Killers and Keepers

by Charles Dougherty

  "That's possible. It's less than an hour from Portsmouth to the Saintes in a fast boat."

  "She said the same thing."

  "What about Lucinda?" I asked.

  "I feel so sad for her. She's where I was — a nobody, with no one who knows or cares anything about her."

  "You think she'll be all right?"

  "I don't know, Finn. I made Margie promise to help her, but I don't really trust her much."

  "You don't trust Margie? Why not?"

  "She's a spoiled little shit; she got herself into that mess. Lucinda was a pure victim, but Margie? I think she had it coming."

  I frowned at that, trying to understand how that squared with Mary's guilty conscience. It didn't add up for me, but I let it go. I guess Mary either read my reaction or she realized her own inconsistency.

  "I know that's a mean thing to say, but she had all the advantages. Money, clothes, parents, everything. So what did she do? She went slumming at some dive in Kingstown with a bunch of people she didn't know. No wonder she got drugged and kidnapped. And she was already starting to treat Lucinda like dirt, once they came to. It really pissed me off."

  "I can tell."

  "But I left them anyway. I didn't want to get involved any more than we already were. Lucinda deserved better from me. I should have — "

  "Mary?"

  "Yes?"

  "Let it go. You left them both far better off than you found them. You can't make everything right. I think I understand what you're saying about Lucinda, but it sounds like she was dealt a rotten hand to begin with. And you don't know enough about Margie's story to blame her for what happened to her. There's nothing you can do about any of that, now, anyway. Stop tormenting yourself."

  "Deep down, I know you're right, Finn. But I still don't like the way I reacted to that whole situation."

  I nodded. "We need to talk about what we're going to do next."

  "I thought we were going to spend the night in Pointe-à-Pitre and clear out for Dominica first thing in the morning."

  "Now that you've told me about Margie's dad having people in Dominica, I wonder if that's a good idea. When her drug hangover passes, she'll start to remember more about what happened. If her dad's troops take her to Dominica, she might recognize us or the boat."

  Mary stared off into the distance for several seconds, her jaw muscles working. "You're right. We should go somewhere else, huh?"

  "I think so."

  "Makes sense, but where?"

  "We've got time to think about that after we clear out. We can still tell the authorities in Pointe-à-Pitre that we're headed for Dominica. We can make up our minds in the morning after we change the boat's name."

  "Okay. That makes sense."

  "Good. On a different topic, once we've got cellphone service, we should check in with Aaron and see if he's learned anything new."

  "It seems like forever since we talked with him. Was it just yesterday?"

  "Yes. And your broker, too."

  "Think we'll have Wi-Fi in the anchorage?"

  "Maybe, but if not, you can take the laptop ashore in the morning. While I deal with customs, you can check your new email drop."

  "Will you handle clearance at another internet café?"

  "Not there; it's a big enough marina to have a real customs and immigration office. There are plenty of cafés and restaurants close to the office, though. You can get a table and do your business, and when I'm done, we'll have a big breakfast before we leave."

  "Sounds good to me. Are you hungry? Or did you eat something at that bar?"

  "No, I didn't eat, and yes, I'm hungry."

  "I'll go below and scrounge up a little something for a late lunch, or would you rather have an early dinner?"

  "Lunch. Let's have dinner after we get settled."

  She nodded and kissed me on the cheek, leaving me to sail the boat and wonder where we should go to lie low for an indefinite period.

  Late in the afternoon, we reached Pointe-à-Pitre. We anchored Island Dream in the bight of Îlet à Cochons, directly across the entrance channel from Bas-du-Fort. The anchorage was crowded, but we found room near the back of the pack of anchored boats.

  "Are we far enough from the other boats to call Aaron on the speakerphone?" Mary asked, as she shut down the diesel.

  I glanced around, checking on our neighbors. "Let's go below to make our call. We might be okay up here, but sound carries over the water, especially downwind." I tipped my head toward the two boats anchored about a hundred feet off our stern.

