Dead in the Water

by Lesley A. Diehl

  Grandfather got into the back seat, Jerry and I the front, and we drove off.

  “What’s he doing here, Eve?” Jerry asked.

  “Frida pointed out to me that most folks around here open their shops on a regular schedule. We missed yesterday because someone nabbed Madeleine. To protect our business, I’m having Mr. Egret tend the store today. Right, Mr. Egret?”

  He nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “He’s an Indian, an old Indian.”

  “Yup, he is, and that’s why I wanted him. Of all my friends here, I’ll bet he’s the smartest one, so I knew he could handle the shop with no problem.”

  We pulled up in front of the consignment shop.

  “Here are the keys.” I handed them to Grandfather.

  “Aren’t you going to go in with him and tell him what to do?” Jerry seemed both amazed and exasperated.

  “He knows what to do, dummy. He’s there to sell stuff.”

  “And meet the ladies.” Grandfather waved and entered the store.

  Chapter 14

  We didn’t talk much as Jerry drove down the Beeline Highway for West Palm. Jerry sat hunched over the wheel, grinding his teeth as if he had eaten something for breakfast that required extensive chewing. I leaned into the seatback and checked the side view mirror every now and then, keeping an eye on the black SUV that followed us. Maybe Jerry had become more reliable and arranged for protection.

  I let my mind wander while we cruised by fields of cattle and a citrus plant north of Indiantown. I could smell the sweetness of the fruit being pasteurized. It smelled as if someone was baking lemon poppy-seed muffins, an aroma I liked, but then I didn’t have to sniff it day after day.

  It felt like weeks had passed since my uncle’s death, yet little more than a week had gone by. In that time, my life had experienced ups and downs: the agony of his death, being run off the road and threatened, inheriting his estate, losing it, and now Madeleine’s kidnapping. I also realized I didn’t care anymore if this money freed the sister of Sophia and Boris. My concern was Madeleine and only Madeleine. As if thinking about my recently acquired Russian relatives set up a disturbance in the cosmos, my cell rang. I looked at the ID, hoping it was the kidnapper making contact. But no. It had to be Sophia. And why was I not surprised at her first question?

  “Do you have the money yet?”

  I sighed and tried to control my temper.

  “I’m working on it, Sophia. We’re on our way to the bank in West Palm. I’m doing my best. You’ll have to forgive my terseness, but this is my friend we’re talking about and I am worried. Your sister is being held hostage and my best friend who is like a sister to me is also being held hostage.” There was silence on the line.

  “Are you still there?” I asked.

  “They haven’t called, not last night or this morning.” There was a small catch in her voice.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll be in touch.” I ended the call. The cell rang again, but I ignored it.

  “Good for you. She’s putting far too much pressure on you,” Jerry said.

  “Do you use a burner phone?”

  “Why would you want to know that?”

  “Nappi said the family uses them to do their business.”

  “They do. So?”

  “No one found a burner phone on my uncle.”

  “He got rid of it then. That’s protocol.”

  “There’s protocol in mob business? It sounds like the state department.”

  “There are ways we do things, yes.”

  “You don’t think Nappi had anything to do with my uncle’s death, do you? I mean, this money he’s giving me, it’s not out of guilt?”

  Jerry slowed for the PGA Boulevard stoplight and looked over at me.

  “You’re so suspicious. You know that was what ended our marriage, don’t you?”

  “What? No, you dunce. What ended our marriage was your philandering and getting Nappi’s daughter pregnant.”

  “But she wasn’t pregnant.”

  “That’s not the point. You thought she was. So did Nappi, so did I. Only she knew the truth. If you thought she was, then you were messing around while we were still married.” I stopped talking. It was no use explaining this to Jerry. Sometimes his version of logic left me breathless. “Leave it. You’ll never understand.”

  He stepped on the gas, and we drove in silence until we got to the Turnpike, took it south, and exited at Okeechobee Boulevard. We drove several miles to City Place, parked the car in the parking area, and walked to the bank, arriving just as the doors were opened. Jerry headed right to the Vice President’s office. We were expected, and after we’d signed numerous documents, the VP handed Jerry a briefcase that held the money.

