The Schliemann Legacy (28 page)

Suddenly, Duman straightened and all pretense was gone as he stared at the bungalow. David and Katrina looked away from Duman toward the wrecked front of their room. Two policemen had just exited from inside the bungalow. They delicately stepped through the remains of the maid and her cart. Stopping in front of a third man, they saluted and fell into conversation. Though too far away to hear, David could guess the conversation from their gestures. Both were shaking their heads and pointing toward the bungalow. Obviously, they were surprised to find it empty.

David turned his attention back to the terrorist. Duman was smiling. Obviously, he had misinterpreted the gestures and the Turk assumed his bomb had been successful.

"He's going to leave," Katrina said, also having seen the smile.

"We can't take him here," David said. "We could never get close enough before he saw us."

"We need a car."

"There," David said, pointing across the street. A man had just left an early 70s model Chevrolet and was heading down the street. The couple watched as he rounded the corner. "With luck, he won't have forgotten anything."

David and Katrina exited the alley and headed down the street at a leisurely pace. Katrina looked back at Duman. "Okay, cross now, he's looking away."

Briskly but not too quickly to attract any attention, David and Katrina went directly to the Chevy. In seconds, David was behind the wheel and working on the ignition wires. Katrina kept watch on Duman. "He's getting into the car. He must think we're dead. He's pulling out and heading straight."

The engine coughed once and then started. David immediately put it in gear and pulled out into the street. He grabbed a straw hat off the seat and slipped it on his head. Staying well back, he began to follow Duman through the crowded streets.

David glanced at the gas gauge. "Not much fuel. I hope this is a short trip."

Katrina looked through the glove box and found a street map of Montego Bay. "I think he's heading toward the outskirts. There isn't much town left after about five more blocks. If he turns left just up here, he's heading out into the country. We aren't going to have much cover."

Duman made the left hand turn and David followed. He tried to let Duman get a little farther ahead but even the sparse traffic was beginning to push him closer. In five minutes, they had left the city and were driving along a narrow two-lane highway. Duman was three cars ahead but didn't seem to be paying too much attention to anyone behind him.

After passing a shantytown of small corrugated tin and wood shacks, the scenery quickly changed to sugar cane and palm trees. "Road coming up on the right," Katrina warned David.

David slowed as Duman turned off onto the dirt road. Instantly, a dust plume appeared behind Duman's car. Only one car followed him off the highway before David and Katrina made the right hand turn. Even if Duman was suspicious, he would not be able to see David and Katrina through the thick clouds of dust.

The sugar cane had disappeared and the coast was visible again when David glanced down at the gas gauge. It was already touching empty.

"He's turning off. Looks like a house."

"Duck down, don't let him see you," David said, pulling the hat over to the right side of his face. Out of the corner of his eye, David saw Duman pulling into a garage at the side of a beachfront property. David continued on until they were well past the property and were out of sight from Duman. Pulling off to the side of the road, David checked his handgun while Katrina did the same.

Katrina and David jogged back toward the house. The front of the house was open to the road with a detached garage off to one side. A single story, the house had many large, open windows and very little cover except along the sides of the property. David and Katrina avoided the open front yard and skirted the property along the brush and palms that separated it from its neighbor. Halfway to the beach, they reached a low wall. Peering over, they looked down a small steep hill that ended at the sand. A basement level under the hill exited onto a stretch of beach that ran from the back of the house to the surf about twenty yards away. There was a small boathouse and dock with a speedboat moored beside it. Although Duman had another escape route, they had little access from the back.

"As bad as it is, I think the front is still our best bet," Katrina suggested.

"At least with the windows, we will be able to see if Duman is in sight," David agreed.

"We can make it most of the way across the yard behind the garage. The front door isn't too far from there," Katrina said.

David nodded and they headed back toward the garage.

