“I’m your backup and your alibi.”
“I don’t need either a backup or an alibi. This is a simple stakeout. It will probably be more boring than anything.”
“If you really believe that, then why won’t you let me go with you? I’m sure you could use a second pair of eyes.”
Suzette shrugged, “I guess it’s okay if you go. You can keep me awake.”
Sean slipped into the room from the balcony. “Doug’s gone to get his car out of the garage. He said he is going to visit Derek at the hospital.”
“Interesting,” Suzette said softly. “Thanks, Sean. Keep quiet about this, okay?”
“Yes, miss.” He nodded and quickly left the room.
“Let’s go.” Silently, they tiptoed down the balcony stairs, then they flitted across the lawn, keeping to the shadows. Without a sound they slid into the front seat of the dark green Ford that Suzette had rented that morning and hidden partway down the drive in a big clump of wisteria. It was an older car, but had a big engine and was very fast. Suzette pulled out of the driveway and parked along the side of the road, putting on her emergency flashers.
As his car left the driveway, both women ducked down, hoping that it would look like an empty vehicle with car trouble. Without a pause, his car moved past them. Suzette sat up, turned off the flashers and the car glided slowly ahead. Doug turned right and Suzette followed him, still driving without her lights. When he pulled out onto A1A, Suzette turned on her lights, let a car pass, then turned right. He crossed Banana River without seeing them, then he turned left on Highway 3.
Cordelia said, “He’s going to see us. There isn’t much traffic along here at this time of night.”
“If there’s a chance that he’ll spot us, we’ll turn off at the next crossroad, cut the lights and then get back on his tail
“I don’t know how you’ll see the road. It’s awfully dark through here.”
“We’ll just have to do the best we can. I’d like to know where he’s heading. If I remember the map correctly, there isn’t much of anything along this road.”
“Do you think he’ll lead us to Justin?” Cordelia asked anxiously.
“He’s leading us somewhere. I just hope it isn’t a wild goose chase. Look! He’s turning. This is where we go straight. Watch his lights. I’ll turn around when he’s out of sight.”
“He’s pulling out behind us. He’s following us.” Cordelia said in a panic. “He must have spotted us.”
“I don’t see how. Maybe, he’s just making sure that we’re legit. At least we don’t have to turn off our lights.”
“Yes, but what are we going to do?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll think of something. We can always be alligator poachers. I have several black ball caps in the back and two big lights. We can pull onto a dirt road and pretend to be looking for gators. Just don’t take your eyes off him. I’m going to speed up a little, like I’m pulling away from him.”
Cordelia watched for what seemed like a long time. “I wish he’d do whatever he’s going to do. I’m getting a stiff neck.”
“Hang on for a minute longer. It looks like he’s pulling off onto that dirt road we just passed.”
As soon as Doug’s car was out of sight, Suzette pulled over and stopped. Quickly, she pulled out a detailed topical map. Using a wheat bulb flashlight, she checked the odometer. “If I haven’t made a mistake, we’re about here. This is the road he turned on.”
“It doesn’t lead anywhere. How are we going to follow him? He’ll see the car and we won’t dare pull off because it is all swamp.”
“We’ll have to do it on foot. We can’t risk him seeing us.”
“But this is gator country,” Cordelia protested. “We’ll be sitting ducks, literally.
Suzette smiled, “I bought this anti-gator spray in town. The guy guaranteed that it would work. He says that men buy it a lot. I got the idea he sells it to alligator poachers. It’s supposed to not attract the gators.”
“And if it doesn’t work, he doesn’t have to worry about the guarantee,” Cordelia said tartly, “Because his unhappy customers don’t come back and complain.”
“Well, we have this and this, too.” Suzette opened her fanny pack to show a small but deadly gun and a long sheath on the fanny packs belt. Suzette pulled out a ten-inch Bowie knife.
“And you can use that thing?”
“If I have to. You don’t think I solve the cases I solve just by being a nice little girl, do you?” Silently, she pushed open the door. “Let’s get sprayed and go. We don’t want to miss what he’s doing and have to spend the night trying to figure it out.”
