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That Way Lies Madness: A Florida Action Adventure Novel (Scott Jarvis Private Investigator Book 8)

Page 33

by Scott Cook


  Bill managed to sit upright, ignoring the pain this caused in his chest and leg and even in his head. He watched the airplane he’d been in pass low overhead, coming down in the river less than a football field’s length from him. In that plane he knew, Scott Jarvis would be celebrating his triumph. He’d bested Shade and gotten his precious girlfriend back. Further, he had poor Samantha in custody, too. Bill swore then and there that should he escape his current plight, Scott would pay dearly. No more games. His next bout would be nothing short of devastating.

  For in Bill Garelli’s mind, twisted out of the normal range of what was considered sane, Jarvis was the architect of his miseries. Somehow, the guilt of what had happened to Sam had blossomed and moldered into a hatred that consumed everything. In the corrupted halls of Bill’s mind, just as in Sam’s, Scott Jarvis was somehow responsible. He couldn’t quite pin down why… not that it mattered. Only his deeply held conviction that Scott had done, or had not done, something was enough.

  “You will pay,” Bill croaked aloud.

  The sound of his own voice startled him. Although the next sound he heard froze him in place with terror. It was a shifting and sloshing sound coming from behind him. Something large was moving toward him through the saw grass.

  When the beam of a flashlight struck him full in the face, the vivid image of a huge slathering reptile was gratefully vanquished. Bill blinked up to try and see behind the light. After only a second or two, though, it mercifully clicked off.

  “You look like shit,” A man’s deep rumbling voice said. He spoke in a slow rambling sort of way. An almost languid baritone edged with Florida cracker.

  Bill blinked up at the man and was startled. The guy was huge, especially seen from a sitting position. The man’s silhouette, which was all Bill could see at the moment, stood six and a half feet tall if it was an inch. The man had wide shoulders and yet a lean body to go with it. Perched atop the head was a wide-brimmed hat of some kind.

  “Who… who are you?” Bill asked.

  “Nobody special. Name’s Rick,” the man said casually. “Question is… who are you?”

  “Name’s Bill… listen, Mister… I’m hurt kinda bad here… you think you can give me a hand?”

  “What happened?” The stranger asked.

  Bill was becoming exasperated with this hick. Couldn’t the guy see how fucked up he was? He endeavored to contain himself, though.

  “Fell out of that plane that just went over. Think my leg is busted and a couple of ribs, too. This damned grass cut me up pretty good. Now please, help me get out of here, huh?”

  The man was silent for a long time. He just stood there, contrasting darkly with the starlit sky and the almost setting moon. Bill could just now see some features. The man looked to have long black hair tied behind his head and a squarish face. He couldn’t tell how old he was in the low light, but Bill thought the guy might be an Indian.

  Finally, after glancing to the north and then back at Bill, the Indian said: “you’re the fella everybody’s been lookin’ for, ain’t ya’? The one they call Shade.”

  Bill felt a jolt of fear in his belly. He wasn’t in any position to use that name now, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mister. I’m just Bill. Bill Garelli. I’m a police officer from—“

  “Rhode Island, yeah I know,” the man said still talking in his slow and open tone. Although now Bill thought he detected a hint of menace in the man’s voice. “You posted in the paper about people who do evil and get away with it. Said they should get what’s comin’ to them.”

  Nothing the Indian said was a question. There was nothing in the man’s voice that even slightly hinted at doubt. Bill somehow knew that trying to convince him he was mistaken was simply futile. He only had one card to play.

  “I’ve got money,” Bill said. “You help me out and you can name your price.”

  “Money?” the man seemed to ponder. “What do I need with money? No, son… I believe you had it right in that article. I think that you ought to live… or die… by your own rules. That’s fair, ain’t it?”

  The fear had returned again. Bill swallowed hard, “What’s that mean? You gonna finish me off, Rick?”

  The man threw back his head and laughed. It was an eerie sound, because while it was clearly a boisterous and deeply amused laugh… it was also quiet. After he’d had his laugh out, the man took a breath.

