52

An hour later, Leo heard the sound of the door unlocking. He was facing the door, still sitting on the floor. As the door opened, David prepared to launch himself at Dr. Steinman, but the doctor entered on one side with another man, side by side, pointing guns in either direction. Fred’s smile seemed a bit more sinister than it had before, but he just shrugged when he saw Leo’s disbelieving stare. “What? A guy has to make money,” he said. “You do what you have to do. That dumb bar wasn’t bringing in nearly what this job does.”

Dr. Steinman gestured with his gun. “David, Johnny, Leo, get up. We’re going for a little walk.”

This time, Dr. Steinman was prepared. He had Fred zip tie the hands of his captives, and nudged them in the back with his gun to get them moving down the stairs. Johnny stumbled but caught himself on the bannister, groaning with the impact. Leo felt the push of Fred’s gun in his back, and continued walking down the stairs. On the floor, the two dogs lay, quiet but not still, twitching spasmodically, clearly drugged. 

“C’mon, guys, we’re going to lock you in the cooler,” said Steinman, barely looking down at the dogs. 

As the three prisoners walked ahead of them, Steinman and Fred joked about how the storm had shaken up their timeline, but helped them in the long run. Soon, there’d be even more sick cruise ship passengers and maybe a few of them would die, making the shipments to the mainland easier. The profit margin would be even greater without the steroid jockey in the middle. Leo was sick to his stomach, not just for himself but for the whole island.

Entering the kitchen, Leo saw that the back wall was actually a walkin in freezer. The two drug dealers were getting rid of them, without directly killing them. Everything slowed down, as the others made the same recognition, the space around them becoming quiet. 

Suddenly, a loud clang rang out, and Fred cried out. Leo turned to see Fred on the floor, as Miss Isabelle raised up a cast iron skillet to again swing away at Steinman. Steinman, startled, was slow to react, but he was still faster than the septuagenarian. He pulled the trigger, and she gasped, dropping the skillet. Steinman had shot her in the arm, and she screamed in pain. 

Steinman didn’t know who to aim at, suddenly flush with targets. He spun from Isabelle to the ziptied captives and back, his gun flashing in the kitchen’s dim light. He snarled, “I guess I’ll just end this now!” His finger tightened once more around the trigger.

With a roar, a blur of red hair rose up behind Steinman in the hallway as O’Rourke finished his stealthy approach. He had limped down the hallway, supporting himself with one hand on the wall the whole way. Red grappled with Steinman, the bigger man’s size neutralized by his recent injuries. Fred scrambled for his gun, while Leo and the other two men looked helplessly on. Isabelle had sunk to a seated position against a kitchen cabinet, and moaned softly. The two struggling for the gun crashed into pots and pans, upending canisters on the counter. The gun skittered away from them to the other end of the kitchen. 

David went for the gun while Johnny dove at Steinman’s legs. Leo protectively went to pull Miss Isabelle out of the way of the men scuffling. When he turned back, he realized that David still hadn’t found the gun, and Fred had recovered from the blow Miss Isabelle had dealt him. 

“Enough!” Fred shouted, firing once into the ceiling. The kitchen became ethereally calm, spices and powders still filling the air and giving them all a ghostly appearance where it rested on them. 

“Just in the knick of time,” a breathless Steinman whispered, adjusting his collar. He pulled himself away from Red, who slumped to the ground. “Maybe next time you should try not to be taken out by everyone’s favorite grandmother.”

Fred rubbed the back of his head and grimaced, “You weren’t doing so hot with grandpa either.” 

“Go get the cooler open,” Steinman ordered, taking the gun from Fred, and waving it generally at their captives. 

Undoing the lock, Fred gestured for the men to enter the cooler. Leo knew that they were running out of time, and that if they made it into the cooler, they were finished. Johnny entered, and then David.

Suddenly, a voice called out from the back door of the kitchen. Standing half in shadow, Gillian stood in the doorway with a gun pointed directly at the island doctor. 

