The Double-Cross In Paradise; Episode 41, Changing Course

This is episode forty-one in the sixth novel of The Troy Adventure Series. It is titled The Double-Cross in Paradise. Here are the links to  The Double-Cross In Paradise: paperback, Kindle. 

Changing Course

“Where are you taking us?” Franks yelled from below. 

Trace sat at the wheel, ignoring Franks.

“You know, I’ll have people coming after this boat,” Franks called out. “I gave instructions if things don’t go as planned to be ready.”

Trace continued to ignore him.

Kelsey was sitting behind the mess table. A pistol was tucked in his waist. 

“You have no plan,” Franks smirked.

Kelsey smirked back.

“How’d you like to earn a lot of money?” Kelsey said.

“Hey, Trace!” Kelsey called out. “He’s resorted to trying to bribe me.”

Franks cursed at Kelsey. 

Trace waved for Sage to come into the pilothouse.

“Take your gun and replace Kelsey,” Trace said. “Send him up.”

Kelsey came up to the pilothouse. “You want me to call now?”

“Have a seat,” Trace said. “Have you ever operated a ham set before?”

“Yeah,” Kelsey said, “my dad had one. I’ve had a license since I was sixteen.”

Trace pointed with his thumb to the has radio on the chart desk. “There ya go.”

Kelsey tried for an hour. No one could be reached. 

“Do you have a Morse code key?” Kelsey asked.

“Lower drawer on the left,” Trace said. “I’ve never used it.”

“I’ll connect it,” Kelsey said. “We’re bound to reach somebody with it.”

Kelsey removed the key from the drawer, unwrapped the cords, and connected it to the transmitter. He did the same with the headset. He slipped on the headset and began tapping a series of dits and dots.

He stopped after a couple of minutes. “I’m a little rusty at this. It’s been a while.”

“When and where was the last time you used Morse code?” Trace asked.“

Kelsey chuckled. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

“Somehow, I believe you,” Trace said.

“Where did you learn Morse code?” Kelsey asked and added. “Wait, if you tell me, you’d have to kill me?”

Trace relied, “I went to a school for merchant marines, not the US academy, but sort of a vocational school, they offered the course and so I took it. It’s a requirement for a HAM license, too.”

“Aw,” Kelsey said, “I learned it as a kid at home. I’d watch all those television shows where the hero always knew it. Funny thing, once I could read it, I found out that all those messages in the shows were only random letters or gibberish. As I recall, one of them was downright manky. I had to hide it from me mum, but it got a glimmer from me dad.”

Kelsey snapped the headset over his ears and began tapping code.

Trace stared out over the bow with his eyes dropping occasionally to read the heading. 

“By the way,” Trace said, and Kelsey removed one of his headsets from his ear, “I’m heading toward New Caledonia. “Will that be a problem?”

“I don’t know,” Kelsey said.

“What I’m afraid of,” Trace grimaced, “is that an official comes on board and they want some sort of asylum. You know how those small countries like to poke a finger in the eye of larger ones. It all goes back to an English/French thing and what side of the bed they get up on.”

“Geez,” Trace said, “I’d hate to take those guys all the way to Australia.”

“How many days would that be?” Kelsey said.

“Seven to ten days,” Trace said. “And I have no idea what those two are capable of.”

Trace turned quickly at seeing Tom run alongside the pilothouse. 

He opened the aft door and leaned in. “There’s a plane. I’d say six thousand feet. It circled once.”

“This is too far out; it wouldn’t be government,” Kelsey said. “It has to be someone associated with Franks. Look for them to come in closer.”

“Once they know our location, we can expect a visit from a boat,” Trace said. “One thing I’ve learned about these islands is that the crooks have faster and better-armed boats than the navies.”

Trace leaned out the window. “Here it comes again. A couple of hundred feet above the water.”

A single-engine plane hummed no more than two hundred yards away on the port side. 

“A man was looking at us with binoculars,” Trace said. 

“Any ideas?” Kelsey asked.

“I’d like to see if they make another fly by,” Trace said. “They may go up a few thousand feet and perch there. They may be running low on fuel and have to go back to refuel. We’ll have to wait.”

A few minutes passed. Kelsey continued to tap on the Morse code key. 

Confident the plane was not returning, Trace spun the wheel and headed due west.

