Thunder Storm

by Matt Lincoln

  “Who the hell is this?” my captor breathed as he took in Header’s muscular frame.

  “The good guys,” Header quipped, stepping over the guard to help yank my captor onto the boat.

  “Damn, he really did a number on you, huh?” Header asked as he eyed the man’s stab wound. He dragged him over to a chair on the opposite side of the boat and cuffed him there. Meanwhile, I pulled myself up onto the hatch.

  “We may want to close this,” I advised, pulling my legs in off the edge of the hatch and turning back toward Header. “This guy was heading toward something. It was just a matter of who found us first. We might need to be ready for a second pursuit.”

  “Yeah, I saw it on my radar,” Header pointed out, jabbing his thumb toward the radar screens at the helm. “They’re still waiting in place. They won’t be patient for too much longer, I don’t think, but for now, they’re not a threat.”

  “They will be,” Stab Wound spat. “Just you wait.”

  “Sure, okay,” Header muttered dismissively as he assessed the wound.

  “What do you have onboard that can help him?” I asked as I started shedding my dive gear.

  “Everything,” he muttered distractedly. “Rosa keeps a kit on board. We aren’t too far out, so she can do most of this. We just need to keep direct pressure on it.”

  Stab Wound shot Header a nasty look and began kicking his legs, but Header grabbed a clean rag and jammed it down on the wound, causing the man to suck air in through his teeth as he braced from the pain.

  “You might not want to fight my help,” Header advised calmly. “It won’t end well for you.”

  “Hey, how did you find me, anyway?” I wondered out loud. It suddenly seemed strange that Header just so happened to stumble upon me in the dark, after I had strayed so far.

  “There’s a tracker built in your suit,” Header replied smoothly without looking up.

  “Yeah, I wouldn’t expect anything less from you,” I chuckled to myself. The answer had been so obvious that I was almost embarrassed that I asked.

  I finished up what I was doing and headed over to take over for Header, and he made his way up toward the helm to close the hatch. Stab Wound had accepted his fate and laid on the deck perfectly still with a huge scowl on his face.

  Header took off across the water. This time though, he was a bit gentler with the throttle, and I was able to stay in place as I kept the pressure applied to Stab Wound’s chest.

  “This has been fun,” he declared cheerfully. “Let’s go pick up the women and head out. I don’t think spending the night here with two men cuffed to the deck would be advisable. Not to mention the getaway boat out there that will probably come looking for us when they get tired of waiting.”

  “Good idea,” I muttered.

  While I sat on the deck beside Stab Wound, Header made another phone call. This time, though, Alejandra’s voice filled the cabin.

  “Hello?” Her voice sounded timid and a bit unsure.

  “Alejandra,” Header replied cheerfully. “Is Rosa listening?”

  Stab Wound’s eyes widened a bit at the sound of her name. I found his reaction interesting. Did he know her?

  “Yes, she’s here,” she acknowledged.

  “Good. Listen. We caught both of the men. Pack up quickly and meet us on the beach. We have to go. Pack up our tent, too, if you don’t mind.”

  There was silence and a bit of shuffling at the other end, and it dawned on me that Rosa was probably signing her response.

  After a beat, Alejandra responded. “She said we’re already working on it, but it may take several trips to get it all down there by ourselves.”

  “Understood,” Header replied. “Meet you there in a few.” He hung up the phone and continued to head back toward the shore of Mona Island. We hadn’t gone too far out, so it was a quick ride. Our two captives were eerily silent.

  “I take it from your casual approach that these aren’t the first two men that have been cuffed to your boat?” I found Header’s nonchalant demeanor humorous and always had. He managed to always get the job done, even though it seemed at times as if he wasn’t taking it too seriously.

  Header glanced at me sideways. “I may have done this before,” he replied mysteriously. “Not everyone survived.”

