Buzzard Bay (52 page)

July had watched Bob walk out the door. He pissed her off, but she knew his mind was made up; there was no use arguing with him. She made her way into the office and began making sure she had all the documents pertaining to their dealings with Gator. The phone startled her, and she picked it up.

“Hello,” she answered.

“Is Mr. Green in?” a voice said.

“No,” she answered. “This is Mrs. Green, may I help you?”

“Yes, tell him he has something that belongs to us, and we expect him to deliver it to us here in Nassau.”

“What does he have that belongs to you?” she asked into a dead phone. July was immediately shaken; the first thing she did was to get the rifle out of the closet and kept it close to her as she finished looking for documents. The lawyers in Nassau had copies, but things had a way of getting lost, and Bob was right, there was no use taking chances. Once she was satisfied that she had all the documents, she went outside and inspected the property. As far as she could see, everything seemed in order. It began to rain again, and this time it didn’t let up. July looked at her watch; five hours had passed and still no sign of the men. By nightfall, it was raining so hard she couldn’t see anything except into the courtyard where the trees were bent in half and the pool had overflowed. Sometime during the night, she fell asleep.

Maybe it was the quiet that woke her up. There was no wind or rain, streaks of red poked through the clouds telling her daylight wasn’t far away. She checked the bedroom to see if Bob had snuck in not wanting to wake her up, but there was no one there. July busied herself making coffee and sandwiches and trying to think of anything else she might need. As soon as there was enough light, she went out to get the jeep. The top was half torn off, and the inside was full of water. She tore off the rest of the top and bailed out most of the water. The most important thing was that it started. July drove up to their living quarters and picked up what she thought she needed. Having no top on the jeep made keeping things dry a bit of a problem, but most everything fit in the toolbox. She threw on some rain gear and put a plastic bag over the rifle. As she was walking out the door, she saw Bob’s baseball cap hanging on a peg. July put it on her head. “Bet you wish you’d taken this with you,” she thought as she got in the jeep putting the rifle on the seat beside her and took off.

It was light enough to see that other than a lot of tree branches strewn around, this had been mostly a rain event. The main highway presented no problems at all; it wasn’t until she came to the turnoff to the farm that an obstacle appeared. A huge pool of water had obliterated the farm road entirely. She could see where it started again on the other side of the pool, so aiming the jeep for that she edged into the water. Somewhere about halfway through, she felt her feet getting wet and realized the water was running over the floor of the jeep. Then just as she came out on the other side, the motor began to sputter. July revved the motor over a few times until it seemed to clear itself and continued on.

he made her way along the road trusting the jeep more and more as it seemed to make its way through and over almost anything. Finally, she made it to the old farmyard. It was a high piece of ground and had escaped the flooding. July pulled up close to where her house had overlooked the lake. She couldn’t believe her eyes; there were no edges to the lake, it was just one sea of water that went on forever.

For the first time, July faced reality. No one could survive this. A squall came in, the rain mixing with her tears as if trying to blind her from reality. She sat there lost in thought until the sun broke through the clouds chasing the rain away. July sat straight up; she couldn’t believe what her eyes told her. In the short time she’d been sitting there, the water had receded, the lake had edges again, and the tops of trees and high ground were poking up everywhere. “The tide is going out,” she thought.

he wasn’t too sure whether she could get down the road where Bob told her to meet him. The going was good until she got by Charlie’s Blue Hole. The terrain dropped off down into rich black soil built up by the mangrove swamps over the centuries. This had been the best producing ground on the farm but very susceptible to flooding and hurricanes as it was now. As soon as the farm had stopped functioning, locals began producing vegetables on plots down here. Some years they did quite well. She bought a lot of the produce for the hotel, but as she could see that wouldn’t be happening this year. This road, like many of the back roads on the island, had been built by a logging company who years ago had virtually logged all the trees off the island.

The only good thing that they left were the roads built of hard coral that didn’t wash away. It was here that she saw the total devastation; in fact, the only thing she recognized was the road. The ditch was littered with broken buildings and farm machinery. There was no sign of the vegetable crops, instead there was only mud and water turning it back into the swamp it had originally been. July picked her way through the debris and mud on the road, eventually making her way onto higher ground that held the trees the logging company had been after. Here they had built a big turnabout for the trucks, and July knew this was as far as she could go.

Her father had told her a story about how he and a friend had gone hunting. They built a camp and in the morning decided to hunt in different directions. When her father came back to camp that evening, his partner didn’t show up. He was pretty sure his friend was lost, so he shot twice into the air; soon he heard an answering shot, and after that was able to guide his friend back to camp with the sound of his shots. This was July’s plan. She lifted the rifle and aimed at the sky then lowered it. What if there was no answer? She had to know; she raised the rifle and fired three times into the air. Then she held her breath and waited.

