Deep Six
Page 28
“Now we are,” Jake said.
“That text was a stroke of genius.”
“I was hoping. Didn’t know if you got it or understood it.”
The radio crackled to life. Megan patched it into the headphone system. It was Pancake.
“What’s the story?” Pancake asked.
“All good,” Ray said. “We have Jake and Nicole and three bad guys are down for sure. Maybe more.”
“Excellent. The Coast Guard is maybe ten minutes away.”
“Make sure they know we’re the friendlies,” Ray said.
“Already done. I’ll let Ira know the Sea Witch is all his.”
A few minutes later, the lights of the cutter appeared off the port side, headed toward the yacht.
“Can you get them on the radio?” Ray asked.
Megan flipped a couple of switches and spun a dial to another frequency.
“Coast Guard vessel,” Megan said. “This is the Hot Pursuit. We’re off your starboard.”
A voice came back. “We have you, Hot Pursuit. Do you need assistance?”
“No. We’re good. We have the two hostages and they’re good, too. At least three down on the Sea Witch but might be others. Consider them armed.”
“Copy, Hot Pursuit. Clear the area. We have it from here.”
“Roger that,” Megan said. “We’re returning to port.”
“Home sounds good,” Jake said.
“I’m hungry,” Nicole said.
Jake put an arm around her. “Of course you are.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
THREE NIGHTS LATER, Nicole and I met Ray and Pancake at Captain Rocky’s. By the time we arrived, Pancake had already consumed a platter of ribs and three PBRs, to “tide him over,” Ray two Coronas.
We were late because we had stopped by to see Walter and Tammy. Walter had called, saying he had something for me. Wanted to thank me for solving the murder of Barbara Plummer and clearing him. I tried to tell him I did little and that it was Morgan that tied it all up. He’d have none of that. So we swung by.
Walter gave me two bottles of wine. Not just any wine. Screaming Eagle. Goes about two grand a bottle. I tried to explain that I didn’t know good wine from bad, but he said, “Try this and you will.”
Tammy, for her part, was actually pleasant. For her. I mean she didn’t rip Nicole’s head off or suck out her blood or anything like that. She even shared a laugh or two with her and hugged her when we left. Amazing.
Her and Walter? Tammy’s take was along the line—men do stupid shit. Even Walter. And compared to me, Walter was a saint. So all was forgiven.
I did my best not to take offense, but my feelings were hurt. Really, they were.
“What’s happening?” I asked, after Nicole and I sat.
“Ribs,” Pancake said, indicating the pile of completely cleaned bones before him. They looked like something a pride of lions would have left behind. Or maybe an anthropological research project. “Might get me some more,” he added.
“More what?” Carla Martinez said from behind me. I hadn’t heard her walk up.
“More ribs,” Pancake said.
Carla nodded. “Figured as much.” She looked at Nicole and me. “Anything for you guys?”
I nodded to Nicole. She pulled one of the Screaming Eagles from her purse. “This,” she said.
Carla examined the bottle. “This is definitely the good stuff.”
“A gift from Walter,” I said. “For some reason he thinks I solved Barbara’s murder.”
Carla nodded. “I’ll open it. And bring out the good wine glasses.”
“Get one for yourself,” I said. “Wouldn’t want you to miss the celebration.”
“Will do.” She walked away.
“You did,” Ray said.
“Did what?” I asked.
“Solve the murder.”
I shook my head. “Not sure I agree with that. I think there were a lot of moving parts in this.”
“But you two,” Ray indicated Nicole, “grabbed the video that got the ball rolling. That made the connection between Borkov, Henry, and Walter. You found the jogger that witnessed the Wilbanks brothers hooking up with Borkov’s guys. You went on board the Sea Witch and got face to face with Borkov. And you got Grace off the yacht.” Ray shrugged. “Without all that, we wouldn’t be sitting here celebrating a victory against the bad guys.”
“I could’ve skipped that last part on Borkov’s boat,” I said.
“Wimp,” Nicole said.
“Me? I seem to remember a few tears and some cold, shaky fingers.”
“I knew you were scared. Just wanted to commiserate.”
“Commiserate? Is that what it was?”
She shrugged.
Carla returned with five glasses and the open bottle of wine. She poured and we all toasted.
“To a job well done,” Ray said. Then he took a sip. His eyes lit up and he examined the deeply red wine in his glass. “My, this is good.”
Nicole nodded. “Best wine I’ve ever had.”
