Mayan Murder

by Martha Brack Martin

  I met Antonio at twelve thirty and changed into the resort shirt. Then he showed me around the yacht. We were taking four people up the coast to Akumal and back. Antonio’s boss would captain, and we would crew. Antonio would double as bartender.

  He got me going on prep. I was in the galley, cutting up limes, when I heard voices. Our guests had arrived.

  Antonio gave them a tour of the yacht as I cast off. I joined the captain on the bridge when I was done. I couldnʼt see the men but knew they were outside.

  The captain started the motor. I am a true marina kid, and I felt myself relax at the sound. I asked the captain if he needed me to do anything else. He shook his head.

  Antonio joined us on the bridge. He spoke to the captain in Spanish. Then he handed me a map.

  “I told him to point out what you are seeing. His English is okay. But the map should help.” He went back down.

  The captain turned out to be a great tour guide. The coast was beautiful. We passed one resort after another. They were all amazing. Between the resorts were villas. Marinas. White-sand beaches. Endless coves and palm trees. And everywhere I looked, boats of all sizes danced on the water.

  We were nearing Akumal when the intercom buzzed. “Tom, can you bring me four more cervezas from the galley and some extra limes?” Antonio asked.

  I found the beers in the galley fridge. I put them on a tray with the limes and balanced it while I opened the glass door to the deck. I handed Antonio the tray and turned.

  This was the first chance Iʼd had to see our guests—and one looked really familiar. It was Red Shirt, the guy from the airport!

  My radar was going off like crazy. What were the chances of us running into each other again here?

  He recognized me too. He pulled me aside while Antonio refreshed the drinks.

  “I’ve seen you before,” Red Shirt said softly. “And I’d love to know what you’re doing on this boat.” He stared at me intently.

  “I’m helping out a friend,” I said. “And I think the captain needs me.”

  I raced back up to the bridge. We were now on our way back to the resort. I couldn’t focus. My brain was numb.

  What is Red Shirt doing here?

  I hadn’t seen him since the airport. Sure, he still looked like an ordinary tourist. But his three friends didn’t. Two looked like businessmen, not tourists at all. The other looked like he was probably part of the rap fest. He had rings and chains all over him, and he was massive.

  Something told me that Red Shirt was not just an ordinary tourist. But maybe it was all in my head. Was I panicking for nothing? I thought of his black bags appearing out of nowhere. Were they why he needed a private driver? I couldn’t think straight.

  I tried to hear what the group was saying. But with the boat’s motor running, it was impossible. I was grateful when the marina came in sight.

  When the boat stopped I leaped onto the dock and grabbed the bow line. Antonio tied down the stern. I got back on the yacht and stayed out of sight on the bridge. Red Shirt and his friends made their way toward the dock from the back of the boat. They stood right under me as Red Shirt spoke quietly.

  “So that’s it. The whole thing’s covered. Everyone just needs to do his job.” I could see the other three nodding. “We’ll have no trouble pulling this off. But everyone needs to stick to my plan.”

  Pulling off what?

  My mind was spinning. I replayed the words in my head again. It really did sound bad.

  Could Red Shirt be part of the cartel?

  My cell phone started to ping. There had been no service out on the water. Now my messages were rolling in. Two more dings followed while I dug my phone out of my pocket.

  The texts were from Kat. When I saw them, I forgot everything else.

  Tom! Are you there?

  Call me

  Daddy’s been shot!

  Chapter Eleven

  I rushed to call Kat. My hands were shaking.

  Let Mike be okay.

  Kat had already lost her mom.

  Why wasn’t I with her?

  Where was Alex? And Jack?

  Kat picked up. “Oh, Tom! Thank god!” She started crying. “I’m so glad to hear your voice.”

  “How’s Mike? Is he going to be okay? What happened?” I couldn’t help firing questions at her. “How are you? Are you okay?”

  “Daddy’s alive. He just came out of surgery. I haven’t seen him yet. We’re waiting to talk to the doctor,” Kat said. “Alex is with me.”

  “Is Jack there?”

