Blood of the Albatross

by Ridley Pearson

  Marlene’s voice was on the tape. She gave a phone number and an extension and asked for Jay to call her immediately. He dialed the number. After three rings a voice answered, mumbling a name of some sort. Jay gave the extension, too hurried to pay attention to what was said. She answered, “Jay?”

  “Yes.”

  “I have been waiting for your call.”

  They killed Jocko, Marlene, he wanted to say, but stopped himself. “Where are you?” he asked instead.

  “At a motel. I miss you. I couldn’t make it to Gasworks Park because the doctors kept me longer than I thought.”

  “Doctors?”

  “My wrist is broken. I had a cast put on. It is not important. I want you to listen to me carefully, Jay. And I want you to understand that no matter how strongly you feel about what I am about to tell you, there is nothing you can do to change my mind. You can either help me, or I will do this alone. But I am going to do this as I see fit, and you must understand that from the beginning. You should never have been involved in any of this. This is between Iben Holst and myself, and it must be settled between us. If you will do me this one favor, then I feel I cannot lose, but I will not listen to arguments. There is no time for that. If you try and argue I will hang up and do this myself.”

  He thought, You once called me strong. Now look who’s talking. “Let’s be reasonable, Marlene.”

  “No, Jay. Not reasonable, either.”

  “They killed Jocko.” There. He had said it. He hoped it might change her mind.

  She paused for so long that he almost thought she had hung up. Finally, she said, “I am sorry for you. I am more sorry than you will ever know. I love you, Jay Becker, but I will not let anything change my mind. I am going to trade with Holst. The tape of my father for The Lady Fine. Everything he wants is aboard the boat. What I ask is that you sail the boat to someplace nearby but away from the marina. Without The Lady he cannot harm me. And if I do not know where the boat is, then he can not make me tell him, can he?” She was explaining it quickly, and Jay could sense she was about to hang up. In his head he kept hearing her telling him that she loved him, and he had to focus on her words to retain what she was planning. He was both proud of her and angry with her: proud because she had found a strength she had been searching for, angry because this was the wrong place to find it. He knew that if he tried to interrupt, the line would go dead. Her final words were, “I will call you on the radio. You will tell me where you have sailed to and then you will leave The Lady and get safely away before they arrive. When it is all over, I will leave a message on your band’s answering service or on Jocko’s machine. I have both numbers. I know you will do this for me. I do love you, Jay. You know I do.” And then she hung up.

  Jay reviewed her plan, trying to poke holes in it. There was no telling how Iben Holst would react to Marlene trying to put conditions on him. Jay didn’t trust that she could do this alone. He called back the motel and got the address from the desk clerk.

  She was at the Castle Rock Motel in Ballard. He couldn’t face another ride with Jocko’s corpse, so he called a cab. Then he saw another major flaw in her plan: someone could be guarding Shilshole. Someone could try on him what they had tried on Jocko. He wondered if she had thought of that. He wondered if she had figured a way around that. He told the cabbie to hurry, promising to pay any ticket, but the cabbie just grunted and drove at his own speed. The miles dragged by, the whole time Jay picturing her leaving the Castle Rock and heading off to a rendezvous with Holst. Stay where you are, Marlene. Stay where you are.

  “Can’t you drive this thing any faster?” he asked, tapping his foot nervously on the rubber mat.

  “Hey, back off, mister. This is how I earn a living. This ain’t no joy ride. You’ll get there when I get there. You got that?” He turned a corner. “You’re here. See, wha’d I tell ya? Four-forty.”

  “Here’s ten bucks,” Jay said, handing the man the money. “Park it for a few minutes. I’ll be right out.”

  The bald driver took the ten. “I’ll give ya a few minutes for five bucks. That’s all. One honk and then I’m down the road.”

  Jay ran into the office. The clock read midnight. The manager was a nice enough fellow. The only reason Jay swore at him was because Marlene had left ten minutes earlier.

