Chastised by Mama, and not understanding the significance of Jose’s revelation, the girls let up, returning to the chatter about their schoolmates and what their new house would look like. The respite allowed Jose to escape frightening the girls with any further disclosures. But he could tell Mama would not be put off so easily. Glancing at her pensive wise face, he knew she would wait for the right time to broach the subject again.
As the evening came to a close, the girls kissed him goodbye and retired to their bedroom to get ready for bed. Jose finished wiping the last dish for Mama. Folding the wet dishtowel on the rim of the sink, he announced he should be getting back to his hotel.
“I’ll call Abby tonight to give her the good news. I’d like to do some shopping tomorrow if you’re up to it, Mama.”
“Jose, I must go to work tomorrow.”
“You’re never working again.” Jose laughed, putting some large bills in her hands. “Call your boss, Mama, I’m taking you shopping tomorrow.” She looked flustered, a big excited smile on her face.
“I can’t believe our good luck.” She stopped suddenly. Smoothing back the curls that fell across his forehead, Mama glanced sideways at his glowing eyes and whispered, “I hope you can find an extra minute for me tomorrow. You know you need to tell me the whole story.”
Kissing her on the check, he nodded his head. “Of course, Mama, I didn’t want to say any more in front of the girls. Tomorrow.”
Giving her a final hug, they parted at the door. Jose skipped the dismal confining elevator, descending the stairwell down the six flights to the street. He listened to the metal thump of his shoes against the worn treads of the echoing stairwell, the walls marked with the graffiti of the current generation. He knew life in this environment gave birth to violence, drugs, various racial hatreds, rapes and casual murders. He cringed every time he thought of Abby and Scotty trying to survive in this environment as children. He hardened his determination to get Emma and Bonnie out as soon as possible.
He emerged into the sunlight, the local homies holding court on their appropriated turf at the front of the building giving him the stink eye. A few made catcalls. He thought of Mama and the girls running that gauntlet every day and he made up his mind. He would move them into his hotel for the rest of the week until they were ready to accompany him to Florida.
Hurrying back to his hotel—the same one they had stayed in when they were in Norristown, he asked to be moved into the penthouse. Short Hills was only a twenty-minute drive away. He could take the girls to school and pick them up afterwards. He began to relax, thinking the worst remained behind him.
That night Abby called, turning his plans upside down. The conversation was tight and upsetting as Jose learned she wanted him to take Mama and the girls back to Lily Pond Road. She further surprised him, confessing she knew he continued to pay the lease on the house. It wasn’t that he thought that they would ever need the house again, he just didn’t want there to be any unexplained discoveries when new tenants moved in. Continuing the lease prevented that. He didn’t want anything unusual to be traced back to them. Just a precaution.
He fired a million questions at Abby. The fact that Abby had exposed herself to the Cobbys came as a shock. How could she risk our security without discussing it with me? He hadn’t even known she trusted Captain Cobby enough to confide in him. When he left to find Mama and the girls, the biggest problem had been Scotty and Kane. When did that resolve itself? And just when exactly did Abby get so chummy with Captain Cobby? His young imagination burned with the thought of Abby spending time with the handsome Italian. What the heck’s going on? Her unsatisfying answers left him full of doubts.
He sat in his hotel stewing over this change of events, wanting desperately to be in Sarasota to understand what Abby and Scotty were up to. He mulled over his bitter thoughts, angry about how they threatened to derail his plans for Mama Diaz and the girls. He should be celebrating, not moping around depressed about what Abby was up to.
He weighed his options. Abby wanted him to trust her and blindly ask no questions. He railed at being treated like a child. In the long run, he still had to spend time with Mama and the girls. He wanted to take them all shopping and Emma needed to complete her presentation on world extinction. She really wanted him to attend and he would. After he got them settled in Lily Pond Road again, he would hop a plane back to Florida and see for himself just what was going on.
But how to tell the girls they weren’t going straight to Florida? Abby claimed she planned to bring others with her, but she wouldn’t tell him why. Very ominous. He thought the emotional reveal to Mama Diaz would have to wait, the distraction in Sarasota weighing heavily on his mind.