It was a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from; no matter how hard he squirmed and fought, it was like he was under the blankets and couldn’t find his way out. There was no air, panic set in then he heard the sound of a zipper, and fresh air hit his face. “Funny,” he thought, “I’m looking at a man upside down.”

“Is that you, Joe?” he gasped.

“Yas, sir, I’m sorry but I couldn’t open your bag because you was layin’ so still. I thought you was dead.”

Bob crawled out of the bag and realized one end of the bag was hooked in a tree four feet off the ground.

“Any idea where we are, Joe?” he asked.

“If this is heaven, then it sure looks a lot like Andros,” was Joe’s reply. “The good thing is we was washed up out of the swamps, but where we ended I don’t know,” he added.

All at once Bob went down on his hands and knees and began throwing up anything that was left in his stomach.

“You’re full of salt water,” Joe told him. “I did the same thing to get rid of it. Here, it rained a few minutes ago. I made a bowl in the bottom of this bag. When you think you can hold it down, drink some freshwater, but don’t drink from the ground. It’s too salty.”

Bob crawled over to the bag and took a drink; slowly, he began to feel better. It was when he stood up that he saw the pained look on Joe’s face. “What’s the matter, Joe, you hurt?”

“I’s messed up, Mr. Green. My arm’s broke, and I’m havin’ trouble breathin’. Think I got some broken ribs.”

“Think you can walk?” Bob asked.

“Gots to, ain’t gonna survive here when that sun comes out with no water. I’m thinkin’ the old farm’s over that way,” Joe pointed with his good arm. “If I can just put my hand on your shoulder maybe we can make it.”

They hadn’t gone far when Bob saw a fair-sized shark flopping around in a pool of water. “You and I have the same problem?” he thought. “We survived the storm, but now what?”

A rain squall came splashing down on them; both stood there with mouths open catching what they could. Bob took his shoes off, and they collected some more before the rain quit. Right behind the rain cloud was the sun; now the humidity really set in. Bob and Joe were leaning against a tree catching their breath when they heard the shots.

“That’s coming from about where I think the farm should be,” Joe commented. “Must be in trouble, no way anyone could make it in there.”

Bob pulled his pistol out of his belt and fired off two shots. There were two shots in return.

“That crazy woman’s going to get herself killed one of these times looking after me,” Bob said to himself as much as to Joe.

“Well, Joe, those shots didn’t sound all that far away. Think we can make it?”

“You wouldn’t shoot me back in the swamps, Mr. Green. I guess you’re stuck with me now.”

July was elated; she heard two distinct pops. She was so excited; her first return shot took out the windshield on the jeep. She got the second shot up in the air and heard a “pop” in return. She put her hand over her mouth and looked at the windshield. “What’s he going to say about that?” she thought and then came to her senses. Who in the fuck cares; they were alive, nothing else mattered. Her first intuition was to go into the trees after them, but sanity prevailed. “That would only get us all lost,” she thought. She decided she’d wait fifteen minutes before shooting again, but it was hard to stand around and wait. She took off Bob’s hat, threw it on the ground, and jumped up and down on it.

“You stupid son of a bitch. Why do you always get yourself in so much trouble?” But then as if forgiving him, she put the cap back on her head. A good hour disappeared before she saw them coming through the trees.

The chest-deep water in the ditch hardly slowed her down as she rushed to meet the two men. It didn’t bother her that they were struggling just to get their breath; she smothered them with kisses anyway.

“Easy on Joe,” Bob gasped, “his arm is broken, and he’s got some broken ribs.”

July took Joe’s arm that seemed to be stuck around Bob’s shoulders and put it around her own. He was deadweight on her as she carried him down into the water-filled ditch, and then literally dragged him up onto the road. She heard a splash behind her and looked back. Bob had tried to follow her; he was floundering in the water. July had no choice; she told Joe to brace himself and left him standing on the road as she went back and grabbed Bob, throwing him up onto the side of the ditch.

“Don’t you die on me now,” she yelled at him. Then she went back to Joe, guiding him to the jeep and easing him down on the seat. July made sure he had water and a sandwich before she took the same back to Bob and sat down beside him on the edge of the ditch.

Bob was too tired to move; he just laid there struggling to catch his breath. He took the water and then reached over and put his hand in hers. “That was a stupid thing for me to do, wasn’t it, July?”

