Fred reached the hotel at six o’clock that evening and made for the front desk. He asked for Lorena and was told that she was at her flat. He went and knocked on her front door.
“Who’s there?”.
“It’s me, Fred.”
“I am coming.”
Damn her, he thought. She didn’t have to sound so dry. She opened the door and he entered. It was a one bedroom flat assigned to senior managers at the hotel. It contained a small porch; a living and dining room plus a bedroom and bathroom.
“I never expected to see you or daddy down here for a long time. The two of you are so busy in Kingston.”
“We have a lot of work to do,” Fred replied, taking a seat on the couch opposite her.
“Let me fix you a drink, Fred. What do you want?”
“Make it a gin and tonic, I have to go back to Kingston tonight, so I don’t want anything stronger,” he replied, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.
He heard her in the kitchen mixing the drinks. He looked at the television set, but decided against turning it on. He took up the book that she had been reading. It was one of those hospital romances. He put it down, careful not to lose her page.
Presently, she returned and handed him his drink; he tasted it.
“It tastes good, it seems as if these bartenders down here have given you some good lessons.”
“I can’t be helping to run this big hotel and don’t know anything. I do everything, I even go into the bars and serve sometimes, so you and daddy can stay there.”
She took some sips of her drink.
Fred became serious.
“Lorena, do you remember the guy whom I had that run in with when you and I had that quarrel up in Stony Hill?”
She was shocked, had Fred run into Bendoo again?
“I sort of remember him, but I’ve never seen him again. Have you seen him?”
He thought over what she had just said for a minute or so.
“A guy wants to do some work for us. I’m sure he’s the same
guy. Do you remember his name?”
“You know how these things are, before you hire a man, you want to know everything about him.”
“He told me that his name was Curtis Johnson but everybody called him Bendoo.”
He drank the last of his drink, he rested the glass on the coffee table, he looked at her.
“Lor, this guy wants to handle our security at our stores in Kingston. He told me that his name was Wesley James. I thought that he resembled Bendoo so much that I said I would ask you about him.”
“Maybe you’d better check him out some more, or even let me see him in person or a photograph of him.”
“Well, I’ll do that. I’m returning to Kingston now. I’ll tell Gus what you said, I’ll be seeing you, sis.”
“Maybe you could try to find out where Bendoo is,” she advised him.
“I’ll do that, Lor, goodbye,” he said pecking her on her cheeks. She opened the door and he went out.
Driving back to Kingston, he was thinking, Bendoo was Curtis Johnson all right, he was sure of that. He would go to the Factory and get in touch with K and ask him to look up Johnson’s record and his present whereabouts.
***
K had returned his call and would be looking up the file on Johnson. He promised to let him have the information by Saturday afternoon. Thinking that he had done a good day’s work, he decided to bed down at the Factory. There were two beds there for overnight visitors.
He knew that the time was coming up fast for him to take over from Mc Creed but this Bendoo could complicate matters. If he turned out to be a policeman he would have to be tortured to tell what information he had passed to his superiors, only then could he be gotten rid of.
Fred didn’t know when he dropped off to sleep. When he woke up it was in bright sunshine and by his watch it was eight o’clock. He took a hurried bath and headed for the mansion.
When he reached there he didn’t find Gus. Damn him, where could he be? Fred thought. At a time like this when their enemies could strike at any time it was unbelievable that Gus could be so careless. He ate the breakfast that Caslyn fixed for him, as he was very hungry.
He decided to stay and wait on Mc Creed and also on K for the information. He took up the morning papers and moved out to the balcony.
***
Ken Stone returned from his latest tryst and had just left when Wally, Burke, Benny and Dickson Lunan arrived at the training camp. Wally and Benny had arrived from Miami and New York respectively. Stone had returned to Miami to arrange for the shipment next Saturday. All four arrived at the camp at ten o’clock to find the recruits doing pushups.
“I heard that you guys are doing a good job Mose,” Benny shouted. Mose took a towel and wiped his face.
“Hey, you guys take a break. You’ve been going all morning,” he said to his trainees.
