The Blue Bottle

THE BLUE BOTTLE
By Doris R. Mackey

         It was hard to believe there had been a fierce storm last night, though the worst of it had been far out to sea. Now the sky was cloudless, and even though the sun was high in the sky, the breeze coming off the water made the air feel cool. Jerry's shoes, laces tied together, were hung around his neck, as he walked barefooted along the beach with water splashing over his feet. He carried a small canvas bag for the shells he hoped to add to his collection at home.

         He saw a dark blue bottle with a cork stopper, half buried in the sand. Inside it, he could see a piece of rolled-up paper. He pulled out the cork, turned the bottle upside down and shook it hard trying to get the paper out. He gave the bottle a couple more shakes. The paper would not come out. The way the paper was curled he could see that there was writing on it but he could not read it. He replaced the cork and put the bottle into his bag. He would try again at home. He laughed. Already his writer's imagination was off and running. What was on the paper? It could be anything, even a treasure map.

****

         When Jerry got home that evening, he took the bottle out of the bag and placed in on the desk by his computer, thinking that if nothing else, it might inspire a new story. Then he took out the one shell he had brought back with him. It looked like an old army helmet; it was all that was left of a very large horseshoe crab. He put it next to the bottle, then sat with his elbows on the desk. Resting his chin on his hands, he stared at his treasures, and tried to think of a way to use them in a story.

         The phone rang. He waited for the answering machine to take the call. When he heard Susan's voice he quickly picked up the receiver. "Hi, Sue."

         "Are you screening your calls again?" she accused. "I'll bet you haven't checked your messages. I've been trying to reach you all day."

         "Come on, Sue, I just got back from the beach. I haven't been home five minutes yet. Anyway, what's so important?"

         "Did you hear about the boat that broke up and sank last night during the storm? The coast guard has been searching all day for survivors."

         Jerry picked up the bottle as he listened to Sue. Could it have come from that boat? No, he told himself, his writer's imagination was at work again.

         "Why are you all worked up about this?"

         "It was Peter Hale's Golden Angel. Peter must have taken it out yesterday afternoon and got caught in the storm."

         " Are they sure? How would they know?"

         "They found pieces of it when they checked the location given in the distress call. They also found an empty inflatable raft with Golden Angel on it." Jerry didn't speak. "Jerr, are you all right?" Susan asked.

         "Yes, but it doesn't seem possible. I was talking to Peter Monday morning; he said he was waiting for Anna and the kids to join him at their house today. He told me, they were going sailing on Friday, and that he wanted you and me to go along. Maybe someone stole the Golden Angel and got caught in the storm."

         "I was told the authorities considered that, but no one has been able to find Peter. I'm with Anna and the kids at their townhouse. Jerr, can you come over? Anna is in a terrible state; I could really use your help."

         "Maybe you should bring them here. My place is large; I've got the extra bedrooms."

         "Yes, I think you're right. We'll be there in a couple of hours. And thanks, I knew we could count on you."

         "Oh ...uh, Sue, bring some food with you, I don't have enough for five people."

         "Ok, I'll stop at the Food Mart on the way over."

         When Jerry hung up the phone, he realized he was still holding the bottle. Now he wanted more than ever to read the paper it held, but that could wait till later. He thought, Susan is very clever; maybe she can get the paper out. He set the bottle next to the monitor.

         Jerry opened the windows to air out two of the spare bedrooms, and made sure there were clean sheets on the beds. Each room had a king- size bed, so Anna and Sue could use one and the boys, Little Pete and Kevin, could have the other.

         Jerry began thinking about Peter and his boat. With all the warnings that had been posted, Jerry could not believe that Peter would take the boat out. Besides the Golden Angel was too big a boat for Peter to handle alone. If he did set sail, who went with him?

*****

         It was beginning to get dark when the sound of a car stopping in front of the house pulled him out of his thoughts. Jerry turned on the outside lights. He saw eight-year-old Little Pete and six-year-old Kevin scramble out of the black SUV. "Uncle Jerry!" He stooped down and both boys threw their arms around him.

         "Uncle Jerry, Daddy had to go away for a while, and Mommy says we're going to stay with you until he comes back."

         Jerry looked up at the two women walking toward him. Anna looked tired; her eyes were red from crying. He said to the boys, "Come now, we're the men here, it's our job to bring the things in from the car."

         "Okay!" the boys said. They ran back to the car and began pulling out the suitcases.

         Jerry embraced Anna as she cried, "Oh, Jerr, I can't believe this has happened. He can't be gone."

         "They'll find him, Anna. You all can stay here as long as you need." Then he turned to Susan, "Take her inside. There's ice tea in the kitchen. If she wants something stronger, it's in the cabinet by the window. The boys and I will care take of things here." He watched the women go inside and then turned to the task of bringing in the suitcases and groceries.

         After the boys ate the hot dogs and canned baked beans Susan prepared for them, they put on their pajamas. Anna kissed them and said, "Come along, it's time for bed."

