CHAPTER TWENTY
Near Buck's Home—Hueytown—12:30 A.M.
Buck reached into the door pouch and retrieved a set of keys to his van, parked under an open-ended carport and said, handing them to Cathy, "Here, get the van and follow us. And you can shed the rubber gloves for now if you like. That is just for when we are in this truck. Park in the Hardee's lot next to the mini storage, as close as you can and as out of view as you can." He knew that his paranoia was showing. "And get the portable air tank from behind the rear seat and bring it with you. We will be just a few yards away."
Shirley and Mary had the roll-up door opened and ready when Buck backed the truck into position at the end storage garage on the third row from the front of the facility. He left the headlights on, making no attempt to avoid being seen, mentally compensating for his remarks to Cathy about trying to appear covert.
"I feel like a burglar," Cathy said, as she approached, carrying a green freon tank fitted with valves and a gage for air storage. Do you have the next compartment rented as well?"
"Yeah," he replied. "Would like to buy some fine furniture, real cheap?"
"Not tonight," she answered. "Is this stuff yours?"
"Actually, it belongs to the group," Buck said. "We picked it up in yard sales around the area. Open that one and we will get a couple of chairs or tables or something to put over here when we finish."
"Where is the air tank you mentioned," Shirley asked.
"Here," Cathy said, still wearing the gloves. "Are the tires low?"
"One of them will be," Mary said. "We want it to look as though it has been here for a while but when we come back to get it, we will need, and with this tank, will be able to air it back up. What name did you use to rent these spaces? Not you own?"
"Harbin," Buck said, smiling. "Joel Harbin. We had him do some legal work for us recently. Real nice SOB. He may be looking to relocate. We may just leave the furniture for him. Give me another couple of minutes to place the switches on the doors so that we will know if anybody opens them and then we can head back."
"Is that some of Swede's spy stuff?" Mary asked. "It won't explode, will it?"
"No, it will just transmit a signal to Willy's house if anybody opens one of the roll-up doors. He lives closer to here than the rest of us. When we refer to the truck, just say that it is in my uncle's driveway, on Church Street. There use to be two rows of company houses here, for miners and other employees of a local iron producer. Woodward Iron, I think it was."
"Did you uncle actually live here?" Cathy asked.
"He said that he was born here and this space is just about where his, well actually his dad's, driveway was. We're set here. Let's go next door and get something to eat before we start back. They have the best biscuits you will find in these parts. Who's buying?"
"I will," Shirley said and laughed. "I have to get used to being a big-time spender. Hardee's is as good a place as any to start."
They picked a table in the corner of the room with the Plexiglas covering. When Cathy moved her chair, it made a rattling, annoying sound. The only other people in the room were two elderly couples. The sound annoyed them, especially one of them who gave Buck a stare that he had seen before, a couple of months earlier at the BP station on Highway 16.
Cathy noticed the exchange of glances and said to Mary, "I wonder what those old folks are up to, this late. No good, most likely."
"They're up to no good?" Mary said and rubbed her two index fingers at her in shame. "Lightning could strike."
Buck's phone rang just as Shirley set the food on their table. It was Swede. "What's up in Indian Country? Our fortune, I hope." He smiled and raised both thumbs, continuing to hold the phone against his ear. "We will be starting back in about twenty minutes." The ringing phone also had annoyed the lady across the room who obviously thought that cell phones use in dining establishments should be treated as a felony.
"Well?" Cathy asked.
"Ladies," Buck said. "We now have, or will have as soon as Cool Hand can finalize the arrangements with his bank, an additional $6M+ each. Can you handle it?"
On their way out, Cathy stopped briefly at the table where the elderly couples were seated. She leaned over and said, "I am going to slap him as soon as I get him outside. I have warned him about using that blamed thing in public. The two men with the ladies forced back a grin."
