CHAPTER 15

It was the closest motel to the marina that Cindy could think of. This part of the east end was not very populated and, as a result, this dirty, little, sleazy, dump was probably the only one close by. Normally she would have sprayed herself down if she had just driven by the place but, today, it was perfect for what she needed. It was the last place anyone would look for her or Henna. It was a completely random choice that, at the moment, even Chuck did not know about. No one knew where they were. It was also pretty cheap and gave by the hour rates. That was more than perfect because a few hours was about all that Cindy could tolerate. It was also all she needed.

The reason that this area was so under populated had largely to do with the fact that it was full of dirty little glades and creeks that slowly became channels, bays, and then finally the ocean. It kept the developing here to a minimum and, also, was the reason why it was such a good place to put the marina.

From what Cindy understood, Calvin’s family had owned a lot of this land for generations. She knew for a fact that his father had inherited that little patch that the Marina was now sitting on. The lot consisted of the bulk of what was the only dry land down on that point. It had been the father who started the Marina and Calvin had just inherited that, like the father did the land. The rest of Calvin’s uncles, grand-uncles, cousins, and brothers had managed to either sell off the rest of their holdings or loose them in one way or another. The Marina was now all that remained in the Brandt name and, technically, Cindy really wasn’t even a Brandt. She just kept that last name after the divorce because she knew it would be good for the Marina.

Of course, what Cindy was really thinking about right now was, how good would helping a fugitive be for her main cash cow? It was really an academic debate though. Calvin had first gotten into trouble when the Canadians came knocking at his door. They demanded all kinds of things and money was chief amongst them. At the time, both he and Cindy had seen the obvious conclusion to the ‘deal’ that had been proposed. It would eventually leave the criminals in effective control of the Marina because, eventually, Calvin would not be able too afford the pay offs. Calvin might have retained the legal ownership but, in reality, all that would mean in the end was that the bills and liabilities were his responsibility and anything worthwhile belonged to the Canadians.

Back then, both Calvin and Cindy knew they would have to do something about it but, their strategies were completely opposite of each other. Calvin wanted to beat them and Cindy had elected to do what she considered the wiser course of action, which was, to join them. She had once told Calvin that only time would tell which was the better of the two paths. Calvin was now living in a hovel with a mediocre government job and Cindy had a successful law practice. Up till now, Cindy had thought that she had showed him.

One look at Henna, who was brave enough to actually sit on the crappy bed in this motel room, made Cindy wonder about who had showed who. Cindy had always known that her joining the O’Rouke family came with a price. She thought she was paying that by handling their legal affairs but, this? It seemed a little excessive to Cindy. Nobody had told her that she would be risking life and limb. That wasn’t the deal, even if that was exactly what was happening. It was also the kind of risk that came from more than one place because, in reality, Cindy felt like the German’s were the least of her problems at the moment.

While Cindy knew that Trisha would never call Duncan and ask him to save Henna, there was more too it than that. Cindy agreed with Trisha, Duncan would do nothing more than hand her over to the German’s in a gift rapped bow. For all of the lip service that those thugs paid to family, honor, and loyalty, Cindy had seen first hand that it only went as far as the price they would have to pay for it. If you had the misfortune of becoming too much of a liability then they assumed the duty to the family was yours and you would have to pay whatever price was required. Going to war with the Germans was way too high a price since it would be bad for business.

On the other hand, Trisha would not hesitate to pick up the phone and ask Duncan to have Cindy killed. Even if Cindy worked for them she was not one of them and they would not even blink before complying with the request. It was a situation that left Cindy with no options save one. She had to turn to the very man that she had been pissing on for years. Cindy had rationalized her actions and, at the time, she thought those reasons were genuine. She had told herself it was for survival and that she could only count on herself for that. One more look at Henna and Cindy was starting to wonder exactly how wrong she was. If she had not then would she really be sitting in this flea infested room waiting on a call from a man that she had divorced?

The only good news here was that Henna was no longer sobbing. Her face was completely dry and she had locked eyes with the wall and had yet to stop trying to stare it down. Cindy wondered if the latest news from her phone would bring the kid back to life, “well it’s official. You’re now a fugitive.”

Henna did not say a word. She did not even blink. Her eyes never moved. Cindy decided to expand on her statement, “the German’s handed over a list of names to the palace. Your name is at the top of the list.” When that did not get a response Cindy snapped, “HENNA!”

The girl looked cold when her eyes finally left the wall and locked on Cindy. There was something in her eyes that made Cindy want to shiver. In a way, it almost reminded Cindy of her father. Conner had that same look when he had decided someone would have to go. Those eyes made Cindy take a step back and collect herself.

