Chapter 6: The next morning, the sorry tale, the Blue Lagoon, Kokomo, and paradise.
Monday, July 30th, 2018, 7:01 AM
Jimmie awoke before his new wife, so, he eased out of bed, and made his way toward the open bath to the left of the room. Here, he grabbed a towel, as well as a bottle of body wash and shampoo, and made for the garden shower outside.
As Jimmie was showering, he was wondering what the day would bring, and he would almost bet that his parents would show up this afternoon, or by tomorrow morning in order to celebrate his father's birthday, which was on the 31st.
Here, he turned off the taps and began to dry himself, as he made it back to their en suite bath. As silently as he could, he shaved, and then rummaged around in his backpack, where he pulled out a trunk, which he unshrank at the desk that divided the sleeping area from the sitting room. He dressed himself in Bermuda shorts, and a light short-sleeved button-up shirt, which was decorated in palm trees and scarlet macaws that had once belonged to his father, even though the shirt was a little tight on him. Last, he slipped on some leather flip-flops and walked down the three steps leading to the sitting room.
Jimmie stretched for a moment, and yawned, as he turned on the telly to watch TV Jamaica while dropping the sound down low, and then made his way into the small kitchen. He filled the kettle he found on the counter with water, and placed it on the stove to heat, while he took down two tea cups with saucers, and searched the cabinets for some tea.
Jimmie frowned at the tea he found in the large jar in the cupboard, so, he made his way back to his trunk, where he fished out a box of Earl Grey tea bags. He took those back to the kitchen and began making he and Goodnight some tea for that morning.
Just as Jimmie was stirring the second cup of tea, Goodnight stepped into the kitchen with a pout on her lips, as she rubbed her eyes. Jimmie smiled, as his beautiful wife was wearing one of the flowery bathrobes that were hanging on the rod in the en suite's small closet.
"Morning gorgeous," Jimmie said, as he handed Goodnight her tea.
Goodnight yawned, but smiled back at her new husband. "Morning dear. Anything interesting on the telly?"
"Naw," Jimmie remarked, "but I do have something for you." Here, Jimmie handed her a fake ID and passport for Melody Black. "Keep those with you, and remember your name and occupation. I have a set as well."
Goodnight nodded and slipped them into her canvas tote bag. She preferred them while on vacation.
"Now," Jimmie said, "let's go out on the porch and sip our tea, as they'll deliver the Gleaner to me in a bit. When you're ready, we'll head over to the Bizot for brekkie, unless you want me to order it for here?"
"No, there's fine, dear," Goodnight replied, as the two made their way out onto the porch, where they had a grand view of the sea as they sipped their tea, and enjoyed the view. While there, they watched as a large cruise ship passed by out in the Caribbean, which was headed to Montego Bay.
Jimmie and Goodnight were walking back hand-in-hand to their villa after having breakfast. They had two eggs with breakfast sausages, slow-roasted tomatoes, and fresh toast with guava jam. Jimmie had informed her that the food came mostly from the owner's farm.
Finally, the two lie back on the two lounges on the beach, which were in front of their villa, and looked out toward the sea. Here, Goodnight looked over at Jimmie, and she had a serious expression on her face.
"Jim?"
"Yes, darling?" Jimmie replied.
"You never did tell me what happened to Alicia all those years ago," Goodnight stated.
Jimmie sighed and looked back out at the sea, where he thought back. His new wife had been asking him about that case for years, but now, she had signed a non-disclosure agreement, so she couldn't talk about what she learned of. Finally, he looked up and studied the guava tree that was overhead, which was giving them shade.
"I'm not supposed to know about this, sweetheart," Jimmie stated, "but I'll tell you what I know.
"I slipped into Da' and Mum's office after we got back from here, and saw a Pensieve sitting on Da's desk, so, I put my finger in it. I fell into a memory of Da' talking to Seamus and saw another from Seamus' perspective. I was lucky I wasn't caught!"
Here, Goodnight snorted, as that was Jimmie to a tee. He could be quite nosy at times.
