Chapter Twenty Nine
K had lost contact with both Fred and Wareika Hills. Maybe Wareika had been wiped out and Fred and Gus either killed or captured.
The police were suspicious about several of their members, whom they felt might have given information to the Wareikans, resulting in those two failed raids. Why had he not been informed about the raid? But then maybe even Haskins might not have known about it.
None of the new people he had recruited had reported anything to him. He wondered if he had gotten the right people. He had heard about some people being held for corruption, but he didn’t know who they were.
He went out onto the balcony. His family was asleep, damn it all, why had he gotten himself in such a mess? If Gus McCreed kept the bank transfers then the police might find out. Why had he not taken cash, but then some of the payments he had received were too large to be handled by cash. No, he wasn’t safe, it would be best for him to go to Coopers Hill and destroy the records. He went to his bedroom and put on some clothes, Edna was asleep so he moved furtively. He went outside and got into the Ford Capri, it was the fastest car he had. He reversed out of the driveway and on to the road and then returned to close the gate noiselessly behind him. He started the car and moved off slowly, hoping to be on time.
If Fred and Gus were at the Mansion he would kill both of them as they were of no more use to him. He felt that they might have fled the island. He had to think of reaching up there and finding the gardener and helper there. He made up his mind that whoever he found at the mansion would be getting a bullet from him.
If he went there and the house was empty he would set it on fire as he had two full bottles of petrol. Coopers Hill was so far away that by the time the fire brigade arrived all he wanted destroyed might very well be.
***
When Bendoo reached the road, he saw some security men standing over two men, while others were on their radios. Going further, he saw that the two wounded men were Odane and Lanny, two of Grosset’s fighters. Going up further, he saw some other wounded men, plus a man stretched out on his back, probably dead, he thought. He saw several men with their hands above their head. Bendoo didn’t know any of these men; obviously they had come to Wareika after he had escaped. They were probably the ones who had been engaging Kerr-Coomb’s men.
“I want a car, Inspector,” he said to Inspector Luis McCormack.
McCormack looked at him.
“What for?” he asked.
“I’m going to Coopers Hill for Gus McCreed.”
“Take my car, but are you sure you won’t need help?” he asked, handing the keys to Bendoo.
“No, it’s better I alone go.”
He got into the car, started it and drove up Mountain View Avenue, he roared up Lady Musgrave Road. He ran the stoplight at Hope Road and drove onto Waterloo Road and turned down South Avenue, ending up on Eastwood Park Road. He drove onto Red Hills Road. A picture of Lorena flashed through his mind. He was going about fifty miles an hour and he wondered if he would be too late. He turned on Swain Spring Road; only about four vehicles had passed him going up to Coopers Hill. At the square in Swain Spring he was lucky to see some men playing dominoes. They gave him directions. He thanked them and drove away.
He finally found Reef Close and parked in front of an empty lot. He checked his service revolver, it was full. He took the M-16 with him after locking up the car and started off. The air was extremely cool.
When he reached the mansion he saw that the lights were on. A Ford Capri was parked further up. He climbed over the fence and landed on the well carpeted lawn. Going in he saw the bodies of two Dobermen look alike dogs and wondered who had killed them. Whoever had done this must be inside ravaging the place. It had to be an outsider and the answer had to be K, it must be his car outside too. Bendoo circled around the house; there were just about two or three rooms with lights in them.
Two cars were parked in the garage, on further inspection; he saw that one was a Jaguar and the other a Ford Laser. He knew that the Ford Laser was Fred’s because that was the car he had been driving in Stony Hill that day. He had to guess that the Jaguar belonged to Mc Creed. He had heard that Lorena drove a Mazda motor car, but it wasn’t here. Was she down at the hotel? Where were Mc Creed and Fred Billings?
The presence of the two dead dogs meant that something unpleasant had taken place. Had that person also killed Mc Creed and Fred Billings? Whoever was in the house had to provide some answers. He tiptoed around to the front of the house and went on to the patio, gently pushing the front door open as the burglar bar wasn’t bolted. Silently, he crept inside, the service revolver ever ready.
