“The mountains?” Harry asked.
“Maybe the FBI would like to forget Appalachin, New York,” Holly said, laughing. “After all, it was a New York state police bust.”
“Appalachin, New York?” Harry said. “Why does that sound familiar?”
“Because it was the biggest Mafia meeting of all time—back in the fifties. The commission—the heads of all the families—had a big meeting at a country house in Appalachin, New York, somewhere upstate. The New York state police got wind of it and raided the place. There were guys in silk suits running through the woods like deer, with state patrolmen chasing them. It was a huge embarrassment for the mafiosi and a major coup for the New York cops. I think J. Edgar Hoover was still denying there was a Mafia at the time.”
“Palmetto Gardens isn’t Mafia,” Harry said. “This is way too slick for those guys—too classy and too rich, as well. The Mafia could never muster the kind of money it took to build that place.”
“It’s got to be a meeting,” Holly said. “So, it’s not Mafia—it’s whoever is behind Palmetto Gardens. They’re getting together.”
Harry turned to one of his men. “Ed, call Miami Center and find out what flights have been coming into Palmetto Gardens, starting a week ago and going right up to now.”
The man disappeared to find a phone.
“Okay, Holly, we’ll check that out. Now, before I start spouting off, I’d like to hear from you, Ham. You’re the only one we’ve got who’s been inside with any kind of effect. I’ve read your military record, and I want you in on this. There are some U.S. marshals here, and they can deputize you. You game?”
“I’m game,” Ham replied. He turned to Holly. “And don’t you say a word.”
Holly looked at the ceiling.
“Okay, Ham,” Harry said, “here’s the situation: we’ve got a large, residential community spread over hundreds of acres, set down among lots of other residential communities, so we don’t want stray rounds flying around the barrier island. How would you take this place with the least fuss, the fewest casualties and the fewest rounds expended?”
Ham stood up, leaned over the table and pointed. “They’re vulnerable here, at the marsh north of the marina, where I went in; otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten in. I think what we’ve got to do is first, put a team in through the marsh to knock out their backup electrical generator, then cut their outside power supply. There’s also a battery backup wired to the Jungle Trail back gate, and that should be taken out, because that would alert the security center if the back gate were opened. Once the power’s out, we hit the main and service gates, break down the Jungle Trail gate, and we’re in. Then, pretty much simultaneously, we’ve got to hit ten or eleven spots all at the same time. Those spots are: the security station, the com center, the airfield, the six camouflaged gun emplacements and the other two gates.” He pointed them out.
“Thanks, Ham,” Harry said. “That makes perfect sense to me. Will you lead the team in through the marsh?”
“Glad to.”
“How many men you want?”
Ham did some counting. “Two each for the generator, the back gate battery backup and the back gate; four men right here to lay down covering fire, if we’re detected. That’s ten, plus me, in three boats. You’ll want flat-bottomed boats, like Boston Whalers, either paddled the last half-mile or with trolling motors.”
“We can do that. I’ll pick some men, and you can brief them.”
“Good.”
“How many men to take the gun emplacements?” Harry asked.
“There was only one man in the one I checked out, but I think I’d count on two in each emplacement. However many feds you reckon it takes to deal with two men in each one.”
“I think two each will do it.”
“I wouldn’t send in any choppers until the gun emplacements are out.”
“Of course not.”
“Maybe on the other two gates you could do this: You’re going to need power to open the gates and lower the tire barriers, so after you get word that the preliminary infiltration is complete, cut the main power. Then, during the five seconds before the generator comes on, take the two guards. Say thirty seconds later, after the two gates are open, kill the generator. Then you can run as many vehicles as you want into the place.”
“What about the marina?” Harry asked.
“Jesus, I forgot about that. You don’t want people escaping by boat, do you? I think I’d take it from the shore side; the guards won’t be expecting that. Do it first thing, along with the airfield.”
“All right. Ham, do you think you could take the com center with your group? I’d be very surprised if the man on duty there didn’t have some way to wreck the computers in the event of a raid.”
“I bet he doesn’t have the authority to do that without orders,” Ham said, “and if there’s no power, he’s not going to get any orders.”
“There’s radio, but we can jam all the frequencies they use. Still, I’d like him taken out first thing after the power goes.”
“We can do that. I’ll give you odds that when the power goes and his radio doesn’t work, he’ll walk outside for a look around, to see what’s going on.”
“I hope it’s that easy.”
“If it isn’t, we can do it the hard way.”
“Use your own judgment, but take him alive, if you can. I want all the witnesses I can get.”
“Right. You got stun grenades?”
“Yep.”
“That should do it, in a pinch.”
Harry turned to Bill, who was standing behind him. “Pick twelve men and assign them to Ham. Make sure they understand that he’s in complete charge, then have them get the necessary equipment together. Ham can brief them on what he wants to do.”
Bill left the group.
Ed returned, clutching a sheet of paper. “Harry, Miami Center said six international flights came in the day before yesterday, eleven yesterday, and thirty-three more today. They’re from all over everywhere—Europe, the Caymans, Mexico, the Dutch Antilles—you name it.”
“Appalachin,” Holly said.
Harry turned to Holly. “Where do you want to be in all this?”
“At the security station,” Holly replied. “I want Barney, Harry. He killed Chet Marley and Hank Doherty. I can prove it, and I want him for that before you get your crack at him.”
“He probably killed Rita Morales, too,” Harry said.
“You might not be able to make that stick, but I’ve got a witness who can put Barney in the electric chair.”
“I’ll talk to the U.S. attorney about it,” Harry said.
“I want him in my custody from the moment he’s arrested,” Holly said. “In my jail.”
“Okay, done.”
“Then if the U.S. attorney wants him, he’ll have to sue me.”
Harry grinned. “I can live with that. We’ll want to interrogate him at some length, though.”
“In my jail,” Holly said.
“All right.”
“Something we’ve got to consider,” Holly said. “Whatever security people are on duty in the middle of the night are going to be patrolling, so they’ll be loose on the landscape and will have to be dealt with accordingly. I doubt if there will be more than one or two men at the security station, and Barney won’t be one of them. He’ll be at home in bed, and we don’t know where home is, yet.”
“Good point,” Harry said.
“I reckon we’ll find out at the security station where Barney lives, and then I want to go after him. If we’re lucky, if this goes well, he won’t know we’re on the grounds until we’re cuffing him.”
“And if we’re not lucky?”
“Then he may elect to shoot at us. I’m ready for that, I think.”
“Right,” Harry said. He turned to Jackson. “You can hang out at the command post with me.”