"That sounds good to me; I'm not fixed on going to Barbuda right now, but English Harbour sounds way too populated. After St. Barth's, I'm up for a little solitude, if you think it's safe."
"Oh, I think we're okay for a day or two. I spoke to my father while you two were ashore. One of his friends is connected to somebody in customs here; they'll lose our paperwork for a few days, so if anybody checks in the computer, there won't be a record of us arriving here until after we leave."
"How does he do that kind of thing?"
"He used to do a lot of business down this way and in the northern part of South America. He had a partner that stayed down here after they 'retired.' Their contacts have all ended up in senior positions in the island governments by now."
"The partner -- that would be the man in Martinique that you mentioned?"
"Yes. Phillip Davis. You'll meet him when we get there. He's almost like a son to my father; when I was growing up he showed me all kinds of things. He's like a much older big brother. He was in the military before he went in business with my father."
"I see," Connie said, still perplexed.
"Did J.-P. have any news from Miami?" Liz asked.
"Yes, a bit. Mario asked Paul to check up on Alfieri and Rolle."
Liz nodded, and seeing Connie's questioning look, she added, "That's Paul Russo. He's a retired police detective who's a friend of Mario's. He's sailed with us before."
Connie nodded.
"And did Paul find anything?" Liz asked.
"Yes. Yes, he did." Dani fixed her gaze on Connie as she spoke, watching her reactions. "Paul had just called Mario from Savannah, Georgia." She saw Connie's eyes dart down and to the right.
"He met with a local cop named Denardo." Dani saw another quick blink as Connie digested this information.
"And they think that this Sam Alfieri is really a local mobster from there who's wanted for murder and money laundering." Dani watched the muscles in Connie's throat contract as she swallowed hard.
"His real name is Sam Alfano." This piece of information failed to provoke any further visible reaction from Connie. Dani shot Liz a quick glance, and the two of them watched Connie as they let the silence hang.
Finally, Connie raised her eyes. She locked eyes with Dani and held her gaze for several seconds. She shifted her eyes to Liz, again maintaining eye contact for an extended period. She looked back at Dani. "And did Joe Denardo tell him about me?" she asked, a hint of anger in her tone.
"Your name came up," Dani said.
"Yes. I can well imagine that it did. If you wanted to know about me, you could have asked. I thought we were supposed to be friends," she blinked back tears, a tremor in her voice.
"We are," Liz said, giving Dani a look.
"Perhaps we didn't know to ask, any more than you knew of a reason to tell us," Dani said.
"But you could tell us about it now," Liz suggested.
Connie took a sip of water from the glass that was on the table in front of her. She set it down and rested her hands on the crumpled napkin by her empty plate, examining her fingernails for a moment. She looked up, connecting again with Dani's steady gaze. "Fair enough," Connie said. "I'm sorry I reacted emotionally; I'm just stunned, that's all."
Dani nodded. "I can understand that," she said, taking a sip of her own water.
"Okay; here goes," Connie said. "I'm ashamed of what I did, even though it worked out all right. First off, there's a protective order from the court in Savannah. The government agreed to overlook some of the things that I did that weren't too bright in exchange for my telling them what I knew. They also agreed that I wouldn't have to testify. My lawyer advised me that I probably could have gotten into the witness protection program, but we decided that was overkill." She paused for another sip of water.
"So the cops may not have told your friend, Paul, very much about my part; they shouldn't have, by the agreement." She paused, waiting for a reaction from Dani. When none was forthcoming, she started talking again.
"I was a partner in a multimillion-dollar-a-year diet clinic. The other partner was a scumbag doctor. When I was much younger, I had become his mistress. That was out in California. He got in some trouble for writing prescriptions that he shouldn't have written and almost lost his license. While all that was going on, he had the idea for the clinic. The short version is that he found an investor who also had a facility that was suitable. It was in Savannah, so we moved. He and his wife and I. I was the one who ran the business; the doctor was a rainmaker, basically. He and his wife socialized and promoted the clinic." Connie paused for another drink of water.
