Bluewater Rendezvous: The Eighth Novel in the Caribbean Mystery and Adventure Series (Bluewater Thrillers Book 8) Page 15

  "Oh, please," Angela said. "Like I have a choice? There's no other way out."

  "Put that aside for a minute," Dani said. "Let's say you strike a deal with them."

  "Okay," Angela said.

  "Why would they honor it? First, they've got to be angry with me and Liz. Not to mention that we might know enough to cause trouble."

  "But what choice do we have?" Angela asked.

  "That depends," Dani said.

  "On what?" Angela asked.

  "Partly, it depends on what you want," Dani said. "If you want to marry Joe Bones, we've got one scenario. If you don't, then we have to deal with some different constraints."

  "You know I don't want to marry him. I want to marry John, but I don't see how ... " Angela shook her head, looking down at the table top.

  "One way would be to put these bastards away where they can't hurt anybody," Dani said.

  "Away? You mean, like in prison?" Angela asked.

  "Or something more permanent," Dani said. "Prison would do, maybe."

  "How would we do that? The Feds have been trying to lock them up forever."

  "The Feds have to fight with their hands tied," Dani said.

  "Dani, I appreciate your thoughts, but these guys are killers. We don't stand a chance against them."

  "I — " Dani started to reply.

  "You said somebody else called," Liz interrupted, seeing the color rising on Dani's cheeks.

  "Phillip called not long after Joe Bones," Dani said.

  "What was on his mind?" Liz asked.

  "Somebody's snooping around in Antigua."

  "You mean besides Willy the Weasel?" Angela asked.

  "Yes."

  "Some of my father's minions, no doubt."

  "Probably," Dani agreed.

  "Anything we should worry about?" Liz asked.

  "I don't know. Phillip was going to have somebody question the guy who was asking about us. He'll let us know."

  "This is the same Phillip who lives in Martinique? Your father's partner?" Angela asked.

  "Right," Dani said.

  "How can he have somebody question a man in Antigua? This sounds too familiar, almost like some of my father's doings."

  "I don't know about that. Phillip worked for the U.S. government down here for years; he was some kind of contractor. He has a military background, but that goes way back. He's been a civilian as long as I can remember. He and Papa have a lot of contacts in the local governments down here. He's just calling in favors, I guess."

  ****

  Louis Brown was not alarmed when the two plain-clothes cops hustled him into an unmarked car. He was annoyed; he paid good money to avoid this kind of thing. He kept his cool, though. The two men had made no secret of who they were; they'd even given him business cards when he asked for their names. Once they were through with whatever game they were playing, one call was all he would need to make. Then they'd be back to apologize, and he could add them to the list of government officials who owed him favors.

  He was surprised when the car turned into the entrance to the Jolly Harbour complex. There was no police facility there, and they had said someone higher up had a few questions for him. He felt his blood pressure rising when the car stopped and they escorted him down a private pier. There was a brightly painted, 50-foot speedboat tied alongside.

  He saw a blonde white woman and a light-skinned black man sipping soft drinks in the cockpit. This wasn't an official police launch, for sure. When he saw the number that began with the letters 'PP' painted on the bow, he sensed that he might be in trouble. He considered making a run for it, but he was wedged between the two men who had picked him up. They were about his size, but they each had a vice-like grip on his elbows. He knew if he made an unexpected move, he'd be in pain.

  "Hi, Louis," the blonde said, standing and extending a hand. "I'm Marie LaCroix. Come aboard and sit down."

  He put his best poker face on as he feasted his eyes on her. He was trying to make sense of this, but the halter-top and tight white short shorts were distracting him. She spoke again.

  "We just have a few questions."

  "You might be able to do some things that would make me want to answer," he said, leering at her.

  "I have no doubt, and I'll enjoy every minute of it," she said, smiling.

  Her voice was musical; her smile, inviting. He tried to place the slight accent, expecting her to be French. That 'PP' in the registration number meant the boat was registered in Guadeloupe. But she didn't have a French accent. She seemed more American, but the rhythm of her speech was wrong. The man on his right released the grip on his elbow and Louis took her outstretched hand.