There were tears in July’s eyes. “Yes, I keep telling you, you are one stupid son of a bitch.”

“No, that’s not what I mean,” Bob gasped between breaths. “I should have known you’d risk your life coming here to look for me.”

“See, there you go again worrying about everyone but yourself. That’s what pisses me off. I saw the water, Bob. How in hell did you get out of there alive?”

Bob didn’t answer; he wasn’t sure himself. The water and food soon revived him; he and July had started to head over to the jeep when they heard the whoop, whoop of helicopter blades.

THIRTY

H
ORATIO NORTON LEFT
the house before daybreak. He knew it bugged the shit out of Novak and his driver/bodyguard that he sometimes took off on his own, but he was the police chief and in the end, he could do what he wanted. This morning he had good reason, he thought. Nassau had basically missed the brunt of the hurricane, but his home island of Andros was much closer to the storm’s path, and he wanted to have a firsthand look for himself. The main airport had been shut down overnight, so there was none of the usual hustle and bustle around as he entered the area where the Drug Enforcement Agency kept their helicopters. He went into the office and began looking at yesterday’s reports. The one on top was of particular interest.

Norton picked up the phone and called the duty officer. “What do you know about the operation over on Andros yesterday afternoon?”

The officer told him he didn’t know much. “A reliable informer told our men there was somebody making a big drug run using the hurricane as a cover. The guys stayed out longer than normal and sure enough, caught the drug runners in the act. They chased them into the swamp and then had to leave, but they were pretty sure they got the boat, so there’s no way they survived the hurricane. They got in pretty late. I expect a full report later this morning,” the officer reported.

“Is there a chopper available this morning?” Horatio asked.

“The standby’s fueled and ready to go. The pilot’s sitting here beside me,” the officer told him.

“Okay, tell him I want to take a look and see how much damage there is over on Andros.”

It took only thirty minutes of airtime to be over North Andros. The sky was still cloud covered but getting brighter all the time. Horatio was happy to see little damage on the western side of the island where the majority of the population resided. Other than a lot of water lying around, they appeared to have dodged a bullet.

He then asked the pilot to take a run up the east side of the island. Here it was a different story. That was why very few people lived along this side, and those who did generally knew enough to get out when the hurricanes came by. The land on this side was just above sea level, even a good blow could flood this ground. One of Horatio’s sons farmed down next to the mangrove swamps; it was plain to see there’d be no income for him this year. It was about this time that the pilot pointed down at something they hadn’t expected to see.

“Drop down and let’s see if we know who those people are,” Horatio told him.

The pilot did as he was told, cautiously hovering over what appeared to be three people around a jeep. “What the hell would anyone be doing out here in this mess? They look to be okay,” the pilot sounded puzzled.

“That’s what I’d like to know?” Horatio answered.

“Can you land?” was his next question.

“I’ve landed here before. The ground’s good on that old turnabout where the jeep is,” the pilot told him. “I’m not landing though, unless you know who these people are.”

“Yeah, it’s all right. They’re friends, and I suspect they’re in trouble.”

The pilot was no stranger to landing on rough terrain. He skillfully settled the chopper down and then slowed the rotors before letting Horatio out. “Novak’s on the radio,” the pilot yelled at him, “wants to know where you are.”

“Tell him I’m home,” Horatio yelled back.

The pilot started to laugh. “He says to make sure you lock the door.” Horatio laughed too; Novak knew very well he was on Andros, but at least he was being good about it.

Horatio’s face changed to a very somber look as he approached his old friends. He was the last person Bob and July expected to see get out of the chopper. They didn’t quite know what to say. It was old Joe that broke the ice, “Jeez, Horatio you’re getting fatter every time I see you.” Everyone broke out laughing including Horatio.

“You don’t look so good yourself, Joe.” Horatio’s face grew somber again; he stood in front of them and clasped his hands behind his back. “I had a report that my officers chased some drug runners back into the swamps near here yesterday afternoon. Now that I find you here, that’s a bit of a coincidence, don’t you think? It would probably be a good idea if you told me the whole story about why you’re here, and I don’t want to hear any bullshit.”

Bob felt like a little kid being scolded, but he also knew he was in trouble, and Horatio was one of the few people who could help them out. Bob told him the whole story. “That’s basically what happened,” Bob told him. “We’re in a lot of trouble, aren’t we?”

Horatio paced back and forth in front of them. “Your best option is you get in the helicopter with me, and I take you to where you can get out of the Bahamas. There’s no one who will believe you survived the hurricane in the swamps. July can sell the hotel and then come and join you somewhere.”

