Bahama Crisis

by Desmond Bagley

  "Easy. Hidin' out in Big Thicket."

  "Think the cops will find him t here?"

  "Them!" Dade spat derisively.

  "They couldn't find their own asses in Big Thicket."

  "See what I mean." Billy stuck nis forefinger under Dade's nose "I don't want that son of a bitch getting away. I'd be right thankful if he didn't."

  Dade nodded.

  "There's a whole passel of folks round here that don't like the Ainslees. Never have but never gotten stirred up enough to do anythin'. This might do it. As for Leroy well, if the devil looks after his own, so does the Lord. So let's leave it to the Lord." Dade spat again, and said thoughtfully, "But mebbe he could do with a little help."

  Billy nodded, satisfied.

  "That make you happy?" he said to me.

  "It'll do for now." I was thinking of Robinson.

  "Then let's go home."

  I said goodbye to the Perkinses, and Dade said, "Come back some time, you hear? Big Thicket ain't all blood. There's some real pretty places I'd like to show you."

  "I'll do that," I said and climbed up into the helicopter. I slid the door closed and we rose into the sky and I saw Big Thicket laid out below. Then the chopper tilted and there was nothing but sky as we slid west towards Houston.

  Medical science made Debbie's wakening mercifully easy, and when she opened her eyes mine was the first face she saw. She was not fully conscious, lapped in a drug-induced peace, but enough so to recognize me and to smile. I held her hand and she closed her eyes, the smile still on her lips, and slipped away into unconsciousness again. But her fingers were still tight on mine.

  I stayed there the whole afternoon. Her periods of semiconsciousness became more frequent and longer-lasting, monitored by a nurse who adjusted the intravenous drip.

  "We're bringing her out slowly and smoothly," the nurse said in a low voice.

  "No sudden shocks."

  But Debbie did have the sudden shock of remembrance. In one of her periods of wakefulness her eyes widened and she gave a small cry.

  "Oh! They… they…"

  "Hush, my love," I said.

  "I'm here, and I won't leave. It's finished, Debbie, it's all over."

  Her eyes had a look of hazy horror in them.

  "They…"

  "Hush. Go back to sleep."

  Thankfully she closed her eyes.

  Much later, when she was more coherent, she tried to talk about it. I would not let her.

  "Later, Debbie, when you're stronger. Later not now. Nothing matters now but you."

  Her head turned weakly on the pillow.

  "Not me," she said.

  "Us."

  I smiled then because I knew that she we would be all right.

  I talked with her doctor and asked bluntly if Debbie would be able to have another baby. His answer was almost the same as Sherry-Lou's.

  "Women are stronger than most men think. Mr. Mangan. Yes. she'll be able to have children. What vourwife has suffered, in terms of physical damage, is no more than some women suffer in childbirth. Caesarean section, for instance. '*' " Caesarean section is usually done more hygienically," I said grimly.

  "And with anaesthetics."

  He had the grace to look abashed.

  "Yes, of course," he said hurriedly.

  "She may need a great deal of care of the kind that is out of my field. If I could recommend a psychiatrist…?"

  Sherry-Lou had said Debbie would need cherishing, and I reckoned that was my department; the cherishing that comes from a psychiatrist is of an arid kind. I said, "I'll be taking her home."

  "Yes," said the doctor.

  "That might be best."

  I was hedged about by the law. The Cunninghams retained a good lawyer, the best trial lawyer in Texas I was assured. His name was Peter Heller and his only command was that I keep my mouth shut.

  "Don't talk to anyone about the case," he said.

  "Not to the police and especially not to newsmen."

  One thing troubled him.

  "The reef we're going to run on is that of intent," he said.

  "You see, Mr. Mangan, you made certain preparations, way ahead of the event, to kill one of the Ainslees – and you did kill Earl Ainslee and, subsequently, Tukey. Now, we might just get away with Tukey because you could have had no knowledge he'd be there when you opened the door, but Earl is a different matter that was deliberately planned. That pitcher did not walk up into the roof by itself. The jury might not like that."

