Double Vengeance
By JSRobertson
A large yacht was anchored near the entrance to the channel the submarine Seaview uses to leave her pen from the Nelson Institute of Marine Research. They were prevented from getting any closer to the institute grounds by security so they had to stay where they were. They had put out fishing lines from the deck making it look like they had just stopped to fish. There was a man on the upper deck with high powered binoculars watching the employees and staff at the institute as they held their annual picnic on that warm Saturday afternoon. He was only interested in one person so he zeroed on that man, Lee Crane. He watched him for most of the afternoon. When he wasn't watching him, he was watching his wife, Janet, and how he interacted with her. "You'll be sorry Commander," he said out loud to no one in particular, "You'll be sorry." After watching him for a few hours, he put the binoculars down, ordered the crew to pull in the lines, they left the channel and headed out to sea.
((()))
After everyone had left the picnic, the admiral asked Lee, Janet, Chip, along with Chip's date Julie, to wait before they left as he needed to talk to them. He had to talk to Chief Sharkey first but would be with them shortly. Lee, Chip and Janet stood in front of the main office wondering what the admiral wanted. When he was finished talking to Sharkey, he walked over to them. Chuckling as he looked at them he remarked, "The three of you look like you've done something wrong and are in trouble."
"We weren't sure why you wanted to see us," Lee responded anxiously.
Smiling, "You've been working very hard so I just wanted to let you know I'm giving you the day off on Monday unless you feel you need to do more preparations for the mission on Wednesday." They were going to check on some sensors they had placed near Cole Island in the Pacific for a laboratory recording the temperature around some coral reefs. There has been some bleaching of the coral reefs due higher water temperatures so it was important that the sensors were properly calibrated. They were also going to add a few more sensors around the area. There were also a couple of technicians scheduled to return to the mainland so Seaview would ferry them back.
"The crew will load the supplies and gear needed for the mission on Monday and Tuesday. Once that is done we are good to go first thing on Wednesday at high tide," Chip told the admiral.
"That's just what Sharkey told me," the admiral continued. "So I'll see you on Wednesday morning. I have a meeting tonight with a prospective client but I'll tell you more about it later."
"Thank you sir," Janet said with a smile as Lee and Chip nodded their heads in agreement.
((()))
The admiral got into his car and drove to his house so he could change his clothes for the meeting as shorts and a collared shirt were not going to work. He was meeting the client downtown on the waterfront at an outdoor cafe. He changed into his black suit, white shirt and black tie. He climbed into his car for the thirty-minute ride to the waterfront. The cafe with its red and white striped awning was tucked in with some town houses that faced the waterfront. After the meeting was over he walked down the lighted stone path passed a stairway leading into one of the town houses. Just off the porch was a huge rubber tree that almost covered the door. Just ahead of him on the stairs to another house, the admiral saw a man with a tall, very attractive brunette. He had his arm around her waist and gave her a long romantic kiss before they entered the house. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn the man was Lee. He only caught a glimpse of his face but noticed he was the same height as Lee and had the same curly black hair as his captain. He continued walking past the house, looking at the door as he passed it by. He walked to his car wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him. Once in his car, he took out his phone and dialed Lee's number.
"Hello admiral," Lee answered recognizing the number. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes Lee. I just wanted to tell you I met with the client and we aren't going to be able to help him. Enjoy your day off," the admiral told him sighing in relief that the man he saw wasn't Lee. He drove home thinking about what he was going to do with his time off.
((()))
It was early on Sunday morning when Lee and Janet got up. They were sitting outside on the patio having their morning coffee when Lee said, "We're going to sail to Catalina Island today. Since we have tomorrow off I thought it would be good to get away."
Grinning, "Lee, whatever you want to do is fine with me. As long as I can have you all to myself, I don't care what we do," Janet said tenderly as she gave him a kiss.
Returning the kiss, he replied, "I have a surprise for you. I've made reservations at a hotel for dinner and we're staying overnight on the island."
"You were pretty sure that I would agree to go." Lee just gave her that special smile. "Well I guess I better start packing us some lunch and clothes for the trip," Janet answered as she went into the house.
After Janet went into the house, Lee called down to the dock to have Tony ready the boat for them.
An unfamiliar voice answered the phone. "Hello, this is Adam."
"Hi Adam, this is Lee Crane is Tony there?" he asked puzzled not sure who Adam was.
"No sir. He called in sick today so I'm taking his place. What can I help you with Skipper?"
Lee was surprised that he knew who he was. "I'm going to take my boat out today and need to have it readied for sailing. Is there anyone there who could take care of it?"