A dark figure sat up in the back seat. “I’ll be comin’ with you.”
Suzette jumped and Cordelia uttered a slight scream. Suzette had her gun out, pointing it at the figure. “Who are you?”
“It’s Sean. I‘m not wantin’ you to go alone. It’s not good for two ladies to be goiin’ alone.”
“Spray him and let’s go.” Suzette began running back down the road. Silently, she turned the corner, using her wheat bulb light on a red setting. As soon as she found the road, she motioned for them to follow her. “Stay here. I’ll motion you on.” Then she was gone. A few seconds later, they saw the light barely flash, and then again the third time. This time, she was still standing behind a huge tree. “His car is just over there. Look around and see if you can see him.” Her voice was little more than a soft breath.
“I’m going closer. Stay here and keep an eye on his car. If he comes back, try to see where he came from. We’ve got to find out where he’s gone.” She ducked under the Palmetto, paused and added, “And watch your backs. Don’t let him sneak up on you.”
Suzette moved quietly, a slight breeze masking her sounds. She slid past his car, pausing in its shadow. He must be around here somewhere because the road ends here. She heard some thrashing in the bushes ahead and ducked out of sight. He came toward her, shoving the palm branches out of the way and slapping at the gnats. She pulled her gun as he drew closer. He passed her without seeing her and she let out an inaudible sigh of relief.
He got into his car, started the motor and the lights sprang into being, barely missing her hiding spot but they did show a flash of silver in the bushes as the car made a neat three point turn and barreled down the dirt road. As soon as the noise of the motor died away, Suzette signaled, then headed toward the flash of silver she’d seen in the bushes.
So intent on seeing what had shown up that she caught her foot on a branch, tripping and landing on something metal. Before she moved, she pulled out her wheat bulb light and turned it to white light.
“Suzette, where are you?” Cordelia whispered.
“I’m over here. Stay where you are. I just tripped over a ladder.” Carefully, Suzette got to her feet and turned off her light. “This is really weird. Look up in the trees and see if you can figure out where he could have used the ladder.”
“There’s a big eagle’s nest in the tree just above us,” Sean said, pointing up.
“Why would he come out here in the middle of the night to climb into an eagle’s nest?”
Cordelia breathed. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Yes, it does,” Suzette said ecstatically. “I can’t think of a better place to hide something. Who would ever think of looking for stolen loot in an eagle’s nest? Help me set up the ladder, Sean. I’m going to find out what he hid up there. Cordelia, please keep watch. We don’t want to be surprised if he decides to come back.”
Sean helped her lift the aluminum ladder against the tree, then he held it as she started her climb. Slowly and carefully, she shined her light around the nest before she climbed in.
“Merciful God in Heaven,” she said reverently, as she climbed over the edge of the nest.
Cordelia said, “Here, Sean, hold the ladder. I’m going up. I’ve got to see what she saw.”
Suzette looked over the side of the nest. “I’ve found Justin. He’s a
live, but he’s in very bad shape. It looks like he’s been kept drugged. That’s probably what Doug was doing. Giving him a little food and then more drugs. I think he’s badly dehydrated and he’s covered with insect bites.”
Cordelia looked over the side. “How are we going to get him down?”
“The same way they got him up. There’s a heavy rope up here. It looks like they tied him in a sling and hauled him up. I’ll bet it was some job since he used to weigh at least 250 pounds.”
“We can’t handle that much weight,” Cordelia protested.
“Yes, we can. Cordelia, run back to the car. In the trunk is a heavy blanket. We’ll wrap him in the blanket to protect him from the rope, then we’ll lower him down. There’s a stout branch up here that we can use to belay him.” She handed the flashlight to Cordelia.
When Sean got to the top of the ladder, she handed him her Bowie knife. “Cut a bunch of Palmetto branches and pile them at the base of the tree. If we can’t hold him, it will help break the fall. Then when Cordelia gets back, I’ll have you come up and help me.”
