Deadly Treasure - A Charlie Flanigan Mystery Novel (Book 1) (Charlie Flanigan Mystery Series)

by Matt Day

  “No, please. What were you going to say?”

  “Well, I was going to ask if you had plans for this afternoon.”

  Carmelita shook her head, “Nothing. Carmen was an angel yesterday and did the laundry for me, so I actually have an afternoon off.”

  Charlie looked at the younger girl who was blushing beneath her mother’s praise, “Nice. That means your mother is free to spend the afternoon with me.”

  Carmen nodded her head in agreement. “I’m going over to Sandra’s house right after lunch, Mom.”

  “I remember.” Turning back to Charlie, she asked, “What did you have in mind?”

  “Ever been sailing?”

  Carmelita’s eyes lit up, “Oh yes! When my husband was alive, we owned a beautiful wooden sailboat and would take it out every weekend. I’ve missed being out on the open water.”

  “Great! That means you can also help with the sails.” At her look of horror, he chuckled, “Or not. My brother Stephen and his wife are coming along as well.”

  “Oh good. I have to confess I was never any good with the sails. My husband usually did that himself; I had a tendency to either let go of the lines or tangle them up somehow.”

  Charlie gave her a horrified look, “No…really…just come along for the ride. Stephen and I will do all the work.” He watched her smile fade, hoping she could tell he was jesting with her, pleased when she finally caught on and started laughing. “Good. We’re going to meet them at the marina around 2 o’clock. Do you want to meet me there, or would you like me to pick you up?”

  “Why don’t I just meet you there?”

  Charlie nodded his head, “Sounds good. Well, I have to gather up some things so I’d better scoot out of here. Go to the Halifax Marina, berth nineteen. Holler when you get there and I’ll help you climb aboard. “

  Carmelita nodded her head, “Great! I’m really looking forward to this afternoon.”

  “Me too.” Charlie nodded at Carmen and exited the church, whistling beneath his breath as he headed for his car.

  Carmen and her mother watched him leave before she turned to her mother with a question, “Does he own any normal shirts?”

  Charlie was once again wearing a very bold Hawaiian print shirt, the background color a brilliant magenta color with large pineapples, parrots, and palm trees scattered across the surface. Others looked at him with laughter in their eyes, but Charlie liked to be comfortable, and not only were these shirts inexpensive, but the material was light and airy.

  Carmelita laughed, “I don’t think so.”

  “Gosh, I wonder if anyone’s ever told him how hideous those things are?”

  “Probably not. Anyway, they’re part of his personality. He probably wouldn’t know how to act in a plain white shirt.”

  Carmen looked skeptical and then offered, “Maybe someone should buy him one and let him give it a try. You never know, he might find he likes it.”

  Carmelita shook her head at her daughter’s optimism, “Maybe. Anyway, enough about Charlie’s clothing. What am I going to wear this afternoon?”

  The two discussed her options all the way home and were still no closer to deciding. Mateo was home when they got there; sleeping in his bed and Carmelita relaxed and turned her attention to the sailing trip. She only hoped she remembered what to do and didn’t make a complete fool of herself!

  Chapter 30

  Sunday afternoon, August 31, 1955, Halifax Marina…

  Tommy was being followed. It was as simple as that. He had felt someone watching him last night as he left the café, but had been too focused on reaching the hospital and seeing for himself Jimmy’s condition.

  He’d arrived at the hospital, only to be turned away. It seems Jimmy’s parents had gone into full protect mode and the nurses were under strict orders on who was allowed to visit him. When the night nurse asked who he was, he said he was a co-worker. They offered to take his name and number and check with his parents first thing in the morning to see if they would agree to his visit, but Tommy shook his head and told them he’d just call Jimmy’s parents himself.

  He left the hospital, no closer to making a decision about his next move, when he’d discovered he was being tailed. He’d pulled out of the hospital parking lot, and that’s when he’d spotted the dark sedan. A few minutes later, they were still matching him turn for turn. He’d pulled onto A1A, and tried his best to lose them, but each time he thought he’d been successful - here they would come again.