“Anna Moore, DEA. Drop your weapon,” she repeated. 

The look on Dr. Steinman’s face only lasted a few seconds as Fred charged the DEA agent with a guttural roar. His momentum carried them out of the door into the rain. Moore’s gun went off, three rapid shots together, and they heard the combatants crash to the ground.

Leo ran toward them, as the door clanged shut on the cooler, pinning Johnny and David inside. Red knelt protectively over Miss Isabelle, who was holding her arm tightly, as blood seeped from the gun wound. 

Outside, Leo pulled on Fred’s arm, and together, he and Anna pushed Fred’s lifeless body to the side. “Three shots, center mass,” she wheezed, as Leo pulled her to her feet. “I think that guy bruised my sternum.”

“Thankfully you’re better with the gun than you are with the internet on the island,” Leo said back. “Do you have anything that’ll cut these ties?”

Inside, Red sat on the debris-covered floor to cradle Miss Isabelle, but she was slapping his hands away, muttering that it would take more than a graze to put her down. “Belle, my Belle. I thought I’d lost you,” Red was mumbling. 

“Even your ornery stupidity can’t do that!” she muttered back, rolling her eyes. “You haven’t called me that in years.”

Leo popped the latch on the cooler, and the cold but still alive David and Johnny stumbled out, surveying the damage in the kitchen.  

Red laughed, surprising everyone. “Oh, Belle, only you.” Looking up at Anna, he said, “Cutting it close, Agent.”

“Sorry, sir,” Anna replied. “I had narrowed down the suspects but based on your experience, Dr. Steinman wasn’t at the top of my list yet. We knew something big was moved off the island during the last migration, but he was keeping a low profile.”

“Hey, guys, speaking of which, where did Dr. Steinman go?” asked David, looking around. In the flurry of action, the doctor had disappeared, a set of powdery footprints leading down the hallway. 

Leo and Moore rushed down the hallway, but the only remaining inhabitants of the house were Poseidon and Neptune, still fast asleep in their drug-induced dreams. 

Steinman was on the run. 

53

You have to be kidding me, Steinman whined to himself as he rushed down the hill, pedaling as fast as he could on the bike as it wobbled from side to side. The weight of the pistol in his pocket as it slammed against his leg kept him aware of the situation, even as part of his brain tried to avoid the reality of the situation. He had never set out to hurt anyone, but only to help his beautiful wife as she lay suffering. The people who used these drugs deserved whatever they got if they were stupid enough to use them. How was it his fault if people hadn’t understood or had gotten in the way?

When he’d snuck out of the mansion during the confusion, he had skirted the dogs and made a break for the woods. He wouldn’t miss anything he was leaving behind in the cabin, because it contained too many old memories and past ties that he was ready to cut. If he hadn’t been so tied to his wife, he would have never ended up in this mess! Moving forward, he promised himself that he wouldn’t commit to anyone or anything, because those connections just caused more pain and aggravation. 

Steinman had never moved so fast in his life, but he knew that his future freedom rested in his ability to get off of the island before the group from the mansion got to Main Street. They would be actively searching for him by now, and they had enough clout to bring the weight of the island crashing down on his head. 

Sweat pooled up under his hairline, caking his strands of remaining hair to his scalp. His beard dripped, the products he vainly used greasing his face and causing him to clear off his glasses periodically. He wasn’t one much for exercise, and this whole endeavor was leaving him panting. He couldn’t stop though, because there was no going back. 

The ding of a bike alarm sounded but Steinman was too focused to acknowledge the friendly wave of another little old woman from his neighborhood. He ignored her bewildered look, and sped past the pathway of his own home. He barely glanced up when he went by, aware that he would never see the place ever again. 

It doesn’t matter though, he thought, because it hasn’t been the same without her. Everything I did was for her, and about her. If people can’t understand what they would do for someone they love, then I just can’t help them. It was foolish to ever commit to what I did but in the end, I have to live with it. 