"Yes sir, I can. I know I work as a mess specialist on Seaview but I've been sailing all my life. I'll make sure she's ready to sail. How soon would you like her ready to go?"
"Sorry Adam, I didn't realize you filled in at the dock," Lee replied embarrassed he didn't recognize the crewman's voice, "is an hour too soon?"
"No sir. She'll be ready in an hour."
"Thanks, Adam. We'll see you then," Lee answered and disconnected the call.
Adam quickly made a phone call. "You're in luck, boss. He's going out today."
"Great, thanks for letting me know," a man replied. He too had a grin on his face.
((()))
Lee and Janet packed their cooler with sandwiches, fruit, and drinks. Janet took a small bag out of the closet so they could pack some t-shirts and shorts. Since they were going to dinner, Janet put in a sun dress while Lee put in a pair black pants and white shirt. Janet had also put in suntan lotion and hats for both of them. Before they left Lee called Chip but it went directly to voice mail, "Hi Chip. Just wanted to let you know Janet and I are sailing to Catalina Island and won't be back until sometime on Monday. Hope you enjoy your day off."
"Did you get a hold of Chip?"
"No, but I left him a message. I pretty sure he's with Julie," Lee grinned.
"I hope he's having fun," Janet grinned back. "Maybe we can have some fun too," she hinted deviously.
Lee nodded in agreement as they grabbed their gear and headed to the dock. When they arrived they saw Adam waiting by the boat and had her ready to go. Lee's boat was a 22' one mast cat boat. He bought it for the name 'Second Dream'. He purchased it used not to long after he got the job as captain of the Seaview which he considered his first dream. He had it totally refurbished so it looked like brand new. It would hold up to four people but yet small enough for Lee and Janet to handle themselves.
"Thanks Adam," Lee said as Adam took the cooler Lee was holding and put it on the boat. He then took the bag Janet had and also put it on the boat. Lee helped Janet down the ladder and climbed aboard. "We won't be back until sometime tomorrow. I've let Mr. Morton know in case there's a problem. He can reach me by radio if the phone doesn't work."
"Okay Skipper. Have a good time," Adam replied as he untied the lines and threw them to Lee who stowed them in a locker. He watched them as they sailed out of sight down the channel into the ocean.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket, "They just left and I put the tracker on board," he reported.
((()))
It was a beautiful day for sailing, just the right amount of wind, the sky was free of clouds and the ocean was not too rough. Janet had only been on Lee's boat a couple of times but they had never sailed as far as they would be today so she was a little leery when they couldn't see land anymore.
"Lee," Janet said softly, "Can this boat tip over?"
Chuckling he replied, "No sweetheart. Why do you ask?"
Looking embarrassed she answered, "I tipped over a sailboat the one time I went on it. It was a lot smaller boat and it hit a wake from a motor boat that wasn't supposed to be there and I couldn't get the jib out fast enough and it flipped over. We managed to grab the center board and right the boat but it was pretty scary."
He patted her hand trying hard to not laugh. "Don't worry sweetie, we'll be just fine. The only danger sailing to Catalina is staying out of the shipping lanes and watching the weather. But I checked the weather and its clear sailing all the way and I know where the shipping lanes are," he reassured her. "I'll show you how to sail the boat so you'll know what to do."
"Thanks Lee," Janet responded as he showed her how to steer the boat and work the sail. After her sailing lesson, Janet grabbed some sandwiches and water out of the cooler. As they sat next to each other in the cockpit eating their sandwiches, Janet watched her husband as he sailed the boat. "What's wrong?" he asked when he saw her staring at him.
"You look so relaxed, happy and enjoying the sea air," Janet told him. "You really do enjoy being in or on the water don't you."
"Yes, I love it," he replied giving her a kiss on the forehead as they continued on to Catalina Island unaware that there was a yacht following them.
((()))
They reached Catalina in the late afternoon and not a moment too soon as the weather was quickly changing. Lee found a slip at the dock and tied down the boat, lowered the sail and locked her up while Janet grabbed the bag she brought with. Lee took the bag, put it on the dock and helped Janet out of the boat. They walked hand in hand to the end of the dock and to the hotel.
