Lost Witness

by Rebecca Forster

  "We've got company."

  Archer interrupted Josie's reverie, directing her attention to the house and the blonde woman with the big hair sitting on the doorstep

  "Sparkle," Josie said as she went through the gate.

  "In the flesh," Sparkle said as she got up and dusted off her butt. "I thought you might like to know the Coast Guard has a big ship locked down in the harbor. Damn thing’s got everyones shorts in a knot."

  "Let me guess," Josie said. "It's the Faret Vild.”

  "Yep, and they found a guy in one of the containers that came off that bucket of bolts," Sparkle said.

  * * *

  .

  TALA REYES

  THE PHILIPPINES

  FOUR YEARS AND ONE MONTH EARLIER

  * * *

  Exhausted, Tala stood at the entrance to the alley that would lead her to Estrella's house. This was not the first time since coming to her friend for help that Tala thought of calling her parents. She often thought of catching the next Jeepney to Marikina, show up on their doorstep, and beg forgiveness for being a headstrong, disloyal daughter.

  For three months she had lived in the cramped apartment Estrella's family called a home. The mother still did not know her name; perhaps she did not care to know it. It was clear she resented Tala's presence. The saving grace was that the woman worked nights. Thankfully Estrella's two older brothers had left home. There was one bathroom, two bedrooms, and a small living room. The whole apartment seemed smaller than Tala's bedroom in Marikina. Still, she was grateful for the shelter. It was really only Caesar — the man who slept with Estrella's mother —who made Tala miserable.

  He lounged on the old sofa in his underwear, smoking, making suggestive movements toward Tala when Estrella's mother was gone to work or was busy cooking. His face was pockmarked and his hair was greasy. He had tattoos all over his body. Estrella had shushed Tala when she had said how much she disliked him, saying that he was a criminal and dangerous. Even Estrella, who was afraid of nothing, was cautious around Caesar so Tala was too.

  Not wanting to spend time alone in the house with him, Tala had taken a job where Estrella waited tables. She had never worked so hard in her life, and sometimes Estrella would rub her feet and her shoulders when they were both home at the same time. Other times Tala would cry herself to sleep to the sounds of sex coming through the thin walls, because Caesar was not a quiet man when he took Estrella's mother. Always Estrella tried to make it better and always Tala begged her friend to come with her, go to school, and make something of her life. Tonight, though, Tala didn't think anything could make her feel better.

  She was tired, and it was getting harder to believe in the future. She took a deep breath to calm herself, but the smells of frying onions and garbage made her sick to her stomach. A stray dog yapped at her, demanding something to eat.

  "Lumayas. Go away." She pretended to kick at the mangy thing, but it was unimpressed. When it sauntered off, Tala swiped at the tears and went on her way too.

  She walked down the alley, looking at the children playing in the dirt, listening to the sounds of families bickering because they were packed too tightly into these small apartments. Tala tried to conjure up the smell of the sea and the feeling of an ocean breeze, but she could not. When she was captain of her own ship Tala would come back, gather Estrella up, and take her away. If her friend was going to serve people, then let her serve them on a cruise ship in a beautiful white uniform and make more money than her family had ever seen — even Caesar. Holding onto those good thoughts, Tala opened the door to the apartment and saw that Caesar was not on the couch. She went into the bedroom she shared with Estrella and found her friend pouring over the information that had come from the maritime school.

  "So, have you changed your mind?" Tala asked, enjoying the fact that she had surprised Estrella.

  "You should hope not," Estrella said. "I would make captain before you."

  "I'd like to see you try."

  Tala laughed, threw her purse in the corner, and lay down on the bed she and Estrella shared.

  "Another week," Estrella said. "I'm going to miss you."

  "I'll miss you to—" Tala began, but she never finished her sentence. Instead they heard:

  "I'll miss you most of all."

  Caesar stood in the doorway, cigarette in hand, his black eyes glittering. His gaze lingered on Tala. She looked back, disgusted by his purple satin shirt that bared his tattooed chest, his short pants that hung low on his hips so that his underwear showed.

  "Leave us alone," Estrella said, but Caesar just laughed.

