by Pam Richter
"I can handle it. It might just be one of Quijada's old movies. But I'll let you hold my hand, if it makes you feel better."
Robin sighed. "You've got a deal." He got up and took the plates into the kitchen.
When he came back Julia had the remote control in her hand. He sat down close beside her on the couch and took her other hand. Julia took a deep breath and pressed the play button.
There was classical music and on the screen there appeared the picture of the fountain in Quijada's entrance hall; the little boy and girl with water running over their chubby, naked bodies. That faded into black. Then there was a backdrop of red curtains. A young girl of six or seven years old walked in front of the curtain and sat down on the floor. It looked like the child was hearing instructions from somewhere because her head was cocked to the side, and she gave a melting innocent smile in that direction. She began taking off her shoes.
Julia heard Robin say, "Oh, no."
Then the child took off a little blue velvet dress and her underwear. The child's movements were slow, almost like she was under water. She was moving into different poses. Then there was a fade to black and another child, even younger, appeared on the screen.
Robin looked at Julia and saw tears coursing down her cheeks. "They're just babies," she said angrily.
"I think they're drugged," Robin whispered sadly.
Julia threw down the remote and ran to the bathroom.
Robin ejected the tape.
CHAPTER 19
When Julia came out, Robin wordlessly put her parka around her shoulders and helped her with the sleeves. He started leading her to the door, guiding her with an arm around her shoulders.
"What are you doing?" Julia asked. She didn't resist as he pulled the hood up over her head carefully, as though she were in a state of shock, or a very young child he was taking care of.
"I need some fresh air," Robin said quietly.
He led Julia outside to a trail not far from the cabin that went around the perimeter of the lake. It had virtually stopped snowing, but occasionally a lone lacy flake would fall, all by itself. The moon reflecting on the snow made it seem bright outside.
Robin started moving quickly, striding down the path and Julia practically had to run to keep up. She slipped and nearly fell on the newly fallen snow and Robin, quick as a cat, grabbed her arm and hauled her up. Then he hooked her arm under his, clamping it to his side so she wouldn't fall, pulling her along with him.
After about fifteen minutes he finally slowed the pace a bit and Julia got her breath back. The way he was moving, stomping with gigantic strides over the snow, she could feel the outrage in his very muscles. She had to get things back into perspective, too. Their strenuous movement was making her more and more calm. She had wanted to grab a gun and go hunting Quijada when she saw the kind of pornography he had secreted away.
Julia looked around at the trees and the snow piled on the banks of the lake. There was the pungent smell of damp earth, pine and clean water in the cold air. After the shocking revelation of the video's contents, Julia breathed deeply and could feel that life was beautiful again out in the still winter landscape.
Robin led her to a short dock that went out onto the lake. They walked to the very end and stood there for a while, gazing at the vague silvery reflection of the moon, which was almost obscured by snow clouds, wavering in the dark water. It fashioned a pathway of undulating light that advanced right to their feet.
Finally, Robin said, "I want to kill that bastard."
"I get first dibs. He murdered my brother."
Robin smiled down at Julia. He put an arm around her shoulders and hugged them tight.
"Did you watch any more of it?" Julia asked.
Robin shook his head. "On top of everything else, the guy's a pedophile."
"Those videos were taken at his home."
"How do you know?" Robin asked.
Julia described how she had found the professional studio and dark room in the basement of Quijada's house, next to the screening room. "I was surprised," she went on, "because all the time there was the perfect place for me to do my work right on the premises. One of the expenses Quijada complained about was due to the fact that I would have to rent a studio to develop and print the film."
Julia was quiet for a minute, and then said, "I plan to have children. Very soon, I hope. I don't care if I have them myself, or if I adopt. I love kids. To think that someone would do that..." She shook her head. "It's horrifying. This is more important than the drugs, Robin. We have to stop him. Do you think he sells the videos?"
"Child pornography is a multimillion-dollar international industry, but I don't think he's really into that. It's a serious type of child abuse, as well. There are other wealthy people with his type of pornographic predilections with a large network. They trade pictures and videos through the mail and by email. Quijada was careful to use a backdrop, so it's impossible to tell where the videos were taken, although that shot of his fountain in the beginning is probably his signature. Most people are horrified by child pornography. Evidently he's been planning to run for governor for a long time. It would sort of mess up his chances, if anyone found out."
"What an understatement," Julia commented. "I thought I understood him, from reading my brother's autobiography. Before I was sure he killed Brian, I thought of him as a sort of modern day Al Capone. Quijada had a terrible childhood and it made sense that he would try to get wealthy by any means. But this puts him over the top."
"He ordered the hit on your brother, because Brian knew too much."
Julia nodded. "Now, at last, Brian's final words make sense. He was saying, They're too small. And talking about little angels on heroin. He looked so tortured. Like the horror was breaking right through the coma. He must have seen the videos."
