by Linda Ladd
“About time you two showed up.” Novak shook Black’s hand. Claire’s husband was a good-looking guy with black hair and blue eyes, six feet four inches, maybe, about two inches shorter than Novak. He was not as heavy, maybe 220 with a leaner build than Novak. Black’s practice included rich actors, neurotic politicians, and other high-profile celebrities, but he was no pushover in a fight. He had his Army Ranger days to thank for that. He was a good man to have your back. He was a nice guy and a loyal friend. Novak trusted him. He couldn’t say that about most people.
“Rico is now officially our son,” Claire told him, smiling. “Forever and ever. Legally binding, just try to take him back.”
“Well, good, finally. Is he here?”
“Nope, he’s up at Lake of the Ozarks at our new cabin. He’s having a ball with Harve. You know them. They’re probably out bass fishing and swimming and speeding around on Jet Skis right now. Okay, what have you got on baby Rosa?”
Claire never wasted much time with idle chitchat. She was famous for getting down to brass tacks. One minute of small talk usually did it for her. Novak obliged her because this time they had no time to spare. “First week here, I got nothing but a good tan and a lot of runs down the beach. Nada, zip, until things started to pop night before last. I’ll fill you in on that later. You need to tell me more about this case. I know some doctor out of Guatemala City got it started. Eldon Osceola gave me some background on her.”
“Well, sorry to tell you this, Novak, but this one is strictly pro bono. We aren’t getting paid a dime. I knew you wouldn’t mind because you’re as rich as Black, even if you never spend a cent. That doctor? Eloise Harbor? She’s an old friend of Black’s, and when she said a little baby was missing, I knew we had to get involved. So all this’s okay with you, right, Novak? You’re down with it?”
“Of course.” Novak could not care less about money. Claire was right. He had plenty of inherited cash in plenty of bank accounts but rarely spent it unless he wanted to buy a custom-designed sailboat like the Sweet Sarah. His PI work and military retirement was plenty. “Just so you know, Claire, I’ve already got some bad guys pissed off and hunting me down. That means we’ve got to watch our backs from square one.”
Claire looked intrigued. Black looked wary.
“Who’s after you?” Claire asked.
“A gang. All of them.”
“Well, that’s par for the course for you, my friend. Forget that. Finding that baby is first and foremost. That has to come before anything. You agree? Baby Rosa is our main objective.” Claire was staring up at him, her hands planted on her hips. Even pregnant and in a T-shirt and cutoff jeans, she was the fittest woman he knew.
“I am more than okay with it. The baby’s mother is out here with her little brother—but you know that already. They almost bit it the other night at the condo where you put me on watch. Good thing you did or they’d be floating facedown in the ocean right now.” He briefly related the altercation on the beach.
“Wow, you do get yourself into one scrape after another when I’m not around.” Claire glanced up at the museum. “So what do you think of these guys? I haven’t met them. Eloise says they’re okay. She also thinks they’ll help us find the baby.”
“I like Eldon. He knows this area and the men who attacked me.”
“Maybe Black should take a look at your head. You think you might have a concussion? You look a little rough today.”
“Mild one, maybe. I’d rather just have some strong painkillers. These sunglasses are helping me.”
“You dizzy?” Black said, looking closely at him. “Nausea or double vision?”
“Maybe at first. Now it’s just a constant headache.”
“I’ve got meds in my bag that’ll help with that.”
“Good. C’mon, let me introduce you to the Osceolas. They’re waiting inside where it’s air-conditioned.”
Claire started up the steps in front of the men. “I want to meet everybody. I’m not supposed to stay out in the sun long, anyway. You know, it’s not good for the baby.”
Novak followed her while Black went back to the car for the medicine.
Novak opened the door, and they waited just inside for Black to catch up. “Eldon’s back in the conference room. His office is there, too.”
Black was back a minute later with the pills and a bottle of water. He handed them over, and Novak twisted off the cap and swallowed three of them. “Two would be enough,” Black said.