"Anyhow, there was a mission to capture a traitor; a wizard named Hayden Hook. He was our magical ambassador to Portugal that worked for my great uncle Gareth, and he had gotten his hands on a list of the names of everyone within MDOCS, which had been locked up in a safe in my great uncle's office at the DOIMC. The bastard tried to sell it to Arben Abazi, who is still the kingpin of organized crime in wizarding Europe.
"Seamus led the operation in Portugal, where they were going to set Hook up, and do a snatch and grab on Abazi's buyer. Here, I can tell you what I saw in Seamus' memory, and what he and Da' spoke about afterward."
Memory:
Seamus was standing outside the Casino Estoril in the Estoril Garden, a large grassy park. He was under Harry's invisibility cloak and was monitoring the comings and goings at a park bench, which was the hoodlum's dead drop. One could see the bench from the casino, and there was a statue, Seamus noted, of Fausto Cardoso de Figueiredo between his position and the casino building itself.
"He's coming," Ernie said over Seamus' earpiece, as Ernie was inside the casino.
Sure enough, here came Hook walking out with a swagger, while acting like he didn't have a care in the world. The first thing that Seamus noted, was that Hook was carrying a folded newspaper, and Seamus knew that he had the file hidden inside.
Hook sat down on the bench and crossed his legs. He acted as if he was studying the statue until he saw a man coming up the sidewalk from the south end behind him from the corner of his eye. Next, he stood and left the folded newspaper at the end of the bench.
Seamus silently, but quickly, made his way to the newspaper, and slipped his hand inside, removing the file. He knew that their mark wouldn't wait around long, nor open the paper to check it.
Seamus also noticed Alicia coming down the walkway from the casino. She was their herder, who would herd the mark to where they had another operative at the other end of the Road do Parque, and at the corner of the Four Seasons restaurant. That operative was Percy Graves, who was hidden behind a huge black gatepost shaped like a giant urn or vase. The gate was the entrance of the Hotel Palacio, where their mark was staying.
Here, Seamus twisted on his right heel and apparated to Hook's office on the 4th floor at the Estoril Garden building, which was not far from the casino. The five-story building, an office complex, held several offices inside.
Once inside, Seamus quickly made his way to the wizard's desk and emptied all the rounds out of a Walther PPK in the lap drawer, where he then made his way over to sit in a large leather lounge chair in the corner, which was located the farthest from the door, and in the shadows. Here, he made sure that Harry's cloak was fully covering him.
"I'm following the mark," Alicia said in his earpiece, "and he's heading toward the hotel as expected."
"I've got the south end covered," Ernie said, who had apparated to the lower end of the park.
"Roger," muttered Percy, who was watching for the man to appear at the end of the street.
"He's spotted me," Alicia said, "and he's picking up his pace."
"I'm ready for him," said Percy. Percy had made sure that he was well disillusioned, as he leaned back against the black gatepost.
Their mark had also spotted Ernie, which forced him onto the correct side street, where Alicia followed.
After about one minute, those around the park heard a muffled CRACK! A slight "Uh" came from Alicia's mic.
"What the hell!" Percy said. He stepped over to peer around the corner, and there, he saw Alicia lying on the sidewalk, while their mark was now walking very swiftly, and straight toward him.
"Hold your position," Seamus warned, even though he couldn't see what was taking place.
Just as the mark made it to the corner, he was met by Percy's huge disillusioned fist, which landed square on his nose. The force of the blow knocked the hoodlum to the ground, where he was then quickly stunned, and incarcerated with a rope that wrapped him from head to toe. Next, Percy quickly pulled him around the corner. "Got 'im!"
As Percy peered around the corner again, there was another muffled "CRACK," and some stucco was blown off the corner of the building above his head, causing him to duck back. "We have a sniper!"
"Fuck!" Seamus growled. "Summon Alicia if you can't make it to her, take the portkey, and GO!"
Percy did just that, as Alicia's limp, but still breathing body, came flying around the corner, which he caught. He grabbed hold of the incarcerated mark and activated his emergency portkey, which took all three back to St. Mungo's.
"Son of a mangy bitch," Seamus muttered, just as he heard the lock to the office door click.