  "I want to make sure I say goodbye to Tala the right way."

  Caesar dropped the cigarette on the floor and as he ground it out with his foot, Estrella tensed. Tala moved closer to her friend. They both knew what he wanted and they were ready to fight to make sure he didn't get it. In the next instant, Estrella's expression settled and her eyes shifted ever so slightly. Both girls heard the front door open and someone speak.

  "Ingang!" Estrella called out. "Ma!"

  Caesar didn't bother to turn around. What did he care if the woman was back? Estrella's mother would let him do anything he pleased because he owned her. Caesar laughed as Estrella called again.

  "Ingang."

  Tala heard fear in Estrella's voice. She was afraid her mother would do nothing to stop Caesar, but it wasn't Caesar they had to worry about. A man suddenly appeared behind Caesar. Seeing the girls confusion, he turned to see who had caught their attention.

  He was still smiling at the first man, when two more showed themselves. What happened next was so quick, so brutal, that Tala and Estrella didn't react at first. Caesar though backed up, raising his hands when the first man pointed a big gun at him.

  The first shot blew Caesar off his feet and onto the foot of the bed where Tala and Estrella sat. His eyes were wide, his scarred face was suddenly white, and his hands were crossed over a hole in his chest that blossomed red with blood. Slowly he slipped off the bed until he lay dead on the floor. Estrella screamed and scrambled across the bed, throwing herself on the floor beside the bed. Paralyzed with fright, Tala just sat there as the man with the gun continued to shoot. Estrella threw herself atop the mattress, crying out, grasping Tala's clothes, and pulling her to the floor as the bullets flew. If she lived to tell the tale, Estrella would never forget the look of terror on Tala's face or the look of pleasure on that man's, the one with the gun.

  21

  Day 2 @1:00 P.M

  "Miguel didn't have the whole scuttle-butt, so he's gonna go down to the pier and see if he can get something from the horse's mouth. Anyway, it's gotta be pretty important if they stopped a whole friggin' ship."

  Sparkle slung her huge bag onto the dining room table and Billy was on her.

  "I told you. I told you. This is awesome," he said. "Did your friend say it was a body they found in that container? A guy with his head bashed in?"

  "Sorry, sweetie, he just said someone. He'll let me know soon as he knows anything. I promise." Sparkle bee-lined for the kitchen. "Anybody want coffee?"

  "No, thanks. But you make yourself at home," Archer said.

  Josie raised a brow and gave Archer a 'what the heck' look. Archer gave her a ‘who knows’ shrug. They had acquired a new family member, and while Sparkle puttered around in the kitchen Billy cranked up his motor.

  "Bianchi had to order it. That's the only way the body could have got in a container. The crew wouldn't have done it without an order. I mean it makes sense, right?"

  Archer set himself on the couch. "Why would this captain put a body in a container he knew would be off-loaded?"

  "He probably figured it would be days before the thing got where it was going."

  "And he just had the bad luck that somebody opened this one. What a coincidence," Josie drawled.

  "Hey, there could be a ton of reasons why they found him when they did. There are lots of inspections. Or maybe it was an expedited shipment. Mayb
e somebody tipped them off, or Bianchi just put the guy in the wrong one, or they took it off by mistake. The captain isn't a rocket scientist.”

  Billy slapped his hand on the back of the leather chair and was grinning ear to ear, unable to contain his excitement.

  "It doesn't matter anyway. The body is there. That's got to be worth something. Let's call the cops. Let's go back to the port. I'll identify the guy then they'll have to —"

  "Not this time, Billy." Josie put her purse on the counter, a sure sign she wasn't going anywhere. "The last thing we need is a reprise of what went down yesterday. Any of us going off half-cocked isn't going to do you or Tala any good."

  "Then you believe she's on that ship. You believe me."

  "We always believed you. It's just that faith doesn't go very far with men like Andreeve or the police for that matter." Archer turned his eyes on his wife. "What are you thinking, Jo?"

  Sparkle came out of the kitchen with a mug in her hand. She stood with her hip against the table and blew on her coffee while she listened.

