Chapter 27

Frank, Jonesy and Anita take matters into their own hands

Niccolo Souza lived in a one bedroom walk up apartment above a local bar in Green Cove Springs. With the information Jonesy had provided, FDLE resources were already at his apartment. He was not there, but because he was believed to be instrumental in finding Maggie, his apartment was searched. There was not much to search through. The furnishings were modest. He had no television or other electronics. He had a single bed with two sets of cardboard drawers that held his clothes. His kitchen was nearly empty with only some bottled water and beer in the refrigerator. His closet contained a few shirts, a black suit and some shoes. There was nothing here to help the case.

As the FDLE team left the building, a man in dark slacks, a white shirt and sunglasses dialed a number on his phone from the diner across the street. He spoke in rapid Portuguese. ON the other end of the call a warning had been delivered telling his cousin that he had been discovered and to be wary of approaching boats.

"Nico, it’s a big ocean. They will never find us before we deliver our cargo".

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"So you and Jones believe the girls are being held on a fishing vessel and they will be transferred to the cargo ship on the water? It's a long shot, but based on your results so far, we can barely ignore it", Hammersmith said to Frank.

"So where do we go from here?" Frank asked. "If the Coast Guard storms the cargo ship before Maggie is on board, we'll come up empty".

"Well, finding the fishing boat that belongs to Nico's family out in the open ocean will be nearly impossible. We will have to hope we can track the exchange. We will have to rely on the Coast Guard at this point. They have jurisdiction. It's a long shot unless we can get a location on the fishing boat. We've already seized the records from the office of the company Nico's brother and cousins run. They didn't file a plan for their travels".

"I'm not sure where I can help at this point".

"I'm not sure either. You've given us a huge jump in tracking these guys. We know that Maggie is likely on the Souza fishing boat, Rei do Mar. We know the name of the cargo ship and where it's docked. The ideal scenario would be to find the fishing boat and recover Maggie there and catch the bad guys. If we have to, as a last resort, we'll stop the cargo ship before it can leave port tomorrow. That would be tricky, though".

"Why do you say that?” Frank asked.

"Usually, because the port is in a free trade zone, it's very hard to get clearance to stop and search a ship. It requires a federal warrant from the Department of Homeland Security under circumstances that point to an imminent threat of terrorism. It may be hard to pull that together in less than 24 hours".

"So we still have to improve our odds. That sounds like something I can work on with Jonesy. I can't just sit on the sidelines and wait to see if it all works out".

"I appreciate how you feel, but I think there is strength in numbers at this point".

"Well, we might attack it at a different angle".

"Just make sure you don't do anything crazy without filling us in".

"Crazy, we would never do that".

"I know you want to see this case through, but don't go rogue on me just to be the hero".

Frank shook his head. He said goodbye to Hammersmith and headed to his car. Once in the car and on his way, he called Jonesy.

"Jones".

"Jonesy, it looks like we are in a holding pattern".

"What do you mean?"

Frank went through what Hammersmith had told him about their options.

"Those boys are thinking on a large scale", Jonesy said. "I've got some small scale ideas".

"What do you have in mind?"

"What was Nico's address in Green Cove Springs?"

Frank pulled over to look it up on his phone.

"It's upstairs from the Corner Pocket bar at 14 South Magnolia Avenue".

"OK. Good. Get yourself to the surf shop as quick as you can".

"I'll be there".

Frank sped up and reached Jonesy's shop in about 40 minutes. Frank walked through the front door, nodded at Dusty, and headed directly to Jonesy's office.

"What's the plan, Jonesy?"

"I may have something. It's a long shot, but it's holding up the more I dig".

"Let's hear it".

"I took Nico's address and started looking at cell phone traffic. Because he lives over a bar, the traffic was pretty heavy in that location".

"So how can we identify his cell phone activity?"

"Well, it occurred to me that Nico is probably in contact with the boat that his brother and cousins are using to hold the girls. I had to make some assumptions. Since they didn't find a radio in Nico's apartment, I assumed he is using a cell phone. Unless the boat stays in US waters a mile or so from shore, a traditional cell phone wouldn't work.”

"So how can he use his phone to get in touch with them?"

"If they have a satellite phone, Nico could call them wherever they are on the ocean".

"Would that be common? That's pretty high-tech".

"They used to be, but now satellite phones are about the size of your average smart phone. You can get one for about $600".

"So how does that help us?"