"We had a huge volume of business, but we weren't making a profit. When I started digging into the expenses, I found out that someone was taking a lot of cash out of the business by sending us bogus invoices that were approved by a guy, the physical plant supervisor, that the investor had put in place. Meanwhile, my relationship with the doctor was over; I confronted him about the money, and he told me to mind my own business. I figured out pretty quickly what was going on, and I wanted out." She looked from Dani to Liz. They both nodded.
"He wouldn't buy out my share willingly, so I decided to blackmail him. Not smart, I know, but that's what I did. I could connect him to a hit-and-run that killed a girl, so I tried to use that for extra leverage. The investor turned out to be some mobster -- I guess this Alfano, although I never heard his name until now. He had the doctor killed and was trying to track me down and have me killed when Joe Denardo found me." She stopped talking, smiled ruefully, and shook her head.
"I was laid up in the hospital in Miami; that's a funny story. It's not related to this, but remind me to tell you sometime. I got a big settlement from the accident that put me in the hospital and I went to the Bahamas." Connie paused, her eyes travelling from Dani to Liz and back as they digested what she had said.
After a long quiet period, Dani said, "That matches well enough with what Paul found out, but I have a question."
Connie nodded. "Go ahead. Ask."
"How did you get those diamonds? Did you rob Alfano's courier?"
"No, I didn't even know who Alfano was until just now. I was gone by the time all the mess in Savannah went public. I guess I assumed whoever was behind it was locked up. It was history, and I wasn't exactly proud of my part in it," Connie said.
"Okay," Dani said. "The diamonds?"
"Yes," Connie said. "I was walking on that little stretch of beach on the west end of Paradise Island. You know, the one right by the lighthouse."
"Right," Dani said. "Go on."
"It was early morning, and I found a man, washed up on the beach. He was dead; it looked like he had been dead for a long time, and there was this briefcase right next to him. I picked it up thinking I would go back to my room and call the cops, but the tide was coming in and there's a current that rips along that beach. By the time I picked up the briefcase and unbuckled it to see if there was identification in it, the body had washed away. So I took the briefcase home, still thinking I'd call the cops. Then I found the diamonds, and decided that I would just become Maria Velasquez and keep them for myself. I got a room in the resort and packed up my stuff; I moved out of the rented room I'd been living in, and here I am. I'm sorry I got us all into this."
"Quit saying you're sorry, Connie. Do you have any idea what would have happened if you had turned those diamonds in to the cops in Nassau?" Dani asked.
"Not really. I haven't thought much about that part of it."
"Well, most likely somebody else would have gotten rich. Maybe Alfano and Rolle had enough of a fix in with the cops that they would have gotten the diamonds back, but they would have had to pay off a bunch of corrupt cops and politicians, too." She paused, taking in the look of doubt on Connie's face.
"We're talking about crooks here, Connie; they use that kind of wealth to bring about misery," Dani said. "Chances are it came from misery to begin with, but you're breaking the chain."
"If you ha
ve the diamonds, that's money that they can't invest in more drugs, or in buying more young girls to sell to the white-slavers, or whatever their game is," Liz added.
"You make me sound like some kind of heroine or something," Connie said, smiling through tears.
"That's a good way to think of yourself. That cop in Savannah told Paul you were one of the good guys, but the whole thing with the diamonds worried us," Dani said. "Now let's try to enjoy Antigua for a few days while we figure out how to stop these jerks."
"How can we stop them?" Connie asked.
"There are at least two options that come to mind," Dani said. "One is the old 'do unto others as they would do unto you if they got the chance' approach. We can handle that, if need be. The other is to get them both locked away somewhere. Paul has a copy of an arrest warrant for this Alfano; I don't know about Rolle."
"But they're dangerous," Connie protested.
"Well, maybe. Personally, I think they're overmatched, but that's their problem," Dani said. "Anyway, they're already out to get us, so what do we have to lose by turning the tables on them?"
