Hatteras Blue (29 page)
Authors: David Poyer
"Interesting."
"Think so? You want the real story of my life? All right. Say, do you mind if I finish this up?"
"Thought you didn't indulge."
"Just a swallow. To be companionable."
"Help yourself. More down below."
Bourbon rattled into a mug. After a few moments Keyes resumed. "Yeah, it's been interesting so far. For a long time I drifted, though. Couldn't seem to get anything going.
"See, I grew up out in southern Cal. Spent a lot of time on the beach. Surfing. Not doing much. I used to want to make films. My foster parents threw me out of the house finally. I went to LA. for a while, trying to break in, but my name wasn't Levine or Gold—you know what I mean, don't you?—so they froze me out.
"So I hit the road. Bummed my way down to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Acapulco. Worked here and there— sold hot dogs, guided tourists, danced with old ladies, did some blue movies. Got sick as a dog in Yucatan, hepatitis, and the U.S. Consul had to ship me back Worked on the docks for a while in Galveston—"
"I could see you knew boats."
"Forklifts too. The draft picked me up there."
"That's right, you said you'd been in Vietnam."
"First Cav, Binh Dinh Province. I was wounded in White Wing, one of the early search and destroys. Stepped on a pressure-detonated one-oh-five—"
"I know those," said Galloway.
"Then you know how lucky I am to be walking around. It was as if God spared my life for some reason. Anyway that was the end of my service. They shipped me back to the States and I spent the next six months in a hospital in SanFran. It was there I realized that we were going to lose that war. Not in Vietnam, not at the front. At home.
"After I got my medical discharge I went back to school. I decided to be an architect. For a few years I tried to get grants, to design ideal communities. Arco-santi was my dream, I wanted to be another Paolo Sol-eri. I didn't do very well. Then I met some men in Texas who were involved in metal futures, oil, commercial land development—shopping centers and expensive, exclusive residential communities. They were movers and shakers, high rollers, the real thing. They needed talent. I stayed with them for ten years. They opened my eyes to what the real issue of our time is."
"What's that?"
"The war with communism's been lost, Tiller. We just won't admit it yet. America has power, but it can't act. The Jews and the fellow-travelers are in the driver's seat. That's why this mess keeps getting worse in Central America. We could bomb the Commies out of Nicaragua in a month. But Congress is too rotten soft.
"No, the old free-enterprise America's down the tubes. These men in Texas—they're planning now for what comes after."
Galloway said, "So you
are
a Nazi."
"No, but in some ways they weren't too far off the mark. Sure, I believe there's a race of men destined to rule others. But they're not necessarily Nordics. They may not even be white, all of them. That was the Germans' mistake, they had the right idea, they were just too exclusive about it"
"That's broad-minded of you."
"Thanks. I try to think for myself, develop new solutions. A political hobbyist, you might call me. You'll smile at this, but I was with the Weathermen for a while, in the sixties. Made speeches and organized. I was a good speaker. Even headed up a chapter in Los Angeles. Till I realized they had no real chance of achieving power. Then I lost interest and went to Mexico."
"I see," said Galloway. "Southern California, LA., Mexico, Galveston, Vietnam, Texas. Confused kid, filmmaker, bum, architect, political hobbyist. Have I got it right?"
"Exacdy."
"But if I believe that story, how do you explain knowing about the raft, the U-boat, and the gold?"
Keyes grinned. "Sharp. But obviously I did know about it. Because we found it. But everything I just told you is true too."
"I don't see how—"
"Then obviously I haven't told you everything. And I'm not going to. Not yet." There was a trickle and a thud as he finished the bottle and set it down. 'You won't share the gold with me, Tiller? Since you don't understand how I knew about it, and you don't like my politics?"
"I didn't say that"
"I didn't think you would. What will you do with your share?"
"Pay off my many creditors. This tub is the only thing I own. And it's not even in my name."
"You owe a lot?"
"Maybe not that much to you. A lot to people on the island. Legal fees, things like that."
"I see. Well, you won't have that problem after this."
"I hope not."
"Tell me something," said Keyes, his voice remote and hollow from the dark. "You left the military under a cloud. I know that. But you had family. You were still respected on Hatteras. What made you dabble in the drug trade? That's a dangerous way to make a buck, isn't it?"
"None of your damned business."
"I see. Tell me, Tiller, are you a Nazi?"
Galloway said nothing for a moment, then chuckled. "Okay. Your point. I had family here, yeah. But the admiral was Coast Guard all the way through. Honor. Family name. When the service booted me so did he."
"That must have been hard to take."
"It turns you off on staying clean anymore. After that there was only one thing I could figure was worth the effort."
"Cash?"
"Cash."
"And you know," said Keyes slowly, "you were right. When I was a kid I spent a lot of time thinking about things like that. At first I thought I had a mission, that there was some destiny for me to follow. I tried politics, then I tried art. Then I grew up."
"Defined how?"
"I realized that money and power are the only things worth the attention of a man."
A full five minutes went by and neither of them spoke again. At last Galloway sighed and got up, cursing under his breath as the movement reactivated the pain. "Well ... if you're going to stay up, check the engine room before you turn in."
"Something wrong?"
"This is an old boat. The rot's gone pretty far. Wake
me or Jack if the ooze gets above the floorboards and we'll run the pump. It used to go on automatically, but..." his voice trailed off.
"Interesting," said Keyes, staring at him. "About the hull, that is. Okay, I'll check it before I turn in."
Galloway went slowly down the companionway to his bunk. He lay staring at the overhead for a long time before his eyes finally slid closed.