  Her grip was like a blacksmith's. The two cops kicked the backs of his knees as she leaned back, laughing, her left hand cupping his elbow. He flew through the air and landed flat on his back in the back of the boat, looking up at the sky. Stunned, he craned his neck and saw her nodding at the two cops, who nodded in return. They bent to untie the boat from the pier, tossing the lines aboard, and she said, "C'est bon, Jacques."

  The light-skinned man pulled the boat away from the pier. Louis rolled slightly, wincing at a sharp pain in his back. He pushed himself to a sitting position as the boat picked up speed.

  "Who the fuck are you people?" he asked.

  "I told you, I'm Marie. My friend at the helm is Jacques."

  "You got any idea who I am?"

  "But of course. You're Louis Brown."

  "You ain't got a clue, bitch. You're in so much trouble you can't even imagine it."

  She grinned at him and giggled. "You make big talk, Louis. You can save yourself some pain if you tell me who you work for."

  "Look, everybody makes mistakes. Girl like you, you could probably make me forget all about this, but you need to get me back ashore right now, or else."

  "Yes. I promise I will make you forget all about it. But first, you will tell me who pays you to ask questions about the boat named Vengeance."

  "I ain't tellin' you shit. Not until you take me back to shore."

  "You have what they call the 'one-way ticket,' my friend. You will not be going back to shore. This could all be over in a few minutes if you answer my questions, or it could take a long time. The longer it takes, the more you will suffer. The choice is yours."

  Louis felt the boat surge forward. He looked around and saw that they were out of the harbor and headed for open water. The guy at the helm was intent on running the boat. He braced his hands against the side of the boat, gathered his feet under him, and launched himself at the blonde. He felt an excruciating pain on the side of his head and then his face smashed into the other side of the cockpit. He heard a piercing scream and realized it was coming from his mouth. Then the woman delivered a pile-driver kick to his midsection. That drove the breath from his lungs and silenced his scream.

  She rolled him over so that he faced her again. Crouching in front of him, she dangled a piece of bloody flesh in front of his nose. "Your left ear, Louis. I didn't have time to use a knife; I just had to tear it off. But that's okay. You've got another one. And it's not like anybody's ever going to see you again, so the ragged wound doesn't matter. I want you to be able to hear my questions, so your right ear is safe, for now. I think maybe the eyes will be next. Or perhaps we should see what you once used to amuse yourself with women. You choose — eyeballs? — or testicles?"

  Chapter 22

  Vengeance swung at one of the public mooring buoys near the ferry dock in Bourg des Saintes. The wakes of the passing boats imparted a gentle, rocking motion to the heavy vessel. Angela was below. Her laptop computer on the chart table, she was sorting through the morning's photographs. Dani and Liz were sitting in the cockpit in the shade of the big awning they had rigged earlier. They watched the dinghies come and go from the boats around them.

  "You seem preoccupied," Liz said, taking in the distant expression on her friend's face. "Worried about Phillip's call? Or this Joe Bones thing?"


  Dani turned to face Liz, looking her in the eye. "Not really; I'm not too surprised at that. Are you?"

  "No, but you seemed far away."

  A weary smile creased Dani's face. "Guess I'm easy to read, huh?"

  "Well, I know the signs by now. What's bothering you? Want to talk? Or not. Just say the word."

  "Thanks, Liz," Dani said, sighing. "It's my family, again. I didn't mention that Mother called while you two were ashore. I was spaced out from the other call and I answered the phone without checking to see who it was."

  "Uh-huh," Liz said, nodding.

  "My stupid brother signed himself out of rehab again, and she's freaked out."

  "She wants you to come home?" Liz asked.

  "Yes, that too. But some of what she said really got to me."

  Liz waited, watching the emotions play across Dani's face.

  "Somebody called her. She was kind of vague about who the man was, but I'm guessing some sort of counselor. Anyway, he told her to get in touch with me, that I was the one who could 'bring Rollie back.' Those were the words she used, 'bring Rollie back.' He told her she should talk to me."

  "Interesting," Liz said. "Does that make sense to you?"

