by Tom Savage
Diablo instructed Carmen Mendoza to meet Carmen Lamont for dinner at the hotel in Fort-de-France that evening and arrange for her vanishing act the next day. Carmen Mendoza did this like a good soldier. She even got one of Diablo’s other henchmen, Zebulon, to tail Nora to the detective agency, just to show Diablo and Carmen Lamont how concerned she was for their safety. She said she’d keep an eye on the CIA lady and help Carmen Lamont escape to Îlet Naufrage. If she obeyed, she’d get another chance to kill Carmen Lamont…
Nora broke in to the narrative. “I think your cousin and Diablo suspected you by the time you had dinner with her at the hotel. How did they find out for sure that it was you who sent Marcel to kill her?”
Carmen Mendoza looked away from her, and she actually blushed. “They found my notes to Marcel in his belongings here. I—I wrote out the instructions for him, how and where and when he was to attack her in Guadeloupe. When Carmen and I arrived here yesterday afternoon, he—” She stopped here. She lowered her head and began to weep again.
Nora watched the woman, wondering why so many women fell for the Diablos of this world. Didn’t womankind ever learn? There were too many men like him, men who used women for whatever they wanted without any regard for the woman herself. Nora knew from bitter experience how easy it was to fall for a man like that, but she’d learned quickly that these men weren’t worth weeping over—and certainly weren’t worth killing for. Still, they would always succeed as long as there were foolish women like Carmen Mendoza and Mary Ross. Poor Mary Ross, who’d only wanted someone to love her. She’d paid for it with her life, as the unknown women in London and New York City had done.
“Okay,” Nora began. “If you agree to testify against these people, and if you tell my employers where Claude Lamont’s money is, I can probably—”
She was cut off by the sudden opening of the door at the front of the room. She turned her head to see Zeb and the big man who’d punched her come into the storehouse, carrying a body between them. They dumped it unceremoniously on the floor, and the big one knelt to tie the hands and feet with rope and secure it to the handle of the other freezer. Zeb grinned at Carmen Mendoza.
“We bring you some more company, chiquita. He was lonely, so here he is!” His laugh was an ugly, high-pitched sound, like a hyena’s. He winked at Nora and followed the other man out. The door slammed shut behind them.
Nora stared at the unconscious man, and all hope drained out of her.
It was Ralph.
Chapter 40
This had been Nora’s worst fear, and now she was facing it. She’d managed to hold on until now in the cramped, dimly lit storehouse with an injured colleague and a mean-spirited young woman because she knew Ralph Johnson was out there, somewhere in this compound, devising a strategy to ride to the rescue and deliver them from evil. Now Nora was alone, frightened, and fresh out of ideas.
Ralph lay on his side, crumpled on the floor a few feet away from her. The lower half of the left leg of his jeans was darker than the rest, saturated; even his shoe was wet with blood. A little red pool was forming on the floor beside his head, dripping down from a gash above his right eyebrow.
She turned to look at Carmen Mendoza. The woman had stopped weeping; she was also staring at Ralph Johnson. The import of his capture had just dawned on her.
“So,” Carmen said, her voice dripping with contempt, “is this the culo who was going to save us?”
Nora Baron snapped out of her fugue state, roaring back to life in a burst of pure rage.
“Oh, be quiet!” she cried. “My God, you’re boring! No wonder Diablo can’t stand you, you pathetic little fool!”
Carmen Mendoza lurched forward against her bonds, her eyes flashing again. “Don’t talk to me like that; don’t you dare! He will not kill me when he knows I will have his baby! I shall be Senora Diego Ventura, not she! Then we will see who is the fool!”
Nora was so surprised by Carmen’s inadvertent bombshell that her anger died instantly. She stared at the woman, feeling the thrill of victory. She would survive this. She’d get out of here and stop these terrorists. No, not terrorists: They didn’t even have the grace to be committed to a cause. They were merely self-serving, money-grubbing pigs. Now she knew the name of their leader; the phantom was no longer a phantom. She thought, This is how legends die.
