“Let’s just get your boys in here to sweep the awning,” Garcia said. “I have places I need to be.”
Chuck stood up, walked out towards the beach, and hollered, “You two, double time. Everyone is ready to sign off, but we’re waiting on you.”
Nigel and Haidar came running up the trail from the beach. The entire group evacuated the tent. Chuck’s men both thoroughly swept the tent with a wand device. Next, they did a quick sweep of Garcia, Darla, Harold, and Joshua. They walked over to Chuck, who stepped away from everyone as soon as he saw they were done.
After looking at the readings, he stepped up to Garcia. “So, tell me, chief, which one of your people is transmitting?”
Garcia glanced back at his group and then Chuck. “Nobody.”
“Then why are we picking up a faint signal?”
Garcia’s mouth went flat and curled down at the edges. “Oh, I think I know.” He pulled out his cell phone. He had left it on. Turning to his team he asked, “Who forgot to turn their cell phone off?”
Everyone on the team reached in, shook their heads, and turned off their phones. Garcia turned back to Chuck. “My apologies. I’m afraid it’s an old habit in today’s world. We probably all destroyed our batteries looking for towers.”
Chuck responded, “You’ll get used to life on the seas. That’s why I only carry a satellite phone in the boat. I never use those little toys.”
“What do you do on shore?” asked Joshua.
“I use Nigel’s phone if we’re in a town.”
“Let’s walk over and sign the papers, shall we?” asked Garcia.
Chuck and the group headed back under the tent. Harold signed his name, and Chuck signed his.
Chuck dropped the cigar from between his teeth and ground it into the sand. Nigel handed him a fresh stogie. Chuck lit the end up and drew in a long breath. Smoke escaped over the group, and then he spit a piece of tobacco leaf out. A knowing smile spread across Chuck’s lips. “I love a business deal coming together,” he said before sticking his cigar back in his mouth.
Joshua glanced over at Harold, and both men looked towards the sand to avoid laughing at Chuck’s uncanny ability to channel Hannibal Smith. Chuck and Nigel said their goodbyes and left for their boats. Harold noticed Haidar’s reluctance as he got into Chuck’s gunboat. Chuck had Haidar sit across from where he stood as he backed the boat away from the island. The two boats made one more sweep around the island and then faded into the distance.
Garcia let out a long breath and turned to the group. “Time to head back to the ship.”
“Isn’t it coming here?” asked Joshua.
“No. She’s in a secured location, so we go to her. Let’s get moving. Alice and her team will take care of things here. It’s time to get your butts numb again.”
The group climbed aboard the Kodiak for another bumpy ride back to the yacht. This time Harold sat near the back of the raft with Garcia. Joshua was given point. He bounced like a ping-pong ball on some of the mistimed swells. Harold climbed forward to sit next to his friend to help flatten the ride while Darla sat in the center of the craft. Although the bumps were steady, they had reduced their ferocity. Harold was thankful when he saw the Sweet Revenge gleaming in the afternoon sun and cruising towards their position.
Harold was surprised how sore his body felt as he climbed aboard the yacht. While Frank cranked the Kodiak up to its tie-down, Harold reached the main deck and offered Darla his hand. “Care to join me in the hot tub?” he asked. “I’m afraid my body isn’t used to this kind of abuse.”
“You’re not the only one. I’ll grab my suit and meet you topside. I think I may try out the elevator.”
“I’m with you,” said Harold.
Joshua topped the steps.
“Hey, Doc, want to join Darla and me at the hot tub?”
Joshua gave Harold a nod. “That’s just what the doctor ordered.”
Garcia followed Joshua.
“Frank,” said Garcia. “Tell the captain to take us home.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Slow down you three. Good job out there, especially with that drama around Haidar.”
Darla turned to Joshua. “I hadn’t expected you to be so calm with a gun pointed your direction.”
“It isn’t the first time, and you forget, my friend here was at one time a very angry berserker. Believe me, I have learned to face my fears.”
“What about you Harold?” asked Garcia.
Harold’s voice was flat, “I don’t fear much.”