         "Aw, Mom, we want Uncle Jerry to tell us a story first," Little Pete said.

         "Yes please, Uncle Jerry, tell us a story," Kevin added.

         "It's alright, Anna," Jerry said and took the boys into their bedroom.

         When he finally had the boys settled for the night, he found that Anna and Susan had gone to bed. He poured himself a drink and carried it into his bedroom.

****

         Jerry tried to sleep, but all he did was toss and turn, and finally gave up. After putting on a tee shirt and pair of shorts, he went into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and stood staring into it. Then he wandered into the living room, sat at his desk and turned on the computer, but all he could do was stare at the blank screen. Finally he went outside and sat in the dark on the bench by the front door holding his head in his hands. He could hold back no longer, his eyes filled with tears.

         The light over his head came on; he turned and saw Susan standing in the doorway. "I can't sleep either. Poor Anna was so exhausted; she cried herself to sleep," she said as she sat down next to him. "Are you all right?"

         He shook his head, "I don't know what to do. Peter and I have been best friends for years. I'm the boys' godfather. I should be doing something, but I don't know what."

         Susan moved closer to him and put her arm around him.

         Jerry continued, "Peter is a good sailor. Storm or no storm, he knows better than to take the boat out alone. When we were boys, our fathers took us sailing every summer. We had such a great time; Peter kept saying someday he would have his own boat. Three years ago he bought his dreamboat. The day he christened it, he and Anna left the boys with her mother and the three of us went sailing."

         Jerry turned to Susan, "Do you know why he named her Golden Angel?"

         Susan shook her head.

         "That's his special name for Anna. We were at this party, the one where he met Anna. Her blonde hair was very long then and she was wearing a gold dress. He pointed at her and told me, 'See that golden angel over there, one day I'm going to marry her.' A year later he did it. Ever since he's been telling me, that I should get married." Jerry stopped talking and sat for a minute staring at the ground. Then he turned to Susan, "Sue, I'm so sorry."

         She was puzzled, "Sorry for what?"

         "Thinking about Peter and Anna, has made me realize what a jerk I've been. I've never told you, how thankful I am to have you in my life. Oh, you deserve better."

         "Jerr, what are you talking about?"

         He took her hands in his, "I'm trying to tell you that I..." He stopped speaking as a police car, with its lights flashing, pulled up in front of the house. Jerry and Susan stood up as the officer walked up to them.

         "Jerome Sanders?" the officer asked.

         "That's me," Jerry answered.

         "I'm Sergeant Myers. I was told this is where I would find Anna Hale."

         "Yes, she's inside, sleeping."

         "I need to talk to her. They've found her husband."

         "I'll go get her," said Susan and went inside.

         Jerry said to the officer, "They've found him? Where? How? Is he...?"

         Anna appeared in the doorway, "Where is he? Where's my Peter?"

         The officer answered, "He's at County Hospital, Ma'am. He's hurt pretty badly, but he's alive. The Coast Guard found the second life raft with Mr. Hale and another man in it."

         "Who is the other man?" Jerry asked.

         "We don't know. We're hoping you or Mrs. Hale will be able to tell us. I need you both to come with me to the hospital."

         "Of course, we'll come," said Anna.

****

         They were taken straight up to the Burn Center. A nurse showed Anna into Peter's room. Jerry started to follow her, but the officer stopped him. "Mr. Sanders, will you please come and take a look at the other man. Tell me if you know who he is."

         The officer led Jerry to a room two doors down the hall. Before they went in he told Jerry, "This isn't going to be easy. The man is very badly burnt. His hands are so bad we can't use fingerprints."

         Jerry looked at the man in the bed and shuddered. He had never seen anyone severely burned before. "He looks familiar but I'm not sure," he told the officer, "the burns on his face don't help."

         "Would it help to know that he has a tattoo on his right arm?" the officer asked.

         "It might," Jerry replied. "What kind of tattoo?"

         The officer answered, "A picture of a spider, a bit too realistic. I was in the ER when one of the nurses commented about it. It seems she has a fear of spiders, and didn't want to go near him after seeing it."

         Jerry looked more closely at the man, "Is it a brown and red spider on a black web?"

         The officer nodded.

         Jerry sighed and shook his head, "I remember when he got it. He's Alex Tanner. Peter and I knew him when we were in college. Back then; he was in trouble more than he was out of it. He quit a year before Peter and I graduated. That was a long time ago, I haven't seen or heard of him since. If that's all you need from me, I'd like to go to see Peter."

         "That's not quite all, Mr. Hale regained consciousness for a short while in the ER and said something to the doctor. He said, 'I have to warn Jerry.'"

         "Warn me about what?" Jerry asked.

         "That's all he said. They gave him some pain medication and he's been sleeping ever since."

         "I'm sure I have no idea what he meant. Can I join Anna in his room now?"

         The officer nodded and Jerry hurried back to Peter's room.

