Frank stopped in town and bought a cheap pocketknife before going to Tu-Mey's house. There he looked around unobtrusively before going to the back door. He inserted it between the cheap metal lock and the frame. Seconds later he was inside the building with the door firmly closed behind him.
Frank headed straight for the door he had seen Baldwin enter earlier and descended the stairs on the other side. He scowled in disappointment when all he found was an empty room. There was no sign of Joe anywhere but over in the corner, on a table, was the metal box he had seen Baldwin carrying.
Curious, Frank went over and picked it up. He lifted the latch and looked inside. Lying there were five crisp one hundred-dollar bills: American. He reached in and pulled them out, wondering if they might be counterfeit.
"Congratulations," Tu-Mey said from the bottom of the steps.
Startled, Frank swung around and stared at Tu-Mey, Baldwin, Ben and another man he had seen at the docks but didn't know by name.
"Fine," growled Frank. "You caught me. I suppose an apology won't cover it?" he asked sarcastically.
Tu-Mey broke out laughing as the other men just grinned at him. "Relax, Tim," Tu-Mey told him. "And keep the five hundred for passing the test," he added.
"What?" a dumbfounded Frank asked.
"My business entails more than is allowed by the local authorities," Tu-Mey explained. "You seemed like the sort who could be of use in our endeavors but we couldn't proceed without making sure."
"See, the real money is in stealing," Ben informed Frank. "We take stuff and sell it to the highest bidder."
"What kind of stuff?" asked Frank. "And from who?"
"Does it matter?" asked Tu-Mey, narrowing his eyes on Frank. "As long as you get paid?"
"Yeah, it does," answered Frank. "Five hundred isn't much if it's gonna put me behind bars for a long time."
"You'll get a cut," Baldwin informed him. "Five percent which averages out to about twenty-five grand a week in good old American dollars."
"Twenty-five...." Frank broke off. He smiled. "I'm in."
It was almost midnight by the time Frank arrived back at the boarding house. Baldwin, Ben and the others had gone to a bar downtown to get drunk so Frank had declined with the excuse of hunger and belated jet lag.
After a light meal at a greasy cafe near the boarding house, Frank returned to the empty house. After making sure Tu-Lynn was also out, Frank spent an hour searching the premises, including every drawer and beneath every bed. He went to his room and closed his door in disappointment when he heard a car pull up outside.
Tu-Lynn entered through the back door, singing heartily, and made his way through the kitchen and into the living room. Tu-Lynn's voice faded away as he headed upstairs and Frank, knowing he could search no more, got ready for bed.
Frank was seated at the breakfast table with his fellow boarding-mates when Tu-Mey arrived the next morning. "We have work to do this morning, gentlemen," he informed the men after his brother had left the room. "Tim, you and Ben come with me," he ordered. "The rest of you head on down to the docks."
Tu-Mey drove to a large building almost twenty miles from town. It was an old hospital, deserted for some time from the looks of it. Tu-Mey pulled up to the front of the building and parked the car. Frank got out of the car and followed Ben and Tu-Mey inside.
"What are they doing here?" inquired a man with green eyes and dark brown hair. He was a bit imposing at six foot four and over three hundred pounds but it was obvious he was not in charge of the complex or of whatever was going on inside the building.
"They are here to move some of the products," Tu-Mey answered. "Show them what to take," he instructed. "I need to talk to Solomon."
Frank followed the man down a narrow corridor after seeing Tu-Mey head up a set of steps. He kept an eye out for cameras and other forms of security. If Joe were a captive, this would be a good place to hold him and Frank intended to search the entire place come hell or high water.
Frank helped move several crates of equipment, all with markings of the US government, to a tractor-trailer parked at the rear of the building. The task took only a couple of hours to complete and when they were finished Tu-Mey joined them in a break room where they had been instructed to wait.
An hour later they returned to the docks where Tu-Mey left them to meet with an American businessman in town. Baldwin, whom Frank had found out was second in command of the current operation, led him and some others past the warehouse where they had been working and to the end of the docks where a large ship was moored.
It bugged Frank that Baldwin was so high in the ranks when he had been teaching Joe at the boarding school. He was relieved that they were on the right track and Joe was definitely a prisoner here somewhere, if he hadn't already been sold. But why would they have someone so high up in the chain of command put himself at such a risk just to grab Joe?
Frank swallowed and followed the others up the gangplank. Granted, he was supposed to find the pirates but to actually be one was something else entirely. He walked up the gangplank and jumped down onto the deck. There was no way out now. He would have to participate in the ambush and pray they didn't get blasted away or, worse, caught. He could get out of it because he was acting on orders that originated from the Unites States government, but he was sure that with so many men caught the building they had been in would be evacuated. That would mean he couldn't search for Joe. His cover would be blown. The thought weighed heavily on his shoulders as he prepared to do whatever he could to ensure the success of today's pirating mission.