Somebody had to be here, he pushed open the door of the dining room. Everything was in order, he tiptoed back outside. He was sure they had a helper and gardener. But where were they? She might be on weekend leave and he at one of his girlfriends or in the country. He pushed open a door and saw that it was a bedroom. On further inspection he saw that it could be Lorena’s room. There were several dresses on the bed and female garments on the floor as if the person had made a hasty departure. He suspected that Fred still kept rooms here, but most of the times he was at his woman’s house. He opened a door and realized that it was McCreed’s study. He went inside and was looking around when a voice said.
“Drop that, whoever you are, I have you covered.”
Bendoo tried to recollect whose voice it was, as the man seemed to be in the attic, but he couldn’t remember.
“I said to drop it, I have you covered.”
Bendoo let the guns fall from his hands to the carpet.
“Kick it towards me and the M-16 too.”
Bendoo did as he was told.
The man came down the short steps and picked up the guns.
“Mister Fox, you’re K, I can’t believe it!”
“And you’re Bendoo? I recognize you now.”
He had a handgun covering him.
“You look surprised, Bendoo; I was making lots of money.”
He pushed a briefcase before him.
“This briefcase contains about two hundred thousand American dollars. Do as I tell you and half of it is yours. I’m going to destroy this box of paper. After I do that I don’t have anything more to worry about. You go after Gus and Fred and kill them. You can say that you came up here and saw the house on fire. Nobody is going to investigate.”
“Move from here, Mister Fox, if I’d wanted money I could have stayed at Wareika. You are a traitor.”
Fox grabbed the bottle of petrol and began splashing it around the room, which was full of books and boxes of paper.
“By now Fred must be in the States. Did you know that he has a pilot’s license? They have a private plane near Ferry waiting on them for emergencies like this. They’ve gone out there now, I passed them on the way up here, they didn’t see me but I saw them. You should have known that Bendoo. I’m going to kill you and set the place on fire. You damn fool, twenty years from now and you’ll still be the same. I’ve learned, if it wasn’t for Gus McCreed I wouldn’t have anything to show for my years of service. When my retirement age comes around I don’t have to go begging them for a few more years. I can retire anytime I feel.”
“It was you who leaked the information about our raids to them?”
“Of course, that was what I was being paid to do. Neil was smart to keep this one away from me. You’ve caught L, M and N but they’re small fry and they don’t know about me. Bendoo, I have my house in Florida and hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank. I’m improving on my golf game because that’s what I’m going to play when I retire. I’m now a part of the millionaire’s club. I’m sorry for Neil and Hubert, they’re going to become paupers when they retire, wondering where they’ll get money to pay the next light bill.”
“You’d better give yourself up, Mister Fox, even if you kill me, you won’t get away.”
“Bendoo, I’m going to kill you and destroy these papers. I’m going to leave Fred and Gus to kill off each other if they haven’t already left the island,” Fox shouted as he finished sprinkling the last of the gasoline on the walls of the room. He dipped into his pocket and took out his matches.
“Move over to where the boxes of paper are. When I shoot you, you’ll drop on them. You’ll probably burn to ashes by the time the fire engines reach here, move, Bendoo.”
Bendoo moved over against the wall.
Fox aimed the gun at his heart.
“Are you still certain you don’t want half of this money?” he asked, pointing to the briefcase.
“Go to hell, Fox,” Bendoo shouted as he spied Delbert Wood’s stealthy approach.
“You won’t escape, because we’ve captured Ardez and Rattigan,” Bendoo said to stall him.
Fox chuckled.
“Those are only names to me, they don’t know me and I don’t know them.”
“Goodbye, Bendoo,” he said, his fingers began to press the trigger when Wood sprang on him, hitting him in the back of the head with the gun butt. The man fell to the floor, the gun falling out of his hand. Bendoo knelt and picked it up.
“It’s Mister Fox, I can’t believe it,” Wood cried out as he saw the man sprawled out on the carpet, unconscious.
“You saved me, Delbert, he had me covered when I entered the room, it’s Brendan Fox and he’s agent K.”
He bent down and looked at the man on the floor. The place where he had gotten the blow to his head was beginning to swell.
“What are we going to do with him, Bendoo?”
“I don’t know how the Chief and the Commissioner are going to feel about his treachery.”
Wood shook his head.
“We have to tie him up so that he doesn’t escape.”