  Ten days after we came out of Big Thicket Leroy Ainslee's body was found by the track of the Southern Pacific railroad.

  Apparently he had been run over by a train.

  "Where exactly did it happen?" I asked Billy.

  "Just north of Kountze. Little town which might be described as the capital of Big Thicket."

  '"Leave him to the Lord"," I quoted ironically.

  "I got the pathologist's report," said Billy.

  "Most of the injuries were consistent with tangling with a freight train."

  ' Most? " Billy shrugged.

  "Maybe the Lord had help. Anyway the cops have written it down as accidental death. He's being buried in Kountze."

  "I see." I saw that Texas could be a pretty rough place.

  "It's best this way," said Billy.

  "Oh, by the way, Dade Perkins sends his regards."

  The case did not come to trial or, at least, not to the kind of trial we have in the Bahamas where the law is patterned after the British style. It went to the Grand Jury which was supposed to establish if there was a case to be answered at all. I never did get to the bottom of the intricacies of the American legal system, but I suspect that a considerable amount of string-pulling was done by the Cunninghams behind the scenes.

  Because it involved kidnapping, a federal offence, the argument before the Grand Jury was not conducted by a local District Attorney from Houston but by a State Attorney from Austin, the State capital.

  I was represented by Heller and, as far as I could judge, he and the State Attorney a man called Riker – had no adverse relationship at all. The whole hearing was conducted in such a way as to get a cool assessment of the facts.

  There was a tricky moment when I was on the stand and Riker was interrogating me. He said, "Now, Mr. Mangan; you have stated that you made certain preparations and quite elaborate preparations involving a pitcher of water to kill Earl Ainslee."

  "No," I said.

  "I thought it would be Leroy Ainslee."

  "I see," he said thoughtfully.

  "Did you have anything against Leroy Ainslee?"

  I smiled slightly.

  "Apart from the fact that he was keeping me prisoner at gun point, and that he was keeping my wife from me nothing at all." There was a rumble of amusement from the jury.

  "I'd never met the man before."

  "Yes," said Riker.

  "Now, to return to the man you actually killed – Earl Ainslee. He actually had you at gun point at that time?"

  "Yes. It was a 12-bore shotgun."

  Riker looked puzzled.

  "Twelve ^hat?"

  "I'm sorry," I said.

  "It would be called 12-gauge here."

  "I see. Did you know the gun was loaded?"

  "I had been so informed. Robinson said buckshot."

  "The mysterious Mr. Robinson said that?"

  "Yes. I found his information to be accurate when Earl pulled the trigger."

  "Earl fired a shot at you?"

  "That's right. The buckshot ripped up the bed I was sitting on."

  "Now, I want you to answer this question very carefully, Mr. Mangan.

  Did Earl Ainslee pull that trigger involuntarily as a result of being struck on the head with the heavy pitcher, or did he shoot first? "

  "I don't know," I said.

  "I was too busy getting out of the way."

  Again there came a murmur from the jury.

  "But, at all events, you did pull the string which
released the pitcher?"

  "Yes."

  "Why?"

  Into the sudden silence I said, "My wife was screaming." I moistened my lips.

  "Earl said Leroy was having fun, and that it was his turn next."

  Riker waited until the stir had died away.

  "Mr. Mangan, had your wife not screamed would you have pulled that string?"

  Again there was silence.

  "I don't know. I honestly don't know."

  Heller put up his hand.

  "Objection. The witness can testify only as to matters of fact. That is a hypothetical question."

  "I withdraw the question," said Riker.

  And that was the worst of it as far as I was concerned. There were more questions concerning the death of Tukey and the chase through Big Thicket, but Heller steered me past all the pitfalls. Then I retired because I was not allowed to hear other witnesses giving evidence.

  Debbie told me afterwards that they handled her gently and considerately, and her time on the stand was brief. I believe the evidence of the doctor who had attended Debbie at the Ainslee place, and that of Sherry-Lou, damned Leroy thoroughly.