“Good, I want to catch up with you in a little while.”
“Is there a problem?” Harold asked.
Garcia seemed to be lost in the ocean behind the group for a moment. “I want to think through everything that happened and then talk about improvements.”
Harold looked over his shoulder as the three friends began to walk away. “You know where to find me.”
***
Harold stretched out in the oval hot tub and enjoyed the solitude for a few moments. The sun was pushing towards the horizon in the west. He felt torn inside. He loved the ship and the Caribbean. He loved Darla and was happy Joshua came with them, but he could not shake the feeling he was failing. Would his father really take the steps he had taken? The company would have been bankrupt in a few months without this arrangement.
Harold heard footsteps and turned to see who was arriving. “Oh, hi, Doc.”
“Well, I guess we know who you prefer,” chided Joshua.
Harold looked confused. “What do you mean?”
Joshua dropped his towel on the steps leading up to the padded deck. “You helped Darla out of the boat but not your old doctor.”
Harold laughed. “She does have better legs.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
Harold sat up and made room for his friend to join him. Joshua let out a verbal gasp as he entered the hot water. “I hope you aren’t too disappointed,” said Joshua. “I asked Darla to give us a few minutes to talk before she came up.”
Harold’s head drooped. “It’s about today. I know. I almost screwed up.”
Joshua settled onto the bench and closed his eyes for a moment. “On the contrary, my friend, I was very impressed with your self-control. Given what you’ve been through, it wouldn’t have been unreasonable for you to attack Haidar. Your level of self-control is admirable.”
Harold turned on the air jets and let his palms glide over the bubbles for a few seconds. “You know, Doc. I wanted to take him out. His eyes remind me of John’s.”
Joshua looked confused. “I don’t remember John having eyes like that.”
“Not when he was alive. I mean now, in my dreams, or nightmares. He looks at me just like Haidar does. The death and hatred inside Haidar are very real. I wanted to kill him. I felt like if I killed him, I’d be killing John, and I wanted to do it. More than anything, I wanted to kill Haidar.”
Joshua gave Harold’s shoulder a quick squeeze. “But you didn’t kill him, Harry. That’s what you were saying no to, wasn’t it? You were telling yourself not to kill him.”
“I don’t know, Doc. The voice in my head sounded like John. Was that him or me?”
Joshua looked Harold in the eye with a firm and confident stare. “Harry, John is dead, and he isn’t coming back. Your mind was playing tricks on you to help you deal with a very stressful situation, but I promise you, that was not John.”
Harold reached over and gave Joshua an awkward hug. “Okay, Doc. You know more about this stuff than I do.”
“That’s why you pay me the big bucks.”
“Wait, I’m still paying you?” joked Harold.
Both men were busy laughing when Darla appeared in front of them. They stopped their jovial outburst and stupidly stared at her. Harold thought his eyes were bulging out of his head. He wasn’t sure what part of Darla’s swimsuit he was gawking at, but he wasn’t in any hurry to stop.
Darla gave them a wink and ran her hands up and down beside her bod
y. “If you boys are done admiring all of this, I’d like to get in there. My butt is killing me from that boat ride.”
Harold and Joshua bumped into each other moving to the far side of the hot tub so Darla could walk up and step in.
Harold gave Joshua an annoyed glare. “Doc, do you mind?”
Joshua’s face turned beet-red. “Excuse me, Harry. I didn’t see you there.”
“Somebody misses his wife,” joked Darla.
Joshua’s face glowed almost purple from embarrassment.
Darla tried but failed to stifle her laughter. “I’m sorry, Doctor. I wouldn’t call my swimsuit modest. Sometimes a girl needs to be reassured that she still has it.”
“You have all of it,” Harold said.
“Easy, boy,” responded Darla.
Frank showed up a few moments later with ice-cold rum runners. Harold lifted himself out of the hot water and sat on the edge of the pool with his legs still in the water. The hum of the water jets replaced the small talk and laughter as the adrenaline rush of the day wore away. Harold let himself get lost in the bubbling water at his knees and Darla’s calves below the water’s surface. He nearly knocked his empty glass into the water when someone touched his shoulder. Harold looked up to find Garcia standing over him.
