Annabelle Rice and Stephen Roby are police officers out to apprehend a drug dealer, Ronald Hooper. He had fled overseas to a safe haven, as there is no extradition treaty between the countries. Annabelle arrives first on a tourist visa and Stephen a week later on the same basis, to avoid suspicion.
Annabelle spends her week on a beach near where Ron Hooper is now dwelling. He has a nice beach house and is living a comfortable life. When Stephen arrives, he happens to stay at the same hotel as Annabelle, but they don't eat together to avoid suspicion.
They both go for a walk separately and meet on a beach to quietly discuss what Annabelle has observed.
Annabelle: Ron lives a quiet life, not appearing to make friends with the locals beyond pleasantries. His wife, Cynthia, has made a few friends, but they are both very guarded.
Stephen: If Ron is that cautious, then luring him to a place where we can arrest him will be difficult. Back home, he was known for having a soft spot for pretty women and that's why you're here, Annabelle. A slight smile crosses Stephen's face.
Annabelle replies guardedly: I'm fully aware of that, but his wife Cynthia knows her husband well enough to keep an eye on him in case he is inclined to stray. She goes off to play bridge each Wednesday afternoon. I've already walked past his place along the beach and he has noticed me. I made sure of that.
Stephen: So you think next Wednesday we should make our move?
Annabelle: Provided I can engage with him positively. If he agrees to walk with me, we can get him to the next bay and go from there.
They cautiously peruse the area to see that no one is noticing them. There is one man that catches Stephen's eye but he then dismisses it as his being too cautious.
Stephen: I don't think you will have any problem persuading him to walk with you.
Annabelle: I hope you're right. There are so many things that have to come together to make this happen. If we botch it, then he will have missed our chance. He won't get fooled twice.
Next Wednesday comes and Stephen hires an inflatable boat. He goes around to the adjacent cove and parks the boat on a tiny sandy spot behind some rocks and away from the main beach to avoid suspicion. A larger vessel is offshore, ready to receive them.
Annabelle waits until she sees Cynthia head off in her car to her bridge game. She waits until Ron walks onto the deck outside his home and she makes her move.
Annabelle: Good morning. A nice spot you have here.
Ron looks up cautiously: Yes, it is. Can I help you?
Annabelle: I'm looking for a cove that is around here somewhere.
Ron relaxes slightly: It's that way, just fifteen minutes walk from here.
Annabelle smiles coyly: I don't suppose you fancy a walk and show me?
Ron hesitates and looks at Annabelle. He decides she is a harmless tourist, and as Cynthia is out, why not? Her prettiness then seals it.
Ron: I guess I can do that.
Annabelle: Then on the way back, perhaps you might offer me a drink? She looks innocently hopeful.
Ron: You are pushing your luck, lady. I'm Ron, by the way.
Annabelle smiles: Anna. I'm on holiday and feel free and a bit daring.
Ron smiles back: We'd better get walking then.
Annabelle plays the part well and Ron is enamoured. Her tracking device lets Stephen know they are approaching the quiet and secluded bay. He waits behind some undergrowth until they appear. As they walk past, Stephen comes out of his hiding and approaches from behind. Ron is grabbed and his hands are tied behind his back. They escort Ron down to the boat while he insists he can reward them handsomely if they let him go.
Ignoring his bribery attempts, he is bundled onto the inflatable boat and driven out until they finally reach the much larger vessel off shore awaiting their arrival. They all get aboard and dump the inflatable. They then head across the water to their own country, the drug baron to face justice.
Annabelle and Ron high five and sit back as they head home. The operation went without a hitch. But how did they get through the whole thing without even raising any suspicion? That must have been the case.
Meanwhile, Cynthia arrives home to find her husband not there. He is always there. She smiles. She too, saw Annabelle on the beach at the very beginning and was suspicious. She took a discreet photo and took it to the local police commander, whom she had usefully got to know.
He informed her that they knew Annabelle was a visiting police officer and had been keeping an eye on her discreetly. While suspicious, there was no real evidence of her being there on police business. Stephen's later arrival was more suspicious, so they increased surveillance.
Cynthia gave the police commissioner a little something in a brown envelope so he would lose interest in these two 'off duty' police officers. The operation was called off, as was the man Stephen momentarily suspected was watching both Annabelle and himself.
Cynthia finding that her husband, Ron, gone was what she hoped for. He had cheated on her many times before and she didn't trust him, her doubts now confirmed. Her future was secure and her husband was getting what he deserved. His cheating inclination was his undoing, going off with Annabelle, she reasoned. The scorned Cynthia saw her chance and got her payback.


No comments:
Post a Comment