“Dr. Miguel! How nice to see you! Papa had a dental appointment. Mama has the early shift at the hospital, and since I’m on Christmas break from school, I’m working here until he gets back. Don’t frown at me.” She giggled. “What can I do for you today?”
Knowing the man outside was listening, Andres continued with his role-playing. “My computer at home died on me, and I need to input some patient information onto a flash drive. I need an hour, possibly an hour and a half.” He withdrew a credit card with a zero balance that he hadn’t used in several years and had no way of knowing if it was still good or not.
Stephanie ran the card, then pulled a paper out of the machine for him to sign his name. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as the man whose arms were so tattooed that no sign of his actual flesh could be seen glared at him. He glared right back. He felt relieved as Stephanie led the way to a computer and explained what he had to do.
It took Andres exactly ten minutes to set up a Yahoo e-mail account, and another fifteen minutes to type out e-mail messages to all the names on Annie’s list. “Do you have an international phone here, Stephanie?” he whispered. The young girl nodded. “I might have to make a call. How do I do that? I don’t want that man overhearing or knowing what I’m doing. Why is he here? Who is he, do you know?”
Stephanie shook her head. “I don’t know who he is. He said he’s waiting for someone. He’s been here since I opened the café at nine o’clock. He’s already had four cups of coffee. I can bring you the phone. I won’t run the charge until you make the call. I can be discreet,” she said, giggling. Andres nodded as he focused on the computer screen in front of him. He looked up at a bank of wall clocks that told the time all over the world. At first he was puzzled; then he realized that most people were probably communicating with people in other parts of the world, so seeing what time it was in other places was a good thing.
Time crawled by, minute by minute. Andres started to itch. Maybe the e-mails didn’t go through. Maybe the recipients didn’t recognize the e-mail address and deleted them. Maybe he should resend them or, better yet, open up another Yahoo e-mail account in Anna de Silva’s name. Yes, yes, that was what he would do. Leave no stone unturned. He knew he wouldn’t be able to bear the looks of disappointment on Sophia’s and Annie’s faces if he returned a failure.
Now that he more or less knew what he was doing, Andres quickly set up a new account in Annie’s name. He had just finished the first e-mail to someone named Charles Martin when he became aware of a commotion in front of the café. A lady who could have posed as a double for Anna de Silva was arguing with the tattooed man he’d exchanged glaring looks with. Stephanie was calling the woman by name, Mrs. Simone, and telling the man to leave her alone or she would call the police. The man ignored her threat as Mrs. Simone cursed and screeched as she tried to lash out at the man. Andres watched as one of the customers jumped up from his station to rush to the woman’s aid. He saw it all in slow motion as Stephanie pressed the 112 digits on the phone in her hand. He had to do something and do it now. He ran forward to help the customer just as two men from outside rushed in to help their partner, guns in their hands.
“Stop! Or I will shoot you!”
There were no fools in the café. Everyone froze in place, except Mrs. Simone, who continued to screech and curse. And then they all heard the unmistakable sounds of the police sirens, known and understood all over the world; then a heartbeat later, flashing blue lights could be seen as the sirens continued their wail. Right behind the two police cars another vehicle, a news van, pulled alongside. Reporters and cameramen spilled out onto the sidewalk as everyone rushed to enter the café, where Mrs. Simone was screeching about how all she wanted to do was engage with her family on Facebook and how these thugs wrestled her to the ground to try to steal the printed-out e-mails in her purse.
It took Andres all of three seconds to realize he was on camera. His heart almost beat itself out of his chest. He turned, looked at Stephanie, and asked for the phone. Never taking her eyes off what was going on in front of her, as she wondered how she was going to explain to her father how this had happened on her watch, she handed it over.