“I don’t think so,” Novak answered.
“Any indication this case has mob connections?” Black asked him.
“Don’t know yet. Maybe. I think whoever took that baby is hooked up with somebody who can get things done. Kids have been abducted periodically around here for years, it sounds like. Others are thought to be brought up from Central America. That takes organization and somebody smart pulling the strings, or they’d be caught by now.”
“Don’t forget, Novak, Black’s in tight with a certain mob boss in Miami. It’s his godfather—and I mean the real kind of godfather. Not that I condone working hand-in-hand with Mafia types, but Jose Rango helped us out before, if you’ll recall. Remember Mexico City when he got you out of the clutches of that drug lord?”
“Rango’s influence could definitely be useful. I’m beginning to think these guys operate all across south Florida, maybe even up through the Eastern Seaboard. That means a powerful contact in Miami would be more than helpful. I don’t know if this thing radiates that far afield, but my gut tells me it’s big and getting bigger.”
“Okay, tell us everything you know so far,” Claire demanded.
“Not much yet. We need to find a way to track this baby pipeline, because I think there is one. Eldon Osceola says a lawyer in Fort Myers might be the one calling the shots around here.”
“Yeah, Max Kellen. I know,” Claire said. “I looked him up.”
“I bet Jose knows about him,” Black said.
“After I got Kellen’s name, I dug up some stuff, too. Let’s compare notes—but first we need to talk to Eldon so you can meet Alcina and her brother. They’ve been anxious for you to get here. After that, we’ll talk about how to take this whole thing down.”
A bunch of tourists were wandering around the shops and loading up on souvenirs. Eldon’s office and conference room were located down a hall behind an Employees Only sign. A plate-glass window in one wall revealed people sitting around a long conference table. Alcina and the kid were sitting together at the far end. Alcina was the only woman there. The walls were decorated with all kinds of Native American artifacts and paintings and wall hangings.
As soon as they got inside, Claire headed straight for Alcina, not even waiting for introductions. Kneeling beside her, Claire took both her hands. “We’re going to find Rosa. I promise you that I won’t stop looking until we bring her home and put her back in your arms.” That brought a rush of tears to the grieving young mother. “We’re gonna get your daughter back,” Claire said again. “We’ll never give up until we find her.”
“Thank you so much. I’m just so grateful you’re here,” Alcina whispered back. Apparently she believed Claire, because her tears dried up and she hugged Claire. Eldon stood and introduced himself and his sons, and then politely held Claire’s chair as she sat down beside him. “This is a bad affair we’ve gotten into,” he said. “As you know, Eloise has learned a great deal about the child abductions going on down in Guatemala City, and she thinks this thing is farther reaching than anybody knows. Rosa’s only the latest victim. Even worse, she thinks they target pregnant women as well as newborn babies. She told me that pregnant women have been going missing down there, and their bodies found later after they gave birth. Their babies have never been found.” His eyes lingered briefly on Claire, and nobody had trouble understanding his concern. “These people are worse than animals. I told Novak that w
e want to help. We’re at your service from now on. As long as it’s legal, we’re in all the way.”
Claire nodded. “Thank you, Eldon. We don’t know everything yet, but we’re just getting started. Your input’s going to help us more than anything. Eloise gave me a name and I tracked that child and found a reference to Max Kellen. That’s why we’re starting with him. He may be totally innocent, just acting as an attorney for them. I don’t know yet.”
“Well, I do. My wife knows him,” Eldon told her. “She’s faced him in court, and she says she wouldn’t trust him for the time of day. She isn’t a bit surprised he’s a suspect in this case. By the way, you’re welcome at Ocean’s Edge if you need a place to stay, but it’s about two hours north of here. We all live in Naples, which is closer. Feel free to set up your investigation anywhere you want. It might be better down close to us since the Skulls attacked Alcina and Pedro at the condo. I’ve upped security there. I don’t think they’ll come back, but they could. One thing we’ve learned about them is that they’re unpredictable. I don’t think they think things through before they jump in.”