  “No, because he got a call. Another awful thing happened. He thinks they’re connected.”

  “What other thing?”

  “Do you remember Jack talking about his second-in-command, Roberto?”

  “Yeah.” I felt my stomach sink. “Did they shoot him too?”

  “No. But this morning his little girl was kidnapped!” I could hear Kat taking a deep breath. “Jack thinks the cartels did it. And he thinks they shot Daddy by mistake when they were aiming for him. He feels terrible.”

  “Are there any leads?”

  “No one’s claimed anything yet. But Jack thinks they wanted both him and Rob out of the way.”

  “So something big must be happening soon. That rap fest starts tonight.” My mind spun. “Well, they didn’t get Jack. And I’m sure he’s all over it. But Rob must be going out of his mind.”

  “I know. Can you imagine? Amelia is only eight!” Kat said. “It’s been all over the news. Her driver was dropping her off late at school. Two men beat him up. They grabbed her. No one has seen her since.”

  “I’ll come into Cancun. I can grab a cab.”

  “No, stay there. As much as I want you here, there’s nothing you can do. Alex is keeping me company.” I heard Alex say hi in the background. “And Jack will be back at some point.” She took another big breath. “You hold down the fort. I’ll call you once I know more. You should call your dad though.”

  My dad. He was going to flip.

  “Okay. But call me the minute you know something. And if you change your mind, I’ll be there in a flash.”

  “I will. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Tom. Thanks for being here.”

  “I’m just a phone call away. Now go take care of your dad.”

  Antonio had heard my end of the call. He saw that I was shaken and offered to clean up the yacht by himself. I headed back to our suite.

  Sure enough, the English newscast was reporting both stories. They didn’t give many details about Mike’s shooting, but they showed pictures of Amelia in her school uniform. She was all braids and a big smile. I kept the news on and called Dad.

  He freaked out. No surprise.

  “I’ll let our contacts here know,” Dad said. “You keep your head down and take care of Kat. And text me when you know anything more.”

  I grabbed dinner at the buffet. For once I didn’t care what I was eating. Then I went back to the suite to charge my phone. Kat called later with good news.

  “The doctor says he’s going to be okay.” I could hear the relief in her voice. “He’s not awake yet. But that’s all that matters.”

  Mike was going to make it. I felt like I could breathe again.

  “I’m going to stay here tonight,” Kat said. “I want to be here when he wakes up. Alex is staying too. We’ll be fine.”

  I texted Dad the good news. I felt too wired to sleep, so I headed out for a walk. The resort was still partying hard. I kept walking and found myself at the marina. It was quiet at this time of night, the boats floating peacefully. It felt like home.

  When I’d read Kat’s texts about Mike, I’d forgotten all about Red Shirt. But now, seeing the yacht again, I remembered.

  What was the plan Red Shirt had talked about? Was he part of whatever was going on?

  My head was pounding. So many crazy things were happening at the same time. Red Shirt showing up. Mike getting shot. Rob’s little girl being kidnapped. Even the rap fest st
arting. Maybe they really were all connected. Dad always says there’s no such thing as coincidence. My radar was on overload.

  The silence was suddenly broken. I heard Spanish voices drifting over the water. I could see two men sitting on the deck of a sailboat docked in one of the last slips. I hadn’t noticed it before, so it must have come in recently.

  The boat was a real beauty. A forty-footer at least. Worth big money.

  I moved closer to get a better look at the men. The marina lights were dimmed at this time of night. I kept to the shadows.

  One of the men had long hair and was in a bathing suit. The other had a big beard. He was wrapped in a towel. Even in the low light, both men looked rough. Long Hair passed a joint to Big Beard. They didn’t look like they could afford a boat like that—though who was I to judge? Still, I had grown up at a marina. I was familiar with all the “types.” Maybe they were security, but they sure didnʼt look it.

  I gave my head—and my radar—a shake. It was getting late. Instead of seeing bad guys everywhere, I needed to get some sleep. The next day would probably be a long one.

  Hopefully there’d be no more surprises.

