Trapped in the Mayan Tattoo

by Ronda Pauley

  “It’s cold and I’m all nipply again. Mind if I wear your sweater?”

  Louise looked at the same outfit she’d been wearing.

  “Go right ahead. Let ME be cold,” Louise said with sarcasm.

  A knock at the door sent Louise scurrying to get her clothes on.

  “Just a second!” she said.

  “I was able to get your luggage from the other hotel. It’s here if you want it,” Scott said.

  “Yes, yes, yes! Tell him YES!” Abbi repeated. “Fresh underwear, socks, a long hoodie! YES!”

  Louise flung the door open wide as Abbi poked her head out of the bathroom. The way Louise brushed her hair back amused Louise.

  “Thanks, Scott!” Abbi called. “I know. I still have to wear the leotard, but at least I can cover up.”

  “Awfully nice of you, Scott,” Louise said.

  “Are we staying here tonight?” Abbi asked.

  “We don’t know yet,” Scott said. “Lock up when you leave. I’ll get your things later if necessary.”

  When Scott left, Abbi hurriedly dressed and pulled her hair into a bushy ponytail. The braids had fallen out and made her hair even curlier than usual, but long loose hair could be deadly on a zip line.

  She stole one full minute to sit in a yoga position and try to meditate. If NM2 cooperated with this drop, then her mother’s release should soon follow. Something nagged at her. Some déjà vu feeling that again it wouldn’t happen. She could still do the drop, successfully, but something told her they wouldn’t release her mother. The feeling kept nagging at her.

  She got up from trying to meditate and went to find Big Sam in the parking lot.

  “Is the full amount in this one envelope that we’re dropping?” she asked abruptly.

  Big Sam looked at her in surprise.

  “And how much would that be?” he asked. He seemed offended at the question.

  “NM2 is going to check the amount before they release my mother and then only if the full amount is there.”

  “Don’t you worry about that,” Big Sam said. The condescending tone of his voice made her angry.

  “Listen to me, Sam. They’re not going to let her go that easily. I know what I’m talking about.”

  “Young lady, we’re giving them money in three locations, not that you need to know,” he explained this in the same tone, as if it tired him out to give out details to an underling. “Then, after they pick up all three drops, we’ll hear from them about your mother’s release.”

  “Thanks, but why would they risk getting caught in three places?”

  “We don’t know. They stipulated three locations. We chose this as one, just to let them know that we know they’ve been here before. That gives us leverage. They probably suspect it’s a trap. They chose the others.”

  “So we drop it and wait,” Abbi said.

  “Pretty much it. You ready?”

  “Ready,” she said and hopped into the SUV.

  Louise came and brought a pillow from their hotel room.

  “You’re kidding!” Abbi said as Louise got in and sat down.

  “Not,” Louise said, and rested her head on it.

  Before they reached the forest, Louise was asleep again. When Scott braked to avoid hitting a deer, Louise still didn’t wake up.

  A nagging thought made Abbi venture one more question.

  “Without telling me how much total ransom money there is, will the total of the three drops be the right amount?”

  “Little lady, who even hinted that we’re dropping money up until the conversation we had a few minutes ago? Did someone tell you that?” He turned and raised an eyebrow. “No one told you. Don’t assume things, but if you must, don’t say it out loud.”

  “Mrs. Hightower said ransom. Can you answer my question?”

  “Why does it matter?”

  “Because it matters to NM2. And if the amount isn’t right, then I won’t get to see my mother. Alive. To me, that’s a pretty big deal. And I will have done this, probably risking my life and my mother’s, for nothing. So don’t you think you can answer my question?”

  Big Sam hesitated, turned to look at Abbi and then murmured in a hushed tone, “If they’re smart enough to do the math, then no, it won’t add up.”

  “Then I don’t want to do it,” Abbi said.

  “What do you mean, you don’t want to do it?” Big Sam demanded loudly.

  “Don’t assume I want to if I said I didn’t want to.”

  Big Sam looked furious. Scott parked the SUV, and Big Sam got out his phone and slammed the door when he left the vehicle.

