XXIX
Guardsman Dorff sat in a rickety old chair in the Rogueport Police office hidden in the back of town. The chief, Lloydell, was facing him from his desk, a look of general concern on his aged features.
"You've got to watch yourself, Dorff," he said. He was staring right into the young recruit's eyes. "You can't go around giving Frankie Pianta a piece of your mind. Nothing good comes out of it."
"The man is a notorious criminal, sir," Dorff said determinedly. "He's guilty of a lot of things, sir."
"Yes, but where's the proof?" Lloydell tried to reason. "We can't jail him for anything. He's just too darn good. But practically trying to pick a fight isn't going to get him behind bars, Dorff. You've got to keep that temper of yours under control."
"Temper?" Dorff repeated disbelievingly. "Sir, I don't think –"
"'Think'? Dorff, I don't pay you to think. I pay you to stop small-time crooks from taking people's money."
"Well, sir, with all due respect, I think that we could do with a little more thinking around here."
Lloydell fell silent. He leaned back in his chair and gave a loud sigh.
"Dorff, I don't know what to do about this," he said simply. "All I'm saying is that you need to quit hassling Frankie Pianta, if you know what's good for you. We've already got enough trouble with the Syndicate as it is. We don't need any more. Do you understand me?"
Dorff grunted. He didn't like it, but the truth was obvious, and Lloydell was right.
"Yes, sir."
-
The ocean had never looked more blue.
The two boats sailed side-by-side, as they had when Goombella had originally left Rogueport with treasure on her mind. Now she was finally heading back, and what had she gotten out of the whole "adventure"? Personally, she never felt like going on another U Goom expedition again.
"At least we don't have to go to Dry Dry Desert, dawg," King K was saying. "I'd hate to go over there."
Goombella gave a bitter laugh. "Yeah…"
She turned to take a good look at the golden-shelled koopa. Even though he was still wearing those shades, K looked just as weary as Goombella did. They all wanted to go home, wherever home may be, and rest, physically and mentally.
But they still had one more thing to do.
Goombella stared off into the distance again, with one word floating nonstop in her mind:
Pianta.
Frankie Pianta.
Why did we have to get mixed up in your affairs?
If only we had been smarter.
If only we had figured it out sooner.
If only things hadn't turned out the way they did.
The harsh lesson of life was that there was nothing to do about it now but to make things right.
No matter what it meant.
-
Serge leaned against the cabin wall and dozed quietly, breathing lightly with each silent snore. Not far from him, Bandy Andy leaned out against the railing, gazing into the water.
It wasn't long before he noticed Grubba standing beside him. Catching sight of him, he jumped, but quietly tried to relax.
"Oh… hey there, Grubs."
"'Lo, pard," Grubba greeted kindly, much to kind for Bandy Andy's liking. "How are yeh holdin' up?"
"Could be better," Andy responded plainly. "But, it could be worse."
"True that," Grubba said, turning to watch Serge sleeping for a moment. "Andy, you remember when I was in charge of the Glitz Pit, doncha?"
Bandy Andy gave him a light smile, trying his best not to seem distant. "Well… sure I do, Grubba."
"I wasn't a bad ringman, was I? I mean, I know I sucked the life force outta y'all, but… I mean before that."
Andy scratched his head. "I dunno… I guess… I mean…"
"Fergit it," Grubba said. "Stupid question."
He started to trudge away, but Andy said, "No, I guess you were all right. I mean, power just ended up getting to your head, I suppose, but you were all right before then."
Grubba paused. He turned around and eyed Andy for a moment, before returning to the railings with him. Secretly, this was the last thing that Andy wanted.
"I appreciate that," Grubba said. "Because it's true. I did get power hungry. It's just… a bad trait o'mine, I suppose. Can't help it. Can't never rest."
Andy glanced at him cautiously.
"I don't know what it is, exactly. I'm just… never contented. I always need more'n what I got, and it's just… it's just never good enough for me, what I got. Always need more. Know what I'm sayin'?"
Andy said awkwardly, "I suppose…"
"Heck, you're a thief, you always want more, don't ya?"
"Well…" Andy shrugged. "That's really more of a fighting style. I don't go around stealing from everyone every chance I get."