Tiller woke suddenly, in the dark, to a woman's scream.
He rolled out instantly, reaching under the thin mattress. He gasped as his feet slammed into the deck. Then drugs and booze fought back pain and he ran, free hand extended to ward off unseen obstacles. The door to the engine compartment was ajar and he pushed it open and went in.
The first thing he saw was Hirsch. She lay curled small in the filthy water of the bilge, hands raised to protect her face. Keyes towered above her, aiming another kick. When the door slammed open he turned, a snarl twisting his mouth.
The snarl froze as he saw what Galloway held in his hands.
Galloway took two steps, shifted the carbine to his left hand, and carried the swing up from his waist. The punch snapped Keyes's head into the cover of a circuit breaker. He shook himself, then raised his fists. But Galloway had turned his back on him and was helping Hirsch to her feet.
"You hurt, Bernie?"
"I think I'm okay," she said shakily. She took her hands from her face warily, looking toward Keyes, and he saw the bruises beginning to darken on her cheek and around her eyes.
"What's goin' on?" said Aydlett, coming in in his trunks. Caffey was behind him in stars-and-stripes jockey shorts. The boy saw the gun and his eyes Widened.
Galloway ignored them and swung toward Keyes. "Explain," he said, his voice deadly. "Right now."
Keyes bent to the deck. He fumbled for a moment, then came up with something small. He held it out. Galloway took it, glancing at Bernie. She stood hugging herself, head down, oil-matted hair over her eyes. When he held it up to the swaying bulb his eyes widened.
"A radio transmitter."
"Jeez! Tiller, who was she—"
"Shut up, Jack. Who were you calling with this, Hirsch?"
She tossed her hair back then and raised her eyes. Despite the swift darkening of bruise they were determined, defiant, harder than he'd ever seen them.
"Friends."
"Who?" said Keyes.
She neither answered nor even looked at him. "Answer me, you little bitch," he began. "Or we'll—"
"Tiller. You told me you were going to turn this over to the Coast Guard. This is better. It's time to let somebody know."
Galloway didn't answer. He examined the tiny set once more, carefully. He and Keyes looked at each other.
He turned, and swung it against the water jacket of the port engine. The plastic cracked at the first blow. He swung it twice more before throwing what remained into the bilge.
He did not look back at her.
"Coast Guard," Keyes was repeating. 'You told her—what? That you were going to call them, when we found the gold?"
"That's what my parole officer advised me to do. I don't know if I would have. But she seems to have forced my hand."
"I see. Yeah, I see it. Blow the whistle, claim your salvor's cut, and to hell with me, eh?" "It wouid've been legal, anyway. We'd have gotten title to it eventually—if your story held up."
'You weren't going to do it," said Hirsch suddenly.
"Bernie—"
"No. Don't bother. I understand now." She shuddered. "You weren't going to call at all. You want that gold as much as he does.
You're just like him"
"I don't know about that. But you're damned right I want my share, yeah."
4
You can't do this, Galloway. You can't do it to yourself. Not again."
"Go to hell," he said then. You're not my conscience."
Still staring at him, she put her hand to her mouth.
Her scream broke Keyes's control. One stride and his hands were around her neck, forcing her down. Caffey yelled and dove at him, but the older man shrugged him off; the boy staggered into a bulkhead. You little bitch," Keyes said, in a detached, unemotional tone. "Dirty little Jewish whore—"
The butt of the carbine made a hollow sound against his skull. Galloway, holding the rifle reversed like a bat, looked down at the crumpled figure.
"Look out!" screamed Caffey, behind him.
Galloway turned in time to duck the fire axe. The blade whacked deep into a beam and stuck. Aydlett let go of the handle. He came for Galloway, his big scarred hands held wide. Then one of them moved, to his belt. When it came back up it held a fid.
"Shad—goddamnit, what are you doin'!"
"Killin' you, Tiller. Just like I promised I would."
The six-inch taper of steel feinted toward his eyes. Galloway got the carbine up just as the point dropped and lunged toward his stomach, too fast and close to avoid. He was anticipating it in the pit of his gut when Caffey grabbed the waterman's arm from behind.
Aydlett jammed his elbow back without looking. It caught the boy in the bandaged ribs. His mouth opened soundlessly; he let go and reeled back. But by then Galloway had the barrel up, a round in the breech, and the muzzle firmly centered on Aydlett's massive chest.
"Siddown, Shad," he said.
The man glared down at him, then glanced at the barrel. For a moment Galloway thought he might try to brush it aside. His finger tightened.
Aydlett squatted slowly on the deck.
Galloway breathed out. He looked dqwn at Hirsch. "Help her up, Jack," he said tightly.
"Right." Caffey, pale and scared, jumped to obey. He tried to lift her in his arms and failed. At last she moaned and sat up. He helped her to her feet and they moved together, stumbling on the coaming, out of the engine room.
Keeping a weather eye on the glowering waterman, Galloway moved to Keyes and patted him down. That done, he looked around the compartment, satisfying himself that there was nothing serviceable as a weapon in reach of either man. He sat down on the bilge pump and put the carbine across his lap and waited. After several minutes he saw Keyes's fingers curl toward a fist.
"You're covered, both of you. Don't bother."
Keyes propped himself up. He rubbed his head, wincing. At last his eyes steadied on Galloway and the gun.
"Is that what you hit me with?"
"Uh-huh."
"Where did you hide it? I searched this boat the night I came aboard."
"I brought it on after that."
"You can put it away now. I'm okay."
"That's what I intend to discuss."
"I can't trust you anymore, Dick. Especially with Shad on your side. As he obviously is."