"Your brother was living on the estate for about two months. He might have had suspicions before he took the videos and checked for himself," Robin said. "I'll have to see the rest of them, too. Fast forward through. Find out if there's anything that can be used to incriminate Quijada. Child pornography is a felony, with heavy fines and jail time for a conviction."
"Would the children have to testify?"
"Maybe. But it could be done on closed-circuit television, so they wouldn't have to face him."
"I'd bet my life this is why his wife committed suicide," Julia speculated. "She must have known. How could she have children with a husband who was perverted like that?"
They silently retraced their steps back to the cabin. As they were moving, Julia had a feeling that she was not alone anymore and it was like a massive burden had tumbled off of her. Her own partner was moving right beside her, a larger shadow with her own intentions but with different means; strong, sensible and reliable, ready to help in any way he could. There was a solid feeling that she could lean on Robin and that he would be there to pick her up after the bruises and nightmares.
What had happened was terrible and frightening: The death of her brother, the flight from men who would kill her for the information she possessed, the massive narcotics network, and now the videos of a twisted soul. She felt a strong comradeship with this tall dark man beside her. He was like a dynamic force, armed with her own intent and an implacable will for justice.
As they went in the doorway, Julia said, grimly, "Lets get him."
"We will. I promise you."
Julia looked him in the eyes and saw he meant it. She went upstairs and got her cameras. Then, taking the ledger books and placing them under a strong light, she meticulously took pictures of each page.
Julia wanted a copy of the material in another medium. There was always a chance that the ledgers themselves would be destroyed. She shuddered at the thought that Quijada's lethal net would be successful. She and Robin would have the same fate as her brother. Now that she understood the importance of what they had, she knew Quijada would be using every means at his disposal to find them. She would have been terrified if she had b
een all alone.
Robin had gone upstairs to his own room and when he came down and saw what she was doing he nodded at her. "Good idea."
After she had finished with the ledger books, Julia took the rolls of film and put them in her purse. She would send them directly to her lawyer in Boston.
Julia went hunting for Robin and found him up to his elbows in soapy water at the sink in the kitchen.
"I was kidding about the dishes," Julia said, smiling when she saw him.
Robin turned around, dripping suds on the floor, "I'm almost done. Why don't you go on up to bed. I have to finish looking at those videos."
Julia took a towel and started wiping. She liked the look of Robin in the kitchen. It was like a picture that she could imagine of her own future. With a different husband, of course, but there would be children in the bedrooms upstairs and a quiet sharing of the everyday mundane duties. She tried to think of another man in Robin's place that she would like as much. It seemed impossible to think about any other man when Robin was around and she gave up. "I don't think I could sleep right now."
"I talked to Tony, while you were taking pictures. They let him out of the hospital and he's coming up tomorrow. He thinks it's too dangerous to stay here much longer. He's arranged with a friend for us to fax the ledgers to the D.A.'s office tomorrow morning. Then the information can go to the DEA. We have to work quickly, before Quijada has time to change all the routes and schedules he has in place for moving the narcotics."
"You think they can get organized fast enough?"
"This is real hot. They're going to jump on it immediately. And tomorrow we'll have complete police protection for you."
When Julia got in bed, she was fine for a minute and it felt wonderful to finally rest, but the icy cold of the previously unheated cabin had permeated the mattress and radiated right through the one piece long johns and a pair of his own pajamas that Robin had given to her. It was like lying on a block of ice. Julia got up and put on a robe she found in the closet. It didn't help.
She was surprised by the thought that if Robin was here with her she could sleep. He always seemed to give off heat. She knew she could go to sleep with Robin, like she had the night before, in the bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It seemed like weeks ago, so much had happened since this morning when she had awakened, shocked to find Robin in the bed with her. At least then she had been warm, she thought, trying to hug the pillow to generate some heat. The pillow was cold, too.
When Julia got up to put on her parka she heard faint noises from the floor below. The telephone rang. She lay back down and fell into a light shivering sleep for a few moments. Then she heard the bedroom door open. She could see Robin's silhouette in the hallway.
"Julia?" Robin whispered.
"I'm awake."
"I didn't want to worry you. I'm going out for a while. Tony called again. They want the information right now. They're going to work all night in Los Angeles. I'm going into town to fax it."
"Can I come?"
"It'll be faster if I go alone. I don't want to have to worry about you getting cold, or about us skidding in the snow and falling off the Harley."
Julia had been ready to mention that she was freezing right now, but his reply stopped her. She didn't want him to think she was a wimp in this beautiful, luxurious cabin. It would sound like whining when he had to go outside in the freezing weather and ride all the way into town.
"You be careful, Robin."
"Sure. I'm going to take the videos and put them in the safe of an attorney here. I don't want possession."
"Good."
"I have everything locked up downstairs. Bolt your door, after I close it."
"That's seems a little excessive, Robin," she said, smiling in the dark.
"Do it. I'm going to stand right here and listen."
Julia got up out of the freezing bed, padded over to the door and turned the bolt. She heard him running down the stairs.