  I wasn’t quite confident that the second part of his statement was true, although I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was. I was confident that he had said it for the benefit of our new passengers. Stab Wound looked a bit more worried now, which was fine by me.

  As the island drew closer, I saw a couple of figures down in the sand, and I knew the women were making quick work of dismantling the campsite.

  “What’s the plan?” We pulled up alongside the familiar black rock that had hidden Wraith from view not that long ago, and I looked over at Header.

  “I’ll go help them out,” He informed me, turning to walk past the bodies on the deck. “I’ll send Rosa back to tend to his wound more properly.”

  “Alright,” I agreed.

  Rosa was already making her way toward the rock, though, so I didn’t have to wait long. She dumped the gear onto the hatch at the sight of the two men and rushed over to a sleek panel on the port side, which opened at her touch. She yanked out a kit and began pulling out some of her supplies, dragging it all over to where I was sitting and placing her hand over mine.

  She met my eyes and nodded, and I understood that my job was done. She pointed to me and then toward the beach, so with a quick nod, I slid my hands out from beneath hers and began making my way up to the beach to meet Header and Alejandra and help them bring the rest of the gear on board.

  Nothing was packed as neatly as it had been when we had first arrived, but we managed to grab it all and drag in onto the boat. Header hopped on board, and I began tossing items to him while Alejandra ran back onto the beach to grab the rest.

  Once everything was loaded, I helped Alejandra onto the deck and followed behind, but she stopped short when she saw the two men, causing me to trip over my own two feet, trying to stop myself from crashing into her.

  “Carlos?!” she shrieked, her face paling as she stared at Stab Wound. He lifted his head and looked up at her before he groaned and dropped his head back against the deck.

  “You know him?” I asked, coming around to meet her eyes.

  “You can say that,” she breathed shakily, her eyes fixated on the man. “This is Carlos Abreu. My father’s head of security.”

  “Talk about a security breach,” Header chuckled. He kicked the sole of Carlos’ foot, and he shot Header a scathing look.

  “So the drugs were linked into García’s inner circle, after all.” I looked over at Header. “Do I get credit for my sound theory?”

  Header rolled his eyes and headed up to the helm. “Is everything in? I’m raising the hatch.”

  I turned and grabbed a few things, pulling them forward so the hatch could close properly. “We’re all clear.”

  Header raised the hatch and fired up Wraith while I walked around to face Alejandra. She looked crestfallen as she stared down at Carlos Abreu.

  “Are you okay?” I whispered. She shook her head slightly. I took her hand in mine and noticed that it was trembling.

  “Remember when I was little, and you took me out onto the front steps of our home, and we sat and blew bubbles for hours?” She wasn’t speaking to me. “My mother would come outside, insisting that we come inside to wash up for dinner, and then rant about how she hadn’t seen me all day.”

  Abreu stared at her blankly, but she continued on, her voice hushed.

  “Then, when I was older, I was nervous about starting my new school, but you came by with a new pair of shoes that I really wanted, along with some desserts. You told me everything that I needed to hear that day.”

  I watched as Abreu shifted uncomfortably.

  “Why would you do this?” she asked, the pain clear in her voice. “Why would you kill my brother?”

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p; Abreu’s face darkened. “I didn’t kill your brother,” he spat, “but I will if your father does not step down.”

  “It’s kind of hard to kill him with your hands tied, buddy,” I pointed out, but he was undeterred.

  “The plans are already in motion,” he growled. “What happens to me is immaterial. You can keep me tied up here forever, and it wouldn’t change the outcome. García steps down, or his son dies. It is simple.”

  I glanced over at the security guard. He was staring overhead, avoiding eye contact with us all. He hadn’t said a word, hadn’t flinched, hadn’t fought. I wondered what he was thinking, but I also thought I’d have better luck uncovering his truth once we got him off the boat and away from Abreu.

  Header hadn’t said anything either, but I could tell by his stance that he was hanging onto every word. I was confident that he was thinking the same thing I was.

