Chapter 31

Tuesday

I began interrogating the crew of the Azteca this morning. I started with the lowest ranking members and worked my way up. About a third of them talked, admitting that they worked for one of the Mexican drug cartels and were supposed to capture the yacht so they could continue using it to transport drugs. They also told me which officers and crew members worked for the drug cartel, and which men were strictly cartel members.

Those officers and cartel leaders who didn’t tell me anything were shackled to chains hanging from the cargo hoists running across the top of the now drained holds four and five. Once the watertight doors were sealed, we began filling them again, using seawater this time. Pumping saltwater into the holds was considerably faster and cheaper than filling them with fresh water from the desalination units. I warned them over the intercom that they had one, or two hours at most before unconsciousness.

The captain of the pirate ship laughed, taunting me by saying that I couldn’t torture them. “As you should know, we’re at sea in international waters aboard my private ship; I am judge, jury, and executioner,” I reminded him.

“You publicly stated your intent to board and seize my ship, which includes my wives. That was the same as committing an act of piracy. Considering the condition of the four girls we rescued aboard your ship, there is no doubt in my mind that my wives would have met the same fate. I find each of you guilty of attempted piracy on the high seas, and attempted murder of everyone aboard, including the Vice President of the United States. This isn’t torture; it’s an execution. If you have anything to tell me, I may stay your execution long enough to check the information you give me and may make it quick and humane. Remember, there is no international law preventing me from making your execution both cruel and unusual,” I taunted back.

I could see the fear in their eyes as the water continued to pour into the holds. Within minutes, the water was chest high. I doubt that the men in the holds realized that I had put the shorter men in one hold and the taller ones in the other. I had the holds filled until it reached the chin of the shortest man. Once it was filled to the right depth, I had them begin releasing water at the same rate the hold was being filled. That kept the water circulating, preventing the accumulation of a small pocket of slightly warmer water around each man.

Since they were all nude, there was no extra layer of insulation against their skin to trap a thin layer of warmer water. Even before the holds filled to chin level of the shortest man, many of the men were shivering.

“Shivering is a sign of mild hypothermia,” I warned. “You’ll start becoming lethargic and confused, and your heart rate will increase. By the time you stop shivering, you may be too confused to save yourself. In addition, your heart rate will begin slowing, and you could develop an irregular heartbeat. At that point, it may be too late for us to save you.”

One by one, as the shivering worsened, and in one case, stopped, they began shouting information. Once I felt they had given me something worthwhile, they were hoisted out of the cold water and moved to the edge of the hold. There, we physically lifted them out of the hold through one of the hatches in the deck above. Then we immersed them in tepid water, and they were warmed gradually, allowing their body temperature to return to normal.

When all the men were healthy again, we shackled them aboard the Azteca and epoxied the shackles closed. I stripped the ship of everything useful, including supplies, arms, ammunition, and oceanic maps. Then I aimed the ship back towards the naval base it had originated from and set the autopilot. I epoxied the ship’s controls so they couldn’t be changed, and sent it on its way at ten knots.

Once it was underway, I phoned the head of the cartel. “Your men sure like to talk,” I taunted, listing more than a dozen secrets he wouldn’t want known. I told him the GPS coordinates of the spot where we had released the Azteca, and their course and speed.

“If you ever come after me again, I will launch all of my missiles at your house one night,” I warned.

The funny thing was that none of the men aboard the Azteca would be able to explain how we attacked it. The drones were quiet enough that they couldn’t be heard over the helicopter or the confusion following the helicopter’s explosion. We made sure to remove all traces of the drones before releasing the ship. The officers were sure we had called in air strikes from the USAF using stealth fighters.

The VP laughed uproariously when he heard that I had released the ship and the men--and called the head of the cartel to tell him where the ship was headed. “Remind me never to upset you. First Ludmill, then the Whyte Knyghts, and now a drug cartel,” he laughed.

At dinner, I handed out envelopes to each member of the crew. “This is a one-time gift to help each of you. I realize that most of you were forced to serve aboard the ship, leaving family behind. Once the ship has docked in Norfolk, I will arrange and pay for each of you to travel home. Many of you have already asked about continuing to serve aboard the yacht. Provided that your background check shows no problems, you are welcome to return. If you return, you will find that the ship will be more like a charter vessel with wealthy and famous people using it to spend time relaxing.

“For those of you with families who want to return here with you, I will work with our government to get them visas so they can move here closer to you if they wish. When there is room aboard, some of them will even be allowed to join you aboard the ship.

