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Isabella woke, dressed, and packed all the information she’d acquired so far and her written report in a box and carried it downstairs.
Alphonso’s cousin was at the desk. Did he ever leave?
“Would you see that this is shipped out today, por favor?” she asked.
Felix peered at the address and smiled. “Sí. This is for the work you are doing?”
She smiled. It was addressed to the university but attention to a local operative who would pick it up and send it to her father.
“Yes, I’m just about done with my research.” She noticed the restaurant wasn’t as full as the day before. Smiling, she walked in and took a table near a window. The hovering waiters took her order and arrived with it before she had time to consider her day. Once the food sat in front of Isabella, she ate and let her mind flip through the information she’d filed away last night after Tino left and she’d showered and scrubbed her vest.
She’d made a list of items she wished to check today. At the top of the list was a visit to Director Bastante. She hoped to get him talking about dig experiences and see if he left out the fact he had been on several with Karyme Martinez Garza.
Deep in thought, she didn’t notice the person until he sat in the chair across from her. She sat down her cold drink and smiled. “I heard you were looking for me last night. I didn’t know I was that popular.”
Rico didn’t smile back. “You have become a liability to our mission. I cannot have my only operative in the organization I am after run off to find you when you disappear.”
Isabella’s breakfast soured. “If you hadn’t called him, he wouldn’t have come looking.” She knew it was a poor excuse, but if Tino hadn’t known she was missing he would have stayed at the compound.
Rico ran a hand over his face. “True. It was poor judgment on my part to call him when I was told you had disappeared.” His gaze roamed around the room then landed on her. “You are a weight around my neck. I have been told to make sure you finish your job and return home.”
She held her breath. Had her father called in the DEA to help keep her safe? She should find comfort that he cared, but all she could think was he didn’t believe she could do her job. That burned and sizzled in her chest. Why did he allow her to become an agent if he didn’t have faith in her skills?
“I’m sorry you feel that way. I told Tino I’d finish my work today and head home so both of you can do your jobs and not have to worry about some lame anthropologist making your job harder.” She stood, tossed some coins on the table, and left.
Fury at her father for making that man think she was incompetent had her shoving the door open and marching down the street to the museum. Men! She’d prove to them all that she could do her job and she didn’t need them babysitting her. The people and exhaust filled air barely penetrated her thoughts as she stalked into the museum and punched the button for the top floor and the offices.
If she didn’t find out what she needed by the end of today, she’d move out of the hostel, find somewhere neither Tino or Rico would look for her, and do some surveillance on the two people she believed were the brains behind the thefts.
~*~
Tino groaned and rolled out of bed. He’d managed to get back in the compound without being detected, but he’d only had two hours of sleep and his mind was groggy. Not a good situation since Garza would want a full account of the attempts on the shipment. Diego stepped out of his room as Tino exited his. Their gazes met and looked away. They had said little last night. Diego had made himself scarce knowing Garza wanted information from the two they’d brought in.
Tino hadn’t filled Rico in on the heads that were left for the Alvarez brothers. There were some things better left to the DEA’s discovery. He entered the kitchen, rolled two tortillas together and grabbed a cup of coffee. It wasn’t as late as he’d thought, but that didn’t mean Garza wasn’t in his office awaiting a full report. Tino nudged Diego and nodded for him to follow.
They stopped outside the office. Muffled shouting could be heard behind the door.
Diego took a step back.
Tino shook his head. “His anger can’t be against us. We saved his shipment.”
Diego visibly relaxed and nodded.
Tino rapped on the door.
“Entrar!” The tone was close to a growl.
Gripping the handle, Tino twisted and pushed the door open.
Garza stood with his back to the door and staring out the window. He didn’t turn around. “There is no need to give me details about last night. I want you to find out who in this house leaked the change of shipment.” He turned and his eyes burned with anger. His red face made a fascinating contrast to his quivering mustache as he pointed to Diego and the door.
Diego didn’t bat an eye as he slipped out the door.
Tino waved a hand toward the locked door holding all the drug lord’s secrets. “Who besides you has access to that room?”
The drug lord stalked toward him. “Yesterday, you, my wife, and myself were the only people in there after I’d changed the route.” His gaze drilled into Tino’s eyes.
“Then if it was not you or I, it was your wife.” Tino was braced for a blow.
Garza shook his head and stalked across the room. “Karyme would not ruin a life she has grown accustom to. There has to be someone who is entering without our knowledge.” He spun. “Get Julio to set up cameras in that room. I want to know who is the traitor.” Garza peered intently. “And no one other than you, Julio, and I are to know about the cameras.”