         He was relieved to see that Peter wasn't as badly burned as Tanner. Anna was sitting next to the bed holding Peter's unburned hand and kissing it. She looked up at Jerry, "They've told me I can stay here with him. Can you and Susan take care of the boys?"

         Jerry smiled, "No problem, Anna. You let us know if you need anything and I'll bring it when I come back to visit." He sat for a while with Anna.

         When he stood up to leave, Anna said, "I'll call in the morning and explain things to the boys."

*****

         The taxi left him at the beach house, just as the sun was starting to peek over the horizon. Jerry found Susan sleeping on the couch with one of his books open on her chest. He stumbled into his bedroom and fell onto the bed.

         When he woke up later that morning, he heard Susan calling the boys to breakfast. He got up and went to the kitchen. The two boys were sitting at the table happily eating French toast. Susan handed him her cup of coffee. "Good morning, you look like you need this more than me. When did you get home?"

         Jerry sipped the hot coffee, "Thanks, I got back around five this morning. You were asleep on the couch, I didn't think I should wake you."

         "Uncle Jerry, where's Mommy?" Little Pete asked.

         Jerry told him, "She's with your father. She's going to call on the phone later this morning, so you can talk to her. You and Kevin can get a puzzle or play a game from the box in the living room, until she calls."

         After the boys left the room, Susan asked, "What happened? How's Peter?"

         "He was sleeping when we got there. Whatever happened, he was burned. The hospital arranged things so Anna can stay with him. I told her we would take care of the boys. Is that all right with you?"

         "Of course. Is Peter going to be okay?"

         Jerry shook his head, "I don't know...I think so. He's not as bad off as the man who was with him."

         "Who was with him? Did you know him?"

         "He's just someone Peter and I knew in college. I don't know why he was there or why they were out on the boat." Jerry thought about telling her what Peter had said in the ER, but decided against it. He sat and ate the food Susan had placed in front of him.

         The phone began ringing, and Jerry quickly picked it up. When he heard Anna's voice, he called the boys and switched on the speakerphone. "Mommy, where are you and Daddy?" Kevin asked.

         "Daddy got hurt and he's in the hospital." Anna began.

         Little Pete interrupted, "Daddy's hurt? What happened? Are you hurt too?"

         Anna could hear Kevin starting to cry. "Pete, Kevin, listen to me," she said. "Daddy's going to be all right. The doctors are taking very good care of him. Uncle Jerry will bring you here to see him. Everything is going to be OK. Jerr, pick up, I want to talk to you."

         Jerry picked up the receiver so only he could hear her.

         "Come as soon as you can. Peter's much better this morning. He says he needs to talk to you. He won't tell me what it's about, but it seems important to him."

         As Jerry hung up the phone, Susan asked, "How's Peter?"

         "Anna says that he is awake and wants us to come this morning. How soon can you be ready to go?"

         "Whenever you want to go, I'm ready."

         Jerry picked up the keys to the SUV, "Let's go now. Come on boys, we're going to see your father."


         At the hospital, they went up to Peter's room and found him sitting up in bed. Anna was standing next to him on one side of the bed and on the other side was a man wearing a dark suit. The two boys burst past Jerry and ran to their father.

         The man in the suit turned to Jerry and extended his hand, "Mr. Sanders, I'm pleased to meet the author of The Blood Covered the Moon. I'm Special Agent Frank Miller."

         Jerry did not take the offered hand; instead he put both of his hands into his pockets. He looked at Peter. "Why is the FBI here?"

         "We're investigating the circumstances surrounding the wreck of the Golden Angel," said the agent as he lowered his hand.

         "Why?" Jerry asked again. Still keeping his eyes on Peter.

         "I think, I'll let your friend, Mr. Hale, explain then perhaps you will convince him to be more cooperative," said Agent Miller. Before going out of the room, he turned and said, "Mr. Hale, Mr. Sanders, I'll be talking to both of you later."

         Jerry turned to Anna. "Do you know anything about this?"

         She shook her head, "Nothing. He won't talk to me and he won't answer Agent Miller's questions."

         Jerry stood looking out the window for a moment then said, "Anna, It's almost noon. Why don't you and Sue take the boys down to the cafeteria for lunch." He took out his wallet and handed some money to Susan. "And get them some ice cream. Peter and I need to talk."

         Jerry slowly closed the door and turned to face Peter. "What the hell is going on, Pete! What have you and Alex done? Why does the FBI think I'm involved?"

         "Alex came to me for help," Peter began. "There were people after him; he had to get away. He wanted to get to Green's Point. I thought we could get there before the storm hit."

         "How could you let yourself be pulled in by him again? You know he is nothing but trouble, really bad trouble." Jerry walked back and forth, waving his arms. "You have Anna and the boys to think about now." He put his hands on the footboard and leaned toward Peter, "Who was he running from, did he even tell you?" He started pacing again. "Maybe he was running from the Feds, did you think of that?"

         "Come on, Jerr, you'd have helped him, if he came to you, and you know it. We both owe him, big time."

