The Racketeer Page 0,96

vision is blurred as we pass over Savannah at thirty-eight thousand feet. He's getting bombed.

I keep pouring, and he shows no signs of slacking off. As we pass high over my old stomping ground at Neptune Beach, I fix the final round. Into Nathan's beer mug, I drop two tablets of chloral hydrate, five hundred milligrams each.

"Let's kill these dead soldiers," I say, slamming them onto the table, and we turn bottoms up. I take it easy and Nathan wins the contest. Thirty minutes later, he's dead to the world.

I watch our progress on the screen next to the galley. We're now at forty thousand. Miami is in sight, but we are not descending. I pull Nathan out of his chair and drag him to the sofa, where I stretch him out and check his pulse. I pour a cup of coffee and watch Miami fade below us.

Before long, Cuba is behind us too, and Jamaica emerges at the bottom of the screen. The engines throttle back a notch, and we begin our long descent. I gulp coffee in a desperate effort to clear my head. The next twenty minutes will be crucial and chaotic. I have a plan, but so much of it is beyond my control.

Nathan is breathing heavily and slowly. I shake him, but he's unconscious. From the right pocket of his too-tight denim cutoffs, I remove his key ring. In addition to the one for his pickup, the collection includes six others of varying shapes and designs. I'm sure a couple fit the doors and dead bolts of his house. Perhaps a couple lock and unlock Bombay's. In the left pocket, I find a neat fold of cash - about $500 - and a pack of gum. From the left rear pocket I remove his wallet, a cheap vinyl Velcro tri-fold that's sort of bulky. As I inventory it, I realize why. Our party boy had loaded up with eight Trojan condoms, stored at the ready on his left buttock. There are also ten crisp $100 bills, a valid Virginia driver's license, two membership cards to Bombay's, a business card for his parole officer, and one for a beer distributor. Nathan has no credit cards, probably because of his recent five-year stint in prison and his lack of a real job. I leave the cash in place, don't touch the Trojans, and remove everything else. I substitute the fake driver's license for the valid one and give Nathaniel Coley his wallet back. Then I gently place the fake passport in his right rear pocket. He doesn't move or twitch, doesn't feel a thing.

I go to the restroom and close and lock the door. I open the cargo hold, unzip my carry-on, and remove two nylon pouches with the words "First Aid" stamped in bold letters. I stuff these into the bottom of Nathan's gym bag, then re-zip everything. I walk to the cockpit, pull back the black curtain, and lean forward to catch Devin's attention. He quickly removes his headset and I say, "Look, this guy drank nonstop until he passed out. I can't seem to wake him up and there's not much of a pulse. We might need some medical attention as soon as we land." Will hears this even with his headset, and for a split second he and Devin stare at each other. If they were not descending, one of the two would probably step into the cabin and take a look at Nathan.

"Okay," Devin finally says, and I return to the cabin, where Nathan lies in near rigor mortis, but with a pulse. Five minutes later, I return to the cockpit and report that he is indeed breathing but I can't rouse him. "Idiot drank a fifth of tequila in less than two hours," I say, and they both shake their heads.

We land in Montego Bay and taxi past a row of commercial airliners at the gates of the main concourse. To the south, I see three other jets parked at the private terminal. There are emergency vehicles with red lights flashing, all waiting for Nathan. I'll need the chaos to aid in my disappearance. I'm far from sober, but the adrenaline has kicked in and I'm thinking clearly.

When the engines are turned off, Devin jumps up and opens the door. I have my briefcase and carry-on in my chair, ready for the opportunity, but I'm also hovering over Nathan. "Wait for Immigration," Devin says.

"Sure," I reply.

Two grim-faced Jamaican Immigration officers appear