"The bench seat in the rear folds down into a bed," Buck said as he turned right onto Allison-Bonnet Memorial Drive, toward the interstate highway. "The controls are on the right side and all of the other seats will lean back far enough to at least nap. If anybody needs a pit stop, sing out."
Motor home—Parking lot at Golden Moon Casino—6:00 A.M.
"I trust you had an uneventful trip," Willy said, as the four travelers entered the living room of the motor home. "Nothing has happened in the vault and the 'money' is still in the storage room where Wayne and C. T. left it. If I believed that there was that much real money sitting on a dolly, waiting for somebody to bring to me, I don't know that I could discipline myself to wait."
"How is Walter, Trixie?" Buck asked. "Still in the hospital?"
"Since we all wanted to know," she replied, "I went to check on him, real early this morning so that they could see my genuine concern. Walter 'checked out' six hours before he even got tothe hospital. Their records show that he was admitted Friday night. He's gone!"
"Our over-sized Indian has influence, and probably even control over records and the activities everywhere in this resort," Wayne said as he poured C. T. a cup of coffee.
"Do you think that Walter and. . .Bryant, the Nerd, sold the numbers and took the whole 10% without telling the others?" Buck asked.
"It's not just the 10%," Willy said. "He has, or thinks he has, the entire $100M in the storage room"
And there hasn't been any undue activity here?" Buck asked. "No panic? No troops? No police? No Indians on the war path?"
"Not a peep," Willy said. "Swede and Cool Hand have been alternating keeping an eye on the storage room and making themselves seen in the casino. They are in the rack now, down the hall, catching a few Zs. Cool Hand has a meeting at ten, this morning."
"I've had a few hours sleep," Mary said. "I can take that spot. Whose car are they using?"
"Mine," Willy said. "Josh is there now. You know what it looks like."
"Take this coffee with you," Gail said, handing her a thermos and two plastic cups and picking up a cell phone. "The creamer and sweetener are behind you if you want it. I'll call Josh and tell him that relief is on the way."
"I'll call him," Cathy said. "Hand me the phone. I have a couple of questions to ask him. He's going to help me find a boat."
"Make that our boat, Cathy," Buck said, "and make it a big one. I, for one, like your plan to use it to move the money to the islands."
"Any island in particular?" Trixie asked. "Do you have one in mind?"
"St. Vincent," Buck said. "They have a lot of yachts for sale there I understand and for some reason, some of the sellers will not sell to Americans in American waters. It's probably a legal thing. That wouldn't be a problem there and it would be an excuse to go to a Great vacation area, I understand."
"After Cool Hand has his meeting with the princess," Willy said, "I recommend we fall into our usual routine while here. Trixie should slip out the back way, although if Walter has in fact flown the coup, it won't matter too much if she is seen with any of us."
"She does have a 'legitimate' reason to contact us," Mary said. "She is on the list of people who were 'scammed' by the infamous Mr. Shaw, AKA Wayne Gavin,"
"For now," Trixie said, "limiting our open contact is probably best."
"Cathy," Buck said, "put Josh on hold for a minute. I have a suggestion to make. After I catch a couple of hours sleep, what do you say that we hit the buffet in the Star. That is everybody except Trixie and Josh. Then we wander around the casinos for an hour or so and then head east. We take tomorrow off and say. . .at 6:30 Tuesday we meet at my place for a barbecue and critique. Get as much information as you can before we leave."
"Make that Willy's place," Cool Hand said. "I'll order everything except the barbecue itself."
"Willy's it is," Buck conceded. "I'll get the drinks."
Willy's patio—Tuesday evening—6:30 P.M.
The first thing to get Buck's and Gail's attention when they got out of their car was Hawaiian music. Hanging from the deck at the rear of the house was a 6 ft. wide x 4 ft. high picture of a yacht that Buck guess to be at least 120 ft. long. "That's an ocean liner. Are we going to Hawaii?
"No," Willy said, "I just don't have any Calypso music. And you are right. The boat is 127 feet long. It has six state rooms on the main deck and twelve more smaller ones on deck two plus crew's quarters that you would not believe. At least that's the propaganda on the internet.
