Sailing into Death (CJ Washburn, PI Book 2)

by James Paddock

  God, CJ was suddenly proud of her.

  Right after it had all gone down, CJ had yelled at a distant observer to call 911 and then with one bloody hand had pulled out his phone and called Parker DuPont.

  And then they had waited.

  Now the police cruiser was roaring toward them, the EMS van thirty seconds behind. The cruiser skidded to a stop and two uniformed officers came flying out.

  "She shot him," Stella stated, pointing to Eddie. Then she pointed to where the gun lay, twenty feet away. "Her gun is over there. No one has touched it."

  In a matter of minutes the officers had the scene secure, Stella sitting to the side, Isabel handcuffed and in the back of the cruiser. CJ had released his pressure hold on Eddie, passing him over to the EMS techs. They wasted no time preparing him for transport.

  CJ sat down next to Stella. "How're you doing?"

  "Good. Real good in fact."

  He put his arm around her. "You were amazing, the Stella I know and love."

  She snuggled up against him. "Maybe now I can get closure with this entire thing, being able to sit on the woman responsible for this morning."

  "She's not the only one."

  "Yeah, but she may be all I need. I had a burning desire to punch someone back for scaring the hell out of me. She'll certainly due."

  "We only got the top dogs."

  "I don't care about the rest of them," Stella said. "These two are good enough."

  CJ extracted his arm and pulled out his phone. After wiping blood from it onto his shirt, he speed-dialed Josh. When Josh answered, CJ said, "Where are you?"

  "Back at the hotel. Where are you?"

  "Were relaxing down on The Pier. You might want to join us, though I doubt you can get here before they hall Michael O'Raghallaigh away."

  "What? Who's they?"

  "EMS. I think maybe you have about two minutes. The other head of the Irish side of the summit operation is also here, though I don't think she's going anywhere for a while, at least not before the detectives show up."

  "I'm on my way."

  CJ then called Parker.

  By the time twenty minutes had passed, Josh, Agents Taffer and Coulter, as well as Detectives DuPont and Gorky had arrived along with three additional police cruisers and another EMS vehicle. They were working on the back of Isabel's head, where she'd hit the pavement. CJ was certain that she'd suffered a concussion. The Pier was secured. Those wanting to go on, couldn't. Those wanting to get off, had to wait for a police escort to walk them past the scene.

  After Detective Gorky reminded Parker that he was on medical leave, Parker sat down next CJ and Stella.

  "So, what the hell happened?" Parker asked.

  "According to Eddie, they spotted us coming out of McGee's Irish Pub. We came down here for an evening stroll, wanting to put this entire thing behind us for awhile, when he and Isabel–last name Carroll if I heard it correctly from the uniform–approached us. Eddie wanted to know if I had any idea who killed Eveleen Danohough."

  Parker looked surprised. "I figured they'd have skipped the country by now, or at least the state."

  "They should have, but as the three of us learned a few hours ago, he and Eveleen had a long history together. He was angry with her and in love with her all at the same time. He couldn't leave without answers to his questions."

  "So how did Ms. Carroll wind up shooting him?"

  "In the process of our conversation, he figured out that the person who ordered the hit on Eveleen and Douglas was the woman standing next to him, his partner in this morning's event. My impression was that she wasn't happy with his and Eveleen's relationship and had Eveleen killed, using her relationship with Douglas as an excuse. Until I laid out the facts for him, the diary and all, Eddie didn't believe that Douglas was his or Eveleen's son. When he realized the truth, Eddie confronted Isabel. She pulled out a gun. They wrestled and the next thing I knew the gun went off and he had a bullet in his chest. I can't say if it was intentional or accidental. She did, though, make a serious attempt at killing me."

  "Christ. How did you get the gun away from her?"

  "I didn't." CJ pointed to Stella with his thumb. "Kung Fu Stella here took her down."

  Parked leaned across in front of CJ and with his good arm presented Stella with a hi-five. She grinned and slapped his hand.

  "I wish I could have seen that," Parker said.