  Jerry hefted the heavy case. “It’s not marked, is it?”

  “What do you think?” The VP looked at Jerry as if he thought he was the class dunce.

  As we walked through the bank, I grabbed Jerry’s arm and stopped him on the sidewalk. “Is it marked? They’d know, wouldn’t they? That’s not smart.”

  “I’m not having this conversation with you in the middle of the street, holding half a million bucks.”

  “You’re right. Where’s the security?”

  “What security?”

  “You know. The guys who were following us all the way from Sabal Bay. In the black SUV.”

  He looked confused.

  “Jerry? You did arrange for security, didn’t you?”

  “Sure.” He patted his pocket.

  “You’re packing. You. You’ve got a gun. Give me that. You’ll hurt yourself.” I grabbed for his pocket.

  He swatted away my hand, and we continued into the parking complex to the car. Just as Jerry unlocked the doors, two individuals dressed all in black like ninjas confronted us. Their faces were covered, making it impossible to see any distinguishing feature other than the cold gray of their eyes.

  Without a word, the shorter one performed a karate chop on Jerry’s hand, forcing him to drop the briefcase. The taller of the two patted down Jerry, extracted the pistol from his pocket and hit him across the face with it. Jerry slammed into the car and slid down the passenger’s side onto the cement. I rushed at the one holding the briefcase, grabbing for the money, but the other ninja stepped between us. I grabbed his arm as he raised it to hit me and held on. He stepped back and my hand slid down his arm. I fumbled with his fingers, thinking I could at least break his thumb before he turned the gun on me. My hand slipped free, and I came away with his black glove. As suddenly as they had appeared, the two ran down a line of parked cars. I watched them toss the gun away before they disappeared at the far end of the garage. Soon I heard an engine start and the squeal of tires as a black SUV careened down the parking ramp. I couldn’t get the license number or see the occupants because the windows were so dark.

  Oh crap. I was cursed. I couldn’t hang onto an inheritance, and now I couldn’t hang onto a loan.

  My cell rang. Sophia again. “Do you have …?

  “Yes. I’ll get back to you later.”

  “Well, you don’t have to yell.” This time I could hear traffic noises in the background.

  “What’s that noise? Are you in the car?”

  “No we’re sitting out in front of the apartment having coffee. I thought you would keep in closer touch.”

  “This is not a good time.” I ended the call.

  Right now I had to call for help and then concoct a story about the money that would make sense to the cops. As I’d acknowledged to myself earlier, I was becoming a great storyteller. Little did I know it was a skill I’d need over and over again.

  When the police and an ambulance arrived to cart Jerry off to the hospital, I was weaving my tale for the police. “It was money from my uncle’s estate. He was recently, uh, I mean he recently died and left me some funds. We just retrieved them from the Palmetto First State National Bank. You can ask the VP there.”

  When the cops asked me how muc
h was in the briefcase and I gave the amount, the two officers exchanged glances. I crossed my fingers that the bank’s VP would cover my story.

  “Half a million bucks?” The older officer jotted something in his notebook.

  “Yup.”

  “Your uncle must have been a rich guy. What kind of work did he do?”

  “He was a mediator of sorts. He did business with large families and connected them with other big businesses.”

  I was sweating so hard that, had it not been waterproof, my mascara would be running down my cheeks. I worried my antiperspirant was failing, and I would ruin my Ralph Lauren shirt—thirty bucks at that consignment shop in Port St. Lucie. I’d never be able to find one like it at that price. I kept spinning my tale, however, all the while wanting to scream that my friend was going to die at the hands of some Russian thugs.

  Finally the police let me go, making me promise I would come down to the station and sign a statement after I visited Jerry in the hospital.

  I sped off to the emergency room and told the nurse there that I was Jerry’s wife. She allowed me to enter the cubicle where they were treating him.

  “He’s suffered a concussion and contusions to his head. He should stay here for observation.” The doctor sounded upbeat about his recovery.

  “Am I dying?” Jerry asked.

