Tequila and Sunrise

by Madison Johns

  As the pier loomed ahead in the distance, my heart thumped against my chest. Did the agents want to speak to me about Bev’s murder? Did they think I was responsible for her death?

  I sat down on the next bench we passed and whipped the wallet open. The bodyguard’s name was Blake Chase. Not exactly a name you’d associate with a thug. But to be fair I haven’t determined if Blake was a bad guy. He wouldn’t be the first man to find himself in the middle of a bad situation. After all, he was the doorman.

  Irma breathed hard as she approached me and sat down in a huff. “You could have told me you planned to stop.”

  “I thought I’d take a peek in the bodyguard’s wallet before we meet up with the agents. His name is Blake Chase.”

  “That sounds like the name of an American Idol contestant.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “Is there anything else in the wallet?”

  I opened the wallet fully, but it contained no cash or pictures other than the New York driver’s license. Searching every nook and cranny came up empty too.

  “Blake is a ghost,” I said. “I’d expect to find something other than a driver’s license in his wallet.”

  Irma accepted the offered wallet and made a search of her own. “How strange.”

  “I agree. Do you think we should give it to the FBI agents?”

  “Do you?”

  “No, I’d rather check out this lead before I decide if we should do anything further.”

  “We better keep moving before the agents think we’re stalling.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Why would they think that?”

  “It depends on why we’re really meeting with them today.”

  Gulls swooped low as we accessed the gangplank and walked along the widely spaced boards of the dock. It took everything in me to make it to the yacht without toppling into the water, which would spell disaster for me since I couldn’t swim a stroke.

  Agent Flynn waved, we proceeded up the jetty, and he helped us aboard a midsize yacht.

  “Thanks for meeting with us. Could I offer you ladies any refreshments?”

  I glanced around and frowned when I didn’t spot any nearby.

  “What refreshments?” Irma asked. “I don’t see any.”

  “We have some below.”

  “No, thanks,” I said a little more quickly than I intended.

  “Why did you ask us here today?” Irma asked as she kept rooted to my side.

  “I can’t talk about it up here, so please join me belowdecks, ladies. I assure you that nothing untoward will happen to either of you here.”

  Irma and I exchanged a shrug and descended the stairs.

  “Have a seat, ladies,” Agent Gunther said.

  I took a seat and half rose out of it when I spotted a hulking shape in the shadows.

  “Please take your seat,” Agent Flynn said as he held up a blender full of a fruity drink of some sort. “Would you care for a smoothie?”

  “No.” I pushed the chair back enough so I could retreat when the man in the shadows stepped forward. “Blake?”

  “I see you had time to look through my wallet.”

  “Right before we came here,” I said as I plopped it in the middle of the table.

  “And you didn’t become suspicious?”

  “Well, you don’t look like a Blake.”

  “I can agree with that,” Irma said. “You look like a thug.”

  Blake’s laughter was deafening in the small space.

  “I don’t think this is funny,” I said.

  Blake leaned his meaty hands on the table. “Me either. You blew my cover.”

  I frowned as my mind attempted to put the pieces together. “You’re a cop?”

  “Try again.”

  “He’s an FBI agent,” Irma said. “Although I can’t say that your cover was blown. We didn’t know you were an agent, and I can’t imagine Ramon had a clue either.”

  “Especially after the way we treated you.”

  “You have no idea how dangerous it is to say you work for Rico, not that I believed it for a moment.”

  “And why is that?” Irma asked. “Because I’m an old lady?”

  “I never noticed.” I smiled. “Even if we are a rather odd couple.”

  “Rico Alvarez would never send women to do a man’s job.”

  “Not even if they work for him?”

  Agent Gunther sat heavily across from me, and I eased myself down.

  “Men of Rico’s caliber wouldn’t risk their business dealing to a woman.”

  “I believe Bev worked for him. She’s the one who contacted me to do the heist with her.”

  “Did you know her?”

  “No, but we have a mutual friend.”

  “Who?”

  I swallowed hard. “I can’t tell you.”

  “Did you forget your deal?” Gunther asked.

  “I haven’t forgotten anything. I actually believe Bev worked for Rico.”

  “Rico killed Bev is my thought,” Irma said.

  “Why?”

  “Why don’t you ask Blake?”

  “How would I know?”

  “Well, you’re the one who told us where to find her.”

  “I didn’t know for certain,” he countered.

  “Maybe you wanted to do the same thing to me that Bev did. Frame me.”

  “Except for murder this time.” Irma nodded curtly.

  Flynn sighed. “Nobody was trying to frame you for murder.”

  “No? It certainly seemed convenient that I found her body.”

  “I didn’t have anything to do with it,” Blake said. “It probably happened while you were at the jewelry store.”

  “I didn’t know her time of death was established as of yet or her autopsy completed and the report filed. I highly doubt it.”

  “Nope. The killer would be the only person who would know for certain.” Irma winked at me.

  “Why do you think Rico would murder Bev?” Gunther asked.

  “I can’t say, but Bev was trying to hock the ruby in town.”

