Operation Caribe by Mack Maloney Read Free Book Online

for a magazine spread.
    Jennessa went on. “We’re not really sure what the Muy Capaz do with their victims. They might throw them in the water, maybe with their hands and feet tied, ensuring they will drown quickly. Some of our waters have sharks or other flesh-eating fish in them. Plus, with the Gulf Stream, the currents around here can be so powerful, a body could wind up in the middle of the Atlantic in no time. Whatever the reason, no bodies have ever been found after a Muy Capaz attack. Not a one. And for some reason, the pirates always surprise their victims—and I mean all of their victims, because no one has ever so much as sent out a distress call in any of these cases.”
    She ran a few more slides.
    “One thing the victims seem to have in common,” she said. “They were all fairly wealthy, or at least well-off. They all either owned a very expensive yacht or they were chartering one at a hefty price. We don’t have a clue of the kind of vessels the pirates are using.”
    More slides.
    “There’s something else unusual about the Muy Capaz. Their attacks seem to come in waves. They’ll hit a few boats one night—usually no more than three—and then we don’t see them for a while. But whenever they do it, they come and go like demons. No witnesses. No stray radio transmissions. Nothing. That’s why Dr. Robert is here. He’s an expert on this sort of thing.”
    Dr. Robert was the man in the natty three-piece suit. He was actually the best-dressed person in the room, the women included. He was in his early thirties and had a breezy arrogance about him.
    He rattled off some credentials: a PhD in psychological profiling, a book called The Superstitious Criminal , appearances on many U.S. TV talk shows.
    “I can tell you without equivocation that the way this gang operates is connected to a voodoo ritual of some sort,” he announced, as if he were beginning a college lecture. “I can also tell you these attacks are definitely connected to the full moon. My research shows without question that this gang is more active when the full moon is near.
    “I call it the ‘Wolfman Complex,’ which happens to be the title of my next book. For instance, the last time the gang hit was a week ago, on Easter Sunday. Three boats were attacked; the moon was full that night. The pattern runs roughly the same through the past year or so. Therefore, the pirates will be active again in about three weeks, which should give you gentlemen enough time to track them down and do something about them.”
    He pushed a set of five three-ring binders in the team’s direction.
    “It’s all in there,” he said. “My profile, my recommendations, my statistics—and a coupon for 10 percent off my next book.”
    With that, Dr. Robert gathered up his briefcase and his paperwork. Overhead, they could hear a helicopter coming in for a landing.
    “And now, if you’ll excuse me,” he said. “I’m due back in the States this afternoon. I’m taping Dr. Phil tomorrow.“
    And off he went.
    Jennessa resumed her slide show. The images began flashing by faster now. According to her figures, the Muy Capaz had attacked more than twenty yachts in the past year or so.
    “But in the last few months they’ve been far more aggressive than before,” she told the team. “And that’s why we called you. As it is right now, most of these incidents have been given very little publicity by the Bahamian media. Most people like to think the reporters are simply being lazy, but we know, just as their bosses know, that just like shark attacks and hurricanes, making a big deal out of these incidents would not be good for anyone. The economy, the citizens who live out here, people who work out here, TV and newspaper advertising. No one. If news about these criminals was widespread—especially with all the nasty stuff we hear about the Somali pirates these days—the entire Bahamian tourist industry could crash and burn in a matter of weeks. That’s