Test Pilot's Daughter II: Dead Reckoning (23 page)

“He’ll go along because he owes me. . .yeah, he owes me big time. He knows what we’re up against, and he knows I need some mental healing if I’m going to perform. Get this, how about a flight to Andros Island on a private airliner? We’ll get one of those super-plush jets used by the rich and famous. How about Friday morning? There are some yachts there in the harbor at Congo Town, some really big ones rich people lease for vacation. I found it on the Internet. I think it’s around a hundred thousand a day, but they’re fully staffed, and you can live like a king.”

“You shittin’ me?”

“No, I’m serious. They even have helicopters onboard and plenty of bedrooms for security and everything. We could have them fly us over to the island. I still have the coordinates in my scrapbook. GPS will put us right on the spot. We could fly over there and show Michael what we went through, how we survived. We could do some exploring and some diving and then take a few moments to show our respects to Jessica.”

“But such short notice? Don’t you think those yachts are booked.”

“You know how it works, Heather. Moolah! Money talks, girl; money talks and bullshit walks.”

“Well, it’s kind of creepy going to that island, but the rest of it sounds good. Okay, if you really want to, I’m in. For God’s sake, girl, let’s do it up right. Make a list and I’ll go shopping tomorrow. You work the phones, spend as much as you want; I’m good for half.”

Christina squealed with excitement. She reached over and gave Heather a hug. “I knew you’d go for it
.
” She held her glass up like they had done on that sunlit porch in the Keys some eight years earlier. “All for one and one for all. Here’s to the Three Amigos, and here’s to Jessica.”

* * *

They were escorted to Houston International Airport by a mob of CIA agents. Their SUV made its way onto the tarmac right up to a 737 decked out in bright colors. Just below the tail number was the logo,
LOVE FUN
. The female copilot was busy doing a thorough preflight. Christina was a stickler for pre-flights, and the sight of the busy copilot gave her a warm fuzzy feeling.
Wonder if they’d let me ride in the cockpit,
she thought.
No, settle down girl and try to be social.
A Government plane was parked nearby for the security team, and both jets looked about ready to wind up the turbines.

It was a cold, windy day in Houston, but Andros Island promised tropical heat. As Michael, Billy, Heather and Christina climbed aboard they were greeted by a flight attendant, in her twenties. “Welcome aboard
Love Fun
.” She handed each of them a glass of champagne. “My name is Jill, and I’ll be serving you. Just let me know of anything you want, anything at all.”

Michael elbowed Christina and gave her a grin. “Anything?” She hadn’t told him exactly what was going on. He scanned the plush interior of the aircraft with a look of wonder. There were soft couches, recliners, tables, a large, flat screen TV and everything one would find in a lavish entertainment center. “What’s the deal?” he asked. “Don’t you think you should fill me in?”

“No biggie,” she answered. “I wanted it to be a surprise. I’ve arranged a little R&R with the full support of the Director and the President. Aren’t you tired of that stuffy old apartment? We’re headed to Andros Island for three days of pure tropical bliss. Should be nice and hot down there, don’t you think? Can’t wait to get out of this stinking cold weather and into a bikini.”

“Andros Island? Isn’t that in the Bahamas?” Michael swiveled his head around soaking in the swanky features of the custom built interior. He looked like a kid in the toy department of Wal-Mart. He was obviously impressed. “Wow! This is something!”

Heather jumped in, “Yeah, that’s right, we’re going to Congo Town on South Andros. Wait till you see our accommodations. It’ll make this little ole airplane look like a dump.”

“Weee-heee.” Billy commandeered a large, padded, swivel chair, plopped in it and spun it around. He spilled champagne all over his Hawaiian shirt. “Oops. . .three days huh?” He had a bewildered look as he turned toward Christina. “Hey wait a minute, Andros sounds familiar.”

“Please take a seat,” the flight attendant got their attention. “If you will find yourself a seat and buckle up, we’ll be on our way.” She refilled glasses and found her way forward. The engines ran up to a whirring roar, and they taxied for takeoff.

Christina reveled in the luxury. Her plan was coming together, and she felt great. It was strange sitting sideways on a plush recliner as the plane accelerated down the runway.
Beats the hell out of that last flight I took. This is no cattle car.

It was a short trip, just two hours, but the party had already begun. Drinking at eleven in the morning wasn’t Christina’s cup of tea, but they stuck to champagne and Mimosas, typical morning fare for island tourists. They spent the whole time cutting up, laughing and joking oblivious to the beautiful scenery below. Touching down at Andros, they were ear to ear giddy. As they descended the roll-up stairs, CIA formed the welcome committee. A small convoy of SUVs carted them off, and they headed for the harbor.

The drive from the airstrip was typical of so many similar islands, a narrow two lane road winding through hills covered with lush flora. The only thing that was unmistakable along the way was the sheer poverty of Andros natives. Christina leaned against the window and wondered what life would be like out there. . .out there in those shacks. She saw one woman bathing in her front yard dipping water out of a fifty-gallon drum, no inhibitions and no modesty. Right next door to a dilapidated, old hut was a multimillion dollar mansion.
The
haves
and the have-nots
, she thought. There were some children playing with sticks and rusty old cans. All the kids jumped to attention to get a good look at her small parade. One little girl about eight years old, looked right at her with hollow, hungry eyes and held out her arms beckoning. Suddenly choked with a pang of emotion, she wanted to hug the little girl, then take her home and make her fat.
Damn,
she thought,
we have so much, and they have nothing. How do they survive? Mental note: When this is over, I need to come back here and do something to help these people.