  “She could have hocked that gem from anywhere from New York City to Florida,” Flynn said. “Why do it here?”

  Irma cocked an eyebrow. “Why indeed?”

  I couldn’t agree more. “Unless this Rico isn’t much of a large potato and more of a tater tot.”

  “I like how you think,” Irma agreed. “Seems like this Rico would have fenced the ruby himself.”

  “Especially if he’s a big cheese.”

  Irma cleared her throat. “Didn’t you do that in your other occupation?”

  “No, I mean I used to when I was starting out, but pawn shop owners report to the cops when they receive questionable items of jewelry.”

  “The police routinely send emails to pawn shops about stolen merchandise,” Blake said. “So tell us how did you get around having to pawn your stolen gems?”

  “I had a guy who has a guy.” I smiled since I wasn’t about to tell them anything more.

  Gunther pulled out a notebook. “Name?”

  I choked and gasped. “Sorry. Not happening. And it has nothing to do with this case.”

  “You were given a deal.”

  “It didn’t include betraying my contacts, and it has nothing to do with this case.”

  “Your contacts could be involved here.”

  “If they were, the ruby would have been long gone by now. I believe Rico’s hands are in this.”

  Blake leaned back in his chair, creating a loud creak. “That’s a problem if that’s the case.”

  Irma fidgeted in her seat. “Why is that?”

  “Should I tell them or would you care to?” Blake asked the agents.

  Gunther pressed his hands into his head, then set them on the table before responding. “Nobody knows who Rico really is or what he looks like.”

  “He’s a ghost?” I asked.

  Gunther nodded.

  “How can that be?” Irma asked. “Surely the FBI
must have been able to infiltrate his organization by now.”

  “We’ve tried, believe me. That’s why Blake was put in place. We thought his involvement with Ramon would lead to an introduction.”

  I cleared my throat. “How would a doorman slash security guard at the jewelry store ever get introduced to Rico? It makes no sense.”

  “How would you suggest it would happen?” Flynn asked.

  “You’d have to be brought in by someone Rico trusted.”

  “Do you have any old contacts that could put you on the inside?”

  “I work alone.”

  “But Bev brought you in; she left you hanging. Those close to Rico would understand that and admire you for your tenacity for showing up to demand the ruby be returned to you. After all, you were betrayed.”

  I laughed until tears dripped to my cheeks. “That’s the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “We have to find the killer to locate the ruby,” Irma said. “I hope you’ve been able to keep Sarah’s name out of the murder investigation?”

  “It’s a done deal. The perpetrator left an article of clothing at the scene they’re looking into.”

  “Could you show me?” I asked. “I imagine you have pictures.”

  “The police chief is on top of this investigation. Harper Cove isn’t known as the murder capital of Florida.”

  “Do you even know what it was? A beach towel? Toupee?”

  “A speedo?” Irma giggled.

  Gunther sighed. “A pair of sandals.”

  “Men’s or women?”

  “They appear to be unisex.”

  “Ah, so we don’t know if the killer is male or female, no problem there.”

  “This is a serious matter.”

  “I assure you I’m aware of that, but that’s not anything we can go on. At this point, I don’t see why you even need me here. All you have to do is get someone on the inside. I’m sure you have plenty of female agents who could do it.”

  “We’ve been trying but have been unsuccessful.”

  Irma rolled her shoulders to scratch her back. “Let’s not get off track here. Sarah is here to find the ruby and that’s all. We didn’t sign up to bust up a crime family.”

  “And if Rico is involved with Bev’s murder, what then?” Flynn asked.

  “He’ll have the ruby and it will be out of our reach.”

  “Only way you’ll know for certain… Find a way in.”

  “If Blake hasn’t been able to, what makes you think Irma and I can?”

  “Use one of your contacts.”

  “Why, so you can bust them?”

  “We could make a deal with them.”

  “I’m not too happy with the deal I made.”

  “It seems we’re at an impasse, but don’t forget we’re watching your every move.”

  “So what are you planning to do now, Blake?” Irma asked.

  “She meant do you have a single dad,” I said.

  “He’ll be going back out once we figure out where Ramon disappeared to.”

  “That shouldn’t be too hard. He probably didn’t take all his jewelry, but I suppose by now the cops are crawling all over the place.”

  “Picking up and leaving isn’t a crime. These guys don’t stick around in the same place for long.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  Nine

  I leisurely walked along the beach and pointed to pelicans perched at the end of the pier. We wandered past yacht after yacht, some larger than others. The wind picked up, and Irma pointed out dolphins sailing through the air and diving back into the ocean.

  Waves rolled onto the beach at a steady pace, and I frowned at the dark clouds in the distance.

  “I hope it’s not going to storm,” I said.

  “Nothing to worry about, ladies,” a tall man with a headful of white hair and a bushy mustache said. “It rains about every day this time of year, but it clears up pretty quick. The name is Maxwell Weller.”

  He was handsome for a man of seventy, and Irma glowed as she admired his muscular physique.

  “I’m Irma and this is Sarah. This is our first trip to Florida.”

  “Could I interest you ladies in an evening cruise?”