  I gently guided Alejandra up to the helm and into my seat. She sat down, shell-shocked, with a vacant expression on her face. The poor woman had been through so much so far, and we weren’t done yet.

  “Hey, Alejandra,” Header said softly, “we did it. We figured out who was behind all of this. Now, we just need to find your brother.”

  It was bizarre seeing him speak so gently to her. The big, boisterous man I used to rely on in battle, when we were in the worst situations, now had a soft side. We were certainly learning a lot about him while working this case.

  Alejandra had nodded, but she remained silent. Header and I met each other’s gaze, and I spoke up, shifting gears for a moment.

  “So, what’s the plan when we get to the main island?” I asked as I looked out across the water.

  “We can bring them both to the police station,” Header replied with a quickness that told me he had already been thinking about it when I asked. “I know that helps you out. That requires me to trust you, though. I’ll need you to feed me everything these men say. Leave no stone unturned.”

  “Have you ever known me to do otherwise?” I tossed out casually, keeping one eye on Alejandra to make sure she was doing alright.

  “Good point,” he conceded.

  I looked out across the water, the only light coming from the stars and the waning moon. In a few hours’ time, I’d be meeting up with Holm and preparing to interview our two suspects.

  I wondered how quickly I’d be able to pry some information out of these two, and how much time we had left on the ticking clock that was Miguel García’s life.

  Chapter 25: Ethan

  The security guard that we had first encountered in the cave on Mona Island was finally talking, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear a Haitian accent. The current theory was that the drugs were being run out of Haiti instead of the Dominican Republic, and the Haitian accent lent credibility to that theory.

  Holm had been a bit taken aback when he saw the two men cuffed to Wraith’s deck, but we had quickly filled him in on the details, and he helped us get them over to the police station. Now, we sat in the adjacent room, watching an officer cuff the Haitian man to the chair as another one asked him a few basic questions. So far, we’d learned that the man’s name was Pierre Ristil, and he was head of security for Carlos Abreu. With the basics out of the way, Holm and I walked in, determined to find some answers.

  “Remember me?” I asked, pulling the chair out and having a seat. Holm grabbed another and spun it around to sit on it backward, folding his arms over the back as he did so.

  “Yes,” he acknowledged unhappily.

  At least he was speaking. This interview was off to a better start than the last one. “We understand you operate as security for Carlos Abreu. What does your job entail?”

  “I do whatever Mr. Abreu requires,” he said in a clipped voice. “Wherever he goes, I go, and I make sure no harm comes to him.” He lowered his chin and looked at me as if I had asked an obvious question. “It is what any other security guard would also do.”

  “Sure,” I nodded, sitting back and crossing my arms over my chest, “but you are not any other security guard, are you? You’re protecting a man who is trying to oust the sitting president, and who is simultaneously smuggling cocaine out of the country.”

  Ristil sat silently for a moment, but I decided to wait him out. After a few moments, he responded. “What are my charges?”

  I cocked an eyebrow at that question. “Do you mean other than the drug-related charges and shooting at an officer before running from the scene?” I shrugged nonchalantly. “Not much else.”

  Ristil looked down at his lap. “I didn’t want this,” he muttered. “When I took this job, I saw a government man from the Dominican Republic who needed personal security. I wanted to do well and provide for my family. I saw an opportunity to get ahead and do good things. I didn’t realize that I would be so heavily involved in illegal drug smuggling and political things.”

  “So, your loyalty doesn’t lie with Abreu?” I asked calmly. This could be beneficial for us.

  “No, sir,” he replied politely. “My loyalty lies with my family. I will do my job to the best of my ability, whatever is required, in order to provide stability and income for my family.” He looked up at me, the concern plain in his eyes. “I cannot provide from behind bars.”

  “No,” I muttered simply. “You can’t.”

  Ristil took a deep sigh and looked directly at me. “If I help you,” he said hesitantly, “would you help me?”

