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

by Matt Day

  “Hey, I brought your dry cleaning. Bill hung it up in the back.” Wally reached into his pocket and retrieved both the bill and the pieces of paper that had been in Charlie’s pants. “Here’s your bill and whatever they found in the pockets.”

  “Thanks.” Charlie took a look at the three pieces of paper discarding two of them but straightening out the one he had taken from Pat Maclean’s stiff hand. It still bore the smudge of blood from his hand.

  “What’s that?” Tommy asked.

  “I don’t know. Probably nothing. It’s just got a bunch of numbers on it.”

  Tommy looked over at the piece of paper and while some of the numbers looked familiar, he couldn’t put them into context.

  Charlie looked around the café, pleased to see it so busy on a Monday night. Bill must be thrilled to see the place hopping.

  Carmelita parked her car across the street from the café, right next to the Skyline Hotel. Now that the races were over, most of the tourists and spectators had gone home, leaving the hotel parking lot looking mostly deserted.

  There was a dark sedan and a white truck in the lot, but other than a few motorbikes, there were no other cars around.

  She exited the vehicle, not bothering to lock it up. She’d be able to see the car from the café window, and there was nothing in the car that had much value.

  She started to step across the street, when a noise to her right captured her attention. She turned to see what had made that noise, when a hand was placed over her mouth and an arm was wrapped around her, effectively trapping her arms against her sides.

  She struggled and attempted to scream, but she could barely breathe. She tried to kick the man holding her, but he kept avoiding her feet.

  “Stop fighting me or I’m gonna hurt you!” an evil voice said in her ear and she stilled. Her breathing was jerky and she felt herself start to lose consciousness, he was cutting off her air supply.

  Feeling her body go limp, the man released the hand covering her nose and mouth, shaking her back to awareness. Carmelita regained consciousness in time to see another man step up to them. It was one of the Cuban men who had been bothering her son!

  “What do you want?”

  “I think the question you should be asking is whom do we want?”

  Carmelita looked at the man, angry at being manhandled in such a fashion. “Who do you want?”

  “The private investigator. Your boyfriend.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  “Well, let’s pretend his is. Where is he?”

  Carmelita let her eyes wander to the café, gasping when she saw that Marsha was watching the action across the street and would soon be telling Charlie what was happening. She hoped he had a plan.

  “He’s in the café over there.”

  “Come on, let’s go talk to lover boy, shall we?”

  Charlie had his attention fixed on the kids who were debating the different song choices when he suddenly heard Marsha gasp and then saw the glasses full of cola she was carrying drop to the floor with a loud crash. “Oh my God!”

  Charlie followed Marsha's finger pointing at the window, gasping himself when he saw Carmelita being manhandled by the other two missing Batistos. Shorty held his hand over her mouth and he wondered how she was managing to breath. The other, finally having earned himself the nickname of Stupid, was pulling her along behind him. They were headed for the café!

  Raising his voice just enough to grab both Wally and Tommy’s attention, he kept his eyes on the trio making their way across the street and said, “We’ve got trouble!”

  Chapter 43

  His words were laced with righteous fury and Bill lifted his head, looking first out the window and then taking in the occupants of the café in one fell swoop. “Marsha, get those kids back in the kitchen!”

  Marsha was jolted from her shock and quickly gathered up the kids, pulling them into the kitchen before they could figure out what was happening. Mateo started to protest, but one look from Charlie and he acquiesced.

  Bill dialed the police and was told they were dispatching numerous cars to his location, and to sit tight. He advised them that there was a hostage situation, and that Chief Morgan probably needed to come out as well.

  Bill took off his apron, joining the men as they watched the two men all but drag Carmelita across the street. “What do you want me to do?”

  Charlie appreciated knowing that Bill would have his back. “You got a gun around here?”

  Bill nodded, reaching under his shirt and withdrawing a small handgun. Charlie nodded and pulled his .38 from his waist as well.