Steinman crossed the front of the school, relieved that there were no children around or teachers either to report to anyone which direction he had gone. He had never really had any interest in having children, and when his wife found out that they were infertile, that was the end of the discussion. Thankfully, he hadn’t had to see too many children as the island doctor, because dealing with the drama adults raised was plenty for him. 

The library came into view around the bend and Steinman wondered if there was anything worth taking out of there. He had carried the duffle bag with money in it wherever he went, and it was still clutched to his chest now as he ran. It should be enough to make a new life and to figure out a way forward, he thought, and he shook off the thought of the library and any additional gains to be had. 

The need was simple: make it to a boat and get off of the island. There were enough places along the mainland that he could dock a boat and disappear. He didn’t need much to be happy, and if he was off of the island, he would serve no future services for the people who thought that they had him under their thumb. 

Get off the island! He silently shouted at himself, doubling his pace. His chest was beating a spasmodic rhythm against his ribcage and he knew he had to get himself to the dock soon or find himself stuck on the island with the angry mob coming for his soul.

54

Anna took charge back in the mansion kitchen. She decided that it was best that David and Johnny escort Red and Miss Isabelle to town, hoping that Bobby or one of the retired nurses who lived on the island could stitch her up, and check Red’s sutures. They would also see if Captain Benjamin could relay a report to the mainland, for law enforcement to back up Anna. 

The law enforcement agent was prepared to track down Steinman alone, but Leo refused to leave her side. They briefly looked over the side of the cliff, but didn’t think that the doctor could have descended that quickly, and with the truth out in the open, where was he going to go? His cottage on the property was another possibility, but David had already gone to check and now came running back from the edge of the forest. 

Panting, he bent at the knees, while the others looked on. “I just realized I left my bike outside when we decided to go fishing earlier, and it’s gone. The only place Steinman would’ve ridden it to is town,” David explained. “He must be headed toward the dock to find a way off of the island.”

Anna was already walking fast after the others, groaning as she walked. “That’s more soft targets, more hostage situations,” she mumbled. “Is there anyone else we can count on out here?”

The stragglers had caught up to Red, Miss Isabelle and Johnny who were all limping down the cobblestone path. Anna told them she would go on ahead alone, but Leo announced that he was stuck with her. He knew she had risked a lot to get this far, and he didn’t want her to have to bear the weight of catching Steinman on her own. David said he would help shepherd Red and Isabelle down the hill. 

Anna’s perfect locks were anything but, now matted with mud and grass from her tussle with Fred. She was banged up too, like the rest of them, having had a huge man fall on top of her, but the determination on her face told Leo why she had been assigned the undercover job. She was laser focused on finding Steinman, slowing only to see if there were any kind of disturbances in any of the homes they passed. No one sounded the alarm, and they saw no evidence of any kind of conflict. 

The two of them didn’t exchange any words as they pursued Steinman down the slick cobblestone path, knowing that they had to stop the doctor from hurting anyone else. He was desperate, and out of control. He had a bit of a head start thanks to stealing the bicycle, but it wouldn’t be able to go too fast on the slick paths. 

On the outskirts of town, they found the old library vacant, staying only long enough to secure the swinging door and to make sure the doctor wasn’t holed up inside for one last stand. “I don’t think he’ll stay,” admitted Leo. “He seems more concerned with self-preservation than anything else.” Anna gritted her teeth and agreed, darting out of the door and taking a shortcut through the woods. 

“That’s fair,” replied Anna, nodding her head in Leo’s direction. “But he has one of two firearms that we know of on the island, and he’s already proven that he’s not afraid to shoot someone with his. Even if it means firing at some of the people that he’s known the longest.”

When they reached Main Street, Moore flashed her badge at the first people they encountered, asking if they’d seen the doctor go by. They looked at her quizzically and Leo realized that they were tourists from the cruise ship. None of them knew Anna or Leo, or even the island doctor. 