Novak agreed. Those gangbangers seemed more than comfortable with drowning two young people on a public beach in full sight of four buildings full of people. That wasn’t exactly Einstein caliber, but they almost got away with it.
“Would they attack us out here on the reservation?” Black asked Eldon.
“Not unless they want the Bureau of Indian Affairs to come down on their heads like a ton of bricks. This is tribal land, and we protect it with our own police force. The boys and I have concealed carry permits, and everything we do out here falls under tribal jurisdiction. I’m still worried about how they found Alcina and Pedro at Ocean’s Edge. We took every measure to keep their whereabouts secret. Somebody had to clue them in.”
“Are you thinking you’ve got an informer?” Black asked.
“Nobody on the res would do that. Everybody working at the Safari is family.” He hesitated and looked at Novak. “I want to take a minute to thank Will Novak publicly for saving Alcina and Pedro’s lives. We let those guys get by us, and these two kids almost paid the price.”
Claire glanced at Novak. “Novak’s handy to have around.”
Novak looked at her. “You know who those guys are, don’t you? Remember the Skulls when they rode in New Orleans?”
“Is it the same club? Gabe LeFevres took them down on his own when he worked undercover. They’re all still in jail.”
“Same kind, just in other chapters. They’ve got one in Fort Myers, and they’re Kellen’s enforcers, we think. If he turns out to be the man we’re looking for.”
Claire remembered them, all right. “I had some problems with them when I worked homicide at Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office. Down there, they ran drugs and prostitutes, but we never heard anything about kidnapped children.”
“I know Kellen’s calling the shots, but we can’t prove it,” Eldon said. “We try to stay out of their way, but the other night changed things. They’ll be gunning for us.”
Black caught Novak’s attention. By the frown on his face, Novak knew he wasn’t thrilled Claire was about to go up against a violent motorcycle gang. Novak nodded, sympathizing, but not worried. Claire knew full well that she could not do everything she’d done in the past. Both men knew that, and as long as she remembered it, too, she’d be okay. He wasn’t going to worry about her until he had a reason to. On the other hand, she wasn’t used to sitting around and letting everyone else investigate her cases. She’d been a lead homicide investigator too long.
Now Claire wore a look of steely determination. “I want that baby safe and sound and back with Alcina, and we’ll do whatever it takes to get her there.”
That was pretty all-encompassing and overly optimistic, but Novak agreed. Alcina promptly collapsed into fresh sobs, revealing her stifled emotions were as ragged as hell. Pedro put his arm around his sister’s shoulders. Claire smiled encouragingly and put her hand atop her own belly. At that moment that Novak felt a curious sort of chill go down his back, a weird sense of foreboding.
“So this attack took place at your condo?” Black asked Eldon. “My primary concern, of course, is my wife’s safety. If there’s any doubt, I’ll be happy to arrange secure accommodations and professional bodyguards for Alcina and her brother.”
Eldon seemed fine with the idea. “Like I said, I don’t believe they’ll show up there again, and we’ve upped the number of guards, but there’s no way I can guarantee it. The other residents are unaware of what happened, and we want to keep it that way. Those condo rentals are what keep this place open.”
Novak was not in favor of Claire staying at the beach, either. It was no fortress against armed assault. He waited for Claire to tell Black to stop worrying about her, but she didn’t. That told him Claire had no intention of doing anything that would harm her or her unborn child. After that, he relaxed considerably and felt better about her involvement. He did not want anything to happen to Claire. She’d been injured and hurt so many times before that he was always spooked when they got a new and dangerous assignment. This time was different. He decided to speak up.
“Listen, I’ve got my sailboat docked at a big marina in Fort Myers. How about we take the boat and anchor her somewhere offshore of Naples? These two kids would be safer down here away from Kellen’s base of operations. My boat will be hard to attack or sneak up on.” Novak hesitated, not sure about his next offer, but he had no time to make the voyage down the coast. “Do any of you know how to sail a forty-footer? And I don’t mean an amateur. Somebody who knows what he’s doing and that we can trust.”
