He dialed the number in Vegas on his cellphone.
"Yeah?" the now-familiar voice barked in his ear.
"Johnny?"
"Yeah, Kev. Whaddaya got?"
"I wanted to let you know that I'm moving ahead with the woman I told you about, the one I want for Cassie."
"Danielle Berger, right?"
"That's right. I had a nice lunch with her today. I'm going to email the script to her tonight and give her a little time to look it over. Then I'll ask her to come aboard the yacht for a read-through with me. Assuming that goes okay and I talk her into taking the role, we'll need a contract."
"Yeah. I gotcha covered on that. I'll just need the dollar amount; and don't forget, we got an exclusive with you on this one."
"I understand. Why do you even — "
"Because, I don't want any shit from your backer about our fee. Even though we didn't send her to you, you still gotta pay our normal cut on top of whatever you negotiate with her."
"Oh, sure. I understand. That's not going to be a problem."
"It better not. She got an agent?"
"Nah. She's never done this before. She'll take whatever I think's fair."
"Don't be a cheap shit, Kev. Treat her right. We all gotta make a living outta this."
"No worries. I understand the game."
"Yeah, I know you do. So does the guy that laughed. Call tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure," Strong said, hearing the click as the man in Vegas disconnected.
****
"Okay," Liz said in a soft tone. She and Dani were sitting on the edge of her berth in the forward stateroom. "Now that they're tucked in for the night, tell me what's really going on."
"I wish I knew," Dani said. "I don't know where to begin."
"How about with the attacker," Liz said. "I could tell you were hiding something from Blaine and Mindy."
"That's so," Dani said. "The scuffle went down about like I said, but there are some things that don't add up."
"You mean about the cops' behavior?" Liz asked.
"That, too. Thanks for helping me cover that, by the way."
Liz nodded. "But there was something else?"
"Yes. That guy didn't handle himself like a common mugger; he'd had some serious training in hand-to-hand combat. Plus, he had stainless steel dental work and an eastern European accent — maybe Russian." She opened a drawer and took out the purse she'd been carrying. "And then there's this." She extracted the commando knife and handed it to Liz.
Liz studied it for a few seconds. "Odd-looking knife," she said.
"I've never seen anything like it," Dani said. "If you flip that little lever around, what looks like some kind of single-shot pistol pops out of the handle." She took the knife back and demonstrated it to Liz.
"I see what you mean. Not something your typical island mugger would be carrying," Liz said.
"Before we go to sleep, I'll email a picture of it to Phillip and see if he knows anything about it. It doesn't look like a one-off; it's more like some kind of military issue, but it's not anything I've ever run across."
"Will you ask him to get someone to check with the cops about the guy?"
"Yes. You know me and my suspicious nature. If the mugger was a Russian, I have to wonder if he's connected to Danilov."
"You don't think this was some kind of random event, I take it?" Liz said, smiling.
Dani chuckled and shook her head. "No. The islands aren't exactly overrun by Russians. And then the cops' behavior didn't add up, either. They couldn't drag him away fast enough."
"What was Strong's reaction to all this?"
"I didn't share my suspicions with him, obviously," Dani said. "If that thug was working for Danilov ... "
"What?" Liz prompted, after a few seconds.
"Well, I don't know. Was he there to keep an eye on Strong? If so, why? And why did he decide to mess with me? None of it makes sense. Was he supposed to check me out before Strong got there? I can't ... "
"You said earlier that he told you to take your dress off," Liz said. "Strip search?"
"More like a quick rape, I think," Dani said, "but even that doesn't ring true. If that's what he was up to, I would have expected that he'd have tried to grab me, or tear the dress off, or something." She lapsed into silence again.
"What about Strong?" Liz asked, again.
"He apologized for being late; he said he was sorry he didn't get there in time to take care of the guy for me. He seemed pretty rattled, actually. I mean, he's an actor, I know. So I don't quite trust that what I was seeing from him is genuine, you know?"
"What are you getting at, Dani?"
