Don't own Chuck
Troy took Marley to the cabin walking him down one deck then forward. The door to the cabin was open and when they walked inside Marley noticed that everything was in order. Maybe too much in order because there were no signs of a struggle. It looked as if the General and Roan had gone with their captures without a fight which considering the General's reputation just didn't sit right.
"I'll get you the rest of the keys in a bit," said Troy as he handed Marley the key he had. "I need to get photos taken of the fire damage while it's fresh for the insurance then get a tow line rigged with the Coast Guard cutter so they can pull us back to port. The bastards screwed up our diesel motor before they left. We could return under sails but I don't think you want to wait around."
"You can have someone bring me the keys later and no we don't want to wait around. There's a team flying in as we speak that will take charge."
"Well if there's nothing else, I need to go back and see that Lieutenant," said Troy as he turned and started to leave.
"Wait a moment," said Marley as he looked around the cabin. "I'm going to need to interview all your personnel. I can do that here but give me some time to process the cabin first. I'll start with the guy you send with the keys then work my way through the rest of the crew."
"I hope you don't think any of my men had anything to do with this. We would've all died if the ship had sunk or that bomb had gone off."
"I just need to get their statements. Who knows someone might have seen something that can help us track down these people and not know it. I'm just following routine protocol… unless there's something else you want to tell me?"
"No, no I've told you everything I know. Okay, you can interview the crew just as long as it doesn't interfere with their work," said Tory as he looked at Marley in the eyes. "I'm still the skipper onboard this vessel."
"You're the skipper… at least for now," said Marley. Troy wanted to ask what he meant by that but Marley's sat phone started to ring. "I'm sorry I need to take this in private," he said as he basically gave Troy the bums rush out the door then closed it behind him.
"Agent Marley here," he said as he answered the phone. … Agent Carmichael… okay Chuck. I'm onboard the Annabel Lee but we got here too late. The General and Agent Montgomery were grabbed just before we got here. I'm in their cabin now but something does seem right here. … Okay, let me put this call on speaker so I can have both hands free."
"Yes, by all means," said Chuck. "This might save us some time. What is it about the cabin that you don't think is right? Describe it to me."
"Well, it's the cabin itself… I mean from the General's reputation I don't see her as the type to go without a fight but the room is in perfect order. Agent Montgomery's white dinner jacket is draped over the back of a chair and his bowtie is on the bed. I've got the General's handbag here and it's still got her service weapon in it," said Marley as he pulled the clip then cocked the slide back to inspect the chamber. He held it up to his nose to smell inside.
"It's got a full clip and I disengaged the safety to check the chamber. There was one round in it but the weapon hasn't been fired for a while. I don't get it. It's as if they voluntarily went with their captures."
"No, you're right, it doesn't make sense. You need to check the room with a UV light then take samples of all the stains you find."
"Do I have to do the bed? There are just somethings that are best left in the dark," said Marley. "Wait what's this?"
"What'd you just find," asked Chuck. Marley had been walking around the bed when he stepped on something that made a crunching noise.
"It looks like a piece of a glass. I'm bagging it," he said as he got down and inspected round the edges of the bed. "I've got more glass."
"Bag it all and take photos of the room then send them to me. We'll be on the pier waiting for you when you arrive. I assume the crew was locked away after the boat was taken."
"Yes, according to the Skipper the boat was boarded by men dressed up as pirates complete with cutlasses and flintlocks."
"They'd would hardly be a match against Beckman's Beretta or Roan's Walther PPK. I think they were probably drugged and I think that will be confirmed once we've tested that glass you found. It probably comes from a drinking glass that got knocked over."
"That makes me feel better about using the UV light. But there's not enough shards here for two glasses. Someone had to have come in and tried to cleaned up."
"Trying to remove evidence most likely… As soon as you can start interviewing the crew ask them if they were all herded together at the same time or if they were brought together one by one. Then find out who was the first one to go check on their passengers once they were freed."
"The pirates started two fires before they left so the crew with the Coast Guard boarding party had to hustle to put them out. I don't think they even realized the passengers were gone until later."