"You bought it?" Gail asked.
"We don't have the money yet," Cathy said. "At least not any that we can claim. It should be in our accounts by the end of the week. Isn't it a beauty?"
"The poster makes it look new," Jeannine said. "When was it built?"
"It came off the ways in June of '98," Josh said, "and it was refitted in January '03 with an enlarged dining room and a small casino room in addition to more decadent amenities than you can shake a stick. On paper, it is impressive and it looks good in the pictures."
"How much?"
"Seven point eight million," Cathy said. "Less than one million each. The problem is that the agent, a Frog—Frenchman, is treating us as though we are from Dog Patch. The owner is Spanish."
"You tell that Frenchman that we may want two of his boats," Shirley said.
"So far we have contacted only the agent," Josh said. "It will be in the Bahamas this week end. I am sure that the owner, if he, or she, is interested in selling, will be friendly enough to deal with. Dog Patch, you say?"
"I imagine they do get a lot of inquiries from the curious rather than the serious," Buck said. "Cool Hand, can you transfer, say $1M from each share to an account in the islands."
"No problem. I'll need signatures on a few papers but the process is routine. Are we all in accord on this." Every hand went up.
"You said that you were going to check it out first, Josh," Cathy said. "We aren't just buying a used car here. Do you know enough about boats to do it?"
"No, I don't but I know a marine engineer who does. I'll try to locate him. While I'm doing that, everybody lend Willy a hand to get the food ready. I know about as much about cooking as I do about yachts"
"Same here," Buck said. "When can you have the money in place so that the snooty agent can verify that Cathy has the funds, Cool Hand?"
"I can have all of the papers ready by Thursday," Cool Hand said. "Did you say that this liner has. . .eighteen state rooms? Why so large, Cathy?"
"The lieutenant commander, the one we met on the cruise, said that he has always wanted to captain a cruise ship. I'll find out if he is serious. We can take on charters. There are a lot of very rich people who like to be on yachts certain times of the year but don't want to be bothered with owning one. I'll let the sailor hire a crew to sail it and even run the business. You know that he will hire people in the Coast Guard."
"Give me a few hours aboard it, "Wayne said, "and I will find a place to stow the money. If we do decide to buy it, it won't take me and C. T. long to rework a few panels."
"Aren't the Coast Guard people aware of such hiding places you may come up with, Wayne," Willy asked. "Despite what you may see in bad movies, those people aren't dummies."
"No, they aren't," Wayne said. "But this will be 'their' boat. They will have the run of it anytime they like and will spend more time on it that we will. It's their job to maintain a secure coast. We will have to slip only one bundle past them and then just once. It is a big bundle but we can do it. We aren't dummies either, are we?"
"All of the votes are not in on that, Sweetie," Shirley said, "but so far, I give this bunch a genius rating, all around. Crazy, but genius. Do you know how much money we have? She did a version of one of Buck's little dances." Swede and Cool Hand joined in with the dance and started the humming chant."
"I love this bunch," Gail said, "every one of you. But you scare the hell out me half the time. You may be geniuses but you're like a bunch of little boys. Let's eat. Where's Josh?"
"He went inside," Cathy said. "I'll get him."
When Josh rejoined the others in the patio, Swede said, "Tell us what you learned after we left."
"Very little, actually. I left Choctaw only a couple of hours after you did, Swede," Josh said. "Cathy just told me about the proposed trip to see the boat so I was about to call to cancel the meeting at the casino this Friday when I got a call myself. Charlene said they prefer that both she and Walter be present for the presentation but they have received some disturbing news. There was a fire aboard the cruise ship that Walter was on and some of the passengers were reported to have jumped overboard to avoid the flames."
"I heard something about a fire aboard a cruise ship this morning," Cool Hand said, "but I didn't have time to catch the whole story, with all the commercials and comments from the talking heads. Do you suppose our man, 'Big Chief Wahoo', staged his demise?"
