****
"I think he’s telling the truth," Dani said, taking a sip of coffee before setting her mug on the table.
Liz nodded her agreement as she picked at a pain au chocolat. They had stopped at the patisserie in Ste. Anne on their way to Phillip’s house.
"Has he been to Venezuela lately? Some kind of academic research? Maybe he saw something he shouldn’t have and doesn’t even realize it," Phillip theorized.
"No. He said he hadn’t been to Venezuela, ever. He’s spent a lot of time in Africa, and then in the islands. Most of it in Haiti, though," Dani said. "Doesn’t recall knowing any Venezuelans, except maybe a student or two over the years."
"What do they want to do?" Phillip asked.
"You mean, besides calling the police?" Liz asked.
"Bad idea. Hope you talked them out of that," Phillip said.
"I think so. He wants to go ahead with his plan to meet the houngan tonight. What do you think?"
"Well, it’s probably safe enough. The fact that they used marines from their detachment in St. Lucia means they don’t have any people on the ground here, most likely. Where will they meet the houngan?"
"Last time, they put the professor in a taxi and blindfolded him. Drove him around for a while, then took him through the woods on foot to what looked like an abandoned shack in a cane field. He’s expecting the same tonight, but he has to go to the bar at Le Petit Refuge du Caritan this afternoon to firm things up. They’re both scared to get off the boat, right now. We told them about your reasoning that it was unlikely there would be a second attempt on Vengeance. They really bought into that. Hope you’re right," Dani chuckled.
"Is she going with him tonight?" Phillip asked.
"That’s the plan. The houngan wanted to meet her," Liz said.
"What do you think, Phillip?" Dani asked.
"I want to talk with Clarence. Then I’ll let you know."
"What’s in it for him, taking care of our charterers?" Liz asked.
"Clarence and I go back a long way with Dani’s father – we all look out for one another. Clarence does a lot of business with certain people in Venezuela. I’m not sure any more who they are, or how they fit in, but he was none too happy with the idea of Venezuelan troops on his turf."
"That does sound like it has the potential to become an international incident," Liz said.
"Anywhere but the Caribbean, it probably would," Phillip agreed. "Clarence doesn’t look at it that way. It’s just all in a day’s trading for him, but the unexpected always causes alarm."
"Okay, I think we’ll go back to the boat and see how they’re coping," Dani said. "Call us after you talk to Clarence?"
"I will. I need to make a couple of other calls, too. I want to see if anybody up in Miami knows anything about this Martinez. I’ll call after lunch. When do you think they’ll go ashore to meet the bartender?"
"Late afternoon – say four o’clock," Dani said. Liz nodded.
Chapter 15
"The soldiers, they took the zombie and the houngan," Richard explained, speaking softly into his cell phone. He was in the shack where the old man, Jean Balzac, lived.
"No, Mambo, we don’t know who the soldiers were, or where they took him. Two soldiers stayed behind, and they are holding the houngan’s niece, Marie, and her children hostage. Her husband was injured when he resisted them – he was already in a bad way. He was beaten by the gendarmes some days ago, and now he is in a coma. He is in another house – the soldiers left him on the ground for dead; I am caring for him. No one has seen Marie or the children since the two soldiers…" He paused, listening to whispered conversation from the doorway. "I must go now. I will call you back."
Richard stepped to the doorway, where he saw an attractive young woman talking with Jean, who nodded several times. As she turned to go, he gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. Seeing Richard as he turned to enter the door, he said, "That is Marie, the houngan’s niece. She works as a maid at the hotel; the soldiers know this. They told her to go to work as if everything were normal and tell no one what has happened, or they will hurt her children."
"How did they know she worked there?" Richard asked.
Jean shrugged. "They know. Marie did not tell them."
Richard stepped aside, making room for the old man to come inside. "Will they know that I do not live here?"
"It is not likely. There are many of us. We come. We go. Sometimes we are gone for many days. I don’t think they can know that you are different from us."
Richard nodded thoughtfully and hit the speed-dial button, listening to the ring tone as he thought about what else he could tell the mambo.