  Marsha had managed to convince the kids to stay put, and came back out, ushering the other diners out the kitchen door, and down the narrow alley that led to freedom.

  Meanwhile, Manny and Ralphie crossed the street before Manny hollered to the people inside the café, “Hey, P.I., I have a deal for you. Information - for your girlfriend. What do you say?”

  Charlie said nothing. The police were on their way, all he needed to do was figure out a way to get Carmelita away from them long enough for the police to act.

  Deciding to play along, and giving the police more time, he opened up the café door, “I’m here. Let the woman go and I’ll talk to you.”

  “You ain’t calling the shots here. I’m going to ask the questions, and you’re going to answer, or she pays.”

  “What type of questions?”

  “Where are our friends?”

  Charlie played dumb and asked for clarification. Anything to keep the man talking and give the police time to arrive. “Oh, are you talking about Scar and Mustache?”

  “Who? What are you talking about? Make sense or she pays?”

  Charlie rolled his eyes, kicking himself for having used his nicknames for the two locked up Batistos. “Sorry. What I meant to say was - are you looking for Eduardo and Juan?”

  “Yeah, where are they?”

  “I believe they are currently guests of the State of Florida while they await trial. See, both of them were arrested earlier today and the charges just keep piling up.”

  The two men exchanged words in Spanish, which must have been vulgar, given Carmelita visibly flinched upon hearing some of them.

  “They were arrested?”

  “Yes. Now, what else can I help you boys with?”

  “We want to know where the treasure is.”

  “The treasure that went down on the ship?” Charlie asked.

  “Yeah. Where is it? That kid in the hospital said they had found a bunch of stuff. “

  “I think you might have misunderstood him. They didn’t really find anything. That plane went down and is most likely sitting on the floor of the ocean, starting to rot.”

  “Plane? Man, what are you talking about?”

  “The plane that went down during the storm last weekend.”

  “We’re not talking about any plane. Stop the double talk, I want the real treasure map.”

  Tommy pushed his way through to the doorway, “Guys, there is no map. Captain Maclean must have memorized the coordinates. I know; I looked for it.”

  “Then take us there.”

  “I can’t. I told you, only Captain Maclean knew the coordinates. And you killed him.”

  Tommy hadn’t expected them to confess, but that’s what they did. “We only killed them because they wouldn’t cooperate. Eduardo wanted to set the boat on fire, but we were afraid it would draw too much attention from the town.

  Charlie’s eyebrows rose upon hearing yet another confession to a murder today. What was in the water that everyone felt they needed to confess to such heinous crimes?

  Charlie hid his smile as he saw Bill emerge from the other side of the street. For an old man, he could move. Bill had his gun drawn, but there were two men.

  Deciding to even the odds until the police arrived, Charlie stepped outside the café, drawing his gun and leveling it at the man holding Carmelita. “Let her go!”

 
“No! Not until we get what we came here for. Tell us where…”

  “Are you deaf or hard of hearing?” Mateo called from the side of the building. Somehow he had figured out what was going on and demanded to help. It was his mother whose life was being threatened.

  “Kid, get back inside before someone gets hurt,” the man holding onto Carmelita shouted.

  “I’m not a kid and that’s my mother you’re hurting. Let her go! Now!”

  The man with the gun, turned, pointing it at Mateo as all hell broke loose. Bill fired upon the man holding Carmelita as Charlie fired on the man bearing down on Mateo. Both of the Cuban men dropped to the ground.

  Chapter 44

  The man holding Carmelita fell on top of her, crushing her into the pavement with the weight of his body. She struggled to break free from his hold, but he was too strong.

  Charlie rushed to roll the man from her, checking her for injuries when he saw how much blood covered her clothes. Carmelita helped as much as she could, but her legs were shaking and she doubted she could stand on her own.

  “Are you hit?” Charlie asked, scanning her body for injuries.

