"He was sleeping with her."
"So? Do you have some kind of moral hang-up? Or is he just not your type?"
"That's not relevant, so I'll overlook how disgusting your remarks are."
"Not relevant why, David?"
"Cruz is straight. I worked damn hard to make Lupita think I had the hots for her."
"So? You didn't score with her; you told us that. You said she just liked to tease you. So what?"
"So one of the ways she teased me was by telling me all about what she did with Cruz."
"That's sick, David."
"Yeah, mostly. But while she was making me sick, she also let slip some details of what he had her working on between him and Santos. Now I'm cut out of that."
"You'll find a way. I'm sorry this is making your life more complicated, but I told you we didn't have anything to do with what happened to her."
"Then who did?"
She shrugged. "Maybe one of the Haitians got the drop on her? Or maybe somebody wants in on Cruz's exploitation racket."
"Nobody knows he's behind that. As far as everybody knows, it's all Santos's doing."
"Yeah, but everybody knew she worked for Santos, David. It could have been somebody wanting in on his game."
"Shit! You're right. I missed that. Too focused on Cruz. My fault."
"Okay, that's why we work in teams. Now we've got some catch-up work to do with her out of play. Any ideas?"
"You got somebody that could take Lupita's place?"
"What? You think I'm a madam? Wait! Don't even think about being a smartass. You got a real suggestion?"
"Connect me with somebody who could be the muscle for Santos and Cruz."
"And you'll be the go-between?"
"Yes. Find somebody I can bring in to solve their problem."
"That's not a half-bad idea, David. Male or female?"
"Either, actually. I think that relationship between her and Cruz was just a casual thing, not a critical element. It just kind of happened because of the two personalities. The main thing would be somebody that would be trustworthy in Cruz's eyes."
"What have you got in mind?"
"Somebody brutal, with a dirty secret that I could use to hold over their head. That would probably work. I could hint at the secret to make Cruz think I was in control. Their story would have to check out, though. You follow?"
"Yeah. Let me work on that. I'll get back to you."
"Make it fast. I don't know how long the window of opportunity will be open. They may have somebody in mind already."
"Okay. Anything else?"
"You passed along the tip about them buying arms?"
"Of course. Why?"
"What am I supposed to do about that?"
"Nothing. Your orders are to play along with them. We're focused on the Haitians. The exiles are always planning invasions, but nothing ever comes of it."
"You sure about that, Mary?"
"Yes, David. I gotta run. I need to shower and change before my next meeting."
****
"What's with you, Dani?" Liz asked, frowning. "I've never known you to listen to the morning news."
Dani shrugged, pushing a button on the radio at the chart table to pause its scan of the AM broadcast band. "I'm sentimental, I guess. When I was a child staying here with Mario and Gina, we'd start every day with coffee and the eight o'clock news. Reading the news on line's not the same, and being here in Miami -- " She paused, holding up a finger.
"The victim of last night's vicious attack in the garage of an upscale South Beach condo has been identified as Ms. Lupita Vidal, a resident of the building. The motive for the savage beating is unknown at this time. A Miami Beach Police Department spokesperson has declined to comment, as the investigation is ongoing. Ms. Vidal is currently recuperating at Mount Sinai Medical Center, where her condition is listed as 'fair.' Police are asking anyone with potential information to come forward, even anonymously. Speaking of that, this station received an anonymous tip that the assailant was a woman who spoke Cuban Spanish; she was seen leaving the garage shortly before police arrived on the scene. Police were summoned by a security guard who saw part of the attack via security cameras. And now, a word from ... "
Dani switched off the radio, shaking her head. "Unbelievable."
"The coincidence?" Liz asked, scowling. "Were you the anonymous tipster?"
"Why would you think that, Liz? You think I'd be that careless? That woman's on security tapes. I'd have disabled the cameras."
"Only if it suited you. I'll bet she was wearing a mask."
"You're probably right. I'll bet she wanted the word to get out that Vidal got her ass kicked by another woman."
"Think the police will find any trace evidence?" Liz asked.
