“I can’t see a damn thing but this stinking cloud,” complained Phil as he peered over the edge of “La Soufriere”, Guadeloupe’s famous volcano.
“The guide book says to wait for a breeze to blow the cloud away. Then we will be able to see right down into the crater,” answered Judy.
“That’s the way it was a half hour ago. It was really spectacular. Molten rock oozing around all over the place,” said a familiar voice.
Phil grinned. “Sounds like Mr. Tom Barrens found his way up here. It’s really a great choice of place for a clandestine meeting.”
A skinny Tom Barrens, dressed much like the others but looking geeky with his odd shaped glasses, descended from a ledge above the travelers.
“I told you I was an analyst, not a field man. I just wanted to make my first assignment as dramatic as possible. I thought it would improve my James Bond image.”
The self depreciating attitude and the sheepish grin worked wonders, and Linda and Judy’s first impression of DEA Agent Barrens was therefore favorable. Phil and Michael, who had already seen the way Tom could surface from a dumping in the harbor, fully clothed and immediately say, “See you tomorrow”, waited smiling as the DEA agent climbed down from the ledge.
“Since you are not supposed to know me we will dispense with handshakes etc. We might as well start on the basis that I’ll stay in the background as much as possible. Our meetings will be brief and only when necessary. But since the operation hasn’t really started yet, I am reasonably certain that we are not under surveillance, right here and now. It is a pleasure to meet you two ladies who racked up some pretty fair scores at our training facilities.”
“Heck, it was fun. We learned a lot. For example this cloud does provide pretty fair cover. Get it …. Cloud cover?” said Judy.
Tom Barrens smiled while the others groaned.
“So I gather the trip here was pleasant. You made excellent time.”
“Captain Phil works his crew like we’re indentured servants,” said Linda. “But in a nice way,” she added, reaching over and squeezing his hand.
“Have you made contact yet?”
Farris answered. “We have an appointment in Bogotá for a week from Monday.”
“Excellent. Any difficulties?”
“None.”
“According to the plan you ladies stay in Guadeloupe while the men fly to Colombia. Correct? ” Tom looked around for confirmation.
“Right,” stated Phil. “But we decided to sail rather than fly.”
Linda spoke up. “Another minor change.”
Farris and Phil immediately swung their attention to Linda.
“Please explain, for all of us,” said Farris, dryly. He knew his wife well enough to know the change might not be so minor.
“Judy and I already talked it over. We felt that as the boat travels at six or eight knots that might be a bit slow, in an emergency.”
“Victor will be close at hand with the cigarette boat.”
“That’s true, but if you have to move faster, for any reason, we thought it would be nice to have a plane.”
“You have a plane, darling. The bi-plane.”
“The bi-plane is a two-seater. There are four of us. So I ordered a Cessna 182 before we left. Judy and I are going to fly back to Florida to pick it up, while you’re sailing to Colombia.”
Tom Barrens turned pale beneath his sunburned face. He was amazed. How could these people live like this? They had a million dollar sailboat with a dinghy which alone would satisfy his watery aspirations, and now, Linda buys an airplane just as a back-up. He could see that Michael Farris was clearly upset but noted that he was containing himself. Tom thought about his beat-up Toyota. Another wave of jealousy passed over him but he fought to ignore it.
Farris glared at Linda but Phil got his attention and winked at him. “Not a bad idea if you think about it.”
“So we are now simply tourists, traveling by boat, with our own private plane, island hopping behind us?” Farris stated.
“We are not the only ones in the Caribbean doing just that,” stated Linda.
“You don’t think it’s a bit pretentious.”
“Not by Caribbean standards. Heck, some of the cruisers down here have helicopter pads.”
“I like it”, said Tom. He resented the fact that they could afford to do it, but he liked the idea of quicker transportation.
Farris was sorely tempted to say “Well I don’t!” He kept his mouth clamped shut in stead.
“Since everything is under control, I’m not going to hang around. It was nice meeting you. You have my number. It’s secure and open, twenty-four, seven. Adios amigos!” said Tom and he started to retreat down the trail. “Hey, I think I feel a bit of a breeze,” he called over his shoulder.
As Tom disappeared into the fog a small wind blew by and the clouds over La Soufriere opened up, revealing an active volcano gurgling in the crater. The four people stared in awe at the wonder that could heat rock to the melting point.
“That’s something you don’t see every day,” said Phil.
“That’s for sure,” Judy responded. “Thank God I’m not a virgin!”
“No sacrifices today,” said Linda.
“Yes, that would be very hard on Phil’s reputation,” drawled Farris.
For fifteen minutes there was no difficulty in the foursome playing out their cover as excited tourists, while the sunlight glistened on the molten lava below.
When the two couples left the rim, Michael walked with Linda while Phil and Judy lingered behind, holding hands.
“You already have a plane, dear. I thought you liked it,” said Farris.
“I do, Mike. But it’s a two-seater. Besides, how many boats do you have?”
“That’s different. That’s business.”
“So is the Cessna,” stated Linda, ending the conversation with a peck on Michael’s cheek.
The trip to Guadeloupe had taken the two couples six hundred miles east of their destination. In fact it would have been easier to sail to Jamaica and then on to Cartagena but Michael had insisted in setting up a land base on French soil to distance them as much as possible from the US presence.
A double suite condo in a time share development had been rented for a month. The girls went out grocery shopping and returned with a massive collection of delicacies, fresh French bread, filet mignon, French roasted coffee, pate, French cheeses, fresh fruit, two cases of Beaujolais and two bottles of Dom Perignon. A second load from the taxi produced fresh cream, Benedictine liqueur, a local Banana liqueur, a case of Perrier water and more French pastries.
“This looks too much like the good life. Maybe Phil and I ought to put off leaving a few more days,” suggested Farris.
“You get one good meal …. All you can eat! … then you get back on Iron Pyrate and lose the five pounds you just put on,” stated Linda.