Evil's Root

Chapter 22

Heidi crouched low in the boat, ramming the throttle wide open and slamming noisily across the small waves. She knew they would figure her for returning to the marina and that they might even beat her to the punch, but without the rest of the money the entire enterprise was somewhat of a waste and Heidi was no wastrel.

She slipped off her pumps and hiked her skirt over her waist to allow for freedom of movement. The lights of the marina came up on her starboard side, and she angled the boat to get the shortest distance. A few minutes later she was cutting a swath between the trots, drawing shouts and complaints from resident boat owners.

When she reached the Iron Tulip she killed the motor and grappled her way along the side until she felt the ridge below the windows and, with a practised dexterity, pulled herself up, over the railing and onto the deck.

Rich pulled the car to a stop just shy of the Iron Tulip, and both men climbed out and approached the boat cautiously. They could see wavelets around the waterline and Rich signalled that the stolen outboard was drifting next to the trot. She had made better time than expected.

Benlow put a tentative foot on the gangplank and made his way aboard as quietly as possible. Below decks, Heidi felt the boat move and she knew they were here. She had swiftly changed into dark tights, top and runners and with the briefcase clutched firmly in one hand and her flare gun in the other, she edged her way along the companionway to the steps leading to the lounge.

Benlow stepped carefully down from the deck, trying to keep the weight off his injured leg and as he bent down to see ahead, Heidi pushed the barrel of the flare gun into his thigh.

"Please drop your weapon and come right down doing nothing silly."

He hesitated, swearing to himself, and did as commanded, hanging onto the short rail for support. Heidi stepped up from the galley and quickly pushed him over onto the bench seat, gathering his gun as she did.

"Where are the rest, please?"

"Outside."

Heidi smiled grimly. "I don't have a great deal of time to waste, so you will tell now how many."

"Go out and look," he snapped, angry he was in his current position. The sudden pain in his leg made him jerk up and cry out, and he glanced down to see she had stuck him with a large knife.

"So unnecessary," she cooed.

"One. There's just one. right now." He gasped and squeezed the wound.

"Call him."

Benlow bit his lip and started to shake his head but the knife blade pricked his leg again and he yelled for Officer Rich. There was a clatter on the deck and Rich hopped down into the lounge, taking a savage chop to the throat before he could adjust his eyes to the gloom.

He dropped with a thud at their feet, and Heidi immediately grabbed his handcuffs, shoving them at Benlow and waving the knife.

"One on each of you please." Certain they were both restrained, she hurried outside, cast off the lines, jumped back and ran to the bridge.

In a few seconds the rumble of the powerful diesel engines shook the boat as it moved slowly out of its slot into the harbour. Another few minutes passed, and then the engine roar increased and Benlow felt the surge of the boat, and through the lounge windows he could see the moonlit water rushing past.

Nice bloody job, Detective Benlow. Heidi returned holding something in her hand and he felt a sharp prick in his thigh alongside the wound. Rich moaned, coughed and rolled over into an upright position, surprised to find his handcuffed to the Detective. He looked up to see Benlow leaning against the bulkhead, his eyes closed.

"Sir! Detective Benlow." He swung his foot around and gave Benlow a light kick on the shoe.

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"Huh? Oh- ohh shit." He sat up arching his back and groaning at the tightness in his muscles. One leg of his pants had been cut away and the wound dressed and he studied it in confusion. When had that happened? How long ago? He suddenly noticed Rich staring at him, and the sequence of events came flooding back.

"Sir? Are you all right?"

"Yeah, except for that," he nodded toward his leg. "How about you?"

"A very sore throat, sir."

"I'll bet. I saw her deliver the stroke before I could even blink." He looked forward to the bridge. "How long was I out? Where is she anyway? Where are we for that matter?"

"I am here, Detective." She grinned at his confused look. "A little opiate to keep you both out of trouble. Nothing addictive I assure you, and we are about one hundred miles from where you came aboard."

"A hun-  and where is that?"

Heidi laughed pleasantly and stepped up from the galley with a tray of coffee and cookies. She set them on the table in front of the bench seat then, with little effort, slid Benlow along and directed Rich up onto the seat beside him.

"I thought a little nourishment might be welcome." Both men tensed ready to take any advantage and just as quickly sagged back as she placed the big knife on the seat beside her and the gun next to that.

"I will let you serve yourselves but a foolish move by either of you and the results will not be pleasant."

"We understand," Benlow said. They ate and drank without doing anything foolish. Heidi sipped from a mug of tea and watched them both intently.

"So what happens now?"

"Why I sail off and live happily ever after." She crossed her legs, giving them both the benefit of her figure.

"And us?"

"Sadly that is a different story, Detective."

She raised the gun and motioned for them both to put down their mugs and get up. Rich had to help Benlow as his already sore leg was too painful after the addition of the knife wound to put weight on. "Now you will both accompany me aft."

Rich helped Benlow up the steps and out onto the deck. The sky was just beginning to lighten and the water looked like an undulating sea of slate coloured oil. Heidi stepped around them to the back and motioned them both to the side.

"Is this the pattern you followed with the others?" Benlow asked, looking down into the threatening sea. "Marry them. Get the money and then knock them off?"

"Oh please, Detective. You make me sound so- so mercenary. A woman has to do things to achieve her goals. Men don't seem to understand that we are not all domestic sheep."

"So I'm right then? Your previous husbands all died under suspicious circumstances?"

She smiled winningly. "Not to me."

"Would Barry Stein have suffered the same fate?"

"Eventually. What happened to Barry, did he tell nasty stories about me?"

"Barry was run over and killed by a van trying to escape from us at the restaurant."

For a second he thought she looked genuinely sorry and then it passed. She shrugged and sighed loudly.

"Barry deserved better, but then that's just the breaks, isn't it?" She reached down and lifted the lid of the cooler in the corner of the deck and scooped out a handful of what Benlow knew to be chum, and tossed it over the side.

"What's she doing? You aren't?" Rich tugged at the handcuff fastened to Benlow.

"My plans don't include two policemen, I'm sorry." She threw another handful overboard and they watched as the oily water was suddenly changed by the wake of a large fin cutting the surface. "We'll wait a moment until his friends join him."

Benlow could feel Rich trembling through the handcuff and he was afraid the man might try something stupid that would speed up Heidi's plan. He cast about for something, anything to use as a weapon or means of escape, and his eye fell upon something under the lounge - a gaff hook.