“In addition to the bonus, when you reach Norfolk, you will receive a full month’s pay. Any of you who decide that you want to continue working aboard the yacht should let the captain know and I will arrange for you and your family to move wherever I decide to berth the yacht, probably somewhere in Norfolk,” I explained.

With a final round of farewells, my wives, and it looked like I had gained three more Russian wives, and I headed for New Orleans where authorities and the families of the four girls were waiting anxiously for them. Will came with us, bringing the top-secret files and all the data he had accumulated while aboard the yacht. Four guards met him in New Orleans to escort him back to D.C.

The VP remained aboard for now.

Several of my employees were also waiting, but we first had to deal with the four girls. Their parents were all loving, hugging the four girls and telling them how much they had missed them. When the first two girls left with their families to face the rabid media, I stopped the last two couples from leaving.

“You have two choices,” I told them calmly. “If you choose to take your daughters back with you, we will talk to the media out there and your daughters will tell them the same thing they told us about the way you treated them at home and why they ran away.

“Your second option is to sign these papers that I had my attorney prepare. If you sign them, you will relinquish all parental custody and control of your daughters to me or the guardian I appoint for them. You will probably never see or hear from them again, at least until they are adults and have managed to put everything behind them.”

They signed the papers and the attorney’s notary signed them as a witness. Technically, I hadn’t blackmailed the parents because I didn’t threaten to go to the police if they didn’t do what I wanted. The two girls, Charlotte and Ashley, ran to my wives for comfort and protection as their parents were led away.

With that business tended to, I greeted Carlos, Ramón, and their families. They were excited about a cruise on the yacht. Ramón told me that they had begun picking strawberries two days ago and tomatoes today. They were sure that Tim and Jason could handle everything in their absence.

The helicopters had refueled and were ready to return to the ship by the time we had finished our farewells. After they left, we climbed into the Gulfstream C-20 and flew home. I must have dozed off as soon as we were airborne because the next thing I knew, Jan was shaking me to wake me up.

Wednesday

Despite the fact that I was exhausted when I went to bed, I was up at the usual time, somewhere around 4:00. The dogs seemed excited to see me again and seemed to enjoy their morning romp more than usual.

Twyla and Alice came into the kitchen before the dogs finished their romp. Both gave me emotional hugs. “It just wasn’t the same around here without you,” Twyla sighed. They both insisted that I tell them about the attack by the pirate ship. I was well into the story before they served me breakfast. They thought it was touching that I had Juwanna and Mabel flown to the yacht for the cruise. They laughed when I told them she taught the chef how to make bologna sandwiches.

Tetyana, the bolder of the three new Russian girls found me at the table and quietly dragged me to the study where she proceeded to show me that my wives had explained what my desk was really to be used for. Afterwards, she returned to the bedroom with a satisfied grin on her face.

I spent the morning reviewing everything. I toured the greenhouses and noted that everything was already set up for the pickers who began arriving as early as 5:30. I also saw the beehives clustered together in the northeast and southwest corners of the greenhouse. The ground in the next tomato greenhouse was plowed and ready to plant. I ate a handful of strawberries I picked in the hydroponic greenhouse. It was difficult to force myself to stop eating them and leave. Many were nearly the size of an egg, and they were sweet and juicy. The second strawberry greenhouse looked like it would be ready to start picking in a few days. I hoped that we had enough help.

The animals were all doing well, and we continued to ship our various products. Kroger was happy to buy all the smoked turkey breasts we produced. When we were in North Carolina, we had sold some to restaurants and delis because we got more per pound. Now, though, I was happy to let Kroger buy them. They even asked if we would do the same for the turkey drums. It meant less turkey for us to eat, but our constantly increasing production should cover at least some of the difference. We had even begun selling organic pork ribs and pork chops to Kroger to go with the bacon and smoked hams.

At lunch, Will called to thank me, tongue in cheek, for the cruise. He also had the phone number I had asked for. After lunch, I called the number, getting through to the Russian ambassador much faster than I had thought I would. “Mr. Reynolds, I was told to expect your call. What can I do for you?” he asked.

“I recently came into possession of four valuable items that I believe were stolen from the Kremlin Armory Museum in Moscow. I would like to make arrangements to return them,” I explained. I know I heard a quiet gasp at some point during the explanation.

“You say they are valuable?” he asked, obviously trying to get more information.