  He’d finally given up, and driven straight to the Daytona Beach Police station. Only after he’d parked his bike in the visitor parking had the black sedan continued down the street, disappearing from sight.

  Tommy had wasted no time, quickly maneuvering his bike towards home and the safety of his small apartment. He’d thought about calling Bob and then tossed the idea away. Bob was a good man and didn’t deserve to be dragged into the middle of whatever this was.

  He then thought about calling Charlie, but they hadn’t left on the best of terms. Besides, Charlie still thought he had something to do with Maclean’s death.

  He slept fitfully all night, anxious for morning to come and with it the light and a new chance to see Jimmy. Now that he knew what room the kid was in, he wasn’t going to ask permission to visit, he was just going to do it! He’d travelled to the hospital, with no tail in sight.

  He’d attempted to see Jimmy, but the day nurses wouldn’t even let him down the hallway. They informed him Jimmy’s parents had forbidden anyone other than themselves, the police, and Charlie Flanigan from speaking with him.

  Frustrated, he had left the hospital, planning to take a ride down the coast to clear his mind. That plan had changed rapidly when he exited the hospital around noon and found the black car following him once again.

  He remembered Charlie had said something about the Halifax Marina, so he headed straight there. The black car was following him, but didn’t seem intent on doing anything else.

  He had yet to get a clear picture of the men driving the car, but he was almost positive they were the Batistos that had caused trouble in the bar last week. Gosh, has it only been a week? So much has happened already!

  Tommy parked his bike in the marina lot, hurriedly making his way to the front entrance and the docks. He paused when he saw that a uniformed guard was stationed there, and was just about to find another way in, when a Cuban woman walked up, telling the guard she was here to see Charlie Flanigan, berth nineteen.

  He waited for about five minutes, and then walked boldly up to the guard and also told him he was here to see Charlie Flanigan, berth nineteen. The guard didn’t even blink. He simply invited him to have a nice day and let him pass.

  Tommy smiled back, taking a deep breath once he was away from the guard and his prying eyes. As he slowly walked down the pier, looking for berth nineteen, he saw his friends in the black sedan slowly pace him in their car on the pavement. Tommy pretended to bend over and tie his shoe, noticing that when he stopped - so did they.

  He didn’t know exactly who those men were, but he had a good idea, and if he was right, the only thing that would satisfy them at this point was if he either talked, or died. Shaking his head, he walked a little further, not paying attention to the berth numbers, instead lost in his own thoughts. It wasn’t until he heard a familiar voice that he realized his mistake.

  “Tommy?” Charlie’s unbelieving voice called to him.

  Tommy jerked his head up, a guilty look crossing his face as he looked up to see Charlie and the Cuban women staring down at him from the deck of a rather large sailboat.

  He let his eyes travel the length of the handsome boat with the moniker “Morning Glory” hand painted on the stern, the pristine hull, and gleaming rails testifying to how well cared for the craft was.

  Tommy knew quite a bit about sailing, and this was a very fine specimen indeed. A gaff rigged schooner, probably about 60 feet in length, the sails were currently down, but even then he could tell they we
re made of the finest materials.

  “Tommy?” Charlie called to him again, and Tommy started when he realized he was standing on the dock, staring up at him stupidly.

  “Yeah…uhm, Hi? I…uh…might have a little problem.” He knew he needed to sound more sure of himself, but between being followed, and getting very little sleep last night, he wasn’t sure of anything except his name.

  He turned to look over his shoulder and grimaced as he recognized the mustached man from Mac’s Place standing at the edge of the pavement; staring daggers in his direction. Yeah, those guys were up to no good. “Yeah… make that a big problem.”

  “Tommy, come on up here and let’s talk. How did you find me?” Charlie was more shocked than anything at seeing Tommy Collins standing on the dock beside his boat. He didn’t remember telling him any details about the boat, and Lou – the guard at the front entrance, wouldn’t have let him back here without knowing which berth he was headed for.

