Sabotage: A Reece Culver Thriller - Book 2

by Bryan Koepke

  Chapter 71

  The island police came in two of their shore patrol boats. They plucked Reece and the others off the tiny specks of land where they’d sought shelter hours earlier. Reece sat alone on a bench outside the Anguilla Police Station, waiting his turn to see the inspector. Karl Rhodes stood a few feet away, talking on a cellphone, and Tiffany Briggs was in the woman’s restroom, probably getting more Kleenex. They had all been taken to this office after being saved. There they’d been given hot coffee and blankets, and they’d each been checked out by a group of emergency medical technicians before being questioned individually.

  “Hello, Mr. Rhodes, Ms. Briggs, and Mr. Culver. Please come in and have a seat here in the conference room,” Inspector Aldridge Mantos said as he led the group in and motioned toward the water cooler. “Help yourself to water, tea, anything you’d like.”

  The inspector was a middle-aged man with a well-tanned face and a receding hairline. He filled out his light blue Anguilla Police uniform with a protruding belly and heavy hips, no doubt gained from years of sitting around his office, waiting for someone to break the law on the tiny island.

  “I wanted to talk to all three of you together,” the inspector said as he shut the door. “Once again, I’m very sorry for your loss. I know how tough this must be.”

  “Thanks,” Tiffany said, pulling away from Karl’s side. Reece flashed her a smile before dropping into one of the seats at the table across from the inspector. Karl and Tiffany followed suit, taking seats on each side of him.

  “Okay, then, I’ve got a few more questions. How long has Alex James been an employee of Draecon International?”

  “Two decades, I guess. Maybe longer,” Karl said.

  “You two worked together with Draecon International in London?”

  “Yes, that’s correct.”

  “And this woman, Candice Carlyle,” the inspector said, holding up an eight-by-ten color photograph of her. “You both mentioned her name. How does she figure into the mix?”

  “The mix?” Karl said.

  “What I’m trying to understand is what caused her to flee?” Inspector Mantos said.

  “That relates to me,” Karl said.

  “How so?”

  “We were engaged,” Karl said. “That night before this godawful accident I caught her with Alex James in the bathroom.”

  Reece shot a glance at Karl, wondering what he was talking about.

  “The two of them. Which two?” Mantos said.

  “Alex James was in the men’s restroom with my… I mean, her. I think they were doing drugs, or something” Karl said, sounding defeated.

  “When did that happen?” Reece said.

  “At dinner,” Karl said. “Candice got up first, then a little later he got up. It was right after that heavy bisque. I felt it in my stomach.”

  “Are you sure of that? The part about your suspicion, about the drug use?” Mantos said.

  “Yes, I saw it on his nose after I knocked on the stall,” Karl said.

  “You knocked on the stall?” Mantos said. “Start from the beginning Mr. Rhodes. What led up to your knocking on the stall door?”

  “I was at the wash basin in the bathroom. That’s when I heard a woman’s voice. Candice’s voice, she was giggling,” Karl said. “At first I dismissed it. I guess out of shock.”

  “Okay,” Mantos said, moving one of the microphones that was recording every word of their interrogation toward Karl. “And you knocked on the bathroom stall?”

  “Yes, I bent down and looked underneath first. That’s when I saw her legs—and those of a man too,” Karl said flushing red.

  “And how did that make you feel?” Mantos said.

  “Angry, but if you’re trying to use police logic on me I’ll have you know I had absolutely nothing to do with today’s horrific events. The longer we spend talking to you, the farther those horrible men will travel with my poor Marie,” Karl said, turning bright red in the face.

  It was the first time since meeting him Reece had seen Karl look anything other than charming. He rather liked it, but didn’t like the way he’d said “my poor Marie.” Just because Candice was out of the picture didn’t mean…

  “Did either of you two see anything during the days leading up to this dinner that would suggest Alex James and Candice Carlyle were dating?” Mantos said.