  Mary nodded and followed me below. "I'll open a bottle of wine," she said, turning into the galley. "White or red?"

  "White," I said. "There's a bottle open in the fridge. I used some to marinate the mahi-mahi after I cleaned it."

  I retrieved our burner cellphone from the top drawer in the nav station while Mary filled two glasses with chilled Sancerre. We sat down at the table in the main saloon, and I made the call.

  "Finn?"

  "Yes."

  "Hi, Aaron, I'm here too."

  "Hi, Mary. What's new with you two? I thought you would have called earlier."

  "We had a change of plans. This is the first chance we've had." I gave Aaron a short version of our run-in with the traffickers.

  "Wow. Lucky girls. You say that her father's in the drug business in St. Vincent? Anybody we've heard of?"

  When I first met Mary a few months ago, I was working with Aaron on an assignment for the 'department.' I sailed to St. Vincent to kill a drug dealer who was actually a Russian agent. He was using his drug trading as a cover to smuggle cash into the southeastern U.S., paying off corrupt politicians to secure favors for his motherland. But that's another story.

  "We took care of the only one we were interested in, didn't we?" I asked.

  "Yeah, but I never pass up a chance to collect information," Aaron said. "Especially on someone in that business. He might be able to do us a favor someday."

  "He won't know he owes us a favor. We took pains to keep our involvement anonymous, and we didn't get a name, except the girl's first name."

  "Margie," Mary said. "Her father's Michael Kent, if that means anything to you." She caught my eye. "Sorry, Finn. I didn't mention it earlier; it didn't seem important."

  "That's okay. Have you heard of him, Aaron?"

  "No, but I'll do a little checking. You never know what might be useful. Or who."

  "We were hoping for news on whoever hacked the broker's blind drop," Mary said.

  "We've made some progress. Whoever left those messages was down in the islands. That's all I have so far, but he sent another message today, and we're hot on his trail. You'll want to read that recent message. My people are worried that if you don't keep him engaged, he may disappear before we close in on him."

  "Isn't it risky for me to log in to that email account?" Mary asked. "Couldn't he do the same thing you're doing — turn this around and find us?"

  "In theory. But your average hacker doesn't have the computing power we have. Besides, you figured he already knows who you are, so he'll have other ways to find you."

  "Suppose this isn't your average hacker," I said. "Who else could do what you're doing?"

  "Good question. The top name on that list would be the NSA. We're hijacking their system, so obviously they could do this. Beyond them, figure on the countries with the strong cyber-espionage organizations. That would be a few of our allies, like Israel and the more advanced NATO countries, plus China and Russia. There are others, but they're second-string players. Still, it's possible that somebody else can piggyback onto their systems, like we've done with the NSA."

  "That's scary," Mary said.

  "Yeah, but keep in mind that if they have that ability, they already have enough info to find you, based on your earlier access to the email drop. Couple that with what they already know about you, and they could narrow their search in a hurry."

  "You're not making me feel better, Aaron."

&n
bsp; "Sorry. Let's try to put all this in perspective. First, have you done any work for clients on that list I rattled off? Governments?"

  "I don't know. Remember, my clients were anonymous."

  "Think about your targets. Were they the kind of people any of those governments might want to eliminate?"

  "O'Hanlon's the only one who comes to mind, but he was the client. He hired me to hit one of his own people. I killed him because he tried to double cross me. Nobody hired me to do that."

  "Yeah, but he was connected to the Russians," Aaron said.

  "And to our own government," I said. "Don't overlook that. This hacker could work for one of our government agencies."

  "Yeah, that thought crossed my mind, too. That's why I suggested trying to draw them out a little. See if they'll give you the target, or at least some information about the target. Remember, as far as they know, you still think you're dealing with your broker through that email drop. They won't know that you're wise to them. Think about it, at least."

