When Rian pulled up to the entrance gate the guard pointed a gun in her face and asked who she was and what she wanted. Rian slowly handed him her Portland Driver's License. He opened her door and told her to get out with her hands on her head. She did as instructed. He patted her down.
"What are you doing here?" he said in broken English.
"I would like to talk to Fiorino Canturri face to face," she said.
The guard laughed, "Who do you think you are?" He pushed the gun into the back of her head. "Walk," he growled.
They walked the mile long road with Rian in the front with her hands on her head and his gun an inch from her hands. He talked on a cell phone in Spanish a few times, but kept walking right behind her. She was fluent in Spanish, but he was talking so low she could barely hear him. When they reached the double front doors two men in dark suits came out with guns drawn.
"What business do you have with Mr. Canturri?" One of the guys said as the other guy pat her down.
"It's in regards to his daughter, Arianna." she said.
"The American Agent came all this way to talk about Ms. Canturri," the man sneered and backhanded her across the face. Rian knew her lip split when she felt the blood run down her chin. It took everything she had to stand quietly on her feet and not shove that gun up his ass and pull the trigger.
When he hit her a second time she spit blood on the ground next to his boots. He hit her in the stomach forcing her to her knees.
She gasped and tried to stand back up but the guard held her arms behind her back. "I'm not an agent anymore. I'm alone. No one even knows I'm here," she said.
"That's enough," a deep voice said from inside the doorway. Rian looked to see Fiorino Canturri standing a few feet away. "You are very brave to come here American Agent."
"I do not work for the American Government anymore. I'm no longer an agent."
He snickered slightly and nodded his head. "Still, you come to my home."
"I want to know about Arianna," she said. The man in the suit smacked her across the face again, causing her to force herself to remain conscious.
"She is no longer a problem," he said with a laugh that disgusted Rian. She wanted to choke the life out of him with her bare hands.
"Why did you kill her?" she yelled.
"You worthless American. You come to my country, to my home, and question me." He spit on the ground directly in front of her. "You're not worth my time."
"You came to my country, into my life and took her from me. I want to know why," Rian said angrily. She flinched when the man in the suit swung his fist, connecting with the back of her head causing her to lurch forward. Rian could barely keep her eyes open, she was fading quickly.
Canturri laughed. "She's where she belongs now." He waved his hand to the men in the suits and walked away.
"Do you want us to kill her?"
Fiorino turned around and shrugged his shoulders. "Dump her in the ocean, alive."
"You heard him," he said to her. "Let's go."
~
Rian had no idea how long they had been riding in the speedboat. She was in and out of consciousness and she knew from experience that several of her ribs were cracked or broken. Taking a deep breath was absolutely impossible. Her face was so swollen she could barely see. When the speeding boat came to an abrupt stop she lurched forward slamming her head into the console causing everything to go black once again.
Rian's body sank slowly in the warm water. When the men were satisfied she was underwater long enough they sped away. The burning in Rian's lungs caused her to finally open her eyes. She was on her back surrounded by clear water. The sun was shining brightly above her as she sank lower and lower. The feeling was surreal. She wasn't sure if it was drowning or death or both. She could only find one reason to live, one reason to fight the excruciating pain in her lungs. Justice. If she lived through this she would make it her life's mission to bring Fiorino Canturri down.
Rian began kicking her legs and moving her arms, but the surface was coming fast enough. There was no breath to exhale to quell the burning from the water in her lungs. She was already lightheaded and dizzy from the multiple concussions she'd sustained and she was seconds away from passing out due to lack of oxygen. She breached the surface just as her body was about to give up. She coughed and struggled to breathe as the water came up. She laid there floating on the surface staring at the blue sky until she could breathe without coughing. Her body felt heavy. She was tired and in more physical pain than she'd ever felt in her life, but she righted herself and bobbed up and down with the current until she finally found the shoreline. She was a few miles away and there wasn't a boat in sight. She had no energy. There was nothing left, but she mustered up as much hatred as she could find. The adrenaline flowing through her veins gave her the strength to swim for her life despite the broken bones and bruises.
Rian swam and swam as the sun began to slowly sink below the horizon. She had no idea how long she was in the water or even where she was, but she finally hit the beach and collapsed.
Chapter Twelve
Rian awoke to a man and a woman checking her for a pulse. They were debating in Spanish what to do with her. The woman was saying CPR and when the man said muerto, dead Rian opened her eyes. The two people jumped back screaming as Rian began coughing.
"Are you okay?" the woman asked from a few feet away. "We will take you to the hospital."
"No. I'll be fine," Rian said. "Where am I?"
"Valeria del Mar," the man said.
Rian's head was pounding uncontrollably, her lungs were still burning, and the rest of her body just simply ached. She sat up and tried to get her bearings. She didn't have to check her pockets to know her rental car keys and wallet were missing. Thankfully, the only thing in her wallet was about two hundred and fifty Pesos or the equivalent of fifty U.S. Dollars. Her I.D. was hidden with her passport.
"What happened to you?" the woman asked.
"What day is it?" Rian asked.
