Cap's Place: A Jack Nolan Novel (The Cap's Place Series Book 1)

by Robert Tarrant

  Sissy wrapped her arms around me and held on tightly. Her head was pressed against my chest and the only sound was a low whimper. She seemed so small and frail. The brash “hottie” that was the heartbeat of Cap’s most nights deftly parrying the advances of everyone from college kids to seafaring old men was gone and in her place was a terrified little girl.

  Standing there holding her, my mind was spinning. Looking for a course of action. I wanted to go out and call PJ to tell her where we were and see if she had any new information. I believed that Sissy was safe here, but I’d also believed that last night at Pinnacle. My mistake last night was leaving her side. I didn’t intend to make that mistake again. Whatever the plan it would include me staying at Sissy’s side. I can’t fail her. I will not fail her.

  I leaned back from Sissy and took her head in my hands, wiping the tears on her cheeks with my thumbs. “Let’s do this. We’ll take showers and get cleaned up so we feel more human and go out and get some breakfast . . . err . . . maybe it’s lunch. We can run by a Publix and pick up some groceries. That’ll be simpler than trying to explain to Maria what we want for groceries.”

  Sissy tilted her head back in my hands, “Do you think it’s safe for us to go out? What if someone spots us?”

  I almost chuckled but caught myself, “Our picture is not on wanted posters or anything like that. We are twenty miles from the place we were last seen in a densely populated metropolitan area. We have told no one where we are. Sissy, do you even know where we are?”

  She pulled her head back from my grasp and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt, “I guess you’re right. I’m just scared. Sorry.”

  “No reason to be sorry. You have every right to be scared. I just want us to keep everything in the proper perspective. We have one guy looking for us among the millions of people in this area of South Florida. He found us before through our contact with our regular lives. Your apartment. Cap’s. Something. As long as we stay away from anything like that we will be safe.”

  “That must be why PJ didn’t want me going to stay with any family or friends. No person or place that could be associated with me if someone was digging into my life.” She paused, a deep frown crossed her face, “Thinking that someone is digging into my life is unnerving in itself.”

  “Hey, creditors do that to me all the time.”

  The frown faded somewhat, “Okay wise guy, you convinced me. I’m going to take a shower and see if I can make myself presentable to go out in public.”

  Sissy and I went to our rooms. I took a shower, shaved, and dressed. I wished I had taken a little more time when packing but put together a South Florida uniform of cargo shorts and tee-shirt. I passed the time waiting for Sissy leafing through a two year old copy of Florida Today I found in the great room. Sissy emerged wearing a gray sleeveless tee-shirt and light pink shorts. Her hair was done up into a twist held in place with a large tortoise shell banana clip and her makeup was limited to eye liner and mascara. The freckles on her cheeks seemed to almost sparkle and the worry lines in her forehead had faded some. The radiant confident exterior appearance was a facade hiding the still scared little girl.

  On the way out we stopped at the main house and I went to the door and told Maria that we would go out and do our own groceries. She seemed almost hurt that we didn’t want her to do it for us. She told me that she and her husband, Hector, were glad to have us staying in the guest house as the “Mr. and Mrs.” hadn’t been here in several months and were not expected for several more. I couldn’t imagine owning a multi-million dollar estate that you only visit a couple of times a year. Maria said it was great to have people like myself and my sister visiting. I need to remember to mention to Sissy that she is my sister.

  We found a cafe a couple of miles away. It was one of those places with the look and feel of authentic home cooking, whatever the hell that is. Sissy ordered a chopped salad. What is it with women and chopped salad? Don’t they have any imagination? I opted for my usual health conscious lunch of burger and fries. Today I rationalized it as comfort food. Everyday I found a rational reason to eat like a man with arteries totally impervious to clogging.

  After we ate, we found a Publix store and picked up some basic groceries. Mostly deli salads and ingredients for assorted sandwiches. A package of bagels, coffee, and a case of Landshark rounded out our larder. Since we had absolutely no plan on how long we would be holed up in hiding, we really weren’t in any position to know what we needed for food stocks.