*
Before he knew it, Jose’s mind snapped back to the cab in Sarasota as it pulled into the driveway at Mango Lane. Paying the cab, he ran up to the front door and rang the bell. No answer. He searched his pockets for his key, slipping it into the lock. To his surprise the door popped open, unlocked all along. Odd.
He stepped into the foyer, his feet sounding a hollow tone never before noticed, as if the house didn’t recognize his footstep.
“Abby? Scotty?” No one answered. He ran up the staircase to the bedroom, the bed unmade, no Abby. Returning downstairs, he headed toward the kitchen, looking around in vain, seeing no one. The dogs weren’t even here. Scanning the room, he noticed the absence of Penny’s big doggy bed. In its place rested a ragged old afghan, probably something Scotty had picked up for the dogs.
He stared absently at the afghan, annoyed that no one was home. Spoiling for a fight now, his eyes casually rested on the afghan’s pretty turquoise color as he reminded himself they didn’t know of his secret return. They thought he waited in Sussex County.
He abruptly stopped all thought, his eyes refocusing on the afghan. What? Something about the afghan. It drew him, an unfamiliar feeling hitting him in the solar plexus. He bent over, picking it up. Its poor condition testified to the beating it had taken over the years. He recognized the yellow maize design on the body of the afghan as a Mexican, possibly Central American design. Rubbing the afghan between his fingers, he wondered why it disturbed him.
From the front of the house he heard a racket. Stuffing the afghan under his arm, he hurried to the front door to confront an incomprehensible sight. Scotty’s Jeep had pulled into the drive. Abby was out of the car directing a caravan of tractor-trailer trucks across the meticulously maintained front lawn and around the back of the house. The trucks drove over the top of their very expensive flowering bushes. What the fuck? He ran outside trying to flag down Abby. Unable to attract her attention, he turned to the Jeep where he found himself almost knocked over by a desperate hug from Scotty, who was accompanied a beautiful but bored, very pregnant, young black girl.
“Scotty what the heck are you guys up to? And where’s Echo and the dogs?” Scotty gestured to the back of the Jeep.
“Echo’s in my car. The dogs are waiting for us on the boat along with Peter and his girlfriend.”
“Peter has a girlfriend? And why is everyone heading for the boat? You going somewhere?” Scotty looked uncomfortable as Jose questioned him. Feeling a quick elbow in the ribs from Kenya, he offered an introduction.
“Uh, Jose, this is Kenya McCready. She’s here to help with the animals. She worked at the sanctuary.”
“Hey there, chicky, you know where I can sit down?” Inadvertently ignoring the introduction, Jose grabbed Scotty’s shoulders, giving him a shake.
“Sanctuary? I don’t know what you’re talking about. Can you help me get Abby over here?”
“Sure, uh, what are you doing with Teddy’s blanket?”
“This is Teddy’s? You mean it’s Chloe’s?”
“Yeah, it’s an old baby blanket of hers. Chloe likes to use it for Ted.” Jose handed the afghan to Scotty. Jose watched the blanket in Scotty’s hands, distracted by Scotty directing Kenya down to the boat. Looking across the lawn, he saw Abby making her
way across the yard, tears dripping down her face. Running over to Jose, she threw her arms around him, crushing him in her sweaty rumpled embrace.
“Thank God, you’re here. I don’t think I can do this alone anymore.” Her face pressed into his shirt, muffling the sound of her crying and the tears soaking the material. “We have to get out of here.” She looked up into his face, her glasses askew, exposing the fear in her eyes.
“Babe, babe, easy. What the heck’s going on?”
They both turned, seeing Scotty jump into his Jeep and tear off down the road, obviously heading to Chloe’s house. Abby wiped the back of her hand across her face, her words almost incoherent.
“We rescued the animals . . . forced me . . . save them . . . back to the cavern . . . Echo’s help . . . millions will die . . . Cobby’s help . . . didn’t freak . . . to Tampa . . . elude the cops, can’t have them slow us down. Gotta hurry, please Jose, help me.” She looked down the road after the Jeep, swallowing hard, trying to catch her breath. “We have to get Scotty back here. We can’t stay. The neighbors will notice. The cops will come. I need Echo if there’s trouble. She’s still in the back seat of the Jeep.”