Nora smiled at Carmen Mendoza. “Go ahead, dear—tell him you’re pregnant. Let us know how that works out for you.”
The room was silent, but only for a moment. In the next moment, Nora was shocked to hear a familiar chuckle. She whipped her head around to see Ralph grinning at her. He’d managed to roll onto his back and rise to a sitting position. Having just done it herself, Nora knew the agony it had put him through, given his injuries.
“Ralph!” she cried. “I thought you were—”
“Hello, Mrs. Baron,” he said. “No, I wasn’t dead; I wasn’t even out. I was just playing possum, waiting for our friends to leave, but then you two started in, and I didn’t want to interrupt.” He looked over at the man in the corner. “How is Mr. Nelson doing?”
“I don’t know,” Nora said. “He’s badly hurt—but so are you. How bad is it?”
“I’ll live,” he said. “The big guy shot me in the back of my calf, a through-and-through just below my knee. No bones or arteries were involved. Then the little one hit me in the face with a billy club. Split the skin, but a few stitches should put it right.” He looked over at Carmen. “Hello.”
“This is Carmen Mendoza,” Nora said. “She’s an idiot.”
Ralph chuckled again. “And a rude idiot—that’s a bad combination.”
Carmen glared at them, but she remained silent, for which Nora was grateful.
“What happened to you?” Nora asked. “Where were you all this time?”
Ralph tested his restraints, but he soon gave up. “I was exploring the other main building. The last door where the two men went in is the office, guard station, whatever. I only saw it through the back window ’cause they were in there. The other end is Diablo’s crib. He and Mrs. Lamont are energetic; I saw that through a back window, too. But the really interesting place is the one in the middle. It’s a classroom, with desks and chairs and a blackboard. Computers on all the desks, and one on the teacher’s desk that was interesting. I managed to get into the Îlet Naufrage file and look around. I also copied it to a thumb drive, but the big guy took it when he took my phone and my wallet, not to mention my Glock and my knife.”
“They caught you in there?” Nora asked.
“No, not in there. I got in through the back window, and I was in there when you caused all the excitement. I heard the hubbub, but by the time I got out of there, it was all over. I saw them coming out of this hut, so I figured they’d put you in here. I was making my way through the woods to this side of the field when those two guys found me. I saw the little one in front of me, and I turned to run, but the big one was right behind me. I didn’t even have time to draw on them. The big one shot me and the little one put me down with one blow.”
Nora said, “We’ve only seen a few people here—Diablo and the Carmens and those two guys, and the one who chased me, whoever he is. Where’s everyone else? Why haven’t they gotten involved in all this?”
“Diablo and his buddies are being real quiet,” Ralph said. “I guess they don’t want to disturb their guests. They probably don’t want them to know this place has been breached by the CIA. I think Diablo is hoping the guests don’t ever find out.”
“I wonder how many paying guests are here tonight,” Nora said.
“Seventeen, according to the file. Sixteen now—I overheard the little one saying the guy you kicked has lost an eye, so he’s out of the equation. They want to get him out of here, to a hospital, but they’re waiting for a decision about us first. They know we’re Company, and they’re trying to figure o
ut what to do with us. They’re talking ransom—”
“That will never happen,” Nora said. “They must know our policy on that. I think—I think they’ll eventually decide to kill us.”
There was silence in the room. Carmen Mendoza was weeping again. Ralph glanced over at her, then turned back to Nora.
“I think you’re right,” he said quietly.
Now he leaned toward her to whisper, and she realized that he didn’t want Carmen to hear what he was saying. Nora leaned toward him, straining to listen as he spoke.
“Mrs. Baron, if we don’t get out of here, I want you to know this: The big room across the way, the classroom, is also their arsenal. A big closet with two Uzis, a dozen rifles, a dozen sidearms, and ammo for all of it. They even had a box of dynamite, those old-fashioned sticks-with-wicks. They’re prepared to defend this place if it’s ever invaded—and it will definitely be invaded now. Mr. Baron will be one of the people leading the charge, so I want you to know what I did.”
