Mayan Murder

by Martha Brack Martin

  “We’re leaving,” I said, pointing at the bus. I took Amelia’s hand. Hopefully everyone would assume she was my little sister.

  I thought they’d ask my name, but they just wanted my money. I paid, and the bus pulled away as we sat down. I took a quick peek at the lobby. No bad guys in sight. But no Jack either.

  The bus was heading to the Tulum ruins. Kat will be jealous I’m seeing some ruins before she is. I didn’t want anyone on the bus to hear me, so I texted Jack instead of calling him.

  Bad guys showed up

  Had to run

  Now on bus to Tulum ruins

  Jack texted back:

  Don’t talk to anyone.

  Big ears everywhere.

  I will meet you there.

  I texted Kat next. I gave her the short version, that Amelia was safe, that we were on our way to Tulum, that I’d fill her in later. She told me they’d taken Mike for tests and he’d been gone for almost an hour. He was still out of it. She didn’t want to leave without telling him what was up. She was a lot more freaked out now, though, knowing that the bad guys were actually after us.

  It was a long ride. Amelia dozed off while I was texting. I googled the ruins. I needed to find a safe place where we could wait for Jack. Somewhere the bad guys wouldn’t find us first.

  Then Kat texted again:

  Daddy’s back

  He’s awake

  Thank god. I wondered if it was a good idea for her to go back to the resort in case there were other bad guys hanging around. I was about to reply when another text came.

  Then another.

  I had to read them twice. I couldn’t wrap my head around them.

  Daddy says Jack is dirty!

  Don’t trust him!

  There was a brief pause. Then one final text came through:

  Run!!

  Chapter Fourteen

  Run? Run where?

  The ruins were just ahead. I shook Amelia awake. She darted into the bus bathroom. While she was gone I tried to think.

  Jack was a dirty cop.

  He could be right behind us. His goons too. Now I knew how they’d found us so fast. He’d told them exactly where we were.

  We needed a place to hide. But I didn’t know the Tulum ruins. I needed someone who knew this area. Someone I could trust.

  Antonio!

  I texted him as fast as I could. I didn’t wait for a reply.

  It’s Tom

  I’m in trouble

  I found Amelia

  Kidnapped girl

  She’s with me

  Bad guys r after us @Tulum ruins

  Need to hide

  Can u help?

  I held my breath until he replied:

  Yes

  Try to get to beach

  Go thru ruins

  Our bus unloaded. Amelia and I joined the crowd. We got on a trolley that dropped us off at the entrance.

  Poor Amelia had no idea what was going on. I couldn’t understand her, and she couldn’t understand me. I didn’t dare call Kat and have someone overhear me. But I needed a translator.

  Then it hit me. I pulled out my phone.

  Gotta love Google.

  I opened Google Translate. I wrote that her dad’s boss was coming after us. We had thought he was a good guy, but he wasn’t. We needed a place to hide.

  Amelia grabbed my phone and read it. She typed a reply and Google translated it.

  I call my Papa, I read. He help.

  I nodded. It was time we called him anyway. Jack was the one who had told us not to contact Roberto.

  Amelia started to cry when she heard her dad’s voice, but she recovered fast. She spoke quietly. I didn’t understand anything she said. But by the time she hung up, we were on the move.

  This time she grabbed my hand. She took me back to the market by the parking lot. I was sure we’d run into Jack coming the other way. Somehow we didn’t. We wove through the market’s stalls and pathways. Amelia was looking for something. She stopped near the back of the market, at stall twenty-three. She motioned me in.

  An old Mayan man sat on a stool. He was surrounded by blankets. Piles of them covered the floor. A table with more stood behind him. He got up when we walked in and spoke Spanish very quickly. Amelia replied just as rapidly, nodding. He made room for us to sit on the floor, half hidden. Then he left.

  Amelia still had my phone. She typed fast.

  This is a man who gives my Papa information. Papa told him we would come. He hides us.

  I nodded. An informant. I wondered if he knew that Jack was dirty.