  “Yes,” Irma said.

  “Actually that would be a no.”

  “Well, I’d like to go.”

  “Thank you for you invitation, Maxwell, but we’ll have to decline.”

  “You mean you.”

  “No, I mean us. Should I call your grandson to have him sort it out for you?”

  “No.” Irma frowned. “I’m sorry, Maxwell, I won’t be able to go on your lovely yacht. But maybe we could meet for drinks later.”

  “Except not on your boat,” I said.

  “Coming from your point of view, I understand, Katherine.”

  My mouth slacked open. “How do you know my name?”

  “I’m a friend of your grandfather.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “If you’ll excuse us, Maxwell, we’ll be leaving now.”

  “What’s going on?” Irma whispered.

  I hurried down the dock, and Irma struggled to catch up until I’d walked a good spell away.

  Irma pulled my arm to stop me. “What’s going on?”

  I turned, angry tears threatening to spill. “I don’t know who that man is, and I doubt he’s a friend of my grandfather. And it bothers me that he recognized me. It can only mean trouble.”

  “How so?”

  “There’s a reason I use the alias of Sarah Black. I can’t afford to have someone know who I really am.”

  “Because you used to be a jewel thief?”

  “I’d be used as a pawn to find my grandfather and force him to come out into the open. He’s a jewel thief too, or used to be from my recollection. He went into hiding two years ago, and I haven’t heard from him since.”

  “He could be dead by now.”

  “Maybe, but I think I’ve been followed since I arrived. I noticed a man watching me the day I arrived, and I saw him yesterday too.”

  Irma sighed. “He might be interested in you.”

  “I didn’t get a good vibe from him, and in my former profession, good instincts are everything.”

  “It’s made it hard for you to trust anyone, even me.”

  “You’ve hardly made your past known to me. You won’t even talk about your husband’s death.”

  “I can’t talk about that here.”

  “We can go back to our hotel room.”

  “I’d rather stay away from the hotel for now. We need to focus on finding Bev’s murderer.”

  “I don’t have a clue how. Investigating isn’t exactly my forte.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Sarah. You must have investigated the security of the jewelry stores you stole from.”

  “That’s different. All I had to do was go in and browse. Pay attention to the habits of the sales clerk. What do they do if they’re distracted? Do they lock up the jewelry or glance away enough to make a snatch and grab?”

  “Okay, so think about the scenario of finding who murdered Bev. She rented the cottage from someone.”

  I shook my head so I could think clearly. “Of course she did, and I suppose we should find the person so we can ask them a few questions.”

  “That’s the gist of it.”

  “We might as well stroll over there since we’re so close. There’s another pier down the beach with a sign Star of the West Charter Boats.”

  Irma linked my arm with hers, and in a small way it comforted me. I’d felt unsettled since Maxwell told me he knew who I was. He even offered to help me find my grandfather. There was no doubt in my mind that he was a threat to my grandfather and me.

  We passed the cottage where I found Bev’s body last night. It still had crime-scene tape containing the area so we wouldn’t be able to get back in there without alerting the neighboring cabins. It would be hard enough to know a murder happened at the cottage next to
yours. I imagine the cops would be called with the slightest activity where the crime happened.

  Irma led me up the dock and knocked on the door of the ticket booth of the charter business. The window was drawn up, and a dark-haired woman wearing spectacles stared down at us.

  “We’re not running a charter service today.”

  “Oh, why not?” Irma pouted. “Did you hear that, Sarah? They’re closed today. Please don’t take me back to the home now.”

  I sighed. “Is the owner here? My mother is set on taking a cruise tonight.”

  “The owner is too busy to speak with anyone today.”

  “Please, you have no idea what it would mean to my mother.”

  The girl’s brows knitted, and it looked like she was thinking about what I had said.

  “You can find him at the boat club. Salt-and-pepper hair with long sideburns, you can’t miss him. Oh, and he’ll be wearing a captain’s hat.”

  “Thank you, young lady,” Irma gushed. “Let’s hurry before it gets any later.”

  I pulled out my cell phone to do a search for the boat club, but I barely had a bar. I laughed to myself. Of course I couldn’t get a connection this close to the ocean. It’s not like they build cell towers in the water.

  We slipped between two cottages and came up on a dead-end street. My cell service came back to one bar, but after waiting patiently for a few minutes, I had the address of the boat club and all we had to do was follow the road.

  Cottages packed closer together as we walked, and the entrance to the boat club sat at the end of the street.

  We walked up the walkway that led to the door, but when we walked in, two men at the bar turned around, their hands at their waists. I surmised they had handguns hidden beneath their shirts, not that a person in Florida can’t get an open carry permit. In Florida, they also had stand-your-ground laws that allow a person to shoot and kill someone if they felt their lives were in danger. That certainly made an impression on me and told me I had better move cautiously there.

  “Hello,” I choked out.

  Irma wandered to the bar and leaned over it. “What beer do you have on tap?”

  “You mean lemonade,” I corrected.

  “No, I meant a beer. It’s sweltering outside.”

  “And not quite noon yet.”