  The store seemed crowded, but having never been there in my life I don’t know what I had based that judgement on. I did overhear a number of comments by other shoppers that led me to believe people were stocking up for an approaching storm. Since we were in the midst of hurricane season I made a mental note that I better check on the weather when we got back to the house.

  After we left the Publix, Sissy asked how I knew we were not being followed. I told her that I had been keeping my eyes open for anything that looked suspicious and hadn’t seen anything. At the same time I wondered to myself what something suspicious looked like. I might well not know it if I saw it. To be cautious, I drove around a couple of residential blocks in a series of right turns looking back at each turn to see if anyone followed. Sissy seemed convinced that no one was following us so we drove back to our very well-appointed hideout.

  As we drove up the driveway Sissy turned to me and asked, “What exactly did you tell people about our little stay here anyway?”

  “Thanks for reminding me. You are my sister and you are going through a nasty divorce. Your husband has made threats and you are hiding for a few days. As a good brother I am helping you.”

  Sissy looked at me with a hint of admiration in her face, “Darn plausible cover story. Did you run that on your girlfriend too, or just Maria?”

  “She’s not my girlfriend, but yes, I told her the same story.”

  “Oh, okay, I see.” With that Sissy turned and looked out the side window for the short remainder of the ride.

  After we got back inside the guest house I turned on The Weather Channel while Sissy put away the groceries. Tropical Storm Jasper was bearing down on the Bahamas with us in its sights. Jasper was a Tropical Storm with winds nearly 60 m.p.h. and very heavy rainfall. The storm was moving very slowly and the National Hurricane Center was predicting that it would intensify into a hurricane before making landfall in South Florida. A Hurricane Watch was in affect, which meant that we could expect the storm within thirty-six hours. Oh great! Just what we need . . . a damn hurricane. The only bright spot in the whole mess was that the forecasters were saying that there was a possibility that the storm would turn northeast and just brush us as it moved along the coast. That’s good because I would have a hard time taking a storm named Jasper very seriously.

  I knew that the end of the world for us was not imminent as there was still other weather in the county to report on. Other tragedy in the making. When your area gets continuous coverage from either CNN or The Weather Channel you know you are in deep shit. If you get continuous coverage from both you know the end of days is at hand. Sissy walked into the room as I was watching the end of the report, “Are we going to have a hurricane?”

  “Sissy my dear, these guys with their millions of dollars of equipment don’t know, so I sure as hell don’t. It does sound like we’re going to get something though.”

  “Will we have to evacuate from here?”

  “I don’t know. I wouldn’t think so. These are new homes. I’m sure they are built up to the latest codes. I’ll bet that they even have a generator here. Doesn’t sound like it’s really that bad a storm, as hurricanes go. We’ll probably be fine here. What I am worried about is Cap’s. I need to get there to make sure that everything gets done. Mickey had a list of things to do around the place when a storm was approaching. Things like boarding the windows and turning off the gas lines. He and Jean rode out several storms and each time he refined his list. I know about the list b
ut have never needed to use it. I can’t leave that to Marge. That’s asking too much.”

  “Yeah, yeah, let’s go. We can get everything taken care of ahead of time. If the storm does come they’ll close the bridges and we won’t be able to get to Cap’s.”

  I was dumbfounded. A couple of hours ago Sissy was afraid to leave this place where no one knew us. Now she was going to go back to Cap’s to help board up windows. This woman really toys with my equilibrium. “We are not going anywhere. I am going and you are staying right here. The last thing in the world we are going to do is have you go back to Cap’s. I’ll go and you stay here. I won’t be gone more than three or four hours. Just long enough to see to it that the big stuff, like boarding the windows, is done and that Marge knows everything to do at the last minute. If the storm does come she’ll need to close up and get across the Intracoastal before they close the bridges.”

