by G. R. Cody
Felix approached Robert and held out his hand, “Felix Lieter. Thanks very much. Eve says you two go way back.”
“We do, yes,” Robert said, clasping hands with Felix and shaking firmly and not letting go. “But I am taking it on faith and Eve’s intuition to trust you. Otherwise, I would have told Eve to come alone.”
“I understand, and I promise, I am just grateful for the ride,” Felix responded. “You won’t have any trouble from me.”
Robert released his grip, and said, “As the pilot of this flight, I am required to ask you if you have any firearms and, if so, to confiscate them until you disembark.”
Felix looked into Robert’s eyes, and could see he was not kidding. Felix reached under his left arm and unholstered his sidearm, holding it out to Robert.
“I don’t suppose it would matter if I told you I am a federal agent?” Felix asked.
“No,” Robert answered as he took Felix’s gun and disappeared into the cockpit.
Eve was already strapping into her seatbelt, her camera bag stowed under her seat. Felix sat down in the other seat next to her and began strapping in.
Robert returned, “So, decide where we are off to? I’ve rerouted our flight plan to Key West, so we’ll need to land somewhere close. I’d prefer a smaller airport; Key West is too big. Too much of a chance you’ll be found out, Eve.”
“Actually, I might have an idea,” Eve said. “Robert, you remember those fall holidays we used to take when we were teenagers? On the panhandle, somewhere in Florida?”
Robert thought back. “You mean Stienhatchee?” Robert queried. “The men’s deep sea fishing and hunting trips?”
“I remember our family flew in one time in a Cessna,” Eve recalled. “There was a small air strip on the property. Dad still has the cabin there.”
Robert pondered the possibility for a moment.
“Well, it is a private airstrip,” Robert admitted, “but it was built for prop planes, not jets. And, if I recall, it was a dirt runway. Landing this jet on a short, dirt strip will be very tricky.”
“But your right, Robert,” Felix interjected. “We can’t risk detection, which means any commercial airport is out of the question. And now that HSA seems to be after me as well, military air bases are out.”
Robert pulled out his cell phone. After a moment of taps and expanding views with his forefinger and thumb, he said.
“Well, according to Google Maps, the airstrip is about 3,500 feet long, which I should be able to make,” then his brow furrowed, “but it is still dirt, and it looks to be just over 100 feet wide. That will be tricky if there is any wind.”
“Well, did you become a pilot to shuttle bolts of fabric from India?” Felix panned.
After a brief pause, Robert smiled at Felix and said, “I’m warming up to you quickly, Agent Lieter. Well, let’s head out. We’ve got a clear runway and can takeoff in 10 minutes. It will probably take two to three hours, depending on air traffic around Cuba.”
With that, Robert swept into the cockpit and noise started coming immediately from the engines.
“So, what now?” Eve asked Felix.
“It certainly looks like we are on our own,” Felix sighed. “I don’t know if HSA got to Arthur, or if Arthur was always in with them, but either way I don’t think we can trust that he hasn’t been compromised. But it’s making more sense now how he knew so quickly that HSA was looking to get their hands on you, and why he contacted you to come meet with me. He must have some connection to their communication network.
“I’ve been thinking about things,” Felix said, turning and staring straight ahead out the small portal window on the fuselage door, “It usually helps to follow the money. Or, in this case, the gold. So, we know that gold has been stolen. However, only small deposits have been stolen. The thefts in America were from Federal Reserve Banks with relatively little in the way of gold reserves, Atlanta, Boston, St. Louis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, all of which are solely U.S. reserve deposits. New York, which holds multiple countries’ gold reserves, hasn’t been hit. Nor has Fort Knox. So, that seems to indicate that they are hitting the smaller, less protected reserves. Also, all of them have been thefts of U.S. gold deposits. No other countries’ gold has been taken, even in the heists in Europe.”
“That’s strange,” Eve said, “Why would they be careful only to take U.S. reserves? Why discriminate?”
“I’m not sure,” Felix said, not moving his gaze from the window. “But I would be surprised if that isn’t a significant detail.
“Also, we know that the U.S. Mint Police have not been able to trace any of the gold with chips embedded in them. That most likely means that the gold is being melted relatively soon after it is stolen. So, the logical question is…”
“Where is it being melted?” Eve finished his sentence.
“Exactly,” Felix said. “I don’t know of any private smelting operations that could handle those amounts of gold that quickly, so that leaves U.S. mint locations. There are only four. Problem is they are aren’t very close to each other. They are in Denver, where most of the U.S. coins are minted, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and there’s one in West Point, New York that exclusively mints gold commemoratives and other things, like Medals of Honor. So, I think that is where I start.”
“But, start with what?” Eve asked. “And how are you supposed to get into a U.S. mint anyway?”
