Greene grinned as he thought about his two fallen partners, but his smile turned to a grimace when he felt the truck slowing. “Why are we stopping?”
“I want to show you something,” he said through the back window. “But before I do, I think you and I need to reach some kind of an understanding.”
Greene instinctively raised his gun. “The ball’s in your court, huckleberry. Just make your move, and we can dance.”
“I’m not talking about violence. I’m talking about our partnership. If we’re going to stick together, we need to discuss what each of us is able to contribute.”
“Contribute? What exactly does that mean?”
Holmes got out of the truck to explain. “For this to work, each of us has to contribute something of value. I, for instance, am going to get us off of this island and out of the country. Once we get to Africa, I’ll be able to provide us with a wide network of contacts that will set us up with fake identities and a place to stay.” He paused for a few seconds to let Greene absorb all of the information. “What about you?”
“Me? What the hell
can
I contribute? All my money is tied up in my house and this place, and I’m gonna have to abandon both of them.”
“True, but you’ll be able to get some of your cash back.”
Greene grimaced. “How do you figure?”
“You never did anything illegal in your house, did you?”
“No.”
“Then the FBI won’t be able to take it. When Payne and Jones tell them that you were involved, they’ll be able to search your house, but they won’t be able to seize it. A year from now you’ll be able to sell it through a local Realtor and have all of the money wired overseas. Several million, if I’m not mistaken.”
Greene hadn’t thought of that, and the realization that he still had some assets made him happy. “But this investment is down the tubes, right?”
“Not necessarily. If you play your cards right, you might be able to collect insurance money.”
“Insurance money? For what? The burned log cabin? My deductible is more than that thing was worth.”
Holmes shook his head. He’d planned for this contingency from day one. “I’m not talking about the cabin. I’m talking about the entire house. You’ll be able to collect on that.”
Greene raised his eyebrows. “How do you figure? With the exception of a bullet hole or two, that place is in great shape.”
“If you want an explanation, just follow me.” Holmes walked into a grove of trees and removed a small metal box from underneath an azalea. “Take a look inside. It’ll answer most of your insurance questions.”
Greene held the box with childlike fascination. He couldn’t imagine what Holmes had stored so far away from the house in a tiny crate. “Actually, I’m not really in a trusting mood.” He laughed. “Why don’t you open it?”
Holmes grabbed the box and pulled out a small radio transmitter, one that was commonly used for mining detonations. “Think about it, Levon. We wore masks the entire time we were here, but we didn’t always wear gloves. Our fingerprints are all over that house. If we don’t do something about it, the FBI will be able to gather enough evidence to put us at the top of their hit list.” He shook his head decisively. “And there’s no way I’m gonna let that happen.”
“But won’t it happen anyway? With Payne, Jones, and Blount still alive, won’t they be able to tell the FBI everything?”
“Yeah, but without physical evidence, there’s no way they’ll be able to convince an African government to extradite us. At least that’s what Harris told me. He said the testimony of witnesses won’t mean dick in a situation like that. Plus, if you follow all of the safeguards that I’m going to teach you, the American government won’t even know where we are. We’ll disappear from their radar forever.”
Greene smiled. He liked the sound of that. “What about the money? Won’t they find me when I try to collect on my house?”
“Not a chance. Theo set up a number of offshore accounts using the names of bogus corporations. If you use them to filter all of the funds, the FBI won’t be able to touch you.”
“Are you sure? That sounds risky, especially without Theo to walk me through it.”
“Hey, it’s your money, not mine. But if I were in your shoes, I’d try to collect every cent that I could. If you don’t, you’re gonna be forced to work for the rest of your life.”
Greene grimaced at the thought. He was accustomed to a life of luxury and didn’t relish the thought of returning to the workforce-especially the one in Africa.
“Either way,” Holmes continued, “I’m blowing this joint up. The explosives are set, and I can do it with a touch of a button.”
“Bullshit,” Greene growled. “I paid for it, so
I
get to blow it up. At least I’ll get some enjoyment out of this place.”
Holmes smiled. He was glad Greene wasn’t going to fight him on this. “Good! You can do it in a minute, but before you do you still need to answer my earlier question. I need to know what you’re gonna contribute to this partnership.”
Greene rolled his eyes. “You’re obviously looking for something, so just tell me. What do you need from me? Money?”
Holmes nodded. “I was expecting us to make millions off the current batch of slaves.” He turned back toward the truck and pointed to Ariane and Susan. “Now we’re down to two. Granted, they’re exceptional and will get top dollar, but it won’t be enough to live on for the rest of my life. That’s why I want some guarantees from you, right here, right now.”
“Octavian, if you expect me to give you millions, you can fuck off. But if we’re talking about a reasonable settlement for getting me to safety, then there’s no problem. We’re good.”
Holmes extended his hand, and Greene shook it eagerly.
“There is one thing, though, that confuses me. As far as I can tell, we still have almost a dozen slaves left in storage. Why don’t we take them with us? It would net us a lot of cash.”
Holmes signaled for Greene to follow him again, and he did so willingly. The two men walked ten feet farther into the woods, where Greene saw their getaway vehicle buried under some brush. It was a hydroplane, capable of seating no more than four people at one time.
“If we had a way to transport them, I’d be all for it. But at this point, we’ll have to settle for what we have. My boat for escape and your money to live on.”
CHAPTER 53
SEVERAL
minutes passed before Blount and Jones returned to the house with three ATVs. Blount drove his unattached while Jones lagged behind, towing the third one.
“What took you guys so long?” Payne asked. “I thought maybe you ran into trouble.”
Jones shook his head. “It just took a while to figure out a towing system.”
“Well, while you were busy playing engineer, I was stuck here talking to Webster. You should’ve told me he was still alive before you left.”
Blount and Jones exchanged glances, then looked at the dead body near the porch. Webster was lying in the same position as before. “Jon, are you feeling all right? You took a blow to the head. I think you might be hallucinating.”
Payne denied the suggestion. “I’m fine, D.J. My arm hurts, but my head’s fine.”
“You talked to him?”
“Yes!”
“And he talked back?”
“Yes! He was alive, for God’s sake. I swear!”
“You know,” Blount admitted, “we never checked. I think both of us just assumed that he was dead.”
“He wasn’t dead,” Payne insisted. “I’m telling you, he was alive.”
Jones removed the towing cable while he considered Payne’s statement. “So, what did Lazarus have to say? Is the light as bright as they claim?”