  Putting her hands on her hips and jutting out her chin, “Listen buster. Cap’s is just as much home to me as it is to you. It’s important to me too.”

  “Sissy, I know that Cap’s is important to you but it’s not worth risking your life for. It’s just too dangerous. The only two places these goons know to look for you are your apartment and Cap’s. It would be stupid to go to either. You stay here and I won’t be gone that long.”

  “Okay, but you have to promise to get right back here. I don’t want to stay here alone tonight. Like you said, I don’t even know where I am.”

  I looked at my watch, “It’s four thirty now. I’ll be back by eight at the latest. You figure out what we’re going to have for dinner when I get back.”

  With disgust on her face, “Oh sure, it’ll take me three hours to figure out what kind of sandwiches we’re going to have.”

  “Why don’t I stop and pick something up on the way back?”

  “No, that’s all right. Sandwiches are fine. I don’t want you gone any longer than you have to be.”

  “Okay, I won’t make any extra stops. I’ll be back before you know it.”

  I didn’t feel good about leaving Sissy alone, protecting her was the one thing I’d told myself I was going to do, but I didn’t know what else to do. I could never explain to Marge on the phone everything that needed to be done to get Cap’s ready for the storm. Even if I could remember everything without Mickey’s list. I really had no choice. I certainly couldn’t take Sissy with me. That would be taking too much of a chance.

  Before I left, I got the nine millimeter out of the drawer where I had hidden it while we went out and showed Sissy how it worked. With a cartridge already chambered it was a matter of pointing and pulling the trigger. Sissy was not at all comfortable but I made her hold the gun and raise it to eye level as if aiming at someone. We agreed that if I left the gun on the nightstand next to my bed she could get to it if anyone showed up at the house. As I left, Sissy was walking from room to room turning on every light in the house even though dark was still several hours away.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  I drove into the parking lot at Cap’s at 5:45 p.m. and noticed that the lot was almost full. Unusual for this time of the evening on a Thursday in the fall. It wasn’t until after I got out of the car that I noticed the banner announcing “Hurricane Party” draped over the Cap’s Place sign in the front of the parking lot. Hurricane Party! What the hell is that about!

  As I was walking up the back steps, the door burst open and Moe came dashing out nearly bowling me over. “Sorry Boss. I got to get out back and help Justin with the plywood. Ya know what sparrow asses those fishermen is.” With that he was gone around the corner at the back of the building. For a second I just stood there with my mouth open, before following Moe around to the back.

  When I rounded the corner to the back of Cap’s, I was greeted with a beehive of activity. Moe, Justin, Captain Bob, and a couple of fishermen that I recognized from the bar but didn’t know their names, were hoisting sheets of plywood up an extension ladder that was resting against the railing around the upstairs deck. Sheets of plywood already covered the windows on the first floor. No one seemed to notice me, and since I really didn’t know what to say, I turned and retraced my steps to the back door.

  Inside, Jimmy Buffet blaring on the jukebox was nearly drowned out by the din of chatter from the near capacity crowd. Two of our waitresses were behind the bar helping Marge fill drink orders and it appeared that nearly every waitress we employed was working the floor. From the scene you would have thought that the Dolphins were playing in the Super Bowl. I worked my way through the crowd and got to the end of the bar where I could best shout to get Marge’s attention.

  Marge came down to the end of the bar, “Hi Jack. Want a drink?”

  “We need to talk. Let’s go into the office.”

  Marge turned to the leggy blond helping behind the bar, Misty or Mindy, or something cutesy like that, and yelled, “I’ll be right back.”

  Once we were in the office with the door closed so we didn’t have to yell to be heard I asked, “What’s going on?”

  “What do you think is going on? We are having our annual hurricane party. Great turnout don’t you think?”

  I slumped down in the desk chair, “I didn’t know we had an annual hurricane party. I guess the timing is great since there appears to be a hurricane coming.”

