~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chapter Six~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The side tunnel!" Jen suggested. They slipped into it
a minute before the voices went past, discussing the cargo.
Hearing more voices at the cave entrance, Jen turned and
faced the darkness of the small tunnel.
"Maybe we can find a way out at the end of this tunnel,"
Trent suggested quietly. They began their trek into the
darkness. The dark journey lasted a few hundred feet, then
Trent turned his flashlight back on. He’d turned it off
when he’d heard voices earlier.
"I don’t think they’ll be able to see the light from
back there," Trent said, leading the way around a turn.
They stopped at the foot of a spiral stone staircase.
"That looks like our way out," Jen said, leading
the way up.
* * *
Carlos met Sergeant Miller next to Trent’s ‘Vette by
the bait shop. He wondered where his friends were.
Miller had a number of other officers with him.
"If I recall right," Miller began, "there used to be
a cave around that ledge." He pointed in the direction.
"If there’s anyone smuggling here, they’d be using that
cave."
Carlos felt a tinge of unease as they approached the
ledge. It was such a long drop into the water if you
fell...
Miller climbed onto the ledge.
"Detective Sandoval, come on!" Miller urged. "You’re
next!"
Carlos turned away from the water and stepped onto the
ledge. He teetered, and then he steadied himself against
the cliff-face.
He took a shuffle-step towards the cave, and then
another.
"You’re doing fine, Detective," Miller encouraged from
the other end of the ledge.
Carlos stumbled off the ledge onto the shore. The
other officers jumped off behind him, and the men gathered
behind a large rock to observe the smugglers.
"They’re moving," Carlos pointed out as he recovered
from his trauma.
"I’ll radio the Coast Guard," Miller told Carlos.
"They’ve been on standby since our last conversation." He
made the call.
A minute later, a Coast Guard ship appeared behind the
smuggler’s ship. Carlos listened as the Coast Guard ordered
the smugglers to cease and desist.
A few of the smugglers broke for the cave, but Carlos,
Miller, and his men stopped them.
"Freeze!" Carlos yelled, gun drawn.
The smugglers, trapped, froze.
* * *
Jen stopped at an obstacle -- the stairs led straight
into a ceiling!
"There has to be a trapdoor," Jen said, pressing against
the ceiling. "Stairs don’t normally lead nowhere." Jen
found the catch and threw the door open, then she popped
halfway out and looked around.
Later, Jen would wonder who was more surprised, her or
Lars Gymai. The first thing Jen’s eyes landed on was Gymai,
the second on the long, curved sword he was holding to
another man’s chest. The third was the sword heading right
at her!
Jen ducked and shouted a warning to Trent.
"Look out!"
After the sword skimmed over her head, Jen jumped out
of the doorway, putting herself at a somewhat better advantage
than she’d been previously.
As Jen kicked the sword from Gymai’s hand, Trent climbed
out of the trapdoor and immediately recognized that they
were inside the closed-up bait shop.
Gymai knocked Jen aside, and Trent stopped Gymai from
advancing on Jen by spinning him around and punching him.
Since Trent was busy with Gymai, Jen made her way over
to the other man.
"Mr. Halloran?" Jen asked as she removed his gag. The
man nodded. "I’m Jennifer Garrison."
Gymai fought back, forcing Trent to the edge of the
open trapdoor. Barely balancing on the precipice, Trent
spun around and kicked Gymai, hitting the man with enough
force to send him crashing through the rusted and boarded
shut door!
"Freeze!"
Trent and Jen helped Mr. Halloran outside, where they
saw Carlos cuffing Lars Gymai.
* * *
It was dark.
Trent, Carlos, Jen, and Mr. Halloran stood by the pier,
tying up the loose ends of the case. Halloran had already
explained that Gymai had admitted to being behind the threats
and the smuggling, and he’d bragged of his murder of Samuel
Rygali, although he’d never found the gold replica The Jolly
Redger, which Trent had handed over to Sergeant Miller.
He’d also been responsible for Mr. Halloran’s disappearance
the day Trent and Carlos had come to speak with him. However,
he’d had nothing to do with the deaths of the other smugglers
involved with Ole’ Red; apparently they really had died of
natural causes.
Carlos was explaining his involvement. "After we cuffed
the men outside the cave, they told us about the goods, the
side tunnel, and where the tunnel came out," Carlos explained.
"Miller and his men headed for the caves, and I headed back
topsi--"
Carlos broke off and stared out at the water.
"What’s the matter?" Trent asked. Carlos nodded towards
the water, and Trent, Jen, and Mr. Halloran all turned to
see what was making Carlos speechless.
Trent was amazed to see the familiar pirate ship with
The Jolly Redger carved on the side. The ship glowed
a ghostly white as it sailed across the bay...and simply...
disappeared.
"What was that?" Carlos asked a moment later.
Trent, still stunned, answered, "You’re asking the
wrong person, Carlos."
THE END
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