  “I don’t think so.” Carmelita sat on the pavement, watching the action take place as if she were watching a movie. It didn’t feel like she was actually participating, but just spectating.

  Charlie heard a groan from beside him and watched as the Cuban man struggled to reach the gun that had fallen from his hand when he was shot. Kicking it out of reach, Charlie started talking to the man.

  Once the police officers arrived, he would be theirs to question. But right now, he was all Charlie’s.

  “So, help me piece everything together. Stop me if I get it wrong. The ship that went down in the storm was carrying lots of marijuana and cocaine to the northern states.

  “When it sank off the coast, a lot of revenue was lost and the big bosses want that revenue replaced. How am I doing so far?”

  Charlie waited for him to confirm or deny the story’s authenticity, but he wasn’t saying anything. Charlie continued, “When you and your buddies heard about the treasure, you figured you would just tag along and claim it for yourself. The drugs might have been a little soggy, but they could be dried out.

  “One of you rented a boat, and the rest of you waited onboard the ‘Big Mama’ until it was sufficiently far enough away from the shore for the games to begin. You tortured the crew, but they wouldn’t tell you where the drugs were.

  “They didn’t have the drugs on the ship with them, so you figured they had already moved them back to the land.

  “Not wanting to draw attention to yourself while you searched for the drugs, you killed them.”

  When the man said nothing, Charlie got right in his face, “Am I on the right track?”

  By this time, Wally and Tommy had joined the group of people in the street as many more passersby stopped to watch.

  “Come on, give me something to work with. When the crew wouldn’t tell you where to find the drugs, you lost your temper.”

  Tommy listened in to the story Charlie was weaving, but when he heard that Charlie thought that the “treasure” was the drugs that had sunk with the ship, he started laughing.

  Charlie looked at him, “That isn’t helping!”

  Tommy laughed and tried to stop several times before he was successful, “I… I can’t believe you think this is all about drugs. It’s not.”

  “It’s not?” asked Wally.

  Tommy shook his head, “No.” Tommy was rescued from having to explain as the street was suddenly overtaken with police cars.

  Chief Morgan exited his vehicle and then scanned the area until his eyes rested upon Charlie’s. “Why is it Flanigan, that every time a body shows up dead, you’re there as well?”

  “There aren’t any dead bodies this time, Chief,” Charlie told him.

  “Yet! There aren’t any dead bodies yet. With the way my week’s been going, there’s bound to be another one showing up soon. And put that gun away!”

  Charlie put his gun back into the holster.

  Morgan turned as the two Cuban men were read their rights and then placed into police vehicles, “Well, I guess my guys can stop looking for those two now. “

  “I think you might want to search their rooms, or the dark sedan sitting in the parking lot.” Wally offered to the police chief.

  Morgan gave the order and several officers descended upon the hotel while yet others took over searching the dark sedan.

  Charlie helped Carmelita back to the café where Marsha took over helping her clean up to the best of her ability. Her nursing uniform was covered in blood, so Marsha loaned her an extra waitress uniform to wear until she could get home to change.

  When all of the commotion had died down, the only police officers that remained at the café were Detective Tulley and Chief Morgan.

  “So, how do we tie this all together since we still haven’t found a major stash of drugs or cash? The mayor is going to be breathing down my neck come morning and I need to have some answers.” Morgan was staring at Charlie, confused when Charlie turned to Tommy and gave him a questioning look.

  When Tommy nodded, Charlie smiled and set back in his seat. “Well, I figure Tommy and Jimmy can tell the story better than I can. Since only Tommy is here, I suggest he tell you his side of the story. Go ahead,” he encouraged Tommy as Detective Tulley, Chief Morgan, and Wally pulled up vinyl-covered chairs.

  Carmelita and her children were sitting in a booth with Charlie, and Bill and Marsha had joined them, having shut the kitchen down for the night.

  Tommy looked at the floor before asking, “You want me to start from the beginning?”

  “Yes, please. It seems we’ve all had our stories wrong. Help us clear the air.”

