Chapter 2
“Back off, or she dies!” Earl shouted, the hard steel of the pistol pressing against my temple.
The sharp smell of chemicals still lingered, even though the shed was empty.
I was pretty sure it had been used as a clandestine lab to cook up meth.
Tyson had told me people would often build temporary structures out on these islands.
They’d use generators for power while they cooked up a batch.
The cartels could set up shop, knock out a bunch of product, and move on before anyone was the wiser.
Now it was a toxic waste site, and hopefully not a place I would die.
Earl had taken me to Barracuda Key. Off the beaten path, it would have given him privacy to do his dirty business. Fortunately for me, Tyson’s intel contact had been able to hack into my cloud account and track the case to my earbuds.
Tyson and JD had surrounded the shack. I breathed a little easier, but my heart still pounded.
I wasn’t out of this yet. But at least I had a fighting chance.
As former spec-ops warfighters, they knew what they were doing.
They were good friends to have. Now, as deputies for the county, they handled hostage negotiations all the time.
Through the seams of the shack, I caught glimpses of movement outside. Earl's voice tightened, and he grew more frazzled. The walls were closing in around him.
“Let Teagan go, and we can talk about this,” Tyson said.
The patter of rotor blades thumped overhead as Tango One circled, spotlighting the area.
"You hear that?" Tyson said. "There's no escaping the helicopter. There's nowhere for you to go. Put the gun down, let Teagan go, and I promise you'll get a fair shake.”
Earl laughed. "No such thing as a fair shake around here.”
"What if I tell the helicopter to back off, and the rest of the deputies to stand down? How does that sound?”
"Sounds like a start.”
After a moment, the pilot banked away, and the patter of rotors faded.
Tyson kept talking to Earl, distracting him while Jack crept around the shack.
I didn’t know it at the time, but he found a seam that was wide enough to poke the barrel of his rifle through.
From his angle, he had a clear shot at the back of Earl’s head.
But there was no way to hit Earl without a risk to me.
Besides, there were at least four victims who had never been discovered.
Earl knew where the bodies were buried. They wanted to bring this guy in alive.
“How do we make this work, Earl?” Tyson asked. “I want us all to go home, alive and in one piece. You want that too, don’t you?”
"You don't give a shit about me. You’d just as soon see me leave the island in a body bag, ain’t that right?"
"Now, Earl, I value all human life.”
A body bag would be perfectly acceptable, as far as I was concerned.
Earl’s finger tightened around the trigger. One twitch and my brains would be all over the inside of the shack. That was an unacceptable outcome.
My heart thudded.
Fear and adrenaline made Earl sweat and stink even more.
“How about you trade me for her?” Tyson suggested. “That way you’ll still have leverage.”
“You’re not my type,” Earl said.
“Work with me here.”
Earl was silent for a moment. “I want a million dollars and safe passage to Cuba.”
“That’s a lot of money to come up with on short notice. I don’t have it on me.”
“Get it, or she dies.”
“How about you come out with Teagan? I want to see that she’s okay before I go to the trouble.”
“I ain’t coming out.”
“If you want a million dollars, I need to see her.”
Earl went silent again. After a moment, he said, “I don’t hear you making arrangements. I’m pulling the trigger if I don’t hear some progress.”
“Okay, okay,” Tyson said.
JD still had the dirtbag lined up in his sights, waiting for the opportunity.
Tyson called the sheriff and filled him in on the scenario. He spoke loud enough for Earl to hear. “I need a million dollars.”
I’m sure the sheriff told him there was no way in hell. It was against policy to pay ransom demands.
“Fantastic,” Tyson said. “I’ll let him know. He’ll be ecstatic.” He shouted to Earl, "We’re going to get you all sorted. In the meantime, I bet you’re pretty hungry. Can I get you pizza, cigarettes, water?"
Earl hesitated for a moment. "If you try to screw me over, she’s dead.”
"It’s gotta be hot in there,” Tyson said. “Why don’t you both come out and get some fresh air?”
"Nice try, but I'm not leaving this shack until I see the money."
Tyson tried to keep him talking. “What are you going to do with all that money, Earl?”
The tension seemed to slack for a moment, but it ramped back up again. Earl wasn’t the most stable person in the world. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing.”
"What am I doing?”
"The food, the cigarettes, the water... It's all poison. You’re going to try to knock me out, then come in here and take me into custody. You’ve got no intention of giving me that money. You ain’t gonna let me walk out of here. You're all liars.”
"Earl, I've been nothing but straight with you since the moment we got here. But I don't mind telling you, my patience is growing thin. The best outcome for you is if you put the gun down, let Teagan go, and surrender peacefully.”
"Not gonna happen.”
"You're so close now, Earl. The money’s almost here. You can take it and walk away.”
“Don’t give me any more of your bullshit.”
“Earl, have I ever lied to you?”
He paused. "I'm tired of talking to you. I want both of you away from here. Now! Move!"
Tyson and JD stayed in position.
"I mean it," Earl growled. "Get away from the shack, or I'm going to blow her pretty little head off.”
"Alright, alright,” Tyson said, backing off.
Earl didn’t have much to lose. Kidnapping, murder, it was all pretty much the same. He’d be going away for the rest of his life.