  Anyway the whole thing was tossed out as being no case of murder or culpable homicide to answer at trial. There appeared to be a slight incredulity mixed with gratification that a Britisher, as I was popularly supposed to be, could be as red-blooded as any American and, I suppose, the unwritten law had a lot to do with it. Anyway, it was over and I was a free man.

  Afterwards, Heller said, "I know I objected to that hypothetical question, but I'm damned glad Riker asked it. You'll notice I objected only after you had answered it."

  "Yes."

  He grinned. T had my heart in my mouth waiting for your answer. I was taking a hell of a chance on that. "

  "So was I," I said dryly.

  He looked a bit startled at that, and said, "You know, Mr. Mangan, you're no man's fool. That was a perfect answer. Have you studied law?"

  "Not in any depth."

  "Well, there's a peculiar grey area that's not covered in any of the law books, and that answer of yours was right in the middle of it.

  You did all right. "

  Before I went home to Grand Bahama Billy One convened another conference. Again it was confined to his kitchen cabinet; present were Billy, Frank and young Jim. Jack was absent; although out of hospital he was still confined to his home. I was there, too, and waiting to find out why.

  Billy One started by saying to Frank, "Your Pa is a sick man and I don't reckon he'll be attending to business for some time. But decisions have to be made and someone has to make them, and I think it's up to me. Of course, it'll be put to a full meeting of the board as soon as we get around to it, but we don't have time to wait on that." He looked around the table.

  "Any objections?"*' Billy smiled and Jim merely shrugged he was not going to argue with the man who had promoted him to top table but Frank said, "I think it should be put to the board."

  "No time," said Billy One.

  "Joe's in Scotland wrapping up that North Sea oil deal and I don't want to pull him from that. Besides, I'd want to have Jack at the meeting and he's not up to it yet."

  Frank nodded and accepted defeat.

  "Okay but what's he doing here?"

  His finger stabbed at me.

  "He's here because he's a Cunningham," said Billy One flatly.

  "And because I want him here." He ignored Frank's perplexed look and turned to me.

  "How's Debbie today?"

  "Not too bad," I said.

  "She's mended in body but…" I shrugged.

  "She has nightmares."

  "Tom, I know you want to get back to her, but this won't take long."

  Billy One leaned back and surveyed us.

  "I want to remind you young fellows of some history family history. We Cunninghams originally came from Scotland. Two brothers, Malcolm and Donald, settled here in tidewater Texas when it was still Mexico. They were piss-poor but it was a goddamn sight better than crofting back home."

  He clasped his hands.

  "Over the years the family prospered. We helped Sam Houston take Texas from the Mexicans, and the family were among the leaders who pressurized Tyier into admitting Texas to the Union.

  We grew rich and strong and now we're not only powerful in Texas but over the whole goddamn world. And the way we did it was this. " He raised his clasped hands before him, the knuckles white under firm pressure.

  "The family stays together and works as a team."

  Frank said in a bored voice, "We know all that."

  "Sure," said Billy One mildly.

  "But I want Tom to know the score. It was Billy's idea to bring him into the Bahamas deal Me, I was neutral but willing to go along. I didn't think all that much of Tom but I had nothing against him. Same when he married Debbie."

  "He cut himself a fair slice in that Bahamas deal," said Frank.

  "Sure he did," agreed Billy One.

  "And my respect for him went up a notch." He looked at me.

  "Why did you set it up that way?"

  "I like my independence."

  "That can be good but solidarity can be better. How would you like to join the Cunningham Corporation?"

  "As what?"

  "You'll be on the board making policy."

  "The hell he will!" said Frank outraged.

  Billy One swung on him.

  "You've still got a sister and Jack's still got a daughter on account of this guy, and he killed two men making it that way. He's shed blood and lost some of his own. In my book that makes him family a Cunningham." He stared Frank down and then sighed.

  "Okay, Tom, what do you think?"