"I bet someone did and you'll find out someone was missing when they were putting out the fires. As each one to write down the names of the people they worked with to put out the fire. Two fires so you'll have two lists and when you're done compare them to the crew manifest. I bet one name will be missing. Send me a copy of that manifest and I'll start a background check on everyone."
"I think we've come to the same conclusion. The transponder just happened to stop working along with the radar and radio. What are the odds of that happening all at once?"
"Slim to none… no, I think you're right. You've got a mole onboard. Do your interviews but be careful if our mole finds out we're looking for him he could go on the offensive and do something stupid."
"But he's got to realize that his friends just tried to kill him. I was about to tell you that I deactivated a bomb they left…," said Marley then paused. A sudden thought hit him what if he'd accidently set it off when he removed the last of the C-4.
"Bob, you were saying," said Chuck. "You said they left a bomb. I don't suppose they left behind a burning fuse in powder keg?"
"No, it was a little more modern. A pound of C-4 with a detonator attached to a cellphone. I removed the C-4 then the blasting cap exploded."
"That doesn't sound very much like something a pirate like Black Bart would've used," said Chuck. Marley was silent. "What is it?"
"How do you know about Black Bart? Who told you that was who they think boarded this boat? I certainly didn't."
"It's called doing my homework," said Chuck. He couldn't tell Marley he'd flashed on Pirates of the Caribbean then eliminated Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp. "I need to get off the line with you so you can get those interviews started. Don't forget to send me that crew manifest and those photos. We'll meet you as soon as you pull in."
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Chuck got off the horn with Marley then sat back in the co-pilot's chair staring out into the dark horizon. Casey glanced over at him then back at the instrument panel as he waited for Chuck to say something but after a while it was evident that he wasn't. Casey picked up a clipboard then tossed it at him.
"Ouch! What was that for," said Chuck as he looked back over at John. "What's wrong with you? That hurt."
"No, a fist in the face hurts, I was just seeing if you were still alive and with us. So what do you make of what Marley said? You think it had to be an inside job? And who is this Black Bart everyone is talking about? If you tell me he's on the Simpsons I'm really going to show you the meaning of pain."
"No, I wasn't going to tell you that. Black Bart was a pirate that sailed the Caribbean and Atlantic coast in the early to mid-1700's in search of plunder. His pirating days ended when he fell into a trap and was bottled in by a British man-of-war. However, he chose not to strike his colors but tried to fight his way out and he almost made it. However, a lucky volley of grapeshot took him out. Even then he wasn't going to let his enemy get the best of him so ordered his men to bury him at sea."
"What does that have to do with now and with the guys who grabbed Beckman and Roan. I'd almost let them keep him but I want to be the one who strangles him. Who knows maybe I can set a new record."
"Well, I'll explain why it's important if you let me finish. You see when the British finally took the Black Bart's ship he was nowhere to be found. Some of the crew told the story of him being buried at sea while others said he vanished. However, what they all agreed on was he said he was going to come back. There's even a legend that says when he went to Hell, Charon refused to ferry him over so he was stuck between worlds."
"I still don't see what that has to do with Beckman and Roan being grabbed," said Casey. But before Chuck could speak he received a notice that he had mail in his box.
"Good Marley's sent me those jpgs. John, there have been reports of Black Bart being sighted in and around Saint Thomas as well as in the nearby vicinity. But I don't think it's the historical person, it's probably a copycat using the legend to hide his or their activities. You do know that ghosts don't exist."
"If they did I'd be in real trouble considering the number of people I ghosted but they all had one thing in common, they had it coming."
"Yeah, I'm sure," said Chuck as she started studying the photos enlarging them to get a better look then turning them around to get a different perpective.
"You can laugh as much as you like but Chuck, I'm not the only one a ghost might have a problem with," John said as he looked over him.
"What? Who me? I don't know what you're talking about. This is interesting," said Chuck as he quickly tried to change the topic.
"Okay, I'll bite," said John as he glanced over at Chuck. "What's up? What's so interesting about those pics?"
"Marley was right… nothing was disturbed. The door shows no sign of being broken into which I'd expect if they'd barricaded themselves in. Their clothes are laid out and the General's bag is there along with Roan's jacket with his wallet."
