Payne crouched next to him and examined his injuries, but Webster’s wounds were too severe to be fixed with a Band-Aid. There was nothing Payne could do except offer him comfort-something he was reluctant to do, considering his role in Ariane’s abduction.
“Theo,” he said in a soothing voice, “can you hear me?”
Unexpectedly, Webster opened his eyes.
“Hey,” Payne whispered, “how are you feeling?”
“P-p-p-” Webster was trying to say something, but his lack of strength made it difficult to pronounce the words. “Come . . . here.”
Before he moved closer, Payne checked Webster for weapons-the last thing he needed was a knife in his gut. But Webster was unarmed. “I’m here, Theo.”
“Paw . . . paw,” he stuttered. “Paw . . .”
He looked into Webster’s eyes. They were glassy and starting to droop. Payne knew he didn’t have much time left. “Theo, you have to repeat that. I can’t understand you.”
“Paw . . . paw . . . it,” he managed to mutter. “Paw . . . it.”
“
? What does that mean? Theo? What’s
?”
But this time there was no reply.
The bastard died before he could finish his final message.
ON the eastern side of the island, far from the plantation house and the western dock, lay a small inlet, filled with warm water from the nearby gulf. At first glance, it seemed like an impassable marsh. Bald cypress trees clogged the waterway in sporadic groves. Jagged stumps and fallen timber, remnants of Hurricane Katrina, rose from the water like icebergs, waiting to shred any boat that dared to float by. But appearances were sometimes misleading. In this case, the water wasn’t impassable. It was actually a path to freedom.
“Where the hell are we going?” Greene screamed from the back of the truck. “There’s nothing back here but swamp-land.”
Holmes answered cryptically. “It seems that way, doesn’t it?”
“So why are we going here?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Greene didn’t like the sound of that, but he realized he didn’t have much choice. Holmes was currently in control of the situation, and he was just along for the ride. “Fine, but keep something in mind. I’m armed.”
“I know that, Levon. And so do Theo and Harris.”
Greene grinned as he thought about his two fallen partners, but his smile turned to a grimace when he felt the truck slowing. “Why are we stopping?”
“I want to show you something,” he said through the back window. “But before I do, I think you and I need to reach some kind of an understanding.”
Greene instinctively raised his gun. “The ball’s in your court, huckleberry. Just make your move, and we can dance.”
“I’m not talking about violence. I’m talking about our partnership. If we’re going to stick together, we need to discuss what each of us is able to contribute.”
“Contribute? What exactly does that mean?”
Holmes got out of the truck to explain. “For this to work, each of us has to contribute something of value. I, for instance, am going to get us off of this island and out of the country. Once we get to Africa, I’ll be able to provide us with a wide network of contacts that will set us up with fake identities and a place to stay.” He paused for a few seconds to let Greene absorb all of the information. “What about you?”
“Me? What the hell
I contribute? All my money is tied up in my house and this place, and I’m gonna have to abandon both of them.”
“True, but you’ll be able to get some of your cash back.”
Greene grimaced. “How do you figure?”
“You never did anything illegal in your house, did you?”
“No.”
“Then the FBI won’t be able to take it. When Payne and Jones tell them that you were involved, they’ll be able to search your house, but they won’t be able to seize it. A year from now you’ll be able to sell it through a local Realtor and have all of the money wired overseas. Several million, if I’m not mistaken.”
Greene hadn’t thought of that, and the realization that he still had some assets made him happy. “But this investment is down the tubes, right?”
“Not necessarily. If you play your cards right, you might be able to collect insurance money.”
“Insurance money? For what? The burned log cabin? My deductible is more than that thing was worth.”
Holmes shook his head. He’d planned for this contingency from day one. “I’m not talking about the cabin. I’m talking about the entire house. You’ll be able to collect on that.”
Greene raised his eyebrows. “How do you figure? With the exception of a bullet hole or two, that place is in great shape.”
“If you want an explanation, just follow me.” Holmes walked into a grove of trees and removed a small metal box from underneath an azalea. “Take a look inside. It’ll answer most of your insurance questions.”
Greene held the box with childlike fascination. He couldn’t imagine what Holmes had stored so far away from the house in a tiny crate. “Actually, I’m not really in a trusting mood.” He laughed. “Why don’t you open it?”
Holmes grabbed the box and pulled out a small radio transmitter, one that was commonly used for mining detonations. “Think about it, Levon. We wore masks the entire time we were here, but we didn’t always wear gloves. Our fingerprints are all over that house. If we don’t do something about it, the FBI will be able to gather enough evidence to put us at the top of their hit list.” He shook his head decisively. “And there’s no way I’m gonna let that happen.”
“But won’t it happen anyway? With Payne, Jones, and Blount still alive, won’t they be able to tell the FBI everything?”
“Yeah, but without physical evidence, there’s no way they’ll be able to convince an African government to extradite us. At least that’s what Harris told me. He said the testimony of witnesses won’t mean dick in a situation like that. Plus, if you follow all of the safeguards that I’m going to teach you, the American government won’t even know where we are. We’ll disappear from their radar forever.”
Greene smiled. He liked the sound of that. “What about the money? Won’t they find me when I try to collect on my house?”
“Not a chance. Theo set up a number of offshore accounts using the names of bogus corporations. If you use them to filter all of the funds, the FBI won’t be able to touch you.”
“Are you sure? That sounds risky, especially without Theo to walk me through it.”
“Hey, it’s your money, not mine. But if I were in your shoes, I’d try to collect every cent that I could. If you don’t, you’re gonna be forced to work for the rest of your life.”
Greene grimaced at the thought. He was accustomed to a life of luxury and didn’t relish the thought of returning to the workforce-especially the one in Africa.
“Either way,” Holmes continued, “I’m blowing this joint up. The explosives are set, and I can do it with a touch of a button.”
“Bullshit,” Greene growled. “I paid for it, so
get to blow it up. At least I’ll get some enjoyment out of this place.”
Holmes smiled. He was glad Greene wasn’t going to fight him on this. “Good! You can do it in a minute, but before you do you still need to answer my earlier question. I need to know what you’re gonna contribute to this partnership.”
Greene rolled his eyes. “You’re obviously looking for something, so just tell me. What do you need from me?
