After three hours’ work, Canasta stopped and returned everything to where she had found it. Then she made her way back out of the Docks to her parents’ house. She was convinced she had not been seen, but she doubled back on her trail twice to be sure she was not being followed.
Canasta’s parents were beaming when she entered the house.
Her father announced, “I managed to locate the spies’ frequency and to copy a large portion of the transmission.”
“You might find these documents helpful.” Canasta handed her father with the clear and encrypted texts of the night’s traffic.
“Good Lord! You’ve brought me a bonanza. Let’s see how things match up.”
He compared his encrypted text with hers. They matched perfectly. He had, therefore, verified his radio was properly set up to copy future messages.
“That’s an excellent thing!” Lady Charleston said. “This one message includes, in a formatted report in the German language, all ships’ movements into and out of Port Charleston, with each vessel named and listed with its lading. It also gives a progress report about each recruiting effort and itemizes payments made to German agents. In effect, it proves conclusively that the five men are not the ship chandlers they pretend to be, but are actually a spy ring for the Third Reich. Canasta, you’ll carry the two ... the plain text and its decrypt ... to your meeting tomorrow night and give it to the British agent. How much of the codebook did you copy?”
“I copied only half of the codebook, Mother. I might have copied more than that if I hadn’t taken the time to copy the message. At my next visit to the Docks, I’ll harvest the rest. Oh, yes. I also looked for anything that was not visible in the office last night. I found something. On a nail by the door was a key on a lanyard. It’s probably a boat key, but I won’t be sure until I check it out.”
Her father said, “It makes sense they’d have a boat for making those at-sea rendezvouses shown on their calendar. They’d have to stow the boat at a pier somewhere in the Docks. Check in the safe and on any surface in the office for references to that boat.”
They discussed the night’s haul at length. Canasta was exhausted and, once again, collapsed into bed. She had no nightmares and awakened refreshed from a deep, uninterrupted sleep.
Nancy brought her breakfast at eleven a.m. “Mrs. Murray, I’ve been told we’re going for a drive to Summerville tonight. May I suggest that you wear your dark blue coat and this?” She handed Canasta a shoulder holster with a pistol inside.
The young woman expertly drew the weapon from its holster and checked the safety. She then examined the ammunition in the weapon like the expert markswoman that she was. “Nancy, let’s hope I don’t have to use this,” Canasta said as she put the gun back in its holster.
The maid reached under her skirt and produced a pistol of her own. “If we need protection and you can’t reach your weapon, I’ll have mine as a backup.”
“Nancy, you are full of surprises!”
“Canasta, I don’t really know much. Tonga, however, was a British colony. It always paid a girl to go everywhere with a gun she knew how to use.”
Canasta shook her head and smiled. “I wonder, Nancy, how much you have surmised while you lived with my family.”
“Don’t ask me that kind of question, young woman, because I’m not about to tell.”
That evening at six-thirty, Nancy drove Canasta by a circuitous route to Summerville, where she dropped her off by the entry to the park. In the darkness, Canasta saw the hanging Spanish moss and smelled the swamp-like water. The sounds of frogs and insects filled the air. After Nancy pulled the car away, thrusting her in darkness, a large, cold hand grasped her shoulder.
“Don’t turn around,” a male voice growled in a distinctly British accent.
She countered, “If you want to stay alive, give the password.”
“Lady Charleston,” the man said.
Canasta relaxed, for that was the password her mother had devised for the rendezvous. The hand released her shoulder. When she turned around, she barely made out a bearded figure around six feet tall. He seemed to be smiling.
She wasted no time. “I’ve brought you two documents that prove I’ve been in the office of five men posing as German spies. Are you interested in learning more?” She handed him the documents she had brought.
He accepted the documents and tucked them into his inside coat pocket. “Mrs. Murray, I’ve got a whole list of things I need you to obtain for me, but I warn you that the people who want these things are not entirely to be trusted.”
“What are you saying? My mother trusts you, or I wouldn’t be here.”
“I’m saying that, in our business, we can trust no one. If all goes as planned, we’ll have struck against an evil so great it can come back to kill us both, and we won’t be able to defend ourselves against it.”
“We haven’t much time left before my ride returns. Tell me what you want. What should I call you?”
The British spy nodded and said, “Call me Intrepid. I need everything about the enemy’s codes and ciphers. I need all names associated with the spies’ operations. If you can identify rendezvous places and times, that would be good. Also, I’m told the spies have a large, solid-mahogany motorboat. Get me the location where that vessel is moored.”
“All right, Mr. Intrepid. What can you give me in return for these crown jewels?”
“I can only offer you a modicum of protection, explosives and detonators, and additional lists of what I and others need.”
She nodded. “What about helping me get rid of a dead body?”
“Will you require that service tonight?”
“No, I won’t. But if I did, could you provide it?”
“I can support you in many ways, including with discreet body disposal. As I see your ride’s headlights coming, this interview is over. We’ll meet again here one hour later than tonight in two days. Bring everything I’ve asked you for. All right?”