"Satellite phones only go through a limited number of carriers. There are six worldwide, to be exact. Only three service the United States".

"So you were able to find calls using one of these carriers?"

"Eventually I was. A single cell phone was used to call a satellite phone at or near Nico's address. One call was as recent as today".

"Today? But the FDLE searched his place today".

"The coordinates of the phone are accurate to within 300 yards. He could have been close to his apartment watching the FDLE while he placed a call warning his relatives".

"What can we do with this information? We have a number, but we can't exactly triangulate them on the ocean, especially if they are moving".

"We might just be able to find the boat's exact location".

"How?”

"Actually, we can use simple technology. After 9/11 all cell phone manufacturers were mandated to put a GPS tracking chip in all phones, including satellite phones. When an individual needs to be tracked, this tracking chip can be activated and tracked to a nearly exact location within ten feet or less. The signal is emitted from the phone several times each minute even if the phone is turned off".

"So how do we get the chip activated?"

"Well, there are two ways that I know of. One is to go through proper channels with the federal government and wait for them to decide if the request is compelling enough to approve".

"That sounds too slow. What's the other option?"

"The other option involves me hacking into the satellite phone carriers system and turning on the tracking chip".

"How long before you have that done?"

"Five minutes before you got here".

Frank smiled.

"OK, so what do we do now?"

"I have a plan", Jonesy said. "We'll need Anita and a couple of pieces of equipment".

"Well, it's almost dark, let's get Anita here".

"She's on her way".

Jonesy filled Frank in on the plan.

"I want to handle this quickly", Frank said. "FDLE asked me to keep them informed. They just didn't say when. Let's put your plan in motion and we'll bring them and the Coast Guard in at the right time".

Just then, Anita arrived.

"What's the plan?" she asked by way of saying hello.

"A little late night rendezvous on the water", Jonesy answered.

"Well, neither of you are my type, so I hope there's more to the plan".

"There is, but first, we need access to a fast boat", Frank said.

They both looked at Anita.

"Why am I the source of the boat? Doesn't Fat Sam have a boat?"

"The Big Easy IV?” Jonesy said. "It's not exactly built for speed. We could probably row it faster than the engines would take us. That boat is built for partying, not stealthy, high-speed ocean espionage".

"Didn't you just confiscate a boat in that drug bust your department had a couple of weeks ago?” Frank asked.

Anita smiled.

"Well, I am in charge since Bubba's meltdown. I suppose we can take it for a spin".

"I need to pick up a few things from the trailer", Frank said.

"That works. I need to get the boat keys out of evidence".

"I need to get a few things together too", Jonesy said.

They agreed to meet at Jacksonville Beach Marina in an hour.

Frank returned to the trailer. Lucy was happy to see him and he felt guilty for neglecting her.

"It will be over soon, girl, one way or another".

Frank went into his bedroom and lifted the small throw rug in front of his dresser. He grabbed a duffel bag from under the bed and unlocked the small trap door that was under the rug. The compartment held a few emergency provisions that Frank had collected for occasions like the one they were facing tonight. Among the provisions were some non-lethal flash bang grenades. He took two. These devices were used to temporarily blind and disorient targets at night. Frank also grabbed to SIG Pro semi-automatic pistols with four extra clips. To these, he added a handful of assorted zip ties to use as restraints.

While Frank was gathering his provisions, Jonesy was also retrieving a couple of essential supplies. He had a special GPS tracking unit that could easily be tuned to pick up the satellite phone's signature on the open water. He also grabbed the night vision goggles they had used on Cobb's property along with an infrared sensing pair of special binoculars.

Anita collected the keys to the confiscated speed boat as well as some provisions they would need for the roles they would be playing. She then changed into a skimpy sundress to complete her transformation into a bimbo out with two men for a late night cruise.

The three of them met at Jacksonville Beach Marina. It was now 9:45 and fully dark. Not too dark for Frank to give a long look at Anita.

"What is your problem, Piano Boy? Do I have anything you haven't seen before?"

"Well, I wasn't sure there was a girl under all of the black clothes and leather. There definitely is".

"Put your eyes back in your head, we've got a job to do.  Besides, you don't exactly float my boat", Anita said with a devilish smile.

They walked together to the slip that held the confiscated boat. Frank and Jonesy were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the boat. It was a 42' Special Edition Cigarette Ducati speed boat.

"Wow. Your drug dealer had excellent taste in boats. That boat goes for about $700,000 and will do about 120 miles per hour with those twin Mercury engines", Jonesy said.