They checked in and went to their room which had a beautiful view of the dock and ocean. Lee was happy he could see his boat from the window. The sky had gotten darker and it threatened to rain. After sailing all day, they were tired so before they got dressed for dinner they took a nap. Lee helped Janet removed her t-shirt revealing the skimpy swim suit she had underneath. It didn't take him long to remove that too. Janet helped Lee remove his shirt and shorts. They spent the next hour tantalizing each other before they joined in love. They laid there catching their breath for awhile before Lee got out of bed and turned on the shower. He soaped up and before long Janet joined him. He washed her back while she washed his. They quickly finished showering or they would be late for dinner.
"You look fantastic," Lee told Janet after she finished putting on her sun dress and just a touch of make up.
"You don't look too bad yourself," Janet replied looking over Lee who had rolled up the sleeves on his shirt and slipped on his boat shoes. Janet walked over to him put her arms around his neck and he lowered his head so she could give him a tender kiss. "We better stop now or we're never going to make dinner," Lee told her returning her kiss. "We better finish this later because I'm hungry," he snickered.
"Me too," Janet admitted. They left the room and walked down to the restaurant.
They enjoyed their dinner and were going to head outside for a drink when it started to storm. They returned to their room where they watched the lightening and the boats bobbing in the ocean as the sea got rough.
"How will we get home if the weather stays like this?" Janet asked worriedly.
"I checked it out, this is just a small storm and will be over before morning, so don't worry. Besides we do have an engine. It would be a rough ride but we could do it or we take a tour boat back to shore and fly home. We can always come back and get the boat later on. I've left it here before," Lee told her.
"Okay Lee. I know you wouldn't put us in danger," Janet replied and took his hand and pushed him down on the bed giving him a very long passionate kiss which led to other activities. They fell asleep and woke up very early the next morning to an overcast sky but no rain and a fairly calm ocean after the storm. They checked out and made their way to the boat and launched it for the long ride home.
((()))
They had been sailing for a couple of hours when Lee heard an SOS come over the radio. There was a boat in trouble and was broadcasting the longitude and latitude over the radio. Lee left Janet to sail the boat. As he left the cockpit for the cabin, he snickered, "Don't worry, sweetie, you can't flip her."
Janet looked Lee, "Thanks honey," she deadpanned.
Lee went to the cabinets where he kept the charts. He laid them out on the small table in the cabin and quickly located the boat. He returned to the cockpit and took over the steering.
"That boat is only a few miles ahead of us. We'll only have to veer slightly off course," he told her. "We should see if we can help them."
"No problem," Janet replied. "I wouldn't want to leave anyone stranded out here if they needed help."
Lee slightly altered their course and before long came across the cabin cruiser in trouble. Lee had Janet take the bumpers from the locker and put them on the side of their boat so Lee could pull up along side the crippled boat without damaging either one.
"Hi, I'm Lee Crane and this is my wife, Janet, how can we help you?" Lee asked the man by the side of the cruiser.
"I'm Arnie and this is Danny, he replied pointing to the other man on the cruiser. My engine stopped working. Do you know anything about motor boats?" he replied looking over Lee's sailboat.
Lee noticed him looking at his boat, "Yes, I know about boat motors," he answered looking at Janet who was trying to hide her grin.
Lee dropped the sail on his boat and left Janet in the cockpit while he jumped aboard the cruiser. He looked at the engine but couldn't find anything wrong with it. He stood up and was standing on the deck of the cruiser wiping the grease off his hand with a rag Arnie had given him. As Lee wiped off his hands he told Arnie, "You better call the Coast Guard and have them tow you back. I can't find anything wrong with your engine. Maybe you got bad fuel."
As Lee was talking to Arnie a large yacht stopped about one hundred feet off the port side of Lee's boat. A man on board yelled to the men on the cabin cruiser. "Is there a problem?"
Lee responded as he continued wiping off his hands, "He's going to need a tow back to the mainland. There's something wrong with his motor."
"No Commander," Arnie replied as he pulled a gun out from under his shirt. "There's no problem," he said as he started the engine.
Lee stared at him and realized they had been set up.
"How do you know who I am?" Lee demanded as Janet sat on their boat not knowing how to help Lee.
"It doesn't matter how I know, just do as I say and nobody will get hurt," Arnie told him.
Lee elbowed Arnie in the stomach hoping to catch him off guard but he managed to stay on his feet. He hit Lee on the back of his head, causing him to fall on the deck where he lay stunned for a few minutes.
"Lee," Janet yelled trying to get off their boat and onto the cruiser to help him. She was stopped by Danny who had come aboard their boat and pushed her back into the cockpit. She quickly brushed his hands away.
"I'm okay," Lee told Janet as he slowly stood up from the deck rubbing the back of his neck. "What do you want with us?"