  “Nope,” he said. “Gonna leave it to nature. Either you make it or you don’t. Let’s see what the universe decides for ya’.”

  With that, the man turned and moved off into the grass. He barely made a sound and within seconds, Bill could no longer tell if the man was twenty feet away or miles.

  “You can’t just leave me!” Bill called out, half in fear and half outraged. “Come on, Rick! I’ll make it worth your while!”

  “Son,” The deep and seemingly ghostly voice said from the not-too-distant darkness. “I’ll give you some advice… keep the noise down.”

  With that, bill Garelli could sense that he was once again alone. Once again, the sounds of the ancient chorus of life filled his ears. He sighed and began to steel himself for a very long crawl back to… someplace.

  After only a surprisingly few minutes, Bill heard the swishing and sloshing again. He smiled to himself, thinking that the crazy Indian had just been screwing with him or had a little time to reconsider. He was coming back to see exactly how much he could get out of the injured man.

  The smile drained away like the blood from his face when Bill heard the unmistakable rumble of a large hungry reptile. The staccato gator croak seized him with the terrible knowledge that the universe hadn’t taken long to make up its mind.

  For the throaty rumble was coming from directly behind him… and it was no more than ten feet away.

  It was the Wednesday after we’d gone to visit my new restaurant that Colonel Warner Grayson stepped into my outer office. He cast a quick look at Lisa’s vacant desk and stepped into my inner contemplatorium and knocked on the door frame.

  “You in?” He asked me with a small smile.

  “So it would seem,” I replied. “Have a seat, Colonel, what can I do ya’ for?”

  “It’s what I’m going to do for you,” He replied, placing his briefcase on his lap and opening it. “Although you may not like it at first.”

  “Did you discover that I was really the one who stole Lindberg’s baby?”

  He chuckled, “Funny you should mention old Lindberg… especially after you managed to set that bird down the other week.”

  “A whole lot of luck,” I admitted.

  “True… but a good head on the shoulders doesn’t hurt,” he stated. “Ever think about learning to fly?”

  I shrugged, “Sometimes. It could be a useful skill, for sure. But who’s got the time?”

  He met my gaze and said: “You do now, Commander.”

  “Pardon me?” I asked, starting to worry.

  He pulled out a sheaf of papers along with something else that he held back. He set the papers on the desk, “Little paperwork needs to be signed… but effective immediately, you’ve been given a commission as an O4 Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. Assigned to the reserve list and secondered to a special unit.”

  “What the Christ…” I breathed. “You just can’t draft me, Colonel! What next, you’re gonna send me to boot? I’ve got a life here, a business and—“

  He held up a hand, “Take it easy, Scott. No, you don’t have to go to boot. However, I would like you to report to Patrick for some special training that we talked about. Couple weekends per month and any extra time you’ve got until you’re up to speed. And you’ll need this.”

  He handed over a small leather clamshell case. I opened it and there was a slim wallet-sized badge inside.

  “Your commission is part of your qualification for my team,” Grayson pointed out. “International Counter-criminal Enforcement. ICE. You’re now our newest asset. Congratulations.”
<
br />   I glared at him. It took me several moments to bring my outrage under something like control, “I told you no already, Grayson. You can’t just Shanghai me into your little group.”

  “I told you I expected to have my favors returned,” he said placidly. “We need you, Scott. For Christ’s sake, you jumped from a moving truck onto a fleeing aircraft! Then you managed to land the damned thing. That’s the kind of man our country needs. That I need.”

  I blew out my breath, “Colonel… I like what I do.”

  “I’m not asking you to give that up, Scott,” he said, spreading his hands out. “Only that as a reserve member of my team, you are somebody I can call on from time to time to help me. As I said when we first met… this badge gives you broad powers and protection. Your military rank comes with all the privileges you’d expect, including hazard pay. I’m offering you training in a variety of disciplines… and probably going to ask you to train some of my other team members as well. All for nothing and all for a part-time gig that you mostly get to decide whether or not to go on any mission I propose.”

