Day 14

“I know it’s been two weeks, Angie,” I answered my admin assistant’s question as to when we’d be returning. She’d called while Edith and I were having lunch, and I couldn’t help but to envy Lee and his ‘Operation Eavesdrop’ team which had already left.

I spent most of the call with my fingers crossed on my free hand as I told her that things were moving along nicely and that we expected to return soon.

Although she said ‘very well’, I don’t think she believed me for one instant. I knew Edith didn’t think she had either, as she uncrossed Sharkey’s crossed fingers as I said goodbye.

“I’m not looking forward to facing the music when we do go back,” I sighed.

Sharkey finished his sandwich and checked his watch, “They should be there about now, sir.”

“Right, you and Joe go monitor. We’ll turn on the TV.”

We’d almost given up after not one report was coming from in front of the police station until ‘breaking news’ popped up on the screen.

“So tell me, Mrs. Crane,” a male reporter I didn’t recognize was asking, while Ski, Pat, and Riley were doing a good job of pestering everyone who passed by on the way to the police station with signs, asking for donations, and handing out buttons, “how did you get involved with this?”

“Well, my son, he’s the Captain of the Seaview, and that’s the sort of thing they do, saving whales and the like.”

“Captain Crane, mi hermano!” Miguel said proudly, wearing several of the buttons and handing one to the reporter. “Save Whales, si?”

“Very good, Miguel,” Mrs. Crane patted his arm as the reporter pinned it on. “He’s trying so hard to learn English but I’m afraid he can still only grasp a few words. I’m pretty sure Lee taught him the phrase.”

“I’m surprised your son would be interested in saving the whales after he had to crawl into the belly of one to rescue Admiral Nelson and Professor Markova when it swallowed the diving bell.”

“Yes, well, in spite of several burns from the whale’s stomach acid, Lee’s a loyal employee of the Nelson Institute, I mean full partner, and their job is not only research, but helping to prevent extinction of some species of sea life.”

“Is Captain Crane here?” the reporter asked, looking around.

“I’m sorry, no. He’s in Washington on business. Lee was disappointed that he couldn’t be here, though.”

“Lee, mi hermano!” Miguel grinned and handed a passer by a button.

“I would have thought that the Nelson Institute wouldn’t have to panhandle for funds.”

“Oh, this isn’t sponsored by NIMR. Stu?” she called out to Riley who was pinning a button on one of the secretary’s blouses, as Ski was doing the same to another. “Come here a moment will you, boys?”

Both grinned goodbye to the women and approached.

 “This is Stuart Riley and Tolliver Kowalski. They’re crewmen aboard the Seaview and are raising money on their own to send to an environmental and animal protection group. You may recognize Stuart  as the winner of the recent Surfing Championship in Oahu.  And both were with my son in the belly of the whale.”

“Oh man, like, that was harder than riding a hot tube,” Riley said, “for a while I thought we were going to die in there. “

And yet you’re both here trying to save whales,” the reporter said.

“They’re dying out,” Ski said, “We have to do something before it’s too late. So we’ve decided, Stu and me, that we’ll use some of our shore leave to help.”

“Not much you can do since the U.S. had no jurisdiction in international waters.”

“Well, it ain’t right,” Ski said. “Who wants to eat blubber anyway?”

“Whales are hunted for more than that, dear,” Mrs. Crane said but was interrupted by Miguel who was tugging on Riley’s sleeve and pointing to the station’s entrance where O’ Malley was exiting with some of the lunch crowd.

Riley, Ski, and Miguel literally ran  up the steps two at a time to corner him. It was easy to see that Riley was the ‘leader’ and ingratiated himself easily with  O’Malley, who accepted the button and pinned it on while smiling and waving to the crowd and reporters.

 “You’ll have to excuse me as well.  It’s so good to see one of Boston’s finest supports the cause. I really must go thank him.”

As the reporters followed, there was a gasp from the crowd and all turned to look at the man getting out of the cab.

“O’ Shaunessy!” O’ Malley hurried down the steps and people pointed and prepared to duck away. “What are you doing here? Mrs. Crane, take Miguel inside. Now.”

In seconds She, Miguel, Ski and Riley were out of sight.

“I’m here to help save the whales,” O’ Shaunessy spread his arms to indicate he was unarmed. “No law against that is there? And as much as I’d like to rid Boston of the likes of Miguel, and people who like them,  I’m not here to do that.”

“Come with me,” O’ Malley took his arm and headed down the sidewalk, “ I’d appreciate some space from the press. Thank you.”

In seconds they’d gone around the building into an alleyway.

