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CHAPTER 70
New Orleans, LA Sunday, July 11, 2021
THE MAJESTY OF ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST CRUISE SHIPS WAS the draw, and the brochures laid out magnificent photos of the spacious deck, massive swimming pool, and grand ballrooms. The tiny living quarters, where passengers slept after a full day out and about, didn’t get much attention in the RICL brochure. Cabin 3318 was small and cramped. After an hour of bumping into each other, Meghan Cobb laid down some ground rules. A line of pillows separated the bed into two halves. Their suitcases were stored underneath. He sat in a chair crammed in the corner. Meghan took a spot on her side of the bed.
“Thanks for doing this,” he said. “However it is you got roped into it.”
“I owed someone a favor,” Meghan said.
They ran through the plan and what they hoped to accomplish during the next couple of days.
“So, you’re not allowed to leave this cabin?” Meghan asked.
“It would be best for me not to. I’ll walk the halls each day when housekeeping comes to clean, but I’ll stay out of sight as much as possible. You, on the other hand, should get out and about. Make yourself seen.”
Meghan nodded. “I plan to at least get a hell of a tan out of this deal.”
“I’ll be out of your hair in two days. Then, you’ll have the cabin to yourself.”
“Do you think this will work?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m trusting the person who set it up.”
“Your name’s not really Aaron, is it?”
“No.”
“What should I call you then?”
There was a short pause before he answered.
“Aaron,” he said. “It’s probably best for you to just call me Aaron.”
CHAPTER 71
Lake Placid, NY Sunday, July 11, 2021
THE BATHROOM DOOR DISINTEGRATED UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THE battering ram, and agents poured into the room. Steam wafted from the door frame and fogged their face shields, which they quickly lifted out of the way.
“Federal agents!” they shouted. “Put your hands in the air. Hands in the air!”
Oliver caught glimpses through the bodies and the steam as he stepped into the room. A man stood naked in the shower. He did not put up a fight, or any resistance at all. He simply raised his hands in a frightened and defeated manner. Two agents manhandled the naked figure out of the shower and forced him to the ground, where they cuffed his hands behind his back.
“Clear,” another agent yelled before shutting off the shower.
The agents took the man by the elbows and lifted him to his feet. Naked and dripping wet, he looked pathetic. It would have been appropriate, since he put up no resistance, to offer the man a towel to cover himself. But Jim Oliver had no intention of lessening this man’s humiliation.
Oliver walked up to the fugitive he had been hunting for years. Even with sopping wet hair clinging to his ears, Oliver recognized the Thief of Manhattan.
“Garth Montgomery,” Oliver said, “I want you to know two things. First, you’re under arrest. And second, your daughter is the reason we found you.”
CHAPTER 72
Montego Bay, Jamaica Tuesday, July 13, 2021
THE EMERALD LADY MADE LANDFALL JUST AFTER TWELVE NOON ON THE third day of the cruise. Aaron Holland watched from the balcony of the second deck as hordes of passengers bottlenecked the exits to storm the island’s tourist traps, eager to buy cheap jewelry and handbags and knickknacks for their grandchildren. He waited patiently for the crowds to thin, then walked back to Cabin 3318. Meghan Cobb sat on the bed.
“Well,” he said, “I guess this is it.”