  I leaned over and patted his cheek. “No, you’ll be fine, but you’ve got to stay here overnight.”

  “Who will take care of you, Evie?”

  I let the “Evie” go for once and gave his cheek a pinch. “I’ll take care of me for now, and Nappi will be out of jail today.”

  I left the hospital with a promise to Jerry I’d be in touch. I had no intention of retrieving him tomorrow. I’d let one of Nappi’s men do that. Right now Jerry’s expertise as my bodyguard had proved to be no better than that of any amateur. I wondered if his gun was loaded or if he had a carry permit. Well, that was Jerry’s problem. I was sure the police would be in contact with him tonight.

  At the police station I again told my fancy tale of being an heiress picking up her loot, signed the statement about the robbery and then sped off toward Sabal Bay in Jerry’s rental. He wouldn’t be needing it today.

  I sat in the car, waiting for Nappi and his lawyer to emerge from the arraignment. When they exited the building, I got out and waved. Nappi took one look at me and knew something was wrong.

  “I lost your money.”

  He signaled to his lawyer to give us some privacy, and the man moved off to talk with several others, big guys in black suits who obviously didn’t belong here. I did note that the lawyer wore cowboy boots with his expensive suit. Nice touch. Nappi certainly knew how to pick ’em.

  I worried Nappi would give me one of his mobster looks and offer me to the goons speaking with the lawyer. I should have known better.

  “Where did you lose it?”

  “Some ninja types took it from us in the parking garage near the bank. They hit Jerry, and he’s in the hospital. The money’s gone.”

  “Do you know who took it?”

  “It could have been anybody. It was pretty obvious that there was something important in the briefcase. Anyone watching us leave the bank could figure that one out, but given their outfits I think they were waiting for us.” People in Florida can be pretty flamboyant in their dress, but even here, no one would run around town dressed like something out of a bad dojan.

  “What about the security detail with you?”

  “You might want to rethink your use of Jerry as your go-to guy, the same way I rethought him as my husband.”

  Nappi sighed and looked toward the fields of grass and palms trees in the distance. “No security. The boy never learns.”

  “Nope, but he had a gun. They hit him with it.”

  “I need a drink. Do you mind? Is the Biscuit open this early?”

  “It’s almost three, but you’ll get better service and better booze for a lower price at my place.”

  I drove him in Jerry’s rental, tailed by two SUVs, which Nappi assured me were filled with his guys.

  Over two Scotches, neat, I let Nappi know I hadn’t heard from the kidnappers yet.

  “I hope they’re not doing to me what they did to Sophia and Boris. Silence. That feels worse than hearing their demands. At least I’ll know she’s alive.”

  “These kidnappers are strange. Not the way I’d do it at all.”

  “They’re Russian. Maybe they do things differently there. They said they’d be in touch, and we’d do the exchange sometime this evening. But we’ve got no money.”

  Nappi leaned back into the couch and twisted his diamond pinky ring on his finger. “They don’t know that, do they?”

  “We can’t show up with no money.”

  “No, but perhaps we can delay them. I can get the money by tomorrow.”

  “You’d do that? You’d give me another half million?”

  “Well, I know you didn’t take my money. You’re too honest and too concerned about Madeleine. As for Jerry, he’s not clever enough to work out a robbery, especially if it meant he’d have to get hurt. And he’d never intentionally cross me. Never.”

  “You’re going to get your money back, aren’t you?”

  “I am. I’m getting every red cent of it back. Even the money Winston dropped. Someone took the ransom money and someone took the drop money he was carrying for the mob. Neither of his duffel bags reached their intended parties. I don’t know if the Russians are behind all of that, but I intend to find out. I owe him. I owe you.”

  “You feel responsible for Winston’s murder, don’t you?”

  Nappi set his glass on the coffee table and leaned forward. “I thought I had it all worked out. Winston would do this last drop for the mob, and they would let him go. His boss gave me his word. Now, the boss won’t talk to me. Thinks I took the money. I am insulted. This is a slur on my good name.”

  “The mob didn’t kill him, did they?”