  “No,” Karl said. “She was with me, not with him. He must have drugged her that night. She’d never do… ”

  “Mr. Rhodes, you were saying. Candice Carlyle would never do what?” Mantos said.

  “I don’t know what I was saying,” Karl said as Reece watched him pull a white handkerchief from his pants pocket and wipe his nose.

  “You’d mentioned Marie. I thought she was your ex-wife?” Mantos said.

  “She is,” Karl said, “but we haven’t been legally divorced yet.”

  “Okay, how about you two? Mr. Culver, Miss Briggs. What did you notice between Candice Carlyle and Alex James?”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary,” Tiffany said.

  “I noticed one thing that was odd,” Reece said. “When we were in Colorado, it seemed to me like Miss Carlyle was intentionally leaving her cell phone on so that the assassin could track us.”

  “I’ve got that down in my notes. How about you, Miss Briggs? Do you have anything to add?”

  Tiffany Briggs looked up with a disconsolate stare. Reece knew she was in no shape to be questioned. Her eyes and nose were bright red from constant crying. Before the explosion he’d learned that she and her cousin Huston had been inseparable ever since he’d retired from the Navy.

  “No, I didn’t see anything. I just want to know if they’ve found my cousin Huston or Mr. Woodbine yet?”

  “The search teams will be checking in with me this evening, and I should have an update for you then. I know how difficult this must be for you,” Mantos said.

  The door to the conference room opened, and a handsome young man with thick black hair and a well-tanned face walked in. “Excuse me, sir. They’re here,”

  “Very good, thank you. Officer Brent,” Mantos said. “Take them to my office and let Inspector Dixon know I’ll be with him shortly.”

  Reece mouthed the word Dixon and wondered if that was the same Scotland Yard detective his friend Haisley had dealt with back in London.

  Chapter 72

  Marie Rhodes struggled against the cotton ropes. According to her estimate they’d been cruising away from the island of Anguilla for four or five hours, or it could have just seemed that way. She shut her eyes and thought about what she’d seen, smelled, and imagined earlier. No, more time than that had passed. She could see stars out the port window.

  She’d been stripped of her dive watch just after they’d tied her to the bed in the forward cabin. With no reference to time she was lost. A wave of nausea was coming up again. The boat was rolling side to side, and in the position she’d been tied up, with her head facing the stern, she was starting to feel like motion sickness might get the best of her. The small cabin was warm and still. She eyed the port window wishing for air.

  In an effort to calm her stomach Marie thought about Alex James. She wasn’t surprised by what he’d done. There’d always been something off about him. He was odd and if not for his uncle Ian Drae he would never have risen to his position as a vice president within Draecon. Marie thought about what Karl had told her one night in the kitchen back at Reece’s house in the mountains—about how Alex so badly wanted to become the CEO of Draecon. Was that what had set him off? Did he murder Thomas, Margaret, and now Joseph Woodbine and his captain?

  Tears welled from her eyes. This was all so awful. She’d been ripped away from the others during the dive. One minute she was at Reece’s side, enjoying the firm grip of his hand as he led her through the water. Oh God, I miss him. I hope he’s not hurt.

  She pulled hard on her left hand and felt the rope running underneath that side of the large bed give a little. Earlier when s
he’d taken an inventory of the room, she spotted what looked like a cell phone set on a bamboo tray near the television. If only she could get enough slack to reach it, she could call Reece.

  Marie yanked sideways, spreading her legs and trying her best to loosen the restraints. She repeated the yanking over and over, struggling against the ropes that held her in place.

  I’ve got to do what I can to get out of this. Maybe I’m next.

  Finally, something underneath gave and she rolled sideways toward the left side of the mattress. The ropes were still attached to her ankles and wrists, but her movements had gained a little slack. She wrestled against them, hoping that she’d be able to roll off the side of the bed. Once on the floor she’d crawl underneath the bed and untie herself.

