Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

I knew Liza had the Beretta even before I turned around, but when I looked at her she held it out to me, handed it over without so much as a murmur.

"Go grab some towels, would you, darlin'?" I said softly. I helped Sephie into the cockpit, took the towels Liza carried up a moment later and wrapped them both up and held them tight, kissed each on the forehead.

"Don't ever do anything like that again," I whispered in Liza's ear. "Okay?"

I could feel her head nodding assent through her violent trembling. When she calmed down a few minutes later I handed the Beretta back to Liza, and with my head I motioned her to toss it overboard.

She didn't hesitate. When I heard that definitive 'ker-plonk' I took her face in hand; I kissed her hard on the mouth, kissed her until she responded with an authenticity I'd never felt from her before, then I kissed Sephie, and more deeply than I ever had before.

It hit me hard, that irrational moment out there under then sun. Despite everything, I knew I loved them both, I mean really and truly loved them, and that I could never let go of them. Still, a part of me clung to the knowledge that I could never really trust them. Still, there had been something so unexpectedly tender about those fleeting seconds that had caught me so completely off-guard. Something about the way we loved one another as we turned back towards the Sound, about the desperate gratitude we shared as we clung to one another, something about the looks I found in their eyes that told me the tables had finally turned.

You can't have love without trust, after all. Or is it the other way around?

+++++

We didn't talk too much about what had happened out there on the water. There wasn't much to say, the way I saw things. They'd been ordered to do away with me, but up to that point in time whoever controlled them had never been any reason to question their loyalty. Once we tied up at my marina on Lake Union that assumption had turned on it's ear. I was alive. They'd failed -- for whatever reason, and now there would be consequences. Whoever was calling the shots in their world, I now assumed, just might expose themselves to get this done. Someone would have to give the order, and then someone would have to execute the operation against "their" girls. That's what I was counting on at least, and that, hopefully, would give me the opening I had been hoping for.

+++++

And so I wasn't entirely confused when Mary Jo came down to the marina a few hours later. I had just sent the girls to the market for some grub, which wasn't all that surprising either. The slip, my boat, were under surveillance. Again, I'd kind of assumed that for quite a while. But here she was, and all alone, which did confuse me. I had expected a return appearance of her ninja warrior girlfriends, but no, that was not the present case. At least, they weren't visible, but that's the point with ninja, I suppose.

"Hello, Woody," she said as she stood on the dock below the cockpit. "Kind of surprised to see you."

"Are you indeed," I said as I climbed out the companionway and stepped into the cockpit. "Why's that, I wonder? And where are those delightful girlfriends of yours?"

"Around."

"Yes, of course." I looked at MJ, remembered that night and her hand under the table. "Well, you're looking good," I said as I smiled at her. "Would you like to come aboard?"

"Assuming you're not going to try to kill me, then yes."

I almost laughed as I gave her my hand and helped her aboard. "So, to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

"Why are you still alive?"

"Well, as long as we're asking questions, why do you want me dead? I thought we had an understanding?"

"We did."

"What changed."

"Circumstances." Only the voice I heard wasn't Mary Jo's. It was a man's voice, and one that sounded very familiar.

"What the fuck!" I said as Mark Tottenham stepped out from behind a pillar and back into the land of the living.

He walked over to Mary Jo, pulling a little Walther PPK/s from under of his jacket as he drew near. "Get down on your knees, you stupid bitch," he said as he came up behind her. He screwed a silencer on the barrel, then put the tip up to the base of her brain and squeezed off one round. Mary Jo fell into the water between the dock and the boat and disappeared; Tottenham tossed the Walther into the water after her.

"You didn't need to kill her, Woody. That was unnecessary, and stupid." He took black leather gloves off his hands, then walked up to the gate without saying another word. As he left the marina, I took a remote control from my pocket, and hit the pause button. "This might be easier than I thought," I had the audacity to say, but in truth, Tottenham's resurrection was troubling.

