by B R Snow
“Now, you’re just sucking up,” he said, laughing.
“Yeah, how am I doing?” I said, laughing along with him.
“Let me know when you plan on dropping by the bar,” he said, staring at me to emphasize the point. “I’ll make sure we have a couple of guys there.”
“How will I know who they are?”
“You won’t,” he said. “But if anything does happen, you’ll know who they are in a hurry.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding.
“And one more thing,” he said, crushing his empty can and tossing it onto the seat next to him.
“What’s that?” I said, draining the last of my beer.
“Take some backup along with you.”
“Backup?”
“Yeah, and from what I saw at the cockfight, your friend Rooster would be perfect.”
“He does like to see how some of the locals live,” I said, shrugging.
“Well, get ready. Because you’re both in for a real treat.”
Chapter 23
Gerald’s house was less than fifteen minutes from our place in a planned community just north of Georgetown called Camana Bay. I always thought calling it a bay was a bit of a misnomer since its western edge set on a stretch of Seven Mile Beach, and to the east were a series of interconnected canals that eventually worked their way out to the ocean. As such, the canals aside, as far as I was concerned, it was still pretty much all oceanfront. The entire community was upscale and included a ton of modern amenities that offered residents what Josie considered a self-contained lifestyle. To be more accurate, she called it Bubble World. We occasionally dropped by to catch a movie or go shopping when we were looking for something to do other than lounge by the pool with the dogs or take the boat out. Although Camana Bay was gorgeous and well-maintained, the overall impression I got every time I visited reminded me more of something I’d see in Florida or parts of California, and it didn’t have the funky Caribbean vibe I’d come to love.
But obviously Camana Bay was to Gerald’s liking, and I turned into the driveway that led to a sprawling, single-story residence with a great view of the canal. I got out of the jeep and took the place in with an admiring stare. I headed for the front door, rang the bell, and looked around again as I waited. The door opened, and a barefoot man somewhere in his late twenties wearing beach shorts and a tee shirt greeted me with a smile. But he looked tired, and I couldn’t miss the stress that seemed etched on his face.
“Suzy, right?”
“That’s me,” I said, extending my hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you, William. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“I’m sure you have,” he said, nodding. “Come on in.”
I followed him into the house and down a tiled hallway lined with photos of Gerald and various celebrities and dignitaries.
“I call this Gerald’s Walk of Fame Redux,” he said, managing a small laugh when he noticed me slowing down to check out some of the identically-framed photos.
“He must have run out of room at his office,” I said, remembering the walls in Gerald’s office that overflowed with framed photos.
“That’s right,” William said, giving me a coy smile. “I heard you’ve been in his office a couple of times.”
I let his gentle jab pass without comment and followed him as he made a right turn. We went through a set of sliding glass doors and ended up on an outside patio that butted up against the pool. We sat down at a small table, and he poured me a glass of iced tea from a pitcher.
“I’m sorry,” he said, frowning. “I didn’t even bother to ask if you wanted tea. Perhaps, a glass of wine or a beer?”
“No, this is great,” I said, taking a long sip as I glanced around the pool area and yard. “I see Gerald all the time, and I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”
“Yes, he’s told me a lot about you,” William said. “He’s been in the house for about a year. It’s nice, but I prefer more traditional Caribbean. If I wanted this, I would have never left Miami.”
“You were in Miami?”
“I went to college there for a few years, then decided it wasn’t for me. But I stayed there for another year until…”
“Until you came back here and got busted for smuggling dope,” I said. “Yeah, I heard all about it.”
“Truly a bad decision on my part,” he said. “I’m very fortunate to be sitting here with you at the moment.”
“Yes,” I said, nodding. “I’m sure you are.”
William chuckled and stared at me.
“Is that a shot about how lucky I am that my father can pull some strings when necessary?”
“Let’s call it an observation,” I said, grinning back at him over the top of my glass.
He laughed and draped a leg over his knee then lit a cigarette and blew smoke downwind.
“Gerald said you were a truly unique individual. I’m beginning to get a glimpse of what he was talking about. You don’t pull a lot of punches, do you?”
“I’ve never been much of a dancer, William,” I said, shrugging. “I’m more of a straight ahead kind of girl.”
“Got it,” he said, tapping his cigarette against the ashtray on the table. “Gerald also said that you may be able to help me. He said you have a gift when it comes to figuring out complex problems, particularly those associated with criminal behavior.”
“Most days, it feels like more of a curse,” I said. “But I am pretty good at things like this.”
“So, what are your thoughts on this one?”
“I’m starting to develop a few ideas, but I’m not comfortable sharing them just yet,” I said, sliding my chair into a patch of shade. “I need to ask you some questions.”
“Of course.”
“How well did you know Jack and Jill Jensen?”
“Quite well,” he said, shrugging. “Especially when I was younger. But after their falling out with my father, I didn’t see much of the Jensens.”
“What was their fight about?” I said, folding my legs underneath me on the chair.
