Papan and Izel, Sinaloa hit men, left their migrant hostile in Eufaula, Alabama, where they worked in a chicken-processing facility. Their cousin, Antonio, was also their boss who directed them to Anniston, Alabama, to do a job. They liked this assignment because they were going home after they completed the assignment.
Izel, always the nervous type, kept asking Papan, “You sure you know how to get to Anniston? How do you know? You ever been there before? How long is it gonna take?”
Finally, Papan had enough. “Shut your mouth, Izel. You don’t need to know anything except when to make a shot and hit your target.”
“Okay.” He always let his brother know Papan was the boss. “I’ll shut up. You just make sure we don’t get lost. Are you sure Antonio wants us to go to Anniston?”
“I said, shut up. I’m in charge here. You just do what I tell you, and you’ll be okay.”
“Okay, okay.” As usual, Izel had a sheepish look on his face.
“Izel, you know Antonio gave us this assignment as a favor so we can go back home. It’s our turn. Antonio gave me the directions, and he’s worked out all the details. None of that is your concern. Our job is to follow instructions. I’m the one who has the plan, so that is not your concern. You understand?”
“Yes, okay.”
Papan was finally able to drive to the motel where they were staying in Anniston in relative peace. The next morning, on schedule, they met Antonio at 8:00 sharp. “Good morning, men. Hope you slept well.”
“Yes, very well,” said Papan, who was normally the spokesman for the two brothers. Izel was the shooter and was more reserved than his older brother. His job was to shoot, not talk.
“Eat up, guys. We have a couple of hours before I have to make my appointment,” said Antonio.
The men didn’t talk much during breakfast, but when they did, they spoke in English. They were well shaven and dressed in clean blue jeans and sporty shirts. When they finished their meal, they headed directly to their respective cars. Antonio was driving a Honda, and Papan was driving a Ford pickup with a camper on the back, which Izel could use as a shooting platform. They drove over to Quintard Mall where they parked. Antonio came over to the pickup truck to continue with his instructions.
“Now,” instructed Antonio. “I will give you a sign when the target exits the beauty shop. Both of you watch for my signal between 10:00 a.m. and 10:30. Now take the camper over to the right position.”
Papan was careful to park the camper truck into position, approximately three hundred feet from the beauty shop. He had the rear of the camper facing the target area.
Izel lined himself up in the camper, with the back hatch open, making sure he could see the target. He was now in position with his 9mm rifle and was ready to go.
“Izel, you be sure that I confirm the target. We can’t make a mistake on that. Antonio will identify the target, but I’m the one who will tell you when to fire and take out the target.”
“Okay, okay, Papan. I’ve got it. I’ll wait for you. Okay? What time is it anyway?”
“You don’t have to worry about the time. You just rest your little brain. Take a deep breath. You’ve got to make a good shot.”
“Okay, okay.”
At 10:40 a.m., Margie Beal came out of the beauty shop with a big smile on her face, obviously enjoying the beautiful day.
Antonio gave the signal.
“Izel. You see the target? She’s the one who just came out of the door. The small lady, red hair and white blouse.”
“Yes. I’ve got her.”
“Fire at will,” Papan instructed.
No one heard a sound. Margie simply collapsed to the ground, dead.
Without fanfare, Izel closed the camper rear gate, and Papan drove the camper from the scene and headed up I-20 toward the shopping center where the vehicle exchange would occur. At the next intersection, he exited to the right and entered the shopping center’s parking lot. He found the Honda that he was to take. The keys were on top of the left front wheel. The keys to the truck were left in the truck’s glove compartment. They got into the Honda, and in the glove compartment were their plane tickets for the 4:00 p.m. flight on Delta, along with passports and some cash. They also were left two carry-on bags where they could change clothes, leaving their old clothes in the carry-on bags. The rifle was hidden in a designated place in the camper. That very night, Papan and Izel were able to eat supper at their favorite restaurant in Isla Mujeres, Mexico.
Chic and Danny’s flight back to Atlanta was very uncomfortable. Danny was in severe pain. Chic arranged for an ambulance to be waiting on him as soon as they landed in Atlanta. Heath would be there to debrief Danny and to make sure that he was properly cared for at the hospital. Then it was obvious to Chic that the criminal gang would not give up. At this point, the criminal enterprise had lost too many assets as a result of Chic’s activities to be ignored. He and Suzy would both be high on their hit list. It was clear that he had to identify the crooks and beat them to the punch.
Suzy would take this very hard. Then she would have to be told about Danny, and she would see the bandages on his head. Suzy would probably be more disturbed that he had not called her from Belize and let her know that all of them were in real danger.
Chic knew he had to brace himself. As he had reminded himself many times, “Put on your big-boy britches.”
It took Chic approximately seven hours to get out of Atlanta and drive home to Pensacola. As Chic got his bags out of the car and headed to his front door, he was physically and mentally wasted. Chic put his bags down, got his key, and opened the front door. He was shocked to see Suzy leaning against the wall with the phone in her hand, crying. Red alarm bells went off in his head.
Suzy collapsed into a chair next to the phone. Her sobbing became uncontrollable. All she could get out was, “My fault! My fault! Why Mother! Why did those bastards kill Mother?”
Chic grabbed her hand, knelt down, and attempted to give her someone to lean on. Suzy was not responding. She grew stiff and balled up into the fetal position. She dropped the phone and remained in the fetal position as Chic attempted to caress her. Suzy was clearly exhibiting an escape response from a present physical threat in her mind.