“Ribs should go fine with this,” Pancake said. He looked at Carla and smiled. “Bring us a few racks.”
“You got it.”
I saw Bob Morgan come through the front door, his gaze scanning the crowd until he saw me. He wound through the tables and sat down.
“Wine?” Nicole asked.
He shook his head. “Still got an interview to do back at the station.”
Carla appeared with a platter stacked with racks of ribs and a basket of hush puppies. She placed both in the middle of the table. “Anything else?”
“I suspect this’ll do it,” Pancake said. “For now.”
She nodded and left.
After everyone tore off a few bones and began to eat, Ray asked Morgan. “So, what’s the latest?”
Morgan wiped his hands on a napkin. “A lot, actually. The guy who got himself shot up just outside of Pensacola? The one that snagged the SUV from under your noses?” He nodded toward Ray and Pancake.
“We were a bit busy,” Ray said.
Morgan laughed. “Just giving you some shit. Anyway, he was indeed Carlos Fernandez. He is definitely connected to Borkov and likely a cartel hitter. It seems Borkov’s attorney got him out of a couple of scrapes. On Borkov’s dime.”
“Figured as much,” Pancake said around a mouthful of rib. Sauce circled his mouth but he didn’t seem to notice, or care.
“His gun wasn’t the murder weapon in the Barbara Plummer killing, but the firearms guys matched it to the one used in the killing of Raul Gomez.”
“So Borkov ordered that killing?” I asked.
Morgan nodded. “No doubt. The FBI has taken over since all this went down on the high seas. And crossed state lines a few times. They’re being fairly closemouthed about it, but my guy over there filled me in. Of course, Borkov, Joe Zuma, and Frank Boyd are history. Your guys chewed them up pretty good.”
Ray shrugged. “Nothing they didn’t deserve.”
“True,” Morgan said. “The Feebies took in the entire crew of the Sea Witch. Apparently they had little to say. Except for a guy named Brian Wirtz. He was Borkov’s chief cook and bottlewasher from what they could glean.”
“We met him,” I said. “He was Borkov’s chef.”
“Well, he was fairly quick to sing. Said he had nothing to do with any of Borkov’s stuff. Just a simple employee.”
“Reliable?” Ray asked.
“The Feebies think so. Anyway, he says he met Carlos a couple of times. When he was on board. Said he was a real reptile. Cold was the word he used. Said he overheard a lot during his years with Borkov and that he heard Borkov tell him to take out Raul.”
“Did he say why?” I asked.
“Apparently Borkov was furious that Raul had botched the killing of Henry and Barbara. Yes, the plan was to whack them both and, no, Borkov didn’t know Henry was away. The idea was to make it look like a simple B and E with a killing. Random. But Raul apparently farmed
it out to Darrell and Darnell Wilbanks. Seems he was trying to build his own crew. Thought the brothers would make good soldiers.”
“From what I know of those two, I’m not sure that was a wise move.” I said.
Morgan nodded. “Apparently Borkov agreed with that. So he sent Carlos to take out Raul while he handled the Wilbanks guys.”
“You said Carlos’ weapon did Raul,” Ray said. “What about Heather Macomb and her family?”
Morgan smiled. “I was getting to that. Two shooters there. We knew that early on. The bullets found there matched the guns the Coast Guard and the FBI found on board the Sea Witch. Near the bodies of Zuma and Boyd.”
“So they dropped us at the mall,” Nicole said, “and then drove over and killed an entire family?”
Morgan raised an eyebrow. “Sure looks that way.”
Nicole shook her head. “I guess their ‘To Do’ list was a little different than mine. Let’s see, drop Grace at the mall, pick up laundry, kill family.”
That got a laugh from everyone.
“What about Grace?” I asked.
“She’s fine,” Morgan said. “Moving to Denver with her mother. Apparently she has a few friends there. She’s actually looking forward to making a fresh start in a new place.”
“Good. She’s been through a lot,” I said.
“Haven’t we all,” Nicole said. “I’m still cold from that jump off the Sea Witch.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll warm you up.”
“Confident, aren’t you?”
I smiled. “Of course I am.”
Nicole took my hand. “I do see a hot tub in your future.”
I looked at Ray. “We’re out of here.”
“Of course you are,” he said.
Nicole and I stood, said our good-byes, and turned toward the front.
“Jake?” Ray said.
I turned back and looked at him.
“Good job.”
I stared at him for a beat, nodded a thanks, and led Nicole out of my restaurant.