“Well, given my current duties, I have Treasury and U.S. Mint Police credentials. And given I am investigating these thefts for Treasury, I have the highest clearance for any Treasury facility.”
“But doesn’t the fact that Homeland Security seems to be after you as well compromise your status?”
“I wondered the same thing,” Felix answered, “so before we left the hotel, I called in to my contact at Treasury to give them an update. I didn’t get the impression that they know anything about my issues with HSA. They might not even know exactly who I am at this point. I am pretty sure that my status with Treasury is still intact. Once I’m back on the mainland, I should be able to get around on my own. That is, as long as you will be safe in…where did you say we are headed?”
“Stienhatchee,” Eve answered. “It’s a small fishing community right at the bend of the Florida panhandle. My parents and some of their friends have cottages there. They mainly rent them out, but we used to vacation there when we were young. It’s pretty remote, and as long as the cottage is vacant, I should be safe there, for a little while at least.”
“Are you sure?” Felix asked, genuine concern on his face. “I feel a bit responsible…”
“Felix,” Eve interrupted. “I appreciate your concern, and I truly do appreciate everything you have done to this point. But I made the decision to follow this path, and you don’t need to worry about me once we get where we are going.”
Robert poked his head out of the cockpit. “We’re ready for takeoff. Everyone strapped in?”
Eve and Felix nodded, and Robert returned to the cockpit. Within seconds, the noise from the jet engines became deafening, and the aircraft began to move, picking up speed, and lifting off.
Eve and Felix sat in silence as the jet climbed. Once they were safely in the air, Robert engaged the autopilot and joined them.
“You can take your seatbelts off now,” Robert said. “We’re on autopilot for about an hour. Once we get close to Cuba though, I will need to go back to manual.” Robert turned to Eve and said, “So, do you want to come sit up front?”
Eve looked over to Felix, who nodded and said, “Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”
“Thanks, Felix,” Eve said.
Eve had never been in the cockpit of an airplane before, and the view of the ocean below and the clouds above them was both exhilarating and scary. The fact that she felt like she wasn’t moving coupled with the fact that she could now see that they were hurdling through the air was a bit disconcerting and her stomach felt a bit queasy.
“Sit down and you’ll feel better,�
�� Robert said as he sat down behind the controls. Eve surmised that he must have seen the look in her face before in others.
“So, how’d you get into this mess, Eve?” Robert asked with a smile.
Eve couldn’t help it; she burst out in a deep laugh that made Robert do a double take.
“Story of my life, I suppose,” Eve answered him once she had composed herself. “Always in the wrong place at the right time.”
“I’ll say,” Robert quipped back. “So why did you tell me to leave?”
“What…oh,” Eve had not expected Robert to be so direct. “There’s no reason for you to get involved in this. I don’t know what my Dad was thinking, sending you.”
“He is worried about you, Eve,” Robert said. “Given the circumstances, can you blame him?”
“No,” Eve responded, “but if Homeland Security finds out you’re helping me…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Robert interrupted. “I’ve been in worse trouble…”
“Oh, so you’re a bad boy now?” Eve teased.
“Calm down, Eve,” Robert said, grinning. “I was just kidding. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret coming down here to save you…”
“Save me!” Eve exclaimed, laughing again. “As if I need saving!”
“Yeah, what was I thinking?” Robert said chuckling. “So, let’s change the subject. So, you’re living in London? Photojournalist for CNC, huh? Not bad…”
“Among other things,” Eve answered, smiling and biting her thumb nail. “And look at you. Princeton grad, captain of industry…”
“I wouldn’t say ‘Captain.’ More of a first lieutenant.”
“Well, I don’t know anyone else with access to an airplane at a moment’s notice…”
“Pure luck, I assure you,” Robert said. “When my boss finds out, he’ll be pissed. Your Dad is going to owe me a pretty penny for the fuel…”
Eve looked back out of the windshield of the plane. To the left she could see the faint hint of land on the horizon.
“What’s that?” Eve asked Robert.
Robert followed Eve’s eyes. “Dominican Republic and Haiti. We’ll be coming up on Cuban airspace soon. I’ll need to head a bit north soon. Would hate to scramble any jets out of Guantanamo.”
Eve’s eyes widened, and Robert laughed. “I’m just kidding, Eve.”
“Ass!” Eve exclaimed. “Anyway, where are you living now?”
“Well, I have a condo in West Palm, and an apartment in L.A. Company pays for them both. Most of our shipments come in and out of the San Pedro and Miami ports.”
“Must be nice,” Eve said.
“Eh, the places are nice,” Robert answered, “but I work all the time. Don’t have much time to socialize.”
“So, no one special in your life?”
“No!” Robert exclaimed. “And since you went there, who’s this Arthur?”
“Jealous?”
“Don’t be silly,” Robert said, “just making small talk. But it must not be too serious if he didn’t come to the wedding with you.”