Of the thousand or so people who resided on Tranquility, all of them would have known Dr. Steinman. “Did you see a man on a bicycle ride by? Glasses and a beard… like the KFC Colonel?” asked Moore. The first few people shrugged and moved on. Some backed away before they even heard the questions, seeing the gun in Moore’s other hand, as Leo and Moore moved forward. 

Finally, the two crossed in front of the France’ Grocery, where Bill was sweeping off the front sidewalk. “Oh yeah, I saw Stein ride by just a few minutes ago, headed toward the funeral home,” he said, pausing from sweeping. “He looked awfully focused. Is there something wrong?”

Leo replied, “Just tell everyone to stay inside for the next few minutes,” as he hurried to catch up with Moore who was racing toward the funeral home, suit coat blowing open as she ran.

Up ahead of them, a scream rippled through Main Street, and Leo saw George and Betty, pale faced and with hands extended in supplication. The mother was screaming, a panicked shrieking thing, and the father had both hands out in front of him, trying to plead with someone about something. Leo could see the agony written all over his face. 

The agent came to a dead stop just shy of the funeral home, and as he caught up, Leo could see why. Backing down a ramp toward the dock, Dr. Steinman had his arm around the toddler’s neck, with his gun waving around in the other. He was half-carrying, half-dragging the boy along, and the boy’s face was stricken with abject terror. On his back, the doctor was carrying a giant duffle bag that Leo assumed was filled with more of the drug-stuffed plastic bags or money. 

Bobby had come out of the funeral home and was hobbling after Steinman and his hostage. Bobby’s face was devoid of emotion, but his eyes were locked on the doctor and his gun. 

“Come any closer, and I shoot the kid,” growled Steinman. “I’ve already shot one person who got in my way and I’m not afraid to shoot another. You people have to let me go!”

The little boy’s face was white, and it was clear that he’d run out of tears to cry. He initially struggled against Steinman’s grip, but finally gave up. “Please, mister, just let Bryan go,” the dad was saying. Leo thought he heard the mother praying behind them, but the words were choked by her sobs. 

Between rows of fishing boats and personal sailboats, Steinman retreated on the dock. The parents were following at a distance, and now Leo, Moore, and Bobby were approaching the doctor and his hostage as well. The doctor finally saw a small motorboat and half-crouched behind the boy to untie it from its mooring. 

George made a move toward the gunman, but Steinman saw him coming and fired at his feet, causing the boy’s father to dive for cover behind a group of pylons. “Don’t come any closer!” growled Steinman, yanking the boy closer to the gangway plank. 

Moore still had her gun aimed at Steinman, but she had stopped approaching him. She was assessing the situation, and Leo watched as she reluctantly settled in to wait. Leo couldn’t see any options to allow the group to get to Steinman before he left. Bryan had started to moan again, and Steinman was dragging him like dead weight. Then Leo heard a voice speaking and realized that it was his own voice. He was sweating and inside his stomach contracted with what he thought was fear, as he said, “Dr. Steinman, let the little boy go and take me instead. He has a family that cares a lot about him. There’s no one to worry about me.”

Dr. Steinman stopped backing up toward the unattended boat he had untied. A smile played across his face. “Sure, Leo,” he said. “You probably stand a better chance of helping me operate this boat, at least better than this little kid does.” He beckoned with his gun for Leo to come closer, and lowered the bag in the process. 

Leo passed Moore, who looked at him questioningly. He nodded, and slowly walked down the far ramp to the dock, hands in the air. As he approached Dr. Steinman and Bryan, who by now had reached the gangplank, he felt another burst of rain open up directly overhead. 

Momentarily distracted, the doctor looked up and took his eyes off of Leo. “This island and its weather!” Dr. Steinman whined. “I hate it here.”

As Steinman went to turn his gun on Leo, he swept the little boy over the side into the harbor. Leo tried to grab onto Steinman’s left arm, wielding the gun that was turning to point in his direction, while at the same time watching Bryan disappear into a splash between the boats moored there. The boy surfaced, splashing once, and then twice, before a line of air bubbles were the only trace of him. Leo could hear Betty Williams’ screams, but he was focused on the gun that was swirling around his head.

