6.
"It's been two days since McCormick disappeared! Aren't you any closer?" Hardcastle paced the office of Lt. Utombra, his nerves frazzled by the lack of clues. "Somebody must've seen him after he fled the cave. That part of the island isn't as busy as near the docks, but there are still tourists around. The golf course is only a mile past that."
"As I told you before, Judge Hardcastle, you aren't accomplishing anything by staying here in Nassau. Your cruise ship will be leaving Freeport tomorrow morning, surely you wish to be on it?" Utombra tried again to convince the Judge to leave, but the American would not.
Mandy Greene came bursting into the office, without a look at the black officer behind the desk. "Judge, someone's seen Mark!"
Hardcastle gripped Mandy's arms. "Where?"
"My friend, Jamie, was leading some British tourists through the lighthouse when he saw Mark. Said he noticed him 'cause Mark looked winded and he was limping, his ankle all scraped up."
"That isn't very conclusive, Judge Hardcastle," Utombra commented.
Mandy glared at the lieutenant, continuing. "Jamie also said that there was a man watching Mark, but a copper, a police officer, took Mark away. Jamie loves the American cop shows, so he edged closer to hear what was going on."
"And?" Hardcastle asked, listening to every word.
"And the copper said there was an alert out on him and to come along." Mandy finished breathlessly. "It took Jamie a while to find me, but he saw Mark yesterday afternoon."
Hardcastle turned on the still seated Utombra. "One of your men picked Mark up yesterday? What happened to him?"
"If the child is correct, I will find out the truth of the matter. Rest assured, Judge Hardcastle. I will, of course, question my men at roll call tomorrow."
"No, I want them called in now. Every…Mandy, was the policeman who took Mark with him black or white?" Hardcastle asked the girl.
"I don't know, but I brought Jamie with me, I thought you might want to talk to him."
"Good girl. Bring him in here." While Mandy went to get her friend, Hardcastle gave instructions to the disconcerted officer. "If the boy's description isn't sufficient to pinpoint the police officer who took Mark from the lighthouse, I'll expect a line-up or a book of photos of your men."
"Judge Hardcastle, I want to find your friend as much as you do, but I simply can't interrupt my men's regular duties."
"May I remind you of my government's feelings on the ease that drug runners operate on these so-called friendly islands. It wouldn't be that hard to station the Coast Guard or the U.S. Navy off these waters, just outside your three-mile limit, reactivate the old Caribe force of Bahamian and American police to investigate the involvement of certain members of the government and police officers." Hardcastle held his breath. While the local embassy had spoken quite strongly to the Bahamian government regarding this and past disappearances, the Judge found it doubtful that anything would actually be done. All that mattered was is if Utombra believed that could happen.
"Of course, you have my whole department's cooperation. It is not necessary to call in your government in this minor…this case."
Mandy came back in, pulling a small cocoa colored boy with her, pushing him in front of the Judge. "He's a friend of Mark's, Jamie. It's okay to talk to him." She urged the reluctant witness.
"And Mark is a friend of yours?" Jamie said softly.
"Yes, that's right. Now, tell the Judge what you told me, about the copper," Mandy ordered.
Hardcastle lead the nervous child to the nearest chair, estimating his age as no more than eight years old. "Can you describe the police officer who left with McCormick?"
"I don't have to, I know him. He's my third cousin on my mother's side, Felipe de Leon."
"I owe you, kid!" Hardcastle exclaimed. "Okay, Utombra, get de Leon in here."
Utombra ordered his second-in-command to bring de Leon to his office, snapping the intercom off angrily. "He will be here shortly. It is past time for end of shift so he might have gone home already, but my men carry their radios with them at all times. We will simply call him back in."
Mark eagerly swallowed the putrid drops of water dripping from the ceiling of the old stone room. At first, he had let the water dribble down his face, alleviating the heat somewhat, but unable to force himself to swallow the water. After what he guessed to be two days in the cell, Mark's qualms had faded as his thirst grew. Shouting had only served to make him hoarse, and the lack of water didn't help. He was no longer concerned with the scurrying sounds in the cell, the whisper of tiny feet on his hands and face. He knew that there were cockroaches in the room and probably rats as well.
The lack of food and water did eliminate one problem. He hadn't had to soil himself since the first night. Without anything in his stomach, there was nothing to come out of his bladder. "One hell of a vacation, Judge," Mark croaked.