He nodded as he climbed back down the ladder. It only took a few minutes for Cordelia to get back with the blanket. Sean handed her the knife and carried the blanket up the ladder. He tossed the blanket into the nest and then climbed over the side. Suzette was feeling his pulse.
“How is he?” Sean asked.
“His pulse is really weak. I’d like to go back to the house and get some help but I don’t think we’d better wait that long. I just hope we can get him to a hospital before he dies.”
Quickly, Sean spread out the blanket and wrapped it around him. Then they tied the rope under his arms. As soon as he was ready, Suzette said, “I’ll belay him. You’ll have the harder job–you need to get him over the side of the nest. I’m pretty sure that I can hang on to him until you can help me, but I know I can’t get him over the edge without dragging him and I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“You’re sure you can hold him? “Sure and it wouldn’t be good if he fell.”
“I can hold him. I’ve belayed men before. It isn’t easy but I can do it as long as the branch doesn’t break.” She looked at it closely, then tugged on it sharply. Finally, she pulled the branch over and put all of her weight on it. As soon as she stepped back, it sprang back upright. “I think it will hold since, it won’t be carrying his whole weight on top of it, just around the thickest part.”
Sean reached under Justin’s arms, picked him up, and carefully laid him on the edge of the nest. “Ready?”
Suzette adjusted her stance, threw the rope around the branch, then wrapped it around her waist, grabbing it tightly in both hands. “Ready.”
Sean rolled him over the edge, then he hurried over to help her ease the rope. After a few tense minutes, Cordelia called up to them softly, “He’s down.”
As Sean scrambled over the edge, Suzette said, “Untie the rope. I want to leave everything as it was when we got here. If someone comes to check on him, we don’t want to give them any clues as to what happened.
He nodded, then disappeared over the side. The rope gave a wild wiggle and Suzette began to pull it up, coiling as she went. Then she climbed over the side.
As soon as she was down, she said, “I’ll go get the car. Sean, would you put the ladder back where we found it and get rid of this pile of branches?”
“But they’ll see where I cut them.”
“They probably won’t notice until after they see he’s gone. Quit arguing. We need to get him to the hospital, pronto.” She sprinted down the road. In a few moments she turned the car onto the dirt road. Her lights picked up the greenish tan of a long snout full of wicked looking teeth. “Damn,” she said. “I don’t think the alligator spray worked like the clerk guaranteed. What does an inventive insurance investigator do now?” She wanted to hit the horn with the heel of her left hand, but thought better of it. She pulled the gear shift into low. “He’ll either move, or he’ll be road kill,” she muttered grimly.
The alligator turned to face the car. “Okay, big guy, if you want to play chicken, you’ll lose. There are too many lives at stake for me to back down now.” The gator stared at the car lights as the car moved forward. Then with a flick of its tail he began to run toward Justin. Suzette gunned the car and ran over the gator when his snout was just six inches from Justin’s leg. The car jerked to a stop, pinning the thrashing animal. She swung open the back door. “Get in, now, before he gets out from under the wheel. Sean scrambled in backwards, pulling Justin’s shoulders. Cordelia was carrying his feet. She dove in just as the gator got loose. Suzette reached over and pulled the door shut as the gator, limping, disappeared into the underbrush.
“Wow, that was close,” she muttered as she fought to keep her shaking hands on the steering wheel. Sean touched her shoulder. “We better go. His pulse is weaker.”
She nodded as she put the car into reverse. She paused at the entrance to Highway 3, then turned left.
“You aren’t taking him to Cocoa Beach?”
“No. Melbourne is closer and probably safer. If Chief Miner gets hold of Justin, he’ll end up in jail. We need to keep him out of harm’s way until we can notify Mike and Mitch. We don’t have to give his name to the hospital. We can say we found him along the side of the road. They will have to give him help.”
“I’ll tell them that I’ll be responsible for his bills. That should help.” Cordelia nodded her head. “I’m sure that they’ll know who I am and if not, they’ll soon find out.”
