Sailor's Delight - A Connie Barrera Thriller: The 2nd Novel of the Caribbean Mystery and Adventure Series (Connie Barrera Thrillers)

by Charles Dougherty

  Jovanovich was bored with the interminable pro forma civilities that marked this sort of meeting. These fools had been on his payroll for years, but he still had to act gracious and appreciative. He was having difficulty concentrating; his mind was on the girl who was waiting at his house in Mustique. He surreptitiously glanced at the screen of his iPhone, admiring the photograph that Helga Wertz had sent him last night. Soon, he thought, very soon, she would truly be his.

  He tuned back in to the conversation as one of the men said, " ... so, Mr. Jovanovich, another small donation would obviously be looked upon favorably. It would enable us to continue as we have before, ensuring that your interests in helping our sovereign nation improve her economy will thrive as they have for so long."

  "How small a donation are we talking about?" he asked, ignoring the gentle kick in the shins from Joseph Luther, his local lawyer, another crony of the men who controlled the ruling party.

  "Perhaps $10 million ... " the senator paused, watching for a reaction, but Jovanovich's demeanor gave nothing away. After a long, quiet period, Jovanovich looked pointedly at his watch. He then looked up and locked eyes with the senator, who swallowed hard and resumed. "Of course, the timing would be dependent on the exigencies of your business, Mr. Jovanovich. A small down payment now, say $1 million, and the rest in installments as development proceeds might be appropriate."

  Tired of the dance, Jovanovich said, "$1 million E.C., delivered to you in the next 30 days by Dr. Luther, in cash. The balance to be negotiated based on your performance over the balance of your six-year term, also to be paid in E.C."

  "But E.C. dollars cannot be spent outside — "

  "Precisely," Yuri said. "We're talking about improving the local economy, not a crooked politician's net worth. Of course, I'm not suggesting any of you and your friends would divert the funds, but it does remove the temptation for some of the less honorable members of your staff."

  The other senator cleared his throat and shuffled the papers in front of him. Jovanovich looked at him expectantly. "I fear you have misunderstood my colleague, Mr. Jovanovich. With the exchange rate, the amount you propose is — "

  "Exactly two point six-seven times less than your request," Jovanovich interrupted. "I'm acquainted with the exchange rate. Let's see what you can deliver, and then we'll talk again." He stood and slipped his unused notepad into his briefcase and extended a hand to the senior of the two men across the table. "It's always a pleasure, Senator. Dr. Luther and I can find our way out."

  Jovanovich looked at his watch again. Depending on the traffic, Luther should be able to get him to the airport in time for his helicopter to whisk him to Mustique just after sunset.

  29

  Marie was at the helm of the RIB, following the breadcrumb trail on the GPS. She had adjusted her speed so that the ETA shown on the screen would be 30 minutes after sunset. That would put them close enough to their destination so that, with the fading sunlight over their shoulders, they could study their target with binoculars while remaining all but invisible to anyone ashore who might be looking in their direction. Connie sat beside her on the two-person bench seat; Phillip, Sharktooth, and Paul were sitting on the wider seat behind them, methodically testing their gear. They were adjusting the small, tactical radio transceivers that Marie had provided. Not much bigger than an external hearing aid, the devices would provide hands-free, encrypted communications over a range of about a mile.

  "Damn it!" Connie said.

  Only Marie was close enough to hear her over the engine noise. "What is the matter?"

  "Simmons," Connie said, cupping a hand over Marie's ear to be sure she heard.

  "What about him?" Marie asked, leaning close to Connie's ear.

  "I forgot all about him."

  "So? It's okay."

  "He's the only one left alive," Connie said.

  "Yes," Marie agreed. "Until Hector and Willie take the RIB back. The orders have been given." Hector and Willie were part of the cleanup crew, designated to follow them in Lightning Bolt, which they planned to use to return to Diamantista after they had Julia. The two men would then return the RIB to Aurelius along with any evidence that shouldn't be left behind at the house.

  "You thought of that?"

  "Not exactly. I thought it was what you intended, to keep him alive there in case we had questions for him. Once we have Julia, the captain should always go down with his ship, no?"