Garcia’s voice was serious, “Harold, I need to speak to you alone.”
“I’m done here anyway,” said Joshua.
Harold reached out and touched Joshua’s shoulder. “No, Doc. Garcia and I can go to the bar below.”
“Okay,” said Joshua. “I’m still heading to my cabin. I’m quite exhausted.”
Darla waved her hand to Harold. “I’ll meet you in a little while. I’m not done boiling yet.”
Harold followed Garcia to the deck below. The two men sat down on the shaded couch by the coffee table. Frank brought two large ice waters and left.
Garcia started first, “Okay, do you mind telling me what the little episode with the price negotiations was about?”
Harold reached over and took a long swallow of cool water. He wanted to make Garcia sweat. He knew Garcia was about to tell him that he was not in charge, but it was time to exert what little authority he had.
Harold put down his glass and looked into Garcia’s sunglasses. “It’s pretty simple. You were going to undercut the price of the weapons.”
“So what?” Garcia tore his sunglasses off so fast they flew out of his hands and bounced off the couch cushion. “I’m in charge here. I thought we were clear about that.”
Harold sipped the cold water and took his time returning the glass to the table. “Oh, I’m clear you’re in charge of the operations.”
“Good,” Garcia said as he fished for his sunglasses.
“But you’re not in charge of my business deals.”
Garcia stopped looking for his glasses, and his eyes shot up to glare at Harold. “What the hell does that mean?”
He knew he had Garcia exactly where he needed him. “It’s pretty simple, Agent Garcia. If I’m going to sign my name to any contract, I’m going to make sure we get the most money possible.”
Garcia looked confused. “Have you lost your mind, Harold? This is the black market; those contracts don’t mean anything if Chuck decides to back out.”
Harold took another drink of water. He wanted to keep Garcia off balance. “Sure they do. My father taught me a lot of things while I was growing up. One of those lessons was that the federal government will never bear the brunt of a financial downturn. The first thing it does is cut contracts and promises with the private sector.”
Garcia rolled his eyes. “That’s not true.”
“Really? Tell that to the late John Richmond. Your actions with JR Aerospace started this whole fiasco. Maybe you really don’t see it, so I’m going to give you a quick summary. If you undercut our weapon prices, the operation will cost more than is budgeted because I’m sure your accountants have not factored in shortfalls. That’s fine if we have something to show for our effort. But if anything goes wrong, our operation will be on the chopping block.”
Garcia scowled. “You could have cost us the whole operation if Chuck wasn’t willing to pay that price.”
“This is why government bureaucrats should stay out of business. Chuck knew our price when we arrived at the island. He was hoping to talk you down, but Chuck had already made up his mind to pay our original price when he spent the money to come to the island.”
Garcia snarled. “I’m no government lackey. I’m CIA.”
Harold turned sideways and crossed his large arms before he spoke. “That’s still not business. From now on, I negotiate prices, and you handle the spook and security side of things.”
“Don’t change the rules again without clearing it with me first,” said Garcia flatly.
“Deal,” said Harold, and he stuck out his hand to shake Garcia’s.
Garcia looked at his hand, grabbed his glasses as he stood, and walked inside.
Harold grabbed his drink, put his feet up on the coffee table, leaned back, and smiled. Frank stood over at the bar. Harold raised his glass towards him and said loudly, “Now that’s how Dad would have done it.”
“Yes, sir,” said Frank.
Chapter 17
Harold and the team stood at the back of the yacht and watched the small cabin cruiser from Salvation Key come alongside the ship. The crew members tied off the boat, and everyone prepared to climb aboard.
“Maria!” shouted Joshua as he waved.
Harold saw Maria standing at the back of the cruiser with her arms crossed and a firm look on her face.
Harold leaned down into Joshua’s ear, and whispered, “Hey, Doc, I think somebody’s in trouble.”
“So it would seem,” said Joshua.
