The lower hold access to the cabins smelled of despair and overindulgence. Nick checked the occupants of each cabin, convinced afterward of the fact a party involving both crew and guests had indeed taken place. Nick retrieved his gas canister, opened the cabin doors, and opened the valve to his Methyl Propyl Ether container. He retreated to the upper deck, and closed the separating hatch.
“I’ve turned on the gas now, Gus. I should be able to extract our buddy Fahid in another fifteen or twenty minutes. They all got smashed together. It was not a smart decision.”
“How do you know the amount of gas to use?”
“Guesstimate.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“How many yachts do you think I’ve gassed, Gus? It’s an inexact science. I couldn’t take a chance one of the dolts would catch me taking Al Mady into custody. Besides, I’d have to tow him at least a hundred yards over to you in order to make sure we didn’t wake anyone when we transferred him. I like being able to throw him over to you, along with my equipment. Try to curb your sensibilities, and start moving the Lady into position.”
“On my way, Blackheart.”
Nick waited for fifteen minutes before putting on the oxygen breathing apparatus from the equipment pontoon. He went down into the lower deck and directly to Fahid Al Mady’s master stateroom. Al Mady had two young women with him. Contrary to Gus’s fears, all were breathing in gas augmented sleep. Nick pulled the covers all the way down, and positioned the two women away from Al Mady. Grabbing Fahid’s ankles, Nick slowly pulled the man over the silk sheets to a point where Fahid could be dressed in his robe, and slippers. It would appear to his companions as if Al Mady had journeyed on deck, wasted out of his mind, and fell in the ocean. Nick drew Al Mady over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.
“Damn Fahid, you need to get on a ‘Jenny Craig’ diet… oh wait a minute… no need. I hope you had a good time last night,” Nick said, while carefully using the stairwell railing to transport Al Mady to the main deck. By then, Gus had eased the Lucky Lady II in position for the transfer at the fantail.
Gus helped Nick get Fahid onto the Lady’s deck. Five minutes later, Nick had all of his gear, including the canister on board the Lady too. He turned on the ventilation system for a few minutes before closing all the cabin doors once again as he had found them. After a quick final check of everything, Nick boarded the Lady.
“Let’s take this landlubber to the crypt, Captain Whiney. Give me a hand, and we’ll stow him in his cabin.”
“No way, Nick. Leave the slime-ball right where he is. Plastic tie him to the railing, and put a bucket next to him. I’ll find a blanket to put over him.”
“Aye, aye, Cap.” Nick did as Gus directed, putting Fahid on the cushioned bench at the fantail. He then plastic tied his hands behind his back, and to his bound ankles. Gus returned with a bucket and blanket. Nick wrapped Fahid in the blanket, placing the bucket near him. “He’ll be unconscious all the way back to port, Gus. You’re right though, no need taking chances.”
“Might as well ride on the bridge with me.” Gus gestured Nick along. “Want some coffee?”
“Sounds good.” Nick went with him, sitting in the co-pilot’s chair. Both chairs had steering wheels on Gus’s sixty footer, much like the Shalimar. “That went pretty well.”
Gus handed him a mug of coffee. In moments, the Lucky Lady II moved quietly away from the Shalimar. Only after they were nearly three hundred yards away did Gus start the twin diesel engines. They sipped their coffee in silence, but Nick could tell something bothered Gus. At first, he figured it was their having to transport Fahid to Nick’s place in Carmel, but it was something else.
“What’s the problem, Gus? Did this go down too smoothly for you?”
Gus kept his eyes on the ocean ahead. “You didn’t tell me that gas could have been lethal to all of them. I figured you had that down to a science.”
“I don’t lie to you, not even to make you feel better about yourself. Hey, I found a young woman naked near a bridge separator, drunk or drugged out of her head. I gave her a dose of ether, and covered her with clothes and a blanket. That I may have had to kill her later bothered me a little. As to the gas, it was an educated guesstimate. I can’t do what I do, and get sloppy with the witnesses. It turned out well this time.”
“Ever think you might wake up one day bound and gagged, heading for someone else’s crypt of horror?”
“I don’t deal with hypotheticals, my good man,” Nick replied. “I guess if it happens, I’ll have it coming. Are you thinking you’ve had enough of this?”