  "I wish I had thought of that," Connie said.

  "So, we are a good team, you and I, yes?"

  "I think so, yes. Will they sink Aurelius?"

  "Yes, but more. They take the EPIRBs, the emergency beacons, far away, so Aurelius will appear to sink some hundreds of miles away. This is in case there might be some small bits left floating. No one will be able to know where they come from."

  "That's brilliant, Marie."

  "Is Clarence who thinks this, not me. But yes, I agree. Look. Now we must slow down and study the target soon, you see?"

  "You have good eyes," Connie said, only able to pick out the faint image of the house against the distant shoreline after Marie had pointed it out.

  "We go some closer," Marie said, passing Connie a pair of binoculars as she reduced speed. Without the engine noise, they could converse in a normal tone.

  The three men came forward and stood behind Connie and Marie, sharing another pair of binoculars.

  "Looks just like the pictures," Connie said, putting the binoculars in Marie's outstretched hand.

  "Yes," Phillip said. "Except I don't remember that little pier. That's handy."

  "Probably built it after the pictures were taken," Paul said, handing the binoculars to Sharktooth.

  Typical of sunsets in the tropics, dusk gave way to darkness in the blink of an eye.

  "Look like the house up on the hill the only place wit' lights on," Sharktooth said. "Mus' be they up there."

  "Yes," Phillip said. "I think that structure down on the waterline is separate from the main house."

  "I agree," Paul said. "It looked that way to me from the photos, and I didn't see anything to change my mind before the light went."

  "Let's go get this done," Connie said. "By the time we ease in to that little pier, it'll be as dark as it's going to get."

  Jovanovich sat in the back of the helicopter with his bodyguard, leaning forward to see through the windshield as the pilot approached Gelliceaux Cove.

  "There's a boat there," the bodyguard said in harsh voice, yelling over the noise of the chopper as the pilot vectored in, adjusting for the cross wind as he got closer to the cove. "At the pier."

  Jovanovich held the headphones away from his ears, the burly man's voice still ringing over the intercom. "Don't yell, damn you. Just speak in a normal voice. That's why we have the headphones."

  "Sorry," the man mumbled.

  "Should I go in, Mr. Jovanovich?" The pilot slowed their airspeed to a walking pace.

  "Is it too rough for the floats?" Jovanovich asked, confused by the question.

  "No, sir. Because of the boat."

  "Oh. Yes, go ahead. The boat is the tender from Aurelius; I recognize it. Helga's probably come to give the girl something to wake her up. They weren't expecting me until tomorrow."

  "Yes, sir," the pilot said, resuming a controlled approach. "I'll put us down alongside the boat, if that's all right. The way the wind's blowing, the floats might get pushed under that pier if we go on the other side."

  "Yes, that's fine. We'll just step off into the RIB. No problem."

  "Hold up, everybody," Connie heard Phillip's voice over the radio. "Let's see what that chopper's doing."

  She had readily ceded tactical command to Phillip. Now, she was glad; she'd been so focused on their goal that she hadn't heard the helicopter until he mentioned it. Phillip was the one with the most experience at this sort of thing; she knew when she was out of her depth. She and Paul crouched in the undergrowth while they waited. They were working their way up the
embankment a few yards to the west of the dimly lighted walkway that led from the pier, while Phillip and the others were a few yards to the east of the walkway. They had found that the structure at the water near the pier was a beach house of sorts, with a number of water toys, showers, and a bar. Using the walkway had been ruled out as soon as they saw the low level lighting that illuminated it. It would be too easy to be seen by people in the house.

  "He's coming in," Phillip said. "I'd give him about three to five minutes before he's alongside the pier. Let's hustle up to the house, but one change. Sharktooth, you stay back and get behind whoever this is. It's a little chopper; no more than one or two people. In order please. Everybody copy?"

  "One," Connie said. She heard Paul's "Two," more clearly over her earpiece, even though he was close enough to squeeze her hand. She had to remember, she only needed to whisper for the throat mic to pick it up.

  "Let's move it! Fast!" Phillip's voice said, after she'd heard Marie and Sharktooth check in.