         Jerry stood still. Peter was right about this. They did owe Alex Tanner. He wasn't exactly sure of the nature of Peter's debt, but he knew he owed Alex his life.

         He remembered lying on the cold concrete floor of the abandoned warehouse, where he had been beaten, his hands and feet were tightly bound. His amateur sleuthing while researching a story had gotten him into more trouble than he had bargained for. He listened for his captors to return; he knew that when they came back, they would kill him. The door opened and a man with a gun came in. Jerry closed his eyes, held his breath and waited for what he knew was to come. He heard a shot and the sound of a body hitting the floor. He opened his eyes, and saw the man lying inches away from him. Then he looked up and saw Alex.

         The next day Jerry woke up in the hospital. Alex never told him, how he knew that Jerry was in trouble and how he found him. Jerry was deeply grateful that he did.

         Jerry pulled the straight-backed chair up to the side of the bed, straddled the seat and rested his folded arms on the top of the chair's back. "Ok, tell me what happened."

         Peter began, "The night before last, Alex showed up at my door. He looked liked someone had given him a vicious beating. I tried to talk him into going to the ER, but he refused. He said he only wanted me to take him to Green's Point; he would be safe there. I asked him what was going on, but he insisted it would be safer for me not to know. He spent the night in my boys' room and in the morning we went to the boat."

         Peter paused until the aide bringing him his lunch tray had left the room. "I was sure we could reach Green's Point before the storm got bad. I planned to call you to come help me bring the boat back the next day. Of course, Alex and I never made it to Green's Point. I was at the wheel trying to keep us on course and Alex went below. I don't really know what happened. There was an explosion. Alex came on deck with his clothes in flames. I wrapped him in a tarp to smother the flames. I struggled to get Alex and myself into one of the rafts and away from the boat. The spreading fire reached the fuel tank; it exploded. Fire and debris rained down on us. The next thing I remember is waking up in the ER."

         "Why didn't you tell this to that FBI Agent?" Jerry asked.

         "I did, but he kept asking about some sort of files; he thinks I have them or know where they are. I told him I don't know anything about them. Alex never said anything about any files."

         Jerry said, "I don't think Alex is going to be able to tell them anything. When I saw him last night, he looked really bad. I don't think he's going to make it. Peter, in the ER you said something about having to warn me. Warn me about what?"

         "Before we left, Alex tried to call you but you never answered your phone. He left a message on your machine. Didn't you get the message?"

         "I was out all day and I haven't checked my messages since the day before. Did you hear what he said?"

         "I was in the other room at the time. I only caught part of it ~~ something about you needing to be on your guard, that if anything went wrong you would have to back him up."

         "I'll check the machine as soon as I get home, maybe he left some sort of clue about the files." Jerry frowned. "It looks like he's pulled both of us into this one. Peter, I think you better tell Anna the whole story."

         "I will. Are you going to tell Sue?"

         Jerry shrugged and said nothing.

         The door opened, Anna and Susan came into the room with the two boys. Jerry stood up and placed the chair back by the wall. "I think I'll go see how Alex is doing."

*****

         Jerry opened the door and looked in; the room was empty. He stepped back into the hallway and counted the doors between this room and Peter's. It was the right room.

         "Can I help you, sir?" a nurse asked.

         "I hope so," Jerry replied. "Where's the man who was in this room last night?"

         "I came on at six this morning and there was no one in this room," she said. "Maybe he's been discharged."

         "That's not possible, he was very badly burned in a boating accident."

         "Then I don't know, sir. You can ask at the desk; someone there should know."

         Jerry went to the nurse's station and spoke to the clerk at the desk, "Where's the patient who was in room 607?"

         The clerk pressed some keys on her computer. "There's no one in that room, sir."

         "There's no one there now, but there was last night. I was here and identified him for the police. His name is Alex Tanner."

         "Perhaps you're mistaken about the floor?" she suggested. "I can check the other floors."

         "No, I'm not mistaken about the floor." He felt his frustration growing. "He was here, on this floor, in room 607."

         "Is there a problem, Mr. Sanders?" said someone behind him. Jerry turned around and came face-to-face with Special Agent Miller.

         "What have you done with Alex?"

         Agent Miller said, "My, my, so much concern and all for someone with whom you've had no contact for years."

         "Come off it, Miller, by now you know all about me, and you know better than to play me for a fool. What have you done with Alex?"

         "Yes, I've read your file. Your friend has been moved to another facility. All things considered, he's doing well. I can arrange things if you still feel the need to visit him."

         "Is he conscious?" Jerry asked.

         "No, he isn't. But aren't you really asking, can he talk?" said Miller. "I'm sure by now you have a number of things you would like to ask him. Did you know he was working undercover for us?"

         "I know he's done so in the past." Jerry turned and looked anxiously toward Peter's room. "Is that what this is all about ~~ an undercover operation gone bad? Then the explosion on the boat..."