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  The second aborted mission, this one due to Abbi’s refusal, meant a long silent ride back to the hotel for Abbi and Louise where Scott dropped them off. Big Sam was on the phone pulling the team back into the law enforcement complex at Cave Spring for an early morning change of plans and trying to work out details.

  He spoke to the girls only briefly when he opened their door to let them out.

  “Your mother could die because we’re waiting.”

  “She’s more likely to die because we botched the drop, Sam,” Abbi said hotly.

  “Isn’t she?”

  Big Sam spun around and glared at her.

  “You girls go shopping. Do whatever you want. I don’t want to see you or hear you. I’ll call you when I need you but until I do, don’t say a word to me. Not a word. I’m still going to try to get this to work out.”

  Louise, having slept through most of the argument between Big Sam and Abbi, looked up worriedly when they parked and she caught the last of it.

  “Come on, Louise, grab your pillow. We’re going shopping,” Abbi said, with a quick look back at Big Sam.

  What Abbi really wanted was to study her mother’s notes more but it would be good to get out to a mall. Louise had been a pretty good sport about being stuck to Abbi, but she really lived to shop, so shop she would and Abbi would find a way to make it fun!

  Louise dropped the pillow back on the bed. They both changed into clothes that were a little more suitable for a day of shopping.

  “I get to go shopping!!! Yay me! Yay me!” Louise said over and over like a cheerleading chant.

  “You saw the mall when we got the pizza. It’s not real big. Not a lot of your favorite stores,” Abbi said.

  “I’m still so getting out!” Louise said. “Not stuck in a box! I’ll take any store.”

  “Hardware. I could use a prusik,” Abbi said.

  “Hey, why aren’t you doing your thing in the forest back there?” Louise asked, finally fully aware that the drop had been at least postponed and that she didn’t just sleep through it.

  “I didn’t feel right about it,” Abbi said. “It wouldn’t have worked.”

  As they were closing their hotel door, Louise stopped and stared at her.

  “Abbi, that’s just weird. If everyone else thought it would work, couldn’t you just go along?”

  “I can’t do that. Something wasn’t right,” she said and ran back in to get her briefcase. “Now I’m ready.”

  “Why do you have to bring that? You know, if you had second thoughts about the zip line, I think you could have said so.”

  “It’s not that at all. My mother is not near here, and NM2 wasn’t going to release her. Whether everything was right or not, we wouldn’t have gotten her back today.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  “Louise, I did the right thing. I’m sure of it. Let’s go play.”

  Louise looked at her, nodded, and said, “OK. You apparently know things I’m not privy to know.”

  Abbi let it go with just a smile. Trying to explain her sixth sense was like trying to explain why there are stars. (It’s a little complicated and Abbi didn’t even understand.)

  The 10-minute walk felt good. Not since her parents left on their last mission, had Abbi felt free to just take a walk.

  As soon as they arrived at the mall, they went to the food court
. The only breakfast-like item available was pretzels. Abbi bought pretzels and honey mustard for the two of them. They started to walk around. Before long, both of them spotted the photo booth.

  “Let’s do it,” they said at the same time.

  “I’ll pay, but you have mustard on your chin,” Louise said. She tried to get the mustard off with her napkin but ended up smearing it.

  By the time they were sitting in the photo booth, they both had mustard on their faces.

  “This one’s for my mother,” Abbi said with a laugh as she posed.

  “Then the second one’s for Scott!” Louise said, so Abbi made a face for that one.

  “I get the third one for my dad,” Abbi said.

  The girls posed until Abbi’s federal issue phone, the one Mrs. Hightower had given her, rang. Abbi suddenly stopped posing.

  The photo booth kept snapping shots automatically as Abbi listened to Mrs. Hightower on the line. Abbi’s expressions went from surprise to dismay to worry.

  “Abbi, the drop has been aborted, at least for now,” Mrs. Hightower said.

  “I know!” Abbi said.

  “You couldn’t know. Sorry. Forgot who I was talking to for a minute. Remember the Smart Shoes that your mother wears? We tracked her. She wasn’t on her way up here at all. Someone lied to us. She’s still in Mexico.”

