Wood's Reef

by Steven Becker

  He handed the knife to Mel. “Cut the line, quick!”

  Gillum had caught up to Garrett. Both men had their weapons drawn. The boat was drifting backward now, bringing them into range.

  “That’s enough,” Garrett said. “Hands up and cut the engine.” He waited as the boat died in the water, Mac seeing no choice but to comply. “Now move to the stern.” He pulled the boat back to the dock with the grappling hook, motioning for Gillum to tie off the boat as he kept the crew in his sight.

  Mac and Mel were on the dock, hands still over their heads as Garrett reached for his handcuffs.

  “Just Travis. I don’t want the headache of detaining a woman - especially that one,” Gillum said.

  Garrett had Mac cuffed and was walking him around the side of the building toward their car before Mel could catch her breath.

  “I’ll be down there as soon as I can and get you out!” she yelled after him.

  ***

  Mel was on the phone and the computer at the same time, entering her zone. The first call was to Wood. She wanted to check on him and let him know about Mac. Then she got to work.

  Chapter 25

  The last traffic light going southbound in Florida City, the last bastion of civilization before the half-hour ride to Key Largo, turned green. Doans reluctantly hit the gas pedal. He eyed every convenience store, hoping for an excuse to pull over and get a beer. His head was hurting after being up all night partying with Behzad. A beer would take the edge off, but there was no stopping now as they passed the last store. The ride from Miami had been quiet, with Behzad unconscious and snoring in the back seat. Ibrahim sat stiffly in the front, looking straight ahead as if in a trance. Doans tried to concentrate on the road and how much money he could extort from these men. He smelled a score.

  “So this is what the Florida Keys look like,” Ibrahim said.

  “Not quite yet, we just left Florida City. We’ll be heading into the Keys shortly. So, what kind of an opportunity do you have in mind? You never got specific back at the restaurant.”

  “We are looking for someone to head a salvage operation. There is a rumor that something of value has been brought up near Marathon. It is important to our organization to get our hands on it, and worth a good payday to you if you will assist us.”

  Doans adjusted the air conditioning vent, forcing the cold air to blow directly on his face in an effort to clear the cobwebs from his head. This couldn’t be a coincidence, he thought. There is no way two Middle Eastern-looking guys are after a shipwreck or something. It’s got a be the bomb he’d seen on the island and it had to be something special if these guys were after it. That would explain why it was hidden. He was starting to get excited now. He finally had some leverage on something somebody else wanted. This could be a big payday.

  “Exactly what kind of salvage operation do you have in mind?” he asked.

  “We need to reach an agreement about this, and your silence before I can disclose any details.”

  “Well, at some point you have to trust me. I’ve got a pretty good idea what you’re looking for, and I think I know where it is. So, now to the real question. What kind of compensation do you have in mind?”

  Doans drove on watching Ibrahim from the corner of his eye. He was back into reality now, a calculating look on his face.

  “We would be willing to pay you $5,000 per day plus expenses to recover the object.”

  “Can we please stop referring to this as the object? It’s a goddamn bomb, excuse me Allah. You know it and I know it and it’s not much of my business to care what you are going to do with it. I would say that $5,000 per day is not quite enough for this kind of intelligence. Without me you’re back to the drawing board. You don’t even have a place to start. Good luck trying to find a charter boat or anything else in Marathon looking like two rug salesmen.”

  Ibrahim was fuming at the infidels rudeness. He tried to control his emotions, knowing that he would make him pay when this was over. “We are not set on that number. We are willing to negotiate. What do you have in mind?”

  “I will recover the object and handle the expenses for $100,000.” Doans said.

  “For that kind of money, my friend and I will stay in the hotel room. You will have to organize and staff the operation by yourself. We have no desire to be visible.”

  “So, we have a deal, then. I’ll require $50,000 up front and the balance when I deliver the bomb.”

  “We will give you $25,000 up front and the balance upon delivery. That is more than enough to cover all your expenses, and leaves enough to keep you honest.”

  “Done.”

  “When we get to Marathon, we will rent a hotel room I will pay you the deposit. We will expect delivery of the bomb in forty-eight hours. I will arrange a drop-off point to expedite transport of the item.”

  Jerry Doans sat back and tried to focus on the road. Yes, $100,000 would solve all his problems. And so what if these guys had a bomb? That wasn’t his problem.

  ***

  Trufante had become a celebrity in the hospital. He knew every nurse’s name, and they knew his. A cute blonde was wheeling him around. They went to Wood’s room, and he asked the nurse to push him inside. Wood leaned up in bed, his lips curling into a small smile as he viewed the man in the wheelchair.

  “Well goddamn if it ain't Alan Trufante.”

  “Wood, you old bastard. I heard you were in here. Y’all doing all right?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been better. My damn side hurts, and they got me on some drugs that can’t hardly let me think straight but, other than that I’m good. What are you doing in a wheelchair?”

  “Some son of bitch shot me with a spear gun. Can you believe it? First this guy smacked me upside the head with a pool cue. Then me, Mac, and the sheriff start chasing after him. Cornered the sucker on a charter boat. The dude shoots me with a spear gun in the freakin’ leg.”