         Miller took Jerry by the arm and steered him into the empty room. As he closed the door, he said, "What we think happened is that ~~ there was an incendiary bomb. Alex probably found it, and tried to disarm it. It went off causing the fire. That finished the job."

         Jerry pulled away from his grasp. "You've moved Alex. What about Peter, his family and Susan?"

         "Don't worry, we're watching over your friend. The doctor is going to discharge him to us later today and we'll move him and the others to a safe house until this is resolved. As for you," he continued, "I'm hoping you might help us out."

         "How could I be of any help?"

         "Sanders, I told you, I've read your file. You've worked with Alex in the past. You probably know him and how he does things better than anyone. Alex got a message to me the night before he and Hale set out. He said if anything happened to him, you would be able to get the files for me."

         Jerry sat down on the foot of the empty bed. "He has a way of backing up information out into cyber space, but you have to have a series of codes to gain access. The codes are different every time, and if you don't get it right by the fourth attempt the virus is released to crash the computer you're using. I can't even begin to find the information you want without the codes." He stood up and headed for the door. "I have to go outside to use my cell, to check my answering machine. Peter told me Alex left a message on it that morning. Maybe he was trying to give me the codes. There's nothing I can do without them."

         Miller quietly followed him down the hall and onto the elevator. Jerry appeared lost in thought. Once outside the front door of the hospital, Jerry took out his cell phone and called his home number. "That can't be," he said, and held the phone so Miller could hear the busy signal.

         Miller took his car keys out of his pocket. "Maybe we should go there and check it out." Once in the car he used his cell to let another agent know where they were going and why. Jerry heard him say, "No, I won't need any back up."


         When they arrived at the beach house, they could see from the car that the front door was open. Miller drew his gun and gestured for Jerry to stay behind him.

         Miller went in first and looked around. "It's okay," he said, "whoever was here is gone now."

         Jerry walked in and viewed the room with dismay. It was a mess. Drawers had been pulled out and dumped, books had been knocked off their shelves and there was furniture toppled over and broken. He couldn't understand why anyone would do this. Searching the room was one thing but why trash it. He picked up the phone from the floor and replaced the receiver. He picked up the answering machine; the tape was missing. He began moving things around hoping that maybe it had fallen out when the machine hit the floor. He found it under some papers and quickly slipped it into his pocket, without Miller noticing. He wanted a chance to play the tape without Miller around. "The tape's gone," he told the agent. "I can't find it anywhere."

         Miller gave him a strange look, and then said, "Whoever did this must have taken it. I guess we'll have to hope Alex wakes up and is able to talk."

         Jerry nodded and headed for the kitchen. "I'm going to have a drink. Do you want one?" He poured two drinks, handed one to Miller. He could feel the agent's eyes on him as he sat staring at his own drink. He closed his eyes as he considered what he should do next. "I want to go back to the hospital to talk to Peter."

         Miller glanced at his watch. "They all will have been moved to the safe house by now."

         Jerry stood up and headed for the door. "Good, take me there, then take me to see Alex."

         "He's still unconscious; he won't be able to tell you anything." He could see Jerry was not going to take no for an answer. "Okay, if you feel you must, let's go."

*****

         The safe house was a large old farmhouse way out in the middle of nowhere. As the car pulled up, Jerry saw the two boys playing in the front yard, with an agent standing nearby watching them.

         Inside Jerry looked around the room. Peter was sitting in a recliner, reading a book. Anna came into the room and gave Peter his pills and water. Susan came up behind Jerry, tapped him on the shoulder and asked, "Hey, are you looking for me?"

         Jerry hugged her and whispered in her ear, "Sue, after I talk to Peter, I need to talk to you, privately."

         Susan smiled and said, "OK."

         Jerry pulled a chair over to where Peter was sitting. "Pete, I need you to think. Can you remember any more about the phone call Alex made to me that morning?"

         Peter shook his head. "He was using the bedroom phone, when he saw me in the hallway, he closed the door. He came out of the room, he repeated what he had said earlier, about it being safer if I didn't know what was going on. He said that you would know what to do; you have experience in these things. What did he mean by that? Do you have a secret life you've never told me about?"

         Jerry grinned. "Some day I'll explain, but for now, let's just say that some of the things in my books are not exactly fiction." He stood up. "I want to talk to Susan before I go to see Alex."

         "I think she's in the kitchen," Pete said. He pointed to a doorway. "It's through there."

         When Jerry entered the kitchen he slipped his arm around Susan's waist and whispered, "Let's go outside, away from the house. I don't want anyone to hear what I have to tell you."

         The two of them walked out the back door, several hundred feet to the pond and sat on the stone bench under the willow. "Jerry, what's going on? What do you have to do with all this? Agent Miller told us someone tried to kill Pete and another man with a bomb. He says we all may be in danger."

         "Sue, I know very little right now. Pete, Alex and I were friends in college. Since then Alex and I have worked together on cases. Pete was never involved before. Alex went to Pete because he needed a boat to get to Green's Point. According to Pete, Alex was also trying to reach me."