Seamus watched the smarmy Hook stroll into his office, where he made his way to his wall safe. Here, the man began to empty it, along with several stacks of Euros, which he placed within a briefcase on his desk. Finally, the bastard poured himself a brandy, and sat behind his desk, where he picked up the phone and made a call.
"He's got it," Hook said into the phone's mouthpiece. After a moment, he said, "it was a pleasure."
Hook hang up and leaned back in his desk chair with a smirk on his face before he took a sip of his drink.
"Ya know," Seamus said, "Kingsley wouldn't 'ave minded if ya made a little on the side, but wha' ya did put a price on ya, an' I'm here ta collect."
A shocked Hook looked to his right, where he now noticed Seamus Finnigan sitting in his leather lounge chair, and he had a cold look upon his face.
"How did you.." Hook started but then scowled. "Still a toady for the minister and Potter I see? You have NOTHING on me!"
"Stealin' a top-secret MDOCS list from Gareth's office is a huge offense, but treason is worse. We watched it all take place, so there's no use ta lying abou' it mate, and, by ta way, ya friend is now on 'is way back ta London."
"Mind if I smoke," Hook shakily said, "since I seemed to be busted?" At Seamus' nod, Hook nervously pulled open the lap drawer on his desk, as he watched the younger wizard. Seamus let him.
"You seem to be under the assumption that I'll go quietly," Hook shakily remarked, as he lay his right hand upon the Walther.
"Oh, ye'll go," Seamus muttered, "but whether it be alive or dead, we'll have ta see."
Hook grabbed the pistol and quickly aimed it at Seamus, who didn't flinch. "Dead, I think." Here he pulled the trigger, and all that happened was the snap of the hammer.
Seamus tossed seven .380 ACP rounds upon the floor with his left hand. "Da boss knows where ya keep ya toys."
Hook made for his wand that was slid up his left sleeve with his right hand. That was his fatal mistake.
"Dead it is, then," Seamus said, as his wand shot out of his right sleeve into his hand, and with a lightning-quick motion, he sent a bludgeoning curse at Hook, which knocked the smarmy and traitorous bastard through the large plate glass window behind him; shattering it into a thousand small pieces.
Within a second, and before Seamus could stand to make his way to the window, he heard a loud "thump," and a car alarm started blaring. When he looked out through the broken window, Hook was lying on the caved-in hood of his black Mercedes, arms splayed, and blood was running from his nose, mouth, and ears. He was dead.
"Well," Seamus said with a sneer, "it's not ta fall 'at kills ya, it be ta sudden stop!"
Seamus quickly wrote down the last number that Hook had called from his desk phone, which showed up on the small LCD screen, picked up Hook's briefcase, and then triggered his emergency portkey, which would take him to St. Mungo's.
"They tried to save Alicia at St. Mungo's," Jimmie explained, "but it was too late. The rifle's bullet had struck an artery in her chest, and she bled out. Ernie tried to catch the sniper, who he found on the roof of one of the buildings. They got into a fight, but the sniper apparated away. Ernie grabbed the silenced rifle and took his international portkey back to the DOCS headquarters.
"At eight o'clock the next evening, UK time, they called Da' here and gave him the bad news. We quickly closed up the house, here, and told Rocky to sail the Spooky Too back to England. We took a portkey back to Potter Manor, and Da' and Mum rushed to St. Mungo's.
"A few days later, the Prophet announced Hook's death. They said that he had been hit by a 'muggle auty-mo-bill' while trying to cross the street."
Finally, Jimmie looked over at Goodnight, and he had a sorrowful look on his face. "You know the rest."
Here, Goodnight nodded, sniffed, and wiped her eyes, as she gazed back out at the Caribbean.
Both lie there for several minutes while enjoying the breeze off the sea. Finally, Jimmie took a sip of his rum punch and looked over at his new wife.
"What do you think," Jimmie asked, "about the article in the Gleaner?"
"Which one?" Goodnight inquired.
"About the Jamaican found dead at the croc farm," Jimmie replied.
"Gruesome," Goodnight said with a shiver.