  She and Paul scrambled through the brush, reaching the broad front steps of the house in less than 40 seconds, by her count. "One and two in position," she whispered, as they stood, backs to the wall, one on either side of the front door. They had expected to be a little ahead of the others, who had to skirt the house to approach from the back.

  "Three and four in position. Go on three. One, two, three."

  She and Paul turned to face the door, and he lifted his right leg and put two hundred pounds of muscle behind a practiced kick that landed close beside the doorknob, splintering wood and shattering glass. Connie dove through the door, rolling to the right as they had planned, seeing no one in her designated zone. She backed into the far right corner, sweeping the room with her pistol, and saw the woman in the far left corner level her own weapon at Paul just as he shot her. As his target collapsed, Paul stepped into what appeared to be a living room, moving toward Connie. "Let's —"

  His voice was cut off as a figure stepped from behind the ruined door and clubbed Paul over the ear with a pistol. As Paul slumped to the floor, the man pressed his pistol to Paul's forehead and laughed.

  "You pick the wrong house," he said. "Now, I kill you slow, but first, you tell me why you here." He screamed in pain as Connie's pistol cracked, her shot tearing away part of his right shoulder. He looked around in surprise as his pistol clattered to the floor. He turned to make for the front door and screamed again as her second shot found his knee. This time, he kept screaming, having fallen in his tracks.

  Connie was relieved to see Paul shaking his head as he struggled to rise. "Easy, Paul," she said, stepping past him and stopping to put a foot on the screaming man's injured knee. He looked up in panic as she applied weight to her foot.

  "Stop that screaming, you piece of shit, or I'll do the other knee."

  His scream subsided to a moan. "What do you want?" He jumped in panic at the sound of gunshots from somewhere else in the house.

  "Clear in the back, with two down," Phillip said in her ear. "Report, one? Two?"

  "Clear in the front. One dead, one wounded," Connie said.

  The wounded man growled, "Who the fuck — "

  Connie swiped the barrel of her pistol across the man's face.

  "Shut up, asshole. I'm only going to ask once. Where's the girl?"

  "What girl?" he asked sneering at her.

  Her pistol cracked again and he screamed as his other knee was shattered. "There are still lots of ways for me to hurt you before I kill you. Now, where is she?"

  "Through that door," he said gesturing with his head.

  Connie saw that Paul was up on one knee and had recovered his pistol. "You okay?"

  "Yeah. Thanks for saving my rookie ass."

  "Later. Keep an eye on him. I'm going to look for Julia."

  There was a loud grunt followed by a sickening, soggy crunch from right outside the front door. Connie glanced out to see Sharktooth grinning, each big hand wrapped around the misshapen head of an unconscious man. Sharktooth nodded as she turned back to look for Julia, and she heard him report to Phillip over the radio. "Five. Two visitors down wit' skull fractures."

  The door to Julia's room was locked, but a key hung in the knob. Connie turned it and opened the door to see Julia sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes.

  "Where am I?" the girl asked.

  "Safe," Connie said, running to her side and hugging her.

  "I know you ... Connie? What's going on? I ... "

  "Later, Julia. There's lots to talk about, but right now, let's get you to your dad and Monica."

  "On the boat? Diamantista, right?"

  "That's right," Paul said, joining them. "You look kind of wobbly. How about if I carry you?"

  "No. I'll walk, but let me put my arm over your shoulder, okay?"

  "Whatever you say," Connie said. "You're the boss. Just let us know what you need."

  30

  Sharktooth brought Lightning Bolt to rest against Diamantista's side with such finesse that an egg squeezed between the two boats would still have its shell intact. Phillip and Marie secured the bow and stern lines as Paul and Connie gave Julia a hand up the boarding ladder. As soon as she set foot on the side-deck, Luke and Monica, both of whom had tears running freely down their cheeks, wrapped her in a warm embrace. The crew on Lightning Bolt waited in silence, enjoying the Regan's pleasure. After a minute or so, Luke took a half step back, but he kept one hand on Julia's shoulder and the other on Monica's.