Grubba chortled. "Yeh, I guess not." After another pause, he persisted. "But you never get one o'those feelin's? Like you just gotta go out there an' just… grab life by the horns?"
Andy said, "Not really."
Grubba watched the waves roll as the boat sailed on. "Pity."
Andy looked up at him uncertainly. "What's that?"
"I said, it's a pity. You really coulda helped me out."
Bandy Andy became aware of something at his feet; he looked down to see Jr. Troopa holding a plank, batting it in one hand menacingly.
"How 'bout you and me have a little talk?" growled Grubba.
Andy gulped. He knew this was about what he was thinking. "They'll see us. The people on the other boat. You can't do anything to me."
Grubba laughed. "That's why we're goin' to the other side, numbskull. C'mon."
Grabbing him with one powerful fist, Grubba dragged Andy to the other side of the boat, away from Serge, before anyone could blink an eye.
-
Jimbrey joined King K and Goombella at the front of their boat.
"How's Ivan doing?" K asked him.
"He's all right," Jimbrey said. His face looked disturbed, as if troubled by his thoughts.
"Something on your mind?" Goombella asked, taking notice of his expression.
"Hmm," Jimbrey muttered. "You guys, can I confide in you?"
K and Goombella exchanged glances.
"Sure thing," K told him. "I'm your dawg, dawg."
"Alright," Jimbrey said, taking a deep breath. "Andy told me something very interesting, and I can't help feeling like he may be right."
Goombella couldn't help a feeling of overwhelming curiosity. "What is it?"
"Well…" Jimbrey coughed anxiously. "Well, he claims that he saw Grubba… errr… kill Cleftor."
A long silence followed his statement.
"I knew it," King K said immediately.
Jimbrey looked shocked. "What?"
"I knew that punk wasn't good at heart," K growled. "I just… I had this bad feeling about having him with us. I didn't like it, dawg."
"Yeah…" Goombella said slowly, trying to fit the pieces together. "That would make sense… maybe he's been trying to get his hands on that treasure all on his own. If there even is a treasure, I mean."
"Yeah, but… that's a pretty intense claim to be making."
"It makes freakin' sense, though, don't it?" K asked furiously. "I mean… that guy's never been right. First he drains our energy, nearly killing us, for his own purposes, and then the Great Gonzalez goes and creams him. Can a guy ever get over losing power like that? I don't think so. I'd be mega sore about it, that's for sure."
"Yeah…" Jimbrey said reluctantly.
"And to have a chance at power again, to be able to get another shot… I'm pretty sure he'd take it," Goombella added, sounding more confident about her opinion.
"Yeah…" Jimbrey said again. "But I'm just not sure about it. I mean, Cleftor could have just fallen into the lava…"
"I think Grubba killing him is more likely," K muttered. "It just makes more sense. Cleftor wasn't smart, but… he wasn't stupid, either. I think Grubba chucked him."
"Well, it's just that Andy wasn't really sure if he saw it happen or not. He had been hit on the head pretty good…" Another thought pierced his mind. "Although…"
"What?" Goombella encouraged him, wanting to hear more.
"In that mansion in Forever Forest, Andy swears he could've seen Grubba talking to that one ghost… the sinister one," Jimbrey continued, looking puzzled. "The one we lost on Lavalava Island. Igor something."
"My…" Goombella said, thinking hard. "He didn't seem very right, either."
"I'm telling you, they were both in on it," King K said bitterly. "Same with that little kid he's got with him now. He's tempting him. He tempted the Boo, too. They want in on the treasure, and he promised them a piece of the pie."
Goombella glanced over at the other boat, sailing calmly beside theirs. There was no sight of Grubba or Bandy Andy. "Okay, listen. No matter what we think, we can't say anything about it to the others. Not yet. I'm willing to bet that Serge thinks so too, but… it isn't time to deal with this. Not yet. Not until we talk to the Pianta Syndicate. Agreed?"
King K nodded. "Okay."
Jimbrey still had a cluttered conscience. "I… well… yeah. Yeah, I agree. Don't talk about it anymore."
Goombella cleared her throat. "Alright. No more about that, then… I want to try getting some rest before we hit Rogueport."
Jimbrey rubbed his eyes. "Good idea. Man, I'm exhausted. All that sleep in Shiver City barely did any good."