"I'll let the boss tell you," Arnie replied as he pulled out some zip ties from his pocket and tied Lee's hands in front of him, put the cruiser in gear and motored over to the starboard side of the yacht where there was another man waiting to help them aboard.
"What about my wife," Lee asked, "please don't leave her there alone."
"Don't worry, Danny will stay with her until you get back," Arnie replied as he stuck the gun in Lee's back pushing him up the ladder to the main deck of the yacht.
Once on board, Lee was led to the main salon on the luxurious yacht where a man had his back to them when they walked in. Lee noticed the well appointed salon had two couches, teak tables and a flat screen TV.
"Welcome aboard Commander," the man said to Lee. "Too bad Arnie had to hit you, please don't try anything next time he will shoot you," he replied calmly as he turned around to face Lee.
Lee looked at the man and couldn't believe what he was seeing; the man looked just like him.
"What the hell is going on here?" Lee shouted.
"Now Commander is that anyway to talk," the man said strongly. "I better explain who I am and why you're here."
"I think you better," Lee hissed.
"My name is Paul Gallagher. I'm an agent for the PR and a submarine captain. Now you're probably wondering why I look like you, well I'm going to take your place on Seaview and your life. You see, three years ago when you were on a mission in the PR, I captured you and was bringing you to my superior for interrogation when you managed to escape. My superior was pissed with me, as you had gotten away from them once again. To make up for my embarrassment as I had never failed on a mission before, I vowed to get you and return you to the PR. I knew the only way I would be able to get to you was to be you. I made my way into the United States with false papers and references and applied for a job on Seaview. You even hired me as a mess specialist and steward. I was in charge of taking care of the cabins in officer's country."
"I don't recall anyone by the name of Paul Gallagher," Lee said curtly.
"Now Commander, there's no need to be nasty. I was hired under the name of Sal Silver," he told Lee who recognized that name. Paul continued, "I watched your every movement and took note on how you handled yourself with the crew and Janet but most of all how you commanded Seaview. I didn't want anyone to notice any difference when you're not in command and I am. After a year of service, I left Seaview and had plastic surgery done so I could look like you. I had to make sure I was fully recovered before I put my plan into motion. That time is now. Sorry Commander, you will not be going home today. I will be taking your place."
"You won't get away with it. The admiral and Mr. Morton will see right through you and know you're not me."
"Oh Commander, I wouldn't bet on it. I placed small cameras in the control room, wardroom, and other various parts of the boat. I've been studying you for over a year. I also discreetly made videos of you. I learned how you talk, walk, and eat," Paul replied proudly. "I even placed one in your cabin so I could see how you made love to your wife," he said tauntingly.
Lee lunged for Paul when he heard about the camera in his cabin but was stopped by Arnie who grabbed Lee by the arm before he got to Paul. "What are you going to do with Janet?" he asked worriedly. "She'll know you're not me."
"Don't worry Lee. I will take good care of her. Maybe she'll even like me better," Paul sneered. "I only need a couple more things, give me your watch, ring and phone. I know you never go anywhere without them."
Lee was seething as he reluctantly removed his watch and ring and put them in Paul's out stretched hand along with his phone. He quickly put the watch and ring on and put the Lee's phone in his pant pocket. "Take him below," he ordered Arnie.
Arnie took him by the arm and was leading him away from the salon when Lee raised his arms and hit Arnie in the face causing him to fall to the floor. Lee tried to make a run for it but was stopped at the door by a huge man. Arnie scrambled to his feet, walked over to Lee and punched him in the face jerking his head back. Lee lost his balance and fell to the floor where Arnie kicked him several times in the ribs. Lee let out a low moan as he heard them crack. Arnie pulled Lee up by his arms and pushed him down the stairs to the lower deck and into a storage cabin near the engine room. The only items in the room were a mattress and the paper goods they used on the boat. They weren't taking any chances on Lee escaping so they had a dead bolt lock on the door which Arnie engaged as he left. Lee looked around the room and saw there was no way out except through door. He noticed it was very hot and stuffy in the room. He looked around and knew there would be an air vent somewhere but with all the cartons and cases he couldn't see it. Even though his ribs hurt and it was hard to move with his wrists zip tied together, he managed to find the vent after moving some of the supplies out of the way. He took a deep breath of fresh air. Lee carefully sat down on the mattress as his ribs were hurting even more after moving the supplies, his jaw was sore and his eye swollen closed. He was worried about Janet and what Paul would do to her as he thought of a way to escape.
((()))
While Paul waited for Arnie to return he had summoned Howie to the salon for some final instructions.
