Barracuda (27 page)

It was hidden in the shadows of the netting high
in the superstructure of the
Saratoga
. It liked to look down
on Its territory, which It had successfully defended against the
gray reef sharks and the awkward bubble-blowing fish. Now It was
perched to defend Its realm again if need be.

Suddenly, It felt the presence of large
creatures against his lateral lines again. It was unable to see
anything below, and then It realized that they were above him. Many
shadows were converging on It, and at first It thought that the
sharks had somehow outmaneuvered him and were about to attack. It
had lost the advantage of the shadows by allowing predators to get
above.

It swam swiftly off in a southerly direction
since the shapes approached from the north. When It was a good
distance away, It heard very loud noises and felt repeated blows to
his body’s lateral lines. After a while, the noises ceased, but It
felt the shockwaves for a considerable time. It realized that a new
predator lived above the water. It would recognize these enemies
from their cylinder shapes and the awesome noise that violently
moved water. Now that the antagonists had stopped their attack, It
would initiate one of Its own.

***

Hiroshi burst into Andrej’s office and slammed
his fist down on the huge mahogany desk. His face was so red that
it looked purple, and several veins were popping and pulsating on
his forehead. “You idiot! What are you doing? Don’t you see the
VIPs have arrived? Don’t you know who they are? You’re blasting
away our idyllic South Pacific lagoon the day of our grand opening
while I have fireworks planned for tonight. This is madness, utter
madness!

“Have you located the Bible? That is the only
thing that will save our lives, but no, you haven’t found the
Bible! You are too busy killing cops and blowing up fish right in
front of our honored guests!”

Hiroshi was demonic in his rage. He pounded the
poor desk furiously, and his eyeballs nearly burst right out of
their sockets. He spoke in a heated rush that caused his mouth to
foam with saliva.

Andrej tuned him out, daydreaming his defense to
the Russian mob while Hiroshi ranted and raved like a maniac.
Meanwhile, Hiroshi, a lover of war strategy, believed that the best
defense was a good offense. He was pretending to be out of control
to lull Andrej into a false sense of security thinking that he had
lost command. He also wanted the hotel staff to hear an angry
dispute in which he was laying all the blame on the Russians.

Andrej fell right into his hands, since he
didn’t dispute any of his accusations. Each man was playing a
deadly game of Blind Man’s Bluff.

***

Chuu knocked respectfully on Flacka’s door and
she told him to enter. Chuu was fond of her and had spent many
hours at the pool bar talking to her, telling her stories about his
home in Japan. He trusted her since she was an expatriate and not
associated with the Russians. He looked at her wounds, fell to the
ground, took a praying posture, and rocked back and forth,
whispering prayers in Japanese.

“I never meant for this to happen to you. The
Russians are out of control. I just prayed for your quick recovery,
and I will speak with Mr. Hiroshi about this outrage. He is a man
of honor and will make amends. Here is your pay, doubled as a start
for reparations for this violation.”

“You are a good man, Chuu,” Flacka said, “and I
harbor no resentment to you, Mr. Hiroshi, or any of the Japanese. I
am grateful for the extra wages. I will need them since I will be
out of work for some time.”

“I will speak to Mr. Hiroshi, and I am sure that
you will be paid for your sick leave.”

“Thank you, Chuu.” She hesitated, as if torn,
playing her part well. Then she launched into the speech Micko had
instructed her to give. “I know I shouldn’t get involved, but you
and Mr. Hiroshi have been very good to me, so I will tell you. A
few days ago, I was ordered to bring vodka to Andrej’s office. I
brought the bottle and stopped to see what else needed to be
refreshed in the liquor cabinet. I just wanted to do my job, but
also I overheard Andrej tell Disco to take the Bible with him when
he took the suitcases of the Barrett brothers to the Bikini resort
and checked them in. He said they could kill two birds with one
stone. They could sneak the dead brothers’ gear into the Bikini
resort and then mail the Bible from there back to New York without
the Japanese knowing.