"Friday," the man looked at his watch. "about eight a.m."
Rian tried to stand and the man quickly helped her to her feet. "Can we take you to the hospital?" he asked.
"No."
"You're American, yes?"
"Yes," Rian said.
"Are you hungry?" the woman stepped closer. Rian looked down at her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten. She simply nodded.
"Come on, I will make you some soup," she said as she started walking up the beach. Rian didn't move.
"We live just up the beach that way." The man pointed. "It's safe."
Rian slowly followed. She needed to get some dry clothes and get to a phone. When they reached the small building it looked like a cluster of tiny apartments. The couple helped Rian inside and sat her at what appeared to be a kitchen table. She looked around at the eclectic decorations in the tiny room. The place was barely big enough to turn around in. She assumed the narrow hallway led to a bedroom and a bathroom.
"I will heat you a bowl of cazuela, vegetable soup." The woman poured the contents of a container from the refrigerator into a pot on the stove. The man made a cup of plain black coffee and set in front of her. Rian drank it in small sips while she waited for the soup to heat up. She kept one eye on the two people and the other eye on the door. She was somewhat familiar with Valeria del Mar. If she remembered correctly there were a few beachfront tourist shops down the street.
Rian was surprised at the flavors in the soup. It was mixture of vegetables with some sort of meat that she hoped wasn't rat or cat or some other inedible animal. Either way, she ate until the bowl was empty and didn't turn away when they offered a second bowl. When she felt enough strength coming back she used the restroom and thanked them, then headed towards the shopping district. She was thankful her face didn't look as bad as it felt. The saltwater must have helped with the swelling, but her lip was split in two places and there was obvious purple bruising on her cheeks and chin.
A f
ew tourists looked at her and held their purses tight when she passed by them. Rian merely kept walking like she didn't notice. When she finally found the dimly lit store full of touristy clothes and gift items she retreated to the back with a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops that looked like they would fit. She waded everything up in a ball and went out the backdoor without anyone noticing her. She walked as fast as her broken body would allow until she reached an alley blocked by dumpsters. She squeezed between them and quickly changed into the new items and tossed her wet, bloody clothes and shoes into one of the dumpsters and went back out on the street. In another store she snagged a pair of sunglasses.
She needed to find a way to the airport and without any pesos that was almost impossible. She was a couple hours from the airport where her stuff was stashed. She kept walking down the street like the rest of the tourists casually looking in cars to see if the keys were in the ignition.
At the tenth vehicle the keys were dangling in the ignition. It was some kind of delivery company, but that didn't matter. Rian jumped in, started the little car, and took off down the road shifting the gears as fast as she could. She wanted to laugh when she saw the gas gauge was below a quarter of a tank.
~
It didn't take Rian long to find how long the little car would go on a quarter of a tank. She was barely a half hour away when the fuel light started blinking. She pulled over at a small market and asked to use the phone.
When Leann answered Rian wanted to jump up and down. "Leann, it's Rian. I only have about thirty seconds, so listen close."
"Rian, oh my god, I was starting to get worried. Where are you?" Leann said. "Are you okay?"
"I had a small accident, but I'm fine. I'll be back sometime tomorrow. Listen, do you have a credit card handy?"
"What kind of accident?"
"Leann," Rian growled. "Credit card please."
Leann quickly ran the numbers off to the man on the other side of the counter. He ran the card for enough money to fill up the little car and when it went through he handed the phone back to Rian.
"Leann cut that card up and call and cancel it as soon as I hang up with you. I'll explain everything when I get back. I have to go," Rian hung up quickly and looked at the time on the wall clock. She'd been on the phone longer than she wanted. Rian nodded at the guy and filled up the little car.
When she reached the airport she left the car a few miles away and walked the rest of the distance. She was glad to see her small package was still tucked away neatly behind the loose brick. She grabbed her Oregon I.D. and passport and headed inside the airport.
~
The only return flight going in her direction had two layover stops which pushed the flight time over twenty hours. She wasn't happy, but at least she was on a plane and headed home. Once she arrived she called Leann to come pick her up since she'd taken a taxi to the airport to start with. She stood on the sidewalk in a yellow t-shirt that said Doin' it Argentine Style, a pair of hot pink cargo shorts, and blue flip flops that were slightly too small. Leann rode right past her and parked at the curb. Rian shook her head and walked towards the small gray car and knocked on the passenger window. Leann jerked back in the seat and cracked the window.
"Can I help you?"
"Leann, it's me. Open the damn door," Rian growled. When the lock popped she quickly got in and shut the door.
"What the hell happened to you?" Leann asked as she put the car in gear.
"Just drive."
"Where to? My house or yours?"
Rian thought about it for a minute. She doubted they were looking for her and more than likely thought she was dead. They probably didn't care either way. "Just go to mine," she said as she leaned back against the headrest.
Chapter Thirteen
It had been two weeks since Rian returned from Argentina. Leann didn't believe Rian's story of being in a car accident, so Rian finally told her she confronted Canturri and he politely let her know it was none of her business. She was lucky they didn't shoot her or dump her in the water with cement boots.