         "Are you going to stay here with us?"

         "No, I have some things I have to do. I can't do them here." Jerry pressed his cell phone into her hand. "You can use this if you need to reach me. Just press this button and you'll get me on my other phone. "He showed her the second phone in his pocket. "Don't let anyone know you have this, especially Miller."

         "Why?"

         "I don't know yet, but I don't trust him. Something is not right about him. Soon there will be another agent here, Andrew Lake; I've worked with him in the past. He'll look after you and the others." Jerry hugged Susan. "I'm sorry, this isn't what I had in mind when I asked you to come to Star Harbor."

         Anna came into the kitchen and found Little Pete standing on a chair looking out the window over the sink. "Peter James Hale, get down from there before you fall. What do you think you're doing?"

         The boy laughed as he jumped off the chair. "Watching Uncle Jerry and Aunt Susan. They're kissing." He made a loud kissing sound on the back of his hand and ran out of the room.

         Miller walked over to the window and looked out. He didn't smile.

         As Jerry and Susan walked arm-in-arm to the house she assured him she would do exactly as he had instructed her. "Promise me, you'll be careful," she said. "I don't want you ending up like Peter, or worse."

         "I'll do my best." Jerry kissed her one more time before they went into the house.

         Miller was waiting by the door when they came in. "Do you still want to visit Tanner?"

         Jerry nodded.

         "Then we better leave," Miller said. "I want to be back here before dark."

         Anna stood in their way with her arms folded. "Jerry, I know you well enough to know you haven't eaten since breakfast. You're not going anywhere until you've had something to eat." She pointed to the table with a plate piled high with sandwiches. "Sit. Eat."

         Jerry laughed and took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, then took a sandwich from the pile. "I'll take one to go. Thanks, Anna," he said and blew her a kiss.

*****

         "Why are we going back to the hospital?" Jerry asked as Miller drove the car into the parking lot. "I thought you said that he was moved to another facility?"

         "The doctors said he wasn't stable enough to be transported, so he was just moved to another floor, where we could watch him better. There are no other patients on the floor and the doctors and nurses have all been checked out."

         "Why did you lie to me?"

         Miller didn't answer.

         As they walked down the empty hallway, they were greeted by Andrew Lake, a tall redheaded man. "Hi, Jerr, It's been a long time."
         Miller frowned. "Do you two know each other?"

         "Sure, Frank, Jerry and I worked together a few times."

         Andrew put his hand on Jerry's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jerr. I know you came to see Alex, but he died about ten minutes before you got here. The doctor said that he was surprised he lasted as long as he did."

         The news, though expected, hit Jerry hard; he stepped back and leaned against the wall, "Alex always told me he wanted to go out in a blaze, but I don't think this is what he meant. Did he ever regain consciousness?"

         Andrew shook his head.

         Miller grew increasingly impatient. "Well then... there's nothing more to be done here. We should go back to the safe house."

         "You can take me back to my place." Jerry said to Miller.

         "No," Miller said. "You may be our only connection to the missing files and your place has already been broken into and searched."

         "Exactly, and they didn't find anything. If you're worried, you can stay with me. I'm sure Andrew can take over at the safe house."

         "Sure, Frank, that sounds like a good idea. You stay with Jerry and I'll go to the safe house."

         Miller couldn't think of an argument against it, so he agreed.

*****

         The sun was going down as they reached the beach house. Once inside Jerry pointed to two doors. "You can use either of those rooms or the couch, whichever you want. Help yourself to anything you want to eat or drink. I'm going to bed." He went into his room and locked the door.

         Once alone, Jerry took out the answering machine tape and got his tape player with earphones. He listened to Alex's message three times, then sat quietly and thought over what he heard. The message gave him the information he needed to retrieve the files; it also corroborated his suspicions concerning Miller, but he needed to find a way to prove them. After hiding the tape in a box on the closet shelf, he turned out the light and lay down on the bed.

*****

         Jerry got up before sunrise. He hoped he would be able to slip out of the house without waking Miller. He walked carefully past the couch where Miller was sleeping and took the keys from the hook. The hinges creaked as he opened the door.

         Miller sat up. "Going somewhere?"

         "Yes," Jerry said, then slammed the door and ran to his car. He was gone before Miller could get to his feet.

         He drove five miles to Gilly's Tavern and parked his car out of sight behind it. The car next to his was covered with a canvas cover. He took it off and put it on his own.

         Inside the tavern, he spoke to Gilbert Barnes. "Gil, I need to borrow your car."

         "Sure, Jerr," Gil answered, "but can I ask why?"

         Jerry winked. "I'm trying to get away from the FBI."

         "Okay, if you don't want to tell me, just say so." Gil tossed the key down on the bar. "Here 's the key. You'll need to put gas in it."

         "Thanks, I'll return it with a full tank."

         Jerry sat in Gil's car and took out his cell phone. "Sue, I need you to give a message to Agent Lake. Tell him to meet me at the place. ~~ He'll know what that means. ~~ No, I'm all right. ~~ Don't worry, just give him the message."

