When it
All Falls
Down
47
Nina’s truck was up on the corner. She’d waited—
“Buck Reilly, what a coincidence.”
I spun hard toward the male voice—but a sudden blow buckled my knees. I remained upright but wobbled back a couple steps.
Gunner stood in front of me, arms cocked, ready to launch another punch.
“That was for slicing the tires on my plane,” he said.
He moved toward me and the stars cleared just in time to deflect the next right jab. His blue reflective sunglasses made it seem like a giant insect was descending on me. He pressed forward with his bulk and switched from single shot to rapid fire. I deflected a few more blows until an uppercut to my belly expelled every bit of oxygen from my body.
A small voice in the back of my head reminded me I wanted to avoid fighting Gunner, but that was no longer an option. With a feint to my left, I ducked and pushed off to the right, dodging two more shots. I swung back hard with a left hook to his ear that sent the mirrored glasses flying.
Gunner, however, didn’t budge.
Crap.
His eyes were even more menacing without the glasses.
Once a Golden Gloves middleweight champion (regional), I was an adroit fighter, but against a heavyweight mercenary like Gunner, the odds were—
He came at me again, faster this time, like a whirling dervish with hands and feet kicking and jabbing, and the next thing I knew he kicked the back of my legs and I was falling backwards, only to feel a chop on my nose and—
I AWOKE IN AN alley, surrounded by refuse, my legs tied together with one of those plastic straps police use instead of handcuffs. Sitting on a crate next to me was Gunner. The blue shades were back on, but one of the lenses was cracked.
“I knew if I watched the driveway to that hotel long enough, one of my quarries would show up. When I saw you earlier I was going to grab you then but figured if you made it out you’d have more to tell me,” Gunner said.
“Why should I tell you anything?”
I’d forgotten about his square teeth.
“I laughed when I saw your old junker washed ashore like a dead whale,” he said.
“What do you want, Gunner? Or should I call you Rostenkowski?”
“Very good, Reilly. I’m impressed.”
I hoped Nina wouldn’t come searching for me.
“So how did you meet the Peruvians?” I said.
“Easy, really. Your friend at the Canal Zone tipped them off when the boat and their men disappeared. We met at the airport because I captured the limo driver who made the mistake of hanging around after he dropped you off.” Gunner smiled. “Your friend arranged the introduction to the Peruvians in exchange for his driver. He didn’t have anything good to say about you either.”
Raul. Nice.
“And why did the Peruvians agree to get you involved?” I said.
“We had mutual interests and were able to help each other on an impromptu basis. I needed two new tires—nice move, by the way—and they needed a plane to go out and find their merchandise.”
“Merchandise, huh? Who are you working for anyway?”
“Myself. Thought you’d have figured that out by now.”
“And that’s your G-IV?”
“I was hired by Standard Mutual Insurance to find the Sea Lion—”
“Hence the SM on the plane’s tail.”
“But like any good soldier of fortune,” he said, “or at least one that wants to prosper, you sometimes have to roll with the punches. When you evaded me, fate brought me the Peruvians who were hotter than an artillery barrel after a daylong barrage. I had the tracking gear, so—”
“You followed the signal from the transmitter inside my plane?”
He smiled. Lots of small, square teeth.
“Before either of us left Key West,” he said, “you were punching out such a strong signal, following you was a breeze. I figured the police or maybe the Feds were watching you.”
Booth’s transmitter. He almost got me killed—still might.
“So Standard Mutual covers the Sea Lion?” I said. “Pretty expensive plane for—”
“They insure the Atocha Museum.”
That made sense. I wondered if Donny Pogue knew SM had this bastard on the prowl.
I said, “As the insurer, I imagine Standard Mutual had some access to police reports, the Coast Guard’s and Treasure Salvors’ people. They feed that to you?”
Another smile. “Took me less than an hour to figure out you were on the hunt for the same boat I was, and the captain was a friend of yours, thanks to their intel.”