"I think there's more to it than that," Jimmie said. "That's one of the ways that they dispose of bodies around here; especially those of the criminal type."
"Hmmmm," Goodnight muttered, and her husband could tell that the topic was bothering her.
"How about I take you to where you've always wanted to go, today, hmmm?" Jimmie asked with a huge grin. He wanted to cheer Goodnight up after being told about that dark subject.
"Where?" Goodnight said, and she immediately did perk up at the thought.
"Why, to Kokomo, of course," Jimmie replied with a chuckle, "and to the Blue Lagoon while we're at it!"
"I'd love to go!" Goodnight almost squealed as she stood, and then gave Jimmie a kiss that made his toes curl.
"All right," Jimmie said, who stood as well, "grab your drink, drink up, and after we finish, we'll apparate from inside the villa."
Once inside, Jimmie made a quick call to a boat charter just east of Port Antonio. He knew of a secluded spot that they could apparate to just off of Blue Hole Road, which ran behind several large seashore villas. The boat charter and tour service's dock was just at the end of the road.
After the call, and after Goodnight stuffed several things into her tote bag, Jimmie held out his right arm, which Goodnight took, and he apparated them away.
"Hello, my good man!" Jimmie said to the Jamaican running the Blue Lagoon Ruffkutt Tours. "I called and chartered a motor boat about forty-five minutes ago. My name is Jimmie Black, and this is my wife, Melody."
"Yah, Mun, Wi hab di boat ready. Hop aboard!." (Patois trans: Yes, man, we have the boat ready. Hop aboard!)
They boarded a larger center console, blue and white, fishing boat. Their guide started the large outboard, and they pulled away from the dock.
"Dis Mun A di star bwoy Blue Lagoon yuh ave si inna movies," their guide said, as he waved his hand at the water. (Patois trans: This, man, is the famous Blue Lagoon you have seen in the movies.)
It was, indeed, with bright turquoise blue water, and the place was beautiful.
"Is it?" Goodnight gasped.
"Yes," Jimmie chuckled. "Look around, and things will become familiar."
"Weh duh yuh waah tuh guh, Mun?" (Patois trans: Where do you want to go, man?)
"Let's cruise around by Monkey Island," Jimmie replied, "and out to the end of Unity Bay. Then, head back east, and up into Salt Creek Bay. My wife would love to see where they filmed Cocktail, and where Kokomo really is."
When they slowly cruised by Monkey Island, which was also known as Pellew Island, their guide explained that monkeys, which had been imported in, used to roam that small bit of land in the sea. Jimmie had started to whisper the history of Navy Island to Goodnight, as well, which was located offshore at Port Antonio, which was west of them.
Goodnight's eyes became as large as saucers when Jimmie told Goodnight about what kind of pervert the man was, who used to own Navy Island, and about all the debauchery that used to go on there.
"He was a nonce?" Goodnight whispered.
"Yup," Jimmie said after he cleared his throat. "He, and several of his friends."
Their guide overheard them. "He did, Mrs. Black. He did ah very bad mun." (Patois trans: He was, Mrs. Black. He was a very bad man.)
Goodnight shook her head, and then cuddled up next to her husband. Such dark people in the world, she thought, and that was who she and her husband intended on fighting against.
The boat eventually traveled east, and around a point of a peninsula, where it turned up into the Salt Creek Bay, which some called Dragon Bay. One could clearly see an old plantation-style hotel that was literally falling apart, which hadn't hardly been used since just after the filming of Cocktail. It had once been a beautiful resort but was damaged by Hurricane Allen in 1980. It seemed that it started going downhill from there until finally, a very wealthy Jamaican hotelier ended up with it, who had the gall to claim in 2006 that "the roads in Portland were deplorable. The distance from Kingston Airport was too far for driving, and the local Ken Jones Aerodrome, after three years of promises to extend the runway and install lights, had not been done. Inadequate social activities and an unclean town were also the major deterrents to investment in the parish." Worse, they had sold off the private villas that one could rent.