The two policemen began searching for rope, which they presently found in a room that looked like storeroom.
They then bound Fox’s hands and feet. After they had done this both policemen looked at the unconscious figure of their treacherous senior colleague.
They both knew that it would be hard for a lot of people to digest the fact that Fox was a traitor.
Bendoo turned to look at Wood.
“Take care of this suitcase here, Woody; I’m going after Gus and Fred Billings. Mr. Fox told me about an airfield they have out at Ferry.”
“Wait for me, Bendoo,” Wood shouted, but Bendoo was already running towards Fox’s car. He had taken the keys from the wounded man’s pocket. He got into the car, started it and drove off. He again took the Swain Spring Road. When he reached Ferry he turned on a dirt road. He was on it for five minutes when he saw a figure folded up on the side of the road. On going up further, he saw that it was Gus McCreed! He stopped the car and jumped out. He was on his side and was splattered with blood. Bendoo felt his pulse, it was beating faintly.
“Gus McCreed!” he shouted.
The man’s eyes fluttered open in recognition.
“It’s you, Bendoo, Fred; he shot me and took Lorena with him. Try to save her, he’s going to kill her, go …go after …after him.”
His eyes fluttered, he sighed and then he was gone.
Bendoo knew that he was dead. He laid the limp body in the grass, then said a silent prayer over him. He had at last seen the human face of Gus McCreed.
Getting back into the car he started it and drove off. He was on the dirt track for some time wondering where it led to, when he saw what looked like a small field. A building was on the other side of the runway. He saw a plane near the building, as he drove nearer, a bullet smashed into the windshield of the car. Bendoo stopped the car and jumped out. Shots were raking up all around.
He crawled into the bushes as bullets were flying over his head. He heard shouts coming from the building and knew there must be at least three persons shooting at him. He guessed that there were Fred and two men. He did not know who these men were but guessed they were either his bodyguards, or workers at the airfield. Maybe they were there to maintain the plane. He crawled further into the bushes and pulled the M-16 from around his shoulders. He saw where the flashes were coming from.
Bullets were tearing chunks off the big tree behind which he was hiding. He saw a man move and fired to draw his fire, the man fired back. Maybe this man was trying to keep him occupied while the others circled around and try to come up behind him. He fired a burst at the man then dived into the bushes. He was in the thick bushes for about five minutes during which time the man let off several rounds in order to get a response from him and give away his position. Bendoo waited for the others to show up. He saw a man in a creeping position about twenty meters from him and he took careful aim and fired. He heard the man give a throaty cry and fall. Instantly he started to run as a volley of bullets rained down on his former position. He knew there was now only one man left in the bushes. He lay flat on his belly as the man let off a stream of bad words at finding his colleague shot and wounded. This was not Fred Billings, which meant that he must be the man near the wooden building.
He took up a big piece of wood and flung it and the man began to fire at the position the piece of wood had fallen. Bendoo saw the flashes and he fired two times and then there was silence. Then he heard a thrashing around and knew that the man had been hit hard and probably wouldn’t last long. He heard the faint sound of a plane engine being started up. He raced out into the open and saw the small plane slowly moving on the runway. He ran to the car, pulled open the door and got in intending to block the runway. The plane was picking up speed now; he knew that Fred had Lorena in it with him. He drove across the runway at full speed as the plane’s speed increased. He stopped the car on the runway and jumped out. The plane was thirty meters from the car and still needed to run some more distance before it could lift off. There was no possibility of it veering off the runway as the bushes on either side were quite thick.
Fred Billings pushed hard on the plane’s brakes and brought it to a standstill a few meters from the car. He jumped out of the cockpit and started shooting at Bendoo who was hiding behind a big rock. Fred was hiding behind the car now. Bendoo had to use his service revolver as he had left the M-16 in the bushes.
Fred Billings knew that if he killed this man he stood a good chance of getting out of the country with Lorena and the two briefcases full of United States dollars. He fired again at Bendoo and missed. He squeezed the trigger of the Luger but there was a dead click and he knew that he had run out of bullets. He flung the gun in Bendoo’s direction and came at him bare handed.
As Fred came down on him, Bendoo hit him with a right to the belly.
Fred hit him under the heart and he had to pause to catch his breath. Fred’s face was twisted with hate.