“He be right, Mr. Green,” Joe nodded in agreement.

“Thank you, Joe, but what about Tommy?” It was July who asked the question.

“I got you in enough trouble, Mrs. Green, there ain’t no drugs left anyway. I guess that’s all over.”

“They don’t know that, Joe,” Bob told him. “If we’re alive, why can’t there still be drugs?”

Horatio had stopped pacing. “You know, Novak’s been trying to set something up, and this just might be the thing. The cartel sent one of their family members in here to look after things. He’s a real hophead and fucks things up all the time. Novak’s been waiting to nail him, this might be his chance.”

“You think this guy has Tommy?” Bob asked.

“If he doesn’t, he knows where he is, dead or alive.”

Bob looked at July; she nodded her head. “Let’s go see Novak.”

First things first,” Bob began lifting Joe out of the jeep. “Joe’s in bad shape. He needs to get to a hospital.”

“Okay, I’ll take him in the chopper and drop him off, and then I’ll meet you and July back at the hotel.” Once they were in the air, Horatio had a question for Joe. “You sure that was a Gator on the phone who told you they knew the Greens helped you hide the drugs?”

“Yep, one of the boys, I’s known them all my life.”

Once Horatio had Joe safely into the hospital, he told his pilot, “Now we’re going to pay a little visit to an old friend of mine.”

Gator stood at the front door of his shop to welcome Horatio. “I’ve had all kinds of machines come to my shop, but this is the first time for a helicopter.”

“A lot different from the days when I used to drag my old police car in here and you’d charge the government an arm and a leg to fix it,” Horatio answered then nodded toward the office door. “Let’s go inside, I need to talk to you.” Horatio closed the door behind them and then continued his discussion. “For years, I’ve watched you run this island, and for years I looked the other way, but since then, the tables have turned. Now I want a few things coming back my way.”

“Didn’t I always look after you, Horatio?” Gator responded. “You remember those little envelopes I handed you.”

“Oh yes, those little tokens of appreciation you handed out to the people on this island whom you needed to keep their mouth shut. I know all those people, Gator. Most of us couldn’t make ends meet on what the government paid us, so you got rich, and we took whatever we could get.”

“Quit your whining,” Gator told him. “You could have done as well as I did if you had had the balls. You didn’t earn those gold stripes on your shoulders. They were given to you because you fell into a pail of shit and came out smelling like a rose.”

Horatio smiled, “Everything you say, Gator, is true, but everything isn’t always roses, is it? There’s always someone like me coming along to make life miserable.”

“All right Horatio, put me out of my misery and tell me how much you want,” Gator walked around behind his desk. “I’m sure you don’t want a check, so it will take me a few days to get the money together.”

“Oh, I don’t want money, Gator, that’s too easy. I want guarantees.”

Gator sat down behind his desk. “I thought you’d got a little smarter over the last few years, Horatio. I don’t handle guarantees.”

“I found that out the hard way, you never guaranteed the work you did on my car,” Horatio smiled. “No, I’m thinking more like along the lines of life insurance.”

“Don’t handle life insurance either, never found it to profitable on this island,” Gator stated.

“It’s about to become a very important part of your business, Gator, because you’re guaranteeing this policy with your life.”

Gator was all ears now; he knew Horatio just might have the power to make this happen.

“You’re going to insure you and your family’s life for the guarantee that nothing happens to the Greens and their family, or to me and my family.”

Gator just sat and stared at Horatio, so he continued on. “You see, my wife wants to retire here. This is our home, and most of our family lives here. No one thinks it’s safe for us to stay here, and that’s where you come in, Gator. Nothing happens on this island without you knowing about it. You’re going to protect us and the Greens. If anything happens to any of us, even remotely suspicious, all hell will let loose on you. For instance, we know you’ve been helping Julio sell off some of the cartel’s product. What would happen if some of the boys in the DEA slipped that word out to the wrong people? We also have lots more than that on you.”

Gator didn’t like the way this conversation was going at all.

“You don’t have the balls for this, Horatio. You know I’ll take your family down with me if it comes to that.”

“Maybe,” Horatio told him, “or you can carry on the way you always have, and I’ll make sure no one bothers you.”

Gator didn’t look good. “I can give you all the money you’ll ever need to live somewhere else, Horatio, why don’t you just take it and run?”

“I have to live with my wife, Gator, and she wants to live here.” Horatio got up and headed for the door, “I’ve waited a long time for the tables to turn, Gator, here’s to what we both hope is a long working relationship.”

Gator stood and watched Horatio’s helicopter disappear in the distance. He didn’t like this; he didn’t like it at all.