Chapter 13
“Have you gone insane?” Gandalf began, pulling Maggie aside. Maggie had listed off to Special Agent Galahad the case so far as she understood it, careful to exclude all accusations that Chemical had made against Senator Hadian. As the Special Agent had turned to discuss the details with his colleagues, Gandalf had pulled Maggie by the elbow to a quiet corner of the car deck.
“No, I -”
“Give the FBI free range to board Raft ships? Are you crazy? You don't have the authority to do that – I don't have the authority to do that – no one does! First-foot, Maggie, if the Raft has only one sacred law...”
“I know, I know,” Maggie gave Gandalf a calming gesture. “No one is boarding any junks, not the FBI, not the Coast Guard. While they're maintaining the ruse that this is still just a murder investigation, we can limit their access. When they drop that ruse... well, it won't matter if we gave them permission or not. Best to play along for now, Gandalf, we've got more to gain than lose by cooperating.”
“Maggie,” Gandalf fumed. “They brought an IRS agent.”
“I know, I know. They're no more here to investigate Meerkat's death than this is the dark side of the moon.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
“I'm going to find Meerkat's killer, what do you think I'm going to do?”
Gandalf huffed. “About the FBI?”
“I'll take care of them,” Maggie assured. “Just... trust me...”
Gandalf pulled the corner of his pith helmet down over his eyes and stomped off, unsatisfied.
Seeing that the coast was clear, Rachael stepped up to Maggie.
“Are you really a law enforcement officer in Liberia?” Rachael asked, her notebook still out. She should have been taking notes the whole time.
Maggie shrugged. “Why not?”
“But, won't they check?”
“Why bother?”
Rachael's look of concern slowly shifted to a broad smile. “Do you know how much trouble you can get into bullshitting the FBI?”
“I think I'm about to find out.” Maggie returned Rachael's smile. Across the car deck, the dark suits seemed to have come to some conclusion. Their huddle began to break apart and Galahad turned back and stepped towards the milling Gray Beards. Before he could open his mouth to speak, however, his cell phone began to ring... as it did, the phones of the other agents also began to beep... as did Rachael's.
“Hello?” all the dryfoots said in unison. There was a loaded silence as each party listened to his or her handset. Maggie and Gandalf exchanged a quizzical look. Galahad was the first to react, muttering something into his phone, hanging up, and snapping his fingers at the two seamen. He thrust an urgent finger back towards the black rubber dinghies and instantly the armed sailors began to recede backwards towards the far end of the car deck. They didn't raise their weapons, but neither did they turn their backs on the congregated Rafters. They simply walked backwards, scanning the dark nooks and crannies of the old, empty ferry, watching for danger.
The dark-suited agents were less concerned with safety. With their phones returned to their pockets, they turned and sprinted off down the length of the car deck. No one spoke, they simply hurried back towards their launches.
“What the hell?” Gandalf looked over at Maggie. Maggie looked at Rachael, who had a hand over her free ear. She was trying to make out a scratchy voice on the other end of her phone.
“Okay...” she was saying, “okay... are they sure? Positive?” Then she hung up her phone.
She looked up at Maggie, surprise in her eyes.
“What?” exploded past Maggie's lips.
“The Seattle PD... Peter... They've picked up Horus...”
“Great,” Maggie shrugged, confused.
“Yes...” Rachael licked her lips, her mouth was as dry as sandpaper. “They arrested him attempting to break into a Queen Anne home.”
“Horus? Breaking into a house?” Maggie raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, the home of Senator Hadian...”
Maggie eyes grew wide. “Oh my God!” Maggie turned, looked the length of the Kalakala to where the last of the Special Agents were climbing into a black dinghy. “Horus... Hadian...” Maggie stammered, darting her eyes quickly between Rachael, Gandalf, and the departing FBI agents. “Ha!” she laughed.
She clapped her hands together with a crack that echoed the length of the car deck.