  "It was awesome," CJ said.

  "Parker."

  They all looked up at Detective Gorky walking toward them.

  "Yeah," Parker said.

  "Thought you'd like to know. Just got a call from the uniform at the hospital with the victim. They lost him."

  Parker nodded. "Thanks Don." As the detective walked away, Parker said to CJ and Stella, "So, you found out who Douglas' biological father was, and now he's dead. That closes it for you guys, I guess."

  "Pretty much. Unless you, being St. Petersburg Police, or the Feds need us around for any particular reason, we'll head out..." CJ looked over at Stella. "Thursday? Tomorrow?"

  "We've already talked about this, Clint. Thursday. We're going sailing tomorrow followed by dinner with the Parkers."

  "Just confirming is all, making sure you haven't changed your mind."

  "Nope. Not changing my mind. Want top-of-the-line life jackets, though."

  After a time, Detective Gorky broke them free, securing an agreement that they report into the department at 8:00 a.m. sharp to provide their statements. After Parker departed and as CJ and Stella walked back to the car, CJ called Gianna.

  Without even a hello, Gianna answered with, "Okay, CJ, don't even tell me that the Irish Army fiasco in Orlando I saw on the news had anything to do with you. I really was expecting a call from you earlier today if it had."

  "Unfortunately, Gianna, I cannot tell you otherwise. That's a story for a time when we can sit together with a glass of very expensive wine that you supply."

  Gianna seemed to laugh and groan at the same time. "Fine. Tell me what I need to know right now. I've got a fight going on between my sister and Doug's parents as to where he shall be buried, or his ashes spread. I'd ask if the police there are ready to release his body except that I don't know where to ship him, Illinois or Indiana."

  "You could leave him here with Rebecca, his second wife."

  "I've got World War Three about to start here. Do you want to go for the holocaust?" Gianna took in and then let out an audible breath. "Seriously, what's happening?"

  "Douglas' biological mother is Eveleen Danohough, and she is dead, but you already know that."

  "That she's dead, I didn't know. When did that happen?"

  CJ closed his eyes and tried to think. "I'm not sure. Maybe Sunday. Events are starting to stack on top of each other."

  "Fine. It just creates another wrinkle, or maybe it'll smooth one out. Don't bother expanding on that story. I'll just add another bottle of wine when you get here. Go on."

  "His biological father was Michael Edmond O'Raghallaigh. He is now, also dead."

  "You were involved in that?"

  "Yes."

  "Do I need to get you out of jail?"

  CJ laughed. "No Gianna. Sorry to disappoint you. He was killed by Isabel Carroll, his partner in the Irish Army fiasco, as you called it, just a few hours ago. Thanks to Stella I am not dead and Isabel is in custody."

  "Keeping that story for the wine party?"

  "Yes."

  "Did Stella have to use her little SIG Sauer?"

  "You knew about that?"

  "Of course I knew about that. She came to me for advice in anticipation that she'd be traveling with you back when you flew to Indiana. Did it get fired?"

  "No, but she did get to do a show and tell for Isabel Carroll."

  "I definitely can't wait for the wine party."

  "We'll bring the crackers. We're on our way to meet with Rebecca and her family one last time, just to bring them up to speed. Anything I need to tell her?"

  "Oth
er than that I'm sorry for her loss, not really. I really do feel bad that she's going to be left out in the cold. There's nothing I can do, except..."

  "Except what?" CJ said.

  "Don't you even tell my sister I told you about this, but what Rebecca needs to do is get an attorney who can help her establish proof that Douglas is the father of her baby."

  "You mean DNA testing?"

  "Correct. And she needs to start that right now before Douglas' body is shipped away. Get his DNA on an official record. Shouldn't be hard, though it'll cost her a bit. Don't need to do any invasive DNA testing on the baby until after birth."

  "I'll slip that info to her. Anything else?"

  "Nothing that I can think of."

  "I'll be back in Tucson Thursday. Will talk to you then."

  CJ put the phone away and said to Stella, who was sitting in the driver's seat listening to the call. "Off to see Mister Magoo."

