Fallen Mangrove (Jesse McDermitt Series Book 5) (30 page)

Amazingly, the two goody bags were thrown clear of the wreck. Art Newman, another of Deuce’s team members and previously part of his SEAL team, found one and Julie found the other one.

It’d been two days since the sinking of my boat. We’d called Cleary and given him the GPS coordinates of the wreck and a description of the two Cigarettes, which had immediately turned and headed west as we hovered over what was left of my boat.

Cleary said he’d advise the Coast Guard since it was outside his jurisdiction. Since we were low on fuel, we flew directly to Homestead, where Deuce’s team was headquartered, arriving there ninety minutes later. By then, the Coast Guard had arrived on scene and reported there was little left of the bodies of the two boat thieves.

Chyrel had contacted Colonel Stockwell and he’d pulled some strings and arranged for us to salvage the
Revenge
, explaining to the Coast Guard that it was a DHS vessel and contained sensitive documents. The Coasties remained on station to keep anyone from diving on the boat until we got there.

Art was visiting the island when Deuce called Chyrel. He quickly provisioned
El Cazador
and headed to Miami, arriving there late that night.

The following morning, we loaded up dive gear and equipment and six of us headed to the scene of the wreck, arriving before noon. Besides me and Deuce, we had Art, Tony, and Julie with us, being the best divers on the team. Bourke piloted the boat and acted as liaison to the Coasties. They agreed to pull off a mile away and stay on station as we worked through the day. By nightfall, we hadn’t recovered very much and put into Chub Cay for the night.

We were back on station early the next morning and resumed diving to recover what we could. Art and Julie were working the perimeter when they found the two goody bags. Miraculously, although the chests were destroyed by the blast, the bags held and the gemstones were still inside.

Tony and I were working the bow section, trying to get to the bunk in the forward stateroom. After two dives in the very shallow water, we finally were able to get inside. The bunk itself was ripped from its mounts and laid on the port bulkhead. One by one, we removed the dozens of fly rod cases and reel cases, passing them to Bourke on
El Cazador
.

Deuce was working solo on what was left of the cockpit. The boat was basically broken in two pieces just forward of the engine room. The bow section lay on its port side and the stern lay upright on the sandy bottom just a few feet away.

By noon, we’d recovered everything from under the forward bunk and although the mount for the machine gun was twisted by the force of the blast, the M-2 machine gun itself was completely intact, although one of the barrels was obviously bent.

Sitting on the gunwale of
El Cazador
dripping wet, Bourke looked over at me. “Doc just called,” he said. “They arrived at Marathon Airport an hour ago.”

“How’s he feeling?” Deuce asked.

“Said he’d seen better days but was going to be fine,” he replied, glancing at Deuce. Then to me he said, “Doc said to tell you Pescador didn’t much like riding in cargo, but he’s okay. Outside playing with the Trents’ kids.”

“Is there anything else you think we should try to salvage?” Deuce asked me.

I looked up from where I was sitting. “Electronics are all toast. Engines, too.”

“I got a couple of things,” Tony said, pulling a bag over to where he sat. “They’re wet, but I think you can dry them out and they’ll be okay.” He opened the bag at his feet and I looked inside.

I’m not much of a sentimentalist and didn’t have many things I really cherished. But in his bag were several framed pictures of me with different people, the President among them. Also, my collection of challenge coins and a few other mementos that once decorated the bulkhead of my stateroom. I picked up the newest one, a picture of Kim and me taken just last week. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

“Let’s shove off,” I said. “There’s nothing left down there that’s worth anything.”

“Doc said to tell you one more thing, after I’d told him what we’d recovered,” Bourke said.

“What’s that?”

“He said he was advancing you one chest full of emeralds to replace your boat.” We all began laughing. It seemed to be the first time in a long time.

Bourke started the engine and as he turned east, brought the big boat with its wide Carolina bow flares up onto plane. He picked up the mic and told the Coasties that recovery was complete.

Four hours later, we tied up at the slip Deuce had arranged at the marina on Rickenbacker Causeway. There was a government van there to pick us up and we loaded the equipment and what we’d salvaged into it and went directly to Deuce’s headquarters. We parked in a secure garage and left everything in the van for the trip down to Marathon tomorrow.

I showered and put on fresh clothes, using an empty dorm room. It was still early, not even supper time. When I got to the van, Deuce was there waiting.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

“I have to go see a lawyer,” I replied. I opened the back door of the van, removed one of the waterproof Penn Senator reel cases, and opened it.

As I reached inside and removed one of my Sigs, Deuce said, “Not alone, you’re not.” He reached into the case and removed the other one.

“This doesn’t involve you,” I said.

Racking the slide a couple of times to check the action, he inserted a fresh magazine and turned to me.

“Jesse, I’ve known you almost my whole life. As a kid, I thought you were bigger than life. I knew Eve and Kim when they were little, too. I also know what you’re going to do.”

“You do, huh?”

“Yeah, you’re going to make your son-in-law wet his pants,” he said with a grin. “Then you’re going to point out how you’ll be watching his every move for the rest of his life and how he should stop taking on cases involving low-life scum.”

Inserting a magazine into my own Sig, I holstered it and leaned on the bumper of the van and looked up at him. He was right and we both knew it.

Ten minutes later, we were in a black Ford Crown Vic, headed to South Beach. We found the building where Maggio’s law firm was located and took the elevator up to the top floor.

Stepping out of the elevator, a pretty receptionist looked up from her desk. I looked left and right and saw that there was one closed office door across from a glassed-in meeting room down each corridor.

“May I help you, gentlemen?” the receptionist asked.

Deuce pulled out his wallet and flashed his badge and identification. Glancing down at the nameplate on her desk he said, “Take a coffee break, Gina. A long one. Downstairs. In fact, why don’t you just call it a day?”