  “Mostly?”

  He grinned, “Sometimes, young Jarvis, the country must come first. Look, I won’t hold a gun to your head. If you’re absolutely dead set against this… then I’ll withdraw my offer. Somehow though… I don’t think I’m going to have to.”

  As much as I didn’t want to admit it, he was right. He was offering me an opportunity to expand my knowledge as well as my power to do my job. On top of that, he was enhancing my ability to help others and to serve my country. All noble things that I didn’t think I could refuse.

  Before I could answer, Rod Jameson, the regular postman for our area poked his head in. Rod was a tall friendly black man of near forty. He wore wire rimmed glasses and always had his mailman’s cap perched rakishly on his head.

  “You in, Scott?” he called out.

  “Back here, Rod man,” I said.

  The mailman walked in and said hello to Grayson before laying a small box on my desk, “Gotta sign for it.”

  I scoffed, “For a box? What the hell for?”

  Rod shrugged, “I just deliver the mail, chief. Don’t make the rules. Guess somebody wanted to make sure you got this.”

  I signed Rod’s digital pad and grinned, “If it’ll make you happy…”

  “Oh yeah, I’m ecstatic,” he pretended to grump and headed out chuckling.

  “Is it ticking?” Grayson asked.

  I shook the six inch by six inch little box, “Nope. Something flopping around inside, though. One thing I want to ask you, Colonel… did you guys ever find any sign of Bill?”

  Grayson sighed, “No. We did a pretty thorough search of the whole area. Nothing.”

  I frowned, “You don’t think he’s still out there, do you?”

  Grayson scowled, “I can’t imagine. Even if he survived that fall…”

  I sighed and cut the box open. Inside was a hand written note. I held it up, “It says, ‘he didn’t make it.’ What the hell…”

  I trailed off when I saw what else was in the box. I held up a class ring with a large 07 on it and engraved around the band were the words Warwick Veterans High School. There were bits of dried brown blood still embedded in the engraving.

  “Jesus…” Grayson said, leaning forward. “Is that what I think it is?”

  I held the class ring up to the light and looked inside. On the inside of the band someone had also engraved From Sam to Bill – Love. I dropped it on the blotter and drew out the last item in the box. It was a curved tooth about the size of my middle finger.

  Grayson’s brows rose, “That a gator tooth?”

  I nodded, “Yeah, I think so… I think somebody is trying to tell me something. I think the question of whether or not Shade is still out there has been answered.”

  “Damn…” Grayson said somberly. “Do you want me to have that stuff analyzed?”

  I shook my head and repacked the box, “Let’s just let it lie, Colonel. As for the other thing… I accept.”

  “Good,” Grayson said, and his face seemed to take on a more serious set. “Scott… did you ever watch that video I gave you?”

  “I didn’t have much opportunity at the time,” I said, opening the top drawer and taking out the SD card he’d given me several weeks before. “Then I’ve just forgotten all about it.”

  He sat down again and blew out his breath, “I’d like you to do so. I hate to say this, but that situation with the German U-Boat isn’t as neatly wrapped up as the Shade thing.”

  I felt a twinge in my gut. Lisa appeared in the doorway and I waved her in, “What do you mean, Colonel? I know there was some connection to EcoLife…”

  “I’m not at liberty to say now,” he said. “But I’d like you to review that. Find out what Ms. Mizrahi had to say… and let me know if there’s anything in it I should be aware of.”

  “Like what?” Lisa asked.

  Grayson rose again, “I think you’ll know it when you see it. I’ve got to run. For now, sign those papers and let me know what you learn from the video.”

  He went out and Lisa and I just stared at each other. Finally, I held up the card, “You up for this?”

  The creature glided through darkness. In the water, its ancient form moved effortlessly, far less ponderous than on land. Although this too was not a problem, as the creature could move rapidly there as well, the water was more artful.