  It was a handsome offer but there had to be a catch As Dade Perkins had remarked, the Cunninghams were not notorious for offering free handouts. There had to be a catch in spite of Billy One's rhetoric, and he confirmed it by saying, "Before being appointed to the board there's something you'll have to do."

  "And that is?"

  "Well, there's something I want. Another thing about us Cunninghams is that we take insults from nobody. Now, my brother nearly died in that damn hospital, and my niece your wife was raped, and that's the biggest insult you can offer a woman." His voice trembled.

  "I want this guy, Robinson, and I want him real bad."

  Jim said, "The State Police haven't gotten far on it."

  "They don't have our reasons," snapped Billy One. He stared at me.

  "You'll have the whole family right behind you, and that means the Cunningham Corporation. You can have any resources we have and, believe me, that's plenty."

  I said, "Wow!" but not aloud. I did not know how many iqi billions of dollars the Cunningham Corporation controlled, but it was a respectable chunk of the GNP. It was not the biggest corporation in the United States, but it was not the smallest, either, not by a long way "It might not be a question of money," I said.

  "In any case, I have plenty of that." I held Billy One's eye.

  "And I don't need any reasons from you why I should find Robinson; I have plenty of my own." I leaned back.

  "The problem is that we have a total lack of information."

  Jim said, "We have a pretty fair intelligence unit; you can put that to work." I nodded, thinking of the ready way Rodriguez had hustled up bugging devices.

  "Anything you want you get through Billy or Jim," said Billy One.

  "You'll liaise with them."

  "What about me?" said Frank.

  "You and me have the Corporation to run. Have you any immediate ideas, Tom?"

  "I think the answer lies in the Bahamas," I said.

  "That's the reason why your State Police have come up with nothing. I don't think Robinson is in Texas, or even in the United States. I think he's in the Bahamas. That's where I'm going to look for him, anyway. I'm leaving tomorrow with Debbie."

  "With Debbie?" said Frank.

  "Wouldn't it be better if she stays here?"

&
nbsp; I said deliberately, "We've had enough of separate lives both of us."

  I turned to Jim.

  "But I'd like a twenty-four-hour bodyguard on her until this thing is settled. Can you arrange that?"

  "Sure, no problem. We have some dandy bodyguards Treasury-trained."

  I did not see the point of that remark.

  "What's that got to do with anything?"

  Billy said, "The Department of the Treasury bodyguards the President of the United States. Those guys are very good." He smiled.

  "We get to hire them because we pay better than the Treasury. But I've had an idea, Tom. I know you did a photo fit of Robinson for the cops, but they've gotten no place with it. I have a kissing cousin who is a pretty fair portrait painter. Maybe she can produce something better."

  So it was that I was introduced to Cassie Cunningham, aged about twenty-five and unmarried, who came armed with a sketching block, pencils and water colours. She was quite a good portraitist and, after a few false starts, I began to feel hopeful of success. When we had done Robinson for good measure I asked Cassie to do another of the fake doctor who had whipped me from the lobby of the Cunningham Building.

  The next day we flew to Freeport in the Cunningham Corporation Jet Star Apart from Debbie and myself there were six large men with bulges under their arms.

  "Six!" I said to Jim Cunningham.

  "I'm not going to start a bloody war."

  "Billy thought you ought to have a bodyguard, too. Anyway, allocate them as you choose."

  After thinking that one over I thought that Billy could very well be right.

  "One thing," I said.

  "They're not employed by me. The Bahamian Government is very strict about firearms, and if these men are caught they're on their own."

  So we went home and I installed Debbie back in the house, with Kitty Symonette as attendant and companion. After making arrangements to bring Karen back from Abaco I went to see how the Theta Corporation had fared in my enforced absence. But it was just going to be a quick look because I was not going to leave Debbie for long. I had learned that lesson well.

  ^3 The boss of the body guarding team was Steve Walker and he went with me to the office. I introduced him to Jessie in the outer office, then we went into my own. Walker looked around.

  "Two doors," he commented.

  "Where does that one lead?"