"Maybe they were taken somewhere else? They ran out of the room and hid somewhere but were found. You said these people started two fires… maybe that's what they were trying to hide?"
"I guess it could be but both their weapons were found inside their cabin and if someone is after you I don't think you'd leave them behind."
"You might but the General wouldn't… Roan is always armed," said John as he smiled. "He's got his mouth. We'll see if Mister Seduction Master can talk himself out of this one."
"This is serious Casey. I think they were incapacitated in some way then they were carried off. I believe there's a mole onboard the Annabel Lee and maybe if we can find him he can shed some light on what's going on. However, the key to this is in Honduras of that I'm certain. Fry and Roan have direct contact with Honduras even if Beckman's involvement is only marginal."
"What about me? If your theory is right then I'm involved in this as well. I was there with Fry and Roan too you know."
"Crap, you're right. I was so caught up with the General I didn't think about you," said Chuck as he dug out his phone again and called a number.
"What's got you so fired up? Do you have ants in your pants or did you spill coffee on your lap again? I told you before you shouldn't be drinking hot drinks in the cockpit that's how accidents happen. You're worse than Sam and almost as bad as Bunny. Maybe I should have Sarah get you a sippy cup?"
"Sarah should get who a sippy cup?" said Sarah as she popped her head in the cockpit. "I thought I'd come up and see how you boys are doing? What's going on?" Chuck held up his hand as he started talking into his phone.
"One moment please," said Chuck then he turned to Casey. "Funny John and no I don't need a sippy cup," said Chuck as the Major came on the line. "I need a favor and I know we've asked a lot of them lately. But I need you to ask the guys who escorted Marta to her flight if she stopped and made a call in the air terminal before she left. … I know she wasn't supposed to but wasn't supposed to and didn't are two different things. Hold on let me put you on speaker before I have to repeat myself. Okay there you go.
"Like I said the men had strict orders to take her and her daughter from Federal detention straight to LAX where they put her on an Aeroflot flight to Moscow. I know the men and I don't think they would've fallen for any sob story about saying goodbye to the cat."
"Now you're starting to sound like Casey. Just double check with them and ask them if she or Nina went to the restroom. If they did ask them if anyone check to see if they left anything," said Chuck. Casey smiled as he looked at him. "I mean other than the obvious. I'm going to tweak my algorithm from here and have the main frame run it again."
"You think she left a message for whom? Her handler. What could she tell him that she hasn't already told him?"
"That she met Alex Coburn and that he's going by John Casey now. She might also have told him or her to contact the same people he or she contacted before on how to get John to Saint Thomas."
"You think we could be flying into a trap?" said John looking over at Chuck. "Good, they'll be coming to me that will save me the trouble of looking for them."
"John, it's not we… it's you. They're going to be gunning for you. Major, I'd appreciate it if you can look into that for me and get back to me as soon as you can. What John said is right, maybe we can turn this around to our advantage," said Chuck then he hung up. "John, I need to step out for a second with Sarah."
"Just make it a second and you two stay out of the lavatory together. You've already got two unless you want a third."
"That's impossible, Morgan and Alex are in it and you're right they've been in there for a while. I hope they're okay. I've heard some strange sounds…"
"No, I've got a better idea. You two stay here and watch the plane," said Casey as he put the Learjet on autopilot then got up. "I'm going back to see what's going on and there had better be nothing," he said then he disappeared out of the cockpit.
"You just said that because you wanted to pilot. You know you threw Morgan under the bus," said Chuck as he smiled at Sarah as she took over piloting the plane.
"I know but Morgan can put up with the heat. Bunny fell asleep and Mary volunteered to watch her and Sam."
"So, what do you want to do? Do we send the girls back to stay with Kat? We said if things got dangerous we'd take the appropriate precautions."
"Is it really dangerous for them? I mean you did say these people would be coming for John and as long as we keep him away from them then that should keep them out of the crosshairs. I'm only saying this because your mother showed Sam the website of a school down there she could attend and she really liked it."
