Wood's Reef (14 page)

“Stop that boat!” Gillum yelled. 

Garrett was running through his neighbors’ yard, gun drawn, Gillum following. Mac took the wheel from Mel. The boat had been docked with the bow towards the back of the canal. Mac had to spin the boat before he could move into the main channel. This gave Garrett enough time to pull even with the boat

Mac watched as Garrett stopped to pick up an anchor shaped like a grappling hook from a neighbors dock. Garrett picked up the hook with his right hand and quickly coiled a half dozen turns of the line in his left hand, then threw the hook at the boat and watched it land on the deck of the boat. The line quickly went out as he grabbed the bitter end and tied it to a cleat on the neighbors dock. It came taught and jerked the boat. 

Mac had the boat turned and was moving toward the end of the docks lining his street, about to gun the motors when something hit the transom. He had to think, quickly evaluating the damage before it happened. Something had to give. The hook was either going to take the transom off the boat or tear the dock off. He grabbed a knife from the console and dropped the boat into neutral, ready to cut the line, but the boat’s forward motion kept too much tension on the line. The transom started to creak, forcing Mac back to the controls. He slammed the controls down. The line sagged slightly as the boat reversed its forward progress, churning up water as the propeller reversed. 

He handed the knife to Mel. “Cut the line, quick!”

Gillum had caught up to Garrett. Both men had their weapons drawn. The boat was drifting backward now, bringing them into range.

“That’s enough,” Garrett said. “Hands up and cut the engine.” He waited as the boat died in the water, Mac seeing no choice but to comply. “Now move to the stern.” He pulled the boat back to the dock with the grappling hook, motioning for Gillum to tie off the boat as he kept the crew in his sight.

Mac and Mel were on the dock, hands still over their heads as Garrett reached for his handcuffs.

“Just Travis. I don’t want the headache of detaining a woman - especially that one,” Gillum said.

Garrett had Mac cuffed and was walking him around the side of the building toward their car before Mel could catch her breath.

 “I’ll be down there as soon as I can and get you out!” she yelled after him.

***

Mel was on the phone and the computer at the same time, entering her zone. The first call was to Wood. She wanted to check on him and let him know about Mac. Then she got to work.

Chapter 25

The last traffic light going southbound in Florida City, the last bastion of civilization before the half-hour ride to Key Largo, turned green. Doans reluctantly hit the gas pedal. He eyed every convenience store, hoping for an excuse to pull over and get a beer. His head was hurting after being up all night partying with Behzad. A beer would take the edge off, but there was no stopping now as they passed the last store. The ride from Miami had been quiet, with Behzad unconscious and snoring in the back seat. Ibrahim sat stiffly in the front, looking straight ahead as if in a trance. Doans tried to concentrate on the road and how much money he could extort from these men. He smelled a score.

“So this is what the Florida Keys look like,” Ibrahim said.

“Not quite yet, we just left Florida City. We’ll be heading into the Keys shortly. So, what kind of an opportunity do you have in mind? You never got specific back at the restaurant.”

“We are looking for someone to head a salvage operation. There is a rumor that something of value has been brought up near Marathon. It is important to our organization to get our hands on it, and worth a good payday to you if you will assist us.”

Doans adjusted the air conditioning vent, forcing the cold air to blow directly on his face in an effort to clear the cobwebs from his head. This couldn’t be a coincidence, he thought. There is no way two Middle Eastern-looking guys are after a shipwreck or something. It’s got a be the bomb he’d seen on the island and it had to be something special if these guys were after it. That would explain why it was hidden. He was starting to get excited now. He finally had some leverage on something somebody else wanted. This could be a big payday.

“Exactly what kind of salvage operation do you have in mind?” he asked.

“We need to reach an agreement about this, and your silence before I can disclose any details.”

“Well, at some point you have to trust me. I’ve got a pretty good idea what you’re looking for, and I think I know where it is. So, now to the real question. What kind of compensation do you have in mind?”

Doans drove on watching Ibrahim from the corner of his eye. He was back into reality now, a calculating look on his face. 

“We would be willing to pay you $5,000 per day plus expenses to recover the object.”

“Can we please stop referring to this as the object? It’s a goddamn bomb, excuse me Allah. You know it and I know it and it’s not much of my business to care what you are going to do with it. I would say that $5,000 per day is not quite enough for this kind of intelligence. Without me you’re back to the drawing board. You don’t even have a place to start. Good luck trying to find a charter boat or anything else in Marathon looking like two rug salesmen.”

Ibrahim was fuming at the infidels rudeness. He tried to control his emotions, knowing that he would make him pay when this was over. “We are not set on that number. We are willing to negotiate. What do you have in mind?”

“I will recover the object and handle the expenses for $100,000.” Doans said.

“For that kind of money, my friend and I will stay in the hotel room. You will have to organize and staff the operation by yourself. We have no desire to be visible.”

“So, we have a deal, then. I’ll require $50,000 up front and the balance when I deliver the bomb.”

“We will give you $25,000 up front and the balance upon delivery. That is more than enough to cover all your expenses, and leaves enough to keep you honest.”

“Done.”