“What about the pilots for your plane? How’d they feel about switching teams?”
He cracked his knuckles. “Like they had a choice? They weren’t too happy about landing in Havana either, let me tell you.”
“What makes you think they haven’t left you?”
He reached inside a thigh pocket on his black cargo pants and removed a circuit board the size of a playing card.
“Nice thing about modern airplanes, Reilly, they’re just big computers. You remove the hard drive, they’re just worthless boxes of shit.”
“So what do you want, Gunner?”
He took the sunglasses off and leaned in close. His dung-brown eyes betrayed no emotion or insight.
“I want the treasure you took off the Sea Lion. What the hell do you think?”
I shook my head the way you do when you feel sorry for somebody, even though it made my jaw hurt.
“The Peruvians made at least two mistakes, so far. The first was thinking I scuttled the Sea Lion—”
“They had that from Governor Raul Acosta, said he was getting even for you ripping him off—”
“He helped me ambush the Peruvians, Gunner. The Sea Lion sailed back toward Cuba all by its lonesome. Treasure intact, with the Peruvian thieves as captives.”
He clamped his square teeth together and I saw the muscle in his jaw twitch. “What was their second mistake?”
“Trusting you.”
He sat back on his heels, closed his eyes for a few seconds, then I heard a long exhale followed by a sigh.
“Then what’s your angle in all this, Reilly?”
Gunner, bless him, was like Gutierrez and Sanchez, his needs and desires universal and totally transparent. With all of them, it was all about greed. Which made improvising simpler.
“The police in Key West were right,” I said. “I am partners with Gutierrez and Sanchez.”
“You’re a pirate, after all.” He smiled. “I knew I liked you.”
“Problem is, Gutierrez double-crossed us and had the Sea Lion rendezvous with him in Cuban waters where he removed half the treasure. I flew around the Bahamas to lure the Coast Guard east, then double-backed to help Truck Lewis get rid of our other partners, the Peruvians aboard the Sea Lion.”
“What the fuck are you talking about, Reilly?”
“Truck doesn’t realize the partnership has fallen apart. He’s sailing back here expecting to meet me, Gutierrez, and Sanchez in Bahia Honda tomorrow morning to divvy up the goods.”
Gunner squinted at me as if I were an alien. “You shitting me with all this? What about your plane?”
“When I flew to Cuba to meet Gutierrez, the greedy bastard shot my ass down.”
Gunner hacked out a laugh that had him coughing, then alternated laughing and coughing for maybe thirty seconds.
“Now what?”
“I’ll be at Bahia Honda tomorrow morning to intercept the Sea Lion before Gutierrez can get to it first. With Sanchez at my side.”
“And me at your other side,” he said.
I shut my mouth, rubbed my face, and felt the fresh lumps administered by Gunner.
“Sanchez just told me they’ve commandeered your plane,” I said.
“Fuck it, who cares. If I can get some of this—”
“He’s also furious that yo
u brought the Peruvians here. He’s issued orders to shoot you on sight.”
Gunner bit his lip. “Not with you as my shield.”
“Oh, really? You think Sanchez won’t try and take me out, too? You think there’s any honor left amongst this bunch?” I spit on the ground and saw blood mixed in with mucus.
“So what’re you saying, Reilly?”
I smiled. “I’m saying we double-cross them first.”
Another slow laugh rumbled out of him and his eyes crinkled at the edges. He was having a great time.
“I like the way you think. But, how?”
I leaned forward. “I stay out in the open so Sanchez doesn’t suspect anything. You do what you do best and set up an ambush—”
“Oh, no, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“Won’t work, Gunner. We won’t get anywhere near Bahia Honda if they see us together—”
“So how will I find you? How can I trust—”
“Because I need you too, damnit! I’ll be on the main dock there at eight a.m. tomorrow. I hope you still have access to some of that fancy weaponry you showed me in Panama. Get yourself in position by seven and don’t be late.”