"What are you saying? Do you want them to stay with us? I guess we could arrange something where we'd stay in a bungalow away from where we set up HQ…"
"And Casey. Exactly, someplace nice and quiet easily protected but absolutely normal to the untrained eye. We just have to keep John away from it."
"That will be easy to do. I've got another idea about what to do with him. Remember what we did with him when we lured out his old pals, Packard, Isaacs and MacKintosh…"
"You want to kill him again?" said Sarah as she looked over at him. "I know we were talking about keeping him away from the girls but that's a little drastic."
"No, not kill him… I know you're pulling my leg but I was thinking about building a tiger trap and you know what we need to build one… a goat as bait and I think we've got our goat. Now, let me get this algorithm tweaked so I can get it up and running," said Chuck as he opened his tablet. "Do you think you can manage the plane for a while by yourself?"
"You never have to worry about me while I'm behind the yoke," said Sarah as Casey came walking back in.
"They're both asleep in the back with Grimes cutting down Red Woods. You just said that so you could get my seat."
"Here take mine," said Chuck as he got up. "There's no need for you two to fight over this. I need to go in the back and get this written up anyway. Tiger, Tiger burning bright in the forests of the night..."
"What? I don't see anything," said Casey as he looked out the cockpit windows. "All I see are the stars and the moon."
"Nothing John, I was just thinking out loud. I need to get hot on this," said Chuck then he disappeared. Casey looked over at Sarah who just shrugged her shoulders.
"Maybe you should think about putting a vest on before we land. You never know when it might come in handy."
"What aren't you telling me? You know how I feel about being the little fat boy who's always chosen last."
"Chuck's right… I'd pay to see a photo of you when you were little. John did we use to like sweets a lot or was it cakes?"
"I don't know where you get this 'we' from. But my weight fell in the normal range for my height and age so go fish somewhere else. We should be reaching Puerto Rico soon and from there Saint Thomas."
"You can change our radio frequency and try to raise the control tower at De la Torre Airport," said Sarah. She understood Casey talk and what he said roughly translated to 'drop it I don't want to talk about that any more'.
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The Major had been driving to the airport but after talking with Chuck he had his driver turn his vehicle around and headed back to their downtown office. It was late and he was tired but this need to be done face to face and not over the phone. He had the two agents that escorted Marta and Nina brought in and he was sipping on a cup of coffee when they walked in.
"I'm sorry to have to call you two back in at this late hour… they truth is I was supposed to be on a plane on my way back to Langley right now but I had to turnaround at the airport and come back here to talk to you two."
"I don't know what you want from us," said the one man as he looked at his partner. "I don't think we've done anything to warrant being called in like this."
"No one is accusing you guys of anything," said the Major as he sat down behind the General's desk waving for the two men to take a seat. "When you escorted the Russian spy and her daughter to the airport did anything happen out of the norm on the way to the plane?"
"No, not that I can think of, right Mitch," said the one man and the other nodded back. "We picked them up from detention. I signed for the one's release then we loaded them in the vehicle after that we ran them to the airport."
"Did you stop along the way for any reason? I don't know something to eat or they had to us the restroom."
"No, that's against the rules but you asked about the restroom. The one… the spy, she did use the restroom in the airport but we cleared it before to make sure no one was inside or that she could escape."
"Yeah, and then we put her on the plane. After that it was dasvidaniya baby and we came back here for the rest of the day."
"I hope you realize dasvidaniya doesn't mean goodbye and neither one of you checked the restroom after she got out to see if she'd left a message for her people?" said the Major as they looked at each other. "You don't have to answer your looks tell me you didn't," said the Major as he pushed the button on the intercom on the desk.
"Come in here I need you," said the Major. Another man in black walked in and looked at the other two sitting across from the Major.
"I need for you to have our people pull all the CCTV footage from the airport. You two explain to him which restroom Marta used. Once you know that I want you to use facial recognition to identify everyone that's gone in since then.
"Yes sir, I'll get on it right away but until when?"
"Until you see me go in. I need a vehicle and a driver. You two are with me, we're going to make a trip to the airport. Call me right away if you get a hit."