Dumbfounded, the news team  headed inside where Mrs. Crane, shaking, was being comforted by the boys.

“It’s working,” Sharkey emerged from the ‘command center’. “There’s some background noise but Commander Jackson’s working on it.”

I think I made it into the den in under 2 seconds flat and listened in.

“I told you...”O’ Malley was saying.

“I know what you told me. I’ve done everything you’ve told me. And I ain’t got one thin dime you promised. I’ve played the racist jerk. I stole the Nelson Jewels for you. I even made up that death threat you wanted for Crane. What more do you want from me?”

“I want you to do as I say, or you’ll be wearing concrete overshoes. Understand? Besides you owe me. Who got you out of jail when  you raped that kid. And there’s no record of it to haunt you for the rest of your life. I’d say you got your payment already. But I can be a generous man, as you well know.”

“All right,  all right. Did you get the DNA results yet?”

“Yes. The hair was old but had viable DNA.”

“Then you are this what’s his name’s great grandson?”

“Sheamus. At least he was  ‘supposed’ to have been my great great great great grandfather,” O’ Malley spat.

“So, the whore got herself knocked up by somebody else?”

The sound of O’ Malley slapping O’ Shaunessy echoed in the den.

“You keep a civil tongue  in your head about her. She earned her living the only way she could.”

“Like I’ve heard that before.”

“You really do want those concrete overshoes, don’t you?”

“Okay okay...cheech. What now? You never told me just why you want to kill Crane.”

“Remember Lucy?”

O’ Shaunessy whistled.

“One date, that’s all they had, and she dumped me. She said he taught her what a real  man was. Yes, Ensign Crane owes me. I wanted you to kill him tonight, but I found out that he’s in Washington, so he’ll just have to scared for another day. Nothing like the sword of Damocles hanging over his head.”

“Huh?”

“Buffoon, didn’t you ever go to school? Never mind. The threat has to have at least scared him all this time a little bit.”

“From what I’ve heard of him, I don’t think he’s too scareable. What do you want to do with the Nelson Jewel’s now that you got the results?”

“Trash em’. They’re not worth anything anyway. Old lady whatever her name was had the real stones taken out.”

“Hary!” Edith yelled from the other room.

“Keep monitoring!” I ordered Jackson and Sharkey as I raced out.

“Something’s happening...”she said as the TV showed several marked FBI cars sped up and block the entrance to the alley and with police they’d summoned from the building to move  everyone back.

“This is the FBI,” one agent said using a blow horn as other armed agents disappeared into the alley, “Come out with your hands up! We’ve got you surrounded.”

 I ran back to Lee’s command center to listen in to what the TV reporters couldn’t see or hear up close and personal.

 “Chief O’ Malley, Clive O’ Shaunessy,” a commanding voice said, “ you’re both under arrest for obstruction of justice, theft, conspiracy, and the planned assassination of a US Naval officer. I only wish we could press charges against O’ Shaunessy for the rape but the statute of limitations has run out on that one.  News coverage, however, hasn’t...”

You can imagine the field day the press had when they saw O’ Malley ands O’ Shaunessy, in cuffs, being led to the cars and driven away while other FBI agents approached the reporters to explain the arrests. This was a federal case now. And the Deputy Chief of Police Corey would have to take the reins for the city of Boston.

As questions and answers were fired off, there was no sign of anyone from Operation Evesdrop, so I assumed Lee’s team had  taken a back exit.

Jackson and Sharkey were too busy for me to ask any questions, as they were making sure the bug was still being recorded. For all knew, even the President was listening. Hell no, not him too, I chastised myself for my over active imagination.

“Harry, we’ll be late,” Edith said, as she put on her coat.

“But...”

“This is Lee’s operation. Let’s not get in the way. Besides, it’ll all be on TV later.”

And so Edith and I headed out to go see the antiquities dealer with the Nelson ring in hand. Our prize possession, if you could even call it ours now that we knew the truth about it. So it had been in the family all these centuries. Didn’t make it ours.

At one time the Nelson Ring had been the family’s prize possession and even if the family tales had been true, it was only a thing.

 Our prize possession, point in fact,  was that O’ Malley wasn’t related, couldn’t take over the Nelson estate, that neither he or O’ Shaunessy appeared to know that the Nelson Jewels probably really were jewels,( I was sure the  FBI would retrieve them for us)  and that the planned assassination against Lee had been prevented. (That was a close call, and I’d almost wet my pants when I heard the two criminals discussing it.)

As the cab took Edith and I to the dealer, I was getting hot and bothered as to why Lee hadn’t even told me about getting the FBI involved.  I’m really going to have to have a long talk with that boy.