"The doctor said I am to be released. Can I get dressed now?"
"Sure, let me get your clothes out," she said walking over to the closet, "do you need any help?"
"No, I can manage."
Doug started putting his clothes on. He was repulsed by the strong smell of sweat and grime on them. The stench to his clothes brought back painful flashes of his ordeal the day before. He wished he had some clean clothes. But, of course, Doug had no one to bring him clean clothes. Doug had no one.
As he dressed, he still had no idea what to do next. He had no money, no car, and he was about two hours from the villa. After dressing, he picked up the phone and rang the villa. Isabella would be there by now. The phone rang and rang with no answer. He hung up and redialed thinking perhaps he had dialed the wrong number. It continued to ring with no answer. Why isn't she picking up the phone? And then it occurred to him -- he remembered that he had told Isabella not to answer the phone or the door.
Doug put the phone down. He sat on the edge of the bed in a state that was vacillating between fear and panic. He knew he should call the police and report the hijacking of his Corvette. But he didn't want to risk drawing attention to his false IDs. Thoughts of the diamonds lying in his carry-on bag in the remote location his abductors had taken him were also running through his head. But he could do nothing about trying to find it right now. His priority was getting himself back to the villa.
Doug thought about the Green Angels that had assisted him when his Corvette got the flat tire. He got their number from the operator and called to see if they could help him.
"Hello, this is Doug Castlebury. I need some assistance, and I'm hoping you can help me."
"Yes, sir, what is your location?"
"Well, I'm not on the road right now. My car was hijacked, and I was robbed yesterday. I am currently in the hospital about to be discharged. But I have no vehicle or money to get back to my home in Puerto Vallarta. Could one of your trucks get me back there? I can pay you when I get to my home?"
"We do not provide that kind of service, sir. Our trucks provide roadside service only. I'm sorry."
"I know it's not your usual service, but I will make it worth your while. I'll pay whatever you ask if you will make an exception."
"I'm sorry, sir, it is just not possible."
As Doug hung up the phone, he heard a light rapping at the door to his room which the nurse had pushed partially closed.
Doug looked up to see the older man who had brought him to the hospital the day before. The man smiled at Doug as he entered.
"Well, you look a lot better today than you did yesterday," the man said smiling, "I don't think I introduced myself, my name is Juan Perez," he added extending his hand.
"Doug Castlebury," Doug replied shaking the man's hand, "I'm glad to see you. I know I didn't thank you properly yesterday. I was so out of it. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come along and stopped. So many cars just drove by."
"I'm glad I could help. It looks like you are getting ready to go home?"
"I am being released. But I have a problem. As you know, my car was hijacked, and all my money was stolen. I don't have a way to get back to my home in Puerto Vallarta. Do you know anyone that could get me back there? I could pay them when I got to my home."
"Well, my truck isn't in the best shape, but I suspect she would make it to Puerto Vallarta. We can give it a try if you'd like."
Doug smiled at the older man. Perhaps for the first time in his life, he gave attention to the value of human kindness.
"Thank you, Mr. Perez. Let me ring the nurse and be sure it's okay to leave."
Doug was discharged. And he and Mr. Perez left the hospital and got into his old pickup truck. Doug did have concerns about its ability to make it to Puerto Vallarta, but it was his only option; he just had to hope for the best.
Before they got in the pickup, Doug turned to Mr. Perez and asked, "I know this is asking a lot of you, but before we head back to Puerto Vallarta, would you mind trying to help me find the remote area the hijackers took me? I had a bag in the car that they rummaged through and then threw on the ground. I would like to see if it is still there. If you can remember where you picked me up on the highway, I think I can remember how to get to the place they took me."
"It's no trouble, we have to go past where I found you. I'll let you know when we get there."
"Thank you, Mr. Perez. I'm not sure that I will ever be able to thank you enough for all you are doing for me."
"We're supposed to help one another. I've been helped in my day; now it's my turn to help."