  ***

  A party on The Lazy Daze was just breaking up as Jay approached Pier M. Again, he had been let off up by Pier A, several hundred yards away, on the other side of the boathouse, so as not to be noticed in case someone was keeping eye on Pier L. He only had to wait a few minutes before an intoxicated couple came strolling down the pier and opened the gate. He made it look as though he was about to use a key on the gate. He entered as they left, and pulled Jocko’s blue tam down as he walked up to the thinning party. He leaned against the boat, smiling, his attention on The Lady Fine just across the narrow lane of water that separated the two piers. There were no lights turned on aboard The Lady, no motion to her whatsoever. Only now did he realize he had left Jocko’s gun with the body. He had the switchblade, but that didn’t give him a great deal of confidence. He walked to the end of Pier M and, fully clothed, swam the short distance to Pier L. “Shark!” somebody joked from The Lazy Daze, pointing at Jay, and the few who remained at the party laughed, quickly returning to their small talk. He pulled himself up onto Pier L and approached The Lady carefully. He rocked her, ready to flee, but it was obvious no one was aboard.

  He went below and switched on the radio. The portable cellular phone was gone. The television had been returned. He didn’t like motoring at night, especially without the running lights on. But he was taking every precaution not to be spotted. She should have waited until morning. She should have remained at the motel. She should have.

  He rounded the breakwater with no problems and then switched on the running lights, headed out around the point, north, past a stretch of fine waterfront homes on a course that would take him around Meadow Point to Carkeek Park. At Carkeek, he would still be within the city limits, and that appealed to him.

  He wondered what she was doing at this moment. He wondered if he would ever see her again. He wished her luck, rose up on his toes, and steered for the flashing marker off Meadow Point.

  ***

  Marlene dialed the number of Holst’s portable phone, and he answered. She wasn’t going to be stupid. She demanded the meeting be at a public place, somewhere where Holst could not abduct her. She told him to meet her at the Garden Lounge of the Olympic Four Seasons. She drove the rental Jay had pushed her into at the Westside. She couldn’t find anywhere to park. She drove around the block twice and finally resorted to the parking garage across the street from the elegant Four Seasons. It was only as she turned off the engine and looked around at the stark confines of the third level of the parking facility that she became frightened. She hurried to the elevators and grew impatient waiting for it. When the doors opened and it was empty she heaved a sigh of relief. In a few minutes she would be inside the elegant Garden Lounge. There was no way anyone could do anything to her there. She was angry at herself for not having driven here first and then making the call. It would have made much more sense.

  The elevator hummed gently, moving slowly. She grew restless. When the doors opened, John Chu was grinning at her. She wanted to call for help, to scream, but nothing came out. He took one long stride into the elevator and pushed a foul-smelling rag into her face. She felt herself falling to her knees, and then she heard the elevator doors bump shut. John Chu was laughing.

  ***

  Jay was having trouble staying awake. He was working on his third cup of coffee when the voice on the radio listed The Lady Fine’s name and call letters. Sixty seconds later the call was put through. Suddenly he was wide awake. “Hello? Over.”

  “I have what you want, Becker. That should make it clear enough. Over.”

  Holst’s voice. Jay felt dizzy. He reached out and took hold of the narrow countertop. His worst fear had come
true, and he knew that Marlene would not have volunteered any information without serious persuasion—and Holst had known to call on the radio. He didn’t like the feeling that was swelling inside him: now he wanted two people dead. “Go ahead,” he said. “Over.”

  “You have The Lady Fine. I have the lady. You will motor the boat north to Freeland. Over.”

  “I know where that is. Over.”

  “I will contact you there. Keep the radio on at all times. I trust you are not foolish enough to involve others in this. I will expect you by noon tomorrow. Out.” He disconnected.

  Jay put down the receiver, his hand trembling from lack of sleep, lack of food and nerves. Why would Holst have him sail The Lady Fine? Why not demand to know the location and come take the papers off the boat? What was there to gain?

  Then he remembered Jocko. He had no intention of leaving his buddy on the floor of a parked car. He decided to turn Jocko’s body over to Detective Flint.