         With a quick glance at the gas gauge he turned out onto the highway. He would have to stop at the first filling station he found. Gil wasn't kidding about needing gas.

****

         The Place was a diner in Emery, a small village fifteen miles from Star Harbor.

         Jerry sat in a booth and ordered the breakfast special. He looked out the window and saw Andrew Lake in the parking lot. Oh no, he thought when he saw that Susan was with him.

         Susan slid into the booth next to him and Andrew sat across from him.

         "What's going on?" Jerry asked

         "You have a clever lady here. She told me that you wanted to meet but she wouldn't say where until I agreed to let her come."

         Susan smiled at Jerry. "We were supposed to be spending these days together. You're not angry, are you?"

         "No, I'm not angry. I'm glad to see you, but I want you to be safe."

         "How could I be safer, with both you and Andrew to take care of me?"

         The waitress came with Jerry's order. "Will there be anything else?" she asked.
         Jerry looked at Lake and Susan. "Do you want anything?"

         "Just coffee," Andrew said.

         Susan nodded and also ordered coffee.

         "Now, Jerry, why did you want a meeting? Miller called me after you left. He's furious." Andrew started to laugh. "I'm surprised he doesn't want me to put you under arrest and take you back to the safe house."

         "You're not going to try, are you?"

         Andrew shook his head. "Now, why the meeting, what do you want?"

         "I listened to Alex's message. I have the codes and can retrieve the files."

         "Miller told me you couldn't find the tape," Andrew said.

         "I found it but didn't want Miller to know. I think he's the one who tossed my place."

         Andrew held up both hands and interrupted him. "Jerr, that doesn't make sense. What would make you think a thing like that?"

         "After I stopped looking for the tape, I turned to offer him a drink and saw him pushing the papers around with his foot looking for it, like he expected it to be there."

         "So, you had given up looking for it and he kept looking."

         "It's more than that. When he realized I was watching he stopped. He's tried to watch me like a hawk ever since."

         "Oh yeah, and we can see how well that's worked out. Here you are and he's back at the beach house."

         Jerry laughed, "You should've seen his face." He took a sip of his coffee. "But seriously, Andrew, when I put the tape into my player I found someone had already listened to it. I'm also sure he put the bomb on the boat. I just don't know how to prove it."

         "You're not usually one to jump to wild conclusions; there must have been more on that tape than codes."

         "Yes, Alex told me why he wasn't able to finish retrieving the files. A pair of thugs broke in on him, smashed his computer, and tried to kill him. After he got to Peter's he called Miller and told him what had happened. Alex also told him that he was coming to Green's Point on the Golden Angel." Jerry could see that Andrew Lake still wasn't convinced. "Drew, don't you see it? Miller was the only one who knew where Alex was and later how he was planning to get to Green's Point."

         Andrew sat back and looked at Jerry for a moment. "Okay, You're not the first to question Miller's actions. In fact, that's why I was assigned to the case. I wish I had arrived sooner, things might have turned out different." He paused as though trying to decide what to do next. "The way I see it, if you are right about him, we're going to have to chose our next step carefully. You can come back to the safe house with me and use the computer there... or you could go back to the beach house wearing a wire, use your own computer and see what you can get out of Miller while you're at it."

         Susan, who had been sitting by Jerry listening to the men talk, spoke up. "This sounds dangerous, Jerr. Please come to the safe house, give the FBI the files and let them figure out what to do with Miller on their own. If he did kill Alex, he won't think twice about killing you."

         "I really don't have a choice; I left the codes at the beach house. Besides the FBI needs proof that Miller killed Alex."

         "Of course," Andrew said. "We'll need some sort of explanation for you running off."

         Susan laughed, "Blame it on me. Tell Miller that I snuck out of the safe house and you followed me to the diner where Jerry was waiting for me."

         "I told you your lady was clever." Andrew drank the last of his coffee. "I'll call Miller with your cover story and tell him to wait for you at the beach house. Then we'll go to the safe house to fix you up with a wire. Jerry, you'll need to give me a complete layout of the beach house so we can get close enough to cover you without tipping off Miller."

****

         After a brief stop at Gilly's Tavern to return Gil's car and get his own, Jerry drove back to the beach house. He parked his car next to Miller's. He hesitated at the front door. He knew that Andrew and his men were nearby, ready to rush in if he needed help but Miller was no fool. This wasn't going to be easy. Everything hinged on how badly Miller wanted the files.

         When Jerry entered the house, Miller was waiting for him. "Do you think this is all some sort of game? Running off for a rendezvous with your girlfriend, could have gotten you both killed. The people who searched your place still want those files."

         "Then maybe it was good that Andrew was paying attention and followed Susan."

         He looked around the room and saw that Miller had picked up all the papers and things that had been on the floor. Jerry said, "Are you still looking for the tape?"

         Miller nodded. "You were right it's not here, but that's because you found it."

