“You work for Buccaneer Life and Casualty?”
The man nodded.
“Tell us what we want to know.”
“But I don’t know anything! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Nikita walked over to Ivan, standing by the Mercedes. Ivan lit a cigar. “Has he said where the five million dollars is yet?”
“No, but I think he’s about to crack.”
“What method are you using?”
“Crabs.”
Ivan winced. “Terrible way to go.”
“The worst,” said Nikita. “Let’s go watch.”
They strolled back over to the insurance man.
“Tell us what we want to know!” snapped Nikita.
The man couldn’t stop crying.
“All right then!” said Nikita. “We’ll just leave you to the
The man whimpered a couple more times, then stopped and looked side to side at the little mangrove crabs dancing around the shore, darting in and out of their sand holes as each wave from the bay advanced and retreated on the rising tide. The insurance man looked up at Nikita. “That’s it?”
“Don’t even try asking for mercy!”
“Okay,” said the man.
“Why isn’t he scared?” Ivan asked Nikita.
“He’s so scared he’s in shock!”
Ivan bent over and picked up one of the little crabs, which repeatedly pinched his thumb and forefinger.
“Watch out!” said Nikita. “Built to scale, those claws have the crushing power of a great white shark!”
The crab continued pinching Ivan. “I barely feel anything.”
“Maybe it sliced clean through your nerve endings.”
“It’s not doing anything.”
“That’s because it’s just one,” said Nikita. “They’re like piranhas. It’s all in the numbers. Imagine hundreds of those crabs!”
Ivan stared at his hand. “It’s just leaving little red marks.”
“But imagine hundreds of little red marks!”
Ivan smacked Nikita in the back of the head. “You idiot! They’re the wrong kind of crabs!” Ivan pointed at the insurance man. “And he knows it. He lives around here.”
“What now?”
“Break into the insurance office,” said Ivan, handing Nikita his car keys. “Get the Mercedes.”
“Right.” Nikita jumped behind the wheel as the others waited on the side of the mangroves.
They noticed the Mercedes’s engine was racing, but it wasn’t going anywhere.
“Does he have it in neutral?”
“I don’t think so.”
The Mercedes was backed too close to the boat ramp, and the rear tires were spinning on algae.
“Nikita! Give it more gas!”
Nikita gave it more gas.
“I think he’s starting to go backward.”
The others watched curiously as the sedan slowly slid down the boat ramp and into the water. It was three-quarters under when the panic hit — Nikita struggling in the dark bay with his safety harness and the shorted-out child-safety locks. Then a gun started firing out the roof, letting the air pocket escape, and down she went.
“Well,” said Ivan. “That was certainly different.” He turned to the adjuster. “You know the way back to town?”
He nodded.
“Untie him.”
The Russians didn’t answer. They dumped out desk drawers, pulled paintings off walls, smashed vases and cut the stuffing out of couches and chairs.
“What are you looking for? Maybe I can help.”
No answer. They ripped acoustical tiles from the dropped ceiling and pulled up carpet. They checked the toilet tanks, unscrewed wall sockets. They gouged the drywall with a fire ax. They used an acetylene torch to cut into the plumbing and electrical conduits.
“No use,” said Igor, wiping insulation dust off his shoulders. “It’s not here.”
“What’s not here?” asked the adjuster.
“The file on the five million you paid out in September.”
“In the filing cabinet.”
Ivan looked sternly at the others. “You didn’t check the filing cabinet?”
They removed their hard hats and shrugged.
Ivan walked over to the cabinet and retrieved the thick file. It had everything — names, dates, addresses, bank accounts. Then it ended abruptly.
Ivan walked back to the adjuster. “It’s not complete. Just stops cold. There’s no current address for the guy.”
“I know. He fled. He was last seen at a local bank. Witnesses told police he made a withdrawal and stuffed the money in a silver briefcase.”
Ivan cursed under his breath and turned to the others. “I thought you interrogated him!”
“We did.”
Ivan looked at the adjuster again. “Where is he now?”
“Six feet under. They never found the briefcase.”
“When did this happen?”
“Couple months ago.”
“Where?”
“In a motel room in Cocoa Beach.”
“You wouldn’t happen to know which motel, would you?”
“The Orbit. Room two fourteen.”
“And you just happen to know all this because…?”
“It was in the papers.”
Ivan dropped his head in exasperation and closed his eyes. He slowly looked up again. “Why didn’t you tell us this down at the boat ramp? You could have died!”
“Your guys never asked,” said the adjuster. “They just kept saying, ‘Tell us what you know!’ What the hell does
Ivan looked at the others. “Do we have to go over this every time?”
