by Don Prichard
Most likely the savings would go into Mendoza’s pockets. But Jake couldn’t be responsible for what the man did with the government’s money. And at least it would place food in the prisoners’ bowls.
Mouth puckered in skepticism, Mendoza gazed at the weed-choked terrain. “I will think about it.” His eye patch slipped downward on the sweat beading his face. He pushed it into place and exited the yard, his rifle-bristling retinue marching in his shadow.
Jake winked at Puno. They had the contract thought out and ready to go. It included a survey of the land, ostensibly to find the best agricultural site.
Only Jake and Puno knew its additional purpose.
Chapter 48
May
Eve accepted Rock’s dinner invitation only because she wanted to help a broken-hearted Marianne. And, well, after all, it was Eve’s birthday. A fact she kept secret as a defense against critics who would voice concern that, at thirty-five years of age, Eve was not married. The fact was certainly not a point of dismay for her. Although she couldn’t recall the line of suitors Marianne said Eve had swept through, Eve had no doubt that Mr. Right wasn’t among them. Unthinkable that such a man could have fallen through holes in her memory.
Remarkably, Rock happened to choose one of her favorite restaurants. Classy, with china, crystal goblets, sterling silver, and a centerpiece of fragrant, freshly-cut roses on white linen tablecloths. Soft music just loud enough to shelter conversations from nearby tables drifted from a pianist on a low, centrally located stage. Marianne had never mentioned a date with Rock as elegant as this.
She waited until the entrées were ordered before bringing up the romance. “Is it too forward to ask what happened to you and Marianne?”
Rock’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “I figured I’d end up the bad guy.” He shook his head, glanced at the ceiling, heaved a sigh of exasperation. “Your question presumes something happened between Marianne and me in the first place. Nothing happened. Ever.”
Eve’s mouth dropped open. “You mean … but Marianne said …” She corrected herself: “implicated … that you two were a couple.”
“Never.”
“You didn’t date?”
“She hired me to set up her new personal computer and tutor her. Treated me a few times to dinner because of the late hour. Or to a drink before we went to her apartment.”
“Oh.” Eve suppressed a groan. Poor Marianne.
“Stupid of me not to see what she was up to. I like her—she’s pleasant, smart, a quick learner. The perfect client to work with.” He puffed out another sigh. “When she asked why I didn’t ask her out, I saw the light and, well, set her straight.”
“Kindly, I hope.”
“Of course.”
“And you invited me to dinner because …”
“Because my job at your office is done and I don’t see you anymore. I thought you’d like an update on Natasa.”
“I do.” Heat rose to her cheeks. She’d forgotten all about the child now that Crystal was in her life. "And I’ll update you about my ward, Crystal.”
Rock’s eyebrows rose, but his face didn’t express surprise. Perhaps he knew about Crystal from Marianne. Her stomach gave a sharp pinch, whether from hunger at the aroma of her steak as it was set before her, or from ill-ease that Rock knew what was going on in her life, she wasn’t sure which. Would she ever stop being suspicious about a Romero thug behind every bush?
***
Jake all but licked his empty rice bowl at lunch. He was ravenous from the hard labor of tilling the soil, and dehydrated from working under a hot sun with no water. He wanted to shake the warden for refusing the request for a five-gallon drum of drinking water in the field, and for a double portion of food to the horticulture laborers for at least one of their meals.
Puno informed Jake of the reason: Emilio. “A bribe in the hand sours benevolence in the heart.”
Jake huffed. “Why would Emilio care about water and extra food?”
“You defeated him only in physical battle. The war is not ended.”
And it wouldn’t end as long as the two of them occupied the same turf. Fights between prisoners broke out daily, but no one had challenged Jake since Scar’s death. Jake and Emilio’s conflict was a Cold War, with the warden as the battlefield.
“Tarp,” Jake growled. “We’ll stake out pieces in the field to collect water when it rains.” He should have thought of it earlier.
At least the grueling work of putting up new fence and removing vegetation from the field was finished—tasks that had to be done by hand because construction and farm machinery were too expensive to transport to the prison. Over two hundred men, more familiar with cultivation than carpentry, had signed up for the horticulture trade. Puno divided them into morning and afternoon teams to minimize the effect of inadequate food and dehydration.