  “I don’t know who did it, but if I find out it was the family who employed Winston or another family, I will have my revenge.” He picked his glass off the table, took a sip, and then slammed it back down with such fury I thought the glass would shatter. “This cannot go unpunished. Promises were made. Winston should have been safe. My family reputation is at stake here.”

  In the ensuing silence Nappi and I looked at each other, and I knew I had seen the mob boss persona for the first time. It was not the face of my friend. I wanted all this to be over, and I never wanted to see that face again. I wanted the Nappi I trusted and liked back.

  My cell rang, and I jumped and grabbed for it. It was Madeleine’s kidnapper.

  “Okay, lady, here’s how it’s gonna go down.”

  “Wait a minute. Something’s come up. We’re missing some of the money. We can get it tomorrow morning, but I need more time.”

  “No way. Now. How much you got?”

  “Uh, we’re missing about a hundred grand.” One of my tiny lies again.

  “Well, you just find it. You’ve got an hour, then we meet at the closed restaurant at Deer Mound Lock. You got small bills, right?”

  “Fifties, hundreds, a few thousands—”

  “Come alone. No cops. I want to get this filly off my hands as soon as possible.”

  “Wait. I want to talk to her.”

  There was the sound of raised voices, then Madeleine came on the line.

  “Hi, Eve. He’s been feeding me nothing but peanut butter sandwiches. Could you bring my toothbrush when you come?”

  “He hasn’t done anything to you, has he?”

  “Nope. Aside from keeping me tied up, he leaves me alone in some kind of room. I can smell the swamps nearby. I think he’s afraid I’ll bite him again if he gets too close.”

  “I’ll be there soon. Just hang on.”

  Again, it sounded like Madeleine and her captor were arguing.

  “Why should she hang on? It’s me who’s been suffering here. I thin
k three of my toes are broken and my ear’s infected. Five o’clock. Don’t be late. I can’t wait.” I heard a chuckle and then a disconnect.

  “I think Madeleine is driving him insane,” I said.

  “I can’t believe this is the work of the Russian mob. It sounds more like the guys from the Feed and Seed Store. These aren’t professionals.”

  Nappi would know a professional from a rube.

  “So who are they?”

  “I think someone hired this guy. He’s obviously a local, and he probably won’t be able to tell us much about the person who’s giving the orders, but I’d like to question him anyway. Before he takes the money back to his bosses and they kill him.”

  “And the money?”

  Instead of answering, Nappi pulled out his cell and made a call. Several minutes later I heard a knock at the door. The man who stood there was the size of a Mountain Gorilla but better dressed.

  Nappi gestured him into the house. “Ah, Sid. What did you get?”

  “Between the six of us, we got seventy five hundred dollars. Sorry boss, but we went out to dinner last night, then to the gambling casino.”

  “Run to the bank and use your debit cards. See how much you can add to this. We just need enough layers of money to dazzle a country boy.”

  By the time Sid returned and Nappi and I had made our own run to the automatic tellers, we had collected almost twenty-five thousand dollars. Not close to half a million, but enough, as Nappi suggested, to make a country boy stop and think before he turned it over to the mob.

  “We’ll give him a choice. All this money now, or a chance on more later. I’ll convince him later will be too late. He’ll be dead.” Nappi looked pleased with himself.

  I held up the Scotch bottle. “One for the road?”

  He nodded. “Ransoming is thirsty work.”

  Chapter 15

  The locks from the Rim Canal to the lake always gave me the shivers. From the other side of the canal, they looked tall and cold, imposing, and taking a boat through them and onto the lake was a claustrophobic experience. I’d only done it once in a friend’s craft, and I never wanted to repeat the event. First you drove your boat to the gate, grabbed the signal button hanging there, and waited until the gate keeper opened them. The concrete gray locks loomed over you as your tiny vessel rode up and down on the waves. If there were boats in the lock waiting to enter the canal for the lake, you stayed out of their way and then took your turn. Then you proceeded forward until you nosed the gate at the end. The gate closed behind you and the water began to drop to the level of the lake water. To me it felt like descending into the depths of hell. After too long a time, the gate in front opened, releasing you into the lake.