Part Fifty-Four, Chapter Three - Heller Impoverishes the Crew of His Girlfriend's Yacht

So Gris already knew the general time of day and exact pier that the Golden Sunset would be docking at thanks to eavesdropping on the Countess.  But then he calls Inspector Grafferty's office and learns that same information plus the exact time that the boat would be docking, because the police were smart enough to contact the harbormaster.  It'd have been even smarter if they arranged for any harbormaster on the East Coast to contact the authorities if the Golden Sunset tried to dock, but maybe a police force serving the most powerful man on the planet doesn't have that kind of clout.

Gris is willing to put himself at risk and attend Heller's capture in person, just to see the look on his face when Heller's wheeled away in a straightjacket and sentenced to "mental extinction."  Police, Feds, and customs agents are all over the place, and Grafferty's chomping at the bit to get at this guy he's sure he recognizes from a "sex-pervert" lineup.  The Golden Sunset coasts in, unaware of the trap waiting for it.  Surely this time it will be the end for the man who has consistently outsmarted and outfought the bad guys.

The Feds actually have no clue what Gris and Grafferty are here for, and storm aboard the boat searching for Chinese being smuggled in... on a Turkish vessel... on the Atlantic... and attempt to plant contraband because every part of the U.S. government is actively trying to destroy its citizens' lives.  Once they're done, Grafferty's force moves in, surrounding every exit, and start interrogating the crew about their passenger.

They relate how that "CIA agent" had been teaching the ship's crew to shoot dice, won back all the money he owed, and went on to clean them out.  Then he put all his winnings on the line, betting that if he could shoot five consecutive sevens, they'd have to let him ashore early.  And gosh darn it, he did, so they had no choice but to let Heller land at Jersey the night before.  Gris is forced to conclude that when he checked on Heller last time and saw him staring up at a ceiling, it wasn't in his cabin on the ship, but a hotel room!

Once again defeated without Heller even trying or being aware of the danger, Gris takes a taxi home.  But then, it happens.

Suddenly, just like that, I got a terrific PLAN!

Even if it all went wrong, left and right, I was not lost after all!

The plan was utterly brilliant!

As far as I can tell, it isn't so much a plan as it is Gris remembering that Krak is due to appear in court the next day, and Gris happens to know a security agency that has been trying to capture her.  So not quite "INSPIRATION!", just his inferior intellect managing to put two facts together and suggest a response.

In this alternate universe, the Turkish flag is red with a yellow star and crescent, rather than a white star and crescent.


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Forward to Chapter Four