He had developed the habit of talking out loud, usually to the Jduge. It seemed to make the waiting easier. His wrists were raw flesh from the frantic attempts to escape, but even the added lubricant of blood didn't help him get his hands free. His captors were very efficient, securing the shackles into the wall so that Mark's most determined efforts were ineffective.
"Aw, Judge, aren't you gonna come in the nick of time?" Mark whispered.
A clang caught his attention and Mark drew in air, preparing to scream. The door opened and the man who had left him there two days earlier was looking him over.
"Didn't think you were coming back." Mark hung limply from the chains, his arms having long ago lost any feeling.
"Seems your friend Judge Hardcastle is more tenacious than I would have thought. He found out the name of the police officer who brought you here. I don't think Felipe will tell everything he knows, not right away, but I can't let you be found alive," the man explained.
"Gonna shoot me?"
"No, the sealing will simply be ahead of schedule. We are doing this job tonight and by the early morning light, there will be no trace of you. I'm afraid you will probably suffocate to death before you starve. The sealant is not supposed to allow air through."
Mark winced, biting his chapped lower lip. "I think I'd prefer to be shot."
"Perhaps so. I would too in your place, but there are houses nearby and a night guard who would hear the bullet. He is willing to allow our games and ancient ceremonies, but a gunshot would be more than could be kept quiet here."
"I thought no one could hear me. You mean, when I was screaming, the locals just ignored it?" Mark was shocked by this level of callousness.
"We have used this room for questioning of certain informers who had information that we needed. The screams were explained as games of sex, girls were hired to come here and be the proof for this story. After a while, the neighbors got used to the sounds of screams from this room. Pity, after you're sealed in here, we will have to find a new playground." The man moved closer to Mark, patting him on the cheek. "I am sorry you had to stumble inot our little meeting. Is there anything you might like me to send a relative? A personal momento?"
Mark realized that the man was truly sorry he had to entomb Mark, but that wouldn't stop him from doing it. He nodded. "Yeah. Could you send my medallion to Judge Hardcastle?" Mark coughed harshly, the dampness of the cell getting to him. "I don't know where he might be, but he lives in Malibu…"
"He is still on the island, searching for you. I can arrange for him to receive this." The man gently pulled the chain around in the faint light so he could open the clasp.
"You won't hurt him, willya?"
"I don't think so. He actually doesn't have any proof, and my partner and I will leaving on the next plane out of Nassau. The buyer you saw at the caves has already returned to your country. I will, of course, try to take care of Felipe, but if I cannot, he would not dare to implicate me personally. It would mean his death and he knows it. However, it wouldn't be impossible for him to give your location up, after some persuasive interrogation by the local police. Civil rights aren't quest as highly regarded here as they are in America. No doubt you've heard that?"
"Yeah, once or twice."
Hefting the silver medallion in his hand, the drug dealer left the room, closing the door. Mark heard the sounds of the trowels as they plastered the newly added stones with cement. The shadows of the workmen flickered back and forth near the boarded up window. Mark tried yelling for help, but no one answered. These men were either deaf or truly unconcerned at a man being entombed alive in the old cell.
He wasn't sure, but Mark thought it had been almost four hours when the last flicker of light disappeared in the room. The total darkness was frightening, bringing home clearly what was happening to him. His fellow inhabitants were also upset at the sudden cessation of light and the loss of the muted sounds of the water, the wind rustling through the palm trees, the far off sounds of traffic.
"Oh, God, help me," Mark prayed. "I really haven't asked you for anything since the Judge was shot. You came through for me then, so I hope you might now. I don't want to suffocate to death, not chained up here like this. Oh, please…" The long suppressed tears trickled out from his tightly squeezed eyes, the hunger, thirst and too many hours without sleep taking their toll.
Hanging from the shackles, Mark waited to see how long it would be before his breathing became labored, listening to the creatures of the darkness run about in panic, sometimes over his feet, occasionally dropping off the walls onto his face or arms before continuing their search for the outside world. Mark's shudders began to fade, the energy required for it too much to keep up.
Time began to distort, completing his disorientation that had started with the isolation. Giving up his struggles, Mark fell into a troubled sleep.
/Slightly tweaked from the original version. For those who are interested, the Caribe force mentioned is from a 1970s era TV series of the same name which starred Stacy Keach. It was actually filmed in Miami and the Bahamas./