“Yes,” she said, but by then, the mysterious spy had disappeared, and Nancy had pulled alongside her.
“So, how did it go?” Nancy asked when Canasta was sitting beside her.
“It seemed a little one-sided, but I didn’t have to kill anyone, and I may have a person to call on if I have special needs.”
Nancy nodded, but her lips were set in a line. She kept her eyes on the road. “Do you still have to go out later tonight?”
“Yes, Nancy, I must. Why do you ask?”
“After you see someone like the man you just saw, you need to be extra careful.”
“He warned me not to trust anyone.”
“That’s good advice if you apply it to the man who said it as well as all the others.”
“Does that include you too, Nancy?” Canasta asked.
The maid nodded slowly but kept her own counsel. Flying insects flew against the car and left smears on the window.
That midnight, Canasta slipped out dressed as Lady Charleston and made her way to the Docks. This time she had to wait outside the chandler’s office as a furious argument was in progress between a German and another man inside. Their dispute was in English, but the German accent of the spy was distinct.
“You promised me gold for those diamonds!” the non-German said.
“Yes, Hal, but tonight, you’ll have to take cash in thousand-dollar bills, or you’ll get nothing.”
“Heine, I can’t take your cash. It’s traceable.”
“Why not take the cash now and trade it for gold tomorrow night?”
“I can’t do that transaction here tomorrow night. Why don’t we plan to make the switch by boat?”
“I’ll motor up the coast to our usual rendezvous at ten o’clock in the evening. You bring the cash I’ll give you tonight. I’ll bring you the gold for the exchange.”
“My people aren’t going to like this one bit.”
“Tough luck! If we have a deal, I’ll count out your money now.”
“It’s a dea
l, you bastard! Count the money.”
The German made a performance of counting the thousands until he reached one hundred. He counted in German. “Here’s your money.”
The tall, thin man recounted the cash he had received twice. Then he stomped out of the office. The German secured the place of business and departed.
This time, there was no sign of a message on the desk. Canasta then searched the office for paperwork about the boat. She found in a green metal file cabinet what she was looking for in a file labeled “Maribel Lee,” evidently the name of the spies’ boat. In the file were details about where the boat was moored. She carefully copied all the information about the vessel. Then she opened the safe and began copying the codebook where she had left off. By four a.m., she had harvested the remaining pages of the codebook.
Now she searched the safe until she found the small, black pouch full of diamonds. She decided not to take the pouch with her, but she counted the diamonds inside it. She also copied the serial number of the bill on top of the stack of brand-new thousand-dollar bills from which the German had counted those he gave to the thin man. Then, she counted all the gold coins in the safe.
It was almost five o’clock in the morning before she secured the office and moved out of the Docks. She had to take care because dawn was coming, and the first shift workers were beginning to arrive. Feeling vulnerable in her mother’s costume, Canasta made it back to her parents’ house before six o’clock.
Once in her parents’ home, she felt like shouting out loud. She was excited by her new discoveries, particularly about the boat. Lady Charleston congratulated her for having the wit to take down the number of the thousand-dollar bill, since that would help identify the stack of one hundred thousands the thin man had received.
When he heard Canasta’s description of Hal, the thin man, her father brightened up. “The man who was arguing with the German named Heine was most probably Hal Burnside, the bag man for the Mindersleeve family. I’m going to let a friend in the DA’s office know about what Hal is carrying. With the serial numbers, he’ll have what he needs to pick the man up.”
Canasta said, “Don’t forget, Hal gave the Germans a pouch full of diamonds for the money, and he’s planning to exchange the same money for gold tonight at sea.”
“Canasta, this intelligence just gets better and better.” With that, her father left the house at a fast walking pace.
Lady Charleston said, “I might be able to locate the Marybell Lee with a little help from an old friend. For now, you should sleep. It won’t be long before you’ll have to make yet another trip to the Docks.”
“I’ll do that, but first, tell me something about Nancy. I’ve known her all my life, but recently she has revealed a secret side of her life.”
“What’s to tell? She’s from Tonga, the British possession. She came to America to make money so her husband could build their home. She has an interesting past with her British friends. What else do you want to know?”
Canasta raised her right eyebrow. “She also knows how to handle a gun. She knows British spies. She knows how to move in the shadows.”
“Yes, she does, doesn’t she?” her mother asked with a smile.
Canasta arched her brow slightly. Then she went to bed.
Not Nancy but Lady Charleston brought her breakfast at eleven in the morning. “Rise and shine, Canasta. I’ve got news.”
As her daughter bathed and dressed, Lady Charleston gave her a status report in rapid statements. “At ten o’clock this morning, based on your father’s information, the police apprehended and searched Hal Burnside. They found the hundred thousand dollars with exactly the serial numbers they expected. Unfortunately, the Mindersleeve family’s lawyers had arranged for Burnside’s release ... with the money. The lawyers distributed hundred-dollar bills among the police to keep them quiet. The Mindersleeve family goons then went to the chandler’s office where they beat up all five of the Germans.”
“Was my father implicated in this?”