"In spite of what he said, he seemed almost relieved that I had dispatched the guy. Strong doesn't have the look or the demeanor of someone who could handle himself in a brawl. My gut reaction was to laugh at him when he made that remark about taking care of the guy."
"You didn't, did you? Laugh at him?"
"No, Liz. You would have been proud of me. I went to the ladies' room to repair the damage and hide the knife, and when I got back, I managed to change the subject to Strong and his movie. Not that it was too difficult."
"You said he wanted to make you a star."
Dani laughed softly. "Can you believe it? I know what he really wants. It was pretty obvious. And, damn it, when he gave me that look, I could feel myself going all ... Well, let's just say I felt betrayed by my hormones, or something stupid like that."
"He's an attractive man, Dani. That's a normal reaction, especially when he's focused his attention on you."
"Not for me, it isn't. I was disgusted with myself."
"You did keep your cool, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"No drooling, or pawing at him, or anything?"
"Liz! I'm going to get you for that as soon as we're alone. Get ready to have your ass kicked, girl."
"Whoa! Don't be such an easy mark, Dani. I didn't mean to upset you so. I was just teasing."
"Well, don't, okay? I'm out of practice with this girl stuff; I swore off men after I split with my fiancé a few years ago, remember? And then there was that thing with Ralph ... "
"All right. Sorry. I'll try to do better. How did you leave it with Strong? Will you see him again?"
"I don't think so."
"Why? Did you get a vibe like he was turned off? You don't think he's going to call?"
"Oh, I'm sure he'll call. He's going to email me a PDF of the script for the movie, and then he wants to get together for an audition or something. But I'm not interested in following up. I know where he thinks it's going, and I don't want to go there. We need to figure out how to get me out of this, Liz."
"I see. Well, there will be time for that."
"Right. Let me snap a picture of the knife and get an email off to Phillip. Guess we'd better call it a night, if Simon's picking them up at seven."
Chapter 16
"Are your guests out of earshot?" Phillip asked. Dani and Liz sat in the cockpit, drinking coffee, their satellite phone on the cockpit table between them.
"Yes," Dani said. "They're off on an excursion — sneaking some photos of Danilov's yacht."
"Why would they do that?" Phillip asked. "I thought you said they were making some kind of travel documentary."
"The husband's a part-time paparazzo," Dani said. "He's hot on the trail of this Kevin Strong character."
"Kevin Strong's some kind of celebrity?" Phillip asked.
"He's a movie star and a producer," Liz said. "Rumor has it he's planning to shoot a film in Antigua. He wants to make Dani a star."
"Congratulations, Dani. What's any of this got to do with Danilov?"
"Blaine thinks he's bankrolling Strong's production," Dani said.
"Blaine?"
"The paparazzo," Liz said.
"Interesting," Phillip said. "Danilov's into everything else. Why not movies?"
"Right," Dani said. "What did you think of that knife?"
"I
t's Russian, from the '80s, although I think they're still manufactured. It was made for the Spetsnaz originally, but some of the Russian law enforcement types adopted it, too. It's an NRS-2; there's a variant called the NR-2 that had a container of survival gear in place of the shooting mechanism."
"Spetsnaz?" Liz asked.
"Russian special forces," Phillip said.
"That tracks with the stainless steel dental work and the accent," Dani said. "Anything from the police?"
"No. Nothing," Phillip said.
"Nothing?" Dani asked, eyebrows rising. "But those two cops said they were chasing him."
"The police have no record of two officers being anywhere near Le Gaulois yesterday," Phillip said. "Nor do they know anything about a mugger who might be Russian."
"Think they were imposters?" Liz asked, looking at Dani.
"The cops? I don't think so. The uniforms, their behavior — it all fit. Except ... "
"Except what?" Phillip asked.
"They did seem to be in a big hurry to get him out of there. They didn't ask quite enough questions," Dani said. "Could your contact be covering up something? Or not privy to some kind of undercover investigation?"