His eyes narrowed for a moment. Given his line of work he had to consider it might be a trap, but I was counting on greed and a lack of options and his perfectly reasonable belief that I needed him to trump his suspicions. He took a knife out of his pocket, hesitated, and I nearly went into cardiac arrest as he leaned toward me.
He sliced the plastic clasp on my ankles.
“You double-cross me, Reilly, I’ll find you.”
“I know you would, I’m not stupid. And think about it. My plane’s been shot down, I’m wanted back home, my partners here have double-crossed me and I’m totally expendable to them. My job was to stake out the museum and run the operation there. I’ll never get my share of that treasure and I’ve got no way off this island. I need you as much as you need me, Gunner.”
I held out my hand. He grabbed it and squeezed hard.
“Just remember, you screw me, I’ll get you, one way or another.”
I walked out of the alley, got my bearings, and went the opposite way down the street to make sure the coast was clear before I circled the block to meet Nina. My mouth was dry, my head was pounding and my mind was spinning.
Oh what a tangled web we weave when trying to save our asses.
48
Behind the barn, a fresh swath was cut through the tobacco field as far as the eye could see. It was about sixty-feet wide and dropped slowly in elevation. Señor Maceo was atop his tractor and driving fast toward the barn.
“Papi’s cleared you a runway,” Nina said.
“He’s a pretty amazing man, Nina. And unbelievable as it may be, it looks as though we may actually get the plane off your farm. It all seems to be coming together.”
“For you, yes. For us, what will happen when Ramón comes back with the authorities?”
She said it with no malice in her voice, the way she might have asked a question about the weather. I didn’t have an answer. I wished we’d found Ramón but wasn’t sure what we’d have done with him if we had. I explained what I’d told Sanchez.
“Very clever, Buck Reilly,” she said. “That should buy you and Ray enough time to try the Beast.”
But what would happen when I didn’t show up at Bahia Honda? And Gutierrez was still out there. How could we just take off and leave Nina and her grandfather to face Gutierrez, or Sanchez once he realized I double-crossed him? Or what if CNN announced the treasure was safe aboard the Sea Lion, under escort by the Coast Guard, before my scheduled meeting with Sanchez tomorrow?
It was still a mess, and nobody was safe.
“Come with us, Nina.” I nodded out to the field, where Señor Maceo pulled the tractor off to the side of the dirt runway up next to the barn. “You and your grandfather should leave Cuba, once and for all.”
He held a fist up, and then Ray emerged from the barn and held his fist up too.
Nina sighed.
“Look at him. At least he’s recovered from this morning’s humiliation.” She turned toward me and put her hand on my leg. “We can’t come with you, Buck. Our lives are here, with roots as deep as these tobacco fields we’ve tended for generations.”
“But what if you’re right? What if Ramón returns with the police and they make a thorough search of the property? Remember the PNR truck and Ramón’s Cadillac? There are airplane parts all over the barn. There’s no way to hide all that, and look.”
I pointed to the fresh cut path.
“It’s a trail right to you. They’ll know you helped us, Nina. They’ll … they’ll …”
She raised her palm to my cheek.
“Papi will never leave, and I could never leave him. We can’t run from our lives, no matter what will come. Cuba is on the brink of freedom, and perhaps thugs like Gutierrez will finally be brought to justice.” She popped the door open. “Come, let’s see what those two have done.”
“But what will you do?” I said.
“Once you leave, I’ll get on the radio to the Ministry of Agriculture. Remember, our fields produce some of the premier tobacco in the world. Cuba survives on tourism, sugar, nickel, and cigar exports. Calls can be made to those who oversee MININT. If Gutierrez and even Sanchez are pursuing their own interests, maybe they can be stopped.”
Her eyes and smile were steady, as if she believed what she was saying.
I leaned over and took her in my arms. We held each other close and she buried her face in my neck. I bent lower to kiss her, and this morning’s dream of making love under the stars was no longer a fantasy. My mind raced along with my heart, but Nina pulled back to look at me, with moist eyes.