"After picking up Arnie and Danny at the marina, proceed on course for the island. I will let you know when to assemble the men and have them there."
"Yes sir," Howie replied as Arnie returned from below. Howie left the salon and went up to the bridge to tell the captain as soon as the cruiser left the side of the yacht to get underway.
Arnie, make sure you keep Crane locked up. He's very devious and will escape if given the chance. I will let you know via phone if any action needs to be taken. Also, if possible, video everything that involves Crane, I don't care what it is. I might need it to keep his wife in line.
"Yes sir," Arnie answered with an evil grin on his face.
Paul had packed some things to take with him. He wouldn't mind wearing Lee's clothes but some items were too personal to share. Paul fingered the ring and smiled as he would finally get his revenge on Lee Crane.
"Let's go," Paul said as Arnie picked up his suitcase. They made their way to the back of the yacht and onto the cruiser for the short ride to Lee's boat. He couldn't wait to see Janet's reaction when she saw him. He figured he wouldn't be able to fool her but it would be fun toying with her.
((()))
Janet watched as the cruiser took off for the yacht with Lee. She wanted to follow the cruiser but wasn't sure how to put up the sail or start the motor. She turned to Danny, "Why are they taking Lee...what are they going to do with him...how did you know where to find us?" she asked angrily.
"Look lady," Danny said nastily. "I don't know anything. I was told to stay here and watch you, so that's what I'm doing...so just be quiet."
There wasn't any room to pace so she sat there staring at the yacht wondering what they were doing with Lee. Thirty minutes had passed when Janet finally saw the cruiser rounding the back of the yacht with Paul and Arnie. Arnie pulled up alongside the boat and shut down the engine. He waited for Paul to board the sailboat. Janet looked at Paul and couldn't believe what she saw. The man looked like Lee but she knew immediately it wasn't him. His eyes gave him away. Even though he had the same color as Lee, they had no warmth.
"Any problems?" Paul asked Danny.
"No, none. Just asked a few questions but I didn't give her any answers."
"Thanks Danny. You and Arnie can return to the marina and meet the yacht. Howie has the instructions on what to do next and knows what to do with Crane. If there are any problems, just call or leave a message."
"Yes sir," the men replied as Danny returned to the cruiser. He pushed the cruiser away from the sailboat and it quickly caught up to the yacht as it headed south. Paul pulled in the bumpers and put them in the locker and sat down next to Janet who moved as far away from him as possible. She was still staring at him. He could tell she knew he wasn't her husband the minute he stepped on the sailboat.
"Who are you...what have you done with Lee...where are you taking him...how did you find us?" Janet demanded.
"Hello, Mrs. Cra...Janet. I'm Paul Gallagher. "As far as all your questions, Lee is fine for now and you don't need to know where I'm taking him. I had a tracker placed on your boat. I've been following you since you left Santa Barbara. You docked the boat and stayed at a very nice hotel on Catalina Island and had dinner. But from now on you will call me Lee as I'm now your husband and captain of Seaview."
"No, I will not," Janet replied furiously.
"Yes, you will because if you don't and give away my identity, Lee will pay for it," he said harshly as he took a phone out of his shirt pocket. "You see this phone is connected directly to the yacht. If you do something I don't like, I will tell them to torture your husband. Look, he's already been injured." Paul showed Janet a picture of Lee with his eye swollen closed and a bruise on his jaw.
Janet took a deep breath. She was near tears but didn't want to give Paul the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
"Just what gave me away?" he asked looking her over. Not bad, he thought. I just might enjoy being Lee Crane.
"Your eyes," Janet snapped back, "They have no warmth."
"Well, I can't change that," he replied coldly, "I think we better get underway as we don't want to get in too late as Nelson or Morton might send out a search party for us." Paul hoisted the sail and steered the boat in the direction of Santa Barbara.
"Why are you doing this?" Janet asked softly.
"For revenge," Paul said calmly telling her exactly what he told Lee. "Now Janet, I have some ground rules for you to follow. You already know about giving my identity away and what will happen. We will follow Lee's normal routine so I don't arouse any suspicion. I know we're leaving on Wednesday morning for Cole Island but I don't know why so you will fill me in. When we get into the office tomorrow, you will help me with the paperwork that needs to be done and any items the Lee was supposed to do. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes," Janet answered fearfully.
It was a long trip back to Santa Barbara as Janet wouldn't talk to Paul no matter how hard he tried to engage her in conversation. She just might have to talk to him so she could find out where they had taken Lee.