She started to reach for the phone and I put my hand on top of hers. “You might also look into finding another job, Gina,” I growled. “They guys you work for are dirty.” She looked at me, then got up from her desk and quickly stepped into the elevator.

“You take the left and I’ll take the right?” Deuce asked.

“If you find Junior, bring him to Daddy’s office. I’ll do the same.”

I headed down the corridor on the left and stopped in front of the office door. Looking down the hall, I saw Deuce was at the other door. I opened it and stepped inside.

The man at the desk was surprised. He looked up and said, “What’s the meaning of this?” Then he called over my shoulder, “Gina! Get in here.”

“Your receptionist took a coffee break, son,” I said as I walked over to Nick’s desk. “Get on your feet.”

“Who the hell do you think you are, mister?”

I slowly reached behind me and drew the Sig Sauer from the holster at my back. “My name is Jesse McDermitt. Now get on your feet, dammit!”

He stammered for a moment, trying to say something as the realization dawned on him. He started to reach for a desk drawer, but I moved quickly around the desk and put the barrel of the Sig against his temple.

Reaching past him, I opened the drawer and took out a Smith and Wesson .38. “A little advice from a professional? Mount a holster under your desk.” I grabbed him by the collar of his expensive coat and yanked him to his feet. “There’s a meeting in Daddy’s office. I don’t think we should keep them waiting.”

When we walked into Alfredo Maggio’s office, I couldn’t help but be awed by the view outside the window. Deuce was sitting in Maggio’s chair behind the desk, his Sig laying on the desk right in front of him, and the older man was seated in front of it. I shoved Nick down into the other chair as Deuce got up. I walked behind the desk and sat down.

Looking from one man to the other, I snarled, “Your greed has caused the death of nearly ten people. All but one were just as dirty and greedy as you two.”

Nick started to say something, but Alfredo cut him off. “Shut up, Nick.”

“Now that’s smart,” I said. “Probably the only smart thing either of you has done in a week.”

Looking at the older man, I said, “Do you know who we are?”

“Agent Livingston has identified himself,” Alfredo replied.

“I’m Eve’s dad,” I said, letting it hang there for a minute.

Finally, I said, “I can’t help but wonder. What would you have done to us, if your plan had worked?”

Both men stared at me. “Never mind,” I said. “Fifty million bucks will make a man do just about anything. You see, the problem we had was that we couldn’t think like you. A friend pointed that out to me a couple of days ago. You’re criminals and my mind doesn’t work the same way yours does.”

Again, Nick began to speak. I leveled his own gun on him and cocked it. “If you say one damned thing, I’m liable to start, though.”

He changed his mind about whatever he was going to say and I continued, “You two made some pretty stupid mistakes. Not the least of which was not knowing the type of people you were trying to steal from. My friend here works for the federal government. I work for him, along with about thirty others.”

I opened the cylinder on Nick’s .38 and dumped the cartridges in my hand, transferring them to my pocket. I tossed Nick the gun and said, “Our job is to protect the American public from scum like you. You see my predicament, don’t you?”

I looked to the elder Maggio. “Your son is married to my daughter, who will soon give birth to our grandchild.”

Maggio looked down at his lap and I continued, “We did a complete background check on you, your son, and this firm. We had analysts scouring every document that’s ever been produced in this office and every case either of you have handled, individually and collectively. We know when you became criminals and it wasn’t that long ago, was it?”

“No,” Alfredo said. “It wasn’t.”

“Here’s the deal,” Deuce said. “Against my better judgment and in deference to Jesse’s relationship, you two get a second chance. Each of you now have a ten-million-dollar life insurance policy, naming Eve McDermitt Maggio as the sole beneficiary. Compliments of the man in front of you. If you take this deal, you’ll both live to be old men. If you don’t, or if you stray just a little bit off the straight and narrow, there won’t be any arrests made. No lawyers. No Miranda rights. No trial. You won’t see us coming. And you won’t live to be old men.”

“From now on,” I said, “you won’t be representing degenerate scum like Madic. The only cases you’ll take will be for the betterment of the community. You’ll take pro bono cases whenever someone needs help. You’ll become fine, upstanding citizens even if you never get rich. If you don’t, we’ll know. You’re not to speak a word of this to anyone.”

“How do we know you can do all these things?” Alfredo asked.

Deuce reached over and turned the phone to Alfredo. “Dial information and ask to be connected to the Department of Homeland Security in Washington.” I looked up at Deuce and he winked. Maggio reached for the phone and dialed. “When you’re connected, ask for Associate Director Stockwell’s office and put it on speaker.”

Once he asked for Stockwell, he punched a button and put the phone back in the cradle.

“Travis Stockwell,” a familiar voice said over the speaker.

“Hi, Colonel,” I said.

“Jesse! How are things in the Keys? President Bush asked me when you were going to take him fishing again.”

“Anytime the President wishes, sir.”

“I assume Deuce is there with you?”

“Yes, sir,” I replied.

“Am I also to assume that your son-in-law and his father are seated there, as well?”

“Yes, sir,” Deuce replied.

“Good evening, Misters Maggio,” Stockwell said. “My name is Colonel Travis Stockwell, US Army, retired. Deuce and Jesse are part of a very elite anti-terrorist group that I’m in charge of. Deuce asked me to take this call and against my better judgment, well, here we are. The two men in front of you are two of the most dangerous men employed by our government. I bet you didn’t know that, did you?”

“No, sir,” Alfredo said. “We did not.”

“Either or both of these men can end someone’s life very quickly, or in some very slow and unpleasant ways. And I can have the whole matter completely swept under the rug. Permanently. I hope I make myself clear. Do I?”