“Mr. MacDonald?” he said.
“That’s me,” said Kyle, getting up out of his seat and following the man to the elevators. They stepped into the cab and the man used his keycard to access the penthouse floor. When Kyle stepped out of the cab, Carlita was there waiting for him.
“Mr. Santini will see you now,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks,” Kyle said as he followed her, trying not to ogle her ass as he did so. She opened the door and stepped aside for Kyle to enter. Lorenzo sat behind his desk, on the telephone, with the same goon as before standing next to him. The goon approached Kyle, gesturing with his arms spread for Kyle to do the same. Kyle raised his arms and the goon patted him down. He pointed to something in his pocket and Kyle took it out.
“Medication,” he said.
That seemed to satisfy him and he walked back to stand beside Lorenzo. Lorenzo continued his conversation on the telephone and gestured to Kyle with his hand to one of the wing-back chairs, the same one he sat in previously. Kyle took the opportunity to walk to the window and reached in his pocket for his phone. The view was spectacular from here as he gazed out over Lake Michigan. An exceptionally cold January and February had caused ice to form along the shores for as far as he could see, but Lake Michigan, unlike some other Great Lakes, has never completely frozen over. He held his phone in front of him as he heard Lorenzo still talking, somewhat animatedly, on the office phone. He navigated to ‘Settings’, ‘Wi-Fi’ and looked at the available Wi-Fi connections. Fortunately, he saw one labelled ‘Lorenzo’s iPhone’. Bingo, he thought. He tapped on the connection and uploaded the spy software.
“We meet again,” Lorenzo said as he hung up the phone. Kyle placed the phone in his pocket without turning it off as the software was still uploading. Lorenzo’s demeanour was not the same as before and Kyle suspected that it would be an arduous conversation. He did not offer a hand, and neither did Kyle. This was not a meeting of friends or business associates. It was a meeting of necessity to resolve an issue. As Kyle sat down, he could see the iridescent glow of Lorenzo’s phone beneath his jacket–signifying the uploading of the software. He hoped that his nervousness was not evident.
“Yes, we do,” Kyle said. “You have the money and now I would like to speak to Carmen and give her the medications.”
“Carmen?” Lorenzo said with a quizzical look. “Is that her name?”
Kyle ignored the ignorance of the question and reiterated his request. His cell buzzed signifying a text message. He retrieved the phone from his pocket and looked at the display–it showed one new text message. Clicking on it, he saw a message from Alex: Upload successful. He immediately deleted the message.
Lorenzo nodded to the man standing next to him and the man pulled out his phone and dialled a number. Shit! Thought Kyle. He’s not going to use his own phone.
The man waited on the line and Kyle pulled out his phone again, going through the same procedure and saw several other Wi-Fi selections. Which was the one being used? He selected one and clicked ‘upload’. The screen showed a message ‘Target phone in use—try again later’. At least it was the right phone. He would wait until he finished the conversation before he could upload the spy software to the new phone.
The man held the phone out to Kyle, and Kyle put it to his ear.
“Alberto?” the female voice said.
“No,” said Kyle. “It’s Kyle MacDonald, Alberto’s friend. I have your medications here for you.”
“Yes Kyle,” said Carmen. “I remember Alberto mentioning you. You own the Playa Hermosa Hotel?”
“Yes, I do. How are you being treated?”
“As well as can be expected. Thank you for bringing my medications, I am overdue for an injec…”
The man snatched the phone from Kyle's hands, ended the call and placed it back in his pocket. Kyle reached for his own phone, used his ‘Touch ID’ to turn it on. It was still in the Wi-Fi mode and he pressed the upload icon.
“Thank you for letting me speak to her,” Kyle said to Lorenzo. “She is overdue for her medications and I would like to administer them for her.”
“Can’t anyone do that?” he said.
“No. It requires an injection, and not everyone can do that.”
“So, you have medical training now?”
“Yes, in the armed forces.”
Lorenzo rubbed his chin as he seemed to do often when thinking.
“OK,” he finally said. “You will be blindfolded, or ride in the trunk of the car. Your choice.”
“I think I will take the blindfold.”
“Call the limo,” Lorenzo said to his bodyguard, “and tell him he will be taking a passenger to the woman.”
“Do you have the medication with you?” Lorenzo asked.
Kyle patted his right-hand jacket pocket. “Yes, I do.”
“Goodbye Mr. MacDonald,” Lorenzo said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Take the elevator to level P4.”
Kyle stood and walked to the door, letting himself out. He smiled at Carlita and pressed the elevator button ‘P4’. The limo was waiting for him, and when he got in, another man occupied the back seat. As the car pulled away, the man pulled out a black hood and placed it over Kyle’s head.
“Your phone,” he said.
Kyle reached in his pocket and handed over the phone.