  If he used the ship-to-shore, Flint would know he was on a boat, and Jay had no desire to screw this up. It took him fifteen minutes to inflate the rubber raft stored on board The Lady. He paddled into Carkeek and found a pay phone by the parking lot that faced the Sound. The phone rang twice and was answered. The desk sergeant asked who was calling. Jay gave his name. After a lengthy pause the man told him, “Detective Flint’s on another line. You’ll have to hold.”

  “Yeah, okay.” He held. It felt like two minutes before Flint finally answered.

  “Becker?”

  “Right.”

  “What’s up?” Flint sounded tired.

  “Two people have been killed tonight. I want you to handle the bodies for me. I’m indisposed.”

  “Slow down! It isn’t that easy. I think we better talk. You know how that goes.”

  “No talk. No time. One is a guy named Roy. He’s out at the Westside. A German named Holst killed him. I saw it. The other is my best friend. He’s in a parked car in front of 609 Crocker Street West. You’ll have to contact his mom and dad. I wouldn’t know what to say.”

  “Now wait a minute, Becker. You know as well as I that I can’t let you skate on this without asking some questions. If you don’t turn yourself in, then a warrant will be issued. That won’t look good to a judge. Think about that. You don’t want to send a judge crossed signals.”

  Jay paused to think. What choice did he have? He thought he heard a car behind him, but when he turned around he couldn’t see anything in the dark due to the reflection from the inside light of the booth.

  “Becker?” Flint asked.

  “Still here. Listen, all I can tell you is that I’m involved in something, kind of indirectly, if you follow me. A friend of mine’s been kidnapped. I can’t involve you guys. You do what you have to do, and I’ll take whatever you dish out. But I gotta do this without you guys or my friend will be killed. If I understood any of this, I might explain it better. But that’s all for now. Take care of Jocko for me. He was my best friend.” He set the receiver down into the cradle.

  When he turned around, two police officers were standing outside the phone booth.

  ***

  “You tricked me.” Jay sat on the far side of Flint’s cluttered desk in an office the size of a broom closet. The clock read two-fifteen. Flint handed him a cup of coffee and lit a cigarette.

  “You mind?” Flint asked, waving the cigarette.

  “As a matter of fact, I do.”

  Flint shrugged and killed the butt. “Have it your way. They’re no good for me anyway.”

  “While you had me on hold you traced the call?”

  “Afraid so. We’ve been looking for you for hours, kid.”

  “I didn’t see it coming.”

  “I was counting on that.” A buzzer rang. He picked up the phone, said, “Okay,” and hung up. “Someone here to see you. This is where I get off the bus.” He rubbed his eyes.

  “What’s going on?” Jay felt his heart pounding—a different kind of fear this time.

  “He’ll explain it all. They don’t tell us much.”

  “They?”

  Flint rose from his chair, attempting to neaten some papers. The desk remained cluttered. He picked up his cigarette pack and the plastic lighter beside it. “Hang in there, kid, you’re not in any trouble. Just cooperate, okay? You’ll make it easier on all of us.”

  Jay followed Flint with his head. A nervous-looking man stood in the doorway.

  “He’s all yours,” Flint said.

  “What about Jocko?” Jay interrupted.

  “Got that taken care of,” Flint assured him. “Remember what I said.”

  The other man entered the room and closed the door. He was a good-looking man with nice clothes. He flexed his jaw muscles continually. He reached out his hand. Jay shook it unenthusiastically. “My name is Mark Galpin. I’m the director of Seattle’s FBI regional office.”

  “Is this about Roy Kepella?”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Flint told me the guy was with the FBI. I told him he was killed; he wouldn’t believe me.”

  “He’s alive, Jay. He survived the bullet wound.”

  “Not possible. I saw him. He was dead.”

  “He was well trained, is what he was. He’s in the hospital, but he’s gonna be fine. He kept his eyes open to try and fool Holst. He credits you with saving his life. He says if you hadn’t barged in when you did, he’d have been killed for sure. He can thank you later. Right now, you and I have some business to attend to.”

  “I’ll tell you what I told Flint. A friend of mine has been kidnapped. I can’t involve you guys. If I do, she’ll be killed.”