I heard the sirens a few minutes later, and a half dozen patrol cars careened into the marina parking lot moments later. Their guns drawn, dozens of officers stormed towards the gate, but as they didn't have a key, I walked up and let them in.

+++++

"Long time no see, Woody," Chief Anders said as he climbed aboard.

"Hey Chief. How's it hangin'?"

"Down to my knees, Peckerhead."

"Good to hear it. Come on down. I think you'll like this."

A couple of grunts from CID were already down below, and SAC Brennan was as well. They'd of course seen the recording already, which was why I wasn't being booked-in at that very moment, but Chief Anders hadn't seen it, which was why he was here now, and Brennan had thought it important he see it as soon as possible.

First, and for his benefit, I explained what had been happening for the past fourteen months, during my retirement, then I played the tape.

When he saw Tottenham step into view, when he heard his voice, Chief Anders just about came unglued. "What the fucking Hell is this!" he shouted. "Some sort of CGI bullshit!"

Liza stepped into the cabin, right on cue. "Not quite, sir," she said. "It's his brother, Paul. Identical twins. I think Mark wasn't going to cooperate, so Paul had him killed. Oh. He's also the head of the local council."

"Council?"

"Whatever you'd like to call them sir. They're usurping control all around the country, coopting officials at every level of government."

"A silent coup, Chief Anders" Brennan interjected. "A complete government takeover, using blackmail. Sexual blackmail, one of the oldest tricks in the book. Minimal personnel involved, very quick, very efficient. Even the Romans used to do it this way."

"Shit," Anders said, no small amount of wonder in his voice. "And this Paul Tottenham? He's in charge?"

"I don't think he has much power beyond Seattle," Liza said.

"Do you know, Miss... Hell, I don't even know your name, but you sure look familiar."

"I'm with Woodie," my dear little Liza said. "Have been for a while."

I took her hand in mine.

"So you don't know much about their operations, beyond the local structure?" Anders asked. "Brennan? You need to keep her for a while?"

"I don't think so, Chief. She's cooperating, and we have enough already to make a few dozen arrests. We may break open a larger investigation that way. I think it depends on how deep their penetration is, but it sounds like this could be a very tricky operation."

"Woody, you think you're well enough to come back?" Anders asked.

"Me? Hell Chief, I hadn't thought of that. I wouldn't count on me, though. Liza and I have been thinking of taking a trip, on the boat."

Anders looked at Liza and almost smiled, but I could see the envy in his eyes. He just nodded his head, mumbled something that sounded a lot like 'wish I could', then he climbed up into the night and was gone. I'd already burned several copies of the recording, and everyone had their discs now, as well as Liza's statement, and soon they were all gone.

Persephone was still forward, and she came aft as soon as I gave her the all clear. She had recorded the proceedings on board that evening, 'just in case', and Tate was buried away in the parking garage making recordings of the people here as well.

Divers recovered MJs body early the next morning, and they found the little Walther, too, so ballistics wouldn't be a problem, and with the recording there wouldn't be any problem getting a conviction. There was certainly no 'reasonable doubt' about what had happened, anyway. For good measure, Tate took copies of all our recordings to multiple safety deposit boxes around the city, and I did the same at a few other banks as well. That done, we met back to the boat.

"So," Tate asked when we were safely back on board, "are you going to head out? Do the trip?"

"I'm thinking I might just give it a try?"

"You going solo?" he asked, and I could see he was wondering where the girls were.

I just smiled.

"Man, wish I could make that trip!"

"Yeah, I bet you do."

It took a few weeks to square away the new boat and provision her, but I guess you know I had some help. She's a little bigger boat, not by much, but she's a lot stronger...yet the most important thing, more important than anything else, is the bunk in my cabin is a whole lot bigger.

Hey, I'm just sayin', you know, but I'm pretty sure you understand.

(C) renewed 2015 Adrian Leverkühn | ABW