"The Something's Rotten in Block Island Affair" the conclusion- part 2 for Picfic Tuesday

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Madeleine felt as though all the strength had suddenly drained from her entire body. There were no more tears as  she walked along now like a zombie, convinced she and Illya were going to really die.

Once they were all down to the beach, Vinnie retrieved the rubber dinghy hidden among the underbrush.

There was a mist that still hadn’t burned away over water; it was preventing them from seeing the towboat, but they knew it would be here. This was their regular meeting spot.

Vinnie and Moe weren’t worried as they were a little early anyway. Instead they took the time to toss Illya and the girl into the boat.

It bobbed in the water as the waves gently washed in along the sand, while the men held onto the ropes so it wouldn’t drift off.

“We’ll wait here until the fog clears,” Vinnie mumbled. “Jumping Jack should be here in just about fifteen

minutes.”

Just above them out of view, the UNCLE agents arrived. After shooting Joey with a sleep dart, they abandoned the mopeds and crawled to the edge of the low bluffs.

None of them had their accoutrements to convert their Specials to carbines, and it would be a bit of a stretch to shoot accurately. Yet it wasn’t impossible.

At least Illya and the girl were not in the way.

“Okay gentlemen,” Napoleon said.”Make your shots count.



I’ll take the one on the left, Mark you take the one with the black shirt.”

“That leaves the ginger haired bloke for me,” Kitt said.”Come on ya little bugga’, stand still for daddy.”

“On the count of three,”Napoleon said. “One-two-three.”

“Pfffft!” They all shot at the exact same moment and watched as their targets dropped like flies one by one.

“Beautiful!” Napoleon stood up immediately, and side stepped down the sandy incline to the beach.

“Oh crap!” He began to run when he realized the dinghy was disappearing out onto the water and into the mist.

By the time he got to the water’s edge, the rope was gone, lost under the waves and the boat was nowhere to be seen.

Napoleon went straight to the unconscious men and searched their pockets, finding what he needed and that was the keys to the Rambler.

He tossed them to Mark. “Get back to that house and call the Coast Guard and tell them we have a search and rescue for them off Gross Point!”







“On it!” Slate caught the keys and scrambled up to where the car was parked. It would definitely be much faster than a moped.

Out on the water, Madeleine felt like the dinghy was rocking more than it should and she pushed herself up on her elbows to peek over the edge. There were no waves lapping on the shore and nothing but mist surrounding them; the men who’d held them prisoner weren’t anywhere to be seen.

“Illya?” She nudged him with her shoulder as she called his name. “Illya please wake up?” She started to cry, thinking he was already dead.

He groaned, hearing his name and opened his eyes.

“Madeleine?”

“Oh thank God you’re alive! Illya we’re in a dinghy out on the water all by ourselves. I don’t know what happened to those men.”

“I have a good idea what might have. I think Napoleon and the others have caught up with them.”

“How could you know that?”

“Instinct and I know Napoleon very well. If there were anyone who could find us in the nick of time, it is him. Now if you will just sit back to back with me so I can untie your wrists and then you can untie mine when you are free.”

He managed to undo the knots in a few minutes and then she freed him.

Illya looked around for a paddle but there was none. They would simply drift until they were rescued. His usual fatalism was kept at bay as he simply knew this time his partner and the others would find them, eventually.

In the meantime he wrapped his arm around Madeleine’s shoulders, pulling her close to him. She was shaking and terribly frightened.

“I am sorry I got you involved in all this. I never should have brought you with me to the tower.” He reached over and brushed her wind blown hair out of her eyes. “Can you forgive me?”

She nodded, and Illya lifted her chin, bringing her lips close to his and gently kissed her.

“You will be fine, trust me.”

“I do.”

Something bumped the raft and Illya sat up, peering out into the fog covered water and there he spotted an immense fin gliding past them.

“What was that?”

He decided not to tell the girl the truth, as she was frightened enough.

“It was just a bit of flotsam and jetsam, a piece of driftwood that tapped the dinghy.”

He wrapped his arm around her again, holding her tightly as she was still shivering. Though it was July, being pulled out into Rhode Island Sound, the dampness of the mist filled air made it uncomfortable, though he suspected it was fear more than anything that was making her shake.

Within the hour the sun had at last burned off the remaining mist and they were rescued by the Coast Guard.

Two hours later they were back at the hotel, Illya confined to bed with cracked ribs, and Madeleine feeling well enough, was playing nursemaid to him.

He was shirtless though his chest had been carefully wrapped and taped by a local doctor.

Napoleon and the others were there in Kuryakin’s room on a group briefing with Alexander Waverly via Solo’s communicator.

“Yes sir,” Solo answered.” It wasn’t THRUSH after all. With the exception of Thompson, the others were just simple minded thugs, who were seeing nothing but dollar signs.”

“Yes,” Illya added,” Thompson’s line of thinking was apparently in error. Though there were rumors there was treasure on the island, it was most likely just that. Legend and nothing more.

