Rick Boyer: Billingsgate Shoal

"So what made Schilling pull the disappearing act in Alaska?" asked Joe as he cradled his third whiskey sour, which had just been placed in front of him.

"Because he'd just made contact with an old army buddy of his who'd pulled the first of a series of armory heists. Schilling was attracted to breaking into armories for several reasons. One, it allowed him to hurt the army, which had given him a D.D. and hurt his chances for landing any decent job. The fact that Kincaid overlooked it, or didn't know about it, was perhaps the only reason he got as far at Wheel-Lock as he did. Second, one of Wheel-Lock's biggest contracts ever was obtained during the early Vietnam buildup. Wheel-Lock designed the complex locks and security devices for armories. Since Schilling knew the systems and locks, he knew how to get around 'em."

'And by disappearing he could be more mobile and invisible."

"Yep. And leave his wife and be with Laura. I figured he came back to New England shortly after his 'death' on the Kenai Peninsula to make contact with arms buyers. Right away he uncovered two hungry sources with lots and lots of dough: The French Separatists in Quebec and the Irish Republican Army. According to O'Shaughnessey he'd even trucked with the Mob for a while, but found that too risky, or scary. Dealing with foreign buyers was cleaner, safer. But there was one thing he needed badly to do it right: a boat. He didn't have the money for one big enough to range as far as he wanted."

"And that's when they decided to kill Kincaid?"

"Maybe they never planned to kill him. But in early summer two events occurred that forced the issue. One: Kincaid's company began a sharp decline, one that perhaps was irreversible. Two: Kincaid found the jackpot he was seeking."

"Yeah bullshit."

"Wait. Wait, I'm getting to that."

"I want my two grand back, Doc."

"And you'll get it, whether or not I sell the Rose. But anyway, Kincaid decided that by disappearing, he could rid himself of his wife, his failing company, and all the unpleasantness he'd endured for the past several years and skip to the Caribbean."

"It's curious he had the same idea Schilling had," said Joe.

"Not when you consider the fact that they had the same needs and motives. With a miniature Fort Knox in bullion sealed into the Windhover's hull-which was now reshaped and named Penelope -he was going to slide down the Big Trough, skip over to Grand Cayman and deposit the fortune, tax-free, then head on over to his prepurchased condominium on St. Thomas."

"Then why the hell didn't we find the bullion, Doc? Why? Even though we cut up that hull until the Rose looks like a goddamn tea-strainer. Why?"

"I'm getting to that-"

"I want my two-".

"Shut up and listen. Laura and Schilling discovered Kincaid's plan to disappear. Since he'd done all the groundwork for them, wouldn't it be easy for them to help him along? And they'd have the boat they needed too."

"So Laura Kincaid wasn't independently rich as she claimed."

"Doesn't look that way. Though she thought she would stand to gain at least something by her husband's death. That's why they thought of putting the house up for sale. Though it would net them about four hundred grand, and they wouldn't have to run guns anymore. Just as soon as Schilling made this last series of hauls, they'd be home free."

"And never bothering to check the post office box, they were ignorant of the condominium and the treasure."

"Knew nothing about it, and couldn't open the box anyway without the key."

"So then where in hell-"

"But wait. Of course just about then they had the mishap at the James Longstreet, killed Allan Hart in a foolish and desperate panic, and from then on had me on their tail, poking my nose in and disrupting things. As soon as I explained my theory to Laura-who was an excellent actress by the way, surely she had untapped talent in that department-she was alarmed. She had Schilling stick himself under his car so he could get a good look at me as I left her place. There were two people who could blow their cover: Danny Murdock and Yours Truly."

"You think Murdock helped kill Kincaid?"

"Nah. He probably didn't even know Kincaid was killed. Probably Laura fed him some cock-and-bull story about taking over the arrangements for her husband. As far as Murdock the bombed boatbuilder goes, the only illegal thing he knew about was falsifying a certificate. BUT, they told him: listen, if a guy named Adams, who looks like such and such-or anybody else-comes asking you questions about Penelope, you call us on the double and we'll bail you out."

"Mmmm. Hmmm," said Joe taking a deep sip and leaning back; "so the night you approached him at the bar he did as instructed."

"Sure. And I figured later it probably took Schilling no more than fifteen or twenty minutes to arrive outside the bar and station himself there, waiting for me to emerge. What place is fifteen minutes from the Schooner Race?"

"The Kincaid residence."

"Uh huh. Which further strengthened the link between Laura and Schilling. No, I wasn't at all surprised to find her in that warehouse pointing an automatic rifle at my throat. Not the slightest."

"Now how did O'Shaughnessey get involved'?"

"Because the Garda Siochana was tracking down the rash of assaults in the Republic perpetrated by the militant wing of the UFE the Ulster Freedom Fighters. They're the Protestant counterpart to the IRA. A guy named Reggie Thompson is their leader. Reggie's a tough customer-former Special Air Service Commando. They've vowed to head south, and give the Irish a taste of their own terrorist medicine, They're already charged with about twenty murders; Claim to have a base somewhere in the Wicklow Hills…"

"But I still don't see how-"

"How it links to America? Because Schilling switched sides. After dealing with the IRA for two months or so, he discovered another group who'd pay double for the same merchandise."

"Reggie Thompson and the UFF?"

"Yep. So he told the IRA he was fresh out of small arms-even those he'd promised to deliver some time ago. This was a big mistake."

" 'Cause the IRA found out he was supplying weapons to the enemy."

"Exactly. Actually, O'Shaughnessey tells me it was Laura who made the initial contact with UFF's men. That's why the IRA was so anxious to put her away. It wasn't long before the Provos, and their stateside contacts in Boston and Southie had discovered the double-cross on the part of the arms suppliers and put the hit notice out on both of them. They were dead ducks from that time forth. It was O'Shaughnessey's job to infiltrate the ring with a faked identity, then lie in wait to make the big haul, getting everybody in the organization, including most especially the UFF contacts. How successful he ultimately was only time will tell. But the big guy who saved my life-"

"What was his name anyway?"

"O'Shaughnessey won't tell me, although he knows."

"They that close, the Garda and the IRA?"

"Not close at all. Stephen says if I knew the man's name my life would be endangered. And I believe him. But as I was about to say, Thug Number One, the Big Man, made a mistake when he stole Schilling's cruiser and blew up the Coquette. There was nobody from UFF on board. The boat, as its French name implies, belonged to the other customers-"

"The militant French separatists?"

"Yeah. The Provo blew up a bunch of Quebec nationalists who were, O'Shaughnessey thinks, going to take Ms. Kincaid and Schilling up to the Maritimes."

"While they left the Rose Boating temptingly in Gloucester Harbor."

"Yes, and tempting enough so I bought her at state auction."

"With some of my money.".

"With some of your money. Which you will get back."

"Who the hell'd buy that spaghetti strainer now?"