"No. Clarence made the inquiry through an official channel. The information came from the very top, and the source is someone he's worked with over the years; they pass information both ways. There's no reason he would have hidden anything from Clarence."
"What a puzzle," Liz said. "Why are you frowning so, Dani?"
"My suspicious nature, I guess. Suppose somebody paid off those two cops to get that oaf out of there? Then there'd be no record. For all we know, they were off duty."
"But why?" Liz asked. "What sense does that make?"
"That's why I'm frowning. That would mean somebody hired two cops to bust that thug — maybe kidnap him."
"You think his encounter with you was accidental?" Phillip asked.
"I don't know. It seems unlikely — I mean, what would a lowlife like that be doing at Le Gaulois?"
"Did you talk to the people there?" Phillip asked. "Did they seem to know him?"
"No. I didn't exactly question them, but the maître d' was appalled by the whole thing. It was obvious that he'd never seen the man; he couldn't imagine how he'd slipped in unnoticed, he said. Nor could he guess what he wanted."
"What do you know about this Strong?" Phillip asked. "Could he have been a target of some kind?"
"I don't know. That crossed my mind," Dani said. "His reaction seemed slightly off, but I don't know him well enough to analyze that."
"Plus, as you said last night, he's an actor," Liz added.
"Right," Dani said. "He's probably pretty good at hiding his feelings."
"If your assailant wasn't there by accident, and the people at the restaurant didn't have a clue, then he had to be after you or Strong," Phillip said, "unless there were other patrons."
"No," Dani said. "We were the only customers; I made the arrangements, and they opened just for us. I guess he could have been after Strong, and I was just a target of opportunity, since Strong was running late."
"Strong was running late?" Phillip asked.
Dani explained about Strong's message.
"I see," Phillip said. "It's hard to overlook the coincidence of the attacker being Russian, and Strong being involved with Danilov."
"Yes, but what could that mean?" Liz asked.
"I don't know," Phillip said. "He could have been working for a rival of Danilov, I guess, trying to disrupt things. I'll pursue that with Clarence; he's probably got a pretty good dossier on Danilov. It would help if we could identify your attacker, though."
"The video wasn't that clear," Liz said.
"Video?" Phillip asked.
Dani explained.
"Can you get the video to me?" Phillip asked. "Some of Clarence's people might be able to enhance it."
"I'll ask Blaine for a copy," Dani said. "Maybe he got a still shot of him, too; he hasn't shown us the stills yet."
"You said they were on an excursion. When are they coming back?"
"Probably after lunch."
"You said they were trying to get some shots of Danilov's yacht. Why?" Phillip asked.
"Hoping they'll be able to sell candids, or supplement a story about this movie that Strong and Danilov are working on," Dani said.
"Where's the yacht?"
"Hove to around 20 miles west of here, from what Strong said," Dani said.
"How come you didn't sail them out there?"
Dani and Liz told Phillip about their guests' wish to make surreptitious photos.
"With a drone?" Phillip asked. "What kind of drone?"
"I don't know," Dani said.
"Mindy said they use it for bird's-eye-view shots for their travel show," Liz said.
"Hmm. Well, let me know about the video and the stills. It would help if we had a clear shot of the attacker. Who are your guests again?"
"Blaine and Mindy Wilkes," Liz said. "Why?"
"Just curious," Phillip said.
"We'll get back to you about the pictures once they get back," Dani said. "Thanks for the information."
"You're welcome. Talk to you later."
****
"Good morning, Don Petrillo," Vinnie Albarino said, as he walked into the Don's dimly lit office.
"Is it?" the Don asked, his voice soft, his face without expression. "You really think so?"
"Uh ... I think ... " Vinnie wrung his hands.
The Don laughed. It was his scary, insane cackle. Vinnie shuddered and swallowed hard.
"Sit down, Vinnie. It's okay. I just gotta keep you boys on your toes. What's new on my yacht?"
"I heard from Strong yesterday afternoon. He had lunch with the girl."
"The one he wants to play Cassie?"