-
Bandy Andy was against the railing on the other side of the boat, where they saw nothing but water as far as the eye could see. Across from him, leaning against the cabin wall, were Grubba and Jr. Troopa, staring daggers at him.
"I understand you've been suspectin' me of playing you false," Grubba said snidely. "What makes you say that now, feller?"
Andy took a deep breath. He remained quiet.
"I asked you a question, pard," Grubba said threateningly, standing up straight. "Answer me."
"I don't have anything to say to you," Andy said defiantly.
Jr. Troopa laughed. "Look at you! You're shaking like a baby!"
"You are a baby," Andy snarled.
"Whoa now! Let's not make this personal," Grubba chuckled evilly. "Let's try to stay on topic."
"You killed Cleftor," Andy said. "You killed my friend."
"Cleftor was an idiot," said Grubba. "You of all people knew that. He was nothing but a hassle."
"To us, or to you?" asked Andy angrily. "I know what this is about. You want the treasure all to yourself."
Grubba laughed. "Oh, please."
"Oh, please yourself! You said so yourself! You always need more!"
Grubba leaned back against the cabin wall again, staring up at the sky. He seemed very presently content in himself. After a moment of silence, he looked down at Andy, still against the railing.
"What can I say?" he whispered. "I'm a genuine money-hunter."
"You're pathetic," Andy spat. "And ironically, you've done this all on a sheer guess. For all we know, the treasure doesn't even exist!"
"You don't know that," Grubba growled.
"Oh, don't give me that. This was all a ruse, wasn't it? Some joke the piantas played!"
"What's he mean?" Jr. Troopa asked. "There's still treasure, isn't there?"
"He doesn't know anything," Grubba told him. "Of course there's a treasure."
"You're darn tootin' there better be a treasure!" Jr. Troopa yelled. "I've been on the sidelines for too long! It's time to get back in the game!"
"You're both miserable," Andy said. "There's no treasure. There never was. We were all in on it for the adventure, and your greedy minds thought of getting it all for yourselves."
"You shut up," Grubba said, pointing one menacing finger at him. "You shut your mouth, or you're going overboard."
"Do it!" shouted Andy, rather loudly. "Go ahead! You think they won't notice I'm missing?"
"You could have tripped," suggested Jr. Troopa nastily.
"My friends are smarter than that," Andy stated proudly. "They're better than you, Grubba. They don't trust you. I never did to begin with."
"That don't matter," Grubba said. "Just you wait. There is a treasure. And it'll be all mine when this is done… one way or the other."
Andy snickered spitefully. "Yeah. Keep telling yourself that."
Grubba took a step towards him.
"I'm gettin' tired of your lip," he said. "If you know what's good for yer…"
"Go ahead!" Andy invited. "Threaten me! It's meaningless! It's –"
SMASH.
Andy stumbled; his face screwed up in concentrated pain and confusion. The plank had hit him directly on the forehead, and it fell to the floorboards of the boat, bouncing noisily until it came to a stop. Andy looked airily over at Grubba, and a slight smile ebbed over his face before he fell backwards, over the rail and out of sight. There was a splash, and he was gone.
Grubba and Jr. Troopa both stood there, completely still. Then, Grubba turned around and grabbed Jr. Troopa with both hands.
"What in the name of Mother Earth did you go 'n do that for?!" he screamed. "You idiot! He was right! They'll know what we done!"
"I…" Jr. Troopa stammered, struggling for air. "I… just… I was calling his bluff!"
"His blu –" Grubba smacked Jr. Troopa violently. "You fool! Do you want us to get caught?! They had no proof, but they're slowly gettin' it!"
He threw Jr. Troopa to the floor. He got up, trying to retain his dizziness. "So what do we do, then, huh tough guy?"
Grubba rubbed his forehead. "Follow my lead." He then cleared his throat, and shouted, "Man overboard! Man overboard! Andy fell overboard! Someone help!"
Jr. Troopa grabbed his ankle. "Wait! Don't tell them!"
Grubba leaned down and whispered, "They're gonna find out at some point, ain't they? Now play along, or you're goin' overboard too." Then, straightening up, he ran to the other side of the boat, crying, "Serge! Serge, come quick! Andy's fallen!"
Jr. Troopa waddled away, muttering stubbornly. "You wouldn't throw me overboard, hotshot…"