  “Are we talking about Marlene?”

  “Could be.”

  “What do they want to trade for her, Jay?”

  “I told you, can’t do it.”

  The man’s face grew scarlet, the color spreading onto his neck. “You’re not holding as many cards as you might think. We have half a dozen charges we can hold you on. If we hold you, you can’t help her. Now why don’t we both cooperate and see what we can come up with? There’s more involved here than you might think.”

  “Tell me about it. You know, you and Flint aren’t so different. You both have badges for blinders and a tone of voice that makes me sick. This isn’t one of your games. This isn’t one of your stings. This is my woman’s life we’re talking about.”

  Galpin pushed back in the chair. “Let’s look at it this way, Jay. How well have you done so far? Answer me that honestly.” He studied Jay’s blue eyes. “What would you do if you were me?”

  “Let me go. Protect Marlene’s life.”

  “Would you really? Think about it.” He stood. “I’ve got time, if Marlene does. You stay right here and consider your position. If you cooperate, all we’re going to do is keep an eye on you. That’s all. If you don’t, we’ll hold you right here. You think.” Galpin left the room.

  Jay watched over his shoulder as Galpin walked to a water dispenser and filled a cone-shaped paper cup. Galpin turned around and looked back at Jay. Jay looked back at the cluttered desk.

  Five long minutes later Galpin sat back down and said, “So what do you say?”

  “If they see you following me, they’ll kill her. I believe that. What we have is a stalemate.”

  “What we have is technology, Jay. We can be several blocks behind you, no one the wiser. All we want to do is protect you and Marlene. There’s no use in you being killed, too.”

  Jay slipped into laughter. His fatigue stretched it out unnaturally. “A few blocks behind, eh? I won’t be in a car, Mr. Galpin. I’ll be in a boat. How you gonna pull that off?”

  “Believe me, Jay. We can pull anything off. I believe that. I’m asking you to as well. We’ve handled hundreds of these, Jay. How many have you handled?” He paused. “Am I getting through to you?”

  “Loud and clear.”

  “Then you’ll cooperate?”

  Jay nodded. “Not a hell of a
lot of choice, is there?”

  41

  Becker motored due north for two and a half hours, until he spotted Cultus Bay and Possession Point off the starboard bow. He had had little sleep. An unmarked car had dropped him off at Carkeek Park with the small black box just after 3:00 A.M. He was instructed to install the box aboard The Lady Fine and to unravel a long copper wire, which would act as an antenna. It had taken half an hour, so his restless sleep had been reduced to a little over two hours.

  His head ached and his eyes felt dry and hot, even behind sunglasses and under the brim of a hat. Rigging the boat took longer than usual because of his hurt fingers. He was miserable.

  He set a new compass course to bring him alongside Freeland. At ten till noon he identified a point of lush green land that jutted into the Sound. Just around that point lay Freeland. A small plane passed overhead. Damn, they’re clever, he thought, thinking this was the FBI and feeling much safer. He knew that one of the many sailboats he could see was manned by special agents, though he couldn’t tell which one. He also knew his transmitter was only good for a mile or two, so there would be flyovers as well as the other sailboat to track his location. The Labor Day mobs jammed the waterways. Without the transmitter he would be easily lost. He hated to admit it, but he felt better knowing the FBI was tuned into the transmitter as well as the ship-to-shore frequencies.

  As he approached Freeland he heard a nasal female voice from below decks—the radio. He went below and answered it.

  Holst said, “You will continue northwest to San Juan Island, and anchor overnight off of American Camp. Do you have that?”

  “Yes.”

  Holst hung up. Anxiety flooded through Becker. The San Juan chain was close to Canada. The FBI had no power in Canada. And Jay had no faith in quick solutions to complicated jurisdiction problems where bureaucracies were concerned. How long would it take Galpin to notify the Canadian authorities? The anxiety passed as another small plane took off from Whidbey Island, flying nearly directly over The Lady Fine. That must be a signal, Jay thought. Everything’s under control.