  Tommy climbed aboard the boat easily and Charlie acknowledged that somewhere in Tommy’s past, he’d had some sailing experience. Most people tried to figure out the easiest route up, but not Tommy. He simply grabbed the rail, used the rope ladder draping over the side, and up he came. No hesitation. No faltering.

  “Sorry for barging in on you like this. I guess I didn’t think this through very carefully.”

  “Think what through?” Charlie asked, seeing Carmelita looking back and forth between the two men.

  “Look, I might be in a bit more trouble than I originally thought.”

  “How’s that?” Charlie asked, seeing movement in the parking lot and narrowing his eyes at the four men who now stood at the edge of the pavement looking in his direction. “They with you?” he asked, almost imperceptibly nodding his head in their direction.

  Tommy surreptitiously glanced in their direction before quickly nodding his head, “Yeah, frankly, they’re the only reason I’m here right now.” He took another look, this time not hiding his action, cringing when the small man with the mustache grinned and drew his hand across his throat in a cutting motion. Guess he now knew what they wanted – his life!

  Chapter 31

  Charlie didn’t miss the threatening action, or Tommy’s response to it. The man was running scared. Now was his time to press his advantage and get some answers.

  “Do you know who those men are?” Charlie asked, hoping to get some positive confirmation that the men were indeed connected to the Batistos, and possibly, the American mafia.

  “I don’t know names, or even if my suspicions are correct, but...,” Tommy paused, looking at Carmelita before he continued.

  Charlie saw the look and recognized it. Turning to Carmelita, he leaned down and whispered something in her ear at which she smiled and then bid him ‘goodbye’ before going below deck.

  Charlie watched her go exploring, hoping he could get business with Tommy taken care of quickly, before Stephen and his wife showed up.

  “Thanks,” Tommy told him, acknowledging that Charlie had just created a semi-private atmosphere for him to share his knowledge in. “Okay, well, if I had to guess, I’d say those men are connected to organized crime. Which family, I have no idea.”

  “Really? You don’t recognize any of them?”

  “I didn’t say that. In fact, the little man with the mustache got arrested Monday night, along with me. Remember I told you during the argument one of the men pulled out a wicked blade?” When Charlie nodded, Tommy continued, “That’s him. They carted him off to jail, right along with me. He was in the holding cell across from me, and was still there when Joseph bailed me out.”

  Charlie looked at the four men, who were now holding a very heated discussion, yet they were too far away for any of their words to be heard. Whatever was being discussed was creating quite a commotion.

  “Look, they’ve been following me since I left the café last night. I don’t know how they found me…”

  “They probably just happened to see you exit the café. They’ve been staying across the street at the Skyline Hotel, and taking a lot of their meals at the Seabreeze.”

  “Great! So, they got lucky is what you’re telling me?”

  Charlie nodded, “My question is, why are they following you? What is it you’re not telling me? Are you dealing drugs for them? Is that what all of this is about?”

  Tommy was physically taken aback, “What?! I don’t do that anymore. Man, I knew you wouldn’t believe anything I had to say. That’s why I haven’t gone to the cops. I did my time and paid my dues. That part of my life is over, but you’re just like everyone else, keeping it hanging over my head like a fifty pound noose ready to drop around my neck!”

  Charlie admitted that the man had a right to be upset. “I apologize, but in my line of work, I question everything. So, if you’re not dealing drugs from them, and I assume you’re not buying drugs from them – then what are they doing following you and why?”

  “It all goes back to the bar that night and Jimmy running his mouth.”

  “I’m listening,” Charlie said, but not before he saw his brother and sister-in-law making their way down the dock. “Geez, this is not going to work. Look, how about if I get you a safe place to hole up for the night? We’ll get together tomorrow morning and sort this all out.”

  Tommy looked skeptical as he glanced at the four men, still waiting for an opportunity to grab him. “What about them?”