  Chapter Twelve

  My phone woke me up. Kat had finally seen her dad. Mike was pretty out of it. They’d loaded him up with painkillers.

  “He couldn’t talk, but he tried to push the pills away. Typical Daddy.” Kat sounded better. “Jack called too. He’s busy, but he wanted to check in. He asked if Daddy could tell him what happened yet, but I told him no.”

  “I’m glad he’s coming around. I’ll get the local bus and head to Cancun after breakfast. I miss you.”

  “I miss you too. But you might as well stay there. Alex and I will be bringing the rental car back soon. We’re just waiting for Daddy to wake up a bit more.”

  “Oh. Okay. Well, tell Mike I said hi. And let him know I called my dad,” I said. “Text me when you’re on your way back. And drive safely.” I almost told Kat about Red Shirt but decided she had enough on her mind.

  I took my time over breakfast. I read the resort issue of USA Today. There was a story in it about the Rap in the Riv Fest. The story quoted Eric Cohen, the security expert Jack had mentioned.

  It was crazy how fast things could change in a few days. One minute we were having a dream vacation. Snorkeling. Kissing. The next minute, Mike was in the hospital, a little girl had been kidnapped, and everyone seemed shady.

  Thinking about shady reminded me about the sailboat I’d seen the night before. Since I was killing time until Kat got back anyway, I decided I would go and take another look.

  The sailboat was still in its slip. I was pretty sure it was a Tartan. Worth $300,000 at least. Only Long Hair was on deck. He was playing on his phone.

  Maybe Big Beard was inside. I scanned the boat’s windows.

  Nothing.

  Maybe he was lying down.

  Suddenly a face popped up in the biggest window. Definitely not Big Beard’s. A little girl’s face, pale and surrounded by long braids. I recognized it from the TV news the night before.

  Amelia.

  Am I going crazy?

  I looked closer. Nope. Same school uniform. Same braids. There was no question about it. Rob’s little girl was on that boat!

  As my mind tried to process it, I watched Amelia waving her arms back and forth. I didn’t think she could see me, but she was clearly trying to get noticed.

  I grabbed my phone. I needed to whisper, since sound carries over water and Long Hair was still on deck.

  “Kat! You’re never going to believe this! Roberto’s daughter is here. On a sailboat in the resort marina.”

  Kat was Kat. Now that she knew Mike was going to be okay, she was calm again. “Amelia? Is she safe? Can you get to her?”

  “There’s at least one guard. Maybe two. Ask your dad what I should do.”

  “Daddy’s still groggy. Call Jack.”

  “Okay.”

  “Call your dad too. And promise me you won’t do anything stupid. I’m not beside you this time.” She hung up.

  I called Dad, but he didn’t answer. I left him a long message. Then I tried to call Jack. He didn’t pick up either. I asked him to call me. I didn’t leave details in case one of the crooked cops had tapped his phone.

  Long Hair went into the cabin. Amelia’s face disappeared. I watched and waited, feeling useless. My phone was set to vibrate, but no one called.

  It seemed like forever before Long Hair came back up. He jumped off the boat. Then he headed to the parking lot. He never looked back once. That made me nervous.

  There was no one else around the marina and still no sign of Big Beard. Long Hair was gone—at least, for now. This was my best chance to get Amelia out of there. I just needed time.

  I walked to the slip and climbed onto the boat. The cabin door was unlocked. I wondered why—until I saw Amelia.

  She was tied up and gagged. Her eyes went wide when she saw me.

  I smiled at her, but I didn’t waste time talking. I grabbed a knife from the galley and cut her free. Then I used the knife to cut the fuel line—I didn’t want these losers getting away once they realized Amelia was gone. I grabbed a ballcap from the counter and tucked Amelia’s braids under it.

  “Now we go,” I said. “Vamos!” Amelia nodded.

  We crept to the deck. No sign of Long Hair. Amelia held my hand tightly as we leaped off the boat and raced down the dock. On shore, I slowed to a walk. We needed to blend in. Not that her school uniform made that easy. I grabbed the first beach towel I saw and wrapped it around her.