He glanced over at Carmen again. She wasn’t paying attention to them. Even so, he leaned even closer to Nora, as close as he could reach.
“I disabled every weapon in that closet. I put the firing pins and ammo and dynamite in a plastic garbage bag and got out the window while you were having your showdown over on this side of the compound. The bag is deep in the woods behind the office end of the building, inside the heart of a great big century plant. I got some cuts on my hands stuffing it down in there, but they’ll never find it. When Mr. Baron and the others get here, these folks will be empty-handed—literally!”
Nora smiled. “Thank you for telling me, Ralph. At least I know Dana will still have a father; that’s one less regret.” She looked over at the man in the corner, then at the young woman under the window. Carmen Mendoza was a loser, but Ken Nelson was a brave man, and Jeff’s young assistant was immensely capable and intelligent. If she had to die now, she’d be in good company. But she didn’t want to die, not yet. There must be a way—
Carmen broke into her thoughts. “What were you people whispering about all this time? Are you planning an escape? Please share your brilliant ideas—I don’t want to die in this cagadero!”
Nora was not going to spend her final hours listening to this woman’s vulgarities. It was time to put Carmen Mendoza in her place, once and for all. She opened her mouth to speak, but then she froze, staring.
The window directly above Carmen’s head had just come to life. The sill was suddenly grasped by two small hands, and a small face popped up, peering in at her, the big eyes round as saucers. Carmen twisted to look up at the window, and she uttered a little cry of surprise.
“Madame!” the face said. “Monsieur Ralph! I have found you! I am a good detective, yes? But I do not like this island. I think we must go home now.”
Chapter 41
“Eb!” Nora cried.
“Eb!” Ralph cried.
“¿Qué carajo?” Carmen cried.
“Hallo!” Eb said. He hauled himself up with his hands and thrust his upper torso through the window, then swung his legs over the sill and lowered them down the inside wall, landing on Carmen’s shoulders. She gave another little scream as he leaped from her shoulders to the floor. He stood there, smiling, dressed in black: T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers.
“Oh, Eb, are we glad to see you!” Nora said. Her relief was so great that she was actually dizzy. She blinked and drew in a deep breath to keep from falling over.
“How good are you at untying knots, kiddo?” Ralph asked.
Eb beamed. “I am a sailor and a fisherman; Grand-père has shown me every knot in the world.” He looked around at them all. When he saw Ken Nelson, he stared. “What is wrong with that man? Is he—is he—?”
Now Nora took charge. “Eb, come here and untie me, please. We must get out of here very quickly. Do you have your phone with you?”
“Non, madame,” Eb said. “I left my phone at home.” He came around to kneel behind her, and she felt his fingers working on the rope. “We must get away from the big man with no clothes on, yes? And Zeb and the big fat man, too—I do not like them. I liked it when you kicked that man, just like Jason Statham! Pow! You are very good, madame!”
“You saw that?” Nora said. “Where were you?”
“On the hill very high above you. I saw it through the seine, the net made of the wires. But I could not get down to help you. I had to go sidewise like a crab for a long, long way before I could come down. I found a hole in the seine—”
“Yes, Ralph made that hole,” Nora told him.
Eb smiled over at Ralph. “Merci, monsieur!”
Nora felt the ropes fall away; her arms were free. She brought them around from behind her back, gasping at the sharp pain caused by the sudden movement, followed by a thrill of relief. She had to wait a few moments, shaking her arms and flexing her fingers to get her circulation going, before she could start untying her feet. Eb was already over behind Ralph, working on his ropes. Nora had several questions for the child, mainly how he had arrived here, but Ralph beat her to it.
“The net box!” Ralph said as his arms came free.
“Oui, monsieur!” Eb replied, and they shared a laugh.
“You were very quiet in there,” Ralph said. “And you didn’t move a muscle—not even once. How did you do that?”