  Abbi’s heart sank.

  Since Louise couldn’t hear the conversation, she kept posing for the photo booth and trying to push Abbi out. Abbi finally stepped out so that she could talk with Mrs. Hightower without interference.

  “It turns out, their plan was to take the money from three different drops and then meet up at the airport to leave the country, without making further arrangements to hand over your mother.”

  “What if we didn’t leave the right amount of money?”

  The tone of Mrs. Hightower’s voice suddenly changed. Quiet, reflective.

  “We don’t want to go there, but you’re right. That could have been a major issue for your mother, I’m afraid. I’ll deal with that. I suspect insubordination somewhere down the line. I’m feeling more uneasy about some things that have been happening.” She shifted her tone and said, “Now, what I need from you is significant, Abbi. We’ll try another approach. Back to Plan A, actually. Listen up.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “After you memorized the instructions in the packet I gave you, our original plan was laid by the wayside. Negotiations to obtain your mother’s release started more quickly than expected. Now, we’re back to square one. Which means, you are now back to the original instructions I gave you. Start by going to the Organization of American States and follow the instructions step-by-step. Use your script. You’ll need to ad-lib a little. Don’t give too much away.”

  “But I’m at a shopping mall in Virginia. We don’t know how to reach Scott or if he’s even available to drive us. Big Sam is at the law complex.”

  “OK. Get back to the hotel. Can you walk that distance?”

  “Yes, in about 10 minutes.”

  “Change into your office attire. Get your luggage out of the hotel and, if you have to, take a taxi to the airport outside of Cave Spring. Arrange for a commuter flight, nothing fancy, and go to Dulles International. From there take the Metro Rail east to the Red Line. This will leave you some walking. Thank God you have your running shoes, but right now, before you leave the mall, pick up a pair of nice dress shoes that will look alright with your outfit. If you need anything to complete the look, get it. You’ll probably not meet with the ambassador until morning, so you’ll have time to get what you need. Good luck! I’m right here if you need me. By the way, your father’s surgery went smoothly. They think maybe he’ll be talking soon.”

  “That’s wonderful, uh, what do I call you?” Abbi asked, hesitating. Apparently their prior relationship was best forgotten. Abbi hated that.

  “Well, Miss Kowalski, my co-workers call me ‘bitch queen’, but you should continue to call me Mrs. Hightower. Give Mademoiselle Soufflé my best regards, s’il vous plait.”

  Abbi laughed nervously.

  “Of course,” she said. “Mrs. Hightower.”

  “Any questions about my instructions?” Mrs. Hightower asked.

  “What do we do if we have free time tonight, Mrs. Hightower?”

  “There might be time for frivolity. Or maybe a visit to the hospital. We’ll see. Have a good flight and a safe trip!”

  “Thanks. Uh, are you sure I can pull this off and be convincing?”

  “Never more sure of anything. You have no idea your possibilities, my dear! How are those extra eyes and ears working for you?”

  “Pretty good, mostly. We get along.” Abbi smiled at Louise who was feeding more money into the photo booth. “She’s actually kinda fun!”

  Louise made a face at her.

  Abbi responded with a distorted face of her own and told her that Mrs. Hightower sends her best regards.

  “God Speed! Good luck with this mission.”

  “Wait, wait! Mrs. Hightower, can you please call Big Sam and let him know what we’re doing?”

  “You can call him. Tell him I said.”

  “No. He doesn’t want me to talk to him.”

  “What have you done, Abeni?”

  “It offended him when I refused to make the drop. I didn’t feel right about it.”

  “Whether he believes it or not, you did the right thing. Good for you for standing up to him!”

  “Good! Does this next part of the mission have a name?”

  “We’ll call it ‘Operation Missing Shoe’. Thank goodness she has the Smart Shoes, but still it will require international cooperation to get her back. You can do this for her, Abbi, for all of us.”

  Abbi swallowed hard.

  “OK,” she said, thinking it was a long shot.