  I tried not to look over my shoulder. I didn’t relax until we were back in the suite.

  “It’s okay. You’re safe,” I said. “I’m Tom.” I pointed at myself.

  Though she hadn’t said a word before now, Amelia suddenly starting speaking Spanish a mile a minute. I shook my head. She pointed to the bathroom. That I understood. She went in and closed the door behind her. I called Kat.

  “I tell you not to take risks. Then you go rescue her all by yourself?” Kat tried to sound mad, but I could tell she was proud. “Call Jack again. We can’t trust anyone else. The cartels probably have people in the resort. Maybe that’s why they picked that marina,” Kat said.

  I thought of Antonio and his boss. I was sure they were honest.

  Kat was still talking. “You’d better stay hidden until Jack gets there. Alex is grabbing a coffee. My Spanish isnʼt great, but let me try talking to Amelia. Maybe she can tell us more.”

  Amelia walked out of the bathroom. I handed her my phone.

  “Papa?” Her face fell when she heard Kat’s voice. But then I could see her starting to relax. Soon she was talking to Kat like an old friend. Finally Amelia nodded. “Gracias,” she said, handing me the phone.

  Kat filled me in. “I told her she’s safe with us. She wanted to call her dad. I told her the bad guys might be listening. She understood. She’s a bright kid.” I was impressed by how much Kat had learned. “She seems pretty tough. They didn’t feed her, so she’s hungry. Can you find her some food? And she needs to get out of that school uniform. I told her she could borrow some of my clothes. See if you can find something small enough.”

  “I’m so glad you learned Spanish in school,” I said. Kat laughed as she hung up.

  Amelia needed food, but room service was our only option—I wasn’t about to leave her alone or take her outside. I ordered some things I thought Amelia would like, as well as a coffee for me, while she went into the bedroom to look through Kat’s clothes.

  My cell phone vibrated. Jack.

  Finally!

  I told him everything. He was amazed I’d found Amelia. Even more shocked that I’d gotten her off the boat. At least he didn’t lecture me. I’d get enough of that from Dad.

  “You were right to call. I’ll come to the resort and get you. That’s the safest plan. Don’t trust anyone, and stay put.”

  “Okay,” I promised. “We’ll wait in the sui
te until you get here.” I gave him the room and building numbers.

  “I will be there as soon as I can,” he said.

  The food arrived. After the server was gone, Amelia came out of the bedroom, wearing one of Kat’s T-shirts. It hung on her like a dress, but at least she looked a little different. I handed her the ballcap from the boat, and she tucked up her braids again.

  Amelia dove into her food. I took my coffee and went out to the balcony. I figured I’d watch for Jack. Try to breathe a little and calm down.

  I looked around as I took a sip.

  And then I almost choked.

  Long Hair and Big Beard were walking through the resort.

  They’d cleaned up, but there was no mistaking them. They were walking quickly. Like they knew exactly where they were going.

  I was pretty sure I knew where they were going too.

  They were heading straight for our building.

  They were coming for us.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I ran back into the suite. Amelia read the panic on my face.

  “Tom?” My name sounded like a cry on her lips.

  “We have to go! Vamos.” I ran around the room, grabbing my wallet, my phone, my charger. Even my passport. “Fast!” Amelia nodded. Fear is a language everybody knows.

  We raced out the door. The men had been walking toward the front of our building. We took the back stairs.

  I didn’t wait to see if we were followed. We flew down the path behind the buildings. Jack might have arrived by now. Making our way to the lobby seemed like the best plan.

  The room-service guy must be in on it. Or maybe they saw me at the marina after all and then spotted me on the balcony.

  I looked at Amelia. She gave me a shaky smile. She was scared, but she kept moving.

  The path led us around the lobby to the resort entrance. We stopped and hid.

  A couple of cabs were waiting. A van unloaded new guests. Behind them, a tour bus idled. There was no sign of Jack.

  We couldn’t afford to wait. The guys chasing us could catch up to us any second. I looked at the tour bus. People were starting to get on.