  "No. I've been rolling it around in my head, but it doesn't add up."

  "You said Rollie was attached to you when you were growing up, to the point that he was a nuisance," Liz said.

  Dani smiled and blinked, rubbing at her eyes. "I guess he was no more of a nuisance than any little brother would have been. I don't know; I didn't have any friends with siblings to compare notes with."

  "Uh-huh. But you didn't feel close to him, you said."

  "Oh, I've worked to make that so. The whole thing was less painful if I built a wall to keep him out of my mind."

  "Uh-huh," Liz said.

  "I'm so angry with him, Liz. I've spent years pretending not to care about him, but that's just a defense. And I feel guilty about it. Of course I worry about him. We did grow up together, after a fashion, anyway. I mean, he didn't really grow up; that's why he's in this mess. I don't understand my reaction to this. I've steeled myself for years to not think about him; he's chosen to waste his life. But it makes me sad, just the same."

  As Dani blinked hard and made a small, choking sound, Liz put an arm around her shoulders. Dani made the choking sound again and leaned against her as Liz patted her on the back. After a moment, Dani pulled away and sat up straight. She sniffed and scrubbed her face with both hands.

  Taking a deep breath, she said, "Shit! I'm sorry, Liz. I didn't mean to come apart on you."

  "Everybody needs to let her guard down sometimes, Dani. Even you."

  "I don't know what to do."

  "You'll figure it out when the time's right. Focus on Angela's problem for now; it's always easier to fix someone else's troubles."

  ****

  Angela appeared at the top of the companionway ladder, the ringing satellite phone in her hand. Liz reached for it, saw that the call was from Phillip Davis, and pressed the connect key. "Good afternoon, Phillip," she said. She listened for a few seconds. "Yes. All three of us," she said. "Okay." She turned and set the satellite phone on the cockpit table. "You're on the speaker."

  "Good afternoon," Phillip said. His voice sounded tinny coming from the small speaker. "I have some news from Antigua. Seems that the guy asking about Vengeance was working for someone in St. Thomas named Illuzzi — 'Fats,' he called him. I'm — "

  "Fats Illuzzi," Angela interrupted. "He's my father's man in St. Thomas."

  "Okay," Phillip said. "This Illuzzi sent him pictures of three women — I'm guessing that would be you — but he didn't recognize any of you. Illuzzi also asked him to get copies of the passports for the people aboard Vengeance. But Immigration in Antigua only copies passports if they need something out of the ordinary. He did give Illuzzi the passport numbers, though. They were on the clearance documents. He said you'd cleared out for Fajardo. Was that a smoke screen?"

  "Right. We thought somebody might be asking," Dani said.

  "I'm amazed that this guy told you anything," Angela said. "That'll cost him his life if Fats finds out."

  "He didn't really have much choice," Phillip said. "I've never seen a man yet that could resist Marie's charms."

  "Marie questioned him?" Dani asked. "That's over and above."

  "Not really. She was in the neighborhood; she's running some surveillance between there and the north end of Guadeloupe. She said to give you and Liz her best."

  "Okay. That's kind of interesting. It's the second thing today that points to the Virgins and Guido Cappelletti," Dani said.

  "Something else since the mysterious phone call you mentioned earlier?" Phillip asked.

  "I don't know if I mentioned to you that I recorded that call."

  "No, you didn't."

  "Well, I did, and Angela recognized the voice. It was Giuseppe Bruni — Joe Bones, they call him. He's the one Angela's supposed to marry."

  "So what are you going to do? Will you go to St. John?"

  "We're still working our way through all this. I'm ready to go and set a trap on Vengeance, but I don't want to put Angela at risk."

  "What?" Angela asked, raising her voice. "You're the ones who'd be at risk. I'm the one they want. You two are just in their way. I've been thinking about what we talked about. You're right. They probably want to do away with you two. They'll worry that I might have told you something."

  "You have any thoughts, Phillip?" Dani asked.

  "Not yet, but if you go, Angela's welcome to stay with us. If Marie's free by then, maybe she could take Angela's place."