  “I wish Jimmy was here. He’s the reason this all happened in the first place.”

  Chapter 45

  Havana, Cuba, July 24, 1715…

  “ Levante el ancla!” Captain-General Don Juan Esteban de Ubilla ordered the crewmen to hoist the anchor. Captain Ubilla was in charge of the Spanish Fleet bound for the Azores and Spain.

  After being stranded in Havana for more months that he was willing to count, the fleet of ships was finally homeward bound. Among them were five ships from the Nueva Espana loaded with their precious silver cargo from the heart of Vera Cruz, Mexico.

  Another six ships, the Tierra Firme fleet, or Los Galeones, ships had come from the ports of Cartagena and Panama and were laden with gold bars, silver, pearls and previous gemstones.

  Captain Ubilla was in charge of the flagship, the Nuestra Señora de la Regala. Tagging along for the journey was a French merchant vessel, returning with a cargo of precious metals, tobacco, indigo and of course, drugs from the east.

  “Si, mi Capitan.” Captain Ubilla watched the men stow the anchor and then hoist the sails, watching as the other twelve ships did likewise.

  He looked to the southern skies, pleased to see nothing but clear blue sky and no hint of storm clouds. The Caribbean was known for its late summer storms, and while he trusted his crewmen and his vessel, he had no desire to test their abilities during a hurricane.

  No, they would follow the Gulf Stream up the coast of Florida, keeping an appropriate distance from the shore, before heading northeastward across the Atlantic. King Philippe V was anxious for the cargo to arrive as Spain had amassed some heavy debt during the war, and the cargoes carried by the fleet would go a long way towards paying back their debts.

  As the ships sailed out of Havana’s sight, Captain Ubilla made sure the lookouts were instructed to keep a watch to the south and east. He didn’t want any surprises once they were out in the open water.

  *****

  Southern Coast of Florida, July 30, 1715…

  “Capitan! Capitan!”

  The cry stirred Captain Ubilla from his slumber, “Entrar!” he called out. “What seems to be the problem?”

  “Captain, you need to come look at the storm
that is fast approaching.”

  Captain Ubilla raised his eyebrows but quickly donned his pants and jacket. “When was it sighted?”

  “Only a few minutes ago.”

  “And the water?”

  “Getting rougher. I think we’re in for it, sir.”

  Captain Ubilla didn’t acknowledge the young crewman’s observations. It wouldn’t do any good to confirm or deny them. If a storm was coming, they would just have to deal with it.

  The fleet had been on the open water for six days now, and they were firmly inside the Gulf Stream. Turning around now would put them directly in the path of any approaching storm.

  Gaining the deck, Captain Ubilla took the looking glass he was handed and he quietly observed the gathering storm clouds in the distance. The entire sky was filled with the dark grey clouds, which appeared to reach from the ocean’s surface all the way to the top of the sky.

  “I want a constant watch on those clouds. Signal the other ships to do the same.”

  As his orders were followed, he hoped that the ships could make the tack which would take them northward before the storm could overtake them. There was always a chance that the storm would head north and towards the cooler waters, rather than due west where the water would heat up significantly.

  Eight hours later, any hope he had of out-running the storm vanished. The seas were becoming increasingly violent, with the waves routinely crashing over the edges of the deck. Two of the boat's massive sails had ripped in half, and that was just on his ship. The other ships didn’t appear to be faring much better.

  The Los Galeones ships were in danger of capsizing, due to the heavy load they carried and how low they sat in the water. He looked towards the lead ship of that fleet just in time to see the mast give a mighty heave and break in two. It descended to the deck of the ship, crushing man and cargo alike. Without the mast, the ship was doomed to a watery grave at the bottom of the sea.

  Fearing for the safety of their cargo and over 750 lives, Captain Ubilla ordered the fleet to head inland. Maybe if they could reach the shallower waters, at least some of them would have a chance to survive.