He left them and walked over to where his bosses were. Bucky was there too, after dismissing his recruits too.
They walked over to the makeshift office. Burke sat around the table while the others sat on the wooden benches.
“What’s the news, Burke?” Mose asked.
“I have to congratulate both of you about the job you’re doing. I want to announce that our plans are going ahead as scheduled.”
“Our people are coming for the weed on Saturday. We attack McCreed on Sunday. We stay put for about a week and then we move in and take control.”
“Mose and I move out on Monday.”
“Yes and with half of the money you’re supposed to get.”
Wally groaned from the hardness of the wooden bench.
“What’s wrong with you, Wally?” Burke asked.
“Wally’s not used to this kind of life,” Benny said.
Burke laughed.
“Better get used to it, Wally. This isn’t New York or Miami, this is Jamaica. From now until we get out the first shipment things are going to be rough.”
“I can take care of myself, don’t worry yourself,” Wally replied hastily.
“I was just joking, Wally.”
“What next, Gaskell?” Benny asked.
“My people in Miami are anxious to get some of the Jamaican weed,” Wally said. “I want the next trip for them.”
“I know that lots of people want our weed, but they have to wait until we get rid of McCreed.”
“Do you know where he’ll be on Sunday night?” Mose asked.
There was silence in the room.
“He’ll either be at his house or at a nightclub; he’s a big party-goer. All of the men have a photograph of him and know that they’re to shoot to kill him on sight.”
“You think that he knows about us, Burke?” Wally asked.
“I think that they’re still looking for Brad and Jack. They believe it was they who shot up their fighters and killed one of them,” Burke replied.
“In other words, he won’t know what hits him,” Bucky said.
“We’re going to wipe them out.”
“How are we going to pay these guys, Burke?” Wally asked.
“They get two hundred dollars for this job and if they stay on they get one hundred dollars per week.”
“On Sunday night we’ll be launching a two phased operation. From our investigations his house is now guarded. Mose will take his fighters to attack it. Bucky will take his team and attack the garage on Windward Road. I want it burned down and destroyed. The fighters at Wareika can’t be operational if their vehicles aren’t being serviced. We destroy that and we make them sitting ducks for a successful attack by the security forces or ourselves. One set of fighters will go with Bucky and they’re going to destroy anything they see. I feel that if the men at Wareika can’t work we can control all the weed fields. Right now we have enough ammunition to wipe Wareika off the map.”
Burke knew that the day was getting hot. He also knew that the soon to be fighters were smoking and chatting. They had been cooped up here for about two weeks, but the money was good. They were a few disgruntled voices among them, but the rest knew that the money they were getting would enable them to live and sport for a year without working.
“Won’t we have to give some money to some of those high
officials?” Benny asked.
“Leave that part to me, Benny. I know most of those people. I’ve talked to some of them already and they say they’ll support us, but we have to give them something. So you guys know how things are, we might have to give them one of the shipments.”
“I don’t have any problems with that, so long as they help us get rid of McCreed,” Wally agreed.
“We have some guns in the car. Some of the men can come for them,” Benny told them.
“We’re going now, but we’ll be coming back down here in the week to complete our plans. Ken is supposed to come back down here on Wednesday,” Burke said and stood up.
“Those two guys are still in jail. The judge doesn’t want to give them bail. She says they are a flight risk,” Dickson told them.
“I will try and see what I can do. They will have to get one of those high powered lawyers to help them. The problem is that their retainer fees are so high,” Burke stated.
“I want them to come out to handle their affairs.”
“You don’t trust us Dickson?” Burke asked.
“Of course I do, if I didn’t I wouldn’t be meeting you guys.”
All of them moved out to where the new fighters were. The guns were moved to the house and stored in a room to which only Mose and Bucky had keys.
After that Burke and his three associates departed for Kingston.
***
Fred wrote down what K had reported on Curtis Johnson alias Bendoo.
He was sure that he had left for the United Kingdom on a six week training course along with several other policemen.