  "I don't know." Josie dropped onto the sofa near Archer. "We're persona non grata, so we'd need some back up if we're going to storm the port. Your guy at the maritime league won't come up with anything fast I assume."

  "I doubt it," Archer answered.

  "Sparkle? What about your friend Miguel?"

  She shrugged. "He's not tight with the guys the way he used to be."

  Josie caught her bottom lip between her teeth. This wasn't an expression of inspiration nor of defeat. She was considering what she was about to say, unsure if she should share her idea.

  "So maybe I could call the coroner. The coroner doesn't need a warrant to enter any premises including a ship. They just need a report that there's a body."

  "But wouldn't the coroner already have taken the body somewhere?" Billy said.

  "Definitely it would be long gone by now," Archer said.

  "It wasn't the man I was thinking about." Josie said.

  What she was about to suggest could jeopardize her professional standing if not get her disbarred outright. The law did not take kindly on an officer of the court knowingly crying wolf, but it was worth floating the idea.

  "What if we reported another body on the ship? What if we told them that Tala was dead?"

  "No." Billy was the first to speak. "First she's not, and if you lie you'll be in trouble. I don't want that."

  "Do you know it's a lie?" Sparkle asked.

  "No," Billy admitted.

  "Okay, then," Sparkle said. "While we're thinking on that, I'm just going to mix things up a little more. I didn't just come for a cup of Joe, you know."

  She went for her purse, and pulled out two plastic bags. The first she tossed to Billy. Inside was the shirt he had worn when he went for his midnight swim, laundered, and pressed.

  The second plastic bag went to Archer. Inside that one was a white towel and inside the towel was a knife with a fancy handle and a curved blade. In all the commotion, no one had thought to ask about the knife he had shown Sparkle. Cradling it in the towel, Archer held it up to Billy and asked:

  "Yours?"

  There was a heartbeat of hesitation and then he said:

  "No."

  "Come on, baby, don't lie." Sparkle took his arm.

  "It isn't mine." Billy pulled away, but Sparkle didn't back down.

  "A girl doesn't forget what a knife in her face looks like. It's the one you had last night. You gotta tell the truth, honey."

  "That is the truth. It's not mine. Tala had it in her hand when I found her. She told me to take it. I put it in my pocket, and I ran." Billy sat down on the leather chair, his legs splayed, his head back. "I've made it worse, haven't I?"

  "You didn't make it better," Josie said. "That knife has your fingerprints on it and maybe Tala's if they weren't washed off. Now it looks like you were . . ."

  Josie paused to put one hand to her stomach, and leaned forward ever so slightly. When she righted her self, Archer mouthed 'you okay?'. Josie rolled her eyes and shook her head, dismissing his concern. She was frustrated and she was stumped, and that made her gut roil. She didn't mind the frustration, but the fact that she was unable to see a clear path to a solution was upsetting. Making a coroner's report was the best she could come up with, but not knowing the situation in the harbor or who might pull rank to stop such a move made that plan seem like a rookie move. There were times she wished she still had friends in high places, but those bridges — if not burned — were in disrepair. She put her elbows on her knees, hunched her shoulders, and ignored the dull pain in her gut. It would pass soon enough.

  "Okay. Okay. Let's think about this. Tala had a knife, but the dead man didn't."

  "Not that I saw," Billy answered.

  "Do you remember if she had wounds? Especially on her hands or forearms?" Josie raised her own to underscore the precise information she was looking for. "Or on the heel of her hands? Or here, on the edges?"

  "I don't know, Josie. It was dark. The ship is moving, and it was scary to see all that blood and Tala hurt so bad," Billy said. "All I could think of was to get her out of there, but I couldn't do that alone. She was in such bad shape. I don't know, maybe you could report her dead. It might be the truth."

  He looked at each of them in turn, opening his hands to all, begging them to tell him what he needed to do, the next step to take.

  "You believe me, right?"

  "I do, baby," Sparkle said.

  "We're not in a confessional here," Josie snapped, suddenly annoyed by the blonde woman. Coddling wasn't going to get them anywhere, faith was useless in this situation. She pushed herself off the sofa, cross-examining Billy the way the police would or a prosecutor.