Andres scurried back to his station. No return e-mails. He followed the instructions and dialed the cell numbers Annie had written out. As he waited for a connection, he kept his eyes glued to what was going on in the main part of the café. When he heard a voice on the other end of the phone, he lost his memory. He couldn’t remember whose number he had called. He started to babble, starting off with, “I can only repeat this once since we are under siege at this location, so listen to me . . .” When he read off the entire script Annie had written out for him, he was physically exhausted. He sat down and did his best to get his breathing back under control. He had to act normal—and he needed to get out of there. But that didn’t look like it was going to happen anytime soon. What to do? Call Sophia. Alert her and Annie.
The tattooed twins, along with another one of their crew, were in custody, he was happy to see that. Mrs. Simone had finally shut up and was crying softly, with Stephanie’s arms around her shoulder. She kept repeating over and over, “They think I’m someone else. They were going to kidnap me, and my family would never see me again.”
Then she started to screech and curse again. Andres wanted to put his fingers in his ears.
One of the officers, a young man whose patience was wearing thin, gave a sharp whistle for silence. Even Mrs. Simone clamped her lips shut.
“Now, one at a time, tell me what happened here. You are all safe now, as you can see. Those three men are in our custody and will be dealt with. We need to take all your statements.”
Andres stepped forward. He identified himself. Stephanie vouched for him, but he held out his driver’s license and his small medical card encased in plastic. “When I first got here, I noticed the man who came in from outside. There were two others who appeared to be with him. I assume they fled. I just want you to know there were more men.” All the while, he knew he was being recorded. He hoped and prayed that Enrico Araceli and his two brothers were not watching the noonday news or what they called Breaking News ahead of the regular newscast. He had to call Sophia. He looked at the officer, whose patience was being tried, and asked rather timidly if he could call his office to let them know he would be late. The police officer shook his head. No meant no. Andres sat down at his workstation, his heart jumping all over the place. He risked a glance at the computer screen. No return messages.
Bottom line. He’d failed. Unless . . . the person who answered his phone call acted on the message. He’d tried. There was nothing more he could do. Well, that wasn’t quite true. There was one more thing he could do. Pray. So he prayed. Fervently.
Chapter 10
Sophia held the door leading to the doctor’s outdoor patio so Annie could limp her way through. She waited for Annie to settle herself in one of the wicker chairs before she returned to the kitchen to fetch two cups of fresh coffee. No sooner had she settled herself when she felt the first raindrops splatter on the round glass table.
“Oh, dear, this was a mistake. Come, Annie! It’s starting to rain. We can watch television until the doctor gets back. Besides, it’s chilly out here, and we’ll be more comfortable indoors.”
Annie heaved her shivering body out of the wicker chair and followed Sophia indoors. Once again, she settled herself and propped up her leg. She realized it had stopped aching. Such a welcome relief to realize she was virtually pain-free for the moment. She made a mental note never to take anything for granted again.
Sophia started to giggle. “This television set is so small, we might go blind trying to watch anything on it. The good news is we can hear what’s going on. I like to keep up with what’s going on locally. We have here what we call midmorning news during the week. Enrico is obsessed with it. No matter where he is or what he does, he stops and listens on his phone. I don’t understand how that all works, but I guess he does. Firs
t they do the weather, though. Sometimes they actually get it right. Like now.”
Annie half listened to Sophia and the sharp-sounding voice coming from the tiny television set on the counter. She was worried, so much so that she couldn’t concentrate on anything but Myra and the Sisters. Were they looking for her? More to the point, would they find her? Had the doctor been successful in contacting Charles and Avery? Her stomach tied itself into a knot as her thoughts took her to dark places where she didn’t even hear what the local newscaster was saying.
Annie did her best to come out of the dark space she was stuck in when she heard Sophia scream, “Come! Come! Hurry, Annie!”
“What? What’s wrong? What’s wrong, Sophia?”
Sophia pointed to the tiny television. She turned up the volume as high as it would go. Annie shook her head to clear her thoughts as she squinted to see the tiny figures on the screen. She immediately recognized Dr. Miguel. She knew how to put two and two together. Enrico was going to see this newscast since he was obsessed with the midmorning news. He would probably be faster at putting two and two together than she was. He would recognize Dr. Miguel and realize this was where Sophia had brought her. He would either be on his way, or he would have people coming here.