"Cathy is watching the news channel now," Josh said. "She'll be out in a minute.
"What else did the princess tell you?" Buck asked. "If it isn't of a personal nature."
"An earful, actually," Josh said. "She was on the loading dock where the money from Wayne's Hong Kong press was stored."
Wayne stood up and took a bow and being in a festive mood or in the early stages of inebriation, did a small dance and then leaned over Gail's shoulder and started the hum.
"She told me that they stacked it onto the bed of a pick-up truck and covered it with a tarp and drove away. She was there to sign the release of it to the bidder."
"One of the filmers," Willy asked.
"No," Josh said. "Some local citizen bid ten dollars more than any of the theatrical groups did. She had no idea what anybody other than show people, as she called them, would do with it but she was there to handle the sale and to witness the transfer of the money in the vault. That was what she wanted from her control, hers and Walter's. We 'won' that as you know."
"I hope they don't pay us with that money," Swede said. "Do you think that they had two piles of money."
"I do know that the one we have on Church Street is real," Cool Hand said. "And the bank will guarantee the funds to be paid to us. The money she saw removed from their vault will probably be moved to some local bank but there will be questions to be answered if and when somebody actually opens those bundles. We know that we did not touch the money that was in the vault so if it was switched, Walter did it."
"What about Joe?" Willy asked.
"He was at work yesterday and today," Cool Hand said. "He acted a little awkward toward Cathy and me but he seemed to accept that we were just lucky. He was astounded and said so several times but I think he bought the story."
"What about his mail?" Betty asked.
"He has been trying to reach Walter and Bryant," Swede said, "but he hasn't gotten a reply."
"Josh," Willy said, "go get Cathy. The steaks are ready. Never mind, I see her."
"Guess who they think is missing in the cruise ship fire?" Cathy asked.
"Let me guess," C. T. said. "One Nerd and one Indian! Right?"
"They haven't actually released any names," Cathy said, "but the news commentators interviewed some of the passengers who gave a description of the two. One of them used the term, 'Native American' in appearance as one of the missing and another passenger used 'Nerd' to describe the younger man. Both were seen assisting fellow passengers."
"How did they get off the boat?" Jeannine asked. "Weren't they at sea?"
"They jumped," Cathy said, "along with several others."
"And they have recovered all of the passengers except two," Buck said. "Correct?"
"There were several small fishing boats in the area, close to one of the islands when the fire broke out," Cathy said, "according to the news, but two are still unaccounted for."
"Do you think that Joe has been crossed?" Swede asked. "He didn't agree with the sale of the numbers to the big game. I don't know what their schedule was but he was in on a three or four-way split of about $3M, twice."
Susan said, "Listen to the numbers you are using, the dollar amounts. Do you realize that Swede's and my share of this is over five times that amount. My concern is that we will spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders."
"That is the reason we are not going to run until we have turned the corner," Buck said. "I call it the Roy Farr maneuver. The casino isn't happy about not being able to name a winner but they won't divulge the our names."
"And the bank won't, either," Cool Hand said. "But! Joe knows who we are. There is another 'but', but it is in our favor. Joe can't afford to name us because it may look as though he sold the numbers to two groups, not a nice thing to do when dealing with the type of customer they had."
"He did e-mail the Nerd and two other people besides Walter saying that the deal should not go through at this time," Swede said. "And he got replies acknowledging his stand against it."
"So it looks as though the Nerd made the deal on his own?" Willy asked.
"And he and the big Indian are missing," Mary said. "They better stay missing."
"Joe has the account numbers in the island bank where they deposited the money," Buck said, "and he can learn if there is ever any activity in the accounts. But what can he do about it?"
"He can hope that the person, or persons, who made the deal with the Nerd comes under suspicion," Swede said. "And we, in the meantime, are going to stand in the sunlight and claim that our win was legitimate, albeit through the back door."