  "No way! If you go, I'm going," Angela said. "But what kind of trap are you talking about?"

  "We'll have to work that out," Dani said. "I need to check in with Luke, but I don't think there's enough here to get any of these jerks arrested. I'll stay in touch. Thanks, Phillip."

  "Talk with you later, then," Phillip said.

  "Wait!" Angela said, as Dani reached for the phone to hang up. "What if this guy from Antigua tells them we're onto them?"

  "He's in no condition to talk. Don't worry about it," Phillip said.

  "But ... "

  "Did Marie take him for a joyride?" Dani asked.

  "I guess," Phillip said.

  "She leaves her conquests speechless," Dani said. "Permanently."

  Angela frowned as Dani disconnected the call.

  "I don't get it," Angela said. "What kind of joyride would leave him speechless?"

  "One that didn't end well for him," Dani said. "Your father's not the only one who's ruthless."

  "Who is this Marie person? I figured she was a cop."

  "She might be, from time to time, but not on any regular police force. I think she used to work for the Mossad, but she's not with them any longer. She does contract work for a friend of Phillip's, I think. Or maybe she's part of his organization by now," Dani said.

  "Which — "

  "You don't ask people like Marie a lot of personal questions," Liz said. "Just be thankful she's on our side."

  ****

  Rollie lounged in the shade beside the pool at Guido's Star Island mansion. Suzie, the cute little nurse who had sprung him from the clinic and escorted him down here, was swimming laps. He was enjoying watching the flip-turns that she executed so well just a few feet in front of him. One second she was gliding toward him, and the next, he was treated to the flash of her well-tanned bottom as she changed direction.

  "You comfortable, Rollie?" her uncle asked, as he sat down next to Rollie.

  "Yeah, Franco. This is great. I'm indebted to you for selecting me for this trial program."

  "Well, the clinic's a good place, but for certain people, we can do better. The people there, they keep an eye out for the right candidates, see."

  "I don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth, but what makes me the right kind of candidate?"

  "There are a couple of things they look for, but the most impo
rtant one is that you can control your own use of drugs. See, we don't think you have a typical addiction problem. You're a recreational user. You've said it yourself; you could quit anytime you wanted, right?"

  "Yeah. I didn't think the people at the clinic bought into that, though. Is that why Suzie's sharing her stash with me?"

  "Yep. It's kind of a way to make sure, you know, having her keep track of how much you're really using. It's best if she stays with you all the time for a while; I hope you don't mind her sharing your room."

  Rollie grinned. "Sharing my room? Shit, Franco, if you weren't her uncle, man ... "

  "She's an adult, Rollie. What goes on between you two isn't my concern, aside from the treatment. Intimacy can be beneficial, if it happens to work out that way."

  "Wow! This is just amazing. I can't believe how fortunate I am that you guys picked me. If there's ever anything I can do ... "

  "Well, we know who you are, Rollie. Let's be honest here. If you were a nobody, you wouldn't have been at Whispering Pines Lodge to begin with."

  "You mean, because of the bank?"

  "Well, that and your family connections."

  "Like I said, Franco. Anything at all."

  "There might be one thing, Rollie."

  "Just ask."

  "One of our investors — Mr. Cappelletti — you'll probably meet him. He spends a lot of time here. Anyway, his daughter's kind of gone astray. She's chartered a yacht down in the islands, and she won't tell her father where she is."

  "That's a coincidence! My sister runs a charter yacht down in the islands."

  "Oh? I think I may have heard that somewhere. Where is she?"

  "Well, different places, I guess, but she spends a lot of time around Antigua; she picks up a lot of her clients there."

  "Damn," Franco said, shaking his head. "That's where Angela dropped out of sight."

  "Dani's pretty well connected down there. Maybe she could help, somehow."

  "If you don't mind asking, I'm sure Mr. Cappelletti would appreciate it."

  "Not at all. It's the least I can do. I'll have to call my mother and get her phone number."

  "That would be great, Rollie. Here, use my phone."

  ****

  Dani was tinkering in the engine compartment when the satellite phone chimed. She pulled herself erect, bumping her head on the edge of the hatch.