Jeff Abbott - Black Joint Point

She shivered. A wave picked her up in its swell and settled her back down. Her arms and legs ached like they’d been braided on a rack. Sharp, stinging pain hit in the hollow of her hand, and the T-shirt bandage she’d fashioned turned pink in the water. She thought of the silky sharks from a lifetime ago yesterday, tearing through the chum. Drawn by the blood.

She tried to get her bearings from the sun, looked toward where she thought the shore would lie. Second-guessing yourself already? she thought. But she saw in the distance two sails unfurled, the dot of a cruiser cutting through the waves. He’s racing toward shore. You can’t be that far out in the Gulf. You can’t be. Right?

Claudia pulled the bright red pillow from her shirt and began to wave it back and forth every ten seconds, facing the boats. Then she trod water. Wave. Tread. Repeat.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

The boats headed away from her. As Claudia began to swim, the fatal heaviness of exhaustion began its terrible creep.

‘I don’t like a judge sniffing around,’ Alex said.

‘He was harmless.’ Stoney stood in front of the bay window.

‘He’s been here twice.’

‘He’s talking to everyone who knew Patch Gilbert. It’s not an issue.’

‘Not an issue.’

‘Look, he hardly asked me anything except where I’d met Patch. That was it. Said nothing about a land buy, nothing about Laffite, nothing. Okay? And I had to get rid of him. We couldn’t have him around when Danny sailed up, or have him coming in and seeing you, could we?’

‘No.’ Alex took his wire-rim glasses off, cleaned them on his shirt, put them back on. ‘If Danny’s killed your brother, how are you going to explain the motive?’

‘My boat’s gone. He was on the boat. I won’t have known what happened. Danny’s a freaking nutcase. He finally snapped. He had a grudge against me no one could explain. Why do I have to explain anything?’

‘You’re a cold bastard, Stoney. I have to say.’

‘I didn’t want my brother to get hurt.’

‘You didn’t lift a finger to help him,’ Alex said. ‘Family doesn’t matter to you?’

‘You kill people and you lecture me about family?’

‘I didn’t have a thing against Gilbert and Mrs Tran,’ Alex said. ‘Old, and they’d had good lives, probably. Jimmy was too dumb to live. I didn’t want them messing up my life. But shit, man, I wouldn’t kill family’

‘I didn’t kill my brother.’

‘Sure you did. You stole from me. You probably let your brother die instead of parting with one red cent. You’re a real honey.’ Alex unwrapped a stick of gum, offered the pack to Stoney, who shook his head. ‘Here’s what happens when Danny gets here. We meet him down on the dock.’

‘If Ben and Claudia are still alive…’

‘She’s got to go, man. Sorry. The kidnappers and Danny are dead, too. Your brother… you think he can be trusted, then fine.’

‘You kill his girlfriend, he’s not going to be happy.’

‘He’ll be less happy dead.’

‘Don’t kill him, Alex. Please.’ Stoney glanced out into the curve of the bay that fed the flats. ‘A boat’s coming. Not mine. A sportfisher.’

‘Danny Boy,’ Alex said. ‘Let’s go say hi.’ He tucked his gun into the back of his pants, closed a light jacket of Stoney’s above it.

‘You’re wearing a jacket in summer? That looks suspicious.’

‘Would you like to go shoot him, Stoney?’

Stoney opened his mouth, closed it again. They headed down the deck stairs toward the dock.

The boat chugged along, kept correcting course, as though the pilot was a bit unsure of his bearings. The morning had turned windy, the bay degrading into white choppiness.

‘Stand behind me,’ Alex said, ‘just a little.’

‘Are you going to shoot him right away?’ Stoney whispered.

‘No, I’m not,’ Alex said. ‘Just do what you’re told.’

The Bertram, in need of paint, hovered in close to the dock. But it didn’t dock, staying about ten feet away. Stoney saw Danny – hair blown wild by wind and speed, standing in the shadow of the flying bridge.

Alex raised both hands, palms out, showing they were empty.

The sportfisher cut its motors. ‘Who’re you?’ Danny called.

‘I’m here to facilitate the transfer,’ Alex said.

‘Stoney,’ Danny said. ‘This some thug you hide behind?’

‘You mean like you’re hiding behind my brother and his girlfriend?’ Stoney said.

‘Where’s the journal and the Devil’s Eye?’ Danny asked.

‘Inside the house. Where’s my fucking boat?’ Stoney said.

‘You ask about your boat before your brother,’ Danny said. ‘Nice.’

‘We want to see that Ben and Claudia are safe before the exchange,’ Alex said. ‘This is a business transaction.’

‘It’s not quite like going to the ATM,’ Danny said. ‘You show me the Eye and the journal. You toss them to me on the boat. I pull out a little further. I let Ben and Claudia swim into the dock.’

‘No,’ Alex said. ‘You dock, and you show us that our friends are fine first.’

‘My way or no way,’ Danny said.

‘Fine,’ Alex said. ‘Sail off into the sunset.’

Danny frowned. ‘I’ll call the cops, tell them what you did, Stoney. Here and in New Orleans,’

‘Call them,’ Alex said. ‘You’re a kidnapper. And you don’t have any proof. The guy who killed your cousin in New Orleans is dead. His name is Jimmy Bird. He shot himself earlier this week. He used us, he used you. Stoney didn’t hurt your cousin.’

Stoney couldn’t even look at Alex.

Danny stared at Alex, shook his head. ‘I don’t believe you.’

‘You got to work with me here, Danny, to get what you want. Otherwise you’re going to lose.’

‘Who the hell are you?’

‘I’m your only hope for getting what you want,’ Alex said. ‘Now. Dock. Or we walk away and you have nothing. Dock and you can have the Eye. We keep the rest of the treasure. Deal?’

Stoney could see it play out on Danny’s face. The wanting. The obsession. The need to win, be right, not be the laughingstock anymore. ‘I’m supposed to check in with my associates on Stoney’s boat in ten minutes. I don’t, they kill Ben.’

‘You don’t have Ben with you?’ Stoney said. His voice rose.

‘He’s safe. I got Claudia.’

‘That’s fine,’ Alex said. ‘See, we’re willing to trust you. We don’t want Ben or Claudia hurt. Jimmy Bird’s the one who screwed you over. I can show it to you in the paper, Danny. We’ll give you the Eye and trust you that you’ll give us Ben.’ He slowly pulled out of his jacket pocket the fake emerald Stoney had left in the storage unit, let it glitter in the light. ‘See. Yours. Just give us Claudia and Ben.’

Danny chewed his lip for a moment, then turned the wheel slowly in toward the dock. Alex kept the fat emerald aloft, holding it in his fingertips.

Danny hovered into position, pulled up against the dock. Stoney tossed bumpers against the dock to protect the boat, tossed a line onto Miss Catherine’s deck. Stoney quickly fed the rope around and through the dock cleat. Danny kept his gun trained on Alex.

‘We don’t have a gun on you,’ Alex said. ‘Put that down. Or I drop the Eye in the drink.’

‘Toss it up here,’ Danny said.

Alex smiled – Stoney saw it, thought, Oh no, you’re not – tossed the fake Eye high, toward Danny’s reaching hand.

Danny grabbed at the stone one-handed, his eyes widening, as Alex pulled his revolver from the back of his waist and fired once. Blood burst from Danny’s shoulder, and he fell backward onto the deck, screaming.

Stoney climbed aboard, Alex following. Danny lay on his back, sobbing in pain. ‘You shot me. Jesus.’ He sounded shocked.