Ten
Kyle tried to assess where he was going, but there were too many stops and turns as they drove through the city. He estimated they had driven for 30 minutes and the car stopped; the door opened and someone grabbed Kyle’s arm. He stumbled out of the car onto a snow-covered walkway and another hand grabbed his other arm. They lifted him as he approached some steps and he tested them with his foot. He counted four and stood on a landing, then someone rapped on a door. Kyle felt a rush of warm air as the door opened and he sensed the smell of food. He also heard the panting of a dog—that may be a problem for any rescue attempt. After being ushered inside, he felt the wet nose of the dog on his hands, a door creaked open and he was led down a flight of stairs. The blindfold now removed, he adjusted his vision to the brightly lit corridor. They were, by his reckoning, in the basement of a residence. Three doors led from the corridor and a man unlocked one and stepped aside for Kyle to enter.
Carmen, sitting in the lone chair, got up when Kyle stepped into the room.
“Kyle?”
“Yes, it’s Kyle. How are you?”
“Scared,” she said. “How is Alberto?”
“Alberto’s fine, just worried about you.”
“Alberto is a good boy,” she said as she sat back down in the chair. Kyle sat on the bed and removed his jacket, taking out the medication and laying it on the night table. “He takes all the issues of the world on his shoulders, tries to make everything right. He never got over his father's shooting and his sister's abduction to work in the clubs—she was only fourteen.” Tears flowed as she recalled the injustices their family had to suffer at the hands of the Santinis.
Kyle estimated Carmen to be in her late fifties. But despite hardships she endured over the years, she was still a beautiful woman. Jet black hair fell to her shoulders and framed an attractive face. Deep-set brown eyes that, sadly, had seen lots of tears in her lifetime, looked affectionately at Kyle. A perfectly formed nose and soft, full lips completed the facial features. Generous breasts with an hour-glass figure and shapely legs added to her attractiveness.
“I have your medication here. Do you want me to administer it now?”
“Yes. Thank you very much.”
Kyle undid the packaging of a syringe and took out a vial. After removing the cap from the needle, he inserted it into the soft plug of the glass vial, held it up, and withdrew on the plunger. Kyle transferred the liquid to the syringe and tapped the glass to force any bubbles to the top, then depressed the plunger until a small squirt of liquid ejected from the end of the needle. Kyle removed a rubber tourniquet and wrapped i
t around her bicep, tying it in a knot. He tapped the veins in the crook of her arm, finding one that stood out, and injected the liquid into it.
“Thank you,” she said as Kyle withdrew the needle and placed a small wad of dressing on the puncture mark. Carmen placed her finger on the wad as Kyle unrolled a short section of surgical tape and secured the dressing in place.
Kyle did not want to take a chance that their conversation was overheard, so he reached over and whispered in her ear, in Spanish.
“We’re going to get you out,” he said.
Carmen’s face lit up.
“Is Alberto here?” she whispered.
“I don’t know. I am here to give you the medication, but I know they plan to get you out of here.”
Her elation dwindled somewhat, and she said, “When is this all going to stop? Even if you can get me out of here, what is there to prevent them taking me again, or anyone else in our family? How long must we live in constant fear from the Santinis? What is it they want from Alberto?”
Kyle didn’t know how much Alberto told her about the earlier incident, but obviously not much. He decided it was not his place to give her the details.
“The Santinis want something Alberto can’t provide, so we have to get you out. We must also try to end this before more people get hurt.”
The door opened, a man entering the room.
“Finished?” he said,
“Yes,” said Kyle. “We’re finished.”
“I’ll leave the medication here and be back in a couple of days for another injection,” Kyle said to Carmen.
“Thank you so much,” she said. “Give Alberto my blessings.”
“Will do.”
They led Kyle out and placed the hood over his head again, then guided him back to the car. After 30 minutes or so they dropped him off at his hotel, removing the hood.
“My phone,” Kyle said.
The man reached into his pocket, pulled out Kyle’s phone and handed it to him.
* * * *
Kyle entered his hotel room and made his first call to Alberto.
“How is she?” Alberto said when he answered his phone.
“She’s fine and holding up well. I gave her the medication and will be back in a couple of days for another dose.”
“There's another issue,” Alberto said.
Kyle gave an exasperated sigh. “What now?”
“Our plan to get Carmen out has run into some snags. We can’t get there in time. Our entry into the US has been blocked until we can get new IDs.”
“That means Carmen will be killed if you don’t get the money to Lorenzo.”
“Yes, unless…”
“Unless what?” Kyle asked, not wanting to know the answer.
“Unless you get her out,” Alberto said.
“No damned way,” Kyle blurted. “These guys have guns. Are you trying to get me killed? I don’t have any weapons or gear to do the job.”
“No, I’m not trying to get you killed, I am trying to save my mother from being killed. You can pick up gear from most hardware stores and likely get a stun gun at a gun shop.”
“I’m sorry Alberto. If I screw it up, both your mother and I will be on a slab in the morgue.”
“I think you give yourself less credit than you deserve. I know you can pull this off.”
“Too dangerous. For me and for her. Sorry, but I can’t do it.”
“Won’t do it,” Alberto corrected.
“OK, won’t do it.”
“OK,” said Alberto dejectedly. “I really can’t blame you, but I’m out of options, and Lorenzo wins again.”
Kyle ended the call and a while later his phone rang.
“MacDonald,” he said.