“Okay, okay. I still don’t understand what’s happening but I get the urgency. I’ll go get Scotty. When I get back, we need to have a talk, Abby. Understood? You finish up here and get these trucks out of the way. Have the boat on standby. I’ll be back as soon as I can. By the way, what’s the big deal about these animals? What do you have, a bunch of dogs and cats?”
“You could say that,” she muttered softly, her eyes closed shut as if in prayer, but not before Jose glimpsed again her raw fear.
“You okay, Abby?”
She nodded, opening her eyes to give him a solemn fragile smile. “I’m better now. I’ll fill you in with the details later. Just go get Scotty. Hurry.” She kissed him hard on the lips, then ran off around the back of the house.
Chapter 15
Scotty tested his plan, running it quickly through his head. Tearing down the road to Chloe’s house, he realized he had never intended to let her perish with the rest of the unprotected population. And Echo was the one who would help him prevent it.
He screeched to a halt on the road in front of her house. He was in luck, the front gate was open and unattended. A yellow cab sat in front of the house waiting for his fare.
“Echo, I’m going to go get Chloe to come out to the car to get Teddy’s blanket. I want you to implant her, okay? We better take Teddy with us or she’ll never forgive me. Can’t leave the little dude behind, anyway. You onboard, girl?” Luminous auras signaled assent.
Scotty took a last look at Echo who sat, cool as a cucumber, in her shades and fanny pack. “Wish me luck.” Giving Echo a thumb’s up, he shut the Jeep door.
Scotty quickly ran up to the front door, finding it unlatched. Looking around, he double checked he wasn’t observed; the cabbie was snoozing. He soundlessly slipped in the house, his shirt stuck to his back from the heat, sweat outlining his wings.
He boldly ran through the empty foyer and up the stairs to Chloe’s room, softly tapping on her door. He could hear banging and drawers being slammed. Opening the door a crack, he saw Chloe packing a suitcase, the tracks of recent tears still drying on her cheeks. She looked awful. He opened the door wider. She glanced up, instant apprehension on her face. She jumped in delight when she realized it was Scotty, bowling him over as she threw her arms around him.
“Scotty, Daddy’s taking me away for a long time. He said we can’t take Teddy. I’ll run away first. I’d rather die.” She started to cry again, clinging to him as if he could solve her problem. Which I can, he thought happily.
“Chloe, come with me. Of course, we can take Teddy with us. I have his blanket in the truck. Grab your suitcase and let’s go.” He grabbed Teddy, who looked at him with his tiny bright eyes and pink tongue flicking as if he could taste the air, so laden was it with emotion. They ran down the wide hallway, Scotty carrying her suitcase, while Chloe held Teddy to her chest.
*
Jose jumped in his SUV after Abby ran off to supervise the animals as they boarded the boat. He wondered how she planned to keep the cats and dogs from killing each other. Oh well, he knew she would handle it in her own capable fashion. And it had better be a good one if the size of the trucks were any indication of the number of cats and dogs.
Rounding the bend in his SUV, he located Chloe’s house. Along the road across from the house sat Scotty’s Jeep. Parking on the other side of the road, he crossed over to it. Peering through the open windows he saw Echo in the back seat with Teddy’s blanket. He ran to Echo’s side of the car, feeling the heat inside as he removed Echo’s sunglasses. His mind’s eye registered the aura as Echo complained about the loss of her sunglasses.
“I want to be a dude, Brother Jose. I need my shades. Brother Scotty said I am cool.”
This was not the time for Echo to turn into a child on him. “Come here, you nut. You can be a dude later. I need to get you out of that hot car.” He lifted Echo out of the Jeep which was heating up unmercifully, even with the windows down. He looked around to find a safe spot for Echo while he went into the house to get Scotty. Nothing. She’ll just have to come with me. What’s the difference anyway? According to Abby we’re going on the lam anyway.
Grabbing Teddy’s blanket, Jose walked past a sleeping cabbie and up to the front door, finding it cracked open. He rang the bell, surprised to see no one around. According to Scotty, the house was full of guards and other staff. Holding Echo in his arms, he pushed the door open wider and walked in.