  I updated Kat.

  Amelia called her dad

  We r hiding in market by ruins

  Stall 23

  She answered:

  We r coming

  Stay safe

  When my phone shook again, I thought it was Kat. I had a moment of panic when I saw it was from Jack.

  Where are you? I’m at the parking lot.

  So close!

  I needed to send Jack far away.

  We r behind biggest temple

  Hopefully that would buy us a bit of time.

  The stall owner walked back in. He handed us tacos and drinks. The icy lemonade was perfect. It was hotter than an oven in the stall.

  We’d finished eating when Jack texted again.

  I can’t find you. Are you okay?

  I didn’t know what to reply. A few minutes passed. Then he texted again.

  Have you heard from Kat?

  He must be wondering if Mike had woken up and we were all onto him. I couldn’t answer.

  Hopefully he’ll think my battery died.

  I looked at Amelia. She was fading fast in this heat. I opened a game app on my phone. She was happy to play. Distracting myself was harder.

  After a while she handed back my phone. Now the battery was almost dead.

  I needed a quick stretch. I stood up just as the stall owner turned toward the doorway. He must have heard something I didn’t.

  POP!

  I turned at the sudden noise. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

  The stall owner slid to the floor at my feet. I saw a fresh bullet hole right in the middle of his forehead. His eyes stared up at me blankly. Amelia began to scream.

  Then Jack stepped into the stall.

  In his right hand was a gun with a silencer. He grabbed Amelia with his left and covered her mouth in one smooth motion.

  He looked at me. And then he smiled.

  “Hola, Tom,” he said.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The two guys from the sailboat were right behind Jack. Long Hair grabbed Amelia and said something to her in Spanish. She didn’t try to scream anymore. Instead she kept her eyes on Jack’s gun. She looked terrified.

  Big Beard dragged the dead stall owner under the table. He threw a blanket over him. Jack said something and the two goons left. Amelia stood there frozen.

  “You may as well sit,” he said to me. “And I’ll take your phone.” I handed it over. “We need to wait for a bit. There are too many people right now.”

  Too many for what? I was afraid to ask.

  “It seems you’ve learned about my other job. When I couldn’t find you, I wondered. Then you didn’t answer. I knew where you must be.” Jack pointed under the table. “I know all about our informants and where to find them. That’s why I’m the boss.” He shrugged. “Only Roberto could have led you here.”

  Amelia looked up at her father’s name.

  “So now I know you have talked to him. No matter. I knew I would have to kill him eventually. But I was hoping to delay a bit longer. Plan an accident.” He shrugged. “Oh well. My men have gone to arrange it now.”

  I looked at Amelia. She was shaking. Thank goodness she didn’t understand English.

  “Rob has suspected me for some time,” Jack went on. “That’s why I took Amelia. I needed to keep him busy. And then she would become insurance if he tried to come after me. I only needed a couple of
days.”

  I wondered where Kat and Alex were. Was Rob walking into a trap? Jack’s two goons were out there somewhere. What if they saw Kat and hurt her too?

  I felt sick knowing there was nothing I could do about any of it.

  “I’m making history, you know,” Jack said proudly. “The big cartels never work together. Not if they can help it. But now they want to come here. And to ‘play’ in the Mayan, they will have to do things my way.” He sounded smug. “It will be better for everyone. No more shootings in high-tourist areas. No more drawing attention to themselves, advertising their activities. Too sloppy.” He shook his head. “They need a single leader. One who knows how we do things here. I’m meeting with my new business partners tomorrow night. Not as myself, of course. They can’t know who I really am. Only Rob has figured it out so far.” He paused. “And my old friend Mike.”

  I tried not to react, but Jack noticed.

  “Ah, I thought so.” Jack nodded. “That’s too bad. I was afraid Mike had put it all together. He’s too good an agent. That’s why I needed him out of the way.”

  “So you shot him?”

  “No, my new partners did. That’s the secret, you see. All the dirty work is done by the cartels. I keep my hands clean. They don’t even know a Maya is giving them orders.”

