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“No, I have to get to Nassau tonight. That’s the deal.”
“Too bad. They closed the airport.”
“Can’t you land somewhere else on the island?”
“That’ll cost you.”
“I have the cash. You saw it.”
“Roger that. Hang on, blondie.”
Blondie. It was who Be
And her intent was to kill.
Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen
Alice and Knox ran to the car, amid mass confusion. Sirens blared everywhere. Smoke fogged the air. A loudspeaker barked. Airport perso
“No driver!” Alice called out, reaching the driver’s side. She caught a glint of keys in the ignition. “He left the keys. Get in.”
Knox slammed the trunk closed, then jumped into the passenger seat.
Alice twisted the keys in the ignition and hit the gas. She sped out of the lot as police cruisers sped directly toward them in the same lane.
“Move over!” Knox yelled. “We drive on the other side!”
Alice steered into the other lane. “Tell me how to get out of here.”
“Go left.” Knox pointed, and Alice took the turn, then zoomed for the exit gate just as a red fire truck raced toward them, its headlights blinding. She veered around the fire truck and hit the main road leaving the airport, then reached a fork.
“Where now?”
“Right, then left.” Knox pointed again.
Alice zoomed onto a side road and kept driving until the car rental places and businesses disappeared. She found herself in a neighborhood of small, run-down houses, their pastel hues faded and peeling. People were going to their cars and into the street to see what was happening at the airport, so she kept driving until she spotted a clearing with a dirt road. She pulled over, stopped the car, and looked over at Knox, who looked nervous in the lights from the dashboard.
“Now you gotta step up,” Alice said. “I need an employee at BSB. You have to find me one.”
“I know no one.”
“Think harder. You have to know someone who knows someone.”
“How much is it worth to you?” Knox’s eyes glittered. “I know you’ve got more in that bag.”
“Five grand.”
“Twenty.”
“Ten.”
“Fifteen.”
Alice faked a smile. “Don’t push me.”
“Fine.” Knox paused. “My cousin’s friend might know someone, but I’m not sure.”
“Then make the call.”
Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen
Be
She held on to the handstrap as the ground got closer. Winds swirled, whipping bugs into the spotlight, and the helicopter hovered, seesawing, then touched down. The pilot flashed her a thumbs-up and twisted a knob. The rotors slowed, and the whine died down and finally disappeared. The helicopter shuddered as its engine shut down.
The pilot slid off his earphones, with a broad grin. “It’s better in the Bahamas.”
“Where are we?”
“Adelaide, southwest of Nassau. The land belongs to a friend of mine. I’ll be staying here tonight, at his place.” The pilot turned. “Did you see that fire at the airport? Looks like a disaster.”
Be
“My buddy and I can give you a lift there. It’s half an hour by car. We got another friend, runs an all-night poker game.”
“Then let’s go.” Be
“Watch your step. Lots of crab holes around here. You’ll see the shells, lying around. Purple, red, black ones.”
Be
“Yeah. Take my hand. Don’t walk into a tree, there’s plum and sea grapes. That’s what you smell.”
Be
“Sure, what?”
She told the pilot, and he didn’t seem at all surprised.
Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen
Alice set the gun on the seat, near the door, while Knox talked on his cell phone to his cousin. They sat in the dark parking lot of a Chen’s Food Store, a run-down affair. The store was closed so the lot was empty, but the streets buzzed with traffic heading to the airport. A light blue police cruiser tore past, its red lights flashing, then a gray cruiser with a crown on the door, which read CENTRAL POLICE. Every cop on the Bahamas had to be at the airport, and the sirens blared continuously.
“Oh, you’re at FirstBank now?” Knox was saying. “Congratulations, Letty. Auntie Jane didn’t mention it.”
Alice whispered, “Ask her for someone who’s still there. Get a name.”
Knox said into the phone, “Letty, do you know anyone still there? You in touch with anyone? It’s important.”
Alice fished in the console and found a pen and pad with the name of the limo company.
“Who? Say again. Sure, I remember her. Do you have a phone number and address?” Knox read off the information, and Alice wrote it down. “Thanks, Letty. Love to all.” He flipped the phone closed. “The name’s Julie Cosgrove. I know her.”
“How?” Alice set down the paper and turned the key in the ignition.
“We went to high school together. She had a crush on me.”
“How do we get to her house?”
“It’s near Cable, on the way to Nassau.”
“Let’s go. Direct me.”
“Do you want to call first?”
“No, better to drop in.”
“Take the first right, then.” Knox opened the cell phone. “I must call my wife. What can I tell her?”
“Tell her you’re helping at the airport. You’ll be home by morning.” Alice pressed the gas and steered out of the parking lot. She logged the address into the car’s navigation system, and a white arrow popped onto a screen that was affixed to the dashboard.
“Turn right in three hundred feet,” said the soft, mechanical voice.
Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen
Be
“Not much of a selection, eh?” the pilot asked, and the other man, John Something, chuckled.
“Like I said, it ain’t Newark.” He was a stocky young American with a shaved head and a neck tattoo that read Joh
“How much is this one?” Be
“The S &W?” Joh
“Fair enough.” Be