Chapter 55 - SHOOTOUT

Slaughter could see the chase headed his way. He and Honey had gotten a little distracted during the squall, and he'd put HONEYDEW's bow onto a gravel shingle in a convenient lee, and run her up till she stuck.. then he'd given Honey his full attention. Now the rain and fog had blown off, he was headed for Rogue, flat out. Slaughter reached down and flicked the CB back on.

"SIDEUP, this is MELONS, you copy?" Slaughter transmitted.

"MELONS, this is FIVE CENTS," came back. Sidearm had seen HONEYDEW coming out from the Eastern Bay, too. "Gunmen on SUZY. Heads up."

"That'll gettem hoppin to town," Sidearm thought. Anyone on a scanner would be yappin all over about now. "Better to warn Slaughter. Too late for him to help us, though," Sidearm shook his head. SUZY-Q was closing on them fast.

"Why don't you get under the deck, my beauty?" Dunk suggested to Marianne.

She just shook her head and held him tight. "No. I want to be right here, whatever happens. I want you to know I love you," she said.

Just then a shotgun blast sounded from SUZY. An impossible shot in this tossing seaway, at extreme range, but an indication of Bobo's intentions. Nicky cut the wheel hard left behind a steep crest, and surfed on its back down wind, then jogged left again, running cross seas in the trough, caught another crest and surfed downwind again. But Chinetti had his gun at Sonny's head now, and SUZY followed the runabout's every move.

Sonny was hoping at least to get the gangsters backs turned to HONEYDEW. If a showdown could be stalled until Slaughter was up to them, maybe he would queer the play. Whether or not that was Nicky's intent, too, she was maneuvering perfectly for it, circling left. When the runabout suddenly shut down and stopped dead in the water, it was riding into the wind on the Rogue side of SUZY. The mobsters were all looking away from the other fishboat.

"Look, Dunk is with them," Sonny shouted.

"Yeah, ain't they cute," Bobo snarled.

Sonny edged up so the two boats were side-by-side, about five yards apart.

"Hey you dinky little shit," Bobo gloated. "Guess what. I'm gonna shoot your ass den fuck that lil sweetheart til she screams. How you like dat?" Bobo jacked another shell into his shotgun.

The cabin hatchway burst open and Buster flew out with a bloodcurdling scream. He had his long filleting knife in his hand, and he leaped onto Bobo, driving the knife up under the gunman's chin.

Monk spun round and fired two quick shots into Buster, killing him instantly.

Sidearm had his gun up in a two-handed grip, following the action, and he shot Monk in the side, knocking him across SUZY's work deck.

When Buster came flying out of the hatch, Sonny was ready for him. Chinetti had turned in surprise, and Sonny clubbed him down, stomped on his gun hand, and grabbed the revolver. He aimed it at Monk who was lying on the deck, but Monk wasn't up for any more gunplay. He dropped his revolved and slumped down, groaning.

Janet was on her knees next to Buster. But it was too late. She looked up with tears in her eyes, then she looked over the rail at Dunk, and shook her head. She turned quickly to Bobo, but he was dead, too. Then Janet went to Monk. Sidearm's shot had gone through his ribcage and probably hit something vital. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of the gangster's mouth, and his eyes were glazed over. When Janet tried to lie him on his back to open his jacket his breath rattled in his throat, and it was over.

All the tension sagged out of Janet's figure, and she hung her head, sobbing. Jumbo was on his knees beside her immediately, his good arm cradling her, whispering reassurances. Janet stared at her hands, covered in blood.

In the runabout, Marianne was astonished Dunk had broken down, sobbing disconsolately. Seeing her confusion, Nicky said, "That was Bustah.. his fatha."

Then Marianne began to cry too, hugging Dunk. "It's OK, Dunk. He was saving you. It's OK."

Sonny still held the gun on Chinetti. The fat little gangster was huddled in the corner of the deckhouse with his hands raised.

"Get his other gun," Sonny said to Caldwell.

The sailor dug it out of Rizzo's pocket, and threw it over the side in disgust. All this bloodshed. All this needless killing. He walked back and picked up Monk's gun, too, and pitched it. Just for that damned barrel of drugs. Caldwell stared at the gray drum standing mute on the work deck. "How did I ever come to this?"

The two boats tossed and rolled on the churning waves. In the silence, the sound of HONEYDEW racing up on them got louder and louder.