  Marge sat down on the arm of the small couch and chuckled, “Well, there is a hurricane coming for another day or two. After that it will be gone. That’s why I decided to have the party now. Hoping to stretch it through the weekend.”

  “What do you mean it’s coming for a day or two and then it’ll be gone?”

  The corners of Marge’s mouth turned up in the closest I had ever seen to a grin and her eyes glowed with pride, “My nephew works at the National Hurricane Center down in Miami. I always get the straight dope from him. He says there is no doubt that the storm is going to turn and barely brush us. Nothing to worry about. A heavy rainstorm is all we’ll see.”

  “Why is the media making it sound so serious? I was worrying about an evacuation order and the bridges closing soon.”

  Marge’s grin melted into a sneer, “There’s nothing else going on in the area. No triple murders. No new political scandals. The media needs something to keep you tuning in. They’re not lying, they just aren’t giving you the whole story.”

  “So you’re having all of this work done even though you know there will be no hurricane?”

  “The guys, Moe, Justin, Captain Bob, they know the truth. Actually, most of the locals know the truth. It’s part of the party. Sort of our inside joke. Besides, it’s a great promotional gimmick. Originally, it was Mickey’s idea. The first year he owned Cap’s we had a couple of real hurricanes. Nothing too dramatic but real storms. Mickey noticed how business picked up as the storm approached and how regulars wanted to help him secure the place before the storm. The next year we didn’t have any real storms. By the third year, Mickey had the idea that we’d have a hurricane party anytime there was a threat of a storm, just for the fun of it. So, at least once a season we would have a hurricane party, storm or not.”

  “I don’t remember having one that first year I was here with Mickey. We didn’t have one last year. I know that.”

  Marge cocked her head to one side, obviously searching her memory, “You came down to stay with Mickey that first year after the hurricane season had ended. Last year several of us mentioned the hurricane party to you a couple of times but you never picked up on it so we just let it drop. Cap’s is your bar. You can have, or not have, any party you want.”

  Try as I might, I just couldn’t recall any conversations about a hurricane party last year. I probably didn’t catch on to what was being said to me at the time. I’d always prided myself in listening to people, but lately I’ve started doubting.

  I stood and took a step toward Marge. She stood and I wrapped my arms around her. “Thanks for everything you’re doing Marge. I really appreciate how you’re keepin
g Cap’s going while both Sissy and I are gone. Is there anything you need me to do while I’m here? Should I go out there and look like the worried bar owner? You know, add to the realism.”

  Marge laughed out loud as we broke off our hug, “Well, that would certainly be a change. Mickey was usually the first one to get drunk and he never really worried even when he was sober.”

  The grin swept off Marge’s face as fast as it had appeared and she asked, “How is Sissy? Is she safe?”

  “She had a bad experience last night but I have her somewhere safe now. She’ll be fine once the cops catch the people who are out to get her.”

  “So the threats are real? She is in real danger?”

  “Oh the threats are real, and she has been in real danger. She’s won’t be in any more danger if I can keep her hidden until these people are stopped.”

  As my words sunk in, the furrow in Marge’s brow grew deeper, “What are the cops telling you? Are they close to catching the people after Sissy?”

  “I haven’t talked to them since early this morning when Sissy and I left the Pinnacle and went into hiding.”

  Marge cocked her head to one side, “Oh, I guess the guy, you know the one who was here last night talking to you, I guess he didn’t get you on your cell phone.”

  “You mean Tim, PJ’s partner? No, I haven’t talked to him since I saw him here last night. Was he here again looking for me?”

  “No, he hasn’t been back but he did call earlier today looking for you. I told him that I hadn’t seen you and suggested he try your cell. Guess he didn’t reach you.”

  I started to explain to Marge that I wasn’t using my cell phone for fear of being tracked, but decided that would sound too melodramatic. “Must have missed the call. Had the phone turned off so I could get some sleep. I’ll try to reach him.”