  "Had you seen Tala with this knife before?" Josie asked

  "No. But if you're asking if I can swear it wasn't hers, I can't."

  "Did you see anyone of the other crew members with it?"

  "No."

  "The captain?"

  "No. It's got to be that guy's. The dead one –"

  "Did you see him with it?" Josie pressed.

  "I told you, I never saw him be–" Billy said.

  "You told me—"

  "Jo, take it down a notch." Archer interrupted, confused by her turn of mood and sudden intensity.

  "Sorry." Josie pushed a hand through her hair. "But here's the problem, Billy. We have nothing but your say so about any of this."

  Josie walked the length of the room and back again. Thinking, speaking more to herself than anyone else.

  "Still, if what he says is true, if there were multiple injuries to her face and her clothing was torn we could extrapolate that she was attacked, don't you think, Archer?"

  "I'd like to oblige, Jo, but you're reaching," Archer said. "Until we see her and have a doctor match her injuries and the other man's to this knife, there's no way to tell if she got them defending herself or the victim was fighting back against her attack. And if we don't get to her before those injuries heal, we'll have nothing."

  "You're right." Josie sat down on a dining room chair, leaned over, and tapped her fingers against her shin as she thought.

  "What about the knife?" Sparkle said. "Isn't there some way to prove who was holding it? They can always tell that on TV. You know, with a palm mark or something."

  "I know a couple of judges who would throw you in jail for suggesting that. Real life doesn't work that way. Not even close." Josie said.

  "Still there's got to be something to it, right? I mean that knife could tell you a lot of stuff." Sparkle insisted, and Archer joined her parade.

  "We could get an independent lab to take a look, but it's going to take time for the report," he said.

  "But I was in the water with that thing in my pocket. Maybe everything that could be evidence was washed away," Billy said.

  "And maybe not," Archer answered. "Seawater doesn't have the same effect on prints as fresh water. A good tech might be able to pull prints. Maybe they could
even find blood traces."

  "Then I guess we have a decision to make," Josie said. "We can take the knife to the cops and let them do their thing to try to pull up prints —"

  "But wouldn't that give them reason to look at Billy for the guy in the container?" Sparkle asked.

  "Yes, but they could also find Tala Reye's prints or the victim's," Archer argued. “We're not building a defense, were' just trying to prove she's real."

  "It would be better to have her arrested for killing that man than it would be to leave her on that ship. At least in jail she would be safe," Billy said.

  "It's worth a call back to Andreeve or the cops—" Billy said, but before he could finish, someone knocked on the front door.

  Josie motioned Archer down and kept talking while she went to answer it.

  "It's a long shot, but the police would have a better chance of getting on that ship than we do."

  Josie had her hand on the doorknob when the knock came again. It was louder this time, and it was accompanied by an introduction called through the door.

  "Police."

  Josie smiled.

  "Speak of the devil."

  Captain Adeano Bianchi had been in contact with the owners who agreed that when it came to matters of the Faret Vild the captain was the last word at sea. He could change course, he could refuse to sail into bad weather, and he could discipline his crew with impunity. Therefore, if he was no longer tethered to the port, and if, indeed, he had the papers releasing the vessel, he was within his rights to refuse boarding to the U.S. Coast Guard. They further agreed that a dead body in an off-loaded container did not warrant such detainment. Even if one of Bianchi's crew should be culpable in the matter, the crime would never be prosecuted. The United States courts were backed up with immigration problems and one murder was a rather mundane problem. If anyone took this matter up with the country where the Faret Vild was registered, they would be throwing their money away. Liberia wouldn't care if Bianchi himself had murdered his whole crew and strewn them off the coast. The Philippines might be another matter depending on who the victim was, but these days, the owners knew, justice was dispensed rather casually in that country. Adeano did not dispel their assumption that no one on the Faret Vild knew the man's identity and allowed the owners to reach the conclusion that this matter simply was not worth their time. More than likely, the Coast Guard would tire of watching the vessel, the body would be sent to a pauper's grave in the U.S., and a week from now everyone would have forgotten all about this annoyance.