“I’ll kill you, Bendoo,” he shouted as he moved in and hit Bendoo hard in the chest. Bendoo countered with a vicious onslaught on Billings’ body and he fell and Bendoo dived on top of him. Suddenly he pulled a knife and stabbed at Bendoo. Bendoo shifted his body slightly and it ripped his shirt in two. He hit the man on his forearm and the knife fell. Bendoo jumped up and Fred came at him. A loping right caught Bendoo in his right side. He had to grit his teeth to withstand the pain. Billings moved in, he was fifteen pounds heavier than Bendoo and apart from attending some of Rattigan’s self-defense classes; he had also boxed while in college. He also had an inch advantage in height over Bendoo.
Bendoo grabbed his hand in an effort to try to flip him over his head.
Fred countered by putting his foot between Bendoo’s and both of them fell. Fred was up very fast and kicked at his head, but missed as Bendoo rolled away and jumped to his feet.
The two men came at each other, then stood toe to toe and slugged it out. Bendoo’s clothes were soaked with sweat. He had hit Billings with some wicked punches and had in turn received some jolting ones too.
Lorena had gotten out of the plane, but she could only stare at the two fighters.
Bendoo was the stronger of the two men; he had weathered Fred’s blows and was ready to finish him off. He hit him in the belly with a hard left, but the man’s midsection was as hard as iron. He ripped another left to his jaw and followed it up with a right to his throat.
Fred saw a stick and ran for it. He picked it up and came at Bendoo. He struck out at Bendoo’s head, but he dodged the blow and grabbed the stick and tried to wrench it out of Fred’s grasp. The two men wrestled for the stick and Bendoo slipped and fell. Fred kicked at him and caught him in his side. It was a hard blow and he winced from the pain. Fred jabbed the stick at Bendoo’s belly trying to gouge him there, but Bendoo quickly jumped to his feet. Again Fred rushed in fast with the stick aiming to hit Bendoo on his head, but the Special Branch detective dodged the blow, grabbed the stick and jerked it out of Fred’s grasp.
Bendoo flung away the stick as Fred rushed in again. He hit Fred under the chin and received a glancing blow on his head.
Suddenly Fred spied Fox’s gun. He dived for it and spun around, Bendoo flung himself to the ground as the first shot kicked up dust at his feet.
Bendoo rolled over as he reached for his own gun. Fred’s second shot tore a hole in his pants foot. Bendoo got off his first shot and knew he had missed. Again Fred fired and Bendoo felt a searing pain in his leg. He fired and saw Fed drop from his kneeling position. Again he fired and saw Fred drop to his side and knew that he had taken it in his right side. Bendoo waited, feeling the pain in his leg, but knew that it was a flesh wound. There was no movement from Fred but suddenly Lorena ran down on him.
“Bendoo, are you all right?” she asked.
“It’s nothing, just a small wound.”
“Did you see my father? Fred shot him.”
“I saw him, but he’s not going to make it. I’m afraid he’s dead.”
He had to hold her for her not to throw herself down on the ground. After a while she pulled out of his arms.
He bent down and rolled up his pant leg, the wound was bleeding slightly.
“You got shot,” she cried out.
He looked down at his foot. There was blood on his trousers foot.
“As I told you, it’s just a flesh wound. It’s nothing to worry about.”
A ‘click’ behind him made his body tense and he flung Lorena down on the ground and dived for cover. Fred Billings shot flew over them as Bendoo spun around and fired in the same movement. The bullet caught Fred in the right shoulder and he fell.
Bendoo was over him in a second and kicked the gun out of his hand.
“Don’t move, Fred.”
The man groaned but didn’t move or say anything.
He drew Lorena off the ground and held her in his arms for her to get over her fright. He went to examine Fred. He was lying on his back and was covered in blood. Lorena came over to him and he hugged her as she started crying again.
“I don’t want any of my father’s possessions. I suppose the government will decide on what to do with them, but I don’t want anything that was earned by robbery, murder or drug running”
“Fred confessed that he was responsible for my first boyfriend, Bobby’s death. He shot daddy and pushed him out of the car. He took away my gun and used it to shoot him. He threw away my gun in some bushes.”
She was sobbing now as he held her close.