  I looked over at Holm, who raised an eyebrow in my direction as if to deflect the question back to me. Seeing as that wasn’t much help, I turned back to Ristil.

  “The amount of help you give is equivalent to the amount of help you get,” I replied vaguely. “I can’t promise anything, but I will do everything I can.”

  Ristil looked over at Holm, and I could tell he was searching for sympathy, but he wasn’t going to find it. Not here, anyway.

  “I want to go back home,” he begged. “If I am to face charges, it should be with my own country, no?”

  “You committed these crimes on American soil,” I pointed out. I wasn’t about to go into the details of how all of this worked. He’d find out soon enough.

  “If I get sent back to Haiti, I can be closer to family. They can visit. My children-” He choked back tears. “I can watch my children grow up.”

  I nodded silently. I could see why he was so adamant, and the fact that he wasn’t asking for less time or any other concessions was promising.

  Ristil cleared his throat before continuing. “Carlos Abreu is in charge. He and his partner run things. They help to facilitate the movement of the drugs off of Hispaniola and over to Mona Island. Carlos likes to do the packaging himself because he doesn’t trust anyone. He knows the island is deserted and away from Dominican control, so he never worries about being caught there. He told me it was an easy job, and it was. Until last night, it was.”

  Holm picked his head up from where he was resting it on his arms, which were still folded over the back of the chair. “Abreu had a partner.”

  Ristil turned to look at Holm. “Has. Abreu has a partner. If you think operations stopped because you picked us up, you are foolish and sorely mistaken.”

  “He called us foolish,” Holm exclaimed in jest, looking over at me.

  “Yeah, and he wants our help,” I quipped back.

  Ristil’s eyes widened slightly before he recovered. “You don’t appear foolish. You know there is more than just what is merely on the surface.”

  “That’s true,” I nodded. “Speaking of, who is Abreu’s partner, and what does any of this have to do with ousting the president?”

  “The drug-running funds the overthrow,” he muttered. “How do you say it? Palms need to get greased. You cannot grease these palms with government money. It needs to come from somewhere else.”

  “Mmhmm,” Holm muttered. “And his partner?”

  “His partner operates in between our island and Puerto Rico. His name is Angel Gonzalez.”

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nbsp; I paused for a moment. That couldn’t have been a coincidence.

  “Wait,” Holm muttered. “Angel Gonzalez? Maria’s father?”

  “I do not know who that is,” he answered simply.

  “How do you not know who Maria Gonzalez is?” I was sitting forward in my chair now. If he hadn’t had my attention earlier, he sure had it now.

  “I do not know everything,” he replied with a shrug. “He only calls for my help when he needs it. I am not with him all of the time. I am not privy to certain details. I am sure there is much more that I do not know.”

  I sighed and continued. “If one were to try to track down this Angel Gonzalez, where would they find him?”

  “I cannot say for certain.” Ristil shook his head solemnly. “He has family on both islands, but he purposely leaves his travel schedule vague. No one ever knows where he is or when he is going. I am sorry. I cannot help you with that.”

  I turned to Holm and shrugged. “What do you think?”

  “I think we need to reach out to Warner with all of this,” he replied casually, “and see what he can rustle up. This changes things.”

  “I agree,” I nodded. “Now that we know their businesses are linked, we may be able to narrow this down.” I looked back at Ristil. “Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?”

  “I can’t think of anything at the moment,” he replied, “but if I do think of something, I can let you know?”

  I nodded and stood up, and Holm followed my lead. “That works for us,” I informed him. “I’ll have my boss make a few phone calls on your behalf. You’ve been very helpful, thank you.”

  “My family,” he called out. I had already turned to leave but paused to face him again. “I want to ensure their safety. They will know I talked, and my family won’t be safe.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” I answered vaguely, and Holm and I walked out.

  Once we were out in the hallway, Holm stopped and turned to me. “Why would Angel Gonzalez kidnap his own daughter?”