“You are jealous!” Eve exclaimed.
“Eve, your running from him,” Robert said, turning to her with a serious look on his face. “I’m not jealous. I’m concerned. I see you’re just as astute a judge of character as always…”
“Oh, shut up,” Eve quipped through Robert’s chuckle. “Anyway, how long before we get there?”
“About an hour and a half,” Robert said, looking down at his watch. “That seat lays back if you want a nap.”
“That would be nice,” Eve said, trying to stifle a yawn. She looked down, but couldn’t find any kind of lever.
“Here,” Robert said, standing. He reached around her to the opposite side of her seat, leaning over her. “Okay, now push back.”
Eve did so, and the chair reclined back almost parallel to the floor. Robert reached up above her head and opened a cabinet. She looked up and could see his abdominal muscles and the faint outline of a V on either side. She closed her eyes until she heard him close the cabinet. He had a small, round pillow and a blanket in his hands.
“Here you go,” he said. He placed the pillow behind her head, and his hair brushed against her forehead. In that instant, she wanted to kiss him again, but the moment was lost. He was already reaching out on either side of her waist, snapped the seatbelt and tugged it tight. Eve stifled a moan. Then, he unfurled the blanket and placed it over her. “Get some rest. I’ll wake you before we get there.”
And even though rest was the last thing on her mind at the moment, she turned her head away from him, closed her eyes and drifted off.
CHAPTER 11
Eve was awoken by Robert gently shaking her shoulder.
“Eve,” Robert said. “Wake up. We’re approaching the coast. We’ll be there in about ten minutes, and you’ll need to be awake when we land.”
Eve opened her eyes and turned toward Robert. He had moved to his seat and was strapping himself in. Felix was standing in the cockpit doorway.
“Felix, go ahead and strap in yourself,” Robert instructed. Felix said nothing, and disappeared into the cabin of the plane.
“Is something wrong,” Eve asked, and she noticed the windshield was registering small drops of rain.
“There’s a storm chasing us in from the west,” Robert said, fixing his eyes on the instruments ahead of him. “I’m pretty sure we can beat it in, I’m just worried about tailwinds given the size of the airstrip. I’m at a pretty high rate of speed, and when I land, it will be a pretty quick stop. I’d hate for that to wake you.”
“I appreciate that,” Eve said, rubbing her eyes and pulling the lever to her right to raise her seat back upright.
Within moments, Eve could make out land growing on the horizon as the plane gradually descended toward the blue green waters of the gulf. In the next few minutes, she could make out green and grey patches of earth and swamp, then the mouth of a tiny river. Robert steered the plane so that they were traveling parallel to the Stienhatchee River, and they were low enough now so that Eve could see small docks jutting into the river, then within seconds the boats moored at them. Then, the river started to move away from them to the left, and ahead was nothing but tree tops.
Robert started to move a lever back, and Eve could feel herself being gently forced forward. As Robert began to decelerate, the tree tops below slowed as well. Within seconds, Eve could see a small brown patch, which slowly extended in front of her in the form of an airstrip.
Robert moved the plane down quickly. As he leveled off, Eve thought they were too low and that she would hear the bottom of the fuselage scrape the tips of the trees. But it did not. Eve felt the plane tilt imperceptibly right, then left, mirroring Robert’s hands, and then level off. The trees below were about to end.
One more quick dip down, and they were on approach. Robert did several things in seconds, and Eve waited for touchdown. They were about halfway through the runway when she felt a violent bump. Her eyes involuntarily closed, but she sprang them open again just as she felt the wheels settle on the red clay. The plane was being jarred up and down by the crude earth, and she was glad to have her seatbelt on even though it was cutting into her belly. Robert pulled another lever, and she heard the sound of the engines reverse. With that, the plane started to rattle, but thankfully slow at a quick pace. The plane came to a halt about 100 yards from the end of the runway, and Eve let out the breath that she until that point did not realize she was holding.
“Well, that was fun!” Robert exclaimed, and Eve saw that he was smiling ear to ear. “I haven’t landed on a dirt strip since I was in flight school.”
Eve could feel her heart beating in her throat, and although she could feel the adrenalin flowing through her, she did not share Robert’s enjoyment for the experience.
Eve unclasped her seatbelt when she saw that Robert had done the same, and he swung the plane around to the left and slowly pulled toward a small hangar on the edge of the runway.
Eve was surprised to see one of the two bay doors open, and next to it stood a woman in a long raincoat and boots holding an umbrella over her head.
“Who’s that?” Eve asked Robert.
“I was able to get a cell signal about 15 minutes before I woke you,” Robert explained. “I called your Dad, and he said he would try to get ahold of someone down here. He must have been successful.”
“Nice landing.” Felix had entered the cockpit, and was peering through the windshield.
Robert did not respond; he seemed intent on driving the jet into the hangar.