"Not if the attacker knew what she was doing. Sounds like she might have been a pro, to take down a cage fighter like Lupita. Pros don't leave a trail. I'll bet David will be relieved to have that bitch out of his hair."
"Did he know?"
"Know what?" Dani asked.
"That you were going to beat her up," Liz said.
"What are you saying, Liz? You don't think I did that, do you?"
"Of course not," Liz sneered. "She's still alive."
Dani shook her head. "I'm disappointed that you think I'd kill with such little reason. We talked about that last night. Lupita didn't deserve to die. She just needed a little behavior modification therapy."
"I guess she got that," Liz said. "You're still meeting David at the club, right?"
"Ten o'clock, yes. Are you still offering lunch?"
"Sure. How about two o'clock?"
"Perfect," Dani said.
"Is it all right if I invite the others? They all want to meet him."
"That's fine. I suspect Papa and Anne have plans, but invite whoever's available. I'll warn David that he's going to be on display."
"You think he'll be uncomfortable? I could -- "
"He'll be okay with it, Liz. I was teasing. He wants to meet everybody."
"Okay. Let's get you put together."
"How long do I have to keep this up?" Dani asked.
"Keep what up?"
"All this girl foolishness?"
"Until you don't want to play anymore, or until we sail back to the islands."
"I'm already wondering if it's worth the trouble. What do you think?"
"It's not my decision. You're the one trying to catch him."
"Guess I'd better go get started. Even if this is catch and release, I still want the satisfaction of landing one."
****
Chapter 12
"Shitty coffee," Tony Santos said.
"Yeah, but nobody knows us around here," Manny Cruz said. They sat on adjacent bar stools looking out the window of a chain coffee shop near the Interstate in North Miami. "You get any more out of Lupita?"
"Nah," Santos said. "They got her doped up pretty good. But I don't think she knows any more than she done told me."
"And the cops?"
"Yeah, well, she didn't have much choice but to talk to 'em. They were all over her from the beginning."
"No, Tony. I was wondering if you'd gotten anything from them."
"Oh. Yeah, but not much. They got the surveillance tapes from security in her building, but that's about it."
"Have you seen the video?"
"Nah. One of the cops on my payroll told me about it. Like Lupita said. Skinny woman about her height with a blackjack. Cop said she didn't waste no moves. Beat the shit out of Lupita in no time flat."
"Did they get her face in the video?"
Santos shook his head and took a sip of coffee, making a face at the taste. "She had on one of them ski masks. Dark clothes. Cops and the building security guy figure she slipped in behind somebody's car and hid."
"So they think Lupita was the target? This wasn't some kind of random mugging gone bad?"
Santos laughed.
"What's funny?"
"'Random mu
gging gone bad.' Jesus, Manny. Think about that. Some dumbass woman decides she's gonna mug somebody and picks Lupita? Gimme a break. Lupita woulda kicked a mugger's ass without breakin' a sweat. You know that. This wasn't no random nothin'. Somebody put a fuckin' hit on Lupita."
"Then why not kill her?" Cruz asked.
Santos shrugged, rolling his heavy shoulders. He looked at Cruz and raised his eyebrows. "Yeah. Why not? While we're askin' questions, might as well throw in 'Who?' don't ya think? Somebody musta been tryin' to tell us somethin'."
"She worked for you, Tony. What do you know about her?"
"You're askin' me? You're the one was sleepin' with her. I figure you probably knew her better'n me."
"There wasn't anything to that except kinky sex. How'd you find her to begin with?"
"She was workin' our buildings in little Haiti. I spotted her a few times and got curious so I tailed her for a while. To see what she was doin'."
"And what did you discover?"
"She was collectin' for a two-bit loan shark. I watched her kick the shit out of two guys that laughed at her when she told 'em their time was up."
"What happened?"
"She stopped 'em on the street and they laughed at her. One of 'em put the moves on her, like she was a hooker, you know?"
"Then what?"
"She played along. Went back to their place with 'em and closed the door. Two minutes later, she came out, countin' her money, and then the ambulance came. They hauled the guys away wrapped up in bloody sheets. Coupla women, too. One of the men's sisters, she said."
