The Fisherman & The Mermaid - S01 E12

Story 1 week ago

The Fisherman & The Mermaid - S01 E12

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 12

Like many alarm systems mine had a portable hand set. It could be configured either to beep or to vibrate just like a cell phone. Each night I set it to vibrate and put it under my pillow. I was sure this would be a Saturday job. All these men worked for a living so they would have limited time to plan and conduct surveillance. I didn't think they would do either they'd show up and kill us then walk away. Yeah, right!

Marta was spooning with me, facing the rear of the house when my pillow began to vibrate. It was 3:00 Sunday moming. My Marine training kicked in immediately. I was awake in a second. I put my hand over Marta's mouth. "It's happening. Get dressed quickly and quietly-no bathroom and no lights. I'll call Jimmy and our guards as soon as we're upstairs." To her credit she was dressed-shorts and a top-in less than twenty seconds and up the stairs five later. I followed her and pulled the stairs up, dropping my trap door once they were locked in place. I called Jimmy, "It's happening; think there are four of them from the reactions of my sensors. I'll call our guards and let them know." I hung up with Jimmy and called Marco. "They're here, Marco. Put two men at each side of the house, but let me handle everything until I ask for help. Make sure you have some restraints."

I turned back to the rear yard which was almost three hundred yards deep. I used it for running and sprints as part of my exercise regimen. Using night vision goggles I could see them exit the woods at the rear of the property. They walked slowly and unsteadily toward the house. I suspected they had drunk up enough courage to do this-they were either drunk or damned close. This would be too easy. I motioned Marta to sit with her back to the wall about four feet to my right. I had padded the area for her. I opened the window and waited.

I hit the lights when they were about two hundred yards out. The lights served two purposes-to illuminate the yard and to blind the assailants.

The effect was exactly as I expected. I picked up the mike for the PA system. "STOP RIGHT THERE. DROP YOUR WEAPONS ON THE GROUND. YOU'RE COVERED AND I WILL SHOOT ANYONE WHO RESISTS."

Of course, one of them raised his rifle. I had a shot in his upper arm before the weapon reached horizontal. "THAT'S ONE ANYBODY ELSE STUPID ENOUGH TO TRY? HERE'S A SHOT JUST TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT I CAN DO." I aimed and shot the weapon out of one guy's hands. The rifle boomed in the night. If I were down there I'd be scared shitless. "MAYBE SHOULD MENTION THAT I WAS A MARINE SNIPER IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ. I CAN TAKE OUT YOUR TOES ONE AT A TIME IF WANT TO, NOW DROP YOUR WEAPONS." In spite of everything I had done not to kill anybody the first guy pulled a pistol with his off hand. When he raised it toward me I had no other choice-l put one in his head. Two men reacted as I hoped and dropped their weapons before raising their hands; the other was slow, either from drink of just plain stupidity. I put a shot through his right bicep.

"MARCO, PLEASE GET OUT THERE AND CUFF THESE IDIOTS. I HAVE YOU COVERED." Marco and his men ran from their places, dropped the two men to their knees and secured their wrists together with what appeared to be long wire ties, but are actually strong plastic handcuffs. I phoned the police, requesting an ambulance for the wounded man and a coroner for the one I was forced to kill.

I tumed to Marta. She rushed into my arms, "It's over, darling. We can get down to good old boring life."

"Life with you will never be boring, Peter. I love you so much and I feel so safe with you." The cops arrived about five minutes later. I was surprised to see Marco still engaged in conversation with one of the captives; he was listening closely to what the man was saying. I explained what had happened and surrendered my weapon after unloading it. The cops were giving me a pretty hard time until Papa arrived with his lawyer. Shortly afterward Special Agent Ross showed up. The cops left satisfied that I had acted in self defense. I was surprised when Agent Ross greeted Papa with a handshake, and even more surprised when Papa returned it.

"That's quite a rifle you have there, Peter Agent Ross said, "Where'd you learn to shoot?"

"Marine Sniper School, sir," I replied, "Of course, I used something much more modern in Afghanistan and Iraq, but that rifle survived World War II and it's a beauty-a Winchester Model 1903. I tried to convince then to give up, but one refused and the other was just plain slow. He may have been drunk, but I wasn't taking any chances-not with Marta's life on the line. I had no choice but to shoot. just wish didn't have to kill anyone."