****
Lilly and the professor were lingering over coffee, enjoying being left alone aboard Vengeance. "This is a beautiful boat, you know?" she asked, running her hand over the velvet-like, hand-rubbed teak surface of the table.
"Yes, it is," he agreed.
"It’s like living inside a piece of antique furniture. I had no idea there were sailboats like this, Chuck. I thought sailboats were like toys."
He nodded absently.
"How much do you suppose something like this costs?"
"I’m sure it’s not cheap, but I haven’t a clue. The only reference point I have is the Dean’s boat. I think it’s 40 feet long. I thought it was big, until I saw this. I know he spent about a quarter of a million for it, and keeping it up costs him 15 to 25 thou a year. But it’s not anywhere close to this. It’s all white plastic inside. This is all teak, didn’t Liz tell us?"
"Yes, that’s what she said," Lilly agreed. "They’re an odd pair, don’t you think?"
"Liz and Dani? They almost look like sisters. You suppose they’re related?"
"No, I don’t think so. Liz told me she’s from Belgium. Dani’s French, but she seems more American."
"She seems pretty odd, that Dani, you know?"
"Because she won’t flirt with you?"
"No. She’s a looker; that’s for sure. But I figure she acts tough because otherwise, people would try to take advantage of her. She looks like a teenager. If she didn’t act sure of herself, all the macho sailor types would run all over her. I can understand that, but what kind of 25-year-old girl disables a commando marine without batting an eye? You said she hog-tied him in seconds before she made that phone call."
"Yeah, you’re right. I was pretty rattled, but she never missed a beat. She apparently broke his leg and knocked him out, then took on his partner up in the cockpit and chased him away. Don’t you wonder who she called? And her whole attitude was just, like, ‘Oh, these things happen; no point getting upset.’ I really do wonder what Liz meant when she said Dani didn’t lead a sheltered life."
"I’m glad she’s on our side, anyway," the professor said.
"I guess. I don’t know what side is what. This is pretty confusing to me."
"I hear the dinghy coming back. Why don’t you go ahead and take the first shower? I need to call the office. I’ll pick up your messages, too, if you like."
"Sure," Lilly said, walking toward the head.
****
"You’ll be covered the whole time, Professor," Dani said.
"Covered? What do you mean, covered?"
"There will be people watching your back. You have nothing to worry about."
"To go to the bar, okay, but what about tonight?"
"These guys live here. I’m sure they know all about the houngan’s, what did you call it?"
"Bateye – it’s Creole, from the Spanish batey. In the colloquial Spanish from the Dominican Republic, batey means a labor camp, and the immigrant laborers are braceros. Bateye has come to mean a sort of ghetto where the illegal Haitians live."
"Yeah, okay. Anyway, they’ll know exactly where it is and probably where his folks are taking you."
"Who are these people? Why are they willing to protect us?"
"They’re just some local businessmen. They work for a man who used to be in business wi
th my father. They trade with some folks in Venezuela, and they aren’t happy that the Venezuelan marines are visiting their neighborhood. Just go with it, Professor. Liz and I will be along for the ride, as well, just to add a little camouflage."
"What kind of business was your father in, Dani?" the professor asked.
"International trade; he distributes all kinds of European manufactured products. He started out with French-made stuff, but he expanded. It’s a family business. His grandfather started it."
"So he’s still in business?"
"Oh, sure. He’s not so active in this part of the world, anymore. I couldn’t really say why. Market opportunity, I guess."
"Doesn’t all this cloak-and-dagger stuff make you nervous, Dani?" Lilly asked.
"No," Dani replied, fixing her icy stare on Lilly.
"Dani’s looking for a rematch. She didn’t even get warmed up last night," Liz said, laughing at Lilly’s troubled expression. "She’s angry because those guys got blood on her teak decks; that’s all."
"I’m not sure they’ll let you come along with us to the meeting," the professor said.
"No, I didn’t think so. I meant that we’d go with you for this afternoon’s meeting with the bartender. We’ll decide about tonight after you get the meeting with the houngan nailed down. I’m thinking Liz and I will probably wait for you at the bar while you and Lilly are gone tonight. We may go visit some friends for a bit, but we’ll be there when you guys get back. After you set it up with the bartender, we’ll work out the details for the evening, okay?"
