The Titanic Plan by Michael Bockman, Ron Freeman Read Free Book Online Page B

over the decomposing corpse. One boy pushed a little girl into the horse just as she was taking her jump. She tumbled into the dead animal’s desiccated ribs. The boy laughed. After a moment’s pout, the girl started laughing too. The whole group of mangy gamins started laughing then they all ran and took flying leaps onto the decaying carcass.
    “ Welcome to Hell’s Kitchen, Captain,” his captor said.
    Archie didn’t answer; he was entranced by the spectacle outside, observing it as an anthropologist would view the strange habits of a foreign culture. The car turned down a small dirt alleyway and pulled near a crumbling building’s back entry. The driver jumped from the parked car and hustled through a moldy door.
    “ Time to move out, Captain.”
    Archie felt the gun jab into his ribs again. He lifted the door’s handle then slid out. It was the first time Archie was able to see his kidnapper’s face. Rather than the coarse, burly man he expected, the person behind him was a small, angel-faced boy who looked no more than thirteen, if that. Seeing Archie’s surprise, the boy smiled, revealing a Grand Canyon gap between his front teeth.
    They stepped into a dank warehouse that was stacked with barrels and smelled of beer mixed with motor oil. The floor was cold and moist. On the far side of the warehouse was a half open door. Archie’s young kidnapper knocked gently. “Bring him in,” a voice from inside called.
    The boy pushed Archie into a low, murky room whose only light came through a grimy window. As his eyes began to adjust, Archie saw a large map of New York on one wall and a rickety desk near the back of the room, on which was a half-eaten chicken. The man at the desk looked like he might have been the driver, though Archie wasn’t sure. He wore no chauffeur’s cap. Instead, he had a torrent of long black hair that cascaded onto his shoulders.
    “ Captain Butt,” the man said, rising from his seat. He looked like a poorhouse apparition, albeit a handsome one, with a strong face that was smudged with several days growth of beard. His wool sweater was unraveling near the bottom of the sleeves and the leather of his high, heavy boots was cracking. His poverty-stricken appearance belied the way he moved – graceful and confident like a cat.
    “ Excuse the primitive quarters, Captain, but I thought it would be appropriate to meet in surroundings that might make us both feel comfortable.”
    “ Is this your idea of a joke, sir?”
    “ Not at all,” the man said cheerfully. “Shitholes like this is where we spent most of our time together.”
    “ You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
    “ Com’on Captain, doesn’t the rottenness of this place remind you of those romantic nights in Manila?”
    Archie’s body snapped at the mention of Manila. He squinted to get a clearer look at the man whose coal black eyes glimmered through the darkness. Archie stammered: “Mick?”
    The man saluted. “Corporal Michael Shaughnessy, sir.” And with that he threw his arms around Archie. “Goddam Captain, it’s good to see you.”
    Archie stood with his hands awkwardly by his side.
    “ You look a little puzzled. I don’t see why,” Mick said, releasing his tight embrace. “I mean, I’m still the same old Mick, you can see that.”
    Actually, Archie could see that. It’s what puzzled him even more. If the man before him was defeated by life, beaten and broken, his shabby appearance could be explained. But this man before him was as powerful and dynamic as Archie remembered him to be. “You’ll excuse me Mick, I’m a little confused.”
    “ Confusion is not always a bad thing.”
    “ I take it there’s been some changes in your life, Mick.”
    “ Just a few. Please, have a seat. Would you like some coffee? Henry here makes a cup that would wake the dead.” Mick gestured to Archie’s boy kidnapper, who flashed a gap-toothed grin at Mick’s praise.
    “ No, thank you. Mick, I’m currently the