Chapter 34 - RESCUE

David and Katrina carefully scanned the windows on the left side of the house for over five minutes. There was no flicker of movement so they made the dash to the front of the house. Katrina grabbed the handle of the front door but it was locked. David pointed to the large open window beside the door. He pulled a knife from his pocket and unfolded the blade. He made short work of the screen and the two of them slipped through the window. "He's making it very easy," David whispered. "Watch for motion sensors."

From the front foyer, two hallways branched off left and right. To the left was a sparsely furnished living room. To the right was a narrow hallway with at least three doors. Katrina, already knowing Duman was not in the living room, pointed to the right. David hesitated and then nodded. As silently as possible, Katrina started toward the first doorway.

David worked through the living room and adjoining dining room quickly. At the back of the house, he found himself in the kitchen. A glass patio door opened onto a deck that overhung the exits from the lower level. David checked the boat and the dock but could see nothing but the speedboat. The back half of the boat was covered with a large tarp but otherwise the boat appeared to empty. David turned and saw an enclosed stairway going to the lower level of the house.

Katrina had still not appeared at the end of her hallway. David knew that, if Duman was downstairs, he could hear them at any moment. Not waiting for Katrina, he quickly descended the stairs. At the bottom, he was faced with several closed doors. Gloomy half-light found its way from windows at the beach side of the basement. Quietly turning the knob of the closest door, David hurried through the threshold. The room was pitch black. David groped along the wall until he found a light switch.

Blinking in the sudden light, David was faced with a room full of munitions. Boxes of guns and ammunition were piled against the farthest wall. David did a quick inventory, hoping to find a better weapon than his handgun. A large open crate produced a Kalashnikov AK-47. Checking the smaller ammo crates, David found several boxes of 7.62 caliber magazines. David rammed one into the assault rifle and put two more in his belt.

Turning back to the door, David froze. Two small wires ran into the room along the top of the doorframe. David quickly scanned the door for an alarm but the wires continued along the baseboard and disappeared behind the crates. Puzzled, David flicked out the light and shut the door. As quickly as possible, he began to search the other rooms.

* * * * *

Katrina had searched the first two rooms and found no sign of Duman. A computer in the first room might be helpful uncovering some of the terrorist's cells but that would have to wait for later analysis. The second room was a small bathroom. Finally, Katrina reached the third door. From there, she could see the kitchen and the blue water through the large patio door. Her gun ready, she turned the doorknob and rushed into the room.

She briefly took in the young girl tied to the bed before turning and scanning the room. Confident that only the girl was in the room, she walked over to the bed. The blonde girl was wearing a white top that had been torn open. Her skirt and panties lay in a heap against the wall. Below her left eye was a dark, ugly bruise where she had obviously been hit.

Putting her gun on the bedside table, Katrina tried to comfort the girl. "Just relax. I'm going to untie you and get you out of here. You don't have to worry about that bastard any more."

Helene stared at Katrina for a moment and then began to whimper. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank God you are here!"

Katrina worked on the knots and soon had one hand untied. Leaning across the girl, Katrina worked to free her left hand. As soon as Katrina had the arm free, Helene brought up her legs and placed her bare feet against Katrina's chest. With all her might, the young blonde pushed with her legs. Totally unprepared for the attack, Katrina flew backwards across the room and crashed into the dresser.

Dazed, Katrina could not understand the reaction from this girl she was rescuing. She watched in disbelief as Helene snatched up the automatic from the bedside table and pointed it at her. She could see Helene struggling to pull the trigger. Her back in agony, Katrina fought to get up before the girl realized the safety was on.

"Richard," the girl began shouting as Katrina got to her feet. "Richard, hurry, they're here! The Cartel is here!"

Chapter 35 - THIEVES

David had almost worked his way to the beach side of the basement when he heard the large crash from the main floor. Almost as soon as he heard a woman start calling for 'Richard', there was a scrapping of metal on concrete from the back. David pictured Duman relaxing on the patio while they wasted time searching rooms. By the time David reached the back door, he saw Duman climbing into the boat. Duman seemed almost frantic, swearing loudly in Turkish and searching beneath the tarp. In a rage, he threw the tarp over the side of the boat onto the dock. David thought he might be looking for a weapon. If the terrorist was without a weapon, now was the time to act.

