Chapter 44: Provisioning the Friedlich

Seven o’clock came early, but I was up, showered, dressed, and in the dining room on time. After a quick cup of coffee and a local pastry, Archara, Samantha, and I walked down the pier to the marina. There, parked in front of the marina were two vehicles, an ancient half-ton small pickup and an old battered automobile. The driver in the pickup introduced himself as Marcel and the two boys in the automobile as his sons. He was pleased when he learned that Archara could speak French and began chattering away.

Archara climbed in the pickup with Marcel and the younger son, while Samantha and I got in the car with the older son and away we went to meet the rest of Marcel’s family.

We bypassed the grocery stores near the marina and drove to the edge of the Free Trade Zone, finally stopping at a large, rundown, warehouse. It belonged to a cousin who was no longer popular with the family, but Marcel explained he had the largest selection of drinks and the lowest prices in the area. There we loaded up on cases of bottled water, soft drinks, tonic and other mixers, and beer. When Archara went to look at the wines, Marcel discreetly shook his head.

“There are better sources for those, Madam,” he whispered to her.

Next we visited a bakery (Uncle) and loaded up on a large assortment of fresh baked breads, and then we visited a butcher shop (another Uncle) where we loaded up some choice selections of beef, pork, lamb, and some small fowls that looked like quail to me. Whatever they were, Archara seemed pleased to get them. Archara also bought some local goat cheese.

Our next stop was a wine and liquor store in a somewhat shady looking area on the edge of what we would call the inner city in America. The oldest son suggested that we stay outside and guard the supplies while Archara and Sarah went inside with Marcel.

“Is it safe for them to go in there with him?” Samantha asked me.

“Oui, Mademoiselle. They are probably safer than we are,” the older son told her. Samantha looked around nervously with her hand in her bag.

Finally, Marcel took us to meet his mother, his wife, and several others family members at a produce stand where we loaded up from a large selection of fresh local fruits and vegetables.

Our last stop was the grocery store near the marina (no relations there) where we picked up our processed foods such as milk, cheese, and flour tortillas, as well as most of the canned foods we might need.

When we returned to the docks, the two boys disappeared into the marina and returned with two more teen boys, three of the boys were pulling carts and the older son had a rickety hand truck. He quickly started loading the case drinks while the other boys loaded the groceries into their carts.

Archara led the short parade back to the Friedlich, where we started loading them onboard. She pulled me aside and handed me two thousand Turkish Lira (about $100 USD) and instructed me to give it to Marcel with our thanks. So Samantha and I returned to the vehicles and gathered up the last of our purchases and after thanking Marcel and handing him the money, we returned to the Friedlich and prepared to shove off.

“Alfred had me do it this time,” Archara said to me. “But you will need to familiarize yourself with the various local currencies for the ports you will visit and be prepared with enough currency on hand. We could have possibly used Euros here, but we probably got much better prices using the Turkish Lira.”

Craig, Maria, and Danièle had arrived and after introductions, the ladies began helping stow the provisions, while Admiral Craig and I went to the bridge to greet Captain Alfred. He reviewed the controls with us and then he and Craig went to cast off the lines.

“Amazing!” I thought. “I have an Admiral and a Captain casting off lines for me!”

Using the side thrusters, I gently eased the yacht away from the pier. I had just engaged the port engine and was slowly pulling away from the dock when the glass on the port side of the wheelhouse shattered and I felt something rip through the fleshy part of my upper left arm. Admiral Craig, who had just walked up beside me, immediately dropped to the deck.

I instantly became mad and traced the bullet’s trajectory back to the roof of a building some 400 yards away. There, kneeling and sighting through his sniper scope was a man dressed in dark overalls. I zapped both the man and the rifle and wasn’t too gentle about it. I had no idea if he was alive, but at the moment, I didn’t care.

Captain Alfred quickly brought the yacht back alongside the pier as Samantha knelt to check on Admiral Craig. I picked up my satellite phone and punched the number one. When Reggie answered, I told him where we were and what had happened.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

“Uh ... I think I may have been shot,” I said as I looked down at the blood running down my left arm. My head began to swim and I became a little dizzy.

Samantha grabbed the phone as I slid to the deck and told Reggie that Admiral Craig and I had both been shot, but it didn’t appear life threatening.

“The Admiral has a flesh wound, mostly a large gash below the ribcage. It’s not deep, but it’s bleeding. Alex has a hole through the fleshy part of his left forearm. I’m trying to stop the bleeding, but it doesn’t appear to be anything too serious,” she reported.

“And the sniper?” Reggie asked.

“Got him!” I told her. “On a rooftop, about 400 yards in a line with the third flagpole at the marina.”

“Got it!” Reggie said as he began shouting orders. “I’ve called the authorities and an ambulance.”

“No need. I can handle this,” I told him. “Let’s see if we can keep this low key,” I told him.

“Okay. Don’t heal anyone until after the paramedics leave. I’ll get word to our team concerning the sniper. Don’t do anything stupid while they are there.”

They moved Craig and me to the sofas on the bridge deck and Samantha administered first aid. My wound stung like the dickins but I could feel my injury already beginning to heal and asked Sarah for a glass of juice. Maria and Archara were hovering over Craig, but even without my assistance, I could see that his wound would be better in a couple of days.

Then began the ordeal with the authorities. First the paramedics examined our wounds and wrapped them up and gave us shots of penicillin. When we refused to go to the hospital, the police then began their questioning. Captain Alfred explained that he and Admiral Craig were both active French Naval officers on holiday to reposition a new yacht and had no idea who would be shooting at them. They regarded my injury as incidental, completely dismissing me as a target. We did not clarify their mistake.

I also did not bother to tell them where I thought the gunman was, so they started their own search. Later I learned that they decided he must have gotten away because they found nothing except an empty shell casing on the roof of a building near the marina.

“I told our team to leave it,” Reggie told us later. “The sniper was dead and our team removed the weapon and the shooter. We are currently trying to identify the body.”

It was after three o’clock before the authorities allowed us to get under way. The glass window had been replaced by the shipyard before lunch and Alexey himself had come over to check on us. Although I really think he was checking on the damage to his newest yacht.

By four, we were out to sea and Craig was completely healed. I was getting close but needed more energy, so I was sent to my cabin to rest. Samantha decided to accompany me.