CHAPTER 34
"I don't want to go
home," Carmen said. She was sitting with a blanket wrapped around
her in the tiny below-decks stateroom of Mars' cabin cruiser. We
were heading for the landing pier in the very earliest gray hint of
dawn. Simpson's yacht had too much draft to follow us in. It was
under full power, running north around the point.
I was there with my
jacket off but the rest of me still soaking wet and Mars was
looking fresh and comfortable as he leaned against the
bulkhead.
"I still say we
should have gone in and finished it," Mars said.
"Bad idea, Eddie.
Simpson's got about a regiment with him whenever he travels. You'd
have gotten wiped out."
"I got some pretty
good boys with me, soldier."
"We came for Carmen,"
I said. "We've got her."
"I don't want to go
home," Carmen said.
"It's not going to
end here, soldier."
"I know," I said. "We
have assault charges, and kidnapping, illegal restraint, attempted
murder, murder, probably two counts. We have a witness." I nodded
toward Carmen.
"Not much of a
witness," Mars said. "You think you can make any of them stick
against Simpson?"
"If we ever get
Simpson alone," I said, "in a quiet room, with maybe a couple of
tough cops who know how it's done, he'll babble like a brook. It's
Bonsentir that keeps him together."
"You know any tough
cops like that?" Mars said.
"One or two," I said.
"When we get ashore I'll call one."
"Be a good thing,"
Mars said, "if you kinda leave me out of it. Cops would like to tag
me anyway, and what we pulled off here may not be exactly one
hundred percent legal."
"I'll do what I can,"
I said. "I owe you that much."
"You don't owe me a
thing, soldier. I wasn't doing it for you."
"I'll keep you out of
it anyway."
The cabin cruiser
slowed to an idle and bumped gently broadside against the landing.
It was early dawn and the sky was a lighter gray in the east. I
collected Carmen and went ashore to find my car and find a phone
and make a phone call.
Which I did.