“Yes, much more valuable than the chicken eggs I raise here, probably worth nearly ten million dollars each. I also came into possession of ten similar items that have been missing for nearly a century. Those were turned over to an auction house in New York,” I continued.

“Yes, word of the discovery of those ten items has spread quickly and has all collectors excited. I can arrange to meet you any time that is convenient for you,” he offered.

“Nine o’clock tomorrow morning?” I asked and he agreed.

I warned Dieter that I would be in D.C. to see the Russian ambassador tomorrow morning. “You might want to wear something dressy. I have a feeling they will want to do a press conference to thank you,” he warned.

“Just great. What’s that old adage? No good deed goes unpunished,” I sighed to myself.

I spent the afternoon with everyone else, helping to pick tomatoes. Even the older kids pitched in to help after school. I also saw most of the day laborers that Connor had hired during the height of the construction. By dinner, we had finished picking what was ripe today, and shipped four semi-trailers full of tomatoes and one of strawberries. I was tired, but definitely felt like a farmer again.

Thursday

The dogs enjoyed their romp again this morning. Charlotte showed up to take me to the study, but I protested due to her age. “I’ve been used and abused for two years. I’d like to find out what it can be like when I choose to have sex. Your wives all agreed, or someone else would be here,” she explained. Despite my misgivings, she did have a point. Afterwards, she hugged me tightly. “Thank you,” she sighed, and then hurried back to the bedroom after putting her silk robe back on.

The Citation X was wheels up at 6:00. My pilot informed me that we had been requested to use Andrews, and we landed at 7:55. Imagine my surprise when a black limo sporting Russian flags and diplomatic plates came to meet me. Of course, there was one MP vehicle in front and another right behind them. My pilot had only told me that someone was meeting me here. Even he was amused that it was the Russians, and that they’d been granted access to Andrews.

The driver watched as I carefully carried the three oversized suitcases and insisted that they stay in the car with me. I don’t think the driver was expecting the three women with me. He was further surprised when I surrendered my Glock. I explained that my job as a U.S. Marshal required that I keep it with me at all times, but I obviously couldn’t take it into the embassy or even the limo, which was considered Russian territory.

He must have phoned ahead since we were expected despite being twenty minutes early. The guards only gave us a cursory glance, especially lenient since we were carrying three suitcases. Once we were inside the ambassador’s office, the ambassador handed me back my Glock. “I don’t think this will be a problem,” he explained.

I introduced Tetyana, Alina, and Ruslana, explaining that they had been kidnapped and sold to Zhora. Hence, they didn’t have a passport. I hoped to help them get passports and visas to use until they qualified to become U.S. citizens.

Then we got down to the real issue. I carefully removed each of the wooden boxes and set them on his desk. One at a time, we opened them and removed each of the four eggs. Somehow, he managed to keep all the little Styrofoam pellets on his desktop. The man was practically salivating when the first egg appeared. He paged someone, and an older gentleman entered his office several seconds later. The man had flown in from Moscow last night to verify the authenticity of the four eggs. He looked like the flight had been a rough one and he hadn’t slept. Much faster than I would have expected, he excitedly proclaimed all four genuine.

“Mr. Reynolds, if you would permit it, we would like to hold a press conference this afternoon to publicly thank you,” he said as he waved at the authenticator, motioning for him to leave.

“On behalf of the Russian people, I would like to thank you for this generous gift,” he said, motioning to the four eggs. “And on behalf of the Russian government, I would like to thank you for ridding the world of the former owner of your new yacht,” he said in a more hushed tone.

“You’re welcome, but these three ladies had as much to do with his demise as I did,” I whispered back conspiratorially.

He looked shocked for a second, and then burst into laughter. “How truly fitting,” he laughed.

Then I gave him one of the gift packs of booze. “It’s not vodka, but I assume that even Russians can appreciate a good whiskey,” I said as I handed it to him.

He gasped when he saw the bottles. “Yes, I definitely enjoy this brand. Your President and I toasted an important agreement last November with this. When I asked where he bought it, he explained that it wasn’t for sale yet, it was only available as a gift.”

“I have another for your President,” I said, removing the last gift pack from the suitcase. “If either of you need more, you’ll have to find an excuse to visit me in Mississippi or to spend a few days aboard my new yacht.”

“Your government is letting you keep it?” he asked incredulously.