Eventually, Suzy allowed Chic to hold her, but her body remained stiff. All of her muscles were taut, and she was unable to respond verbally.
It took more than forty-five minutes to gain enough control to at least attempt to speak to Chic. She had not really noticed his presence and certainly had not noticed that his head was wrapped in a bandage.
Eventually, between sobs, she managed to get out, “Chic, those bastards killed Momma! Why would they do that? If they want to kill someone, kill me. It’s all my fault anyway!” She then went back into that dark place in the mind where there is only fear and anger.
“Suzy, it’s not your fault. Those demons did this to hurt you as much as they could. I’m here. I’ll look after you. Don’t fear.”
“You can’t help me, Chic,” she continued in a distraught tone. “We’re fighting a major cartel, just you and me. There is no hope. If I hadn’t been acting like a cheap whore, we wouldn’t be running for our lives.”
Chic took some time, hugged her, rubbed her back, spoke softly into her ear, and then softly lifted her face to his. “But, love, you and I would never have met any other way. For me, all the risk in the world is worth the price. Please don’t ever doubt that. God has a plan. We have to have the faith.
“Baby, there’s no way I can remove the depth of the pain for your mother’s loss. I can only imagine how I would feel if I lost you. It would be an unspeakable loss.”
And so Chic continued to minister to Suzy’s need. He continued to stroke her gently, and he gave her space as she needed it. Eventually even in life’s worst circumstances, the pain gets gobbled up into all those necessary rituals the living have to do in these circumstances. When Suzy had quieted down enough to notice his head injury, Chic felt like he could assure her that he would talk to the sheriff in Anniston and make all the arrangements for the funeral.
The thought of the funeral set Suzy off again.
Chic was in a state of shock. He and Danny had barely escaped with their lives from Lake Izabal. He didn’t find out about Margie’s murder until he got home to Suzy. It blew Chic’s mind that during the time he was flying back from Cancun to Atlanta, Margie had been murdered. Suzy and Chic’s lives had been changed by this murder in a flash. The reality of the situation took time to sink in.
Chic was able to contact Heath, who was equally shocked by the events. But he agreed to dig up as much information as he could and call him on his cell.
Chic eventually got the location of Margie’s body and the name of the funeral home.
The drive to Anniston was difficult. Suzy was still in total shock. If she could have relived her life and not had all these horrible experiences, she would have gladly done it.
Perhaps it was the quietness of the car ride, or maybe the inner strength she felt sitting next to Chic, with his arm around her, that helped the fog lift a little bit. Suzy realized that she and Chic were now in a fight for life. Finally, Chic decided that Suzy was far enough along for him to tell her the rest of the story of Lake Izabal.
“Sweetheart, I didn’t expect them to come after your mother or my family either. I guess I should’ve told you earlier, but the two guys I was looking for at Lake Izabal, Doug and Captain Hayes, were also killed. We found this out by pure chance. The yacht we were looking for left the first night we were there. I really didn’t see any reason to disturb you about that because it didn’t seem to pose a threat to you.
“Then after we left the small town where we found out about the murder of Doug and Captain Hayes, the same killers came after me and Danny. We managed to kill them both, but Danny was shot in the shoulder, and I got splinters and stuff in my head. That’s the reason for my bandage.
“I hate to put all this on you, but you have to know the full extent of our danger. I should have called you from Belize, but I got bogged down in my own problems. Will you forgive me?”
Suzy sat back for a while, thinking. What do you do? Grieve for Momma? Stew in my own fear? Thank God that Chic wasn’t killed? Flail away at the darkness?
“Of course I forgive you. Really, Chic, I have no idea what I would do without you. I hope you don’t mind if I just don’t talk for a while. The pain of the loss of my mother along with the threat to my life and yours … I must decide alone if I have the strength to stand by your side.”
It took awhile, but Suzy finally accepted that her mother had left her in body only. She was with God, and Suzy believed that her mother’s spirit was still present. Why would anyone, she thought, believe that a soul could be destroyed? Nothing else God has created can be destroyed. Suzy’s anger was mollified by her belief that the soul is eternal and at the appointed time she would join her mother and the saints in heaven. In heaven, she reminded herself, time and space cease to exist, and she could freely visit the entire universe. There she could know God as he is and join the choir of angels in eternal praise.
Chic managed to take care of all the funeral arrangements. He made sure all the family was notified. He tried to relieve Suzy of all these earthly burdens so her full efforts could be directed to adjusting to her mother’s murder.
The funeral service was well attended at the North Creek Baptist Church. All the politicians were there to be seen. The curiosity seekers were out in force. The preacher was short and to the point on the Gospel in the sermon and long on the family history.
Suzy was basically in a state of suspension and was unaware of what was going on around her until she was jolted back to the present as Chic sang “Amazing Grace” and “When Peace Like a River.”
Chic sang like an angel, but perhaps more importantly, he was capable of wrapping his spirit around one’s soul as he sang. Somehow, as he sang, one’s soul would rise to a place of peace and comfort. What he might be unable to accomplish as a clinical psychologist, he accomplished through his spirit as expressed through song.
On the way back home, Suzy opened up to Chic about her decision.
“Chic, I’ve decided I’m not going to allow all the evil ones in the world to rule my life. If I allow myself to live in fear of death, or anything else in life, then it means my faith is weak. I believe that when Christ told us if we have faith of a mustard seed, we could move mountains, he was serious. I’m going to un-wad my panties and join you in the battle against evil.”
“We’ll do this together, Suzy. We are both going to need a full dose of positive energy to tackle these demons head-on.”