  “If you knew Mike was that smart, why did you hide Amelia at our resort? There are other marinas.”

  “I’d already put things in place before I knew Mike was coming here. I needed a marina open to the public. Not too busy. And I wanted one where none of my own people worked, so no one could identify me.”

  “Well, I found her,” I said, “so your planning sucked.”

  Jack laughed. “Ah, but you didn’t connect her to me. Though I give you credit. Who knew a teenager could stage a solo rescue operation?” He paused. “And now here we are.”

  He looked at his watch. We’d been here for hours. It had to be after five. I realized the busy sounds of the crowd wandering through the market were gone.

  “And now you and Amelia are standing in my way.” Amelia looked up again at hearing her name. “She will go back with my men to the marina. This time they’ll do a better job. Once my meetings are finished, I’ll find and ‘rescue’ her. Sadly, it will be too late. She’ll die in the takedown. As will my men, although they don’t know that part. But they’ve seen the real me. And I can’t afford any witnesses.”

  “You’ve got it all figured out, don’t you?”

  “I told you. I’m good at what I do.” He shrugged. “You I will have to take care of tonight. We’re all going to the beach here. We’ve got a boat waiting. By now the swimmers will be gone.”

  “Are you planning to shoot me?” I was surprised I got the words out.

  “Oh no. We don’t need more news like that. Tourists who get shot make the news. Take Mike, for example.” He walked toward the stall opening, keeping one eye on me. He briefly checked outside. “I’m afraid you’re going to drown. Poor Kat will be so sad. Especially after losing her dad.” Jack smiled at the look on my face. “Oh yes, my new partners will arrange for Mike to have an unexpected setback. Losing both you and her dad will be too much for Kat. She will probably end up hurting herself.” He grinned again. “All my loose ends tied up. I told you—I can’t have any witnesses.”

  I wanted to punch him in the head. Could I manage it before he shot me?

  “Sadly, some people are too curious.” He pointed at the blanket covering the stall owner’s body. “This is what happens when you don’t mind your own business. It’s never a happy ending. Just ask him.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jack pulled out his phone and spoke to someone. He didn’t take his eyes off us. Then the two goons came back. Jack put his gun in his holster. His shirt covered it.

  “Now you’re going to experience one of the most famous beaches in the Mayan area. Sadly, you won’t enjoy it for long.” He led us out of the market. Big Beard and Long Hair flanked us. There was no way Amelia or I could make a run for it.

  We walked through the market to the ruins. The area was almost empty. I scanned our surroundings as we walked, and I could see Amelia doing the same. The whole place was breathtaking—but I didn’t care. The only sight I wanted to see was Kat. Preferably escorted by an army of cops.

  Jack stopped at the top of a flight of steps that led to the beach.

  “Don’t try anything on these stairs. You’ll just be saving me trouble.” The stairs were wooden and slippery. I grabbed the railing. So did Amelia.

  The beach was empty. Just a jet ski parked on the sand and a snorkeling boat a few yards offshore. It looked like we were on our own.

  As we got near the bottom, Long Hair went ahead. He climbed on the jet ski and motored to the boat in seconds. He tied the jet ski to the stern. Slowly he lifted anchor and trolled into shore.

  “Get going.” Jack motioned toward the boat. I picked up Amelia and carried her through the shallow water. Jack and Big Beard followed.

  As soon as we were all seated, Jack took out his gun again. Then he said something in Spanish. Long Hair untied the jet ski and got on. In seconds he was around the rocks to the north and out of sight.

  Big Beard started up the motor.

  I put on a life jacket and gave one to Amelia. I was pretty sure it wouldn’t help me survive what Jack had planned. But using one was habit.

  I reached for Amelia’s hand. She took mine in a death grip. We both searched the shoreline. Nothing.

  Big Beard pointed the boat north. We wove around fish boats floating nearby. A few diving and tour boats were out too. I thought about signaling them. But how?