“A job well done gentlemen and you Miss Waterbury, you’re a courageous young lady, but in the future I caution you to be more careful. Regardless, thank you for your help.”

“Yes sir, without it we never would have located Eddie Thompson, and prevented the worst chemical release yet,” Illya called out.

Napoleon spoke up.”The Coast Guard have taken custody of Thompson and his cohorts as well as the Captain and crew of the towboat ‘Jumping Jack,’ The remaining oil drums filled with chemicals will be sent to be destroyed.  Our Rhode Island lab is testing samples to see exactly what concoction Thompson came up with in his plan to drive away nearly the entire population of Block Island to see if they can come up with some sort of counter agent, just in case there’s any residuals in the environment.”

“Quite a scheme to allow them to hunt for buried treasure, wot?” Waverly said.

“Thompson claimed he had a map showing where Kidd’s treasure had been buried,” Slate pointed out,” but once we got a look at it, it was apparently one of his own devising. He drew it based on his studies.”

“Well he did find some gold, did he not gentlemen?”

“Yes sir. We found a small cache of gold doubloons in the tower on Beacon Hill,” Illya said.”Captain Kidd was supposed to have absconded with eighty pounds of silver and a bag of gold weighing forty pounds from a boat called the Quedah Merchant which was an Armenian merchant ship, presumed sailing under a French flag. So one could logically presume the currency on the vessel was more in the form of gold and silver bars and not Spanish doubloons, though I cannot be one hundred percent certain of this. Thompson’s research was erroneous as Kidd  having visited Block Island in 1699, wherein he was supplied by a Mrs. Mercy Raymond. The story goes that for her hospitality, Mrs. Raymond was bid to hold out her apron, into which Kidd threw gold and jewels until it was full. After her husband died, she moved with her family to northern New London, Connecticut, where she bought much land with the treasure given to her. So no treasure was apparently buried here.”

“Your point Mr. Kuryakin?” Waverly asked. He was accustomed to his Russian’s long winded explanations and logic.

“Well the doubloons we found cannot be traced historically so would not carry the same value as coins that could definitely be linked to a specific pirate or wreck. They would make small reparation for the damage to the economy of Block Island and seeing as how Miss Waterbury was instrumental in the capture of the culprits and preventing an even worse disaster ...I suggest we give them to her as a reward.”

“I understand,” the Old Man hesitated.

“Sir there is fifty-two coins, each one containing slightly over twenty-six grams of gold. At the current price of gold which is just over thirty-five dollars an ounce, the value of the coins just on their gold content would be roughly sixteen hundred dollars. Slightly more for numismatic value, to a dealer in such coins perhaps.”

“Very well,”Waverly said. “You may give the doubloons to Miss Waterbury. Use them wisely young lady as it’s a rare opportunity to come by such an unexpected sum.”

“Yes sir Mr. Waverly and thank you! Maybe I’ll do some traveling,” Maddie spoke up. She winked at Illya as she said it.

“Very well, gentlemen since you have some vacation days coming to you as compensation I suggest you spend it there on the island. I hear the fish situation has cleared thanks to the recent storm. It apparently reeked havoc on the North Shore of Long Island, well that’s neither here nor there. Enjoy the weather as I will have assignments awaiting your attention when you return. Waverly out.”

Madeleine parked herself on the edge of the bed next to Illya and the Russian reached out, taking her hand in his.

“Well ahem…”Napoleon said. “I don’t know about you Mark and Kitt, but I’m going to go do a little sun bathing. I heard some bikini clad tourists are sunning themselves on the lawn here as we speak.”

The two men stood there looking at each other for a moment.

“Well can you not take a hint?” Illya said.

“Or is that a hike?” Madeleine quipped.

“Oh right, gotcha, Kitt said.”Come on mate, two’s company and three’s a mob.

Once the door was closed and locked, Maddie whispered,

”Now where were we Mr. Kuryakin?” She leaned over, preparing to kiss him.

“Be gentle, I am a wounded man,” he said. He reached up and pulled her into his arms.

He jerked as her weight against his ribs sent him into a sudden spasm of pain.

“Ow! I guess that was not a good idea,” he winced.

“Wait a minute, I have a better one.” Maddie moved to the side, lifting her leg over and straddling Illya’s pelvis before leaning in for another kiss. She supported herself on her arms, avoiding his chest.

“Mmmm, much better,” he whispered. “I like a woman who takes charge.”

“I noticed. Now shut up and kiss me.”

“I think I will,” Illya lost himself in that kiss...

Finis

Translations:

skutch- pain in the ass/annoying person

nosh- food

mob- group of people or things, not necessarily unruly

Comments

[jantojones.livejournal.com]

Fantastic ending to a fantastic story, and Illya got the girl. Men always manage to be braver when there's woman around lol.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Yes it's that 'manly man' thing, LOL! Thanks so much for catching up and really glad you liked the story!