He nodded, lost in thought.
****
Dani and Liz held the dinghy steady alongside the town dock in Ste. Anne as their passengers climbed the ladder. Liz followed them up, and Dani shifted the dinghy down the dock so it wouldn’t block access to the ladder for other visitors. She chained it to the dock, locked it with a massive padlock, and tossed an anchor off the stern to keep the dinghy from drifting under the dock. Once satisfied, she scrambled up the side of the dock with the agility of a monkey.
Liz and the two guests were standing on the dock waiting for her as she dusted the dried salt from her hands. She saw the professor looking around nervously; his anxiety brought a smile to her face.
"You won’t see them, you know," she said. "Not if they’re any good -- and these guys are the best."
"But there’s nowhere within 50 yards for anybody to hide," he protested.
"That makes this a pretty safe spot, unless you’re worried about a sniper. They wanted to interrogate you – not kill you, remember?" Dani asked, an impish smile playing over her face at his discomfort. "Relax. Let’s get a taxi to the hotel," she said, leading the way up the dock.
Lilly watched Dani, a troubled frown on her face as she wondered what made this woman so calm and self-assured. The thought of a sniper had not occurred to Lilly until Dani mentioned it. She wanted to know more about Dani; she was not comfortable that their safety suddenly seemed to be in her hands. She resolved to ask Liz some pointed questions, having concluded that Dani was too well-practiced at giving nonresponsive answers.
When they reached the hotel, Dani said, "You and Lilly go on into the bar. We’ll take care of the taxi and be along in a minute. Don’t worry – we’ll pretend not to know you. We’ll leave first; you finish up and catch a taxi back to the dock. We’ll be waiting in the dinghy."
The professor nodded his agreement as he helped Lilly out of the taxi.
As they walked in, he said, "I hadn’t thought of that."
"Hadn’t thought of what?"
"That we shouldn’t sit with them. It would put the bartender off, for sure."
"Damn," Lilly said softly. "I never thought of that, either. There’s something about her that makes me uncomfortable. She’s way too accustomed to this kind of thing."
Claude-Michel’s greeting interrupted further discussion of Dani. They ordered, and while he was getting their drinks, Liz and Dani appeared at the entrance to the bar. They watched as Dani methodically scanned the room, taking her time, as if memorizing the layout. She and Liz walked in and took stools at the bar, their backs to the table where Claude-Michel was just delivering their drinks.
"There is a problem, Professor," Claude-Michel said, his voice just above a whisper, worry lines creasing his forehead. Before the professor could speak, he continued. "Some soldiers came last night, and they have taken the houngan and the zombie."
"Taken them! Where? For how long?" the professor stammered.
"We don’t know, Professor. There is no more for me to say."
"You must know something. Who were these soldiers? Where did they come from?"
The bartender shook his head, holding a finger to his lips, and gesturing toward the two women sitting at the bar, faced away and apparently oblivious to the professor’s outburst. Claude-Michel stepped behind the bar and approached the two women. After a soft-spoken exchange, he reached under the bar and took out two frosted bottles of Bière Lorraine, setting them on coasters in front of the women and levering the caps off with his opener. He reached under the bar again, producing two glasses.
Noticing after a few minutes that there was no further discussion between the bartender and the professor, Dani and Liz finished their beers, settled their tab, and left. The professor and Lilly lingered over their drinks for a few more minutes as Claude-Michel studiously ignored them. Finally, the professor anchored a 10-euro note with his empty glass, and he and Lilly walked out into the lobby. Seeing no sign of Dani and Liz or anyone else, they got into a waiting taxi.
****
Back aboard Vengeance, Liz served cold hors d’oeuvres with a bottle of chilled white table wine, and they sat in the cockpit, watching the sun begin to set.
"I guess you heard that there’s no meeting tonight," the professor said.
"We gathered that from your outburst, but we couldn’t hear what the bartender was saying," Liz said.