"Well, he may have been smart about boats, but he was dumb enough to get caught speeding on I-95 with about ten pounds of cocaine in his car on the way to a party", Anita said.

They loaded the supplies onto the boat. Jonesy took the keys from Anita and expertly started up the powerful engines. He then connected the GPS unit and quickly configured it. A red dot began flashing on the grid that overlaid the electronic ocean chart on the 10 inch screen.

"It looks like they're about 60 miles off the coast of Atlantic Beach. With this boat, we can get to them in about 45-60 minutes", Jonesy said.

Anita climbed in and Frank untied the lines and followed her. Jonesy expertly maneuvered the boat out of the marina and onto the Intracoastal Waterway for the journey north to the mouth of the St. Johns River and through the brackish water to the open ocean. Once on the ocean, he was able to open up the powerful engines and quickly close the gap between them and the flashing red dot on the GPS. During the journey, they took turns at the wheel while the remaining two went over the details of the plan.

Soon Jonesy eased back on the throttle, shut down the engines, and killed the boats lights so they could do one more run through of the plan.

"OK, we are about two miles away, just out of visual and audible range", Jonesy said. "It's time to put the plan into action".

The three began to carry out their prearranged tasks. Anita put empty wine and beer bottles on the deck of the boat to indicate they had been partying heavily. Frank helped her finish this and then positioned himself on the bench seat in the starboard section of the boat and laid face down with an arm hanging onto the deck. Anita sat in the copilot seat next to Jonesy. Jonesy turned the boat's lights back on and adjusted the throttle and clutch so that the single engine he turned on sounded like it was struggling. He also fire up the 550,000 candle spotlight and began shining it on the water in front of them as he eased the boat forward.

After about 20 minutes of this, Jonesy trained the light on a 68 foot trawler. The name Rei do Mar was in large black letters on the back of the boat. They had found the boat. Jonesy quickly killed the spotlight. It was show time. Frankly slowly raised his head and brought the infrared binoculars to his eyes. He was able to make out the outlines of human forms on the boat.

"OK", he said quietly. "I see two people on the deck, one at port, the other at starboard. There are four in the cabin above deck".

He pointed the binoculars toward the side of the hull.

"I can make out five huddled together below deck. That must be the where the girls are being held. Let's do this".

He put his head back down and pretended to be passed out on the seat. Anita sat casually in the copilot seat faking considerable alcohol consumption and Jonesy pretended to have engine trouble. Suddenly Anita's voice became loud so it would carry over the water. "See, you stalled it. I told you it was going to. You just don't know what you're doing".

"Well, your boyfriend, who supposedly knows what he's doing with this boat, is passed out in the back. I don't know what you see in that loser anyway", Jonesy answered loudly.

"You're just jealous. If you could afford a boat like this, maybe I'd see something in you".

"If I owned a boat like this, at least I'd take care of it and I'd take care of you too".

All the time Jonesy and Anita were having this loud discussion, Jonesy was maneuvering the speed boat closer to the fishing trawler. They were surely within earshot now. As he eased up on the side of the boat, he cut the engines completely.

"Great. Now what?" Anita said.

"I think I flooded them. I guess we'll just have to wait a while and then try again".

"Hey, what about that boat over there?" Anita said wavering on her feet as she pointed toward it. "Maybe they can help us".

"It's worth a try unless you want to wait until sleeping beauty wakes up".

Jonesy shined the light on the deck of the Rei do Mar. When he moved the beam to the direction where Frank had seen the crew member at the bow of the boat, they saw a tall man who was already looking in their direction.

"Hey, can you help us out?” Jonesy shouted as they moved closer.

The man shined his own spotlight in Jonesy’s face and said, "No. We can't help. Pull away from this boat now".

"I'm sorry, we can't pull away. My engines are stalled. Don't you have someone that can take a look at them for us?"

"It was not very smart to come out this far into the open ocean without bring someone who can service your engines".

"Well, we have someone, but he is not...um...not well right now", Jonesy said as he shined the light on Franks still form on the bench seat.

"We can't help you", the man insisted.

"But we're out here so far and I'm starting to get scared", Anita said flashing a good amount of leg and cleavage.

The man's posture changed a bit as he moved his spotlight beam to Anita and focused on her from the neck down. She shifted in her seat accordingly making the most of the skimpy sundress.

"Alright, you can come aboard while we have someone look at your engines. The sick one stays on your boat".

