Charter flight

Before I knew it, I was on Simon’s private jet and we were airborne. Regulations or not, I opened the cell phone and called Riley. She was still at the office.

“I thought you were headed home,” Riley said immediately. “Why is the plane going south.”

“Let’s hope not,” I answered. “I’m not sure where I’m headed but Simon is in the cockpit.”

“You found him?”

“Angel led me right to him. I can’t arrest him and he was getting ready to take off. If I wanted to talk to him, I’d have to get on board. I got on board.”

“So you are calling from the plane, but you don’t know where you are going?” Riley was getting a little exasperated with this wild goose chase and my irresponsible behavior. I can’t blame her. I’d have been in the nuthouse if she had pulled this kind of stunt.

“I haven’t been able to ask yet,” I said. “Simon and Angel are both in the cockpit.”

“Puts a whole new meaning on that term,” Riley snorted. It felt good to laugh.

“Well, keep track of me, and if I call and say ‘where am I?’ just tell me, okay?”

“Okay, Dag. Get some sleep.”

“Hey, Riley,” I said before she hung up. “Go home. Battlestar Galactica is on tonight.”

“Thanks, Dag,” she said. “Love you too.” And then she disconnected.

Damn.

Shortly thereafter, Angel emerged and came to sit beside me. She brought a welcome bottle of sparkling water with her.

“Simon says you don’t drink,” she said handing it to me. I wasn’t sure if that was a comment or a command.

“I usually avoid it,” I said noncommittally.

“Simon says you are the best there is.” Again. Comment?

“Simon hasn’t seen me in a long time,” I answered. “I’m not sure I’m the best at what he wants.”

“Simon says there is no one he trusts more than you.” Third time. I was going to have to break this cycle.

“So where are we going?” I asked.

“Simon says don’t ask,” she replied. This time I knew a command when I heard it. Simon was warming me up. “Get some sleep,” she continued.

“Does Simon say?” I asked.

“No, you just look like you need it.” She smiled at me and went back to the cockpit. I decided to take her advice.

I don’t know how long we were in the air, or how long I napped. The seats in Simon’s plane made up into full beds and somewhere along the line, Angel had come back and made one up for me. I was so exhausted that I didn’t wake up until Angel came in and shook me awake. There had been rough weather during the night, but frankly it just served to put me further under.

I sat up, strapped in, and called Riley. She answered on first ring.

“Where am I?” I asked immediately.

“Where have you been?” she responded. “You were flying south and then west. You took a loop around West Texas and then out over the Gulf to the Florida Keys, then up the Eastern Seaboard. It looks like you are landing in Atlanta, but you’ve easily flown three that distance. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Riley. I wasn’t flying the plane. I was sleeping.” I gathered my wits. “Does Simon have anything in Atlanta?” I couldn’t remember anything.

“Nothing I’ve found yet, but that’s not where you were headed. At first I thought it was Mexico. He could easily have swung further out into the Caribbean and gone to Jamaica, the Virgin Islands, even as far east as Bahama before he swung back north. How big is that plane?”

“Big. It’s a luxury jet. I haven’t even explored the whole thing. I’m surprised Simon could fly it without a crew. He must not have been planning to come back.”

“Just in case, Dag, do you have your passport?” Riley was making a joke but I gave her a little dig anyway.

“Yes, I’ve got two or three with me. You never can tell when James Bond might need to escape from the enemy.” I chuckled.

“Very funny,” Riley said. She was sounding a little more relaxed than in our recent conversations. “Have you been taking your pills?”

“Like clockwork,” I said glancing at my watch. Damn. I was an hour late for this one. Well, it would have to wait till we were on the ground. I had another thought, though. “Riley, check around with some of your new girlfriends and see if anyone knows if Angel was planning this trip. I especially want to know if I should expect her boyfriend to show up. Can you do that?”

“Can I? Come on Dag. Of course I can. But I don’t know. Why should I?” The old teasing Riley was back. I grinned to myself.

“Well, let’s see. Assuming that having a job and a salary isn’t enough motivation, why would you do this? Surely not for the cause of social and criminal justice. Certainly not because you would do anything for poor old Dag if he asked. Maybe you’d do it for dinner at the Ninety-nine when I get back to town?”

“Consider it done,” she laughed. “The things a girl has to do to get a date these days. Geez! I better get started. See you soon.” She was about to disconnect but I caught her before she could.

“Riley,” I said. “Thank you.”

“Dag, you don’t have to thank me for just doing my job, no matter how much I tease,” she answered.

