England said, ‘Baron von Altstein.’
‘Who?’
‘Baron Wolfgang von Altstein.’
Carey said, ‘You probably know the name Wolfgang Baron. Everybody’s got extra names.’
‘The island,’ Parker said.
They both nodded. England said, ‘We want Von Altstein. We want him very very badly. I don’t think you can imagine how badly we want him.’
Parker said, ‘But he won’t come in where you can grab him.’
‘No, he won’t. It frustrates us.’
Carey said, ‘We want him so bad, we’ll take him instead of you.’
Parker shook his head. ‘I don’t follow.’
England said, ‘We’re onto the game, Mr. Parker. You’ve been asked to raid the Baron’s island. You are currently assembling a group for just that objective.’
‘Wrong.’
Carey said, ‘You deny everything, we know that, it’s understood. Just let us say our say, all right?’
Parker said, ‘Fine. Tell your fairy tale.’
‘Here it is,’ said England. ‘You and your partners are going out to raid the island. You intend to come back with all the money you can lay your hands on. We want you to come back with the Baron, too.’
‘Do what?’
‘We want the Baron,’ England said again. ‘You bring him in where we have jurisdiction and you’ll have no problems. You won’t be breaking any of our laws this time anyway.’
‘The helicopter,’ Parker said suddenly.
They both looked at him. Carey said, ‘What was that?’
Parker shook his head. ‘I’ve been trying to figure how you guys got in. It was that helicopter, the first time I went out to the island. You’ve been keeping a steady watch on the island, that’s how you got onto me.’
England seemed surprised. ‘Well, of course,’ he said. ‘How can we get the Baron if we don’t watch the island he lives on?’
Parker said, ‘So what’s Heenan got to do with it?’
‘He was to have gone along, doing his assigned tasks in the robbery just as you would plan it, but in addition he would see to it that the Baron was brought in where we could get our hands on him.’
Carey said, ‘It would simplify things if you’d reconsider hiring Heenan.’
Parker shook his head. ‘He’s no good.’
‘We know,’ said England apologetically, ‘but he was the best we could come up with on such short notice. We got him released from his jail term, you know.’
Parker nodded. ‘He was too white to have been out a week, not down here.’
Carey said, ‘The other choice is, you take me.’
Parker looked at him. ‘I do what?’
‘Bring me into the operation to do the job Heenan would have done. I’ll do my part, and when it’s all over I’ll go my way with the Baron and you’ll go your way with the loot.’
Parker couldn’t believe it. He said, ‘You’re out of your mind.’
‘We mean it,’ Carey said.
England said, ‘It’s one less man to split with, because Carey won’t want any of the profits. Makes more for each of the rest of you.’
‘I’m supposed to tell the others about Carey?’
England frowned. Carey said, ‘It probably would be best if you didn’t. It’s up to you.’
‘You two,’ Parker told them, ‘are just bright enough to do stupid things with smart details.’
Carey said, ‘You’re talking like a man with a choice.’
‘I’ve always got a choice.’
‘No. Not this time.’
‘Show me.’
It was England who answered. ‘We want the Baron, as we said, badly enough to let you go in trade. But if we don’t get him we’ll take you as a consolation prize. It’s as simple as that.’
‘We could have had you,’ Carey said, ‘any time in the last few days.’
‘Either time you went out to the island, for instance,’ England said. ‘Or when you went to the Tropical Palm Lounge in Houston to arrange for guns. You’re a better driver than Yancy, by the way.’
‘We have the manpower,’ Carey said, ‘and we have the interest. We’ve had you in sight from the beginning; we