“When we get to Marathon, we will rent a hotel room I will pay you the deposit. We will expect delivery of the bomb in forty-eight hours. I will arrange a drop-off point to expedite transport of the item.”

Jerry Doans sat back and tried to focus on the road. Yes, $100,000 would solve all his problems. And so what if these guys had a bomb? That wasn’t
his
problem.

***

Trufante had become a celebrity in the hospital. He knew every nurse’s name, and they knew his. A cute blonde was wheeling him around. They went to Wood’s room, and he asked the nurse to push him inside. Wood leaned up in bed, his lips curling into a small smile as he viewed the man in the wheelchair.

“Well goddamn if it ain't Alan Trufante.”

“Wood, you old bastard. I heard you were in here. Y’all doing all right?”

“Yeah, I’ve been better. My damn side hurts, and they got me on some drugs that can’t hardly let me think straight but, other than that I’m good. What are you doing in a wheelchair?”

“Some son of bitch shot me with a spear gun. Can you believe it? First this guy smacked me upside the head with a pool cue. Then me, Mac, and the sheriff start chasing after him. Cornered the sucker on a charter boat. The dude shoots me with a spear gun in the freakin’ leg.”

Wood laughed so hard he started to cough. Pain lines replaced the smile. “That can only happen to you, son, no one else could even make that up.”

“Be that as it may, being rolled around this hospital in a wheelchair has its perks.” He looked up at the nurse, smiling.

“Ma’am, you think you could leave us alone for a few minutes? I've got some private business with your patient here. I promise I won’t hurt him.” Wood said.

The nurse smiled at him, patted Trufante on the shoulder, and left the room.

When the door closed, Wood focused on the Cajun. His tall frame in the wheelchair looked cartoonish, his knees almost in his chest. “You ‘bout ready to get out of this institution? Mac’s in trouble, and we’re gonna help.”

“Don't know if I’m quite ready to get out of here yet.” Trufante glanced out the window to the nurse. “They’re taking good care of me, man. That’s Sue. I think she’s sweet on me. Ain’t no beer, though. I’ve been trying to talk one of the girls into smuggling some in for me, but no luck.”

“Oh, cut that crap out. You can come visit anytime you want.”

“Well what exactly do you have in mind?”

Wood looked around, just to make sure no one could hear what he was about to say. “We need to deal with that bomb.”

“Well what about Mac? Why don't you just get him to dump it?”

“While you were in here partying it up with all the nurses, the Navy’s taken Mac and put him in the brig. I’m working out a plan of how to deal with the damn thing. I need your help there. I’ll trust my daughter to get Mac out a jail.”

“If it’ll help Mac out, no problem. When are they going to release you?”

“Hell if I know. The two of us are walking out of here. I’ve had enough of these doctors and nurses and all their crap. Come back here about 11 o’clock, when they change over to the night shift, and we’ll get the hell out of here.”

Chapter 26

“I’m going to have to file a report on this.” Garret stood in Gillum’s office.

“I’ll take care of the paperwork.” Gillum said, thinking the Navy’s systems were his wheelhouse. 

“I’m a little worried about what just went on up there. You just took someone into custody without probable cause. And there was a witness. Someone who knew what she was talking about.”

Mac was a few doors down, locked in an empty conference room. He had been cooperative on the drive down to Key West, but Gillum knew that was probably not going to last.

“Forget the probable cause, we’ve got resisting arrest now. There
will
be no paperwork. I have orders from high up in Washington to handle this in any way I see fit. I’m the commanding officer here. You can take that as a direct order.”

“Sir, sorry, with all due respect, I understand your order.” 

 “You are dismissed now.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

Garrett turned on his heels and walked out of the room. Gillum started pacing around his office. Almost two hours later, and he was still pumped up from the arrest. The first step in his plan had gone off with complications, but at least they’d arrested Mac. He knew men like Garrett, and ultimately he would follow orders and not be a problem. He would just have to handle this himself from now on. The real question was what to do with his prisoner. He needed the bomb. The spotlight was on him after his talk with Joe Ward. He had to do it without the use of the forces under his command. Involvement from anyone else at the Naval base would surely be noticed. There could be no paper trail. His best chance at getting rid of the bomb was using the guy that found it in the first place.

***

He left his office and walked down the hall to the room where Mac was being held, pulled the key from his pocket and opened the door. Mac moved in the chair, the handcuffs on his wrists limiting his movement.

“There is no need for all that,” Gillum said. “You’re not going anywhere until I say so. Anything but full cooperation and I’ll bring in that girlfriend of yours as well.”

“You have no reason to be holding me.”

“I have every reason to be holding you. I have authorization from Washington. If you cooperate, you can walk away from this and go back to whatever it was you were doing.” 

“What exactly do you want from me?”

“We’re aware of the bomb you discovered. We’re also aware of where the bomb currently is.”

“If you know so much, what do you need me for?”

“The bomb is sitting on private property. I can’t authorize a mission without getting Wood’s approval,” he lied. “The powers that be are also reluctant for any publicity concerning this.”

“So this is going to be a cover-up.”

“We’re not trying to cover anything up. If word gets out about this, there will be general panic. More people are likely to get hurt, and more property damaged, than if we can work something out.”