Almost a quickly as Christina had such charitable thoughts, she argued with herself.
Hell, every island is the same; the entire chain is full of poverty, and it will never change, no matter what anyone does. But they do need help. That poor little girl, I wonder if her momma died too?

A yacht awaited them in the bay, and they were taken to it in a reconstructed launch that could only be referred to as a “woody.” It looked like something from the 40s, but it was perfectly restored with brilliant teak. A larger boat followed with eight agents fully armed. Christina took one look at the yacht and thought,
Holy Mother of. . .isn’t that something? My God, it’s huge!
That little pestering voice in her conscious spoke again,
Hey, if you felt guilty before, how do you feel now? For the three-hundred-thousand you spent to rent this tub, you could feed the entire island.

“Not that one.” Michael’s eyes bugged out. “You don’t mean we are staying on that, do you?” He pointed to a huge vessel with “
Ocean Breeze
” on the side.

“What’s wrong with it?” Heather asked with a chuckle.

“Are you
nuts?
That thing must cost twenty-million dollars.”

“Heather and I leased it, fully equipped with a crew of twenty to take care of our every whimsical fantasy.” She beamed with pride. At that moment she was so happy she could cry. It was almost impossible to believe two weeks earlier she had slept on a concrete floor next to her own excrement. “The
Ocean Breeze
was once owned by Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi Government tried to sell it but hasn’t had any luck, so they lease it to tourists.”

“How much then?” Michael asked.

“More than you can imagine, but we’re not going to talk about money,” she replied. “Just enjoy.”

The yacht was something to behold. The top layer of three decks was equipped to party a large number of guests around a huge swimming pool on one end and a helicopter landing pad at the other. It was like a small cruise ship, but ten times more plush. They entered a large salon with a marble ceiling, fully trimmed in dark teak and shiny brass décor. A buffet brunch was waiting with caviar sprinkled eggs, smoked salmon and a wide variety of other delicacies. After they loaded their plates, they sat together at a thick oak table in the center of the room. For four young people who had been raised in modest circumstances, it was luxury beyond belief.

“Wow, look at all the art. It’s like a museum,” said Heather.

“I’m told it was hand-picked by Sadam Hussein, himself, a few months before
Shock and Awe.

“Okay, Christina, I give,” Michael chuckled. “How did you pull this off? You must have pictures of the President. . .with a goat.”

Billy looked at her like he wanted some answers too.

“Well, boys,” she said with an air of mystery putting her arm around Heather’s shoulders. “Never underestimate the female gender. Heather and I have a secret. For years we’ve been reluctant to tell anyone.”

“We went to Great Exuma like Jessica said. We weren’t expecting to find anything, but we went out on a salvage boat and hit the jackpot.”

“Hey, I remember that gold piece you sent me, I still have it,” Billy said. “So how much? How much did you get?”

“The site is still being worked,” Heather said. “It was loaded with rubies, silver and Spanish gold. The gold alone is worth a hundred-million at today’s prices, but as artifacts it’s worth three times that. So far we’ve netted twenty-million each; that’s after taxes.”

“Twenty-million dollars?” Michael almost choked on the celery he had taken out of his Bloody Mary.

“Not so loud, lover boy.” Christina put her hand over his lips and laughed as she looked around the room. There was only one other person in sight, a man hanging wine glasses behind the bar. “Like I said, we prefer to keep it to ourselves. Only a handful of people know.”

“
For Christ’s sake!”
Billy spread his hands looking hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought we were friends.”

“It didn’t seem all that important until now.” Christina shrugged her shoulders. “Since the world is on the brink, last night Heather and I decided we should loosen up a bit and spend some cash. So forget about the money; let’s just enjoy ourselves. God only knows where we will all be in a couple of weeks. Or if. . .”

“I for one love the accommodations,” Heather interrupted, holding out her hand, admiring her long nails and raising her chin in the air. “This is my style. . .what I was born for. Nice work, girl, can’t believe you arranged this so fast. Not a bad boat, not bad at all. What’s the matter, couldn’t you find anything
bigger?”

They all broke into laughter, and Christina decided to brief the agenda. “Okay, here’s the deal. This afternoon we can hang around the pool and relax while our ship sails. Tonight we’ll have a formal dinner on the deck under the stars around 8:00 o’clock. Why don’t we meet up in the lounge around seven?”

“But I didn’t bring any formal clothes,” Michael protested. She had instructed him to pack for “three days on a beach.”

“No problem,” she replied. “It’s not the clothes that count, it’s the company. Oh yeah, and the lobster and the best wine money can buy. What do you say we tour this tub then go take a nap. It’s been quite a morning.”

They all marched off to explore the
Ocean Breeze.
It was two-hundred-and-fifty-feet of top luxury class, one that could easily sail around the world. By appearances, one would never know it had been owned by one of the most ruthless dictators who ever lived. There were no Arab or Muslim markings of any kind. It could have just as easily been owned by a Hollywood actor or a dot-com tycoon. The exterior of the yacht was all white, stacked up in three vertical decks. There were ten large staterooms for guests and twenty small bedrooms for crew. The upper level presented an incredible panorama of the ocean. The front deck had a large swimming pool adorned with plenty of plush outdoor furnishings, two hot tubs and a fully stocked bar. The rear deck supported a landing pad for a six-place helicopter. The next layer down was a sky lounge, décor beyond belief. In bad weather, it offered IMAX views, fully encased in glass. A grand piano was there along with another bar and enough tables for an indoor gala. Two layers down was the salon and a fully teaked galley and dining room. Two huge flat screen TVs featured satellite programming, and the library was stocked with hundreds of movies. Between the two layers designed for entertainment was a long string of staterooms and two king-sized suites designed for royalty.