  The floor creaked just beyond the cabin door. Marie heard it and froze. She knew if they caught her, there’d be hell to pay. Alex seemed way less of a threat than that other man. It was the tough bald guy that spooked her. Maybe it was his eyes. Yes, that’s it. Those piercing black eyes and the way he’d stared at her, as if he was recording her every thought—almost machine-like. He had a ruthless edge to him that couldn’t be mistaken. He was the killer Alex had hired, the man that shot out the windows in Denver. I’ve been kidnapped by that deranged asshole and his hired assassin. They killed Thomas. They murdered Margaret, and now me. Oh God, no. I’ve got to get out of here

  The floor squeaked again and she heard the unmistakable sound of a toilet flushing. Good, she thought. Someone’s peeing. Marie lay still on her side with her thighs atop one another. She was a few inches from the side of the bed and she pulled her left arm up over her head. Her sweat-stained shirt had dried and no longer smelled so bad, or maybe she was getting used to smelling like a pig. She licked her lips, tasting salt, and then nibbled at a raised shaving of dried skin. She gripped it in her teeth and bit it off. Blood swarmed into her mouth, and as soon as she tasted it she knew nibbling at her lips was the wrong move. I need water.

  It was too hot to eat, and with her stomach the way it was, if she had been offered food it would have probably come back up. Marie closed her eyes and thought of the breakfast she’d eaten with Reece the day before on Woodbine’s boat. The mango, pineapple, and melon followed by strong coffee, and scrambled eggs with a cheese sauce. Only the memory of the meal and the man that had helped serve it remained. What a way to go. Poor Joseph.

  She heard the floor squeak outside the door again. Marie rolled back onto her spine and tried desperately to scoot back to the middle of the bed. Something below her on the bottom of the mattress squeaked. She stopped struggling and closed her eyes. The door to the cabin flew open, colliding with the wall behind. Oh fuck.

  *

  As Julian entered, a wall of dense heat came at him. He brought his hand up to his mouth, covering it with his shirt. The stifling conditions made him want to push Alex overboard. He ran to slide open one of the port windows and then went to the starboard side for that window to create a cross breeze.

  “Hey, are you alive? I’m sorry about this. That asshole upstairs, I shouldn’t have trusted him to take care of you,” he said.

  A fresh breeze flowed through the cabin as he sized up Marie’s condition. It was obvious she’d been struggling against her restraints. The bedspread was wrinkled the way it gets when someone rolls around on top of the covers. Her eyes were closed and she looked like hell. Her long brown hair was matted to the side of her face, and she had smudges of dirt on the side of her cheeks. A bump had raised on one side of her forehead along with a small cut above that. Black and blue bruises ran up her knees and the ropes had burned her wrists.

  “Hey, wake up,” he said, gently grabbing her arm and shaking.

  Marie opened her eyes. She looked groggy. He thought about water and left the cabin. It had been Alex’s idea to take her with them. He’d come up with the elaborate plan to kidnap her when the group went snorkeling with Woodbine. It didn’t take much convincing. Julian had watched the bodyguard with this woman when they were together back in Colorado and he had his own plan for her.

  He grabbed a jug of water from the refrigerator and a hand full of paper towels and returned to the cabin. The stale heat had dissipated and the interior temperature was a lot cooler. Julian cut the ropes that held her arms and when he examined her wrists he felt bad. They were reddened. Nothing that Alex touched went well. He was clearly a mess. Julian shut the cabin door, then went to the bed and untied Marie’s feet.

  She smiled at him for the first time and seemed less unfocused now. He wondered if she’d decided to give in and go along with whatever they had in store for her.

  “Can you sit up?” Julian said, rubbing Marie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I left you so long. I shouldn’t have left your care up to him.”

  She sat up but remained silent. The look on her face was haggard beyond words. Julian held up a quart-sized jug of cold water from the refrigerator and tilted the opened end toward her lips.

  The liquid splashed down onto the front of her bird’s egg blue shirt as she took her lips away after taking the first drink. She coughed, pushing it away, and then took it back and took a long drink.

  “Do you need the bathroom?” he asked.

