“Exactly. Sal wants to get him before the Dad does. He thought of ‘Hollywood Bounty Hunters’ immediately. Both Chuck and Sal loved the way we handled Michael Moronas, but he didn’t know if we could handle Nardo the same way. I told him we couldn’t. We could kill him and make him disappear but then we can’t use him on your television show. It’s better if we can convince Nardo to act in a scene of his own arrest and transfer.”
“I was a little too flippant about the cop’s daughter. What’s the family names again?” Lynn took out her iPad. “I need to make notes and do some research. We’ll have to do this high profile with our FBI team, Sam and Janie. I’m thinking we’ll do a run through with the Russells explaining exactly what Nardo did, combined with our Bounty Hunters episode, translating it into a warning to other girls to be extra careful when in a strange environment.”
“Their names are Carney and Phyllis Russell,” I told her. “The daughter’s name is Carmen. Chuck and Sal believe they have enough proof to go through any trial with a slam dunk conviction, but with Nardo’s money, who knows.”
Lynn asked the important questions. “Where’s he at? Does Sal know where he’s headed?”
“That’s where Chuck and Sal’s network really came through. Nardo’s traveling incognito by cruise ship from Lisbon to Bridgetown, Barbados. He arrives in Barbados tomorrow after a twelve day cruise. Slick has a couple favorite aliases Red Dragon is familiar with. Although Interpol refuses to arrest a celebrity or anyone with money, they keep track of the expats that can be blackmailed. Nardo has passports under two other names, James Baldwin and Clarence Fellow. Nardo paid a hefty price to make his way to Lisbon but he left a financial trail under the Clarence Fellow identity. Chuck knew the only way he could get into the states would be by private jet. This Clarence Fellow alias owns an out of the way ranch in Carson City, Nevada.”
“So Red Dragon put a watch on any Clarence Fellow on a private plane arriving from Barbados? Damn… that’s good work. Don’t leave me hangin’ Cheese.”
I grinned at Lynn’s impatience. “From Barbados, he’s booked a private plane ride from Grantley International Airport in Barbados and destination Carson City Airport three days from now.”
“I have to make a call!” Lynn had her iPhone out a moment later. She put it on speaker as Nick answered.
“Hey, Lynn. I guess Claude loved our funeral arrangements, huh?”
“Absolutely. Where are you at?”
“Hastings, Nebraska, sipping Bushmill’s by the pool before we drive across the eternity that is Nebraska.”
Lynn and I enjoyed that swipe at driving across a very hypnotically brutal route across the Midwest. “Excellent. I have a mission for the cartoons. If you and your cartoons decide to accept this mission, as always, if it is unsuccessful, we will disavow any-”
“Cut the Mission Impossible crap, Dr. Deville. I’ve had two big Bushmills already and you’re killing my buzz,” Nick interrupted as his companions could be heard laughing in the background.
“Take me off speaker, Nick.”
“Sure. Okay, what’s up?”
Lynn explained the situation and who the mark was. “He’ll be at his hideout in Carson City two days from now. Could I talk you into collecting him and transporting Nardo to my reeducation camp at Pain Central? If it all works out, I’ll want my assistant director Kabong with me for an episode involving Nardo’s transfer into FBI hands.”
“Text me the address for the hideout. We’ll look it over. You’re figuring the place is unattended, but looked in on by one of those property management firms. Do you have any info on how often they check it over?”
“Damn… good thinking. I’ll get that info from Sal and text it to you with the address. It sounds like you have a plan already you little rascal.”
“I do, but I need to confer with my associate cartoons. We’ll get it done. He does have a legitimate warrant out on him though, right?”
“Yes. He’s been wanted for a long while. The prick’s still hired for movies filmed on location and finished before any kind of extradition can be arranged. That would make it legal for you as a United States Marshal to arrest him without a snag, right?”
“Yeah, it would. I don’t want to be included in the apprehension credits though. This cross-country trip has been completely under the radar successfully so far. I’d like to keep it that way.”
“We can do that. Once we have him here, I’ll confer with our Fed friends Sam and Janie as to how good our case is for an episode of Hollywood Bounty Hunters.”
“Doesn’t he have to act a part willingly to be turned over to the FBI?”
“Did you just insult me, Muerto?”
“Oh… ah… sorry, I didn’t think you were really going to fix Nardo. Sucks to be him as Casey would say. I’ll call you when the deed is done or I have a question. Text me the info, including if his ranch gets looked in on by a property management firm.”
“Will do,” Lynn agreed.
“Thanks for this, Nick,” I told him. “I know we’re piling up favors on our end.”
“Doin’ right ain’t got no end. Talk at you later, John.”