“Politics and money, primarily,” William said, crushing out his cigarette. “Mr. Jensen felt that my father had pulled the rug out from under him and made him a public laughingstock.”
“But that must have been before your dad became Premier, right?”
“Way before,” William said, staring out at the pool. “My father and Mr. Jensen were still working as lawyers for a local firm. Actually, what happened between him and the Jensens was what launched my dad’s political career.”
“That was his Shine the Light campaign, right?”
“Very good. You’ve been doing your homework,” William said, nodding.
“That campaign was all about bringing what your father considered to be some of the more unsavory aspects of how things worked down here out from under the rocks and into the light,” I said, helping myself to more tea. He waved off my offer of a refill, and I set the pitcher down then sat back and waited.
“It was. And Jack Jensen was the poster child for that campaign. Mr. Jensen never forgave my father and told him in no uncertain terms that he’d get even at some point,” he said. “My father’s campaign was very popular with a lot of the local residents. Most of the financial people and developers hated it.”
“And I imagine they weren’t very fond of your father, either,” I said.
“At first, no,” William said. “But my father has proven to be quite prophetic about the future. He saw the need to clean things up long before anyone else did. Even before the countries who would eventually be applying the pressure ever recognized the need to do it.”
“Countries like the UK and the States, right?”
“Pretty much,” he said, shrugging. “Since we’re an Overseas British Territory, obviously the UK has a lot of clout down here. And I’m sure I don’t need to explain how much influence the Americans have when they decide they want something done.”
“The UK and the States both wanted
a lot of the money schemes cleaned up, right?” I said.
“9/11 changed a lot of things dramatically around the world,” William said. “And Cayman certainly wasn’t immune.”
“But the place still has a reputation for being a financial haven,” I said.
“Again, my father proved himself to be quite prescient when it comes to that,” he said. “And Gerald as well.”
“I’m not following,” I said, leaning forward.
“Gerald and my father have been instrumental in making sure that people are still able to do certain things with their money, but do it in a way that doesn’t attract a lot of what they consider to be unnecessary oversight.”
“It sounds complicated,” I said, frowning.
“It’s very complicated,” he said, laughing. “And that’s why it works as well as it does.”
“You’re saying your father was able to maintain his reputation as a man of the people without losing the support of the big money people who make this place run?”
“Suzy,” William said. “My father is a lot of things, but he’s not an idiot. And as I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, neither is Gerald.”
“No, you don’t,” I said, then drifted off for a few moments to be alone with my thoughts. “Who do you think is trying to set you up?”
“I wish I knew,” he said with a tired shrug. “It’s obviously someone who’s trying to ruin my father’s career. Why else would anybody want to kill the Jensens and try to pin it on me?”
“That question has been driving me nuts for several days,” I said. “You think it could be someone who’s also making a play for Jensen’s dope business?”
“That thought has certainly crossed my mind,” he said, lighting another cigarette.
“Those things will kill you,” I said, nodding at the cigarette.
“They’re the least of my concerns at the moment,” he said, exhaling smoke.
“Fair point,” I said. “Did you know that Jensen was smuggling coke?”
“I did not,” he said, firmly. “I was shocked when I heard about it. But given what I’d heard about his gambling problem, it probably shouldn’t have surprised me.”
“How did you know about his gambling?”
“Small island,” he said, shrugging it off.
“Sure, sure,” I said, then shifted gears. “Talk to me about Ramon.”
“Ramon?” William said, cocking his head at me. “What about him?”
“Do you think he could be involved?”
William gave it some thought, then nodded.
“Sure, it’s possible,” William said. “For the right amount of money, I’m pretty sure Ramon would sell his own mother.”
“He works for you, right?”
“Not anymore,” William said, shaking his head. “He quit several months ago. It’s too bad he did. He’s a good worker.”
“Good at blowing things up?” I said, then polished off the last of my tea.
“Actually, I’m the one who handles all of our demolition jobs,” he said. “It’s dangerous work, and I’m a bit of a control freak.”
“But Ramon could have learned how it’s done, right?”
“Sure, it’s really not that difficult to blow stuff up,” he said. “I’ve got at least a dozen people working for me who know how to do it. The hard part is only blowing up what you want and leaving everything else intact.”
“But you wouldn’t have to worry about that way out in the middle of the ocean, right?”
“No, you wouldn’t,” he said, shaking his head. “And that yacht must have been packed to the gills with explosives for it to disintegrate the way it did.”
“Explosives from your company,” I said, raising an eyebrow.
“That’s the way it looks,” he said, taking a long drag then exhaling a cloud of smoke that quickly disappeared in the breeze.
“You didn’t know that some of your inventory had gone missing?”
“No, I didn’t. And that’s my fault,” William said. “I haven’t been paying a lot of attention to my company recently.”
“Have you lost interest in it?” I said, again sliding my chair a few feet to my right into the shade.