  "Words aren't adequate to express my feelings toward you all," he said, unashamed of the tears that still ran down his cheeks.

  "Nor are they necessary," Connie said.

  "We're just glad it ended well," Phillip said.

  "Mais oui!" Marie added.

  Sharktooth cleared his throat. "I 'spect this not much on your minds right now, but Connie say that you fly home from Dominica in a few days. I know mebbe you want to go early, but jus' the same, I like to ask you to spend the time in Dominica instead. Maureen an' I, we make you welcome, like the family, you see, an' we show you why Dominica is the mos' special of all the islan's. Don' answer me now. Jus' you come. If not now, then one other day. We be there."

  "Thank you, Sharktooth," Luke said. "We certainly appreciate that, and all your help. That goes for you all. Thank you."

  "Yes," Monica said. "Thank you all."

  "From me, too," Julia added.

  After a few moments of awkward silence, Paul said, "Can I offer refreshments? We might even have an odd bottle of champagne aboard."

  "Thanks, but I think we need to get underway," Phillip said. "Marie's overdue for a break; she's been in Central America for weeks, and I know Maureen's looking for Sharktooth, just like Sandrine wants me home. Besides, you all need some time to let this settle. Stay safe." He and Marie cast off, and Sharktooth idled away from Diamantista as everyone waved another farewell.

  As Lightning Bolt faded into the darkness, the crew on Diamantista heard the three big engines begin to roar as Sharktooth accelerated. They stood for a moment, lost in thought, the Regans still holding on to one another. Luke finally broke the silence. "I think I'd like to take you up on the refreshments, Paul, but first, if you'll excuse us for a bit, I'd like to get all three of us on the speakerphone with Dr. McRae. I called her as soon as you let me know you'd found Julia, and she's kind of standing by, waiting for us."

  "That makes sense. Make yourselves at home below; just let me grab a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses, and Connie and I will be out of your way."

  Connie sat on the port cockpit seat, Paul's right arm around her shoulders, as they sipped at their glasses of red wine. She felt at peace with him again, finally. After what they'd been through, she was ashamed of her suspicions. She vowed to forget that foolishness; what they had was too precious to waste by harboring petty jealousy.

  "Connie?"

  "Yes?"

  "I owe you a big apology," Paul said.

  She felt a frisson of fear spread through
her being as visions of Karen Gilbert in her thong came to mind. "After all this, it doesn't — "

  "Please," he interrupted, "this kind of thing is hard for me."

  "Okay," she said, bracing herself for what she dreaded hearing. Why did he have to do this now, she wondered, just when she'd resolved it for herself.

  "First, I need to thank you for saving my life tonight. I can't believe I didn't check behind that door. If it hadn't been for you, I'd be a dead man. Guess there's a good reason why I'm retired from the police."

  "Don't be so hard on yourself. That's why we went in together; it could have been me, just as easily."

  "Yes, I know, and that's my next point, but I'm the one who was supposed to know better. Anyhow, I apologize for being such a mother hen through all of this. Obviously, I was worried about you, but I should have given you credit for being able to take care of yourself. I mean, when the chips were down, I was the one who needed somebody to save his ass. I don't think I could keep going if anything happened to you, though. That's a new feeling for me, so please, bear with me, and feel free to remind me that you're your own woman when I get out of line. After all, that's part of what makes you so special to me."

  "That's very sweet," she said, waiting anxiously for what she thought was coming next.

  Paul set his wineglass on the cockpit table and took hers from her fingers, putting it next to his. Puzzled by that, she was completely surprised when he pulled her in tight and put his other arm around her, brushing her lips lightly with his own. In seconds, they were overcome by the heat of the moment, forgetting that there were guests aboard.

  A discreet cough broke the spell, and they sat up, smoothing their clothes like two guilty teenagers caught by a parent. "Sorry," Julia said, poker-faced.

  "No problem," Connie said, struggling for composure.

  Julia suppressed a giggle. "I wanted to give Dad and Monica a moment to wrap up with Dr. McRae. Sometimes he has trouble expressing his feelings when I'm there. It's this macho thing, I think."