Chapter 26
Sam stared at his computer screen in disbelief. Once a day, he checked a blind email drop that a cousin of his maintained for their exclusive use. She was a computer consultant in Savannah who frequently did work for various local government organizations, and she had been an invaluable source of information to Sam before his ignominious departure.
He kept her on a retainer still, and she occasionally passed him information, although she had no idea where he was. She was his only contact from his past life in Savannah; his wife and other relatives knew nothing of him, and Sam paid his cousin well to keep it that way. Other than cryptic weekly exchanges in both directions to ensure that the email drop worked, she and Sam had no correspondence.
Today's email, stored as a draft message in the account to which they both had passwords, was the first exception. He copied the text to a file on the desktop of his laptop, erased the draft from the server, and disconnected. He read it again, contemplating what it might mean. On the surface, it was clear enough. Denardo, the bastard, had opened all the files related to Sam's case. Further, he had emailed them to someone named Paul Russo. Sam's cousin had been unable to connect Paul Russo to any known government agency, which was an added worry for Sam.
That was ominous enough, but Denardo had also sent an email to the assistant district attorney who had been handling the case, asking for verification that the warrant for Sam's arrest was still valid. Denardo went on to suggest that they do some preliminary work in preparation for Sam's extradition from the Bahamas, assuming that Denardo could determine that Sam was indeed there. The part that was more alarming to Sam was that Wallace Rolle's name was mentioned in the context of conspiring to aid and abet Sam's flight to avoid prosecution for the murder for hire of one Dr. Richard Leatherby.
Sam had half-expected that they would somehow track him to the Bahamas, although as time had passed, he had become less worried about it. He was back in a state of high anxiety now, and not just because they knew where he was. Extradition from the Bahamas was by no means a sure thing, but the fact that they had connected him to Wallace was highly disturbing.
They must have uncovered some inside information which could be dangerous to both Sam and Wallace. While extradition might be nearly impossible, the attention that would be drawn to Sam and Wallace would upset their clients. They would then be unable to continue laundering money for the drug lords that they had cultivated so carefully. Not only would their clients take their trade to less conspicuous service providers, but they would view the intimate knowledge that Sam and Wallace possessed as an unacceptable liability.
After a few minutes of quiet consideration, Sam copied the file onto a USB memory stick and put it in his pocket. He needed to discuss this with Wallace, and the telephone wouldn't do -- not if their relationship was under scrutiny.
****
Dani sat in the shade of the cockpit awning, her satellite phone wedged between her shoulder and her ear. Liz and Connie, or Maria, as they were learning to call her, had taken the dinghy ashore to explore Great Bird Island in Antigua's North Sound. Dani had stayed aboard to participate in a conference call with Paul Russo and Phillip Davis. She listened as Paul summarized what he had learned.
"Dani, have you had a chance to question Connie since we last spoke?" Paul asked.
"Yes. Her story is consistent with what you got from Denardo. Liz and I are comfortable that she's not hiding anything, but it still seems unlikely that she would stumble across Alfano in the Bahamas."
"Well, maybe," Phillip added, "but there aren't all that many outsiders in the Bahamas, and they all tend to be concentrated in a few places. The odds get even more favorable when you narrow the scope to expats living there as opposed to visitors."
"You're right, Phillip," Paul said. "I understand your worry, Dani, but I'm not sure it's relevant, anyway."
"I don't understand," Dani said.
"You say you and Liz trust Connie," Paul said.
"Maria," Dani interrupted. "Let's call her Maria; Liz and I can't afford to call her by the other name. Too much chance of slipping up somewhere and being overheard."
"Okay. Good point," Paul agreed. "What I was going to say is that even if there's something Maria's holding back, it doesn't change the fact that Alfano and Rolle are out to recover the diamonds."
"Right," Dani agreed.
"And guys like that aren't going to forgive and forget; they won't leave you three alive if they can help it."
"Right," Dani said again.
"So let's focus on where we go from here," Phillip said. "Anything else you learn from Maria might be helpful, but history is irrelevant. Agreed?"