         "Yes, I found it. It's hidden in my room."

         "Did you tell Lake that you have it?"

         Jerry shook his head and lied. "No, I haven't." He had a feeling that was what Miller was hoping he would say.

         "Did you listen to it? Did Alex give you the codes to retrieve the files?"

         "Yes."

         "Then what are you playing at, get the files and finish this."

         "OK, I'll get the tape. This may take a while, Alex had a way of over complicating things." Jerry went into his bedroom, retrieved the tape from its hiding place and carried it and his tape player back to his computer.

         He started rearranging things on his desk. He moved the horseshoe crab shell to the top of the bookcase, then sat down and moved the blue bottle next to the monitor. He kept turning and moving the bottle until it was positioned so he could see the reflection of Miller sitting on the couch behind him.

         Miller was becoming annoyed by this apparent wasting of time. "Just get on with it."

         "Ok," Jerry said. He put the tape into the player and put on the earphones.

         Agent Miller watched, as Jerry worked at his computer. His eyes were fixed upon the monitor as his fingers danced over the keyboard. The symbols, letters, and numbers, appearing and disappearing on the screen, seemed random. Suddenly the screen filled with ones and zeros scrolling up the screen line after line.

         "What the hell is that?" Miller asked.

         "Those are your missing files, in binary code." Jerry answered, as he placed a silver disc into the CPU below his desk. "In a few minutes they will be all copied onto this CD."

         "Can you read that?"

         Jerry smiled. "No, but you have people in Washington who can decode it." Jerry glanced at the blue bottle next to the monitor; he could see Miller reflected in the glass. "Of course, you don't intend to turn this disc over to the FBI, do you?"

         When he saw Miller take out his gun, he slowly swiveled his chair around to face the agent, and tossed the answering machine tape down on the coffee table in front of Miller. He knew he had to get Miller to talk and give the FBI enough to arrest him. "Alex gave me a lot more than just the codes, he told me everything. He knew someone had betrayed him, he just didn't know who. You had him fooled; he didn't even suspect you. First you sent those thugs and when they failed you put the bomb on the boat."

         Miller kept his gun pointing at Jerry. "What are you talking about? What makes you think I planted the bomb?"

         Jerry hoped Miller couldn't tell how nervous that gun was making him. "There was only one person who knew that Alex would be using the Golden Angel to go to Green's Point. One of the phone calls he made that night was to you. That's a thing with cell phones; you never really know where the person you're talking to is. He thought you were in Green's Point when he talked to you, but you were here in Star Harbor. What I don't understand is why you did it. He was going to give you the files."

         Miller laughed. "That's because you think Alex was one of the good guys. The information in those files is very valuable. The two of us planned to keep the files and sell them to the highest bidder, but when the competition's thugs broke in on him, he started to lose his nerve. When he mentioned you I knew he was hedging his bets. With you in possession of the codes, if something went wrong it would appear I was in this by myself. I couldn't let him set me up like that." He paused and watched Jerry for a moment.

         "You're beginning to get it, aren't you. The competition doesn't know about me. With Alex dead, all I had to do was stick with you until you had the files. Of course you know that once the files are on that disc, I'm going to kill you."

         "But they'll know you did it."

         "It doesn't matter. By the time they come here and find your body, I'll be long gone."

         "There's just one small problem. I didn't copy anything onto the disc." As he spoke the zeros and ones disappeared and were replaced by a box saying, "Message sent."

         Miller stood to his feet. "You've cost me a fortune."

         Jerry saw Miller's hand tighten on the trigger and shouted, "Andrew, where are you?"

         Andrew burst through the front door and two agents came into the room from the kitchen.

         Andrew yelled, "Drop it, Miller."

         Shots rang out and Jerry dove for cover.

         An agent knelt over Miller's body and said to Andrew, "He's dead, sir."

         Andrew Lake turned to Jerry, who was sitting on the floor by his overturned chair. He was holding his left shoulder with his right hand.

         "Jerry, were you shot?"

         "No," he answered. He moved his hand so Andrew could see the large piece of blue glass imbedded in his shoulder. "The bullet hit the bottle."

         Andrew took a closer look. "That's in deep, I think we'd better get you to the emergency room and let them remove it."

*****

         Susan was waiting for him when he came out of the treatment room with his left arm in a sling. "Does it hurt?"

         "No, not right now. They gave me a shot of something before they removed the glass and stitched me up."

         "Jerry, I was so worried, please promise me you won't do this sort of thing anymore."

         He smiled at her. "You were worried about me?"

         "Yes, I was worried. I love you and don't know what I would've done if you had been killed."

         "You love me?" He put his good arm around her and kissed her. "Then I promise from now on I'll leave the adventures to the characters in my books."

         As they got into Susan's car, Jerry said, "Well, I did find out what was in that bottle."

         "Really? Was it a note?"

         "No, it was the label. Someone had peeled off the label and put it into the bottle. Of course, when I write the story about this, I'll make it something more interesting than that."

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