"She said?"
"Yeah. I hired her on the spot. Right then, while we watched 'em loadin' the ambulance."
"What about the loan shark?"
"She said she'd square it with him. Offered to set me up with his clients, if I wanted."
"What did you do?"
"Shit, Manny. It was easy money. I couldn't see no problems. I shoulda maybe cleared it with you. You want in on it? There's room for more money."
"No, thanks. Not my kind of business. I'll stick to investing in property."
Santos nodded and took a sip of coffee.
After a moment, Cruz asked, "Do you think that loan shark might have been behind the attack?"
Santos looked at him for a second and shook his head. "He wasn't happy when Lupita cut him out. Made some kinda stink about it with her. They found him in the Miami River a few days later. Suicide. He jumped off a bridge, the cops figured."
"Those bridges aren't that high," Cruz said, frowning.
"Musta hit somethin' in the water; broke his neck, they said."
Cruz took a sip of coffee. "You got anybody that can fill in for her?"
"I'm lookin', Manny. If you got any suggestions, let me know, okay?"
"Yeah. You going to do your own heavy lifting for now?"
"Not much choice. Most of them Haitians are chickenshits, anyway. It don't take much muscle. Lupita had to kick ass more often 'cause the ones that didn't know her didn't take her seriously. Besides, she liked doin' it, you know? Me? I'm an ugly son of a bitch. I can mostly just look at 'em hard. That's all. But I do need somebody besides me. Let me know if you hear of somebody."
****
"Good morning, David," Dani said, as she approached his table.
He put his coffee mug down and stood to greet her, smiling. "You look especially pretty this morning," he said, giving her a light kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks," she said, beaming, as she sat down and let him adjust her chair.
"I missed you last night; I've been spoiled by your company lately. Did you have a nice evening?" he asked.
"Yes, thanks. I needed a little time to sort out my feelings."
"I understand. I was halfway afraid you'd call and tell me you didn't want to see me this morning."
"Oh, David! I'm sorry. I never meant to cause you that kind of anxiety. I was just feeling swept off my feet; I needed some time to think. That's all."
"Well, anyway, I'm relieved. Should I get the waitress over here? Did you want breakfast?"
"Actually, I'd like for you to come out to Star Island for lunch, so maybe I'll just stick to coffee."
"That's great! So I'll get to meet your family?"
"Well, whoever's there. We didn't have time to make any big plans. My partner in the boat's going to feed whoever's around. That's Liz Chirac; she's the ship's cook and my best friend. My father and stepmother may not be there; I don't know what their plans are. This was kind of spur of the moment."
"I'm excited, Dani. Coach me a little; I want to make a good impression. Who am I likely to meet? Do your folks live there?"
Dani chuckled. "Slow down, David. My father's best friend lives in Miami. They're business partners as well; they have been since before I was born. He's about to celebrate his 75th birthday, and Papa rented this place to throw a surprise party for him. A bunch of close friends are coming, okay?"
"I'm with you so far. Where do your folks live, just out of curiosity?"
"Papa and my stepmother live in Paris. They spent some time in the Bahamas on Vengeance with me and Liz before we got here a few days ago."
"Nice. Who else is staying there?"
"Phillip Davis. He may be around for lunch; I don't know. He's retired, now, but he was a career Army officer for 20 years, and then he was in business with my father and Mario."
"Mario?"
"Mario Espinosa. It's his birthday party. He's also my godfather, by the way."
"And will he be there?"
"No. It's not his birthday, yet. It's a surprise party, so he doesn't know we're all gathering. Now, about Phillip. He's quite a bit younger than my father; he was like a big brother to me when I was growing up. He's married, but his wife's not here yet. She's a French Customs officer; they live in Martinique."
"Wow. My head's swimming, Dani. Where'd you grow up, anyway? I know you lived in the States, mostly, after you were an adult, but that's as far as we've gotten."
"My mother lives in New York. I lived with her during the school year, more or less. But the rest of the time, with my father."
"In Paris?"
