On the way back to Pensacola, Chic gave Suzy a full report on his experience at the cockfight. Chic let Suzy know that he was fascinated with her cousin, Buck. They both agreed that Buck was your worst enemy if he didn’t like you and that he didn’t like many people. On the other hand, if he decided he liked you, it was an unconditional kind of commitment.
“You know, Suzy, one day I hope to be able to return the favor to Buck. With his help, we obtained information that can lead us forward in this case. It goes to show that you never really can predict where you may get a break in a case.”
“Chic, I’m not sure how you plan on using this information. You know that the captain of the Amedee is now on a yacht in Belize and that he has a cook named Doug. You know that these two guys knew Ken and worked for him for a number of years. They know his whereabouts. You know these are dangerous men, so you can’t just walk up and start asking questions. So, now what?”
“You know how to hurt a guy, don’t you? I have absolutely no idea how to get information out of these guys. My basic idea is I will have to go down to Lake Izabal, case the place for maybe a week, and then scope out Belize for a week or so. I should be able to find and identify the yacht Angel and maybe identify the captain and Doug. Then I will apply a very scientific method that is left out of all the 101 detective courses. This is called ‘allowing the scene to speak to you.’”
“Chic, I probably would say you’re full of crap, but I actually believe you. You do seem to have a talent for counterintuitive thinking. More importantly, you actually believe your hunches enough to follow them. So, you’re working on a vacation in Belize. What about me?”
“Suzy, I would really like to take you, but this is going to be dangerous. Fronteras is a scenic place but not safe for a beautiful redheaded knockout like you. You would not make a good undercover agent. Before I go, I will work out a plan with Heath to make sure we don’t stir up a hornets’ nest. If they find out I’m still on their tail, we could be in serious trouble.”
Suzy didn’t reply for a while. Her eyes were staring out into the distance as the horror of her near-death experience floated into her conscious mind. She felt the presence of evil engulf her. The vision of white-hot breath of an evil spirit left her empty. Her reservoir of strength that had pulled her through her close encounters with death was empty. She began to whimper, and it reached a crescendo as a heart-wrenching wail. She couldn’t bear an uncertain future where she would again face evil men who might try to kill her at any moment.
Chic found a place to pull over, where he could devote his full attention to Suzy. In this moment of truth, Chic realized that he was in fact a warrior at heart. The risk, the negative consequences inherent in confronting evil eye-to-eye, the possibility of death to loved ones—none of those life-ending choices worked their power to diminish Chic’s commitment to combat.
Suzy discovered the hard way that she was a fighter, but the reality of the consequences of the battle fell upon her like a lead balloon. She knew this was not the time for Chic to practice his psychological bull crap on her. Only his gentle hand and silence would calm her soul. Suzy had to decide whether to join the fight against evil or retire to her corner.
She closed her eyes, practiced deep breathing, and drifted into a state of limbo. As her mind drifted, seeking a safe harbor to hide from reality, a man came from under her bed with knife drawn. Her head hit his as he came up, causing him to pause just long enough for her to reach under her pillow and grab her pistol. She was able to fire the pistol before he could bring his knife to bear. She rolled off the bed and advanced around it, firing once again. The assassin lay dead on the floor. No horror movie could possibly portray the full impact of this event on her psyche. These feedbacks were as real as the true event. She awoke with a scream.
It took awhile, but Suzy finally got herself under control enough for Chic to get back on the road. She huddled as close to Chic as she could. She found strength next to him. It was as though his spirit joined hers, adding the power she lacked. Once again, Suzy realized that facing her mortality for real was not easy. It frightened the hell out of her.
“Chic, I’m sorry I had a meltdown back there. In my mind, I hoped we were out of danger and that we really had no reason to pursue this bunch of crooks. Some part of me wants to retreat to the role of a little, unknown college gym instructor where the problems of the world are not my concern. This mission is not as clear to me as it is to you. I haven’t decided to be superwoman yet, and if I do, I don’t know how to really help you in this fight. It’s a view of my future I can’t comprehend.”
Suzy recognized that crime fighting chose Chic. He didn’t choose this path; it chose him. Their spirits joined together, knowing they were somehow compelled to make their lives together a battle with evil.
“Chic, it makes me feel more connected with the universal and eternal struggle between good and evil to know the battle is bigger than either of us. The evil we’re fighting in this case has to be fought by us both. This group out of Boston is deadly. They have proven they are capable of extreme violence against anyone who is a danger to their organization.
“Let me relieve your mind. I’m sorry I panicked when it dawned on me that we continue to be targets. I didn’t volunteer for this fight, but I’m here until the end. After you calmed me down, I began to think about some of our Bible lessons on fear. I’m concerned that fear of humankind is totally inconsistent with the teaching of Christ. We are to fear no human, only God, who has power over the body and soul. Christ tells us to fear not, that His yoke is easy. So, Chic, I’ve decided to live my life without fear of what the boogeyman may do to me. What is that you always say? ‘Don’t die before you’re dead’? I’ve come to believe that fear of death is exactly that.”
“Babe, you are always a source of inspiration to me. We may not solve the problems of the world, but we are going to put this one evil enterprise out of business.”
“Does that mean I may play Wonder Woman, Chic?
“You bet, babe. We’ll start with the safe stuff. Don’t you have a good friend who teaches in the business school who retired as an officer in a large commercial mortgage company?”
“Yes, her name is Nancy Warditch.”
“What I plan on doing is getting all my notes I’ve accumulated on this enterprise and see if you two can establish any patterns that might lead to the parent company. I’m confident you two can come up with some connection among the various companies. We have to have that in order to crack this case.”
“I’ll talk to her, Chic. I’m sure she’ll help. It’ll be a pleasure to use my brain again for something other than avoiding killers. I’m afraid gym doesn’t challenge the brain.”
Chic was satisfied that Suzy had been fighting this battle for a while. Being around home, her mother and kinfolks brought into focus the real danger everyone was in as a result of her involvement with Chic and these drug dealers. Her decision to engage instead of retreating was a deliberate decision, knowing the risk. Suzy was smart as hell. He was happy to have her aboard so they could cover each other’s back.
Chic’s premonition was well founded. Before Sam and Max left Belize, they made a decision on Chic and Suzy.
“Alex, Chic and Suzy have cost us the services of Ken Renfro and a lot of resources, setting up our new people in Pensacola and staying clear of his attempted investigation. It’s embarrassing to the cartel that amateurs are able to cause us problems. I can tell you, Sam, that I have already issued the order to kill. Only the details are open.” Sam urged Max to make it soon.