  Wood laughed so hard he started to cough. Pain lines replaced the smile. “That can only happen to you, son, no one else could even make that up.”

  “Be that as it may, being rolled around this hospital in a wheelchair has its perks.” He looked up at the nurse, smiling.

  “Ma’am, you think you could leave us alone for a few minutes? I've got some private business with your patient here. I promise I won’t hurt him.” Wood said.

  The nurse smiled at him, patted Trufante on the shoulder, and left the room.

  When the door closed, Wood focused on the Cajun. His tall frame in the wheelchair looked cartoonish, his knees almost in his chest. “You ‘bout ready to get out of this institution? Mac’s in trouble, and we’re gonna help.”

  “Don't know if I’m quite ready to get out of here yet.” Trufante glanced out the window to the nurse. “They’re taking good care of me, man. That’s Sue. I think she’s sweet on me. Ain’t no beer, though. I’ve been trying to talk one of the girls into smuggling some in for me, but no luck.”

  “Oh, cut that crap out. You can come visit anytime you want.”

  “Well what exactly do you have in mind?”

  Wood looked around, just to make sure no one could hear what he was about to say. “We need to deal with that bomb.”

  “Well what about Mac? Why don't you just get him to dump it?”

  “While you were in here partying it up with all the nurses, the Navy’s taken Mac and put him in the brig. I’m working out a plan of how to deal with the damn thing. I need your help there. I’ll trust my daughter to get Mac out a jail.”

  “If it’ll help Mac out, no problem. When are they going to release you?”

  “Hell if I know. The two of us are walking out of here. I’ve had enough of these doctors and nurses and all their crap. Come back here about 11 o’clock, when they change over to the night shift, and we’ll get the hell out of here.”

  Chapter 26

  “I’m going to have to file a report on this.” Garret stood in Gillum’s office.

  “I’ll take care of the paper
work.” Gillum said, thinking the Navy’s systems were his wheelhouse.

  “I’m a little worried about what just went on up there. You just took someone into custody without probable cause. And there was a witness. Someone who knew what she was talking about.”

  Mac was a few doors down, locked in an empty conference room. He had been cooperative on the drive down to Key West, but Gillum knew that was probably not going to last.

  “Forget the probable cause, we’ve got resisting arrest now. There will be no paperwork. I have orders from high up in Washington to handle this in any way I see fit. I’m the commanding officer here. You can take that as a direct order.”

  “Sir, sorry, with all due respect, I understand your order.”

  “You are dismissed now.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Garrett turned on his heels and walked out of the room. Gillum started pacing around his office. Almost two hours later, and he was still pumped up from the arrest. The first step in his plan had gone off with complications, but at least they’d arrested Mac. He knew men like Garrett, and ultimately he would follow orders and not be a problem. He would just have to handle this himself from now on. The real question was what to do with his prisoner. He needed the bomb. The spotlight was on him after his talk with Joe Ward. He had to do it without the use of the forces under his command. Involvement from anyone else at the Naval base would surely be noticed. There could be no paper trail. His best chance at getting rid of the bomb was using the guy that found it in the first place.

  ***

  He left his office and walked down the hall to the room where Mac was being held, pulled the key from his pocket and opened the door. Mac moved in the chair, the handcuffs on his wrists limiting his movement.

  “There is no need for all that,” Gillum said. “You’re not going anywhere until I say so. Anything but full cooperation and I’ll bring in that girlfriend of yours as well.”

  “You have no reason to be holding me.”

  “I have every reason to be holding you. I have authorization from Washington. If you cooperate, you can walk away from this and go back to whatever it was you were doing.”

  “What exactly do you want from me?”

  “We’re aware of the bomb you discovered. We’re also aware of where the bomb currently is.”

  “If you know so much, what do you need me for?”

  “The bomb is sitting on private property. I can’t authorize a mission without getting Wood’s approval,” he lied. “The powers that be are also reluctant for any publicity concerning this.”

  “So this is going to be a cover-up.”

  “We’re not trying to cover anything up. If word gets out about this, there will be general panic. More people are likely to get hurt, and more property damaged, than if we can work something out.”

  “And my involvement would be …”

  “You would be doing your country a service if you would work with us and recover the bomb. It’s been down there for fifty years. There’s no reason to start a panic. We need to keep it quiet. The newspapers get a hold of this it’ll just make people worry.”

  “And this whole thing goes away if I help you out? I appreciate you want to diffuse it, but I trust Wood’s judgement and he has no confidence in you.”

  “Yeah, we have some history. But you know how stubborn he can be. Just understand how high up these orders come from. It’s not really that hard, Mr. Travis. Just do what we ask and your girl and Wood will be fine.”

  “First of all, she’s Wood’s daughter. Second, she’s not my freaking girlfriend. And third, I bet you didn’t know that she’s a lawyer. She saw that drone you guys were flying over Wood’s Island and wasn’t happy about it. If I were you, I wouldn’t mess with that one.”

  “She’s a goddamn lawyer?” Gillum said, flustered by the new information. “Well that doesn’t change anything. You want to leave her out of this, that’s fine. But in exchange for that, you need to do what I’m asking.”