Kelsey raised his head from the key and looked curiously at Trace. “Changing course?” He asked.

“Due west,” Trace said. “I’m sure they think we’re heading for New Caledonia. Second choice is Fiji. We’re heading to Australia.”

The Double-Cross In Paradise; Epsisode 40, Out To Sea

This is episode forty in the sixth novel of The Troy Adventure Series. It is titled The Double-Cross in Paradise. Here are the links to  The Double-Cross In Paradise: paperback, Kindle. 

Out To Sea

“Franks, Paul,” Trace said and waved his pistol, “up the forward hatch. “I want to get the stench out of here.”

Franks and Paul dawdled toward the steps of the front companionway. 

Kelsey tapped Trace on the shoulder as he walked by. “Can your mate, Sage, get me on your radio. I have enough on Franks and Paul to take ‘em to Australia.”

“Extradition?” Trace grimaced.

“An inconvenient detail,” Kelsey said.

“Franks, Paul!” Trace commanded. “Back down here, you two.”

They slogged back into the mess and salon area. 

“Make yourself comfortable,” Trace said, waving his pistol toward the benches in the salon. 

They eased onto the benches. They appeared confident that Trace could do very little.

“There’s still the matter of the drugs on the boat you sailed in on,” Franks said. “And you arranging it back to Suva. That will put you in jail. At worst, this is still a pack of thieves, and I still have the get-out-of-jail free card.”

Trace handed the pistol to Makani. “Don’t shoot to kill. Kneecaps are fine.”

“You got it, Cap,” Makani said and sat on the mess table holding the pistol. 

“Tom and Patterson,” Trace said, “you have a choice: go or stay. Patterson, you can stay ashore and take your chances here or come with us.”

“I’m staying,” Patterson said.

“You gave me a break a few months ago,” Tom said to Trace. “I’m sticking with you. It’s the least I can do.” 

“Toss the lines, you two,” Trace said. “Prepare to shove off.”

Tom and Patterson scurried up the forward companionway.

Trace, Sage, and Kelsey climbed the aft companionway and into the pilothouse.

Trace watched the lines being untied. As soon as Tom and Patterson pulled the gangplank onboard, Trace started the engine.

“What’s up?” Kelsey asked.

Sage leaned in curiously.

Trace tapped the throttle forward and eased away from shore.

“We’re going out to international waters,” Trace said. “And once there, Kelsey, can you get in contact with your Aussie buddies to come pick up those two?”

Kelsey smiled broadly. “Brilliant, no worries about extradition.”

“Wait to get a hold of Australian officials until we get into international waters,” Trace said. “I don’t want to take any chances of our plan being overheard.”

“By the way,” Trace said to Sage, “this guy here is Kelsey, and Kelsey, this is my partner, Sage, from Texas. We were practically raised together. Kelsey is an Australian policeman.”

They shook hands.

“Does Franks know any of this?” Sage said quietly. 

“Nah,” Trace said, “I’ll tell him all in good time. Until then,” Trace grabbed the mic. “Hoist the sails.”

On deck, Tom motioned for Patterson to give him a hand with the sails. Trace steered due south

“See there,” Trace nodded toward Tom and Patterson, “Patterson is helping. That means he’s helping with the capture of Franks and Paul. It has to mean something.”

“You have a soft spot for that guy, don’t you?” Kelsey said. 

“I want him to get what’s coming to him,” Trace said. “And maybe a little can be shaved off of that.”

Trace watched the sails burst full. He cut the engine.  

“Sage,” Trace said, “keep an eye out for any boat coming our way.” 

Sage ducked out the back door of the pilothouse and watched aft.

“How long will it take us to get into international waters?” Kelsey asked.

“We should be in an hour and a half,” Trace said. “Can you go below and keep an eye on those two. Makani’s a cook. And hold off on telling them you’re a cop. Save that for me, if you don’t mind.”

“You’re the captain,” Kelsey said. 

The Double-Cross In Paradise; Episode 39, Sudden Change

This is episode thirty-nine in the sixth novel of The Troy Adventure Series. It is titled The Double-Cross in Paradise. Here are the links to  The Double-Cross In Paradise: paperback, Kindle. 

Sudden Change

Franks sat at the mess table. “That’s a wager I would not take,” Franks said, “because I’m busting to tell you.”

