| |
Tino cursed as he pulled up to the cantina where Luis Bohu spent his time when not dealing in illegal activities. Rico sat in a car across the street from the cantina entrance. Tino had ignored all his superior’s calls, trying to wash his mind of Manny’s glee in beheading the Alvarez gang members and their glazed eyes as the heads were loaded into a box to be tossed at Raul and Jorge’s door.
Rico followed him into the cantina. It wouldn’t look out of place for them to enter together since that was how Luis found them the other night. What Tino didn’t want was a pissing match with his superior. He was here to tell Luis to call Hadda off. If the man cared for her as much as it appeared, he’d listen to reason.
Tino walked up to the bar. “Is Luis around?” he asked the bartender.
“He left about an hour ago.” The man glanced toward the door. “But today is your lucky day.”
Tino peered in the mirror behind the bar. Luis and three thugs strode across the floor toward him. Rico had planted himself in a booth not too far away.
Pointing at the bar in front of him, Tino indicated he wanted a drink. The bartender placed it in front of him as Luis tapped him on the shoulder.
“What are you doing here? I do not like you hanging around. It’s bad for business.” Luis motioned to his men to move forward.
“This is the last time you will see me. If you listen to reason.” Tino dumped the fiery tequila down his throat and motioned for Luis to walk closer.
The man narrowed his eyes and placed his hand on the handle of the pistol in a shoulder harness under his unbuttoned shirt.
Tino nodded for him to come closer.
Warily Luis stepped up to him.
In a low voice, Tino said, “I warned Hadda to not gather any more information for you. But she was rather adamant she had to. If you do not want her death on your hands call her off.”
Luis moved closer, his nose nearly touching Tino’s. “No one will kill her. You are the only one who knows what she does and I can kill you without anyone caring.”
Tino sighed heavily and shook his head. He knew of someone who would care. Right now, he wanted to keep an innocent girl safe. “I’m trying to help you and Hadda. Garza installed surveillance equipment in his office this morning to catch the person stealing his route information.”
Luis stepped back, yanked a phone from his pocket, and pressed one number. He spoke into the phone. His soothing tone and words revealed he had called Hadda.
With his job accomplished here, he headed for the door.
“Wait!”
Tino stopped and slowly pivoted toward Luis.
The man walked quickly toward him. “I owe you for keeping Hadda a secret.”
Tino waved him off. “I may need a favor sometime. Keep that thought.” He walked out of the cantina and didn’t even flinch when Rico ripped open the passenger door to his SUV and slid into the seat.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Without even looking at his boss, he pulled the vehicle away from the curb and started driving. “What are you doing climbing into my car? If someone other than the Bohu gang members saw this it could jeopardize everything.” He stared a moment at his superior with the anger and disgust he’d been bottling up.
“Did you have anything to do with the heads left on the street in the Alvarez distrio?” The disgust in Rico’s voice echoed in Tino’s churning gut.
“Not directly,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Not directly? What the hell does that mean? Did you know of the killings?”
Tino gripped the steering wheel. His knuckles ached but not as much as his conscience. “They were the ones trying to intercept Garza’s shipment the other night. He had me bring them in.” He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the images out of his mind.
“Hey!”
The steering wheel jerked to the right. He opened his eyes and found Rico holding the wheel.
“What kind of crazy stunt was that? You trying to kill us both?” Rico’s eyes were big and round as he tried to watch the road and Tino.
“I-I have done many things undercover I’m not proud of but the end result was worth it. What Garza ordered was...” He straightened his back. If he didn’t get that man behind bars he could do the same to anyone. Hadda, Isabella. Coño! He had to shake off the horror and stay focused.
“I did not kill the men, nor did I behead them. Garza has a sadistic monster on the payroll who loves to torture and mutilate.” He glared at Rico. “He wanted to send a message to the Alvarez brothers.”
Tino released his grip on the steering wheel as he drove in a circle and filled Rico in on the reason they couldn’t get Garza on tape and about his latest attempt to catch the person responsible for spilling his routes.
“There is only one person who could be responsible and it doesn’t make sense.” He spun all the information he had around in his head. There was only one person. But why would she try to bring down her livelihood?
“Who?”
“Señora Garza. She is the only other person with access to that room.”
“Not if the maid is getting in.” Rico pointed out.
“I need to see how she has been getting in. That could open it up to another possibility.” Tino parked two blocks from Rico’s car. “I do not know what will happen if the informant is caught. I will try to inform you of what I know.”
“Your actions last night both for Garza and then jeopardizing your cover by running to the doctor have shifted my faith in you.” Rico opened his door and leaned on the down window. “Do not do anything else that will have me pull you from this investigation. We’ve worked too hard to have it blown now.”
“I plan to stay away from Isabella until this is finished. She promised to head home.” He knew her promises were well intentioned but she rarely followed through. Something he would have to teach her to work on.
Rico narrowed his eyes. “You really believe she will walk away when she knows the danger you are in?”
Tino grinned and shook his head. “No. But she will keep a low profile. She is too smart to be found by either of us if she wishes to disappear.”