  “That girl can take care of herself. I’d be worried if I was you. As far as I’m concerned, you can get a court order or whatever you need and take a bomb squad out there and do this properly.”

  Gillum reached in his back pocket and removed his cell phone. He made a show of dialing the number for the Master of Arms and started talking, shielding the screen with his hand. “I have a prisoner to be placed in holding.”

  “What the hell are you doing?” Mac snapped.

  “Mac Travis, you are now being held as an enemy combatant.” Gillum played his bluff. “Based on the information this office has obtained, you will be detained and await a military tribunal.”

  “You can’t do that!”

  “Yes, I can. You are in possession of a nuclear weapon, and know the whereabouts of several others. You are unwilling to cooperate with this office and the recovery of those devices.”

  “Slow down there, Captain,” Mac said. “Did you say there’s more than one bomb?”

  “I did some research,” Gillum said, not wanting to let on his first-hand knowledge. “There appears to be another bomb missing from that mission.”

  “So that’s what this is about. If it was just the one sitting there, you’d have no problem calling and having someone to diffuse it. But now you need me, because I know where it came from. You think I can lead you to the other!”

  “Are you going to cooperate, or do I need to see that you get put on the ghost ship anchored off Guantánamo Bay? Those ghost ships can be scary places. Awaiting a military tribunal is a lot different than being locked up as a citizen in this country. There are no rights of habeas corpus. You don’t get your phone call. We can disappear you for as long as we need to. I can put you someplace that girl will never find you.”

  “Go ahead and lock me up. You have no idea what you’ve unleashed.” Mac squirmed in his chair, not sure if he made the right decision.

  Chapter 27

  Trufante pushed the wheelchair, moving as fast as his injured leg would allow. He probably should have been in a wheelchair as well, but a couple of Vicodin had solved that problem. Wood remained stoic as the chair hit a bump on the sidewalk. Once they had gotten off their floor, the escape had been easy. Wood had been moved from the ICU unit to a semi private room earlier in the day, and the other bed had been empty, so Trufante had moved in. Getting him out of bed and into the wheelchair had been the biggest problem they’d faced so far. They’d dodged a few preoccupied doctors and nurses in the halls and elevator. Without the scrutiny of the ICU folks, it had been pretty easy.

  “Where to now, boss?” Trufante asked.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here. Figure out some way to get us over to Mac’s place. We can figure out what to do from there.”

  “We got no transport, man. I got over here in the sheriff’s SUV. You came in here on a stretcher.”

  Suddenly a nurse came around the corner. “What are you two doing out here?” she asked.

  “Just getting some air, hon.” Trufante racked his brain for her name, but the drugs must be dimming his brain power or something. She was way to attractive to forget her name. She’d pushed him several laps around the hospital in the last few days. Then his eyes focussed on her name tag. Sue. His grin eased her caution.

  “He’s supposed to be on bed rest and you should probably be in a wheel chair, not pushing one.”

  “Now, Sue, I gotta be straight with you. We gotta get outa here. I can’t get into all the details now, but it’s important. A friend of ours is in deep trouble and we’ve got to help him out.”

  “That’s all good, but you’re in no condition to help anyone out.” She glanced at Wood, who appeared to be asleep in the chair. “And look at him, he just got out of the ICU this morning. He should be in bed.”

  “He’s ok, just gave him a few of those pills you gave me for the ride. I’ll make sure he rests.”

  She sighed. “Well, there’s nothing I can do to keep you here. If you want to go, then you can.”
She appraised the odd couple. “I could lose my job, giving you those extra pills, and you could have killed him. You don’t know what else he’s on. These aren’t recreational chemicals here.”

  Trufante started pushing the chair, trying to get the conversation to move around the corner, where they were less likely to be overheard. “I do appreciate everything you’ve done for me here.” He gave her the big smile, teeth gleaming. “I really do, but we gotta do this. If there was any other way …”

  “You know, if you’re stuck on discharging yourselves, least I can do is keep an eye on you.” She winked at him. “I’ve got a couple of days off.”

  Trufante’s brain was only moving at half-speed, churning for an answer. He was trying to balance what he knew he had to do for his friend against what he wanted to do. From somewhere deep within his head, the answer came that he could have both.

  “I’ve half a mind to take you up on that. I gotta warn you though, there’s a high degree of danger here.”

  “Danger, yeah I’m in for some excitement.”

  Wood stirred. “What the hell are we still doing here? And who the hell is she?”

  “Settle down, I’ve just recruited some help.”

  Wood looked the girl up from top to bottom and made his decision. “Well, she damn sure looks like she’ll be more help than you.”

  ***

  Mel had just finished working out when the door opened. She’d done a hard twenty-minute circuit of pull-ups, push-ups, and squats. Now she was on her back trying to recover her breath. The second workout today was bound to hurt, but it was her tool to control anxiety and get her mind in the right place. It was late, and there was nothing she could do about Mac until the morning. She’d put feelers out to her boss, some contacts in the legal community, and anyone else she could think of that might be able to help. She hoped the workout would burn off some of the anxiety she was dealing with. Take the edge off, and maybe let her sleep.