Grunting, Steinman tried to bring the butt of the gun down on the crown of Leo’s head but the strap from the duffle bag tangled on the barrel of the gun and pulled his arm backward. Leo bodied the doctor to the right, wrapping him in a bear hug and pinning the gun to Steinman’s body. The gun fired once, twice, and Leo felt a sharp pain in the outside of his foot. 

A little flash whistled by Leo and Steinman out of the corner of Leo’s eye. Part of Leo’s brain was trying to decipher who the person was as the figure launched off of the dock into the water after Bryan. In his hesitation, Steinman snapped Leo in the face with his head, causing stars to appear. Leo’s foot felt like it was on fire, and he was struggling to see the doctor, who now stood over him. 

Leo’s grip had loosened as he fell to the dock. Steinman laughed, and Leo thought it sounded like the world had slowed down around him. The doctor was trying to adjust his glasses so that he could see well enough to aim at Leo, but the frames had been bent by the head butt. There was little space between them but it felt like a vast difference as Leo launched himself toward the gunman. 

Steinman fired and a bite like a hornet’s sting sliced through Leo’s palm, but he couldn’t stop his momentum. He heard Agent Moore fire and Steinman dropped his gun, screaming in pain. Leo’s forward progress sent him into the doctor’s midsection, and he tackled the man to the ground. Leo tried to hold Steinman tight, but his hand hurt beyond anything he had imagined possible, and it kept sliding off of the doctor as blood poured out of the open wound. The two assailants rolled, tangled together, through the handles of the duffle bag, over the side. They bounced against the side of the ferry, off of a sailboat, and finally into the brackish water around the dock below. 

55

Leo must’ve blacked out momentarily, a combination of the shots from Steinman’s head and a glancing blow he experienced on the way into the water. But the water was like an icy blast forcing his eyes open, and he found himself still netted together with Steinman by the straps of the duffle bag. Steinman himself was trying to pull himself free from Leo, but the weight of his labcoat and the pistol were dragging him down. 

Leo’s face broke through the surface of the water momentarily, and he hungrily gasped a gulp of fresh air. He saw faces in general peering over the edge of the dock, and then was sucked under again as the doctor struggled, pulling on Leo’s legs to try and get to the surface himself. As they wrestled, the two combatants ran into a pier of the dock, causing them both to grunt and let go of each other. 

Steinman’s efforts were still divided, as he tried to free himself from Leo and still maintain control of the duffle bag. Leo wrenched his arm out of the tangled straps of the bag, and kicked out to create space between them. Steinman let out a silent cry as the breath was knocked out of him, and Leo tried to grab onto the pier for support. His hands slid off of the post covered in algae and he stopped suddenly as Steinman swung the gun around toward Leo. 

The doctor pulled the trigger several times but nothing happened. Leo unfroze from his position and lunged again at Steinman, who swung the gun viciously. Even moving through slow motion, the arc of the gun brought the barrel down into Leo’s cheek, and he again saw stars. Leo reached out with both hands and grabbed Steinman’s wrist, wrenching it back. He pulled down and out, away from Steinman’s body, and the doctor lost control of the gun. 

The two men looked at each other and watched the gun disappear into the darker waters below. Steinman made a sudden move toward a ladder that ran up from the bottom of the dock toward the dock itself. Leo grabbed onto his pants leg and held on, while Steinman tried to kick him off. Steinman’s other foot snapped Leo in the face and he let go, writhing with pain. 

With a few half strokes, Steinman reached the ladder and began to pull up. Weighted down by the duffle bag, he had moved slowly enough that Leo had caught up. Wrenching backward on the bag, Leo heard the straps begin to stress, and then tear. Steinman shouted at Leo, and tried to hold onto the bag. In the process, he lost his handle on the ladder, and fell backward head over heels into the water. Steinman half-floated on the surface of the water, and Leo swam to the ladder.