"Si di bar?" Their guide pointed out to Goodnight, which was just off from a small beach. "Dat a di one used eena Cocktail. Dis a Kokomo." (Patois trans: See the bar? That is the one used in Cocktail. This is Kokomo.)
"Cheer up, darling," Jimmie said, "as Da' and his investors have made an offer to buy this resort from its current owner. It would become a private resort for our group, and we have nothing against the Portland Parish like they seem to have. Besides, Da' said that a new Bond flick was being filmed, and that places in this area would be used for it.
"Also," Jimmie finished, as he hugged his wife closer, "we have another stop to make for a bit of swimming, and I think you'll love it."
"Where?" Goodnight wondered, but it did cheer her up.
"That, my dear, is a secret," Jimmie explained.
Jimmie apparated he and his wife to a spot surrounded by a group of thick trees and Elephant Ear plants, which was just off a narrow tarmac road that the two took, which came to an end at a long parking lot. Both noticed that not many cars were there and that there were no tourist buses. It was July, so the winter tourist crowd hadn't come yet.
"Where are we, Jim?" Goodnight asked as the two walked hand-in-hand toward the office.
"Well," Jimmie said, "it looks as if we've come at the right time, as it closes at 4:30, and it's 3:00 now. Welcome, sweetheart, to Reach Falls!"
"I've never heard of it," Goodnight replied.
"When you see it, you'll remember it," answered a cryptic Jimmie.
Jimmie paid for their tickets, and the guide led them down a set of stone steps. The closer they came to their destination, the louder they heard falling water. At the bottom, Goodnight looked around and gasped.
"I know where this is!" Goodnight was now excited. "These are the falls and pool in Cocktail - where she took off her bikini top!"
Jimmie chortled. "Spot on, my dear, and it looks like you and I are all alone, except for our guide. Ready to recreate that scene?"
Goodnight grabbed two handfuls of Jimmie's hair and kissed him hard before the two leaped into the pool. Just under the falls, in the deeper water, and after she turned her back to their guide, Goodnight pulled the straps of her bikini top down over each shoulder, and allowed her breasts to be exposed, as she swam her way toward her new husband to physically seduce him.
Could I have ever found a better husband, Goodnight thought. Most likely, never, she reasoned. She was in seventh heaven!
It was now 5:00 in the afternoon when the young Potter couple apparated into their villa. Both noticed that it had been thoroughly cleaned and that the bed had been made while they were gone.
Jimmie found a large silver bucket sitting on the end of the desk, and within it, on ice, was a magnum of Bollinger 2012, supposedly one of the best years. Jimmie picked up the card, and read its contents.
.
To Your Marital Bliss!
Kris Blackenwell, and Outpost
.
"A drink before we dine?" Goodnight asked. "We'll have to thank him when we see him again!"
"You betcha!" Jimmie said with a grin, as he proceeded to open the champagne and fill two flutes for he and his wife. "Let's take this out to the beach lounges, and enjoy the afternoon before we have supper."
Jimmie carried the bucket, and his flute, as Goodnight led the way. They sat the bucket down between them, as both lie back on the padded lounges, while looking out at the light waves rolling in from the Caribbean.
"Where do you want to dine this evening?" Goodnight inquired.
"Well," Jimmie replied, after taking a healthy sip of his champagne, "we could..." Here, Jimmie stopped, as the secure cell phone that his father had given him rang. Jimmie had set the ringtone to a piece containing bongos and steel drum music.
"Hello," Jimmie said, as he looked over at his wife. "Da!"
This caused Goodnight's eyebrows to rise.
"You're here?" Jimmie said as he grinned at Goodnight. "Yes, we'll be there in a bit. Give us about thirty, yea?"
"Where are they?" Goodnight asked.
"They've come in for Da's birthday," Jimmie explained, "and they're at the great house. Let's finish these, and we'll apparate, as I'm afraid to try it if I get too tipsy."
What Goodnight didn't know, was that she was about to get a huge surprise.
A/N: This is a filler chapter, as I was waiting on another book, which I just received, titled: The Secret World, by Christopher Andrew, and it was published by Yale University. It is the history of the intelligence services going back to ancient times.