Mr. Perez headed back to the highway toward Puerto Vallarta. When they reached the spot where he had found Doug, he pulled over.
"This is it, Mr. Castlebury. Does it look familiar?"
"Yes," Doug said. The events of the day began flooding his mind and sending a chill through his body, "We came from that direction; let's head that way. I'll look for the road we came out of to get back on the highway."
Mr. Perez turned the car around and drove slowly in the direction that Doug was pointing to. After a short distance, Doug said, "There it is; that's the road; turn here. We weren't on this road too long before coming to the highway. Just drive slowly, I'll watch for the spot. I remember there was a fence and there was a deep ditch where we pulled over."
They continued down the road. Within a short time, Doug said, "Stop, please, let me get out here and look around."
They both got out of the car. Doug saw the deep ditch and the fence that looked familiar. He looked for any tracks from the cars. It had been dry so that no tracks were visible. The pair walked around the area for a while and then Mr. Perez said, "Come over here Mr. Castlebury. I don't see a bag, but I see a shirt blown up against the fence."
Doug quickly went over to Mr. Perez and took the shirt in his hand. "It's my shirt. It was in the bag. This is the location. I'm sure of it. I need to find the bag. Let's keep looking."
They spent at least twenty minutes searching every inch of the area on both sides of the road. There was no bag. Perhaps the thieves had taken it when they came back to get the Corvette. Or perhaps another passing vehicle had stopped and picked it up. In any event, it was gone.
Doug was reluctant to leave the area without the bag and its precious contents. But eventually, he realized they were not going to find it. They got back into the pickup truck, got back on the highway, and headed for Puerto Vallarta. Doug was quiet for a while. His mind filled with thoughts of the lost diamonds. But after a while Mr. Perez's attempts at conversation were successful.
During the two hour trip back to The Villa Castlebury, Doug learned that Mr. Perez had spent a good part of his adult life in the United States. He had worked there for many years and saved enough money to return to Mexico to his family farm. It was evident that his many years spent in the States was the reason he spoke English so well. Doug was grateful for that since he spoke no Spanish. It seemed as though Mr. Perez enjoyed Doug's company and sharing with him events from his stay in the States. He told Doug that his three sons and their families had remained there. He had little family here in Mexico.
It was a pleasant ride back. Doug was beginning to feel slightly less anxiety at the thought of being back at his villa. Thoughts of the dark sedan and the lost diamonds had been replaced with thoughts of being home.
When they drove up the drive to the villa, Mr. Perez was overwhelmed. He had no idea that Mr. Castlebury was so rich. He had helped him out of pure human kindness not out of the thought of financial gain.
"Mr. Perez, I want you to come inside. I will have Isabella prepare some food for us, and I want you to stay and rest as long as you want. Perhaps you might like to stay overnight. How does the expression go, mi casa es su casa? I can never repay you for what you have done for me."
"Thank you, Mr. Castlebury. I would like to have some food with you and rest a while."
Isabella greeted them at the door. She looked puzz
led when she saw Doug's clothes and Mr. Perez.
"Isabella, this is Mr. Perez. He will be having lunch with us. Do you have any food prepared?"
"Yes, sir, it will just take me a few minutes to get it ready," Isabella said as she looked at Doug full of questions. "Are you alright, sir?"
"I had some problems on the trip, Isabella. Some thieves hijacked the Corvette and stole my money. That is why Mr. Perez brought me home. I spent the night at the hospital. But I am fine."
"Oh no, I'm so sorry, Mr. Castlebury. You must be hungry. I will get your food right away."
Doug took Mr. Perez into the living area, got him a beer, and then told him he wanted to go upstairs to take a quick shower and change. He promised to be back shortly and urged Mr. Perez to make himself at home.
The shower and change of clothes went a long way in making Doug feel better. He was starting to shed some of his anxiety. He came back downstairs, grabbed another beer for Mr. Perez and one for himself, and then they went into the dining area to have their lunch. Isabella had prepared a delicious meal of taquitos anticipating Doug's return today.