  “Trust your training as well as your intuition,” Mrs. Hightower said.

  When Abbi got off the phone, she grabbed Louise, who was posing for more pictures, by the arm and said, “Not now! We have to catch a flight!”

  Louise had a dumbfounded expression but said nothing. Abbi retrieved the photos and admired them for just a second then stuffed them in her handbag.

  She looked toward the EXIT sign and noticed a man watching them. He turned slightly when he saw that she noticed him. Abbi studied him long enough to try to describe him, a pretty average-looking middle-aged man, and saw only one thing that stood out—red shoelaces. Strangely, she didn’t have a bad feeling about him, but she was definitely aware of being watched. Could this be Shoe Clerk? Was red shoelaces like a code?

  Abbi darted quickly into a nearby shoe shop.

  “Shoes? Right now?” Louise asked.

  “I’m going to need some. Notice anything odd back there at the photo booth?”

  “Yeah, you grabbed me!”

  Abbi didn’t know if the extra eyes and ears were functional. Maybe the flash of the camera temporarily blinded Louise, but this was a good time to find out.

  “Are all your senses in working order?”

  She coached Louise briefly while she looked at shoes.

  “You have to be on the look-out constantly. And, if you see something strange, try to be nonchalant about it, but let me know. How about rubbing your left ear if something seems odd or threatening?” Abbi picked up a serviceable pair of shoes.

  “OK.” Louise said. She scrutinized the shoe shop. “Perfectly quiet. Not much business going on.” Then she looked out. Still she saw nothing unusual and shook her head.

  Abbi was looking for a Mary Jane or something similar. Something with a strap, a soft soul and a low heel, just in case she had to run. She glanced out and saw the red shoelaces, still there, still close. She looked at Louise. So far, the eyes and ears were not picking up.

  “Pay attention to what you see. After awhile you may notice a pattern. Look for something that doesn’t fit. When you find it, I want to see you rub your ear—unless it’s more urgent than that, of c
ourse.”

  “I don’t know what it is I’m supposed to be looking for,” Louise said.

  “Just anything unusual. How are your dress shoes for running?”

  “I’ve never tried, but I like them. I don’t want some old lady’s shoe like the one you’re holding!”

  “Well, I do. If I need to take off running, you’ll have to keep up. You don’t want to be the gazelle at the back of the herd, do you, Louise?”

  “Gazelle?”

  “You know, the one that gets caught, eaten alive by the pride of lions. The boots you’re wearing are probably fine for now. I suggest you either stick with them or pick up some old lady shoes.”

  Abbi tried on the shoes, checking again for Red Shoelaces II. He was leaning against a fancy light post, as if he waited for a poky wife to exit the ladies’ room.

  “You’re still watching while I pay for these. Right?”

  “Right,” said Louise. “What’s going on, Abbi?”

  “We’ll get out of here and talk. There’s been a major change in plan. We’re going back to square one, according to Mrs. Hightower.”

  “How do we get to square one from here?” Louise asked.

  Abbi paid for the shoes and walked quickly toward the mall’s nearest exit, feeling like Louise had failed the first test.

  She stuffed her handbag inside the shopping bag and carried the briefcase in the same hand. Once outside, she grabbed Louise again. This time she yelled, “Run!”

  Abbi didn’t try to talk until they reached the hotel.

  “What was that about?” Louise asked. “You could have killed me when we crossed traffic out there!”

  “So far, I’ve given you two tests. You failed to see the man who was following us, but you passed the running. I’m proud of you!”

  “A man?”

  “Red Shoelaces II. Watch for him. I feel like he’s harmless, but we don’t know.”

  “What if he changes shoes? How would I know him?”

  “Keep your eyes out for the most ordinary-looking man you can imagine. Boringly ordinary. That would be him.”

  “That helps,” Louise said. “It could be Lowell. So now I guess we’re changing clothes.”

  “Yes, complete with wigs. We want to do our office look again, I think. And it’s definitely not Lowell,” Abbi said with a laugh. She didn’t know where Lowell was, but it probably involved more skill than standing around a mall.