Lady Charleston laughed. “Not in the least! He gave the information about the serial numbers to one of his old snitches. That man is likely to be questioned by the gangs, but he’s still useful to them for other reasons. He’ll be okay ... and he’ll not tell his source as he won’t want to spoil his relationship with your father.”
“So, as far as we know, the exchange of the money for the gold will still occur at sea tonight?”
“Yes, and now that you remind me, my source has found where the Marybell Lee is moored.”
“Okay, Mom. Does all this mean that my mission is over?”
“I’m afraid not. It’s only just begun. Until the five Germans are out of business permanently, you’re still on the job.”
Canasta frowned. “As I see it, I’ve been blown sky-high.”
“Explain yourself.”
“The only way anyone could have known about the serial numbers is by breaking into the chandler’s office safe.”
“I don’t agree. You’ll have to take your usual care when you invade the office, but you should have no fear.”
Canasta’s father came into the house looking pale and worried. He said, “Evidently, the hundred thousand dollars are mixed up in the dealings of two other families, the Johnsons for the diamonds and the Rileys for the gold. The Germans were playing the families like an orchestra, swapping assets among them while taking something off the top of each transaction. So the Mindersleeves’ hundred thousands were the temporary payment for the Johnsons’ loose diamonds from a dozen jewelry-store heists. The Rileys’ gold hoard was to be the ultimate payment for those same diamonds.”
Lady Charleston laughed until she said her sides were splitting.
Canasta said, “I don’t see what’s so funny, Mother.”
Lady Charleston said, “Those three crime families will now be at war until the Germans make restitution all around.”
“Does that mean that the three crime families will be gunning for the Germans?”
“Not exactly. The Germans have made themselves too useful for that. While the feuding gangs are turning up the heat among themselves, we’ve got work to do. I suspect the investigative reporters will be involved, and we will probably have close encounters with the media before long.”
Lady Charleston had no sooner uttered these words than a knock on the door heralded Homer Ransom, cub reporter, with a microphone and a huge reel-to-reel tape recorder.
“Ma’am, I’m Homer Ransom from Radio WXTC. Could I get your candid reaction to recent events among the crime families of Port Charleston?”
“You’ll have to tell me what events you mean, Mr. Ransom.”
“A pigeon from the Mindersleeve family is arrested with over one hundred thousand smackeroos on his person. He’s suddenly surrounded by lawyers who spring him. Then we learn that the Johnsons have lost their diamond hoard while the Rileys stand to lose their fabled gold. I thought, given your background, you might be able to illuminate how these separate mysteries relate for our listeners.”
Lady Charleston had played these games before. “I think you’re jumping to conclusions, Mr. Ransom, based on some conspiracy theory you’ve been harboring. I won’t spoil your fun. What do you think is going on?”
Ransom smiled from ear to ear. “Well, Ma’am, everything was quiet until your husband decided to have his memoirs edited by a female stranger to this city. Then, as if Lady Charleston herself has descended into our midst after two decades of silence, the quiet criminal world of Port Charleston is ripped asunder.”
“Horace, my husband and I are retired. You know that. Don’t you think you should be talking to someone who speaks German?”
The young man seemed perplexed. “German? Why?”
She winked at the reporter and whispered, “The chandler’s office down at the Docks seems to be the outfit laundering money in this city for the major crime families. As the five men there are Germans, you’d need to speak their language to get your story strai
ght. Run along now to the Docks. I understand those men don’t stand still for long.”
“Gee, thanks for the tip!” The cub reporter grabbed his gear and moved in the direction of the Docks.
Lady Charleston had all she could do to restrain herself as she closed and latched her door.
“Mother, don’t you think you went a little too far?”
“That reporter was getting too close to the truth. Mentioning your presence as having anything to do with recent events could lead to questions. My scattered thoughts may have deflected him from thinking of you as the center of attention. In fact, as a result, I doubt the reporter will remember mentioning you in his story at all.”
“Mother, I’m going to photograph the Marybell Lee with Father’s camera. Do you mind if I have Nancy drive me there?”
Lady Charleston said, “I don’t mind, as long as Nancy has not got a project going just now. Dinner won’t need her attention for another three hours. Go for it.”
Nancy drove Canasta to the place where the Marybell Lee was said to be moored. Pretending to be taking general pictures of the port area, Canasta took three pictures of the Germans’ vessel.
She thought, It’s not a luxury boat, but its mahogany-wood structure gives it class. At sea, the heavy boat would probably require good pilotage, but it would serve.
While Canasta took her photographs, Homer Ransom appeared out of nowhere with his recording gear.
“Ma’am, do you have time to answer a few questions ... on the record?”
Nancy tried to jostle the man off, but Canasta shook her head. She turned to Ransom and asked, “What do you want to know?”
“You aren’t from around here, are you?” He thrust his microphone into her face. Canasta observed the reels of his recorder moving.
“I’ve only come to Port Charleston to edit a memoir by the city’s former DA. I’ll be staying only a few more days. Then I’ll be gone forever.”
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