“Come, Buck, we need to get you out of here.”
I felt lighter than air as we walked towards the barn, my arm around her waist. She went straight down the steps and into the pit where the Beast lay ready. I felt like David descending into the lion’s den. Would the Beast kill us or deliver us to the Promised Land?
Hah, never thought of Key West as that before.
“Papi!” Nina said.
Ray and Señor Maceo rushed toward us with broad smiles on their faces.
“Did you see that?” Ray pointed out the barn door and the broad runway easing down a gradual slope. “A couple thousand Cohibas just bit the dust to make way for our departure.”
Nina hugged her grandfather and he laughed like a mischievous young man, a completely different person from the one the police had left earlier.
“A man can be crushed but never broken,” he said. “I‘ve waited for this day for most of my life. The Beauty will rise from the field where she crashed, where the insurrection her pilots were sent to lead failed.”
I thought of the letter from Kennedy to Fidel Castro and how different a half-century of relations between our two countries might have been. Ray and I had placed the pilot’s remains in a box to bring home.
“You, my friends,” Señor Maceo said, “Ray Floyd and Buck Reilly, you will take my Beauty home, to America.”
I doubted he’d consider my appeal for him and Nina to leave with us, but I still had to try. “Why not experience the Beauty with us? Come to Florida, there’s danger for you both if you stay. Our fault, so please accept our invitation.”
His eyes lit up and he looked from me to Ray, who looked surprised but quickly got my drift.
“Buck’s right, come with us.”
“No, no, you boys are kind, but the harvest comes soon. Nina and I have a responsibility to the workers, and to our history,” he paused. “But Nina, you should go with these men. Your grandmother would be overjoyed to see you.”
A tear ran down her cheek. “No, Papi, I will never leave you, no matter what you say. Once Buck goes, I’ll radio the ministry and get them to help us.” She looked to us, her expression resolute. “It’s time, my American friends. You should leave so we can all continue with our lives.�
�
Ray hugged both our hosts and climbed aboard the Beast without a word. Moments later, Betty’s valiant port engine turned over, caught, and roared to life. From the flight deck, Ray pushed his hand out the side window and gave us a thumbs-up.
Seconds passed and the starboard propeller started to rotate, slowly. A backfire spit black smoke out the exhaust, and the engine coughed and sputtered. It had been five decades since she last ran, and our hopes were pinned to a Cuban mechanic accustomed to keeping vintage Chevys, Fords, and Ladas running on bubble gum and homemade parts. She chugged, spit more smoke, gasped, and just when I began to fear our plan was poised to fail, the engine caught with a loud backfire and settled into a purr.
Ray’s up-turned thumb shook like mad and I could hear him howl from the cockpit. The plane pulled slowly out of the barn, with dirt, dust, tobacco, and rocks flying in all directions. The holes in the fuselage had been sealed with burlap, canvas, and tar. She had a patchwork skin but appeared to be airworthy.
What about seaworthy?
Nina, her grandfather and I took several steps back.
The old man was laughing and doing a victory jig.
Nina was looking at the ground, and I realized we were standing on the exact spot where we’d held each other during the early morning hours.
I took her in my arms and pulled her close. “Come with us!”
I couldn’t hear her reply, but I read her lips when she said: “What?”
I placed my mouth next to her ear and shouted the request again.
When I pulled back she was shaking her head. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek just as I was looking at Señor Maceo, who gave me a deep nod. I spun her around and backed her over for a real kiss, undistracted by the roar of the Beast and the spray of debris that peppered us. When Ray let go of the brakes and the Beast lurched forward, I broke away and dashed for the open hatch.
Once aboard, I immediately noticed the difference of the cabin in direct sunlight. It was dusty and bare, with four seats and little else aside from the boxes used to offset the weight discrepancy from the port and starboard engines. I pulled myself forward and navigated my way into the right seat, where I strapped in and donned the headset we had taken from Betty.
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