The Racketeer Page 0,100

doing all I can to secure his release.

No problem, Rashford assures me. We agree on a fee and I pay him in cash. He immediately gets on the phone and checks with contacts in Customs and the police. I can't tell if he's hamming it up for me, but the guy knows a lot of people. After an hour, I excuse myself and walk down the street for a soft drink. When I return to his office, Rashford is still on the phone, scribbling away on a notepad.

I'm reading a magazine in the lobby, under a noisy ceiling fan, when Rashford appears and sits on his secretary's desk. Things are grim and he's shaking his head. "Your friend is in big trouble," he says. "First, he tried to enter with a bogus passport."

No kidding, Rash. I listen intently.

"Did you know this?" he asks.

"Of course not," I reply. I assume Rashford has never chartered a private jet and therefore does not know the routine.

"But much worse," he continues, "he tried to smuggle in a handgun and four kilos of cocaine."

"Four kilos of cocaine," I repeat, acting as shocked as possible.

"Found the powder in two nylon first-aid kits in his gym bag, along with a small pistol. What a fool."

I'm shaking my head in disbelief. "He mentioned buying drugs once he got here but said nothing about smuggling the stuff in."

"How well do you know this gentleman?" Rashford asks.

"I just met him a week ago. We're not exactly close friends. I know he has a history of drug violations in the States, but I had no idea he was an idiot."

"Well, he is. And he'll probably be spending the next twenty years in one of our fine prisons."

"Twenty?!"

"Five for the coke, fifteen for the gun."

"That's outrageous. You gotta do something, Rashford!"

"The options are limited, but allow me to go about my business."

"What about me? Am I okay down here? I mean, they checked my bags at Customs and everything was cool. I'm not an accomplice or guilty by association, right?"

"As of now, nothing. But I suggest you leave as soon as possible."

"I can't leave until I see Nathan. I mean, I gotta help this guy, you know?"

"There's not much you can do, Reed. They found the coke and the gun in his bag."

I start pacing around the small room, deep in thought, worried sick. Rashford watches me for a moment, then says, "They'll probably allow me to see Mr. Coley. I know the boys at the jail, see them all the time. You've hired the right lawyer, Reed, but, again, I'm not sure what can be done."

"How often do you see this - American tourists busted for drugs down here?"

He thinks about this, then says, "Happens all the time, but not like this. The Americans get caught on the way out, not bringing the stuff in. It's rather unusual, but the drug charges are not that crucial. We're soft on drugs but hard on guns. We have very tough laws, especially with handguns. What was this boy thinking?"

"I don't know."

"Allow me to go see him and make contact."

"I need to see him too, Rashford. You gotta work this out. Lean on your friends at the jail and talk them into it."

"It might take some cash."

"How much?"

He shrugs and says, "Not much. Twenty bucks U.S."

"I got that."

"Allow me to see what I can do."
Chapter 35
The pilots are calling my cell phone, but I refuse to answer. Devin leaves four frantic voice mails, all pretty much the same: the police have seized the airplane and the pilots have been told they cannot leave the island. They are staying at the Hilton, but not having any fun. Their office in Raleigh is screaming and everybody wants answers. The pilots are taking the heat for submitting a fake passport and will probably lose their jobs. The airplane's owner is threatening, and so on.

I don't have the time to worry about these people. I'm sure a man who owns a $30 million jet can figure out a way to get it back.

At 2:00 p.m., Rashford and I leave his office and he drives us ten minutes to the police department. The city jail is attached to it. He parks in a crowded lot and nods at a low-slung, flat-roofed building with narrow slits for windows and razor wire for decoration. We walk down a sidewalk and Rashford says a pleasant hello to the guards and orderlies.

He goes to a door and whispers with a guard he obviously