  Charlie smiled, “Oh, don’t you worry about them. Come with me.” Charlie hopped down onto the dock, greeting his brother and wife and telling them he’d be right back.

  Tommy followed, landing lightly on his feet before catching up, “Where are we going? You know that as soon as I leave the safety of the docks, they’re going to grab me, right?”

  Charlie nodded with a grin, “Only if they’re still standing around and see you leave.”

  “Huh?” Tommy asked, not following what Charlie was planning to do.

  “Hey Lou, I need a favor,” Charlie asked as they approached the guard shack. Not five minutes later, three cop cars pull into the marina parking lot, sending the men back into their sedan as they attempted to sneak away. Charlie had already spoken to the officer on duty, asking him to make sure the officers didn’t actually detain the men, just make sure they left the premises and headed on their way, far enough away that prying eyes wouldn’t be able to see what happened next.

  Right behind the cop cars, came a beat up old Chevy truck, painted orange in most places, and bearing the words “Wally’s Air Service” on the sides. The truck pulled up in front of the guard shack and Charlie walked out to greet the man sitting behind the wheel.

  When Tommy didn’t immediately follow, Charlie made sure he knew he needed to keep up, “Don’t be lollygagging now. The cops will only be able to keep them away for a bit. This here is my cousin Wally. He’s going to take you home with him for the night, and then bring you to my office first thing in the morning.”

  Tommy looked at the smiling man before asking, “You a pilot?”

  Wally shook his head, “No. Air service. You know, air conditioners. Them contraptions that help cool the air in your house down?”

  Tommy shook his head, “Not really, but I’ll take your word for it.”

  Wally nodded, “You’ll take more than that once you feel how nice and cool my house is. Hop in. Charlie, you all have a nice time on the water today and don’t worry about this one here. I’ll make sure he stays nice and cool.”

  Charlie laughed at the hidden meaning behind Wally’s words. Tommy wasn’t going anywhere until Wally allowed him to. “Good. See you both tomorrow morning.”

  Charlie headed back to his boat, whistling a tune as he grinned at the way things were coming together. The only gray area still was why those men were in town to begin with. Tommy said it wasn’t to do with him. The supposition that they’d been in Daytona for Joseph was gone now that they had stuck around after eliminating him.

  It looked like y
oung Jimmy was mixed up in this as well. The only common thread seemed to be the “Big Mama” and her crew. He remembered the sharks and the report that a ship from Havana had gone down during the storm. Had Pat’s crew stumbled across a debris field, and recognizing it for its value, tried to hide it from the mafia men?

  He discarded that idea and decided that maybe tomorrow he’d take a little flight over the area where the boat was discovered. Maybe from the air he’d get some answers. But that was for tomorrow. Today, he was going sailing!

  Chapter 32

  Open water, Sunday afternoon, August 31, 1955…

  “Hey Stephen, drop that foresail would you? I’m going to bring us around,” Charlie hollered against the wind.

  He loved being out on the ocean, and having people along was even better. Normally Charlie ended up sailing by himself, but the big boat was sometimes hard to handle. He and Stephen had toyed with the rigging, allowing it to be controlled with a single hand, but in high winds, or choppy water, that was asking for a world of trouble to land on one’s doorstep.

  Today, the water was calm, only two to three foot swells, a nice gentle northerly breeze, the sun was shining, and Charlie was enjoying himself immensely. He had intentionally sailed them north, planning on letting the natural winds help push them home when the time came.

  Currently, they were about five miles off shore, just west of the Gulf Stream currents. They couldn’t see the shoreline, but the tops of one taller building was still visible.

  Charlie was looking south when he saw the object clear the horizon, headed skyward, the plume of white smoke trailing behind. “Hey, look at that!” he told the others.

  Stephen turned and stood watching, “Wow! I didn’t know they were planning another test launch today.”

  Carmelita came up to stand next to Charlie, “What is that?”

  “It’s a rocket being launched from Cape Canaveral. They’ve been testing a new rocket for the last month. It won’t be long now and they’ll make good on their promise to send a man to the moon!”