Missions of the Retrieval Team - The Girl with the Silvery Smile

[davedove]

Scene 1

The Caribbean Sea, just off the southern coast of Puerto Rico

We relaxed on the yacht as we waited for Mr. Smith to arrive. ‘Mr. Smith,’ just how unoriginal can the government types be? He was supposed to arrive in the same boat we had met him in earlier to arrange the mission.

It wasn’t long until Ms. Starling spotted the boat from her lookout position on the sun deck. As we waited for the boat to approach alongside the yacht, Ms. Hawk kept her assault rifle out of sight, but easily available. I stood at the rail and watched the boat draw near.

“Ahoy, the Bird’s Nest!” called out a man from the boat.

Recognizing our client I called back. “Welcome back, Mr. Smith.”

“Hello, Mr. Dove. Permission to secure my vessel and come aboard?”

“Permission granted. Throw us a line and we’ll secure your boat.”

Mr. Smith threw us his rope and Ms. Raven quickly secured it to the yacht. In the distance, I happened to notice a helicopter flying a pattern nearby. It never passed too close to us, but it was never far away either. Obviously, Mr. Smith had some partners keeping watch, as we had suspected he would.

I lowered the ladder over the side and extended a hand to help Mr. Smith come aboard. As he stepped on deck and shook my hand, he couldn’t help but admire my associates, each dressed in a swimsuit.

“I must say I appreciate your choice of associates, Mr. Dove,” he said.

“Hey, just because they are skilled professionals doesn’t mean they can’t look nice.”

“Of course, so you have my package?”

“Certainly, has our fee been transferred?”

I looked over at Ms. Swan, who was looking at her laptop. She looked up at me. “Deposited this morning,” she said.

“Perfect,” I responded. “Mr. Smith, if you would follow me?”

We descended to the deck below, where the cylinder we had retrieved was being kept. Ms. Stork was sitting nearby, reading a book. Mr. Smith didn’t notice the pistol she had hidden beneath her sarong. We normally remain armed during meetings like this, as some clients think they can steal back their packages without paying the fee once we have done the hard part. I didn’t expect any such actions from Mr. Smith though.

I picked up the cylinder and handed it to him. “Here you go, mission accomplished.”

“Thank you, Mr. Dove. Your services are greatly appreciated.”

“It really wasn’t much trouble, although we did have to have a short race with a Cuban patrol boat.”

“No serious problems though?”

“Nothing we couldn’t handle. Can I offer you a drink while you’re here? I’m sure the ladies wouldn’t mind a little company other than me.”

I could tell he was tempted by the look in his eyes, especially since Ms. Thrush had come into the room to get a bottle of water from the refrigerator. She was wearing a bikini that could just barely be called legal. His eyes were following her as she walked across the room.

“I’m sorry, but no. I have a schedule to keep.”

I almost couldn’t keep from laughing. “Too bad, well it’s been a pleasure doing business with you. Call us again if you need anything.”

“I will, and thank you again.”

I walked him back to the ladder and waited for him to reach his boat. Ms. Raven tossed him back the line. He went to the helm of his boat and started it up. We watched as he pulled away. I noticed that the helicopter headed back to the island as well.

I called to our own helm. “Ms. Falcon, take us to the island roost.” That is what we called our villa on St. John’s.

The yacht started to move out and Ms. Swan called me over. “We’ve got an email.”

“Who’s it from?” I asked.

“It’s Mike from the League. It looks like an invitation.”

I moved over to read the message.

Mr. Dove and the Members of the Retrieval Team,

You are invited to attend a formal dinner at the Great Hall of X
marks the Scot to celebrate the recovery of our esteemed members,
Riverkilt, Graham, and Hamish. Please proceed directly to the Charleston
Airport where ground transportation has been arranged.

Mike1

“Well,” I said, “it looks like we have a party to attend.”