On board the charter boat
“What boat is that?” asked one of the men in the fishing chairs.
“That boat?”
“Yes, that boat.”
“Oh, that’s a Key West boat.”
“What I said was, whose boat is it?”
“I wouldn’t know that, Cap.”
“Is the owner a fisherman?”
“Well, some say he is.”
“What do you mean?”
“He does a little of everything.”
“You don’t know his name?”
“No, sir.”
“You called him Harry.”
“Not me.”
“I heard you call him Harry.”
Captain Willie Adams took a good look at the man who was speaking to him. He saw a high-cheekboned, thin-lipped, very ruddy face with deep set gray eyes and a contemptuous mouth looking at him from under a white canvas hat.
“I must have called him that by mistake,” Captain Willie said.
“You can see that the man is wounded, Doctor,” the other man said, handing the glasses to his companion.
“I can see that without glasses,” the man addressed as Doctor said. “Who is that man?”
“I wouldn’t know,” said Captain Willie.
“Well, you will know,” the man with the contemptuous mouth said. “Write down the numbers on the bow.”
“I have them, Doctor.”
“We’ll go over and have a look,” the Doctor said.
“Are you a doctor?” Captain Willie asked.
“Not of medicine,” the gray-eyed man told him.
“If you’re not a medical doctor I wouldn’t go over there.”
“Why not?”
“If he wanted us he would have signalled us. If he don’t want us it’s none of our business. Down here everybody aims to mind their own business.”
“All right. Suppose you mind yours then. Take us over to that boat.”
Captain Willie continued on his way up the channel, the two-cylinder Palmer coughing steadily.
“Didn’t you hear me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why don’t you obey my order?”
“Who the hell you think you are?” asked Captain Willie.
“That’s not the question. Do as I tell you.”
“Who do you think you are?”
“All right. For your information, I’m one of the three most important men in the United States today.”
“What the hell you doing in Key West, then?” The other man leaned forward. “He’s Frederick Harrison,” he said impressively.
“I never heard of him,” said Captain Willie.
“Well, you will,” said Frederick Harrison. “And so will everyone in this stinking jerkwater little town if I have to grub it out by the roots.”
“You’re a nice fellow,” said Captain Willie. “How did you get so important?”
“He’s one of the biggest men in the administration,” said the other man.
“Nuts,” said Captain Willie. “If he’s all that what’s he doing in Key West?”
“He’s just here for a rest,” the secretary explained. “He’s going to be governor-general of—”
“That’s enough, Willis,” Frederick Harrison said.
“Now will you take us over to that boat,” he said smiling. He had a smile which was reserved for such occasions.
“No, sir.”
“Listen, you half-witted fisherman. I’ll make life so miserable for you—”
“Yes,” said Captain Willie.
“You don’t know who I am.”
“None of it don’t mean anything to me,” said Captain Willie.
“That man is a bootlegger, isn’t he?”
“What do
“There’s probably a reward for him.”
“I doubt that.”
“He’s a lawbreaker.”
“He’s got a family and he’s got to eat and feed them. Who the hell do you eat off of with people working here in Key West for the government for six dollars and a half a week?”
“He’s wounded. That means he’s been in trouble.”
“Unless he shot hisself for fun.”
“You can save that sarcasm. You’re going over to that boat and we’re going to take that man and that boat into custody.”
“Into where?”
“Into Key West.”
“Are you an officer?”
“I’ve told you who he is,” the secretary said.
“All right,” said Captain Willie. He pushed the tiller hard over and turned the boat, coming so close to the edge of the channel that the propeller threw up a circling cloud of marl. He chugged down the channel toward where the other boat lay against the mangroves.
“Have you a gun aboard?” Frederick Harrison asked Captain Willie.
“No, sir.”
The two men in flannels were standing up now watching the booze boat.
“This is better fun than fishing, eh, Doctor?” the secretary said.
“Fishing is nonsense,” said Frederick Harrison. “If you catch a sailfish what do you do with it? You can’t eat it. This is really interesting. I’m glad to see this at first hand. Wounded as he is that man cannot escape. It’s too rough at sea. We know his boat.”
“You’re really capturing him single-handed,” said the secretary admiringly.
“And unarmed, too,” said Frederick Harrison. “With no G men nonsense,” said the secretary.