"Mostly down island. Papa's in the import/export business, and back then, he was spending most of his time in the Caribbean. He's from Martinique, originally, like your mother. So I was kind of a vagabond, growing up. I spent a lot of time with relatives and friends of his in the islands."
"And where was this Phillip guy?"
"Different places in the Caribbean and Latin America."
"I see. I guess I'll get it all straight, once I meet some of these people."
"You will. Don't worry. They're easy people to be with. Oh! And I almost forgot to mention Paul Russo and his wife, Connie Barrera. They have a boat that's a sister ship to Vengeance, and they run charters like Liz and I do. They're good friends of ours. We taught Connie to sail, and she bought her own boat. We're sharing the dock with them."
"So she owns the boat with her husband?"
"Well, now they're partners in the boat, but that's another long story. Liz and I introduced them. Paul's a friend of Mario's. They can tell you about themselves."
"Cool. I can't wait. Thanks for all the background. You'll probably have to help me out along the way, though."
"I will," Dani said, pouring herself a mug of coffee from the thermal carafe that was on the table.
They smiled at one another, drinking coffee in silence for a few minutes. Dani reached across the table and took his hand.
"Did you see the local news this morning?" she asked, breaking the silence.
He shook his head. "No. Why?"
"So you didn't hear about Lupita?"
He frowned, breaking eye contact for a moment. He looked back at her and shook his head. "Lupita Vidal?"
"Yes."
He swallowed and licked his lips. "She was on the news?"
"She was attacked last night. From what they said, she was badly beaten. She's in the hospital."
; "Who did it? Did they say why?"
"No. Something about a woman who spoke Cuban Spanish, but I guess they don't know much."
"That's hard to believe; I mean she's a professional fighter. I ... " He looked away.
"What, David?" She squeezed his hand, and tipped her head forward, looking up at him, encouraging him. "You what?"
"I've heard about her, like, breaking people's arms and stuff. I told you she was the enforcer for this slum lord guy in Little Haiti, right?"
"Yes, and a blackmailer. Maybe she took some pictures she shouldn't have." She released her grip on his hand and patted him on the arm, a soothing touch. "I guess you don't need to worry about her anymore."
He gulped, and then reached for his coffee. Taking a sip, he shook his head. "I guess not."
"I'd better get back to the boat and get her ready for company," she said. "Liz will be busy with lunch preparations, I'm sure."
"Can I bring anything?" Ortiz asked.
"Just your appetite; Liz is a gourmet chef, seriously. The gate's at the end of the main road. If it's not open, just give me a call on my cellphone."
****
Cruz was threading his way through the traffic on I-95 South when his cellphone rang. He stole a glance at the caller i.d., saw that it was Ortiz, and accepted the call.
"Yeah?" he barked.
"Manny?'
"Yeah, Ortiz. What's up?"
"I just had coffee with Berger at the yacht club. She's invited me to lunch at the compound in a couple hours. I'll probably meet some of the people there, but she wasn't sure who'd be around."
"Did she mention any names?"
"Yeah. She thinks her father and his wife won't be there for lunch, but she mentioned a Phillip Davis. She said he used to be in business with her old man. Also, Liz Chirac, her partner in the charter yacht, and another couple -- Paul Russo and Connie Barrera."
"Davis we knew about, but who's the couple?" Cruz asked.
"They run another charter yacht in the islands. She said it was a sister ship to hers. Barrera's a friend of hers. She and Chirac taught Barrera to sail, and introduced her to her husband, this Russo guy."
"Any mention of why these people are there? Barrera and Russo, I mean. I never heard of them."
"Yeah. This whole thing's a surprise birthday party for Mario Espinosa, and — "
"I know that, Ortiz." Cruz clenched his jaw and shook his head, frustrated. "Barrera's friends with the two girls, but why would she and her husband be invited to Espinosa's party?"
Bluewater Revolution: The Twelfth Novel in the Bluewater Thriller Series - Mystery and Adventure in Florida, Cuba, and the Caribbean (Bluewater Thrillers Book 12) Page 10