  "I will," Mary said. "And I want to check in with the broker and see where she comes out on the idea of my stringing this bogus client along. You okay with that?"

  "Yes, but don't tell her what we've discovered. She mustn't know what my team's doing."

  "No, I won't share that. We'll get back to you once I check with her."

  "Good enough. I don't have anything else, but I'll call as soon as I do," Aaron said.

  "Good evening," I said.

  "Thanks. Stay well, both of you." Aaron disconnected.

  "You cooking?" Mary asked.

  "Sure."

  "I'll see if there's Wi-Fi," Mary said.

  "Go for it," I said, taking the marinated mahi-mahi filets from the refrigerator.

  "No luck," Mary said. "Guess we're too far from the places around the marina."

  "Just come ashore with me in the morning and bring the laptop. There are lots of places with Wi-Fi close to the customs office."

  13

  I was the first in line at customs and immigration this morning, so our clearance only took a few minutes. I joined Mary at an outdoor table in front of a nearby patisserie. She looked up from the laptop computer as I sat down.

  "That was quick."

  I nodded. "Anything new?"

  "Not really. I had a message from the broker, but her consultant struck out as far as tracing the hacker. I left her a message about whether I should try to draw him out. She's responding now. Want some pastries while she types? I waited for you."

  "Sure, and coffee. I'll get — "

  "No, you sit here. I'll get it." She got up and went inside to the counter.

  While I waited, I looked around, wondering why she was so quick to volunteer. The other outside tables were unoccupied, but there was a man at an inside table holding a newspaper as he sipped his coffee. He peered over the top of his paper, studying Mary as she placed her order. The woman behind the counter gave Mary a tray with two coffees and a selection of pastries. When she paid and picked up the tray, the man dropped his eyes, looking at the paper.

  "You have an admirer," I said, as she put the tray on our table and sat down.

  "I noticed. I caught him watching me earlier. That's why I jumped up to get our breakfast. I wanted a closer look at him."

  "You're suspicious of him?"

  "Yes. I think he was waiting for us to show up. He was window shopping across from the docks when you dropped me off here. He watched you go into the customs office, and then he came over here and went inside. I can't see him with you sitting there; I was keeping an eye on his reflection in the window behind you. What's he doing now?"

  "He just put his paper down and picked up a cellphone. Looks like he's sending a text. Maybe he was just checking you out. I can't fault him for that."

  "I don't think so; I have a sixth sense for being ogled. He didn't send off the classic vibes when I brushed by his table a minute ago."

  "You serious? How could anybody have picked up our trail, anyway?"

  "Yes, dead serious. A girl can tell by how a guy's looking at her; it's too complicated for me to explain right now. And I don't know how anybody could have spotted us. Who would be looking for us here, of all places? Let's just act normal."

  She handed me a cup of coffee and set the plate of pastries between us. I took a sip as she turned back to the laptop. She read for a few seconds and then turned the computer around so I could see the screen.

  You're on your own with that. Continued contact with him seems dangerous to me. There's no reason this person would behave this way unless he's trying to set you up somehow. Otherwise, why would he shut me out of the negotiation? He's giving up a layer of protection. He must expect to do something that wouldn't have been possible with me in the loop. I can't imagine what that would be, but it can't be good for you.

  "Could he be trying to screw her out of her fee?" I asked Mary.

  She shrugged and turned the computer back to face her. "I'll see what she thinks of that, but I pay her fee, so that shouldn't be a concern for him."

  She typed for a few seconds and then took a bite of pain au chocolat, washing it down with coffee. "Our boy still watching us?"

  "He's still there, yes. Pretending to read the paper while he drinks his coffee."

  "What do you know about human traffickers around here?" Mary asked.

  "Not a lot. Why? What's on your mind?"

  "I'm thinking about what Margie said about the boat they were on — that it belonged to a competitor of her father's."

  "There's a disconnect there," I said.

