Judgment at Alcatraz by Dave Edlund (carter reed .txt) 📕

watching the pair for a minute, she started to turn, but something odd caught her attention. It appeared that the man had retrieved something from the water’s edge and placed it inside his waistband. His shirt covered whatever it was.

Whatever the two were doing wasn’t her business, so Danya turned and strode across the parade grounds.

Chapter 12

Leonard Cloud retrieved a pistol from a black water-tight bag that was wedged between two stones in the shallow water. Only hours before, under cover of darkness, an accomplice clad in a black dry-suit, and being pulled by a battery-powered underwater scooter, had transported a cache of water-tight bags to this particular spot on the shore, near the Agave trail. The accomplice had made the journey from a thirty-six-foot sailboat bobbing a half-mile off the shore just south of Sausalito. Tethered to the stern of the sailboat was a futuristic-looking watercraft. With a bubble-shaped enclosure tall enough for twelve adult passengers and one pilot to stand upright, the Jet Capsule appeared top heavy, but in fact, was designed for speed and agility.

After a quick check that the magazine was loaded, and a round was chambered, Leonard stuffed the pistol, a Beretta 92, inside his belt and then pulled his shirt in place to cover the handgrip.

“We’ll come back later for the rest of the gear,” he said. “First, we need to secure the island.”

He climbed the trail to the parade ground, with Sacheen two steps behind him. She had a sweater tied around her waist to hide the Beretta handgun she had at the small of her back.

After climbing over the gate and earning disapproving glares from three nearby tourists, the two strode down to the dock. The ferry had just finished unloading, and was about to begin accepting passengers for the ride back to Pier 33. Several park rangers were maintaining an orderly line. All carried holstered sidearms, in addition to handcuffs, pepper spray, and a radio hanging from their utility belts.

Leonard approached one of the rangers, who was standing alone, a couple dozen yards from his colleagues. Like the other park service staff, he was wearing green trousers and a dark green jacket with a park service patch on the shoulder. The rangers were all watching the flow of people away from the ferry, and the short line ready to board.

Leonard nodded as Sacheen strode up to the visitor’s center. A middle-aged man and woman were receiving directions to the cell house. Some of the tourists who had just arrived were finding their way to the museum and movie theater inside the barracks building. She ignored the people traffic and kept her eye on Leonard, who was standing to the side of the armed ranger when he pulled out his pistol and pressed it against the man’s side. The ranger started to reach for his weapon, but stopped when the gun barrel was pressed harder into his flesh.

“Good. Now call your buddy over. And don’t do anything stupid. Got it?” Leonard reached around behind the ranger to confiscate his pistol, and glanced at it before placing it underneath his shirt. “Nice weapon. Smith and Wesson, M and P. Forty cal., I’m betting. Would be a shame if I had to shoot you with your own service piece.”

The ranger nodded almost imperceptibly.

“Hey, Stuart. This gentleman here has a question about the park that I can’t answer. Thought you might be able to help him.”

“Yeah, sure.”

As Stuart approached, he sensed something wasn’t right. But it was too late. He was within a few feet of his colleague when he saw the gun.

“Nice and easy,” Leonard said, his gaze locked with the park ranger’s. “I’ll take that weapon.” He tucked it between his waist and belt, with the other Smith & Wesson.

Sacheen had acted as soon as Leonard had drawn his gun. She drew up close behind the female park ranger and pressed her gun into the woman’s back, Sacheen’s sweater draped over her weapon and arm. Unlike the staff manning the dock, this ranger was not carrying any law enforcement tools.

“Clasp your hands together in front of your body, nice and friendly like.”

The woman complied, adopting a normal appearance, and doing her best to hide the terror she felt. Oblivious to the drama, people were moving about, absorbed by the historic sights on display.

Sacheen whispered in the ranger’s ear, “Anyone else working here?”

“No. Just me.”

“Good. Do you have a family?”

The ranger scrunched her brow. “Huh?”

“Do you have a family?” Sacheen repeated, with more intensity.

The woman nodded. “Yes. My daughter is three. Please let me go.”

“If you follow my directions, you’ll see your daughter again. But if you don’t…”

“Don’t kill me. Please. I’ll do whatever you say.” Her voice trembled.

“Good. We’re just going to take a short walk. And be cool so you can go home and be with your little girl.”

They strode to Leonard, Sacheen a half-step behind the woman. The gun, obscured by the sweater, never wavered from the ranger’s side.

There were two other rangers within sight on the dock, but they were occupied with the ferry boarding. Without lowering his gun, Leonard instructed Sacheen to handcuff the three park staffers together, in a tight circle. Unless someone looked closely, it would appear they were all huddled in conversation.

“You.” Leonard poked Stuart with the gun barrel. “Radio your friends to come over.”

Because Stuart’s hand was cuffed to the man next to him, it took some coordination, but he made the radio call.

“Be there in a minute,” a voice squawked over the radio. “Need to finish boarding these people first.”

“Tell him you have a situation and need both men to help you now.”

Stuart did as instructed. The urgency of the message brought the two park rangers right away.

“What’s the situation?” one of them said, when only feet away.

Sacheen and Leonard discretely rotated their guns into view, using the handcuffed federal employees as shields. If the rangers attempted to draw their weapons, they and their colleagues would certainly be shot dead.

Leonard said, “Both of