thing. The nursing home has camera surveillance in the front, so you'll have to come at it from the water. Do either one of you have a boat?"
Willey said, "Palm Harbor isn't far from Frank's. We could make the trip on the pontoon boat. What do you think, Barney?"
I said, "It's either that or I'll be living on peanut butter sandwiches for weeks." Besides, I felt safe working for the FBI.
"When do you want us to go there?" Willey asked.
"Tomorrow night. Do you have any questions?" Willey and I both shook our heads.
"Okay," Eduardo said. "You've got the job. Just be careful."
As Eduardo was leaving I said, "Tell Sofie I said, hello."
Eduardo smiled, "I'll tell her. I think she likes you. She talks a lot about how you handled Darrell. She calls you her hero." Willey was smirking at me.
Things were looking better, and I could go back to my own house again.
The next night we parked on a dirt road that ran along the coast, and walked back to Frank's Restaurant. It was 3:am. Everyone had gone home. We were ready to steal the pontoon boat--but it was for a good cause, and we'd return it afterward. I carried a red plastic gas can that held a single gallon of gasoline. We figured we could make the trip to the nursing home on just about one gallon of gas. There were a couple of gallons on board. We wanted to leave the boat with the same amount of gas as we found it.
Willey said, "They leave the boat low on gas at night so if anybody steals it, they won't get far."
"You sure you have the key to the boat?" I asked. Willey held it up to show me. "I made a copy when I started here in case I lost the original."
We had brought Oscar along because we thought there might be another attack on Willey's house. We climbed aboard and poured the gas into the tank. I untied the lines and Willey turned the key in the ignition. We were off! The Intracoastal was as smooth as glass as we glided almost silently over the black water. We ran without lights. I sat up front with Oscar and watched the lights go by on the shore. It was a warm night and the ocean breeze was refreshing. The stars were bright above and the moon lit up the tops of the palmetto trees.
Oscar seemed to be enjoying the ride. He had most likely never ridden aboard a boat before. He was fascinated by the luminescence in the water. He leaned over the side, watching the water sparkle as we moved along. I held onto the back of his shorts so he wouldn't fall in. Could monkeys swim? A streak of light in the sky caught our eyes and we watched a comet flash across the night sky. The lights of the waterfront mansions slid by one after another. Every square foot of waterfront had been built upon. That's the thing about the ocean, except for the occasional pay-to-park beach or a causeway, you can't get near the water. I had to wonder how the people in those mansions had accumulated so much wealth. I couldn't imagine being that rich.
After about fifteen minutes the lights of the nursing home emerged out of the darkness. It sat on a point of land that jutted out into the Intracoastal, just as Eduardo had told us. Willey guided the pontoon onto a smooth patch of shoreline, and we tied up to the bushes at the water's edge. The tide was out and there were a few feet of sand showing.
I stepped ashore. "I'll be back in about twenty minutes. Whatever you do, don't leave here without me."
"We'll be here," Willey said. "Good luck."
I
Willey said, "Palm Harbor isn't far from Frank's. We could make the trip on the pontoon boat. What do you think, Barney?"
I said, "It's either that or I'll be living on peanut butter sandwiches for weeks." Besides, I felt safe working for the FBI.
"When do you want us to go there?" Willey asked.
"Tomorrow night. Do you have any questions?" Willey and I both shook our heads.
"Okay," Eduardo said. "You've got the job. Just be careful."
As Eduardo was leaving I said, "Tell Sofie I said, hello."
Eduardo smiled, "I'll tell her. I think she likes you. She talks a lot about how you handled Darrell. She calls you her hero." Willey was smirking at me.
Things were looking better, and I could go back to my own house again.
The next night we parked on a dirt road that ran along the coast, and walked back to Frank's Restaurant. It was 3:am. Everyone had gone home. We were ready to steal the pontoon boat--but it was for a good cause, and we'd return it afterward. I carried a red plastic gas can that held a single gallon of gasoline. We figured we could make the trip to the nursing home on just about one gallon of gas. There were a couple of gallons on board. We wanted to leave the boat with the same amount of gas as we found it.
Willey said, "They leave the boat low on gas at night so if anybody steals it, they won't get far."
"You sure you have the key to the boat?" I asked. Willey held it up to show me. "I made a copy when I started here in case I lost the original."
We had brought Oscar along because we thought there might be another attack on Willey's house. We climbed aboard and poured the gas into the tank. I untied the lines and Willey turned the key in the ignition. We were off! The Intracoastal was as smooth as glass as we glided almost silently over the black water. We ran without lights. I sat up front with Oscar and watched the lights go by on the shore. It was a warm night and the ocean breeze was refreshing. The stars were bright above and the moon lit up the tops of the palmetto trees.
Oscar seemed to be enjoying the ride. He had most likely never ridden aboard a boat before. He was fascinated by the luminescence in the water. He leaned over the side, watching the water sparkle as we moved along. I held onto the back of his shorts so he wouldn't fall in. Could monkeys swim? A streak of light in the sky caught our eyes and we watched a comet flash across the night sky. The lights of the waterfront mansions slid by one after another. Every square foot of waterfront had been built upon. That's the thing about the ocean, except for the occasional pay-to-park beach or a causeway, you can't get near the water. I had to wonder how the people in those mansions had accumulated so much wealth. I couldn't imagine being that rich.
After about fifteen minutes the lights of the nursing home emerged out of the darkness. It sat on a point of land that jutted out into the Intracoastal, just as Eduardo had told us. Willey guided the pontoon onto a smooth patch of shoreline, and we tied up to the bushes at the water's edge. The tide was out and there were a few feet of sand showing.
I stepped ashore. "I'll be back in about twenty minutes. Whatever you do, don't leave here without me."
"We'll be here," Willey said. "Good luck."
I
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