"Soldiers came and took the houngan and the zombie away. That’s all he would say."
"Soldiers," Dani mused. "No comments other than that? He didn’t mention if they spoke Spanish, did he?"
"No. He wouldn’t say anything else," the professor said. "Do you think…"
"The same people?" Lilly asked. "That’s what I thought, when he said it."
"It would be a pretty big coincidence, otherwise, wouldn’t it?" Dani asked. "What now?"
"I’m out of ideas, at the moment," the professor said.
"Watch carefully!" Liz said, pointing at the western horizon, where the sun had just touched the surface of the sea, the indigo of the water changing to a molten silvery gray in the rapidly dimming light. "Don’t blink. It’s perfect for a green flash, once it sets. Not a cloud on the horizon."
Distracted by the dazzling natural phenomenon, they didn’t return to their previous conversation until they were seated around the dining table, replete with another of Liz’s gourmet meals.
"Where did you learn to cook like that Liz?" Lilly asked. "At your mother’s side, I’ll bet."
"No," Liz smiled. "She died when I was very young. My father and stepmother mostly dined out. I learned to cook when I was living on my own, after university. I like to eat. Cooking is not so difficult. If you can read, you can cook."
"Yes, but not like you do. Your cooking is art," Lilly said.
"Ah. That is where liking to eat comes in. One who doesn’t appreciate art can’t produce art, but one who studies and appreciates art, with effort, becomes an artist."
"Very philosophical," the professor said.
"My undergraduate field of study," Liz remarked. "A good one for a charter chef, isn’t it?"
"And you, Dani?" Lilly asked.
Dani gave her a blank stare. After a moment, Lilly asked, "Do you cook?"
Dani smiled. "Not if I can avoid it."
"What do you eat if Liz isn’t around?"
"Peanut butter. Sushi, if the fish are biting."
"What do you like to do?
" Lilly pressed.
"Sail. I like to sail, and take care of the boat. Liz likes to cook and entertain guests, so, we make a team."
Liz smiled at Dani with relief, having been worried by the look on her face when Lilly had persisted in her probing.
"So, what’re we going to do now?" Dani asked, looking at the professor.
"I want to think about that for a bit," he said. "I’m at a loss, at the moment.
"Good idea, taking some time to think," Dani said. "I may be able to give you some help, but I need a day or so to follow up on some things before I tell you about it. I’m thinking there’s more than one houngan on an island this big. Can you give me a little time? There are several things I need to check before I say more."
The other three looked at her, dumbfounded at her sudden willingness to contribute.
After a long pause, the professor nodded. "Of course, Dani. Your ideas would be most welcome."
Chapter 16
Dani and Liz stood on the front porch of the modest but well-kept house on the outskirts of the village of Trois-Îlets. They had come from the town hall, where they had asked for directions to Racine Laveau’s house. Dani used the well-polished brass door knocker to announce their presence, and after about 30 seconds, the door was opened by a middle-aged Creole woman in a maid’s uniform who greeted them and asked their business.
"We would like to see Madame Laveau, please," Dani said, in Creole French.
"Yes, of course, and may I have your names, please?"
"I am Danielle Marie Berger, and this is my friend, Liesbet Chirac," Dani said.
"And is Madame Laveau expecting you?"
"No, I didn’t know how to reach her to make an appointment," Dani explained.
"Very well. Please step into the foyer, and I will see if Madame Laveau is available, yes?"
"Merci," Dani said, as she and Liz stepped into the dark, cool entrance hall.
After a wait of a couple of minutes, the maid reappeared. She nodded, a pleasant smile on her face, and said, "Please, come with me."
Dani and Liz followed her down a short hallway into a small but elegantly furnished sitting room, where a lovely woman in a softly draped, white silk dress was standing, waiting for them. She was stunning; her dark chocolate skin set off by the brilliant white dress. Her well-coiffed, straight black hair showed just enough gray to reveal that its shiny color was not the result of dye.
Bluewater Voodoo: Mystery and Adventure in the Caribbean (Bluewater Thrillers Book 3) Page 10