Tino nodded and headed to the room full of surveillance monitors. He’d only set foot in the room once before. When Cezar had shown him around the compound. Taking over Cezar’s position had given him carte blanche to any area of the house. He frowned. All but the locked room. But if the room would have a camera set up, DEA could use the tapes to nail Garza.
He walked into the room. Julio and another were reading technology magazines and toying with a device on a counter. The far wall was an abstract mural of monitors. Anarosa was in the kitchen, Hadda was laying out señora Garza’s clothes. The drug lord’s wife walked out of her bathroom in a robe and stepped behind a screen to dress. Maids were moving about the house cleaning and several of the security team were milling about from room to room. The camera in the tower was pointed down the street.
“Julio, I have a message from Jefe for you only.”
Both men jumped at his voice. With sheepish grins they looked up.
“Ray, go see if Anarosa has any of her sweets for us.” Julio nodded toward the door. When the other man left, Julio put the magazine down and centered his full attention on Tino. “What does señor Garza want me to do?”
“He requested surveillance cameras be set up in both his offices.”
Julio narrowed his eyes. “He keeps those areas private.”
“He is trying to catch the person telling his business to his rivals.” Tino turned to the door. “You can talk to Jefe yourself if you do not believe me. I am only doing what he asked me to do.” He walked out the door. He understood the man’s reaction. Garza had been hard to get all these years because of his paranoia and his ability to not have any recordings of his actions.
His phone vibrated. Peering at the name he grimaced. Rico must have heard about the heads. From here on out he would have to stay clear of Rico and Isabella. It was the only way he could convince Garza of his loyalty and get the information to bring the man down.
~*~
Isabella walked into director Bastante’s reception area. Today his secretary had hot pink nails and stilettos.
“I’d like to see Director Bastante, por favor.”
“He is busy. I could make you an appointment for eleven.”
From the blank eyes and stiff smile, Isabella determined the woman wouldn’t let her in even if she said it was an emergency.
“Those are great looking shoes.” She stared at the woman’s pointy-toed shoes on even pointier four-inch heels. “What brand are those?”
They talked shoe brands with Isabella faking her knowledge and moved onto the secretary’s favorite nail salon. Ten minutes later, the office door clicked.
Isabella feigned interest in the method used by the woman’s manicurist to apply the colored stones to her nails as the door opened. Holding her breath, she just about choked when the feminine voice she heard was Karyme Garza’s.
There was nowhere to hide, and if she did, the secretary would rat on her. So, she stood and pivoted away from the desk.
She witnessed the surprised expressions on both Karyme and Bastante’s faces when they spotted her. She also noticed Karyme’s eyes flared a moment before softening and she extended her hands.
“Isabella, you are still coming today to help with boxing the artifacts?”
“Yes. I wanted to ask Director Bastante’s permission to bring along some books from the archive room which will help us determine the authentication of the items you wanted me to look at.” Isabella drew the list of the books she’d placed on the table in the archive room from her vest pocket. She handed it to Bastante.
“Then I’ll see you this afternoon.” Karyme did a finger wave and walked to the elevator.
Isabella kept her eyes on the woman as she stepped into the conveyance and the doors closed. The caring, sympathetic impression she’d first harbored about the woman no longer matched. This woman was calculating and dangerous.
She returned her attention to the director. He was also watching Karyme. The desire in his eyes and yearning on his face, almost made her laugh. Isabella had no doubt the woman was using the man’s infatuation to her advantage.
He shook his head and stared down at the list. “What do you need these books for?” His curiosity came through in his voice and drawn together eyebrows.
“The Garzas have some items that they believe were not authenticated correctly. I want the books to check against the items.” She wasn’t going to say a word about the possibility the items they had could be worth a fortune not only in money but in knowledge about the Aztec. She couldn’t leave here until she knew the truth about those pieces. If they were the valuable pieces, they should be in a museum to be studied not in the hands of a drug lord.
Bastante peered at her. “Have you seen these pieces?”
“No. I believe they were to let me look at them today.”
He handed the list to her. “Take the books. I’d be most interested in knowing what you learn.”
She didn’t miss the innuendo that he would be questioning her further.
“Gracias. I’ll bring the books back tonight.” She left the fourth floor. There was no need to question Bastante. Watching the two of them when they exited his office told her what she had planned to ask.
The elevator door opened at the basement, and she strode down the hall to the archive room to pick up the books. The door to the surveillance room stood ajar. The only person she ever saw coming from the room was the night guard. Was there someone on duty during the day?
She pushed the door open slowly. Delgado was replaying the tape of her disappearance the night before. Isabella closed the door.
The click of the lock spun Delgado around. She stared down the barrel of a handgun.