"Yeah. That one."
"And how'd it go?"
"According to Strong, it went just fine. He's gonna have her audition, whatever, in a few days."
"The way you say, 'according to Strong,' makes me think you got another opinion."
"I got some conflicting information from the people I got watching Strong."
"He lying to us about the broad? You think that dumb bastard's gonna try to rip us off for her pay?"
"That's not what it looks like; it just don't add up, though. Lemme just tell you what they saw, okay?"
Don Petrillo nodded, and Vinnie recounted the tale of the attack on Dani and its aftermath.
"What did the mope say when he went up to her table?" Don Petrillo asked.
"My man was too far away to hear. He said it went down in a few seconds. He thought the broad was a goner after he backhanded her and yanked her up by the hair, but then she went wild. She did something that made him scream and then she head-butted him and whacked him with a full bottle of wine. Knocked the bastard senseless."
"Jesus. Then what?"
"Strong got there while the big guy was still twitchin' and jerkin' on the floor, and right behind him, two cops showed up. By then, the guy on the floor had gone still, like maybe he was out cold or dead. The cops talked to the broad and Strong for a couple of seconds and dragged the big guy out."
"Then what?"
"My man followed the cops. He figured Strong and the woman was gonna eat, so why watch them."
"Yeah. Good. What did the cops do?"
"Shoved the guy in a van and drove up the road a little way to where you could see the water through the trees. They dragged his ass outta the van and down to the water. Some white guys in one of them big rubber boats took him. Put him in the boat and left. The cops drove away."
"Who the fuck is this broad?"
"Her name's Danielle Berger. She and another gal own a charter yacht. Strong met her in the bar at that resort where he was stayin' before Danilov picked him up."
"So are she and Strong gettin' it on?"
"Not yet. but I can tell that's what he's got in mind. That and puttin' her in the movie, I guess. Word is, she's a
looker; if she's dumb enough to fall for his line, he might even make her a star."
"Check her out, Vinnie. You said that guy was big, right? The one that attacked her?"
"Yeah. My man said he looked like a gorilla."
"And she kicked his ass in a few seconds? There's something missing here. See if your man can find out who the hell that guy was, too. But mostly, I wanna know more about this broad, if she's gonna end up in the sack with our boy. Could be somebody's put her up to checking on him. She sounds too tough for just a barfly that he stumbled across."
"Okay, Don Petrillo."
"I'm thinkin' somebody else is tryin' to muscle in on our game, Vinnie. I want to know who."
"I'm on it Don Petrillo."
"Good. Keep me plugged in. Now get your ass to work."
****
"How were your guests last night?" Greg asked, as Danilov waved him to a seat.
Danilov shook his head, grinning. "Fucking Colombians. They're such macho bastards. A damned orgy is what it was. All of them naked except for their guns. I got it all on video if you want to watch. A couple of the girls may not recover. Sorry you missed it."
"I'll cope, thanks just the same. The deal work out all right, did it?"
"Yeah, sure. Same old shit. Did you get any more out of Strong about what happened with Chernov?"
"He finally confessed that he hit Chernov with a wine bottle. He couldn't pull him off Berger."
"Crazy bastard," Danilov said, shaking his head. "I'm not surprised, though. Did he hurt her?"
"I don't think so. It was kind of strange. I had a hard time getting the straight story out of Strong."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he tried to blame it all on the girl," Greg said.
"I don't understand," Danilov said. "Blame what on the girl? That Chernov raped her?"
Greg shook his head. "Not that. I don't think he raped her. Strong said she was okay, anyway, just got a little blood on her face from Chernov. "
"Blood? Chernov was bleeding? From getting hit on the head?" Danilov looked dubious.
"Like I said, it was like pulling teeth to get the story out of him. But I told you yesterday; our crew who picked Chernov up from the cops said he was bleeding, remember?"
Bluewater Drone: The Eleventh Novel in the Caribbean Mystery and Adventure Series (Bluewater Thrillers Book 11) Page 11