  Marie nodded her head but didn’t speak. He led her to the small commode in one corner of the cabin. She went in and after she shut the door he waited outside listening.

  The toilet flushed and Julian watched the door come open. Marie had taken off her sweat-stained shirt, revealing her yellow bikini. He stared a little too long.

  “Stop looking at me that way,” she said, uttering her first words.

  “Do you want more water?”

  “No, I’m hungry,” she said angrily.

  “Sit down on the bed and I’ll get you something.”

  Chapter 73

  Reece tied down the last of his supplies in the baggage compartment of the Aero Commander airplane. What lay ahead was at most a long shot. Alex and the other guy, if they had caught a ride on an oceangoing vessel or more probably killed a crew and stolen a yacht, would be long gone by now. The ocean was large, but there was no other means to saving Marie.

  He looked out the windshield of the twin-engine airplane at the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport in Anguilla. The blue sky was waning to a thick covering of clouds and Reece was impatient. The weather was unfolding just the way the earlier briefing had predicted. A low-pressure front was coming from the south that would change the flight conditions in the region from bright blue skies to overcast and the promise of reduced visibility.

  Haisley Averton stood just off the left wingtip on his phone. Inspector Darren Dixon had called Haisley, and Haisley had insisted he let Reece and himself take off in the airplane to search for Marie Rhodes.

  “Is that the last of what we’re taking?” Reece said.

  “Yeah, we got enough equipment and food onboard to start a new colony,” Haisley said.

  “Got any news from Dixon?” Reece said.

  “No, the search planes haven’t spotted a thing to the south.”

  “I wish they would have let me take off before,” Reece said, making a face as they both climbed into the front cabin of the airplane.

  “They had to rule you out as a suspect,” Haisley said.

  “Yeah, you’d think that would be obvious.”

  “Well, they’ve got a head start, but if they’re out there, either you and I or one of the others will find them. It’s a big ocean, but Dixon has called in a ton of resources,” Haisley said.

  *

  Once ground control had given its permission to taxi for takeoff, Reece took the airplane near the end of the runway and ran though his pre-flight checklist, completing each task to run up both engines and check that the airplane was ready for flight. This was standard practice, but knowing that he’d soon be overflying hundreds of miles of open water gave the precautions an extra degree of seriousness.

  He pushed the twin throttles of the Aero Commande
r forward and watched the RPMs build as the airplane shot forward down the runway, gaining speed. The airspeed indicator rose off its peg and climbed as the plane accelerated down the asphalt. At rotation speed he pulled back on the control yoke, and the airplane rose skyward.

  “This thing has lots of acceleration,” Haisley said.

  “It does, especially here at sea level,” Reece said, glad they were finally on their way. He maintained the runway heading of 280 degrees and continued his climb to his assigned departure altitude of 3,500 feet. They’d fly south ten to twenty miles to scout for boats and then come around the island, passing over the spot where Reece had stood on the small island, waiting to be rescued earlier.

  He’d studied maps of the area and wanted to rule out the possibility that Alex had stashed Marie somewhere other than aboard a yacht. His friend Haisley had his eyes on the pair of binoculars Reece had brought along and was looking out the side window of the airplane.

  “Let me know if you see anything and I’ll make a low pass,” Reece said. “We should be getting the handoff from the control tower any minute now, and once that happens, we’ll be free to fly any heading we want.”

  Reece’s thoughts went to Marie and where they must have taken her. His greatest worry had been for her safety, but he’d reasoned with himself that they wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of kidnapping Marie if they wanted her dead. She was bait, but what for?

  Chapter 74

  Reece climbed down the ladder he’d placed on the right side of the airplane after checking the oil and doing a quick check of the area inside the engine cowling. They’d spent the night in the Pelican Beach Hotel after exhausting their fuel supply the previous day in a attempt to catch up with Alex.

  Haisley stood a few paces away from the nose of the airplane with his cell phone to his ear, checking in with Inspector Dixon.