All Henna had to say on the matter was, “so what?”

There was another emotion that Cindy was now detecting. Was that anger coming from the twenty something? Cindy wondered who the girl was angry at. Was it everybody, the situation, or was it something specific. The lawyer took over and Cindy found herself more comfortable in that role, “so, the debate is over. You’re getting off the island, that’s all there is too it.”

Clearly, Henna was not impressed. She went back to looking at the wall, “I think that’s a shitty plan Cindy.”

Cindy went into full blown lawyer mode now, “living is a shitty plan? It’s the only way you’re going too young lady.”

Henna jumped up off the bed and the penned up rage suddenly burst out of the dam that had been holding it back, “they’re going to kill me no matter where I go!”

“Now Henna,” Cindy tried to calm the girl down, “that’s not true. We can…”

Henna cut her off with, “we can what?” She was snorting and practically foaming at the mouth like a raging beast, “go to Doris Island? Get a new identity? How long do you think that’s going to work Cindy? My family handles that business! How long before the Germans start leaning on them to hand me over?”

What could Cindy say to that? The girl had a point and it was one that Cindy had never thought her capable of. Still, it was Henna’s only shot but, saying that would sound rather pathetic and Cindy needed to keep control of the situation. So, Cindy phrased her response with, “well if you have a better idea then I’m all ears Henna.”

Never did Cindy think that Henna would have an answer to that. Even more disturbing was how quickly Henna replied and that meant she had already asked herself that question and, unfortunately, came up with an equally horrifying answer, “I finish what I started.”

Cindy blinked, “finish what you… What are you talking about?”

Henna practically growled when she said, “I take care of the man that killed my father. That’s what. If I’m going to die I might as well make it worth something!”

“Henna?” Cindy was practically pleading with the girl now, “that’s crazy. You don’t know any of that for sure. You don’t even know if your Dad is really even dead. You said it yourself, your family runs the vanishing business. How do you know your Dad isn’t really sipping mixed drinks on Princess Island, right now, huh? Tell me that?”

Suddenly the kid had an amused and almost condescending air about her, “I know a lot of things Cindy. Mom is just too damn stupid to see it. If Dad were still alive, oh trust me, no matter how deep he went he’d hit up some of his accounts that I know about and Mom doesn’t. Oh, and if he had planned on going underground, there would be a few less people breathing today. He’d have never retired without making sure of that.”

It was not like Cindy was ignorant of what Conner O’Rouke was capable of. She knew all too well. What horrified her now was the fact that Henna did. Cindy’s surprise must have been all too obvious, because, Henna quickly picked up on it and told her, “what is it Cindy? You think I didn’t know who and what my own father was? You’ve been hanging out with Mom too long.”

With complete disregard for the vermin, that mostly likely considered the bed as their home, Cindy collapsed on it and sat there. She was in total shock. She asked the kid, “I don’t get it Henna. If you know all about your father then… why? I never thought that you, of all people, would have… you know? You were always so rebellious as a teen.”

Henna put her hands on her hips, “what? You think I approve of all that shit that my parents do? I don’t. I never did. That doesn’t mean I’m stupid. That doesn’t mean I don’t know. That didn’t make him any less my Daddy!” Now it was Cindy’s turn to be speechless. She suddenly realized she had completely traded places with Henna. The girl kept right on going too, “I loved him! I loved him and that bastard took him away from me! Nobody is ever going to touch him unless I do something! Do you understand that?”

Cindy managed to huff out a single word, “who?”

That actually made Henna laugh, “you know what’s funny here. That’s the first time, since Chuck picked me up, that anybody has even asked me that question. I mean, Chuck, I understand that because he’s stupid and he can‘t help it.” Henna threw her arms in the air and almost cried while laughing, “but Mom? She doesn’t even care. All she cares about is keeping up appearances and making sure that her life sails right along like nothing’s happening.”

“Henna,” Cindy meekly suggested, “I don’t think you give your mother enough credit. She’s not…”

“Stupid?” Henna was still furious. “I know that Cindy! Why do you think I’m so pissed at her? If she was stupid then at least she’d have an excuse! She just doesn’t care! She never gave a shit about Dad! I bet you she’s even glad he’s gone!”

What could Cindy say to that? Henna was probably right about most of it. Being a lawyer meant a lot of things. One of those meant you knew when it was a good idea not to push a line of questioning. The best thing to do in such cases was too change the subject so Cindy grabbed the one that would most likely succeed, “who did it Henna? Maybe you’re wrong about him being untouchable. Maybe we can…”

“He’s a fucking German,” Henna blasted out.