"Your bruises are almost healed," Leann said from the doorway. She stepped inside and handed Rian the cup of coffee she was holding. "How are your ribs?"
"Fine." Rian winced when she reached for the cup.
"Uh huh, I see that."
"Really, I'm fine, still a little tender, but I'll live."
"I just spoke with the captain. Quinn hasn't been able to track down Steven Monahan."
Rian shrugged. "I didn't think he was even looking for him. If Monahan's our guy he's hiding out somewhere. He may not even be in Oregon."
"What would you do if it was your case?"
"It's not."
"Humor me," Leann smiled.
Rian raised an eyebrow. "Since when does a medical examiner have so much interest in a case?"
"When it's a huge case that I may have solved," she smiled again. "Oh come on, I hack up dead people all day. Go easy on me. This case is exciting." She bit the corner of her lip and shrugged. "And you intrigue me."
"He's in Washington. California's too rich for him," Rian sipped her coffee. "He's not in Seattle either. Yakima feels more like home to him."
Leann shook her head. "You're too damn smart to be sitting at this desk reading cold cases. You're wasting your talents."
Rian stared at her. "I don't care anymore. I thought you might understand, I guess I was wrong."
"I wish you'd let me in. Let me help you."
"Leann,"
"Detective Casey, something came in the mail for you," a young guy said as he slipped past Leann and dropped a brown envelope on her desk.
"I'll bring over takeout later," Leann said as she left the room. Rian was too busy looking at the envelope to notice she'd left.
It was addressed to Rian Casey, Portland Police Department. There was nothing else on it. When she pulled the letter out it was some kind of code typed on old paper.
ZYHUMOQAWRXECPILSAGYOIBNVGRWQIJTGHDFCIXRZE.DYHORUVNZEREWDQTLOFSKTBOYPDBCEDFLOPRVEMYNODUHGKESTWBTUXRVNQEJD.KHAEVWZIDLFLIKSIELTLPYROGU.FHUEXDLOWEASHNYORTVKXNMOQWAYGOHUZSFUWRBVJITVPEGD.GCDOWNRSEIQDXESRHYBOYUFRDSXEALNFMWPAZRKNLEID.
2.33744.37246336.2333.243438.886.
Rian read and reread the message, but nothing made sense to her. She slid the paper back into the envelope and put in her briefcase. She'd only seen a few ciphers while working with the FBI and knew she would need to figure out the key before she could decode the letter. That would take time and sitting at her work desk was not the best place.
~
Rian poured a glass of whiskey and sat down at the kitchen table in her apartment. The cipher letter was sitting in front of her. It had traces of black dust on it where Rian checked for finger prints. Whoever sent the letter wore gloves and there was no stamp to lick so she couldn't get DNA. She stared at the white paper full of numbers and letters that she was using as a scratch pad to try and figure out the key.
A loud knock on the door made her jump. She swallowed the last of the whiskey from the glass and grabbed her gun. She wasn't expecting anyone and after getting the mysterious delivery she was on her toes.
Leann's distorted face was staring back at her through the peephole in the door. Rian shook her head and tucked her gun under the couch cushion.
"What are you doing here?" she said when she pulled the door open. Leann was standing there with two steaming bags of something that smelled good. Rian's stomach growled.
"I said I was bringing takeout over. Didn't you hear me?" Leann said as she pushed past her and went to the table.
"No," Rian said to herself as she shut the door and followed her.
"What's this?" Leann said as she walked past the table. She set the bags on the kitchen counter and began separating the Italian dishes. "I got lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs with breadsticks. Which one do you want?"
"Spaghetti," Rian said.
"What's that on the table?"
Rian shook her head. Leann was getting too close and t
here was no way to stop her. "Confidentially?"
Leann turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Haven't I kept all of your secrets so far?"
"It's the delivery I got at the department today. It's a cipher."
Leann's eyes grew large. "You mean like a coded message?" The excitement in her voice was evident.
Rian sighed. "Yes, something like that."
"Who sent it?"
"I have no idea, but I'm sure it's connected to my recent trip."
Leann handed her a plate and sat next to her at the table. "What does it say?"
"I don't know yet," Rian said as she dug into the food in front of her. Eating didn't seem the same anymore and most times she forgot about it all together until her stomach reminded her.
"Do you think he sent it?" Leann said between bites.
Rian shook her head. "No. I think it's a warning of some kind." She quickly finished her food and set the plate to the side.
"I've only seen those in movies."
"Haven't you heard of the Zodiac?" Rian asked her.
"Well, yeah."
"He sent coded messages to the newspaper and the police and was never caught. I've seen a few of the originals. When I was in the academy one of the classes I had to take was about ciphers and codes. It was pretty basic unless you were going into cyber coding or another area of expertise. During one of the classes we got to see the Zodiac letters."
"Wow,"
"Many people have tried over the years to solve them, but no one has ever been able to come up with the codes for the last two," Rian said as she read her cipher again.
"The most interesting thing I saw in college were brains and body parts donated to science by family members of geniuses and famous people," Leann said.
Love Loss Revenge Page 7