by Becca Fox
I sat in the squad van which had been disguised as a plumber’s van and had been parked around the corner from the Velazquez couple’s only known residence. Vanessa sat beside me, hands over her ears as if that would amplify the sounds coming from her headset and further block out the rest of the world.
Vanessa and I were pretty much cool now. Not only had she worked her ass off to submit all the paperwork to get this sting approved in record time, but she had hand selected every member of her squad. And they were all the best in their field. Everything had been done as quietly as possible. We hadn’t forgotten that there was a spy in the precinct, who had probably been reporting our progress to the Velazquez couple—Velazquezes?—since the case had begun. Only the captain, Vanessa, the Smiths, and I knew all the details of this mission; the other members of the team thought we were doing a drug bust.
Then Vanessa had asked me to come with her. I wasn’t trained. I wasn’t the least bit qualified. Uncle Vic took me to crime scenes and let me do clerical work on investigations in the precinct, but he never let me do stuff like this. I would be in danger and could prove to be a liability. Vanessa didn’t seem to care when I’d pointed it out to her.
“It’s for Victor,” she’d said. “I’d be pissed if the roles were reversed and nobody asked me to come along to see this through.”
So, yeah, we were cool. For life.
A sniper positioned across the street from the Velazquez house had a narrow view of the inside. He murmured updates to us every now and then, acting as a sports announcer of sorts. Thanks to the wires hidden in the Smiths’ jacket collars, we heard everything. I had a pretty good idea of what was going on even though I couldn’t see anything.
The Smiths rang the doorbell. Mrs. Velazquez answered with a gleeful shriek. As if they were two puppies who had run away and finally come home. Angela started the waterworks almost immediately, apologizing for bothering her and begging for just a few moments of her time.
“Of course, darling, of course,” Mrs. Velazquez said and I could almost picture her ushering Mrs. Smith inside with an arm around her shoulders. “Do you need some vodka or whiskey? No, that’s not like you, is it? How about some hot tea?”
The door shut behind them. Their footsteps echoed. It sounded like the floors were made of wood. The house was enormous, that much I’d seen from the outside. Then again, a lot of the houses in this neighborhood were big. The Velazquezes had chosen the right place to hide.
Mrs. Smith poured her heart out to her old friend after Mrs. Velazquez had brought over a hot cup of tea. She crafted a tale where the Wards had come after her and Jerald, thinking they had something to do with the deaths of the campaign staff. She smartly manipulated the police interrogations, making it sound as if the Wards were using the law to bring the Smiths down.
“As if the two of you could hurt a fly,” Mrs. Velazquez said with a tsk and a smile in her voice. It was definitely an insult but the Smiths didn’t take the bait.
“Precisely!” Mrs. Smith said, sniffling. “The police have cleared us, but Izz sent us a threatening note, saying he knew we were behind the whole scheme and he wouldn’t rest until we were convicted. He said he’d worked too hard to allow the likes of us to interfere with his rising to senator.”
The Smiths were incredible liars.
I knew I shouldn’t have been surprised; they’d been lying to the entire world for centuries, but still. Mrs. Smith seemed so innocent, so moral. She made everything sound sincere. Her husband didn’t talk much so the things he did say always carried weight. Combined, they were undeniably convincing.
Mrs. Smith finished her tale of woe with a plea for help. “I know the last time we parted was as enemies, but we come to you now desperate for help against an even greater foe. If you help us, we will owe you a debt of gratitude for the rest of eternity.”
“Oh, honey, don’t you worry. We’ll take care of it.” A light slapping sound followed, as if Mrs. Velazquez were patting her friend on the knee. “Fadele is at work but he’ll be back this evening and we’ll talk. I’m sure he can get you on a ship to China within the week.”
“Thank you so much, Nij.”
“I know we have disagreed with you and your ways in the past,” Mr. Smith said, “and have allowed our fear to keep us apart for many years, but when we sensed you on our way out of the state, Ashki convinced me we had to try contacting you. Even after everything that’s happened, you truly are the only friends we have left.”