Looking around the sumptuous foyer he wondered where to start looking first. Turning to the right, he walked through the opening to a huge room dominated by a mammoth stone fireplace. Empty. Softly calling out to Scotty, he stopped to listen. The house remained silent.
Moving on, he reflected on the tastefully expensive appointments lushly decorating the mansion. There was a time when he would have been intimidated by the wealth represented here. He would have longed for it himself. Looking around, he saw no sign of real life in the room. No signs of a real family. Just cold show pieces. Now that lady luck had chosen to allow them to experience such grandeur themselves, it left him unsatisfied. The only achievement that mattered to him was a healthy, happy family. That’s what he ached for. He could be happy anywhere if his loved ones were with him.
Leaving the living room, Jose found himself in a light, bright space containing a lot of plants and wicker furniture, along with three ornamental freestanding cages. Peering inside he saw the monkeys Scotty had mentioned. They appeared timid and fragile, obviously on the older side, their muzzles tinged with gray, their skin thinning. Surprisingly, he knew the two on the left were howler monkeys. He also knew they originated from Costa Rica, his birthplace. He backed away from the monkey cages, Echo suddenly heavy in his arms. He set her down on the floor, feeling dizzy.
A taunting voice suddenly pierced the silence, seeming to come from an adjoining room. The voice sounded rich, commanding, and familiar. Very familiar. His head swam with confusion as he took Echo’s hand and walked toward the voice dumbfounded, disbelieving the déjà vu threatening to drown him.
Jose blindly stepped through the door to confront the tall, aristocratic man who stood castigating a middle-aged handsome man on the floor by the body of an older woman. But Jose comprehended little. His head reeled with the shock of recognition. The younger man was Omar Nasir, the Socialist New World nominee for the position of President of the United States.
They noticed his presence. Nasir used the opportunity to try to rise off the floor, only to be kicked in the head by the tall man’s heavy leather riding boots, an affectation that Jose remembered well.
“Senor Brooks . . . my God,” Jose whispered, confusion rendering him almost speechless. Brooks squinted at him.
“Do I know you, young man?” His tone rang with dismissive impatience.
“I am Jose. You were my f
riend. I . . . don’t understand. What are you doing here?” In a long overdue flash, he made a connection. “The monkeys, they’re yours. I know them. I played with them as a boy in Costa Rica. You took care of me when . . .” His voice trailed off as confusion got the best of him.
“He’s not your friend, kid. He’s just an everyday kidnapper and murderer.”
Jose looked from one to the other. But Omar wasn’t finished. He was shouting, “Who do you think kidnapped your infant sister?”
Brooks reached over to spit on Omar, imperious disdain and contempt scrawled across his aged face.
*
Scotty and Chloe emerged from the mansion, not seeing a soul. They tossed Teddy and the suitcase in the back seat. Just as Scotty started the car, he turned around to scan the back seat. Echo was gone. Looking around wildly, he recognized Jose’s SUV on the other side of the road.
“Oh no. I have to go back in the house. That’s Jose’s truck. He must have come after me. And Echo’s missing.”
“Echo? You brought your cat?”
“Yeah, and sorry, she’s definitely not a cat. I can’t leave without her. You stay here with Teddy. Keep the air on.” He dashed back to the front door, letting himself in again, listening carefully, hoping to hear where Jose might have gone. Echo had probably seen him pull up to the house and, for some reason, followed him in. From the foyer, the silence bounced off the walls making his skin itch with nervousness. Making his way slowly to the back of the house, he crept cautiously, afraid that if he got caught, he would lose his chance to save Chloe. He jumped, knocking off his sunglasses as he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“No Echo yet? Oh gee, there’s those eyes of yours.”
“Chloe, damn it, you scared me.” There she stood with Teddy in her arms. “I want you to stay in the car. You’ll be safer there. Please go back to the truck.”
“I can help you find Echo. We can get out of here quicker. I know my dad will be looking for me soon. The cab out front must be for him. I don’t know where everyone is. This is pretty weird.” Suddenly, they heard voices from the back of the house.
Alien Species Intervention Page 50