  Big Beard was looking around. He said something to Jack. I saw Amelia look up, studying the boats we were passing. Jack shrugged.

  I looked more closely at the boats. One was heading in the same direction as us. It was bright green. When it cut across our wake, I saw its name—The Thirsty Turtle.

  Antonio’s grandfather’s boat!

  Suddenly our boat lurched.

  Jack barked at Big Beard in Spanish. Big Beard said something back.

  Our motor started sputtering. Then the boat lurched again. I didn’t need to know Spanish to see Big Beard had no idea why the motor was acting up.

  Jack swore and yelled. It was nice to see him losing his cool.

  The motor coughed a couple more times.

  Then it died altogether.

  I didn’t grow up around a marina for nothing. I knew there was no way that motor had died all by itself. Someone had tampered with it before we boarded. I looked around for The Thirsty Turtle. It was still coming up behind us.

  Clearly, we weren’t alone after all.

  Jack was still yelling and swearing. Big Beard kept trying the motor. Neither of them was paying attention to anything else.

  All the boats in the area were slowly turning in our direction. The Thirsty Turtle was close enough for me to see Antonio at the wheel.

  Things were about to get wild. I could feel it. Help was close—but we needed to put some space between us and Jack.

  I wrapped an arm around Amelia. Without a word, I tipped us both over the side, snorkel style.

  Amelia coughed up some water—but she was okay. We floated near the boat, staying close to the starboard side near the bow, out of Jack’s sight line.

  The Thirsty Turtle was only a few yards away now. Antonio must have gone full throttle when he saw us go over the side. A tall man in uniform and a trio of soldiers were pointing long rifles at Jack and Big Beard from the Turtle’s deck.

  The tall man yelled something in Spanish. All I recognized was “Joaquin.” Amelia listened closely. Jack yelled something from our boat. I saw Amelia smile.

  There was a sudden flurry of activity as boats closed in around us. The officers boarded our boat and took control.

  Now that Jack wasn’t a threat, Amelia and I swam over to the Turtle and climbed aboard. Antonio welcomed us with a huge grin.


  “Antonio! How did you do this?” I asked. “The motor, the soldiers? All these boats?”

  “I told you. Abuelo knows everyone. You texted me. I called him.” Antonio waved at the shoreline. A white-haired man was coming down the cliffs. He waved back. “He was happy to help with their boat—and he brought some friends.” Antonio gestured at all the boats. “Normally there would not be all these boats out here.”

  That must have been what Big Beard noticed.

  “You had some help of your own too.” Antonio pointed to a big yacht racing toward us. I could see Kat waving on deck. Beside her were uniformed officers and two men in regular clothes.

  “PAPA!” Amelia shrieked.

  I realized I knew one of the men too—even though I couldn’t believe I was seeing him. I pointed at the second man. “And that’s my papa,” I said.

  Antonio said he needed to go get his abuelo from the beach. I thanked him again and promised we’d catch up back at the resort. The Thirsty Turtle took off as soon as we boarded the police boat.

  I didn’t know who to hug first. Kat decided for me. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me until I couldn’t breathe.

  “Okay, enough of that,” Dad said, pulling me into a big hug. We were both a little choked up.

  “How did you get here?” I asked. My dad never left home, unless it was to see a Tigers game in Detroit. And he hadn’t done that in years.

  “You needed me. You think I wasn’t going to come and make sure you were all okay?” His look included Kat. “Dangerous shit was happening. The second we hung up, I called the airport. Got a ticket on the first plane to Cancun.” He let out a shaky breath and looked at Kat. “Even then we barely made it in time.”

  I pictured the dead informant on the floor of his stall. “Not in time for everyone.”

  I thought of Jack, cuffed and loaded on a smaller police boat coming behind us. Jail was too good for him.

  “Well, it could have been worse. Mike was able to warn you about Jack,” Dad said. “And you saved that little girl’s life,” he added, pointing.

  Amelia and Rob walked over to us. Amelia gave me a big hug. Then Rob gave me one too.