“Do you need any help, Doc?”
“No thank you. I believe I should handle this one alone.”
Darla, Garcia, and Harold wisely held back and let Joshua board the cabin cruiser first. Maria tapped her foot as Joshua made his way on board. As soon as his feet hit the deck, Maria ran up to him and put him in a bear hug. Joshua looked over at Harold and feigned an inability to breathe. Maria released Joshua, and the two of them shared a lengthy kiss.
Harold leaned over towards Darla. “I guess Doc’s out of the woods.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.”
Harold was confused. “How can you tell?”
“A woman just knows.”
The remaining three team members boarded the cabin cruiser, and the small ship headed towards Salvation Key. Harold turned back and watched the yacht head out towards Islamorada. The ship looked as beautiful from the outside as it did on board. He felt Darla’s hand slide into his.
Her lips brushed his ear, and she whispered, “If you leave me for that stupid ship, I will break every bone in your body.”
Harold turned and looked down into her eyes. “I had no idea you loved me so much.”
Darla gave him a half-smile. “Who said anything about love? I just won’t be humiliated by a chunk of steel and wood.”
Garcia grouped everyone together on the back of the boat. “Tonight you’re on your own. There’s no planned meal and no debriefing. I will be busy this next week getting weapons in place for a meeting with Chuck. For the next five days, you all can enjoy some downtime and do whatever you want. If you’d like to leave the island and go to the Keys, let me know ahead of time. I’m certain Chuck is still in the area, and you will probably run into him somewhere in Key West if you aren’t careful.”
The small cabin cruiser pulled up to the dock. Frank barely had time to tie off the craft before Maria and Joshua hopped onto the wooden pier and started heading towards the complex. Harold chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” asked Darla.
“You know,” said Harold. “The two of them. It looks like Doc isn’t the only one who missed his spouse.”
Darla rolled her eyes. “You men. It’s always one thing with you. She isn’t taking him home f
or that. They need to talk.”
“Oh, another woman’s intuition thing?” asked Harold.
Garcia walked up and jumped in, “Nope, CIA. I could tell by their body language that there was a lot of tension on the ride home.”
Harold started to feel worried. “Do you think they’ll be okay?”
Darla put her arm around him. “They’ll be fine, but don’t be surprised if your most trusted companion leaves for a few days.”
“Doc won’t abandon me.”
“Don’t be so sure that. We’ve been talking. There’s more than his wife on his mind. I’m trying to work something out that will accommodate everyone,” Garcia said.
“Is it Bill?”
“Bill, Maria, you. The doctor seems to carry a lot on his shoulders. You’d think the man would know better than to worry so much. I suppose it’s true that doctors make the worst patients. Anyway, whatever happens, we’ll make the best of it.”
Harold mumbled more to himself than to Darla or Garcia. “I’ll do anything to help Doc.”
Everyone else departed the boat. Garcia went to his cabin while Darla went to her room in the main house, and Harold went upstairs to his master bedroom. Harold decided to sit down in the lounge chair on his sundeck rather than going inside and taking a nap. He awoke to the sun beginning to set and his stomach beginning to growl. Downstairs he found Frank cleaning up around the kitchen.
“Any chance you can make a weary traveler a quick cheese sandwich?” asked Harold.
“Not a problem, sir. I hope your trip was successful.”
“It was indeed.”
Frank came over after a few minutes with a beautiful griddled cheese sandwich framed with fresh ripe tomatoes drizzled with a homemade Italian dressing. After Frank left, Harold wandered out of the house and walked down the path to the narrow beach as he ate from the plate. He set the plate down in the sand and climbed up on the familiar rock near Darla’s old hiding place and sat down.
Harold admired the perfectly calm waters and the orange sky as the sun made its way towards the sea. Below the rock, he could see various fish taking advantage of the shallows and the darkening waters. A few feet out, the water increased in depth to about eight feet. The grass-covered sandy bottom looked dark even though the water was perfectly clear. A disturbance on the water’s surface startled him.
Harold and the Angel of Death Page 17