Duarte tried to spring onto the man, but the latter was far too quick, reaching down and covering Duarte with the small handgun.
The hairy man took a second to catch his breath and said, "Sorry, I wish we had time to finish this. You're the biggest challenge I've ever faced."
Duarte kept his eyes on the man, looking for a weakness or opening. The man had retreated just far enough to ensure his ability to hold Duarte at bay. He obviously knew what he was doing, and now Duarte wondered how he could've let this killer gain the advantage. All he knew was that this guy wouldn't hesitate to kill him or Lina.
William "Ike" Floyd was scared and shaking as the FBI chick, Lina, leaned on him with that autopistol of hers screwed into his right ear. She didn't seem nervous, and he had no idea what they had planned for him.
Lina leaned in close to him and said, "Who's out there?"
"Don't know. Probably Pelly," he panted.
"Who?" The name had a ring to it.
"Pelly. He works for Mr. Ortíz." His voice cracked as he spoke.
That caught all of her attention. "Ortíz is here?"
"I think so. I haven't seen him yet."
Lina shifted her weight and moved away from him slightly. Then she said, "Sorry, Ike, I can't have you blabbing about things."
He sensed a tension in her hand and blurted out, "You can't just kill me, you're an FBI agent."
"I have to kill you because I'm an FBI agent."
"I won't tell, I promise. I've never told anyone."
The FBI agent seemed to tense, and Ike knew what was coming. He involuntarily squeezed his eyes shut and hoped he wouldn't pee in his jeans as he waited for the imminent blast from the pistol.
Duarte walked well in front of the first mate and didn't even bother to raise his hands. The guy already knew what to expect from Duarte and was pretty fast himself. He still hoped Félix would enter the fray and wondered what Lina would do when she saw them. The first mate marched him directly toward Lina and William Floyd, and he could just make out their forms as he moved forward.
Then Duarte stopped as he saw Lina and realized she had her gun to Floyd's head. He was lying on his side with his eyes squeezed closed, and Lina looked ready to execute him. At first he thought it might be an interrogation tactic, but then he realized she intended to pull the trigger.
Behind him, in an amazingly calm voice, the first mate said, "Don't do it."
Lina's head snapped up, and she hesitated about where to point her pistol.
The first mate said, "Shoot him, Lina, and I'll shoot your friend here."
Duarte was startled. How did this guy know Lina's name?
Lina looked at them and slowly lowered her pistol. Duarte felt a shove from behind and moved forward in a daze of confusion.
He sat across from Lina as the first mate, whose name was Pelly, had instructed. Duarte's head hurt from all the questions he had. He looked over at William Floyd, who seemed to cower next to Lina. She kept the gun to his temple in an effort to discourage Pelly from shooting Duarte.
Lina had just explained her brief meeting with Pelly in a bar.
Pelly rubbed his furry face and said to Lina, "You saw me clean-shaven. Quite the difference, no?"
Her dark eyes stared at the simian-like man.
Duarte said, "Lina, don't give up your gun. I've seen this guy's work. He's not gonna let us go."
Pelly gave him an odd look. "What work have you seen of mine?"
"The U-Haul mechanic."
"Oh, yeah, that was me."
"The young couple in Lafayette."
Pelly tilted his head. "That was my friend Ike's work."
William Floyd kept looking at the asphalt, apparently not too proud of shooting the young people. Ike mumbled. "What's it matter now? Yeah, I did it." His eyes occasionally darting to the gun barrel near his head.
Duarte continued. "Cal Linley in New Orleans, and I almost had you at Forrest Jessup's house in Mississippi."
Pelly shook his head. "I had nothing to do with those men. I don't even know who they are."
Ike's head snapped up. "Cal and President Jessup are dead?"
Duarte had always had some problems reading people. It just wasn't one of his strengths. But Pelly had admitted to some killings. Duarte didn't get the sense that either of these two were lying about other murders.
Duarte looked at Ike and asked, "What did you guys bring in?"
"What do I have to bargain with if I tell you?"
Duarte didn't know why he might want to bargain. He tried to look like he was focusing on Ike, but his eyes scanned down to his own pistol tucked in Pelly's belt. The first mate squatted just far enough away. He knew his tactics.
Duarte thought he saw a slight nod from Pelly, then Ike threw his weight toward Lina, knocking her off balance.
Duarte started to move, but felt the barrel of the Beretta against his neck.
Across from him, Ike now had the advantage, as he used his much greater size to wrench the gun away from Lina. He backed away, holding up the small automatic.
He looked at Duarte and said, "Guess I don't need to bargain now. We brought in a nuclear weapon."
52
ALEX DUARTE SHIFTED HIS WEIGHT, TRYING TO KEEP LINA FROM cutting off the blood flow to his legs in case he had the chance to act. Pelly had used Duarte's handcuffs to secure his arms around Lina in a bear hug in the bench seat of the F-150 pickup truck, tucked between William "Ike" Floyd and Pelly, who kept his Beretta in his hand.
They had managed to leave the area without waking Félix. His captors never even realized he was in the car. Duarte wanted to keep his DEA friend out of this now. He would've just been another hostage. Duarte figured that maybe Félix was just too drunk to wake up. In any event, no one noticed the sleeping DEA man.
What really concerned him now was the idea that the entire dope deal had been a cover to smuggle in a nuclear weapon and he had fallen for it every step of the way. The real questions he had now focused on Ike's relationship to the FBI and who had killed Cal Linley and Forrest Jessup.
Duarte said, "So, Lina, you two met in a bar?"
Pelly snorted.
Lina turned her head to the hairy man. "I didn't peg you as a killer in that little disco."
"Nor did I guess your occupation." He cut his eyes to Duarte to make sure he was secure and not trying some diversion. That impressed Duarte. This guy was sharp.
Then Pelly said, "Lina, why were you about to shoot my friend Ike back there?"
William "Ike" Floyd said, "I'll tell you why."
Duarte could feel Lina tense on his lap.
Pelly said, "Please, Ike, tell us." He looked like he was enjoying this.
Ike said, "Because the FBI doesn't want people to know I'm the third man at Oklahoma City."
Duarte had heard the theory that a third man-besides Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols-who worked for the FBI had walked away from the bombing, but it was always espoused by some gun nut or militia creep. Occasionally a cop would believe it, too, but Duarte had always dismissed it as a fantasy of the fringe groups.
Ike continued, "I told them about the plot. They had me by the short hairs, and I did my job. I told them what was happening, and no one believed me until it was too late." He sounded like he might cry he was so upset. "I couldn't tell my friends I was involved, because then the FBI woulda called me a…"
Duarte finished his sentence. "A child molester."
Ike snapped his head toward the ATF agent. "Yeah, exactly."