Everything broke up around five, just as the sun was rising. I made coffee for everyone and we chatted in the kitchen and living room for almost an hour. As I carried some empty cups to the sink I noticed Marco's revolver on the counter. I don't like loaded guns lying around so I removed the shells, placing them in my pocket.

Something about Marco was bothering me, I removed my Beretta,

a small 9mm handgun but still lethal, especially at close range. I

tucked it into the waistband at the back of my shorts, making sure the safety was engaged and that there was no cartridge in the chamber. didn't need to shoot my butt off.

Papa and his attorney left, followed shortly thereafter by Agent Ross. I thanked him for his help and shook his hand. Marta hugged the man, thanking him as well. Papa had taken two of his men with him, leaving only Tony and Marco. Tony was out at the car, still on duty, but Marco was pacing up and down the patio seemingly having an argument with himself. Marta wanted to go back to bed, but I held her close to me on the couch. "It's not quite over yet," I told her just as Marco returned to the kitchen for his weapon.

I dialed Jimmy on my cell and, before he had a chance to speak, I told him, "Listen-don't speak." I put the phone on the end table. Marco walked in a moment later, revolver in his hand. "Make up your mind, Marco? It looked like quite a conversation you were having first with Cartwright's friend and then with yourself."

"Yeah," he responded, "I made up my mind. Sorry, but you have to go. It's nothing personal-there's a lot of money involved."

"What's the matter, Marco? Doesn't Don Pellegrini pay you enough?"

"You know how much I made last year? A crummy hundred K and I had to pay taxes on all of it. That sucks. I can make a big score by knocking you two out...three million-tax free."

"Yeah, Marco, but think first. How much does the typical high school dropout earn? Not a hundred thousand, that's for sure. And you'll have to take care of Tony, too. And don't forget Jimmy and Papa-they never forget, do they?"

"Ah, by the time they find out I'll be gone...long gone." He raised his weapon, pointing it as us.

"Question, Marco-what's the difference between your gun and mine?" I pulled mine from the waistband, flipped off the safety and racked the slide. "Of course, yours is a revolver and mine is an automatic, but what's the important difference? Don't know? Well..... mine actually has bullets in it. Yours are in my pocket." I leveled the pistol, aiming at his eye. "So far as Papa and Jimmy finding out, they already know, right Jimmy?"

"Oh, yeah know all right. So does Tony, I just got off the other

phone with him. He'll be there in a second to take care of you."

That was Tony's cue. He walked in and he was pissed. He clubbed

Marco with a sap, knocking him unconscious to the floor. "Sorry,

Pete. Sorry, Marta. This should never have happened. Why don't you go to bed while I package this mook for travel?" He pulled out a roll of duct tape and wrapped it around Marcos wrists, before securing his ankles and mouth.

I pulled a terrified Marta to her feet and steered her to the bedroom. "What will happen to him, Peter? I kind of liked Marco before this. How did you know?"

"Yeah, I liked him, too. His problem was that he had no imagination. Jimmy told me he was extremely limited in what he could be trusted to do-other than security...basically nothing. Now he has a big problem-you don't cross the Don, or anyone in the organization. We'll never see Marco again and doubt if anyone will. My guess is that they'll take him for a boat ride into the Atlantic and drop him overboard. How did I know? You don't just practice shooting in sniper school. I was taught a lot about people's behavior. When you have twenty or thirty potential targets in the street it's important to pick the right ones. I saw him in a long conversation with one of our attackers-that should never have happened. Then he was pacing back and forth on the patio- like arguing with himself. When I saw his pistol in the kitchen I took the natural precaution of unloading it. Marco was never brilliant and in the end it was his stupidity that did him in."

Just then I heard a commotion in the living room-Marco was being removed. Seconds later Tony called in to let us know he was leaving. He wished us well and thanked me-l may have saved his life, too. I walked up to Marta, hugged her she was still shaking- and removed her clothing. I stripped out of mine and pulled her to the bed. I pulled the blanket over us. "Just remember-I love you... I'll always be here for you... and I'll always protect you. Oh, yeah-if we can get some sleep now we may be able to go fishing later in the afternoon." That was all the encouragement she needed. She kissed me, closed her eyes and we went back to a blissful sleep.