Mr. Perez was clearly enjoying the meal. He was not shy about how many taquitos he ate. It was obvious he didn't have homemade meals like this often. Doug was happy that Mr. Perez was enjoying the meal so much. Doug always enjoyed Isabella's meals, but he reflected as he watched Mr. Perez eating how much more enjoyable it was to have someone to share it with. Doug felt an immediate attachment to this kind older man sitting across from him. He hated to see him leave.
When they had finished their lunch, Doug asked Mr. Perez if he would like to take a siesta before heading back. Since it was his custom, Mr. Perez accepted. Doug took him to one of the spare bedrooms, showed him where the bathroom was, and told him to rest as long as he wanted.
Doug was too wound up to rest. He went back downstairs and sat down in the living area to think. Isabella came in when she heard him come downstairs.
"Mr. Castlebury, while you were gone, the phone rang a lot. I didn't pick it up like you told me. Also, the dark sedan came up the driveway -- I saw it from the window. And someone rang the bell. But I didn't answer the door."
"The sedan came up the driveway?" Doug asked in alarm.
"Yes, sir. But when I didn't answer the door, it left."
"Did you see who was driving it?"
"No, sir; I'm sorry."
"Okay, thank you, Isabella, you did the right thing in not answering the phone and the door. The lunch was delicious. You can go about your chores now. Thanks for letting me know."
Doug was glad to be home. He had overcome the hurdle of getting himself back to the villa. But from what Isabella had just said, his troubles were not over.
Chapter Forty-four
PUERTO VALLARTA
Max and Eva had tried calling The Villa Castlebury at various times during the day that Doug left to take the diamonds to a safe deposit box. They were anxious to meet with Doug again to carry out the next step of their plan to get the diamonds back. They planned to invite him to dinner. At dinner, they were going to try to get Doug to ask Eva to go for a ride in the Corvette at a time when they knew Isabella would not be in the villa. Then Max would go into the villa and search for the diamonds. All their calls to the villa went unanswered. Later that same day, Max and Eva rode over to the villa to see if they could reach Doug in person. They needed to get their plan into action. They were wasting valuable time. They had a lot to do in the short time they had to spend in Puerto Vallarta.
They approached the door and rang the bell several times. No one answered. No one would answer. Doug had instructed Isabella not to answer the phone or the door after his incident with the dark sedan while coming out of the dive shop. Isabella did look out the window of the villa when the doorbell rang and saw Eva and Max's dark sedan parked in the driveway. Fear overtook her; she thought it was the dark sedan that Doug had asked her to watch out for.
Max and Eva left The Villa Castlebury perplexed. They were not sure of their next move. It was too risky to attempt entry not knowing if someone was inside. They did not want to allow impatience to cause them to take a misstep that could keep them from getting back the diamonds. On a long shot, remembering Doug's interests from the social media research Eva had done, they took a ride over to the closest dive shop and drove past the parasailing hut on the beach just on the chance Doug might be there. But, of course, that proved fruitless. They decided to head back to their hotel and just wait. He would have to return sometime. They would have to be patient.
It was difficult to be patient knowing that they were so close to the diamonds -- or at least they thought so. There were no guarantees that Doug kept them in the villa. But they were hopeful.
When they arrived back at the hotel, they tried to put the diamonds out of their minds and enjoy the day. They would try again tomorrow.
. . .
Shortly after lunch the next day, Max phoned the villa again. This time someone picked up. It was Doug.
"Castlebury residence, this is Mr. Castlebury," Doug answered determined to find out who was calling.
"Mr. Castlebury, this is Max. My wife and I had stopped by the other day to talk with you about the neighborhood and our possible move to Puerto Vallarta. Do you remember me?"
"Doug sighed a sigh of relief. Oh, yes. I remember you both. How can I help you? Did you make a decision yet to buy in the neighborhood?"