Chapter 29
“It’s amazing how many things a platinum Visa Card with a $100,000 credit limit can do,” Cordelia said, a trifle grimly as she put the card back in her wallet. She sat next to Suzette in the emergency waiting room. “At least he’ll get the care he needs. They weren’t going to do much for him until I flashed that card.”
“I’m glad you had it with you.” Suzette yawned. Sean was already asleep on the couch across the room.
“Me, too. I just stuck my wallet in my pocket at the last minute. The receptionist told me that the doctor would come out and talk to us as soon as they determined what all was wrong with him. She didn’t want to since she doesn’t know he’s a relative, but I told her if I was paying, I was to be kept informed.”
She leaned back in her chair and put her feet up. “At least these chairs are comfortable.” She closed her eyes. Nervously, Suzette picked up the remote and turned the TV to a local all night news station. She was dozing when the doctor walked in. “Which of you is Miss Cordelia Campbell?”
Cordelia opened her eyes. “I am.”
“The nurse said that you wanted to be notified about the man you brought in. You realize that this is highly irregular. The new privacy act makes it very difficult to tell you about this man since you aren’t a relative.”
“Listen, doctor, if I’m paying his bill, I have the right to know what you’re doing to him. Besides, we need to report this to the police and they will want to know how he is.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you. He’s in really bad shape. He’s suffering from malnutrition and dehydration. He has rope burns on his wrists and ankles and he is suffering from exposure. It looks to me like he’s been drugged. He is suffering from an untreated concussion. He is also suffering from a multitude of insect bites, some of which are poisonous.”
“Is he going to live?”
“As it looks right now, probably. We can’t give him anything for the bug bites because we don’t know what he’s drugged with. I’ve ordered a full scale work-up on his blood. I would also like to do a CAT scan but, they’re very expensive.”
“Do it,” Cordelia ordered grimly. “I don’t know for sure who that poor man is, but he needs the best care you can give him.”
“That’s very good of you, ma’am.”
Suzette flipped open her cell phone. “Who are you calling?” Cordelia snapped.
“Mitch Scott. You know he’s FBI–Violent Crimes Task Force–he’
ll know what to do about this.”
“Our city police will need to be informed about this man and they’ll need to get a statement from you,” the doctor said. “I’ll call them right now.”
“No,” Cordelia said.
“Mitch, this is Suzette. I need you to get down to Melbourne hospital ASAP.” There was a pause. “Mitch, I don’t care if you’re tired. We’re all exhausted. Get Mike and get down here. No, I don’t want to tell you what’s going on over an unsecured line. If you can’t get Mike, then get down here without him. We’re in the emergency room–so move it, mister!” She ordered just before she pushed the off button.
“You must know him pretty well to order him around like that,” the doctor said stiffly. “But you can’t tell me not to call the police.”
Suzette said, “No, I can’t. However, I would advise you to wait for an hour until Mitch gets here, otherwise, you may end up with a hostage situation if the word leaks out without reinforcements or back-up. “By the way, doc, no one in the hospital is to release anything about this man to the newspapers or--”
“We aren’t in the habit of--”
“Doctor,” Suzette said, softly, coming to a decision. “I know who this man is. I can’t tell you who he is without violating an FBI directive. All I can tell you is that it is imperative that no one and I do mean no one knows that he’s here. That’s why he is listed as a John Doe. That is why Miss Campbell is paying for his treatment under her name, not his. You can see what has been done to this man. We do not want a repeat and we could have a repeat if anyone finds out about him.”
“If this guy is a criminal--”
“He’s not.”
An hour later, Mitch and Mike stormed into the emergency room waiting area. “This had better be good,” Mitch snarled. “I don’t like being ordered to drive 50 miles at three a.m.”
Mike took one look at her tired but glowing face, then asked, “Suzette, what is it?”
“Go look in room three.”
Puzzled, Mike walked down the hall with Mitch following him. He slowly opened the door and looked in.
Sun, Sand and Murder: A Suzette Bishop Mystery (Suzette Bishop Mysteries Book 3) Page 17