The man was twenty-nine and had joined the force nine years ago. He had been transferred to Special Branch two years ago. He was a Sergeant and one of the up and coming set of brilliant policemen destined for rapid promotions within a few years. Did he really leave for England? K hadn’t been one hundred percent certain. All records and reports indicated that the fifteen men had departed for the U.K. Could a switch have been made by a man taking the place of Johnson while he departed to play the role of Bendoo at Wareika? K drew a blank on that possibility; Fred was perturbed, he didn’t know where else to look. He sat on the balcony wondering what had happened to Gus when Caslyn called him.
It was K, and although he didn’t know if Bendoo had gone to England, he told Fred that a picture of him was in the January edition of the police magazine. It could be had at just about any police station. The nearest one happened to be in Red Hills, where Constable Dervent Rennals looked up the January edition of the magazine without realizing how easily he had delivered one of his colleagues into Fred’s trap. Fred thanked him, drove back to Coopers Hill but didn’t open the magazine until he was seated in one of the balcony chairs. He excitedly turned the magazine page by page until he came upon the profiles of those, who had been promoted and there was Bendoo’s picture! No there could be no mistake, this was Detective Sergeant Curtis Johnson alias Bendoo, his education and hobbies and that he participated in most police sports meets as he had been a class athlete in high school. It was Bendoo all right. He would write a report so that Gus could read it when he returned home.
He wrote the report and left it along with the picture in the magazine on Mc Creed’s desk in his private office. He had an inclination to telephone Ardez and order him to shoot Bendoo, but he realized that it would amount to a case of insubordination on his part, as that would be Mc Creed’s prerogative. The time was six o’clock and he remembered that he had to take Johanna to see a play. He took a bath and was in his bedroom when he heard Mc Creed’s gruff voice. He put on some clothes and made his way out into the living room. Mc Creed was there with Rosa in his arms. They were seated in one of the couches.
“Hey, Gus, where were you? I’ve been looking for you all day,” Fred told him.
“I thought I would spend some time on the North Coast.”
“What’s happening, Rosa? I see you went to party with Gus,” Fred said to her.
“Freddie, what’s going on? I just came out this week and came to visit, Gussie. I’m going back next week.”
“So how are the girls? How are they doing in school? You know I have to ask about Angie,” Fred told her.
“They’re growing so fast, and are progressing so well in school that I’ve told Gussie that before he knows it, I’ll be back in his life full-time again.”
“Hey, hey, hey, that’s what I want to hear. I’m sure that’s what the big man wants to hear too.”
“You got anything for me, Fred?”
“Yes, and it’s something big too. I wrote a report and left it on the desk in your study.”
Mc Creed looked at his watch and saw that it was twenty-five minutes to seven.
“Rosa, wait out here for me. I have some business to see about in my office, it won’t take long.”
He and Fred went into the office. The latter handed him his report and he began to read it.
“What the hell!” Mc Creed exclaimed. It’s you who wrote this report, Fred? Bendoo is a Special Branch detective? I can’t believe it and I thought Ardez had made K clear him.”
He shook his head in dismay at what had happened.
“You can ask K, it was he, who helped me to find out about him. Bendoo was supposed to have gone on a training course in England. Somebody else took his place and he came up here to pose as a Rasta dreadlocks and got to join our gang.”
“Who brought him in?”
“Niah but he’s dead now, but look at that picture there and tell me if it’s not Bendoo.”
McCreed looked at the picture in the police magazine. It was Bendoo all right.
“It’s him of course, and to think that I gave him a unit to work with.
“You told Ardez about it yet?” he inquired of Fred.
“I was waiting for you before I made any moves. I know that I’ve seen him somewhere before. It’s one time Lorena and I were up in Stony Hill and we had a flat tire and he stopped to help us.”
“I’ll talk to Ardez tonight. I was planning to go out, but I’ll cancel it. We’re going to use him as an example to anybody else who wants to come up here to trick us,” Mc Creed told him.
“We have to move fast, and make sure that he doesn’t escape.”
“You heard what happened to Brad Elliot and Jack Marriot?”