“Improving my mood and brightening my day wasn’t part of the job description,” I said. “That’s what I’m thanking you for.” There was a little pause. “Bye,” I said.

“Bye, Dag. Be careful.”

I had not more than hung up than I felt the wheels bounce on the ground. I relaxed until Simon had taxied to a hangar and the engines died. Then I stood up and stretched. Simon and Angel came out of the cockpit. He looked tired, but I assumed that was just the strain of having flown all night.

“Well, you look better than last night,” Simon said brightening. “It would have complicated things if you croaked on me before we could talk.”

“I like to keep your life simple, Simon,” I cracked. “So why are we in Atlanta instead of Cuba?” I asked directly. Simon was surprised, but grinned and turned to Angel.

“Didn’t I tell you he was the best?” he asked her. Then he turned back to me. “Let’s just say the weather there turned suddenly cold and leave it at that. Atlanta was the nearest airport I could get clearance to land at that I wanted to trust. Miami is way too complicated.”

“I see,” I said. “You know people here and they smooth the path for you, right?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Simon agreed. “Actually, this was the best place Angel could get us a reservation on such short notice.” He opened the hatch and a let down the stair. We disembarked, each carrying our light luggage. A limousine was stopped about fifty yards away with a uniformed driver approaching us to take our bags.

“It looks like you were expected, Simon,” I commented.

“It helps to have a travel agent in the family,” he answered giving Angel a squeeze around the waist. “She made all the arrangements while we were in the air.” We got into the spacious car. I had plenty of room, but Angel and Simon looked a little crowded where they were sitting practically in the same seat. I had to chuckle. Even in the car, Angel towered over Simon’s 5’7” frame. When they were standing, Simon faced her chest rather than her face.

Well, maybe that was they way they liked it.

“Did you bring it?” Simon was asking me. I pulled myself back into the moment.

“Bring what?”

“The laptop, of course.”

“Of course not. You can’t imagine that I’d bring a client’s property with me when I’m out in the field, can you?”

“Damn it, Dag. Everything we need is on that laptop. That’s why I had our mutual friend deliver it to you.” I noted that he didn’t call Brenda his wife. Perhaps that was just sparing Angel the insult.

“If I had brought the laptop, Bradley would have it now.” I related the story of my laptop being grabbed and how I was thrown in the river. I omitted my rescuer and resuscitation afterward. But I did sneeze into my handkerchief. I’d woken up this morning with a stuffy head and runny nose.

“Christ Almighty! Angel did you hear that? We’re lucky to have Dag with us at all. You’re tough as nails, old buddy. But that was brilliant, carrying a decoy. So how long will it take to get the laptop here? Do you have someone who can ship it reliably? Maybe hand-carry it. I know. We can get one of the girls to pick it up from your office and fly out here with it. Angel says you were up at the Condo and all chummy with Cinnamon. It’ll be nice for you to have some company while we’re working, don’t you think?”

“Simon,” I said. “I’m not having the laptop delivered out here. Suppose you tell me what this is all about. You take off and leave clues for your wife to bring me a laptop. You ask me, after thirty years of staying away from you, to find you. I find you and discover you are playing a game to get me out here to join you, for something, but you haven’t told me what. Your company is being investigated for money laundering, fraud, and possibly smuggling. This is the end. Unless you start getting into some details that explain your actions, I’m calling a friend at FINCen who will be very interested in your activities and current whereabouts. That’s it, Simon. Give.”

Simon settled back into Angel’s arms and looked at the roof of the car.

“Simon says wait till we are at the hotel.”

Damn.

The hotel was the Ritz Carlton and the suite was on the top floor and had several rooms. It seemed silly to arrive with our cumulative luggage, all of which fit beneath the arms of a skinny bellhop. I’m not sure what Simon tipped the guy, but he actually bowed on his way out.

I tossed my bag in the room I was told to occupy and returned to the sitting room. I heard giggles from the upstairs room and decided enough was enough.

“Simon!” I yelled. “Time to get serious. I want some answers.”

He appeared at the top of the stairs without his jacket and tie and with his shirt half unbuttoned.

“Answers,” he said, leaning over the rail. “You were always one to have to get to the bottom of things. That’s what I was counting on. Angel, honey, Dag wants a meeting. I think I’ll have to delay this a while. Why don’t you order us up some breakfast. I’m starving.”

“Spoil sport!” she yelled from the bedroom, but Simon was on his way downstairs. He sat on the sofa opposite me and squared off.

“Dag,” he said, “I’m a successful businessman. I made a company out of nothing through being smart and putting money where it counted. You were supposed to be my partner, remember?”