The air in the room seemed warmer than the cold mattress, so Julia lay down on top of the bed and covered herself with another blanket that she found in a closet. Then she folded the quilt on the bed around her. Before she fell into a deep sleep she could hear the motorcycle backfiring. She smiled. The pistons needed work. Then she turned the corner on unconsciousness.
The next time Julia awakened it was much later. She thought she heard the bike backfiring again. It was unusual for her to wake up to any noise once she got to sleep and she listened carefully, almost feeling her ears prick up, trying to catch sounds from down below.
Suddenly she was alarmed, then frightened. There was too much noise. Robin moved like a giant cat and was surprisingly silent for such a large person. He didn't draw attention to himself through noise of any kind. It was something about him that she had noticed and liked, but it had not come to her consciousness until just this moment, because whoever was down below was making an unnecessary racket, bumping into the furniture, from the sounds. Also, she knew Robin would have been more quiet than usual, not wishing to wake her up, simply because he was considerate.
Julia got up silently and tiptoed to the door. She put her ear against the wood. It was quiet for a moment, and then she heard the sound of boots. She carefully unlatched the door and opened it about an inch. Hardly breathing she moved her head around the edge. There were no lights on below, just a warm glow from the fire. Then she saw the beams of some powerful flashlights slashing the darkness and knew strangers were in the cabin. There was the sound of sibilant whispering. Two people, maybe more.
Julia stood there paralyzed, wanting to shut and bolt the door with every fiber of her being. It would be exactly the wrong thing to do. She opened the door a little wider, and ran to the bed. She grabbed the blanket from the bed and threw it in the closet. Then she picked up her boots at the side of the bed and frantically pulled them on. She smoothed the bed as well as she could in the darkness and grabbed her purse from the bureau, tiptoed to the closet and slipped inside, leaving the door ajar. She covered herself with the blanket and sank into the corner, trying to make sure that each part of her was covered and curling herself as small as possible. She was barely breathing as she heard noises clumping up the stairs.
She hoped the intruders would assume that she and Robin had left. If she had locked the bedroom door it would have been noticeably different from the other rooms in the cabin, and the people who broke in would bash it down just to make sure it was empty. She heard them searching the other rooms down the hallway.
She almost yelped with surprise when the light went on and bit the inside of her cheek hard, tasting blood as she squinted her eyes with dread. She could see light through the blanket and heard someone going around the room as she tried to remember if she had left any damning evidence.
She felt a change in the air, even though her eyes were squeezed shut, and knew the door to the closet had been opened. Then the blanket was yanked from her and she sat there, blinded by the glare of a flashlight shining directly in her eyes.
She knew it was futile to run, there were two people in the room. She could see when she shaded her eyes from the glare. She made a panicked try anyway, and got by the man with the flashlight. She ran almost directly into another figure, who grabbed her in a vice-like grip. She struggled for a moment but knew she could never get away from the steely muscles holding her tightly.
The two were speaking in Spanish, so Julia said, "Would you please speak English. And let go of me." She managed just the right amount of outrage in her voice, she thought.
It was Juan Carlos's ferret-like face that she recognized. Her heart sank. Quijada had found them.
The other man let her go and Julia sank down on the bed. She knew she had only moments to live. The bulky man who caught her was holding a gun. His hair was black and he was young, maybe twenty years old, with sideburns and a small thick mustache.
Julia frantically tried to think of a way to delay her death. She would have to bargain with the men an
d take up enough time for Robin to return. They were still speaking in Spanish, and she again requested that they speak English.
"I have money in my purse. You can have it." Julia said, hoping she was not shaking noticeably. "And credit cards. Just leave me outside. I can never make it into town and I will freeze to death. I don't want to be shot."
"Shut up." It was the young giant who spoke. Julia could tell he was angry. Probably because he had to kill her, to make his bones or something, and was nervous.
"Where's Mr. Chavier?" Juan Carlos asked.
"He went back to Los Angeles," Julia said, wondering about the tone of respect that Juan used when mentioning Robin.
"I don't think he would leave you here alone," Juan said, leering at her.
Damn, Julia thought. They would probably rape her before they killed her. "Well, it's true. He thought you would never find me here."
"We want the books and videos," Juan Carlos said.
"I don't have anything. It was all returned."
"No, it was not," Juan said.
Julia was silent. She didn't want them to know that she was aware that they had stolen back one set of copies.
"Maybe we will let you go outside, if you give us what we ask for."
"Robin gave everything to you," Julia said again.
"I think there is something else," Juan said nastily. He was leaning too close and his breath was tinged with a horrid mixture of garlic and the repulsive aroma of something else that was not yet fully digested. His eyes were black and slanted and darted about like crazy. Julia was scared out of her mind.
"If I gave you this item, would you let me go?"
"Of course," Juan said smoothly. "We don't want money. We want the things that were taken from Senor Quijada."
"You promise you won't use the gun?"
"The gun would be quick." It was the dark hulking young man.
"Don't do me any favors," Julia said shortly, then bit her lip to shut herself up. Sarcasm might enrage the muscle-bound killer.