“My nephew’s got his own boat and has sailed in the annual regattas over in Miami. He won the thing twice. You ready to trust him with your boat?”
“Well, that makes me feel better. He and maybe one other guy can take her down the coast, and they can use my Zodiac to pick up Alcina and Pedro when they get here. I want them out of here before Kellen’s goons find them again. The Sarah’s cool and comfortable, and I’ve built in some defenses of my own. Black and Claire can stay at the condo with me. I’ll feel better if the Castillos are down in Naples. How about you?”
“I think that’s a good idea. Jeff and Pooch can take the boat down tonight.” Eldon looked at Alcina and her brother. “Jake can take you two over there when they put down anchor. That sound okay with you?”
They both nodded but still looked scared. They were going to look that way from now on, but they’d be safer on the boat than as sitting ducks up in Fort Myers. The reservation might be safe for a time, but if the Skulls had followed Novak out here, Kellen would know eventually where they were and he’d come after them, tribal land or not. Kellen had to kill them now. Novak preferred not to have to worry about it; he already had enough to worry about.
Black agreed. “I think this is better, too. Novak and I will be with Claire the whole time. What do you say, Claire?”
Claire hesitated. For a moment, Novak wasn’t sure if she was going for it or not.
“I’m good with them staying on the boat. But really, you guys need to stop worrying about me. I feel good, and I’m not going to do anything irresponsible. Remember, Black, you’re the one who asked me to take on Eloise’s case.”
“Yes, I did, but it’s getting more complicated than I had reason to believe it would.”
“True, but I know what I’m doing.”
“That’s true, too.”
Novak had heard similar banter between the newlyweds before, and it was always about the same thing: Claire’s safety when investigating dangerous criminals. He doubted that Black’s constant worry would ever change. Black had learned a long time ago that he couldn’t tell her what to do, and vice versa. Marriage hadn’t changed that, but as usual, their disagreement didn’t last long. They were already smiling at each other.
Claire turned
back to Novak, raring to go. “Okay, let’s figure out our first move. Eldon, do you have suggestions? Anybody we need to tail and/or question?”
“Max Kellen should be number one, but you know that. My wife thinks he might use his law office to place these children. Apparently, that’s one of his specialties. Arranging legal adoptions, that is, but we think he does the illegal ones, too. He’s smart enough to make his contracts ironclad, without loopholes. She’s nosed around as much as she dared, so we already have some dirt on him. I don’t know if he’s the head dude or running this out of Fort Myers for someone else.”
“Then it’s up to us to figure out a game plan, Novak,” Claire said, parroting his own thoughts. “I say we pay a visit to this Max Kellen guy after we scope out the area.”
“We can see where he lives and works. See which is the easiest to get into. I can do that, if you like, while you and Black rest up from your flight.”
“No need. I slept on the plane. I feel absolutely wonderful. You too tired to go with us, Black?”
“If you’re going, I’m going.”
“He’s so sweet,” Claire said to Novak. “All right then, let’s get this show on the road.”
They left Miccosukee around the same time that Jeff and Pooch took off for Novak’s boat. It took around two hours to drive back to Sanibel Island. When they reached the condo, Novak left the couple to have a look around the resort while he took a quick shower and cleaned up. Once he was dressed in a clean white T-shirt and jeans and had swallowed down some more of Black’s painkillers, he felt a hundred percent better. The three of them sat at the kitchen table and made some initial decisions.
“I like this place,” Black told them, looking around. “I’ve got a hotel in South Beach, but I wouldn’t mind a place over here on the Gulf Coast.”
That was another habit of Black’s; he collected hotels. He had the money and liked to spend it, just the opposite of Novak’s reluctance to touch his offshore and French bank accounts. “Eldon says his father bought this place back in the 1960s. Don’t think they’ll ever want to sell it.”