“My nephew is very smart, Annie. He will come here. Trust me. We must leave here and make sure there is no trace of our having been here. Do what you can here in the kitchen to erase our presence. I will make up the beds and see to the surgery room. I think the doctor can handle the fallout on his return. Hurry now, we don’t have much time, and we will be fighting bad weather. See if you can find some rain gear.”
Annie moved then as fast as her game leg allowed. She put away all of the dishes and hung up the damp dishtowel. Yes, the kitchen smelled like food, but the doctor had to eat. She pushed the chairs back under the table but left one at an angle, the doctor’s chair if he was eating breakfast alone. She looked around. Neat and tidy, a bachelor’s home.
Annie hobbled over to the kitchen closet by the back door. Heavy jackets, snow boots, rain gear, a yellow slicker, and a dark green poncho. She felt like she’d just won the lottery. Annie scooped them up and closed the door just as Sophia swooped into the room like some avenging bird. She looked around and nodded that she was satisfied with the job Annie had done.
Annie held out the rain gear. Sophia chose the yellow slicker as Annie pulled the green poncho over her head and settled it over her shoulders. No matter what, she was going to get wet. She shrugged.
“Come! Come!”
“Where are we going?”
“To the last place Enrico will think to look for us. His own apartment here in town.”
In spite of herself, Annie laughed out loud. “I like the way you think. You’re as devious as the Sisters. How far is it?”
“Forty minutes or so. Traffic, rainfall, police. Possibly more.”
Annie ripped a page out of Kathryn’s playbook and cursed long and loud. “My people will never be able to find us now.”
“Do not be so sure. Dr. Miguel will figure it all out once he sees we’re gone. I think he will go back to the Internet café and call your people again. I told you he is a very smart man. He’ll think about places I might go, and eventually, he’ll figure it out. Just in case he isn’t as smart as I think he is, I left a clue for him.”
“Oh, you dear sweet woman. I love you. What’s the clue?” Annie asked as she settled herself behind Sophia on the moped.
“I left a drawing in the doctor’s surgery. He keeps crayons and paper in there for children. I drew a stick drawing of a child and a dog and cat listening to the news. I signed it Cissie. I left it on the little desk he keeps in the corner. He’ll figure it out. Everyone who has ever come in contact with Enrico knows about his obsession with the news. No more talking now. I have to pay attention to the road, and it is difficult to see with all this rain coming down. Hold on to me as tight as you can. The wind is starting to whip up. This might be a good time to pray, Annie.”
Annie did pray then, prayers she’d learned in her childhood that she to this day said every single day of her life. She didn’t ask for anything. She couldn’t bring herself to barter with God. The prayers in themselves were comforting, and that was all she needed for now. And her belief that God was on her side.
* * *
Andres Miguel climbed out of his car and ran to his house. He was about to shout out his success when he realized someone was standing in his kitchen drinking coffee out of one of his cups. He sucked in a deep breath. Play it cool, Andres warned himself. Slow and easy. “Enrico! What’s wrong? Did something happen to your brothers? What are you doing here? Are you all right? It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.” He stopped just short of babbling and looked Enrico in the eye. He tossed the manila folder on the table before he proceeded to pour himself a cup of coffee.
“Where are they?”
“Who?”
“Don’t be coy, old man. I’m not in the mood. Now, where are they?”
Andres set his cup down on the table and looked at Enrico, hoping he looked as innocent as was his intent. “I have no idea what you are talking about. Who are you looking for? No one is here; no one has been here except a few patients yesterday. How did you even find me?”
“Sophia, my aunt. And she had a woman with her. Where are they?”
“Sophia! What makes you think she would be here? I haven’t seen your aunt in quite a while. Is she ill? Does she need a doctor?”
“What were you doing at the Internet café in town this morning? I saw you on the news,” Enrico said, ignoring the doctor’s question.