“They would rather let me pay to maintain it and to pay the crew so they can beg for free rides,” I laughed. “They did insist on removing the heavy armament, though. They don’t want a civilian sailing around with missiles aboard.”

“Are you allowed to discuss what actually happened with the Mexican ship?” he asked.

“They kept changing course to intercept us, so the captain radioed and asked why. They declared their intent to board us, even after the captain reminded them that we were in international waters, and even warned them that we had a high-ranking U.S. diplomat aboard and that we claimed diplomatic privilege.

“When they persisted, we jammed their radar, and launched several drones that carried explosives. One damaged their only cannon, one destroyed an armed helicopter they were preparing to launch, and one destroyed their radar mast. We radioed and told them they had seven minutes to be in the water because we planned to sink the ship. We picked them up and questioned them. Afterwards, we shackled them all aboard the ship, set the autopilot, and aimed the ship back to the base it came from. I figure the Mexican government has probably found the ship and crew by now,” I laughed.

Someone else came in to collect the three girls to get their temporary passports. “By eliminating Zhora and returning the Fabergé eggs, you have become a good friend of the Russian government. If we can ever assist you with anything, just let us know,” he said quietly.

I thanked him but told him my problems were few and far between. The only unresolved issue I had was with the Mexican cartel leader, and there wasn’t much anyone could do about him.

When the ladies returned, the ambassador joined us in the limo as we headed for the White House. I was surprised that the press conference was being held at the White House. We arrived in time for lunch with the President. I advised him that I had left several of the gift sets on my plane, enough that he could give a few away as gifts, too. I would see that they were sent here. Considering how much they were worth, he was surprised that I had decided not to sell them, but I was having too much fun giving them away.

The press conference was raucous with reporters wanting to ask questions even before we started. When it finally began, the Russian ambassador and the President announced the recovery of four Fabergé eggs stolen from Russia and cited the cooperation of both countries in their recovery and return. They named me as the man who had personally recovered the eggs.

“Did you think about keeping one of them?” one reporter asked.

“Nope,” I replied succinctly.

“Not even for a few seconds?” he pressed.

“Why would I?” I asked. “There were ten more with them in the same place. Those are scheduled to be auctioned in New York soon. If any of those had been reported stolen, I would have returned them, too.” That set off a firestorm of questions, but I smiled, waved, and stepped away to indicate that I was done talking.

The Press Secretary finally concluded the press conference by explaining that I was a private citizen recovering the items, and the cooperation of both the U.S. and Russian governments led to their safe return.

Everyone thanked me and shook my hand, and then the Russian ambassador and limo took us back towards Andrews. I was surprised when they pulled into the Pentagon. “We were told you would be provided a ride back from here,” The ambassador explained with a grin. Fortunately, I had my Pentagon ID because we had been flying into Andrews, which was too close to the Pentagon not to bring it and my CIA ID.

A woman in uniform met us and drove us inside using an electric cart. She stayed with the three ladies while I was ushered deeper inside. The Navy contact wanted to see me. He explained that their original plan had been to remove all the heavy ordnance from the ship and add passenger cabins or holds. After the altercation with the Azteca, and knowing that high-ranking government officials would be aboard the ship in the future, they had decided to replace the Russian and Chinese weapons with U.S. weapons systems. They still wanted to study the Russian and Chinese weapons.

They would retrofit the U.S. weapons systems where the foreign ones had been. They also wanted to have an armed eight-man squad aboard the yacht any time there were American or foreign dignitaries aboard. Finally, with the weapons aboard and the fact that the ship was nuclear-powered, they hoped I would berth the yacht at the Norfolk Naval Yard where they could keep an eye on it when it wasn’t at sea.

I agreed, even proposing to purchase the replacement weapons and pay for the retrofit to speed up the process. I knew budget cuts were making funds tight. I also suggested that they form the civilian eight-man squad from retired or wounded elite forces, and I would pick up the tab.

From there, I was taken to meet my contact with the Army. The Army had work for us as soon as Adam and George returned. With the budget cuts, they had to watch every dollar they spent. Congress was insisting on upgrading older M60 Patton tanks into newer models, even though the Army didn’t want them. The two Congressmen behind the push to spend the money on the tanks were from Ohio where the plant that did the work was located.

The Army hoped to circumvent part of the plan by selling many of the tanks, both converted and not converted, and had numerous ready buyers among countries that already had some of the M-60 tanks. Those countries had ready cash and wanted the tanks. I gasped when he said they wanted to sell more than five hundred tanks.