  As it approached the fallen tree, something darker than the water shifted, disturbed by the current that the creature’s fourteen foot body pushed ahead. The thing was softened now, having tenderized over the past few days while corrupting beneath the tannin darkened waters that flowed inexorably across the vast landscape.

  With a delicacy that seemed so incongruous with her bulk and fearsome appearance, the female reptile seized her meal in her massive jaws and pulled it from under the log. The remains of the creature it had found were still mostly intact. She’d taken a few mouthfuls at the time of the kill, of course. Yet she had nestlings to think of as well. The alligator, although cold blooded, did possess a mother’s instincts to care for her young. And this strange creature she’d killed would feed them well.

  The gator hauled herself out of the slough and into the thick saw grass. After only a few moments, she came to a small clearing where she’d built a large mud nest. Inside, five of her newly hatched children waited, bleating excitedly at the smell of fresh… or in truth not so fresh… meat.

  She dropped the offering into the nest and watched impassively as her young began to devour what she’d brought. The newly risen moon cast a silvery glow over all the land, and nature, in her stark way, maintained her balance. Death fed life and life fed death in a seemingly eternal dance.

  The alligator had neither the capacity to ponder these things nor would she even care to if she could. She was simply part of the cycle. She couldn’t know that she was, in her thoughtless way, exercising a kind of justice. That the thing that had once been a man was now nourishing a new generation of her kind meant nothing to the lizard.

  And yet it couldn’t have been more appropriate.

  Epilogue Two

  When the lovely face of Ariel Mizrahi appeared on my laptop, it sent a chill running along my spine. I couldn’t help but feel I was staring at a ghost. And the way her golden eyes seemed to lock onto mine, as if she were looking through a window at me rather than from a recording made six months earlier.

  “She’s beautiful…” Lisa whispered.

  I pressed the play button. I was a little nervous about what Ariel would say. We had been lovers, all too briefly, and with Lisa sitting next to me, it could get awkward. That ghostly feeling continued when Ariel’s low but feminine voice began to speak in her mellifluous Middle-Eastern accent.

  “Hello, Scott,” Ariel began and then paused, seeming to be collecting her thoughts and then she smiled wanly. “I know it’s a cliché, especially in my business… but I suppose I must say this… if you’re wat
ching this video, then it means that I’m… I’m dead.”

  Another shiver and Lisa squeezed my hand.

  “It’s nearly two in the morning,” Ariel continued. “You’re sleeping very peacefully. I don’t blame you, after making love for the third time… I don’t know where you get the stamina… for my part, though, I find sleep difficult. There is much running through my mind.”

  I felt a blaze of embarrassed heat on my face. I stole a glance at Lisa and she smiled at me, “it’s okay… you don’t have to be embarrassed, baby…”

  “I know that we’ve only just met,” Ariel was saying. “Yet… yet… there’s something between us. I feel it deeply and I believe you do as well. I believe that I’m in love with you already, Scott. Perhaps it’s a poor thing for me to say… only to have the nerve to admit this on a video I sincerely hope you never actually watch… obviously.”

  Ariel paused for a moment and Lisa leaned in close, “I’m so sorry… she seems very special.”

  I cleared my throat, “She was a good person.”

  Ariel sighed, “Now, on to business. I’m making this video from the portside crew’s cabin. As I told you, I have ways of countering electronic surveillance. However, I also have means of detecting transmissions to and from the Ballard. Especially those made without the use of our onboard communications system… well, my equipment detected one this morning, not thirty minutes ago. It was a satellite data squirt and it was made from Audrey Lambert’s cabin.”

  “Uh-oh…” Lisa muttered.

  I wasn’t that surprised, considering who Audrey had been and what she seemed to be trying to accomplish. I’d found out later on that she and Lisa had met. I’d also found out that a Nicaraguan national of Middle-Eastern descent had been working with EcoLife as a student bio-chemist. There was an obvious thread between what had happened in Costa Rica and Nicaragua and the German U-boat and Audrey.

 

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