“I completely understand,” Mrs. Velazquez said. “I’m sure we would’ve done the same if the roles had been reversed.” But there was a syrupy, condescending feel to her words, like she was lying to a pair of children she was convinced were too simple to see through her. “Where are you staying?”
The Smiths gave them the name of a nearby hotel. Mrs. Velazquez promised she and her husband would be in contact soon.
Before the meeting was over, Mr. Smith asked to use the bathroom. Mrs. Velazquez directed him before striking up an innocent conversation with Mrs. Smith about what they’d been up to. Vanessa had told Mr. Smith to plant the bug in a study or in the master bedroom, behind a picture frame or some other piece of furniture that wouldn’t be moved for a long time. He was new to this but he was competent; he’d pick a good spot. I listened to the ladies exchange a story or two about their travels before Mr. Smith rejoined them.
Mrs. Velazquez had just finished spouting some lie about her husband getting an education and starting a legitimate trading business, which was what had supposedly brought them to Washington. Mrs. Smith readily congratulated them. Mr. Smith sounded ecstatic.
“That’s wonderful news! I’d love to talk to him about his business some more.”
“I’m sure he’d love to tell you all about it. Keep your chin up, my friends. Fadele will save the day.” Mrs. Velazquez adopted the sugary baby talk at the end there.
The Smiths ignored her patronizing and simply thanked her again. They had arrived in a rental car; the plan was for them to take it all the way back to the hotel, just in case they were followed.
“All right,” Vanessa murmured, leaning back in her chair. “Settle in, Charlie. This could take a while.”
◆◆◆
“It’s the language of our people,” Angela said with a note of nostalgia.
Vanessa paused the recording and glanced at me. That’s what we’d figured. After a full twenty-four hours on surveillance, we’d managed to learn absolutely nothing from the conversations the bug was transmitting because Mr. and Mrs. Velazquez had been careful only to speak in their native dialect.
I leaned closer to the phone. “So you can understand it?”
“Of course.”
“None of our language guys back at the precinct could make sense of it. Would you mind translating for us?”
“I can do that, yes.”
“Thank you.” Vanessa unlocked her tablet and got ready to take notes.
It was too risky to be seen with the Smiths now that they were on the Velazquezes’ radar so we each stayed in our own hotels. The rest of our team was still in position in the Velazquezes’ neighborhood. All the members took turns napping, eating, and showering in the rooms we’d booked. I was still glad I was being included in all of this but, man, did I miss the peace and quiet of my basement apartment.
I munched on my breakfast burrito as quietly as I could while Vanessa played the audio for the Smiths. The voices of Mr. and Mrs. Velazquez resumed, murmuring out of the laptop’s speakers. Then they both laughed.
“They’re making fun of us,” Angela said with a note of irritation. “Now they’re discussing the best way to handle us. They didn’t anticipate our involvement. They didn’t think we would come to them for help. They can’t decide if the Wards are stupid or smart for putting the police on our trail. Now they’re discussing...a lizard?”
I swallowed before I was ready just so that I could say, “It has to be the Salamander,” and then immediately regretted it. I coughed into m
y arm.
Vanessa paused the recording with a tap of her finger. “Angela, I’m starting the audio a few seconds back. Please, be as precise as possible. This may be our only lead.”
“Wait,” Angela said, “I have a call on the other line.”
“Ignore it,” Vanessa said. “This is too important.”
“No, it could be them. Other than you, they’re the only ones who know where we are.”
“All right. Keep up the worried act. If they insist on meeting, set it up in a public place,” Vanessa said.
“Very well.” Angela must’ve switched lines then because there was nothing but static on the other end.
I gulped down some juice to get rid of the stinging in my throat. That’s what I got for being too eager.
“You okay?” Vanessa asked, finally looking away from the phone.
“Yeah.”