“I was being a detective, monsieur. When we are detecting, we must be invisible, yes? I could not let you and madame know I was under the nets in the box, or you would have taken me back, and I wanted to go with you.”
“You were on the stairs in your house,” Ralph said, and Eb giggled. “You heard us talking about Îlet Naufrage.”
Eb giggled some more. “I heard there would be smugglers here, and I wanted to see the smugglers!”
Ralph laughed as he untied the ropes on his feet. “Your grand-père is going to tan your hide—you know that, right?”
Nora rose from the floor and came over to join them.
“If he doesn’t, I will,” she said. “But first…” She sank to her knees and took the boy in her arms, crushing him with her embrace. “Thank you, Eb. You are a wonderful detective!” She stood and turned to Ralph. “We have to get him out of here right now.”
“There is blood on your leg,” Eb said to Ralph, “and on your face. Are you well, monsieur?”
Ralph stood up from the floor, placing all his weight on his right leg as he did so. He pressed down with his left leg and winced, then tried it again. He walked a few steps.
“Hey, I’m okay,” he said. “I think I can get around well enough.” He turned to Nora. “How do you want to do this?”
Nora thought swiftly. She looked at her watch. “Okay, it’s four thirty-two. My fight was right behind the building where all the guests are sleeping, and none of them even heard it, so I think we’re safe from them until they wake up.” She looked at Ralph. “When will that be?”
He shrugged. “If Diablo’s keeping it military, reveille will be at six.”
Nora nodded and turned to Eb. “We need you to get back to the Violet and bring her to us, okay? Can you find the way back over the hill?”
“Oui, madame. I get the boat and bring it—where?”
“There’s a bay at the south end of the island,” Nora said, pointing in that direction. “Two boats are docked there. Bring the Violet to that dock as fast as you can.”
“Come on, kiddo,” Ralph said. He led Eb over to where Carmen sat watching them. He picked the boy up and sat him on the windowsill. “I’m timing you. If you get to the dock in thirty minutes, you win a prize.”
“A prize?” Eb said, swinging his legs over the sill. “I will be there in twenty-five minutes!” He grinned at them and dropped out of sight.
Nora turned back to Ralph. “I’m worried—do you think they could catch him?”
&nb
sp; Ralph gave his trademark chuckle again. “Are you kidding? I don’t think Jesse Owens could catch him!”
Nora thought about it, then nodded. “We have to disable the boats; then we can go. Do you know how to do that?”
Ralph shook his head. “Sorry. Weapons, yes; boats, not so much. I sure could use—” He stopped, thinking. “I have an idea. First, what do we do with them?” He waved an arm to indicate Carmen and Ken Nelson.
“We leave them here and go for help,” Nora said. “You didn’t tell Eb the truth about your leg, but I’m an actor; I know when someone is pretending. There’s no way you and I can carry him, not with your leg. And I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could throw her. If we were to set her free, she’d probably run screaming to her precious Diablo, and we’d be cooked. No, they stay here.”
Carmen glared at them, but at least she didn’t start shouting or make any false promises to cooperate.
“We’ll go for help,” Nora told her. “You wait here, and keep an eye on Mr. Nelson. By this afternoon, you’ll be making deals with our people, trading Claude’s account information for immunity, or whatever. If you alert anyone here that we’re gone, no deal. Understood?”
“Can you at least untie me?” Carmen whined.
Nora shook her head. “Ain’t gonna happen. Just sit tight. Help is on the way.”
With a theatrical sigh, Carmen settled back against the wall and shut her eyes. “Please hurry.”
“We will,” Nora said. She turned to Ralph. “What’s your big idea?”
“I need to get back to the century plant,” he said, “but you were right about my leg. Can you help me?”
“How far is it?” Nora asked.
“Not far—maybe twenty yards behind the guard station. We can go through the woods at the south end of the quad. Then we come back the same way to the path by the water tank. It curves around the hill at the water’s edge, right into the bay where the boats are.”