  "Yes, unless her father's in the human trafficking racket himself."

  "She told you he ran drugs, didn't she?"

  "Yes. But don't they go together a lot of times?"

  "Probably."

  "Do you think they're using Guadeloupe as a gateway to smuggle people and drugs into Europe?" Mary asked. "I know the French islands are less corrupt than the others, but still, if they could get stuff ashore in the French islands, they'd bypass E.U. customs and immigration, right?"

  "Yes. I can see where that might be attractive to smugglers, but the Unione Corse has a stranglehold on crime in the French islands."

  "Maybe these people cut a deal with them."

  "Which people? Margie's father, or the Seaduction crowd?" I asked.

  "Either. Or both. For all we know, her father may be working with the Seaduction bunch. They may have snatched Margie for leverage in an internal disagreement that she didn't know about."

  "Maybe, but what's that got to do with people here looking for us?"

  "I don't know, Finn. I'm just thinking out loud. Suppose the two jerks on Seaduction told their boss we took the girls, and they were coming after us to get them back. They might have called him while they were chasing us."

  "Okay. That could have happened. You're thinking that when they lost touch with Seaduction, they put out the word to look for us?"

  "Maybe, but then why didn't they nail us in Les Saintes?" Mary asked.

  "Maybe they missed us, or maybe we left before they got the word down there."

  "Okay, but why here? Pointe-à-Pitre is the main commercial port in Guadeloupe, isn't it?"

  "Yes," I said. "I see where you're going. And the entrance channel we came in last night's a choke point. Most of the commercial traffic in and out passes through there. Big-time smugglers might have somebody watching the entrance channel."

  "What should we do?" Mary asked.

  "For now, stick to our plan. Did she answer your last message?"

  Mary glanced down at the screen. "Yes. Let's see."

  She hit a few keys and shook her head. "She doesn't think the fee thing is likely. The clients know she gets paid by her contractors; she's up front with them about that. It's part of her screen to keep us all anonymous. She doesn't let them know the amount of her fee is or exactly how it's paid, in case they try to trace the funds back to her. She wants me to let her know if I decide to negotiate wit
h him, and she's offering me a bounty of $50,000 to kill him if I can identify him. She says if I don't want to take the contract, she'll offer it to someone else."

  "Which contract? The one the client's going to offer you, or the one she's offering on the client?"

  "Both. She says if I take the contract the client's offering, she'll have somebody else do the job if I want. That way, I can set up an alibi, since this person knows who I am. Her thought is that he may be setting me up to take a fall for the contract he's offering me — turn me over to the cops, or something."

  "Okay," I said. "Interesting. What are you going to tell her?"

  "That I'll get back to her later, when I've made some decisions." Mary typed a brief message, posted it in the drafts folder, and shut the lid of the laptop. "Let's finish our breakfast and get out of here."

  "Sounds good to me," I said, reaching for another pastry. "What's your next step before you make a decision?"

  "I want to talk to Aaron. I'm still nervous about logging into that email account to read the message he told us about. I'm going to suggest that he use my password and log in, then he can copy the message and send it to us. Or read it over the phone, and I can dictate a reply. You think he would do that? He can probably hide his identity and location better than we can."

  "I don't see why he wouldn't be willing to do that." I swallowed my last bite of pastry and washed it down with coffee. "Ready?"

  She nodded, and we walked back to the dinghy dock.

  As we steered the dinghy through the anchored boats, we saw a new neighbor near Island Dream. There was a sleek-looking 30-foot speedboat with two big outboards anchored a little too close to our bow.

  "That's odd," Mary said. "Funny time for somebody to arrive in a boat like that."

  "Local day-trippers use this anchorage as a place to hang out and swim, sometimes. The registration numbers are from Guadeloupe."

  "I don't see anybody aboard, unless they're in the cuddy cabin up in the bow."

  "Could be," I said, as I brought the dinghy alongside Island Dream.