"Thank you so much", Anita said in her best sultry voice.

The boats had drifted close enough together so they could reach the ladder that had been put out for them.

Jonesy stepped onto the bow of the speed boat. The other crew member from the back of the boat had joined the original crew member. He carried a tool box and was presumably the one to look at their engines. Jonesy boarded the fishing boat and was immediately frisked. Anita joined him and, despite the very small possibility of being able to hide a weapon under her flimsy dress, the first crew member frisked her very slowly and thoroughly. Jonesy felt sorry for him knowing what was coming and what was going through Anita's mind.

The second guard climbed down the ladder to the rear of the speed boat. As he neared the seat that Frank was "passed out" on, he began to climb over the bench seat to access the engine compartment. As he did this, Frank sat up and shouted, "Now!” Frank struck the mechanic in the jaw with a heavy metal flashlight and at the same time, Jonesy quickly put the first guard in an incapacitating hold while Anita grabbed the pistol that he had stored in the rear of his jeans. Frank tossed a small bag with duct tape and zip ties to them so they could secure and silence the crew member. Anita took great pleasure in making the zip ties extra tight. She then returned the favor by frisking him without the lustful groping that she had experienced. Instead, she quickly and efficiently checked him for weapons with a lack of gentleness that brought tears to his eyes. They stuffed a small rag in his mouth and covered it with duct tape.

Frank, having secured the mechanic, joined them on the deck. He handed pistols to Jonesy and Anita and carried one of his own along with a flash bang grenade. They moved together toward the above deck cabin where the four remaining crew members were presumably sleeping. Anita tried the door and it was unlocked. Frank armed the grenade. Anita opened the door and Frank tossed it in away from the sleeping men. The resulting noise and flash of light accomplished the goal of disorienting the men. When the flash had dissipated, the three of them put on the night vision goggles and entered the dark cabin. The four men were in various stages of rubbing their eyes and holding their ears.

Frank and Jonesy moved quickly to subdue the four men while Anita secured their wrists and ankles. They had secured the boat's crew with no bloodshed; or so they thought.

As they came out of the cabin and moved to the cargo hold where the girls were being held, a shot rang out from above the deck from the direction of the ship's bridge. Jonesy immediately went down. Anita swung toward the direction of the shot. She took aim and fired twice. A figure fell from the bridge to the deck below. Frank immediately went to Jonesy. Anita went to check on the status of the fallen gunman. She found that she had hit him in the leg causing his fall. He drifted in and out of consciousness as she secured his arms and legs. His pain indicated potential broken bones, but he would live. She left him and rejoined Frank who was tending to Jonesy.

"Is he OK?"

"He's lost some blood, but the bullet hit him in the left shoulder. I'm just worried about the angle that it hit him at".

Frank had torn Jonesy's Ron Jon t-shirt and was using it to compress the wound to stop the bleeding.

"Hey man, your ruining my favorite shirt", a weakened Jonesy said through the fog of pain he was experiencing.

"Well, that's a good sign", Anita said. "He's bitching about his shirt".

Frank tore off some duct tape and secured the wadded t-shirt to Jonesy's wound.

"Let's go back to the cargo hold and look for Maggie", Frank said. "But be careful. We don't need any more surprises".

Anita backed Frank up as he drew his gun and opened the cargo hold. The stench from the enclosed space was nearly overpowering. Frank mad sure there were no threats and then flipped the switch that was next to the hatch. A single light bulb illuminated the human debris that moaned and writhed on the floor. As he and Anita descended, he shined a flashlight from figure to figure.

"Maggie? Maggie Bullock?" Frank said as he searched with his flashlight.

Finally, in the furthest corner of the space, the beam caught a mass of blond curly hair. The head turned and unmistakable blue eyes that Maggie shared with her mother looked tentatively at Frank and Anita.

"Who...who are you?" she asked.

"I'm here to take you home", Frank said.

Anita and Frank helped each of the five girls to the deck above. As they helped Maggie, who was physically the least unstable, she asked, "How did you find me? Who are you?"

As Frank was about to address her questions, a powerful spotlight lit up the entire ship. A loud amplified voice quickly revealed the source of the light.

"This is the US Coast Guard Cutter Valiant. Please drop your weapons and put your hands where they can be seen".

"That's a relief", Jonesy said from the deck where he had worked himself up to a sitting position.

"What are you talking about?" Frank asked.

"When I saw the bright white light, I thought I was a goner".

Frank just shook his head. What a wise a*s.