“Hey Kyle,” Alex said. “So, you had to upload to a second phone.”
“Yeah, I couldn’t believe that after successfully uploading to Lorenzo’s phone, he gets his muscle to make the call.”
“No problem,” said Alex. “I have the other phone and have gone through the numbers he called. We traced the number he called just before the upload to a burner phone located near 26 West Franklin Street in Wheaton. Check it out on Google Maps. Mostly larger houses there, so it appears to be an upscale neighbourhood.”
“Thanks Alex, but it looks like Alberto won’t be here in time to get his mother out. Some issue with being blocked entry into the US.”
“Yeah, he told me about that. Did he ask you to get her?”
“Yes, he did. But I’m not equipped to do that, so I declined.”
Kyle ended the call and sat thinking for a while. How come he was put into this situation? Initially, he was only to get close enough to Lorenzo to upload software so they could find her location and go get her out. Now they can’t get here in time to make the rescue and are asking him to do it. The phone rang again.
“MacDonald.”
“Hey Kyle.” It was Frederico.
“Hi Frederico,” he said. “Seems like things have gone to hell in a hand basket here.”
“Yes, it appears that way,” Frederico agreed. “Alberto and Ruben are on their way there, but cannot guarantee they will make it in time.”
“I heard that,” Kyle said. “And they want me to make the rescue attempt.”
“Yes, I am aware of that. Seems you’re the only one that can do so.”
Kyle sighed and anger crept into his voice. “Why is everyone putting the onus on me?”
“Because you are the only one in a position to save Carmen’s life,” Frederico said, a little too curtly.
“And get my head blown off in the process?" Kyle shouted. “What bothers me,” he continued, “is that Alberto is getting help and advice from someone else; someone with influence and contacts in the right places.”
“Really?” said Frederico, feigning ignorance.
“Really. There’s no way he has either the resources or connections to do this without help. He had cell-phone blockers and sophisticated weapons that are not readily available in Costa Rica. Also, why was there no police presence during the whole thing?”
Frederico thought a few seconds, then revealed the information Kyle was looking for.
“The help came from me.”
“What!” said Kyle.
“I am the one helping him, but that information cannot be revealed. Alex is my tech expert. As Chief of Police, I cannot be seen to be helping someone in the performance of a crime.”
“So why did you help him?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I have time,” Kyle said.
“I have my own grudge against the Santinis,” Frederico started. “When I finished university here in San José, I applied for a Master’s program in Criminology at Loyola University in Chicago. Fortunately, I was accepted and enrolled there. This was about 30 years ago when I was in my early twenties. As part of the program, we worked on cases with the Chicago PD along with the detective assigned to the case. One case involved Lorenzo Santini who was brought up on drug-related charges. The primary evidence against him was a witness being kept under a witness protection program. At the time, I was seeing a girl, and it was quite serious. We talked about her coming to Costa Rica when I finished the Master’s program. Next thing I knew I got a call from Lorenzo saying they have my girlfriend and that they needed the name of the witness and where he/she was being kept. Of course, I initially refused, and he said that was a pity because Janice, my girlfriend, would never get to lead a normal life again from a wheelchair. He said they would hold the witness until after the trial, then let him or her go. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t bear the thought of Janice being maimed for life. After all, they just wanted to hold the witness until the trial was over. I relented and gave him the name of the witness and where they were keeping him. Of course, he didn’t keep his word, and they raided the safe house; killed the witness and one policemen guarding him, and left another guard relegated to a wheelch
air with a bullet in his spine. Janice was let go on the basis that if I told anyone about the incident, her wheelchair was waiting.”
“Holy shit,” said Kyle. The more he learned about Lorenzo Santini, the more he realized what a monster he was. He could see why Frederico would take the opportunity to get some payback, yet stay in the background, supporting Alberto in his endeavours to wreak havoc on the Santinis. As the stories unfolded, Kyle began to develop a hatred for Lorenzo. It wasn’t right he should continue with impunity ruining people’s lives, or those whose life he didn’t expunge.
“I’ve lost many nights of sleep over that incident.” Frederico continued. “Janice came to Costa Rica and we married two years later. Unfortunately, it didn’t last, and we divorced three years after that and she returned to Chicago.”
“Did Janice know the details of the events surrounding her abduction?”
“No, I never told her. I didn’t want her to feel responsible for the death of the policeman and the witness.”
“How did you get involved with Alberto?”
“Alberto placed feelers out over the years for people wronged by the Santinis. It was a vendetta he wanted set up to find closure for his father’s murder. I said I would help as long as he kept my involvement anonymous. I also agreed to fund the operation, and suggested the ransom money. Alberto at first just wanted the men responsible for killing his father, but I convinced him to demand money as well to pay back all the people who had submitted hard-earned money to his campaign.”
There was silence on the line while Kyle pondered what Frederico said. He didn't want another senseless death to happen, especially if he was in a position to prevent it.
“How would I do this?” Kyle finally said.
Frederico outlined a plan and Kyle reluctantly agreed to make the rescue attempt.
The Santini Vendetta Page 10