That horrified Cindy even more, “he’s Wehrmacht?”

“I didn’t say that did I,” Henna shot back in a condescending tone, “he’s a civilian. He works for them but, I don’t really understand all that. I just know he’s some kind of weapons guy. I know he had dealings with Dad and I know they went bad.”

Cindy suddenly felt more in control again. She stood up and faced down the young girl, “yeah but that doesn’t mean he killed him, Henna. Your father had a lot of enemies and…”

“Gordon had a source,” Henna told the lawyer in a resolute tone. It was clear she was not going to back down. What was even equally clear, and most disturbing to Cindy was that, Henna was also calm and rational when she said it. “I don’t know who it was but, his information matched up exactly with what I know. The sorry bastard used some kind of experimental weapon to do it. That’s why nobody ever found a body.”

There was nothing that Cindy could say to this ether. Her best bet was to just ask, “what was his name?”

“Kohler,” Henna said without blinking an eye. “Helmut Kohler.” After that Henna grabbed her bag and headed for the door, “and I’m going to pay the ass hole a visit. Since I don’t have to worry about getting caught any more, I can do this right. A good bullet hole in the eye socket should do the trick.”

It took Cindy more than a second to react. Her mind was swimming with too much new information and, above all else, fear. That was why Cindy barely realized what Henna was doing until Henna had almost done it. The girl was at the door and turning the knob when Cindy rushed to stop her. She was too late though. Henna opened the door but, did not proceed. Then Cindy saw why.

There were two men standing in Henna’s way. They both had on head gear that obstructed the view of their face. They were both heavily armed. What was even more important was, too Cindy at least, their gear looked distinctively military. That was why she blurted out some of the only words in the German language that she knew, “don’t shoot!”

The closest man seemed amused. He also brought the butt of his weapon down on Henna’s shoulder, right at the base of the neck. The girl dropped like a rag doll and Cindy gasped in horror. Then the man looked at Cindy with a smile that was clearly visible in the hole of his woolen hood. His voice was gruff but playful as he told her, “spare the German lady. I ain’t no goddamn kraut.” He then looked down at an unconscious Henna and spit on her, “and that was for making me come way the hell out here you annoying little shit.”

That last sentence scared Cindy worse than anything else. It told her that this man was not here to rob them. His appearance should have been the main tip off but, who knew with muggers these days? The guy stepped over Henna and motioned for his man to drag her body inside before closing the door. Then he told Cindy, at gunpoint, “if she’d just have taken the ride we gave her then I’d be having a cold one right now instead of…” The man looked around the room and then told her, “what gives? You look like a classy dame. You couldn’t find a better place than this dump?”

Cindy had her arms in the air but, suddenly started to draw them back in as she became very embarrassed. She winced as she replied, “um, it was kind of short notice.”

The masked hood laughed, “I can believe that. Now, speaking of which, where’s the other one? The surfer boy?”

Cindy gulped again, “he’s gone?”

Cindy closed her eyes when he pressed the barrel of his gun to her forehead but, then she felt it move away when the other man in the room said, “I told you it was just them two! He never came here.”

“Shut the fuck up,” the first one replied. He sounded pissed at the man and then he proved it by saying, “you can’t even take care of one little girl.” He then turned his attention back to Cindy, “does he know where you are right now? You obviously sent him for help.”

Cindy’s eyes drifted towards the second man, the one that couldn’t take care of a little girl. He was obviously doing it right now though. He had slid one of the two motel chairs over to the center of the room and was pulling Henna’s unconscious body up in to it. Cindy only snapped back to reality when the other guy, the one that seemed to be in charge, repeated his question in a more threatening manner. Cindy yelped, “yes! He knows! Lot’s of people know! They’re on there way here right now!”

The man lowered the weapon that he had pointed at Cindy and then grunted, “damn bitch. Aren’t you supposed to be a lawyer or something? You can’t even tell a damn lie.” The man then looked to his compatriot who was getting a limp Henna seated and then opening up a black bag that they had brought with them. Then the one in charge said, “yet one more fucking detail I have to take care of.”

Cindy gasped as she saw the man pulling out rope. On the other extreme the man with the bag seemed almost bored but, was slightly defensive, “you can’t blame me for that.”

“Like hell I can’t,” replied the one in charge as he pulled a phone from his pocket. He then hit one icon on the screen and put it to his ear. He barely even noticed Cindy as he listened to the phone ring. As a result, Cindy took a side step towards the door only his weapon raised up and pointed right at her head before her foot could take one more. Cindy stopped and the man didn’t even bother to tell her too. Instead he talked into the phone, “all right Kohler. I have your little problem and this is how we’re going to play it.”