Chapter Ten: Climax
Stoneman stood and looked at his two captives, proud of himself and his henchmen's handiwork. The two detectives should give him no trouble. They stood back to back and although their hands were down by their sides, each Associate had a hand cuffed to the other's opposite, a long strand of rope wound around their upper arms, and two pairs of bound ankles were tied together as an extra means confinement. Two sets of determined eyes showed above the ball gags, but there would be no escape for these two, and any chance of rescue would be doomed to fail.
He smiled smugly and was prepared to gloat further when he heard somebody say, "What is going on here?"
He turned to see Glenda Chafee had just entered the room. A very thin robe had been thrown over an equally thin negligee. She looked at Stoneman and said, "The commotion woke me up. What's with them?"
"Just an end to their detective careers" Stoneman said.
"I will have no part of murder."
"You know, you're beginning to annoy me." Stoneman reached for some rope that had been casually tossed aside. Two of his lackeys grabbed Glenda and pinned her arms to her sides while their boss went around and tied her wrists. One of the minions offered a gag without being asked and Stoneman stuffed it as far into Glenda's mouth as he could before securing the knot behind her head. He then forced her to lie face down on a couch before he tied her ankles. Glenda and her two colleagues would follow --or perhaps precede-- the two sleuths to the bottom.
"I don't want any more disturbances," Stoneman ordered before returning to his cabin. Once there, he didn't bother turning on the light.
"What is all the commotion?" The figure seated on the bed in the darkness asked.
"Not much, Pilar." Stoneman replied as he took off his robe.
Pilar led the group to where Patricia Flynn was being held. They quickly untied the archeologist, who was confused by Glenda's presence.
"Stoneman double crossed her" Anne explained.
"No time for talking." Pilar said grimly.
"You're right. Let's get control of this thing."
"How?" Drea asked.
"You and Doctor Flynn follow me!" Anne said.
Glenda and Pilar each left the cabin individually so as not to gain attention. From there Anne led the other two toward the pilothouse. She even slid off her Topsiders to further eliminate noise. They would be coming from the inside, the last place anybody would expect, or so Anne hoped. She peered up to the pilothouse.
Three women were there, a Latina who was steering, a tall redhead who was scanning the water with binoculars, and a short blonde who seemed to be giving orders. She wore a white polo shirt with the Blue shorts while the other two wore halter tops like the one Anne had borrowed. The blonde noticed Anne and said, "Ah, good, we could use another lookout. Come on up."
Anne moved slowly and looked about the pilothouse. A nine-millimeter automatic sat on a sideboard. Anne grabbed the weapon before anybody could figure out what was going on.
"None of you move!" She ordered. "Stay right where you are."
Drea and Patricia came up on Anne's first command as if on cue.
"Tie up the boss lady and the lookout" Anne commanded, then turned her attention to the helmswoman. "You keep it steady...I heard her give orders in English so I know you understand me."
"You'll never get away with this," the blonde said.
"A lame cliché` like that deserves a gag," Drea quipped as she drew the ends of a folded bandana together and tied a knot at dead center. "Open wide and say "ahh""
Once the two had been tied and gagged, Anne turned the weapon over to Drea.
"I'll take the wheel," she said. "Think you can tie this one up too?"
Patricia knew who Anne meant.
"Sure thing," she replied. After all three captives were securely bound and gagged, they locked all the doors. Drea took a position next to Anne where she could watch the captives any doors.
"We're coming up to the north end of the island," Anne said as she moved the engines up a notch. "A sharp turn's coming in a few, so grab onto something firm".
Pilar had no inkling what was going on. She had grabbed some pieces of bread but needed more nourishment, provided she could get on a radio. She was walking down a corridor when the yacht had a sudden abrupt turn. She hit the deck hard but was unhurt. She sat in stunned silence when somebody behind her asked, "What was that all about?"
"I don't know," she said, then in horror realized she had replied in the same language it had been asked. English.
Before Pilar could react, a strong arm grabbed her forearm and the man said, "I think Mister Stoneman would like to hear from you."
Jack stood atop the sport fisherman's tower, scanning the horizon. Visibility was excellent and he carefully looked for Stoneman's yacht. If Stoneman was an early riser, then his yacht would already be moving. If not it would still be anchored. He soon had his answer
"There's something heading this way from the port side."
"Got it," Sullivan said and turned to the left.
"Something's heading this way," Patricia said.
Drea turned and picked up a pair of binoculars. "Our DEA friends, I hope," she said.
A loud rattling came from the doors.
"They're trying to get at us," Anne remarked.
Drea lifted the automatic, then stopped short. The people outside did not disperse, and she knew why. "Bulletproof glass" she said calmly.
"We're getting closer," Anne remarked and cut the engines. Soon the two vessels reached a dead stop, the sportfisherman just at the yacht's bow. Jack climbed onto the yacht's foredeck, followed by Lopez, then Sullivan. Stoneman's crew then turned their attention to the new threat and the impromptu boarding party faced off against the three men and two women. Drea and Anne unlocked the doors to the cabin and raced forward. By the time they got outside, the three men were lying on the deck and the two women were tossed over the side. By the time the sleuths reached the scene, the men joined their companions in the water.
"Jack!" Drea and Anne exclaimed, as they threw their arms around their mentor, then each kissed one of his cheeks.
"We were worried about you," Anne said.
Jack laughed, and an arm around his Associates' waists and said, "And what exactly have you been up to?"
Sullivan, unaware of the background of any of the three, and bewildered by the fact seemed to be scoring where they had failed, asked Lopez, "What are we doing wrong?"
Their reverie was broken up when they saw someone, or rather, two someones approaching.
"Oh no!" Anne exclaimed "Pilar. She saved our lives" Anne said when Jack had a confused look on his face. Pilar's hair was disheveled and had a red bandanna drawn tightly across her mouth in a cleave style. Her wrists were secured behind her back by some sort of restraint unknown by the detectives.
"You may have won this round, MacClarey, but this Federal is my ticket out of here."
Just then, the sound of an outboard motor came to life and shortly thereafter, a small open boat with three occupants zoomed by, with three women aboard.
"Sounds like your ticket's expired." Jack said.
Stoneman turned to see the boat and ignored the open door behind him. He felt something hit his head before slumping to the deck. Patricia stood over him with the binoculars she used to hit him.
"That ended that," she said as Drea and Anne worked their way toward her.
The next day, Jack stood on the after deck of a research vessel, watching the bubbles reach the surface. A Mexican Navy patrol vessel and US Coast Guard cutter were nearby to assure safety.
"Don't you wish you were down there with them?" Doctor Flynn asked.
"It's their case," he replied. "Besides, they're entitled after what they've been through."
"Agreed," Pilar said.
Soon, the bubbles began to come up more quickly and the two detectives surfaced.
"We found it!" Anne exclaimed triumphantly. She and Drea climbed aboard and shed their gear
"Well done!" Jack said.
"Any sign of Glenda and the other two?" Drea asked.
"Just the boat they abandoned."
"We'll meet up with them again sometime." Anne reasoned. To her surprise, Anne found herself eager not for just the next case, but to meet up with Glenda and the Bikini Bandits as well.