“I bet you haven’t been this happy since taking a lollipop from a baby and mocking it for crying,” Trace said.

“Come on, Trace,” Franks said sarcastically, “you ought to know me by now. I’m a man with very deep and sentimental feelings.”

“So I thought,” Trace said. “I have to hand it to you, ya had me fooled.”

“It’s one of my better schemes,” Franks said.

Trace quickly glanced at Paul and said, “Take a good look, my friend, that’s who you will become.”

“When Paul visited me in prison,” Franks said, “we had an instant connection. It is difficult to explain. We talked for long periods of time. He has something deep inside, busting to come out. Isn’t that what a father is supposed to do, bring the best out in their son?”

“Listen carefully, Paul,” Trace said. “This is the part where he wraps you emotionally around his greedy little finger and exploits you.” 

Then he turned to Franks. “Wait a minute, Paul spent two years in that cult of Flint Island under the tutelage of a master manipulator. Maybe you’re being played.” 

Franks heaved a hearty laugh. “You are so rich. Toss something out there and hope it has traction. That might work on cowpokes and auto mechanics, but don’t try that with sophisticated people. We know every trick in the book.”

“Yeah,” Trace said, “you two are far too swift for me. Of course, I did skin you for a few thousand and place you in jail.”

“I shall have the last laugh, my friend,” Franks said.

“Well, let’s hear the joke,” Trace said.

“Right about now, the boat you came in on is being packed with ten kilos of cocaine,” Franks said. “It looks like you and your buddy will be doing some time for drug trafficking.”

“Thanks,” Kelsey said, “you roped me into this one. Remind me to pay you back.”

“You see,” Franks said, “I got out on the promise, a promise I could deliver a drug runner. And here’s the beauty of the whole plan: we got you recorded on tape, setting it all up in a barroom in Suva—Sneaky Pete’s. What irony!”

“What happens next?” Trace said. 

“As soon as my men have the drugs planted, we call the police,” Franks said. “So everyone can relax. I have armed men at each door.”

“Why are you even here?” Trace asked.

“I want to see the look on your face,” Franks said. “You’re such an idealist. They’re all suckers. It’s sort of like watching a sucker lose at the casinos. They come in hoping to break the house. They win and think they are smarter than the house. An hour later, they are broke, and I’m wearing a smug smile. If you have the opportunity, I will afford it to you; you can watch me when you are arrested and when you are sentenced—I will have that smug smile on my face.”

Sage lifted his hand toward Paul. “Hey, Paul, I’m curious, what are you getting out of this?”

“Do you know how much money my dad makes?” Paul said. “I led an austere life for a while. And I was a sucker for doing it. My last year on the island, I schemed how to make money fast enough to enjoy it before I’m too old. My dad showed me the way. We’re a father and son team. My knowledge of computer science and his grasp of business, we will be rich beyond what I ever dreamed.”

“You sound like the losers who walk into the casinos,” Sage said. 

Franks smiled as he paced back and forth on the aisle between the mess and salon. 

“You’re smiling, but you seem nervous,” Trace said. 

Franks chuckled. “I can’t help it. It’s like holding a royal flush. You know how it is to hold a good hand, and you have to hold it all in. This way I get to show how I feel.”

“I wish I could share the exhilaration,” Trace said. 

“Someday,” Franks grinned, “the day you walk out of prison.”

Franks stopped pacing and looked out the porthole. “Police are never on time.”

Trace stood. “Do you mind if this ole cowboy takes a leak?”

“Squeeze it,” Franks said.

“That’s what I’ve been doing.”

Franks flipped his hand toward the head. “Go ahead, but I’m watching.”

Trace walked into the head and relieved himself. He watched his hands and came out.

Franks stepped back into the mess and salon area. Trace stepped behind him. Trace’s eyes glanced to Sage and to Kelsey. They returned slight nods. Trace reached behind him and pulled the pistol from his pants. He held it behind Franks’ head, but pointed out the porthole. He squeezed the trigger. Bam!!!

Everyone jerked. 

Franks’ face contorted in uncontrolled fright. He screamed, “Ahhhhh!!!”

Sage and Kelsey pulled their pistols.

“Paul!” Trace shouted, “Tell your men to leave the boat right now.”

