, Katy, don't fuss at me now when I'm finally having the fun I came down here for. Come on," she said, tugging her sister along to Fred's boat.

  Gabe and the girls were up on the aft deck of Fred's boat.

  The girls stood and rushed over to hug Katy, both wanting to thank her and tell her how much they loved, loved, loved her sister.

  "She's going to introduce me to her acting coach," Myne gushed.

  "And I'm going to go back to school. Leila says UCLA is a great school for screenwriters."

  Leila shoved a couple of margaritas into their hands and insisted they join them.

  Gabe said, "So was Spencer surprised to see you?"

  "Well," said Katy, "not exactly." Then she told them all of it. At the end of the story, Leila's face was sober and the girls had stopped giggling.

  Katy said, "So, Myne, you are really and truly free of Spencer Bobbitt."

  Myne said, "What about Booth and the girl? Do you think we'll ever find out if Spencer was really guilty of their murders, or was it someone else?"

  Katy put down her drink. "Has anyone seen Ida Howard today?"

  Fred answered. "I took the liberty of announcing to Wally and Ida that they were to be ready for a US Marshal to accompany them back to the States tomorrow."

  Katy, knowing that Ida wasn't Wally's first choice of companion, wondered how that was going to play out. Then she thought of something. "Gabe. Remember the night you found the tape?"

  "Yeah, and sorry I ever thought to give it to you, since you thought I was responsible for Booth's death."

  "Okay, got it, Gabe. But remember you said you came down to the marina because you heard a woman's voice shouting?"

  "Yeah, that's right, I was coming down to see if you needed help."

  Leila leaned into Gabe. "That was so gallant of you, Gabe. Wasn't that gallant of him to do that, Katy? Isn't he a sweetheart of a guy?"

  In another time and place, Leila's antics with Gabe would have come with a lecture. Instead, Katy quietly motioned Raul over to the rail. "Would you do me a favor and check on Wally and Ida?"

  He slanted a glance at her then nodded. "Yes, I see what you're thinking. I'll be right back."

  When he was gone, she said, "Leila, if you think you'll be okay tonight without me, Raul and I would like to have dinner alone. Then tomorrow we'll move the boat to Baja Naval and get it ready for transport back to the States."

  "Sure," said Leila, hearing the note of sadness in her sister. "That's a great idea. Gabe says he knows where he can get fresh oysters. We'll fix dinner on your boat and catch up on old times."

  Gabe was signaling behind Leila's back, hoping she wouldn't mention the possibility that Leila's dinner might involve climbing over fences to get those oysters.

  Leila pushed Katy for the steps. "Go on, have a night out." She leaned closer and whispered, "Let tomorrow take care of itself. Stay the night. Go for it, you may never get the chance again."

  Katy kissed her sister and said, "Watch yourself, sis. Gabe's a dear but he's… well, he's still Gabe."

  Katy went to her boat, threw a change of clothes, toothbrush, and her favorite perfume into an oversized purse, swung off the boat and walked the length of the dock to find Raul standing next to Wally and Ida's boat. He was talking to a guard. The guard did an about-face and hustled for the gate.

  Raul, his mouth set in a grim line, kept her from going any closer to the boat.

  "What is it?" she asked, fearing the worst.

  "They are both dead. It looks like she killed him, then herself," he said, handing her the handwritten confession.

  "Ida admitted shooting the girl, not because she wanted to frame Spencer, but because it was a mistaken identity. She had lifted Wally's keys to Spencer's boat and picked up Spencer's gun meaning to shoot the man who had ruined her life. When the bed covers moved, she fired. Seeing it was a girl and not Spencer, she dropped the gun and ran, not thinking anything other than getting away. She ran into Jeff and Booth and they told her they'd 'fix' it for her. Of course, Jeff has admitted to moving the girl to the RV park and throwing the gun into the arroyo, but he says he didn't know that Booth wasn't going to take her to a hospital."

  Katy said, "That's why she told me it was too late. Wally found out what she'd done and told her he would not take her with him into witness protection. He wanted to take Myne, instead, the poor slob."

  "He was going to turn her over to the Mexican police, so she killed him and then herself."

  "Then Spencer was innocent of killing the girl? He was drugged and slept through all that?"

  "The girl might've drugged him with the intention of robbing him before she left. I've spoken to the President, and he's made his part of his mission to clean up the human trafficking in Mexico. We're going to close Antonio's."

  Katy shook her head sadly. "Then Ida killed Booth to keep him from talking. That's the voice Gabe heard arguing with him the night she pushed him into the water. What are you going to do about the bodies?"

  "I have made arrangements. The bodies will be taken off under the disguise of carpentry repairs for the boat."

  When she started to object, he said, "This marina, and certainly the hotel, has had enough bad publicity. We try for damage control when we can. You and I are done here."

  "You're right, of course. Booth was dying, why would he go to the trouble to blackmail anyone?"

  He put a hand on her elbow and gently steered her for the gate and his car in the parking lot. "Booth had a local woman as his wife. In the states you call it common-law. He wanted her to have some money." He stopped and looked at her. "I know you think me heartless that I allowed Booth to have heroin for his illness. But I paid him in cash, too. And I will see that his wife gets the money from the sale of his trawler."

  "That would be very kind."

  "Now, no more about these people. I know a place where we can have a simple but hearty di
nner and watch the moonlight with a glass of wine."

  She put her head on his shoulder and said, "I thought you'd never ask."

  Chapter Twenty-three:

  Raul lay with his arm around Katy, her head on his chest and her bare leg over his while she drew circles in his chest hair. Dawn was limning the eastern slopes in anticipation of another sunny day.

  "You're awfully quiet," she said.

  He moved his arm out from under her head, pushed up onto the headboard and then drew her into his arms again. "Yesterday, I was offered a position as liaison between our government and your American drug czar."

  She pulled away to look him in the eyes. "Are you going to take it?"

  "I would have to move to either San Francisco or DC and I was hoping you might help me make a decision."

  "You would be away from your family."

  "My family will always be here for me. But, most importantly, the house is gone, the parrot is dead, the past is now truly buried. I can start my life again. So, do you have an opinion?"

  "When do you have to make a decision?"

  "This week," he said, lifting his head to look at the streaks of morning light in the east. "Today, actually. I have nothing to take with me, except the few clothes I keep here. Regardless of what city I choose I will be busy traveling between the two and sometimes I will fly to Mexico City to talk with our president. So, Katrina Taylor Hunter, will you help me out here? DC or San Francisco?"

  "It's hard to find an apartment in either of those cities."

  He chuckled. "I wasn't fishing for an invitation to live with you. You Americans get it all backwards."

  "It's freezing cold in DC. You'd hate it."

  "And San Francisco is warmer?"

  "Oh, much, much warmer."

  "I will call the Mexican Consulate there. They will provide me temporary quarters until I can find something that suits me."

  "San Francisco is small, easy to get around. I'll take you sailing."

  "We will date. I will court you. Meet your mother as you will meet mine. Do you like baseball, the opera?"