Frank headed straight for the door he had seen Baldwin enter earlier and descended the stairs on the other side. He scowled in disappointment when all he found was an empty room. There was no sign of Joe anywhere but over in the corner, on a table, was the metal box he had seen Baldwin carrying.
Curious, Frank went over and picked it up. He lifted the latch and looked inside. Lying there were five crisp one hundred-dollar bills: American. He reached in and pulled them out, wondering if they might be counterfeit.
"Congratulations," Tu-Mey said from the bottom of the steps.
Startled, Frank swung around and stared at Tu-Mey, Baldwin, Ben and another man he had seen at the docks but didn't know by name.
"Fine," growled Frank. "You caught me. I suppose an apology won't cover it?" he asked sarcastically.
Tu-Mey broke out laughing as the other men just grinned at him. "Relax, Tim," Tu-Mey told him. "And keep the five hundred for passing the test," he added.
"What?" a dumbfounded Frank asked.
"My business entails more than is allowed by the local authorities," Tu-Mey explained. "You seemed like the sort who could be of use in our endeavors but we couldn't proceed without making sure."
"See, the real money is in stealing," Ben informed Frank. "We take stuff and sell it to the highest bidder."
"What kind of stuff?" asked Frank. "And from who?"
"Does it matter?" asked Tu-Mey, narrowing his eyes on Frank. "As long as you get paid?"
"Yeah, it does," answered Frank. "Five hundred isn't much if it's gonna put me behind bars for a long time."
"You'll get a cut," Baldwin informed him. "Five percent which averages out to about twenty-five grand a week in good old American dollars."
"Twenty-five...." Frank broke off. He smiled. "I'm in."
It was almost midnight by the time Frank arrived back at the boarding house. Baldwin, Ben and the others had gone to a bar downtown to get drunk so Frank had declined with the excuse of hunger and belated jet lag.
After a light meal at a greasy cafe near the boarding house, Frank returned to the empty house. After making sure Tu-Lynn was also out, Frank spent an hour searching the premises, including every drawer and beneath every bed. He went to his room and closed his door in disappointment when he heard a car pull up outside.
Tu-Lynn entered through the back door, singing heartily, and made his way through the kitchen and into the living room. Tu-Lynn's voice faded away as he headed upstairs and Frank, knowing he could search no more, got ready for bed.
Frank was seated at the breakfast table with his fellow boarding-mates when Tu-Mey arrived the next morning. "We have work to do this morning, gentlemen," he informed the men after his brother had left the room. "Tim, you and Ben come with me," he ordered. "The rest of you head on down to the docks."
Tu-Mey drove to a large building almost twenty miles from town. It was an old hospital, deserted for some time from the looks of it. Tu-Mey pulled up to the front of the building and parked the car. Frank got out of the car and followed Ben and Tu-Mey inside.
"What are they doing here?" inquired a man with green eyes and dark brown hair. He was a bit imposing at six foot four and over three hundred pounds but it was obvious he was not in charge of the complex or of whatever was going on inside the building.
"They are here to move some of the products," Tu-Mey answered. "Show them what to take," he instructed. "I need to talk to Solomon."
Frank followed the man down a narrow corridor after seeing Tu-Mey head up a set of steps. He kept an eye out for cameras and other forms of security. If Joe were a captive, this would be a good place to hold him and Frank intended to search the entire place come hell or high water.
Frank helped move several crates of equipment, all with markings of the US government, to a tractor-trailer parked at the rear of the building. The task took only a couple of hours to complete and when they were finished Tu-Mey joined them in a break room where they had been instructed to wait.
An hour later they returned to the docks where Tu-Mey left them to meet with an American businessman in town. Baldwin, whom Frank had found out was second in command of the current operation, led him and some others past the warehouse where they had been working and to the end of the docks where a large ship was moored.
It bugged Frank that Baldwin was so high in the ranks when he had been teaching Joe at the boarding school. He was relieved that they were on the right track and Joe was definitely a prisoner here somewhere, if he hadn't already been sold. But why would they have someone so high up in the chain of command put himself at such a risk just to grab Joe?
Frank swallowed and followed the others up the gangplank. Granted, he was supposed to find the pirates but to actually be one was something else entirely. He walked up the gangplank and jumped down onto the deck. There was no way out now. He would have to participate in the ambush and pray they didn't get blasted away or, worse, caught. He could get out of it because he was acting on orders that originated from the Unites States government, but he was sure that with so many men caught the building they had been in would be evacuated. That would mean he couldn't search for Joe. His cover would be blown. The thought weighed heavily on his shoulders as he prepared to do whatever he could to ensure the success of today's pirating mission.