The forward companionway door opened. 

“Tell him everything is okay and to get lost,” Trace ordered.

“We’re okay,” Paul said to the man looking down the companionway. “Get off the boat.”

“Are you sure?” The man said.

Sage streaked down the forward hallway and stopped at the bottom of the companionway steps. Trace held the pistol to the man’s chest. “Reach slowly for your gun and drop it down here.”

The man complied.

“I’m coming up,” Sage said. “If you ain’t off this boat by the time I get on deck, my gun will be a blazin’.”

The man streaked to the gangplank, and he yelled to the man in the pilothouse to run for his life.

“Sit!” Trace said to Franks, “and the same goes for you, Paul.”

“My god,” Franks said, “my ears are ringing and my head is pounding.”

“Well,” Trace said, “that’s a good thing. They say you never hear the one that gets you.”

The Double-Cross In Paradise; Episode 38, Surprise

This is episode thirty-eight in the sixth novel of The Troy Adventure Series. It is titled The Double-Cross in Paradise. Here are the links to  The Double-Cross In Paradise: paperback, Kindle. 

Surprise

They docked The Tinytanic behind The Tramp Islander. They stepped ashore.

Kelsey nudged Trace. “I see at least two cars that don’t belong here. Two men in each car.”

“I suppose you’d like to try to find a phone real quick and call for help,” Trace said.

“Not really,” Kelsey said. “I don’t know who on this island I could trust, besides too many cops, too many bullets. I know you’re close to your crew. We don’t want needless bullets flying around.” Kelsey smiled and gestured. “Show me the way.”

They walked across the gangplank and onto the deck of The Tramp Islander. 

Sage climbed up from the forward companionway. He wore a forced smile. Behind him was Franks’ son, wearing a smile of deceit.

Trace smiled and wrapped his arms around Sage. He tucked the pistol given to him by Cooper into Sage’s pants’ back waist. 

“How ya, doin’ you ole sidewinder,” Trace said. “Let me introduce you to an Australian cowboy. The call ‘em drovers, ringers, or stockmen, but he’s a cowboy through and through.”

Sage reached out and shook his hands. “Hey, cowpoke, it’s been a while. Your hands have gone soft.”

Trace gestured toward Paul. “This is one of my crew, Paul.”

Paul reached, pulled up his shirt, and pulled out an automatic pistol. “Let’s all go below.”

“What’s going on?” Trace exclaimed.

“Just get below,” Paul said. “It will become abundantly clear to you when we get below.” 

Trace, Sage, and Kelsey climbed down the companionway steps with Paul holding the pistol behind them. They filed into the mess and salon area. Makani, Tom, and Patterson sat on a salon bench. A man with an automatic pistol stood in the hallway next to the galley.

“Sorry, no breakfast,” Makani said. 

“Can somebody explain what’s going on?” Trace asked.

Paul waved his pistol toward the salon bench. “Make yourself comfortable, and in due time it will be explained.”

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Tom said.

“Back home, we say the turd don’t fall far from the cow’s behind,” Sage said.

“How long has this been going on?” Trace asked Sage.

“Three days,” Sage said. “There were a couple more around here to make sure we stayed put. They left as soon as you called.”

“Where’s the third guy?” Paul demanded.

“You asking me?” Trace said.

“Where’s the third guy?” Paul pressed.

“Third guy, I don’t know what you mean,” Trace said.

“When you called, you said breakfast for three,” Paul waved his pistol.

“Don’t wave that around,” Trace said, “it might have a hair-trigger." 

“You asked for three breakfasts,” Paul waved the pistol.

“Promise not to wave the pistol,” Trace said. 

“Just tell me,” Paul said, not waving the pistol.

“Thank you,” Trace said. “Me and Kelsey were pretty hungry, so I ordered extra—enough for three men.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Paul said. “You would have just said make twice as much.”

“You’re overthinking it,” Trace said. “Makani already makes twice as much. So just a little more than usual. Does that clear it up in your analytical brain?”

The forward companionway’s door hinges squeaked as it opened. Footsteps creaked down the steps. Waldo Franks appeared.

“Waldo Franks, everybody,” Trace introduced.

“Thanks for the introduction,” Franks said.

“This certainly deserves explanation,” Trace said. “And I’d wager you can’t wait to tell me.”