  "Who?"

  "Mister Magoo. You don't know who Mister Magoo was?"

  "Never heard of him and what does he have to do with Rebecca?"

  "Magoo was a cartoon character who was extremely nearsighted and continually denied it. He'd be talking to a bush or a fire hydrant, thinking it was a child. He'd always get into trouble that he was not even aware of and then get out of it."

  Stella just stared at him. "And?"

  "Never mind. We're off to see Mister McGee and Rebecca. It sounded funnier in my head than I guess it was."

  She reached up and touched the scab on his head. "Maybe you did receive a concussion, a tad bit of brain damage."

  CJ brushed her hand away. "Just drive."

  Chapter 50

  It was after 11:00 p.m. when CJ and Stella entered the pub. The entire family was still there, the hired help, except for one of the dishwashers, apparently gone. Less than twenty percent of the tables were occupied.

  Rebecca saw them first and came right over. "I thought you said 10:00."

  "I did. But now I've got answers to all your questions." CJ looked over her head, saw three sets of McGee eyes on him. "We all need to sit down somewhere, together."

  Rebecca turned around and scanned the tables. "We're still open so we can't all go back to the office." She pointed. "How about that table? That section has already been cleaned and closed off to customers and we can see when someone needs something or wants to pay their bill and leave."

  "Sounds fine."

  CJ and Stella pulled two tables together and then sat. Several minutes later Rebecca joined them.

  "So, what's going on?" she asked.

  "We'll wait until everyone is here," CJ said. "For just you, though, I advise that you find a lawyer."

  "A lawyer? Why?"

  CJ went on to tell Rebecca what Gianna had told him about securing Douglas' DNA. "Do it tomorrow," he concluded. "I don't know if anything will come of it, but it's worth a shot for your baby. Even if he didn't want it, it still carries his blood."

  And then all the McGees were there. Rebecca, of course, was also a McGee. She'd revert back to her maiden name before long, CJ was sure. He cleared his throat.

  "You all heard about the UIRA attack on the G8 mini-summit this morning, I assume."

  "It's all that's been talked about all day," Paddy said.

  "We haven't watched much of the news so we don't know how it's being reported. You do know that fake suicide vests were involved along with paintball guns?"

  "Yes."

  "This is not to become general knowledge. As a matter of fact if I don't get sworn secrecy here, I will not divulge anything more about that attack."

  Paddy looked between his wife and daughter and then at Rebecca.

  "Yes," the women all said.

  Paddy held up his right hand. "I vouch for us all. Not only yes but an Irish, hell yes! Nothing passes McGee lips after tonight."

  "I can accept that," CJ said. "Stella and I were wearing the suicide vests. We were forced at gunpoint."

  "Oh my God!" Maire, Paddy's wife, said.

  "The hell!" Paddy said.

  Hannah and Rebecca just stared at CJ, their hands to their open mouths.

  "We didn't know they were fake until almost the end. Nor did we know about the paintball guns. We thought it was all real and lots of people were going to die, including us."

  "How... when?" Paddy seemed confused as to what to ask.

  "We'll tell you everything that lead up to it in a minute, but there's something else." CJ turned to look at the woman still dressed in black. "Rebecca, the leader of the group that attacked the summit this morning was your biological father-in-law."

  Rebecca looked surprised and confused. "My father-in-law? Who was my father-in-law? Doug never said he had a father, just his mother, Eveleen."

  "Eddie Hall was Doug's biological father. He was here hiding from the authorities, wanted for the killing of five British soldiers in 1981. His real name was Michael Edmond O'Raghallaigh. Do any of you know Isabel Carroll?"

  The family looked between each other. Hannah said, "There was an Isabel that Eddie came in with once. Stern looking woman. Very dark-red hair, straight to her shoulders."

  "That's her," CJ said. "The two of them ran the UIRA organization out of Florida, planned and executed the attack this morning."

  "Where are they now?" Paddy said, "Michael O'Raghallaigh and Isabel Carroll? On the run I imagine?"