She evaluated me for a moment. “You’re looking a little pale. Don’t be afraid to sleep when you need to. I’ll wake you up if we learn anything new.”
“I’m fine,” I said because it was true. I’d gotten more sleep than she had; if anyone was looking pale, it was her. “What about you? Do you need a breather? I can take notes when Angela gets back.”
Vanessa chuckled. “I can survive another day or two on naps. Don’t you worry about me.” She grew somber as she looked down at her phone. “I really hope the Velazquezes incriminate themselves soon. We can’t keep involving the Smiths like this. They’re civilians. It’s too dangerous.”
I didn’t know what to say so I just kept eating my breakfast.
An eternity later, Angela came back.
“They don’t think it’s safe to meet yet,” she said with audible relief. “Fadele said we should stay close until he can get us safe passage out of the country.”
“They probably want to watch you,” Vanessa said, “make sure you’re on the up and up.”
“Precisely. His cover story is that he has a legitimate job now and knows the Wards are in Seattle, so he tries to respect their previous agreement by staying just out of reach. He said he still has friends in the underground who can help smuggle us to China, but it will take time.”
“They’re choosing to keep their distance but keep tabs on you. They’re being cautious.” Vanessa drummed her fingers against the desk and gave a frustrated exhale. “I guess there’s a reason they’ve never been caught before. Well, that’s good news for you guys. If you just stay put and give their tails nothing suspicious to report, the Velazquezes will have no reason to think you’re not being completely honest with them. Let’s get back to translating the audio.” She tapped on the laptop again and the recording continued.
The three of us listened to the Velazquezes chat for a while.
“They’re saying they will send a messenger to the lizard,” Angela said. “They’ll meet tomorrow night. Then they’ll contact us again to get us on a boat. They’ll keep track of us from now on. It isn’t safe to have us wandering around unchecked, especially if they have to—” Angela gasped. “If they have to get rid of Izz and Segil.”
Why was she surprised? If Mr. and Mrs. Ward continued to ignore them, of course the Velazquezes would have to get rid of the soon-to-be-senator and his wife. It would be the only way to ensure this proposition never passed.
“Now they’re complimenting each other and talking of going to bed,” Angela said when she was done processing her emotions. But then she paused again. “They’re, uh, talking about being turned on by their scheming. I think they’re going to have sex.”
Vanessa threw me an anxious glance. I glared in response. I wasn’t that sheltered!
“Is it really necessary to hear this part?” Angela asked, her voice strained.
“I’m sorry but we can’t risk missing something. Just let me know if there’s anything being said that’s pertinent to the investigation,” Vanessa said with an apologetic smile Angela couldn’t see. When she glanced at me again, she sighed. “Come on. Just put your earbuds in for a bit. You know Vic would kill me if he ever found out I let you listen to this.”
“Fine,” I grumbled, abandoning the remainder of my breakfast to go hunting for my phone. It wasn’t like I wanted to hear that shit anyway; I just didn’t like Vanessa thinking I needed protecting. Once my ears were filled with the loud tunes of Esmer’s most recently recommended band, Vanessa turned back to her laptop.
I was done with my burrito and had paced the length of our hotel room three times when she finally gave the all clear. I tugged the earbuds out as I joined her by the phone again.
“They’re planning their day,” Angela was saying. “They say they’ll call us early in the morning to keep their plan in motion. Fadele will go to work and Nij will contact the messenger…They just said goodnight.”
The rest of the audio was white noise.
Vanessa closed her laptop. “Thanks, Angela. We’ll call you in about an hour or so when we get the latest recordings. We’ll need you to translate live at some point today too. Please, don’t leave your hotel for any reason.”
“Understood,” Angela said. “May I speak to Charlie?”
“Go ahead,” Vanessa said, pushing the phone toward me.
I took the call off speaker mode before putting the phone to my ear. “What is it?”
“Would it be all right with you if I called Jasmine? I’m concerned about her. It couldn’t have been easy to be left behind.”