“Actually, I have,” he said, smiling at my attempt to duck the sun. “My plan is to sell it. But that’s not the reason I haven’t been paying attention.”
“Okay,” I said, frowning as I waited for him to continue.
“I haven’t been paying attention because I’m in love,” he said, beaming.
“That’s a good reason,” I said, laughing as I reached for the pitcher of tea. “Who’s the lucky girl?”
“Me.”
I turned toward the direction of the voice and almost dropped the pitcher. I stared in disbelief at the woman with pink hair who was wearing a bathing suit and leaning against one of the sliding glass doors.
“Jennifer?” I finally managed.
“Hi, Suzy,” she said, strolling toward us and pausing to give William a kiss on the cheek before sitting down and helping herself to one of his cigarettes. “I thought I’d finally kicked the habit, but then he got me started again.”
“Yeah, right,” William said, laughing. “Now, it’s my fault.”
“Surprised, huh?” she said, grinning at me.
“That’s a word for it,” I said, glancing back and forth at them. “I’m very confused.”
“Join the club,” Jennifer said.
“But Gerald said he had no idea who you were involved with,” I said.
“He doesn’t,” Jennifer said. “But we’re going to tell him tonight when he gets home. It’s time.”
“Does your father know?” I said, staring at William, still baffled.
“No. I was getting ready to tell him, and then all this stuff happened,” he said. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to wait a bit longer before I spring it on him. He’s got enough on his plate at the moment.”
“Like keeping you from being convicted of murder and saving his political career?” I said.
“Yes, but probably not in that order,” William said.
“Don’t be like that, Will,” Jennifer said. “I’m sure your dad is doing everything he can to help you.”
“Yeah, you might be right,” William said, reaching for her hand. “But we both know he’s going to blame me for everything that happens to him. And there goes any chance of reconciling with him.”
“You don’t know that,” Jennifer said, squeezing his hand.
“Did your folks know you two were together?” I said.
“Yes, I told them about a month ago,” Jennifer said. “What a mistake that was. They threatened to disown me if I didn’t break it off. I basically told them to stick it.”
“And?” I said, staring at her.
“And now it doesn’t matter what they thought,” she said with a shrug. “They’re gone, and as soon as we get Will cleared of these ridiculous charges, we’re leaving and probably never coming back.”
“I can’t wait,” William said, draining the last of his tea. “But if I am convicted, you’ll wait for me, right?”
“I’ll leave you a forwarding address,” she said, then gave him a deep, long kiss that left me red-faced. “That’s the least I can do.”
“You’re all heart,” he said, laughing.
“I’m going to take a dip and cool off,” she said. “It was nice seeing you, Suzy.”
“Yeah, you too,” I said, as she strolled toward the pool, dove in and began churning laps. I looked at William who was watching her with a contented smile. “I should get going.”
“Do you have any ideas about what to do next?” he said, finally taking his eyes off her.
“I thought I might have a little chat with Ramon,” I said, getting to my feet.
“Okay,” he said, shielding his eyes with a hand as he glanced up at me. “Let me know how that goes. And if there’s anything I can do, just ask.”
“Will do,” I said. “But for now, it’s
probably a good idea if you and Jennifer just stay here and keep a low profile.”
“Oh, no,” he said, sneaking a glance at the pool. “Not the briar patch.”
Chapter 24
I headed home and found Josie and Chef Claire sprawled out in lounge chairs next to the pool playing with the dogs. They both reached down to retrieve the tennis balls and fired them back into the pool. I got halfway across the lawn before the dogs spotted me, and they forgot about the balls momentarily as they climbed out of the pool and raced to drench me with a cool shower. I spent a few minutes petting all of them, then headed toward Josie and Chef Claire. The dogs dove back in the pool in search of the tennis balls that were gently bobbing in the water.
“Welcome home,” Josie said, laughing as she tossed me a towel. “You probably should have changed before you came out.”
“Yeah, good call,” I said, wiping my face. “Where’s the rest of the gang?”
“Your mom said she had some errands to run, and Rooster went fishing with Paulie and Rocco,” Chef Claire said. “I hope they have some luck. I’ve got a new recipe for smoked wahoo I’m dying to try out.”
“Did you get a chance to speak with William?” Josie said.
“I did,” I said, sitting down on one of the loungers. “It started out fine, but it turned weird at the end.”
“Weird how?” Josie said, sitting up to slather on another layer of sunscreen.
“He’s in love,” I said.
“Okay,” Josie said. “It has been known to happen. Was his girlfriend at the house?”
“She was,” I said, shaking my head. “And you’ll never guess who it is.”
“How many guesses do we get?” Chef Claire said.
“As many as you want,” I said. “You’ll never get it.”
“Then you should probably just tell us,” Chef Claire said.
“Jennifer Jensen.”
“The daughter of the people who got blown up?” Josie said, frowning. “That is weird.”
“So, she not only dropped Gerald for a younger guy, she dumped him for his godson?” Chef Claire said. “How do you think he’s going to react to that news?”