“The police held them. I understand that they held Danny King too.”
“I’ve asked K to get as much as he can from the police as to what they are getting out of those three men.”
“I’m going now, I have a date with Johanna, I’ll probably see you in the morning.”
“That’s a damn good piece of work you did, Fred. Keep up the good work. I don’t know how I’d manage without you,” Gus said, slapping him on the back.
Fred went out very pleased with himself, greeted Rosa again and told her that he would see her around. There was no doubt that Mc Creed rated him very highly. Well, tonight he would spend the night on the town after seeing that play with Johanna.
***
The men in Ardez’s room, sat in stony silence as they listened to what he had to say to them. Bendoo felt cornered. The house was surrounded by the guards and Butler and Lance had just entered with their M-16s pointing at him.
“Bendoo, you dirty traitor,” Grosset shouted, his hand dipping into his pocket for his gun.
“The boss doesn’t want any shooting until he says so. Bendoo, you’re a traitor, you tricked us. The security forces couldn’t do it so they sent you up here,” Ardez stated.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bendoo declared.
Butler pointed the M-16 at his head.
“Isn’t your name Curtis Johnson? The boss says he has a picture of you from your magazine. Fred Billings remembered you, you never covered your tracks well, Bendoo.”
“The boss says to put you in a cell until he’s ready for you,” Ardez told him.
“Fred Billings would trump up anything he can find against me because he hates me.”
“The man doesn’t even know you, Bendoo. Yet you’re saying that he hates you. It’s you who betrayed Pennant and Dillinger,” Premba declared.
“And made them arrest Duffus and Indian,” Grosset said.
“Pennant was one of my best friends. We escaped from reform school together. We’ve smoked a lot of herbs together. If I didn’t respect the boss you would be dead a long time ago, Bendoo,” Premba threatened.
Bendoo could see the hatred on their faces. These men were now his deadliest enemies and would kill him at the mere drop of a pin. He was unarmed, having come to the meeting believing it to be some new developments about Brad and Jack. Although the latest news going around the camp was that both men had been arrested. He had also heard about Danny King’s arrest.
“Who’s your contact in the Force, Bendoo? You’d better tell us or we are going to force it out of you,” Ardez warned him.
Bendoo didn’t reply.
“He’s playing tough, let me beat it out of him,” Grosset demanded. The giant was in a killing mood.
“We have to follow the boss’ orders, Grosset and I won’t repeat them,” Ardez warned.
Bendoo could feel the tension building up in the room. Any wrong moves now and he would be cut to pieces.
“The boss gave his orders and we have to stick by them,” Premba warned.
“Come, Bendoo and don’t bother try anything. Butler and Lance come with me. The two of you’ll be guarding his cell tonight,” Ardez stated.
They set off for the one cell prison with Bendoo walking between the two fighters while the rest of them spread out. He knew the futility of trying to escape. Even if he managed to elude his escorts the machine gun nests would be sure to get him. He was pushed into the cell. There was a small window. The floor was dirt and covered with crocus bags. The door was bolted from the outside, as was the window. It stood in an isolated area and was opposite the gun nests. He settled down on the crocus bags, there were no lights. Outside he could hear Butler and Lance talking. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep and he had to devise some plan to escape.
So Fred Billings had found out at last. He wondered if Lorena had anything to do with it. He doubted if she had contributed much. He would almost certainly be killed. Fred was pretty damn smart to have found out. He must have gotten help from their collaborators in the force. The man must possess a fantastic memory to have remembered him.
Wood would realize that something was wrong when he didn’t hear from him. The force would be powerless to help him. He knew that he was the only man, who could lead a team up there to defeat the Wareikans. He had jotted down information about the whole operation and had passed it to Wood. Even if he was killed, his mission wouldn’t be a total failure. The Factory could still be taken and the growers in the country apprehended and charged. Mc Creed man could also be caught and charged, as would Fred Billings. Only Wareika was impregnable, but with his help the security forces would be able to destroy it. He tossed and turned on the foul crocus bags. When sleep came, it was late Friday morning.