"Well, not yet. The reason I called, Mr. Castlebury is that Eva and I would like to take you to dinner -- a little sign of our appreciation for the hospitality you showed us the other day. Would you be kind enough to allow us to do so?"
"Thank you, Max, under normal circumstances I would be happy to accept. But I just got back from a trip, and I'm not feeling all that well. It's not a good time. Perhaps another time."
Max was not expecting this response. He had to think fast. They had no other plan except this one.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear you are not feeling well. Eva will be disappointed. She has been looking forward to seeing you again. She has some more questions about living here she wanted to ask you. It doesn't have to be this evening. We will be here a few more days. How about if we set it up tentatively for tomorrow night. If you're still not feeling well, we can take a rain check. What do you say?"
"That sounds fair enough. We don't want to disappoint your lovely wife, now do we?"
"That's great, Mr. Castlebury. How about if we pick you up around 6:00 PM tomorrow evening. We'll have the hotel concierge make a reservation for us at one of the nicer restaurants."
"Okay, sounds good. But let me have your number just in case I'm not up to it tomorrow."
Max gave him his cell number, and that ended the conversation.
Max turned to Eva who was standing next to him trying to make out the conversation. "Well, it was touch and go there for a minute. Apparently, he was away yesterday and is not feeling that well today. I did get him to agree to go to dinner tomorrow at 6:00 PM tentatively, but he did ask for my number in case he is still not feeling well. We'll just have to hope for the best."
Max gave his wife a kiss on the cheek and added, "It's a good thing you are as beautiful as you are, I think mentioning you was the only thing that got him to agree. I hope you can work your womanly charms tomorrow night and get him to ask you for that ride in the Corvette."
Eva smiled, "Consider it a done deal, Max. It will not be a problem. If my perception is right about his infatuation with that car, I think he would be willing to take just about anybody for a ride in it."
"Let's hope you are right," Max added, "there's a lot at stake."
. . .
When Mr. Perez woke from his nap, he said that he needed to head back home. He wanted to get home before dark. Doug had gone to the safe while he was napping and taken out a generous amount of cash, put it in an envelope and gave it to Mr. Perez just before he left. Doug shook the hand of the older gentleman and gave him a hug that conveyed his genuine appre
ciation for all he had done.
Doug spent the rest of the afternoon thinking. His first thought continued to be his safety here in Puerto Vallarta. Then he thought about how the loss of the diamonds would affect him financially. He had liquidated about one-third of the diamonds and put the money in an online bank account. So he was not left penniless by any means, but his $10 million villa might be too much to maintain with his changed circumstances. After considerable thought, he decided his best option might be to sell The Villa Castlebury. When he felt better, he would go online and research other island areas and consider purchasing a less expensive home. He calculated that if he did this, he would still be able to maintain the lifestyle he had established here in Puerto Vallarta. He just could not take a chance on having the diamond thieves catch up with him. If they confronted him, they would not believe him when he told them that he no longer had the diamonds. They would probably torture or kill him trying to get him to confess where he was hiding them.
Doug decided he would set things in motion soon. He would call Tim at the Riviera Real Estate Company and have him list the property. It was with regret that he would do this. He had become comfortable in The Villa Castlebury and was enjoying life in Puerto Vallarta. He would also miss Isabella. But he had no choice. It had to be done.
. . .
The next day, Max and Eva were getting dressed at the hotel. Five o'clock had arrived, and there was no call from Doug. They felt pleased that things were going as they had planned. The concierge had made a reservation at a nearby restaurant, and she told them that it was one of Puerto Vallarta's finest. Max and Eva finished dressing. Eva took particular care to be sure she looked as attractive as possible. Eva did not have to try hard to do that. Whenever Max and Eva went out for the evening, heads turned. The reaction that the women in Catherine's office had to Max -- thinking he looked like he stepped out of a James Bond movie -- was not an unusual one. Max and Eva both looked like they had stepped off a Hollywood set. They hoped they could work their magic on Doug tonight.
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