"Did you get in touch with the marine engineer, Josh." Buck asked.
"I left my number for him to call back."
"What will he cost?" Susan asked.
"Twenty percent of what he saves us or $100,000.00, plus expenses," Josh said, "whichever is greater. For that, he appraises the boat, inspects it, handles the negotiations and registers it for us. At least those were his terms the last time I talked to him. He will never believe that I am trying to buy a yacht, though."
"I can't believe that we are, any of us," Buck said. "Your engineer sounds like more than just an engineer."
"He dabbles."
"Where is the boat located?" Buck asked.
"Nassau," Josh said. "About 185 miles from Miami." He smiled and added, "Right in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle! Who wants to go look at a boat?"
"Everybody!" Cathy said. "I've already called Chuck."
"Chuck? Josh said. "Who is Chuck?
"Chuck Preston," Buck said. "He pilots charters, part time. He used to work with Cathy and me. How big a plane does he have, Cathy?"
"I told him that there would be at least fifteen," Cathy said. "He said that he can get a plane to carry twenty passengers. I'll owe him big time if Cool Hand doesn't get the money transferred."
"Not to worry," C. T. said. "We still have the whistle to say nothing of the very large, overstuffed mattress at Buck's uncle's place."
Marina—Nassau—Saturday, 2:00 P.M.:
"Has your engineer arrived yet, Josh?" Buck asked.
"Yes. He and his guys got here this morning and I think they are still aboard. What do you think about it, Cathy?"
"It looks better than it did in the pictures. I just hope your man. . .uh. . ."
"Weatherby," Josh said. "Carl K. Weatherby."
"Well, I hope Carl doesn't find anything wrong with it, like say a hole in the bottom, or a slip in the jib or whatever."
"You know all of the nautical terms, don't you, Cathy?" Swede said.
"Josh!" a man on the quarterdeck of the yacht called out. "You guys come on aboard, into the main stateroom. She looks good!" Cathy smiled.
After the introductions were out of the way, Buck asked, "Are you familiar the boat?"
"Not much," Carl said, "but we have just started. All we have done so far is check the specs and the refit data. We'll spend the rest of the day and tonight checking it over. This a fancy boat and not just fancy; it's seaworthy. You guys look around, but be careful."
"See what you can find, Wayne," Swede said as the group began their unescorted tour."
"Tell me, Josh," Carl said. "How is it that you can afford to even look at a boat like this? No. No, tell me how it is that your haven't been shot by some lady's husband."
"He stays away from married women," Cathy said. "Is this boat worth the money they are asking?"
"The owner should get at least a half a million more than the current asking price," Carl said, "but he's in a bind. Rumor has it that some property deal went south on him and he has to unload a few items. This is one of the things he can live without, and why not? He has another one, even larger."
"What can we get it for?" Cathy asked.
"You haven't even looked this one over, Cathy," Carl said. "There are two more here that I didn't know about."
"This is the one I want!"
"Unless I find something, I'll offer six point two and they sail it to. . .where?'
"Gulfport, Mississippi or Mobile, Alabama."
"They will offer to dock it in Miami, most likely," Carl said. "But we'll talk to them. And you are sure about this one?"
"What do you think, Josh?
"You're the captain. This was your idea."
"Give us a tour," Cathy said. "What about the engines? Are they large enough?"
"More than large enough," Carl said as he opened the door leading to the mid-ship passageway. "All systems are over-engineered, the way I like them. Cathy went on ahead and Carl said, "Where did you get the money for this? Or should I ask where she got it?"
"There will be several of us together on the deal," Josh said, "but you should not ask. Does it show that we 'don't have money'?"
Carl only smiled at first and then said, "If you think I can read people, wait until you meet the owner's French agent. He is aboard somewhere, or was. He knows that he will have to cut his asking price and his commission so he is not ecstatic."
"You know this. . .because. . how?"