  "He's dead, shot by Isabel. She's in custody." And then CJ and Stella went on to outline the previous thirty-six hours, stopping once when a customer had to be dealt with and then a second time when Paddy shooed the few remaining customers out and closed early.

  "So, what about Rory and his crew? Any idea where they are?" Paddy said.

  "Heading for parts unknown, I imagine," CJ said. "They'll likely be on the terrorist lists. They'll be watched for in Ireland and Northern Ireland, so I doubt they'll head that way until things cool down, if they ever cool down. The Feds know exactly who two of them are, can probably figure out the others and are certainly working with MI5, Scotland Yard and Interpol. If I were them, I'd be making name changes, buying up new IDs. As a matter-of-fact, I'd be willing to bet that that was in the plan all along. They may have already had new identification ready which was probably the reason they didn't care if we knew their names."

  "A big sacrifice for a cause," Paddy said.

  "People give their lives for causes every day," CJ said. "It's a choice one makes. For a time they're going to be wanted for not only the fake bomb attack this morning, but also for the real bomb Saturday morning and the murders of Douglas and Eveleen. The Feds should, however, figure out that those were carried out by a professional hit man who Isabel Carroll hired. She confessed it to Eddie in front of Stella and me so I'm sure we'll be called to testify about that. I'm sure the hit man has already turned to smoke."

  They all sat in silence for a time, maybe thinking about choices, maybe thinking about something else. What CJ was thinking about was his stomach.

  "You wouldn't happen to have a leftover steak hanging around that grill of yours, would you, Paddy?" he said. "I'm starving."

  "Me too," Stella said.

  Paddy sat back in his chair. "I'm sure I can butcher something. I think we can all use a little sustenance. Hannah, take orders. Let's get this dinner party a hoppin'."

  By 9:30 the next morning, Stella and CJ were walking toward the rental, having spent the previous hour and a half writing and going over their statements for Detective Gorky.

  "How're you feeling?" CJ said, taking Stella's hand as they turned into the parking lot.

  "Good. Real good, actually."

  "That's the high one gets when a case like this closes and they're still walking and breathing, having sustained only minor bruises."

  "I was shot and your ribs were broken. I don't consider that minor."

  "It is when you consider we could be returning to Arizona in a couple of fancy boxes."

  "True."

  "You ready to go sailing?" />
  "I want nothing more than to put my feet up and watch those sails catch the wind."

  When they got to the car, she released his hand and then grabbed his arm and snuggled up close to him. "By-the-way, when are we going to New Zealand?"

  Thank You...

  ...for reading Sailing into Death. If you enjoyed this book, please consider Lost & Forgotten. Imagine waking one day with a new face and no memory, an opportunity to pick a new name and start a new life; a clean slate. Orphaned as children, separated for 22 years, Melissa is intent on finding her identical twin, Marissa; however Marissa is now Mariah and not who she used to be. Melissa’s search brings her to Los Angeles, crossing paths with Tyron, the only person aware of the truth, a person with immoral intent. As Melissa searches for her twin and Mariah searches for who she was, they are both faced with first time romances. Their brief crossing of paths and wisps of twin psychic connections provides one hope, and the other confusion. Tyron hatches a plan to bring them together, for a price that includes more than just their money. Lost & Forgotten is story of wealth and poverty for far from pretty identical twin sisters as one meets evil in her search for her other half, and the other struggles to start a new life and find out who she was.

  And now, the first two chapters of Lost & Forgotten...

  Chapter 1

  May 15

  “When I grow up I’m going to be beautiful.”

  “No you’re not.”

  “Yes I am. We’re both going to be beautiful.”

  “We’re always going to be ugly.”

  “Don’t say that! Momma says ugly is a bad word.”

  “Bad or not, it’s still true.”

  The two girls began slowing their swings, still in perfect rhythm, forward and back, side-by-side. Without being consciously aware, they dropped their feet at the exact same time and brought the swings to a perfect stop as though part of a choreographed routine.