“I didn’t even know about this place. I knew that Fred had a pilot’s license, but I never thought this was why he had it,” Lorena said. “I’ve wanted to ask my father about certain of his activities, but I just couldn’t get the courage to do it. Oh Bendoo, I’ve been such a coward.”
“You are a brave girl, Lorena. I think you are going to make it even without your father,” he told her, as she held him tighter.
“Fred was always jealous of any man I talked to. I just couldn’t keep any boyfriends because of him. He wanted to run my life for me.”
“We have to treat Fred Billings as a bad guy who lost out in the end,” he told her.
Suddenly a car’s headlight shone on them, Bendoo drew his gun and put her behind him.
The car stopped some distance away and a voice Bendoo recognized as Delbert Wood’s, called out.
“Bendoo!”
“Delbert,” he shouted back.
Wood got into the car and drove over to them. He had hardly got out when there was the wailing of police sirens.
“The Chief is coming with the rest of the men, he thought that you might need help,” Wood said, glancing at Lorena.
“Woody, meet Lorena.”
The two of them shook hands.
“Sorry about your father, Lorena,” Wood told her.
“Thanks,”she said, acknowledging his sympathies.
Police cars and military jeeps raced into the compound. Some of the men got out and walked around when they saw everything was all right.
McDonald came over to Bendoo.
“Is everything all right, Bendoo?” he asked.
“Yes, sir, that’s Fred Billings over there, I shot him in the shoulder and leg. There’s the plane; he was planning to escape in. You should have come across Mc Creed’s body further up the road. Fred shot him and pushed him out of the car. Then he headed out here forcing Lorena to go with him. Luckily I was in time to save her.”
“I’m still shocked to hear that Brendan was K, Bendoo. We have to call the F.B.I, I’m sure they’ll want to question Rattigan.”
“If Rattigan cooperates we could crack one of the biggest drug trafficking rings in the world, not to mention Ardez and Mister Fox, if they talk too.”
“Sure, sure, well the whole thing is a success. Bendoo, what is Lorena going to do now that her father is dead?”
“She says that she doesn’t want any of his wealth. She’s going to live off her savings and get a job.”
“You know that we have to debrief her to learn more about the organization, but I doubt if she’ll be of much help. As for her father’s possessions I suppose that when the dust finally settles she can make her own decisions.”
“Woody must have told you about the money Fox found up at McCreed’s house.”
“Fred had two more briefcases with money on the plane,” Lorena told them.
Mc Donald nodded to acknowledge what she had just said.
“Well, that settles it then, the women at Wareika Hills will be debriefed. We found them where you told us they would be, Bendoo. Right now we have soldiers and policemen guarding the house. If their records are clean they can get their men’s possessions and they can return to their rightful homes.”
The two badly wounded men were loaded into the other ambulance that had accompanied them.
Fred was put in another ambulance. Gus McCreed’s huge body was already on a stretcher in the same ambulance. Bendoo tried to shield Lorena. But she had seen the body and burst out crying again.
“Bendoo, you have to take care of her. Has she any place to stay apart from Coopers Hill?” McDonald asked.
“I have an aunt in Vineyard Town, who I can stay with.”
“Let her give you the address and you can take her there,” McDonald ordered. “Mr. McCormack says he wants to see his car parked at his gate by the time he’s ready to go to work in the morning.”
“Yes, sir, I’ll ask Delbert to go with me to get it.”
“Well, Bendoo, are you ready and good-bye for now, Lorena.”
Everybody returned to their respective vehicle and with the ambulances leading the way they followed slowly behind.
Bendoo and Lorena walked to the Ford Capri, four men had been left to guard the plane and tomorrow it would be transported to Up Park Camp.
Bendoo had asked them to look after Lorena’s car. He then went for the M-16 where he knew he had left it. Lorena told them where Fred had dumped her gun and they eventually found it.
He returned and opened the car door for her and she got in. Then he went around to his side. They were the last to leave. Bendoo was feeling sleepy, he would need lots of it too. He knew that Lorena was not in the mood for love with all that had just happened in her life. He was willing to hang around. It would take a lot of patience on his part to convince her to start loving again, but he was willing to give it a try. He started the car and they drove off. Operation Wareika was over.