“Oh, good heavens! Is that what this is all about? You saw me on the news! My computer went out on me. I went into town to input patient information on a flash drive while it was still fresh in my mind. See for yourself, it’s all there in the folder,” Andres said, pointing to the manila folder he’d dropped on the table when he entered the kitchen. While I was there, some thugs attacked a woman customer, and the police were called. That’s the beginning and the end of it.
“Why am I telling you this if you saw it on the news? Once again, Enrico, what are you doing here? What do you want from me?”
Enrico’s eyes narrowed. “Let me see your phone!”
Andres dug in his pocket for his cell phone. He watched as Enrico scrolled through his call log. Finally, he nodded and handed the phone back to the doctor. “I’m sorry for disrupting your day, Doctor.”
Still in his role-model posture, Andres said, “Wait, wait, Enrico! At least tell me what’s wrong. If I can help you, I will. Is Sophia ill? I don’t understand any of this,” he said fretfully.
“I’m trying to find my aunt.” Enrico tapped his head to indicate his aunt had lost her marbles. “She’s on the loose with some strange woman. If I find her, I will bring her to you to see if you can help her.”
“You must be beside yourself. Sophia was more a mother to you than your own mother. She changed your diapers, fed you, helped you with your schoolwork, walked you to school, then met you to bring you home. She cooked for you and took care of you when you were sick.
“I can see how devastated you are. Take my telephone number, and if you need me, I will come to you. Will you do that?”
Enrico bit down on his bottom lip. Andres wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw a tear form in the corner of his eye. In a voice that was rough and ragged, he said, “I’ll do that, Doctor.”
The moment the door closed behind Enrico, Andres sat down because his legs had finally given out. He dropped his head between his knees as he struggled to take deep breaths. Finally, when he was breathing normally, Andres shouted to the empty kitchen. “I pulled it off! I did it! Now, where the hell are you, Sophia?”
The doctor knew that someplace in his house was a clue. After all he’d gone through, Sophia wouldn’t take Annie without leaving him a means to contact them. He went through his house as fast as he could, his gaze everywhere as he looke
d for a clue. When he saw the child’s drawing in his surgery, his fist shot in the air. He stared at the stick child, the dog, and the cat in the drawing. Something was in the child’s hand. What? What? His eyes dropped to the two animals. He burst out laughing when he saw the printed English words in a bubble over the dog’s head. What’s news? Not “new” but “news” with an s. He looked at the bubble over the cat’s head. He frowned at the words he was seeing. He threw his hands in the air. Home no news. Home? No news at home? What did it mean?
The drawing in hand, Andres made his way back to the kitchen, where he sat down at the table to finish his coffee. It was cold. He hated cold coffee. He rinsed the pot and brewed a fresh pot. Then he would go back to town and call and e-mail all the people on Annie’s list to inform them of this recent development. And tell them what? That Annie was gone, and he didn’t know where she was?
Maybe Annie’s friends would understand the stick drawing. He could scan it to them and see what they thought. Still, Sophia obviously thought he was smart enough to figure out the clue, so he should be able to figure it out.
Andres rubbed at his temples. Maybe by the time he drove back to the café, he would have it figured out. He clenched his jaw at the thought he could fail Sophia and Annie if he didn’t come up with an answer.
Andres didn’t realize how cold he was until the hot coffee streamed through his body. He poured a second cup and sipped it slowly as he let his thoughts go in all directions. Home? Home? Sophia’s house. Did she go back there? He wasn’t even sure where that home was, so he couldn’t go there. Maybe it meant Annie’s home. Well, he didn’t know where that was, either. The mountain? Neither one of them could make it up that mountain. Home? The house where Enrico and his brothers grew up in? No, that had been sold long ago, and a new family lived there. Where was home? Whose home?
It hit him like a bolt of lightning. The one place Enrico wouldn’t look for Sophia was his own home. Of course! How stupid he was. He should have thought of that first. He must truly be getting old.
Cut and Run Page 13