I’d been updating my sister via text this whole time so she couldn’t feel too left out. But I knew Angela and Jasmine had something and, as much as it weirded me out, I was glad Jasmine had someone else to talk to. She’d always wanted a friend. I couldn’t stand in the way of whatever was developing between them.
“Yeah, sure,” I murmured.
With a note of relief, she said, “Thank you. Will you be going on the stakeout today?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Vanessa had finished packing her laptop and tablet away. Now she was pointing at the bathroom and mouthing, Shower.
I nodded in acknowledgement.
“You were about three blocks away from Fadele and Nij yesterday, and you didn’t feel their presence, correct?”
“No,” I said after I’d thought about it for a second. “I could sense you guys when we were in the same building, but I never thought about it with the Velazquezes.”
“Don’t worry yourself; it’s something I just thought of yesterday. Jerald and I can sense our brethren if we are within a couple miles of each other, but we can only sense you and Jasmine when we are mere feet away. Just remember to keep a healthy distance when you’re out there. I don’t want them to know there are others who have been cursed by Death.”
That would be best. It was bad enough two immortal couples already knew about us.
“The Wards are public figures and wouldn’t dare harm you, but I cannot speak for Fadele and Nij. They aren’t the people we once knew.” There was an ache in her voice at the end there.
Before things could get too awkward, I said, “Thanks for the heads up. I’ll be careful.”
* * *
Chapter 40
Jasmine
“How are you doing with all of this? I can’t imagine the strain you must feel being caught between your old friends. And Jerald! He must be losing his mind,” I said as I walked into the ICU.
“This whole thing is painful, yes, but we have suffered far worse,” Angela said with a smile in her voice. “We survived before; I believe we will survive again. And this time we have you, Charlie, and Vanessa on our side. I can’t tell you how comforting it is to have you around.”
“Right back at you,” I said.
“Promise me you won’t stay locked up. I don’t want you alone with your thoughts on this stressful day.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I won’t. I’m paying Uncle Vic a visit.”
“Good.”
“Thank you, Angela. I appreciate your concern.” And I meant it. It was comforti
ng to know someone else cared, someone other than the three men who’d cared for me my whole life.
“I’m glad to hear it. Soon we’ll sit together and chat like normal people,” Angela promised.
“I can’t wait. Take care. Tell Jerald I said hi.”
“Godspeed to us all. Goodbye for now.”
“Bye.” I hung up with a sigh. It would be nice when this was all over. Maybe Angela, Jerald, and I could have tea on the rooftop of the precinct and talk more about their travels.
Once inside Uncle Vic’s room, I replaced the dying flowers on his bedside table with the fresh ones I’d bought on the way here. Then I took up my usual vigil at my uncle’s side. I spent the next hour or so telling him everything, ending with my most recent conversation with Angela.
“She’s a wonderful lady,” I concluded by saying. “I’m glad they want to stick around.”
Pushing aside my growing sense of dread, I told myself nothing bad would happen to the Smiths. There was a heaven and hell; it was proof enough that no good deed went unrewarded. There was a sense of justice in this strange, ridiculous existence of ours. Even if I didn’t completely understand it.
While mulling everything over and waiting for Anthony to be done running his errands, I was zapped anew with the urge to help. I took out my restless energy on my poor nails as I watched Uncle Victor’s IV drip. Everyone was doing everything in their power to end this. What could I do? How could I help?
I was only of use to Charlie and Uncle Vic so long as I was happy and healthy, but those were fleeting states of being in my accursed existence. Even if I had been allowed to go with Vanessa and Charlie, even if I could’ve noticed something they didn’t, thought of something they didn’t, or remembered something that turned out to be vital to bringing the Velazquezes down or contributed in any other way, a single death would’ve rendered me completely useless. Uncle Vic was in a coma, which he may never wake up from, and even if he did, he would have serious handicaps. There was nothing I could do to speed up his healing process.