“We don’t have to go through that part, Simon. From what I’ve seen, I’m glad I’m not.”

“Well, don’t be too happy about it. I’m bringing you in late. Not to that business, but partnership with me. Christ! I wouldn’t saddle anyone with that cesspool. I made a bad choice with that Bradley Keane. I needed someone who could manage operations and finances while I put together deals. Then I find out he’s made a few deals himself, and they aren’t kosher. He’s got his finger into everything—drugs, prostitution, gambling—you name it and he’s got a piece of the action or could get one. Worst thing is he used my company to build his credibility with the shysters that he deals with, and funneled the money through BKL to legitimize it.” Simon sat back on the sofa, the very image of an injured partner. Yeah. Everything was Bradley’s fault. I could believe that—if I was ten. But Simon wasn’t done.

“The truth of the matter is that Bradley is a coward. He’s got bullies that do his dirty-work for him, but fundamentally, he’s scared shitless that his external partners will come down on him if he balks at anything. That’s what got us into this current mess. It was inevitable. They want in. They want part of the legitimate action because we’ve done such a good job of building a rich, privately held company. And Bradley can’t keep them out. Hell, by the time I figured it out, I can’t keep them out. That’s why I disappeared.”

“Did he make threats against you, Simon?” I asked.

“Didn’t have to. He’s got a goon that was assigned to him. I spotted him following me. Every time I looked up there was this big lummox in the shadows.”

“Big guy, doesn’t speak much English, and looks like a refrigerator?” I asked.

“Ah, you’ve met him.”

“He helped me into the Chicago River,” I said. “FBI has an all-points bulletin out on him now.”

“That’s not likely to help, but maybe the next guy will be smaller, or meaner, or speak English. They’re not going to stop with one dowsing. I’ve been moving from place to place on the QT all around the country for the last few weeks. I set it up to look like I was headed for Singapore and sent the jet on without me. Otherwise they’d have figured out when I was back in the country through Passport Control.”

“I’ve found enough in the books and in actual actions to put your partner away if you want to testify,” I offered. “You gave me a lot of clues, and Bradley provided a lot more without knowing it.”

“What? And go to jail, too? I’m the majority partner in BKL. Do you think they’ll take Bradley down without taking me out? Why go for the little coward when you can get the big entrepreneur.” Simon had a point. If BKL was in it, he was culpable.

“I have to disappear. Permanently. And in the process, I have to dismantle the entire company and expose the dirty parts that lead to the only one who is truly responsible for it. If I’m gone, there’s only one recourse,” he finished.

“What about Brenda?” I asked. The doorbell chimed and I saw Simon’s eyes shift up to the staircase. I glanced back. Angel was coming down in a fetching robe. From the way the gown split apart as she swished down the stairs, I’d have to say she wasn’t wearing much else. She went to the door to admit a steward with a huge breakfast table.

“What about who?” Simon asked looking back at me. “What do you think? I won’t leave her penniless. I’ll protect her. But geez, Dag, it never should have been in the first place. You know that better than anyone.” I knew it. Maybe I had more reason to be thankful than anyone.

“So what’s the plan?” I asked. The breakfast tray was set up and Angel called us to the table.

“I’ve been manipulating assets of the company remotely for the past three weeks. I’ve had to do it all by phone. I don’t have my laptop and I’m not brilliant at computer systems like you anyway. What I have is everything positioned for rapid dismantling. With you and me working together, we could tear down the whole company so that the only thing that’s left is the trail that leads to Bradley. We just need my laptop, and you to finesse the system.”

“Doesn’t exactly fit what Angel told me,” I said noncommittally. “She was all about charity.”

“Well she’s right,” Simon said, “and I’m not back-pedaling here. The businesses are going back to their owners where appropriate, or to trusts set up in their behalf. I need money someplace where I can get hold of it so I can effectively disappear. And then there is all the cash that Bradley is pushing through the company to underworld organizations, even terrorists. I figure we should do a little re-routing of the assets into a whole lot of charities. We could make anonymous donations of it to hundreds of charities and do a world of good. We could endow medical research, education, community theatre, for god’s sake. Got a favorite charity? It’s on the list.”

“How much are you talking about moving?” I asked.

“Upwards of half a billion dollars,” Simon said without batting an eye. I stared at him. No wonder Silas was after this guy. “What do you say, Dag? Want to take half a billion dollars from organized crime and terror and give it to the needy? All we need is you and that laptop.”

Damn.

What could I say?

“We don’t need your laptop,” I answered.