“The Russian Mafia planned on double crossing
the Japanese Yakuza, keeping all the laundered money and pulling
out of the Majestic after the grand opening. Andrej figured Mr.
Hiroshi would be too busy with the grand opening to know anything
was going on. He was elated that he had made a fool out of the
entire Japanese organization and knew that all of you on Shark Ally
Island would be condemned to death. Andrej is ecstatic and will
probably get away with this. I fear for your safety, Chuu.”

Chuu’s merrily dancing eyebrows furrowed into an
ominous frown. “Flacka, you are a good friend. As I stand before
you, I swear to avenge this indignity the Russians have done to you
and my associates.” He gently kissed the top of her head and bowed
solemnly before leaving.

Flacka smiled. She knew that the cop’s plan was
now falling into place. Despite her injuries, she felt alive and
good. This had the makings of an unforgettable night.

***

The men assembled in Regis’ cottage and shared a
meal of fresh fruit, nuts, and fish. When the silent meal was over,
Micko told the others of his plan. He laid down the groundwork for
the two mafias to fight amongst themselves. Hopefully, they would
be so busy fighting each other that neither would bother about
them. This would buy them some time until Buddy and the FBI
arrived. If all went well, they would arrive the next day, so they
just had to survive the night. If the Russians and the Japanese
fought each other overnight, they would be safe. The grand opening
would also keep them busy, and Tiki and his rebels had a vandalism
plan that would certainly distract them.

The men liked the strategy. It was a
three-pronged scheme that would buy them the time they needed if
they kept quiet and laid low. The scientists lamented how their
studies were suffering just when they were on the brink of great
discoveries. Then the conversation turned toward the giant
barracuda and how it had developed. Questions were raised as to
whether there could be another giant predator waiting to be
released, something larger, meaner, and more fearful than the
barracuda.

Regis laughed, “How could anything be meaner?
This thing attacks and kills schools of sharks as well as divers.
The only thing meaner than this is the Grim Reaper himself.”

The men all had a good laugh at this, and the
levity was welcome as they waited for the fireworks to begin.

***

Chuu had just finished relaying Flacka’s story
to Hiroshi and was waiting for a reaction.

His boss sat still, absorbing what he had just
heard, for several minutes in deep thought before he spoke slowly
and deliberately. “Chuu, have all our men armed tonight. This grand
opening has all the markings of a grand funeral.”

This made Chuu happy, and he was ready to serve
his revenge cold. Both the Japanese and the Russians had weapons
lockers in their quarters. Chuu went to the casino and spread the
word that, one by one, the workers should take a short break, go to
the weapons room, and be assigned a weapon. Normally, only workers
on guard duty were assigned weapons, but this night was going to be
different.

Wealthy people were packed in the casino,
watching a bawdy burlesque review. One of the Russian racketeers
named Pavel noticed the unusual activity among the Japanese
workers, so he followed a blackjack dealer going on a cigarette
break and learned what was going on. He left the raucous,
breast-touted show to warn Andrej that a standoff was imminent.

***

Hiroshi was back at the dock, directing the
Lily I
and
II
as they pulled the fireworks barge into
position. He had a point-to-point radio to simultaneously direct
both captains. Once he was satisfied that the barge was in the best
position possible for maximum effect, he directed the boats to
secure it with a heavy-duty anchor line. He wanted his guests and
the villagers to see the fireworks display, but he didn’t want the
guests at the Bikini resort to get a free show.

Mara was in charge of securing the barge. There
was a strong easterly wind blowing, and the weather reports called
for a breezy night. Mara knew that the wind was blowing across the
atoll toward the Majestic wharf, so he wanted to lay out extra
anchor line to ensure a strong hold against the wind.
Unfortunately, the steel anchor chain was too short to accomplish
this, so he attached a rope line to the steel anchor line and
played out more than enough line for his purpose. Once the anchor
was dropped and the barge was secured, the two
Lilies
berthed at the dock.

The sunset was gorgeous as usual, and Hiroshi
had to make the final preparations for the lavish party. He had the
Japanese staff set up the outdoor tables and string up Japanese
lanterns. The caterers were preparing exotic dishes and appetizers,
and the twelve-piece orchestra was tuning up on a luxurious
bandstand. Hiroshi was content in the knowledge that the grand
opening festivities were running smooth.
Now,
he thought,
it’s time to deal with those double-crossing Russians!