"It has been on the market since it came out of refit. They can't sell it and they need the cash. I like making deals like this. This guy is a snob. You know the type; he kisses up to the rich and loves to put down the working class."
"And here we are, on a weekend trying to buy a yacht. Wait until he meets Cathy!"
Two hours later they regrouped in the main stateroom where the owner's agent was present but was not aware a decision to purchase had been reached. "Pending a check out of the systems and a short shake-down run, we are ready to sign," Carl said. "That, plus an agreement on price."
True to what Carl had said about the man, he could size up a person and determine to within two francs the amount of money in his pocket as he walked across carpeted floor. He was also correct when he said that he was somewhat over the barrel on the current boat sale he was negotiating. He could see tennis shoes and pull-overs and he knew that not a single person in the group had ever purchased even an automobile with out financing it.
What he did not realize was that the people with whom he was dealing cared not a farthing what his evaluation of them was. Everybody in the stateroom wanted the deal to go through and was convinced that it would, even if class related comments were exchanged. "Okay, Mack," Cathy said, "make my man, Carl, an offer so he can earn his pay."
"Perhaps we should confer privately," Carl said to the agent before any derogatory dialogue came into play and motioned to a table away from the others."
"At least he speaks English, Cathy," Susan said and laughed
"He sounds like a harelipped Cajun," Cathy replied, "but he's alright. How do you like our boat?"
"I keep expecting somebody to tell me to go back outside and wipe my feet," Susan said. "This is a fancy boat."
"Did you find a place to put it, Wayne?" Swede asked.
"Any of the upper staterooms will do. It will take a day or two to do a little refitting of our own."
Both Carl and the agent knew to within a few dollars what the deal was going to be before they excused themselves but they had some motions to go through. It was protocol, even when dealing with the newly rich. Josh and everybody also knew that both the frog and Carl worked both sides to add to their coffers. It was not necessarily protocol but they did it for the extra commissions.
With the deal in hand, the agent could no longer resist taking a cut at amusing himself. "Daisy Mae," he started, with an obvious reference to a character in an old American comic strip and then said, "I mean, Ms. McBlevins, your Mr. Weatherby drives a hard bargain. Fair, but hard. Everything he has stipulated has been agreed upon. I am sure that after your little ride to Miami, you all need to get back to your double wides. One other thing, of no real consequence really, but I wondered if you intend to rename the vessel, just for my records. I would suggest, if not a French name, something Swedish. Perhaps Mr. Nordness can come up with a suitable name, his being Swedish."
"At the renaming ceremony, you do intend to follow protocol, I hope," Swede said.
"What protocol would that be?" Cathy asked.
"The Pirate's Protocol. It was common practice to keelhaul the last owner of the vessel, or his agent, at least if the ceremony takes place in Cajun waters."
"You just made that up, didn't you?" Gail said.
Before Cathy could tune up for a reply, Josh said, "I am the one with the double-wide and yes, Chuck can meet us in Miami later today for the return trip home from there and we can arrange for the boat to be sailed on to Gulfport."
"How is the situation in Choctaw and the double-wide, Josh?" Willy asked.
"With Walter not currently at the casino, Charlene is having to fill in."
"No," Willy said. "I mean 'with' the princess'?" The agent perked up at the use of the word princess.
"I am now the rejected suitor in that part of the country. There is even talk about a tribal wedding. I won't be invited. Even my security card deal is on hold."
"I am sure somebody will pick up your options, Josh," Betty said.
"You can count on it," Cathy said, sneering but refraining from making any comment to the agent.
"What are you planning to name the boat, Cathy?" Buck asked, purposely standing between the French agent and Swede, "once you get it back to Gulfport. I assume that is where you will berth her."
"You guys keep asking me what will happen to the boat," she replied. "You forget that I was looking for a job when I met this group. This boat is not mine; it is ours! I have heard that it is unlucky to rename a ship but I just don't like the name 'Milla Noventa Ventarrò."