Paul and Dani both concurred. They were silent for a moment as they thought about that.
Paul broke the silence. "I'm taking a puddle-jumper flight to Nassau this afternoon. I've got a few contacts I trust there. I'll see what I can find out about Alfano and Rolle locally. There's also this Jovanovich character who apparently took out Toby Rodriguez; my bet is he hangs out in Nassau, too."
"What do you think, Dani? What's your next step?" Phillip asked.
"You know me," Dani said. "I think the answer is a pre-emptive strike; they're not going to leave us alone, so I'd rather take the initiative away from them."
"I don't disagree," Paul said, "but we could do that by locking them up."
"Good luck with that," Dani said. "They're in the Bahamas, remember?"
"Maybe we can change that," Phillip suggested.
"What do you have in mind?" Paul asked.
"Luring them out of the Bahamas," Phillip said.
"I don't like the idea of using Dani and company as bait," Paul objected. "These guys are dangerous."
"But...," Phillip started to say.
"We're already bait, Paul. Besides, you're thinking like a cop protecting civilians. Remember me? I don't make a very good victim, and neither does Liz."
"So what do you think I should do, Dani," Paul asked.
"Oh, I think you should see what you can find out in the Bahamas. In the meantime, I think I'll leave these jerks a trail leading to Martinique."
"And then what?" Paul asked.
"And then you get a chance to arrest them, if they behave themselves," Dani said. "You're still a special U.S. Marshall, or whatever, right?"
"Yes," Paul said, a tentative note creeping into his voice.
"And you said you had a warrant for Alfano," Dani said. "What about Rolle? Can you arrest him?"
"Maybe. I'm working on it. Denardo's asking for a warrant as we speak."
"What are you going to do, Dani?" Phillip asked.
"I think we'll leave Antigua tomorrow morning. I'll make a call and get our paperwork cut loose, in case someone's watching. That's all set; I can do it once we're underway. It will show us clearing out for Deshaies, Guadeloupe, this evening with a departure tomorrow morning. I'll
check in on a couple of the radio networks asking for weather, too. Maybe our friends will pick up our trail. Then I might skip Deshaies and go to the Saintes instead. If somebody's chasing us and they can't find us in Deshaies, they'll figure the next logical stop is Portsmouth, Dominica; it's not very far from the Saintes, and they'll think we're in a hurry. We'll spend a day in the Saintes and give them a little time to catch up, then we'll head for Portsmouth. I'll call Sharktooth and have him on the lookout for strangers looking for us in Portsmouth, just in case they get there first."
"Will you stop between Portsmouth and Marin?" Phillip asked.
"Depends on how we're feeling, and whether Sharktooth spots trouble. If somebody's looking for us in Portsmouth, we can skip that stop and head for Marin. Then you and I can borrow Clarence's chopper or maybe one of his fast stealth boats. We'll go grab whoever's looking for Vengeance in Portsmouth. I figure they won't think of looking in the Saintes because it's so close to Portsmouth. If nobody shows up in Portsmouth, we'll stop there for a day or two and then go on to Marin. If we stop, we can lay a trail with customs to lead them to Marin. Or we could stop in one of the other spots along the west coast of Martinique. I like the flexibility and I figure with Sharktooth in Portsmouth and you in Marin, reinforcements are close if we need them."
"Sounds good enough for now. Let's talk again tomorrow morning, unless you find something exciting in Nassau, Paul," Phillip suggested.
Dani had just put the satellite phone away when Liz and Maria returned from their outing. While Liz fixed a fresh seafood salad for lunch, Dani filled them in on her plan.
"Who's Sharktooth? What a name!" Maria remarked.
"Oh, he's just another friend; you'll meet him before this is over, I'm sure," Dani said.
****
Wallace had been on the phone with Pietro trying to find out whether there was any sign of Vengeance in St. Barth's when Sam burst into his office unannounced.
Bluewater Ice: The Fourth Novel in the Caribbean Mystery and Adventure Series (Bluewater Thrillers Book 4) Page 15