His boss shook his head. “I do not know. She grew angry with me this morning.”
“What did you say?” ¡Coño! All he needed was Isabella out to prove something other than her mission which was wrapped up.
“I believe I chose the wrong words. I wanted her to think you had sent me to tell her to go home.” He dipped his head. “I believe my words struck a nerve. She said she was leaving and not to worry about her and stormed out of the hostel.”
“That is not good. What exactly did you say?” Tino couldn’t figure out what would have ignited her anger.
Rico’s face reddened. “I said she was a weight around my neck and I had been told to help her finish and get back home.”
“¡Coño!” Tino gripped the steering wheel. Knowing Isabella, she took that to mean she couldn’t do her job and her father had butted in. “I will have to find her and set her straight or she could place herself in the middle of a drug war.”
~*~
Isabella alighted from the car that picked her up at the hostel. She scanned the area trying to appear as if she wasn’t searching for anyone. There were more men stationed about the complex. Not a good sign.
She walked up to the door and gripped the brass knocker, rapping it against an Aztec sun.
The young girl, Hadda, answered the door. “Señora is waiting for you upstairs.”
“Gracias.” Isabella wore her vest today. If there was trouble, she wanted to be prepared. She gripped her tote bag with the reference books and ascended the stairs, turning right. The door to Karyme’s room full of treasures was open.
She stepped through, and Karyme straightened her body. She’d been leaning over a table inspecting an item.
“Ah, Isabella. You are right on time. I was just scraping shavings off this piece to send for carbon dating.” Karyme pulled latex gloves off her hands and walked around the table.
“Do you send samples of all your finds for carbon dating?” Isabella tried to infuse her question with enthusiasm when all she really wanted was to see the pieces they believed from the triple alliance.
Karyme nodded as she placed a plastic bag into a padded envelope. “I send everything that I need dated to help me solve what it was used for. Sometimes knowing the time period helps.” Holding the envelope, she walked to the door. “I suppose you are excited to see our real treasures.”
Isabella reined in her excitement. “I’m here to help you determine the origin or authenticity of whatever you wish. But this will be my last day. I’ve been called back to the university. One of the other professors had an accident and is unable to teach. They want me to fill in.” When have you become so talented at lying?
“You are leaving so soon?” Karyme turned.
Isabella would have believed concern etched the woman’s brow if not for the calculating look quickly shielded behind lowered eyelids.
“Yes. I received the call this morning. I told them I’d be on the plane back tomorrow. I didn’t want to leave you without possibly giving you some guidance on the artifacts you believe are part of the triple alliance.” If she kept repeating the lie, she just might also believe it.
“Then we should not waste time. Come.” Karyme led her back down the stairway, through the ballroom, and outside to stairs that went to a basement under the ballroom.
Descending into the darkness, knowing the woman walking ahead of her had many ulterior motives; Isabella’s heart banged in her chest and whooshed blood loudly in her ears. Trying to slow her heart and mind to listen for a trap, she reverted to her yoga and taekwondo breathing techniques. Slowly, inhale as one foot stepped down and exhaling as the next.
The musty smell reminded her of the tunnels under the city. Could this basement have a tunnel that led to some hide-away?
With her breathing normal, she heard Karyme’s downward movement stop. Wondering if the woman was preparing to harm her, Isabella stopped at what she hoped was a distance greater than the woman’s reach.
Sound, like a hand brushing the wall, rustled to her right. A click snapped in the darkness and dim bulbs cast a welcome but faint light in a rectangular shaped room with bare dirt walls and hefty beams.
“You did well in the dark.” Karyme’s tone indicated she’d expected Isabella to not follow.
“I’ve been on several digs and know how to get around in the dark.” She shivered remembering the bat-filled cave she and Tino had encountered when fleeing the narcos.
“Then you won’t have trouble with the next place we go.” Karyme shoved two crates to the side, revealing a tunnel like the one at the museum, and picked up a high-powered light. “When we have items that we wish no one to steal we keep them well hidden.”
Isabella watched the woman duck and enter the small opening. Would walking in there and learning where a drug lord kept his most prized possessions make her expendable? No one knew where she was. Her skin prickled. But not going would be cowardly, and she would never know if the Garzas had found something of significance. Logic said turn around and head for Arizona, her mission had been accomplished. Her heart and yearning for knowledge wanted to see the artifacts and help Tino.
Ducking, she held the bag of books in front of her body to fit through the small opening and stood on the other side. Karyme stood twenty feet ahead, looking toward her.
“I was beginning to think you had changed your mind.” The gleam in her eye chilled Isabella’s skin more than the cool damp air in the tunnel.
“Just trying to decide if I was a dead person after you showed me the whereabouts of your artifacts.” Her bluntness had caught her enemies by surprise before. She hoped this time was no different.
Karyme laughed. “I knew you had to be a strong woman to have made it this far in your career at such a young age.” She pivoted and started down the tunnel. Over her shoulder she said, “Your health depends on how valuable the artifacts turn out to be.”