Shouldering through the door, David started firing the AK-47 in short bursts. Running across the sand while firing, David's aim was off. The bullets tore up the dock and one shattered the windshield of the boat. Before David had taken five steps, Duman had picked up an AK-47 of his own from the front of the boat and was spraying the back of the house. David veered to the left and rolled behind a large brick barbecue pit. Peering around the edge, he realized that not only was he out of sight, so was Duman. The boathouse blocked Duman from view.

The speedboat roared to life. David looked again. There was a line tied to the back of the boat. Duman would have to untie that line to escape. This would be David's only shot.

* * * * *

Katrina tried to ignore the pain and slowly got to her feet. Her first step almost took the leg out from under her but she braced herself against the wall. Helene suddenly realized why the gun would not fire. She turned the gun in her hand and saw the small safety switch. As Helene flipped the safety off, Katrina launched herself across the room. She grabbed the gun in Helene's hand as the girl pointed it back at her. A round went off, grazing Katrina's right shoulder. Katrina grabbed the gun with both hands and twisted viciously. The young girl screamed and released the gun. With both hands still wrapped around the gun, Katrina viciously backhanded the girl across the face. The added weight of the handgun sent Helene sprawling across the bed as automatic weapon fire shattered the silence from the beach.

Katrina ran to the door of the balcony and looked out. She could see Duman in the boat firing toward the house. She couldn't see David but suspected he was Duman's target. Duman suddenly stopped firing and started the boat. Katrina pulled the screen door open and ran onto the balcony.

Ten feet off the ground, she had an excellent vantage point. Pointing the handgun at Duman, she called out to the terrorist as she fired. A wave tossed the boat and the bullet went wide, burying itself in the control console of the boat.

Duman turned and crouched down behind the seats of the boat. For the briefest moment, shock registered on his face when he saw Katrina. Then, he smiled.

"I should have known. You bitch! Where did you put my treasure? Thieving Greek bitch. Is that the Jew hiding behind my barbecue? Wouldn't think you'd get that close to an oven, Jew! Why don't you come out where I can see you?"

Katrina aimed the handgun again. Before she could fire, Helene ran out of the bedroom and slammed into Katrina's back. The automatic went over the balcony and landed in the bushes below. Helene's momentum pushed Katrina against the railing. The wooden rail snapped. Katrina barely held her balance before pushing Helene backwards. Pulling the young girl off her back, Katrina twisted her around. Wrapping one arm around her throat, she looked down at Duman.

"Now I have a hostage for a change," Katrina said.

"And you think I care?" Duman said, picking up something from under the console. He fired a burst of gunfire at David. "Stay there, Jew. I'll deal with you in a minute."

Though David could not see Duman, he suddenly understood the wires he had seen in the house. Ignoring the bullets hitting the bricks, he ran out from behind the cover of the barbecue and screamed up at Katrina. "The house is wired! He's going to blow the house!"

Katrina responded instantly. Putting her hands under Helene's arms, Katrina tossed her through the break in the railing. The young girl had barely cleared the deck when Katrina dove off the balcony into the brush. Hitting the ground hard, she rolled behind the wall as the house behind her exploded.

David cleared the boathouse and brought the AK-47 up just as the house exploded. The force of the blast sent him sprawling into the sand. His rifle flew out of his hands and landed five feet in front of him. Ears ringing, he struggled to get up as debris rained down around him. A large board hit him in the back but he ignored it as he stared at Duman. The terrorist had retrieved his rifle and had it pointed at David.

"And so it finally ends, Jew," Duman said, smiling broadly.

David smiled back. Duman's smile faltered briefly, not understanding David's look.

"Yes, so it finally ends," David said as he watched the red sniper scope dance across Duman's forehead. Without warning, the back of Duman's head exploded as the high-powered bullet ripped through his skull.