***

The intercom system throughout the Majestic
Hotel, casino, golf course, and grounds issued an invitation to the
great lawn for cocktails, appetizers, and entertainment. The
message also indicated that the Majestic director, Mr. Hiroshi,
would say a few words and christen the resort in a grand opening
ceremony to be followed by a regal fireworks show.

Soon a myriad of curious, high society guests
and crime lords began to converge on the great lawn. Some of the
visitors were members of the Micronesia bureaucracy, while others
were wealthy environmentalists; and still others were just rich
gamblers who had come to feed their lust for gaming in exotic
casinos.

Mixed into this group of influential people was
a pack of wolves in sheep’s clothing. On one side, there were the
Japanese businessmen who made their fortune at the expense of
others, high-ranking members of the Yakuza escorting young women
half their age. On the other side were high-ranking members of the
Russian crime syndicate based in Brooklyn, New York. Some were
older crime bosses with their hooker girlfriends, while others were
younger hotheaded soldiers with too much testosterone and money to
spend.

Under ideal circumstances, this mix was a recipe
for disaster. Cultured wealth stood champagne glass to champagne
glass with armed felons. The spiritual, educated, Japanese, who
were so strong in tradition, were facing off against what they
considered to be immoral Neanderthals. The two crime families
shared a ruthless mantra and a need for power and wealth, but that
was about all they had in common.

While the non-criminal element of high society
enjoyed being waited on hand and foot, the crime families were
eyeballing each other in a Mexican standoff. Hiroshi made the rich
and famous feel so comfortable and at ease they never noticed the
visual hostility between the Japanese and Russian guests.

The sunset was a spectacular event as the
orchestra played Strauss waltzes and the waiters delivered
champagne, caviar, oysters, and jumbo shrimp to the eager diners.
The breeze whipped up the ends of the white tablecloths, resembling
swans trying to take flight.

When the sun dipped below the horizon, the
Majestic Resort Hotel was bathed in darkness. Hiroshi was keeping
the lights off for a minute for effect. Suddenly, there was a drum
roll, the Japanese lanterns were lit, and some waiters waltzed
about with glowing sparklers while others rolled in a smorgasbord
of delights. The guests helped themselves to filet mignon, chicken
marsala, lobster, fish chowder, and a bevy of desserts.

When Hiroshi was convinced that everyone had
been wined and dined, he stepped up to the microphone on the
bandstand. “Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to the Majuro
Majestic Dive Resort and Casino,” he announced to a thunderous
applause. After a short pause, he continued, “As you all know, the
Majestic is dually owned and operated by representatives from both
Russia and Japan. I am Hiroshi, your host and the director of this
lovely resort.”

Another round of applause was followed by a
short burst of fireworks from the barge. Hiroshi introduced Andrej
and several other key people, and thanked the Micronesia government
and people for making this all possible. He then announced, “You
have all been invited here to share in the beauty and splendor of
the grand opening of the Majuro Majestic Dive Resort and Casino,
and I hope you all have a night that you will never forget.”

The orchestra broke into a reel of John Philip
Sousa songs as the sky lit up with a fabulous fireworks show. For
the first few minutes, the guests kept applauding as new and varied
shells exploded in wild displays of rainbow-colored starbursts.
Soon they realized that the show might go on for hours, so they sat
with their drinks and just “oohed” and “ahhed.”

Hiroshi watched anxiously as his guests were
mesmerized by the pyrotechnics. To this point, the grand opening
was a success, but he had bigger fish to fry. He had sent Chuu to
search through records in Andrej’s office to incriminate the
Russians for stealing the Bible and sending it to New York. Hiroshi
knew how anal Alex was, and he was sure he kept a record of the
mailing, as well as the orders to do so. This was Hiroshi’s only
way to save face and inevitably save his life and the lives of his
staff. The fireworks display was the perfect venue for distraction.
Hiroshi smiled to himself. There was still time to salvage his
honor and his career.