At the end of the month, the field was striped with row after row of beds. “We’re ready for delivery of the seedlings,” Puno announced to Smiley. Two days later, the young plants arrived. Dried up. Dead.
“Smiley, come here.” Jake beckoned him at the front gate. “What happened?”
Smiley shrugged, eyes wide with innocence. “Plants good last night. Too much heat today.”
“Quick.” Jake held out a check. “Buy new ones and bring them back as fast as you can.”
“I hurry, but cost more.” Smiley stepped forward for the check. Smack into Jake’s trap. Before Smiley could escape, Jake reached through the bars, grabbed the front of Smiley’s shirt with his left hand, and landed a powerful blow on Smiley’s cheek with his fisted right hand. Man and check fell to the ground.
The guards laughed. Jake smiled and bowed. Nice to be able to count on them for entertainment humor.
Before Jake could grab him again, Smiley scrabbled backwards like a crab. Jake scooped up the check and pocketed it. “No more bribes, Smiley. Either deal with me or deal with Emilio, but no more doubling up. If you aren’t back in four hours with new plants, I will tell Detective Lee to find us a new transportation partner.”
Rubbing his jaw, Smiley trotted to his truck, skirted the trailer of wilted seedlings, and jumped into the cab. A cloud of dirt erupted from the back tires as he tore out of the parking area.
Puno joined Jake. “Vigilante justice?”
“Compassion, my friend, compared to what I’m going to dole out to Emilio. I’m sick of his bribes.” He pivoted on his heels and strode toward the archways of group one. His fist tingled in anticipation of contact with Emilio’s jaw. Or a hard punch to the solar plexus would prove equally satisfying.
“To heap coals on your enemy, I take it.”
Jake halted. The rebuke landed a penetrating blow to his heart. Punishment was the prerogative of God, whether straight from His hand or through His approved means of man’s legal system. He hung his head. “I told Detective Lee I’d rely on a higher Judge who can’t be bribed. But retribution”—he shook his head—“trouble is, swift retribution brings such sweet satisfaction.” He grunted in reluctance. “Guess I need to wait on God’s timing for that too.”
Puno chuckled. “Ah, heavenly retribution—now that makes me feel sorry for Emilio.”
Heavenly retribution? Huh. All it made Jake feel was impatience to see how soon God executed it.
Chapter 49
June
“How’s it going as an instant mom?” Marianne poured two cups of coffee from the office coffee pot for her and Eve. Marianne’s cheeriness was forced, but better than the tears she’d been choking on since her “break-up” with Rock.
In contrast, Eve had to tone down her buoyancy. I love being a mom! she wanted to shout. Instead, she said, “So far, so good. I like it.” She flinched at the acrid taste of the coffee. Definitely motivation to keep the conversation short and get back to work.
“What’d you and Crystal do on your week off?”
“Shopped. Decorated Crystal’s bedroom. Saw Return of the Jedi. Oh, and found a private sc
hool we both like for next fall.” No way was she going to send Crystal far away to Virginia. “The summer day camp didn’t go over very well though—you know how it is making new friends at her age. But I didn’t want her sitting home alone all day. We settled on one run by a church we might start attending.”
“You, attend church? That’s quite a concession.”
Now, that surprised her. “Why not, I’m a Christian.”
“Uh, you were quite the atheist, Eve. With fangs. Part of your memory loss?”
Eve did a quick assessment of brain, spirit, and heart. No question about it, she believed in God and loved Jesus as her Savior. “Whatever I was before, I’m solidly a Christian now.”
Amazement swept across Marianne’s face, followed by a fat-cat look of glee. Eve knew what that meant: h-e-l-l-o from the top of Marianne’s office gossip list.
“Did you two talk about the island?”
“A bit.” Eve couldn’t help but snort. “Crystal said I was in love with Jake.” Teenagers and their romantic fantasies …
“I can believe it. I saw him. Definitely handsome—although not the glitzy type you usually go for.”
Glitzy? Eve sniffed in annoyance. “Was his face scarred?” A spasm pinched her throat at the thought of the brute from her nightmares.
Marianne’s eyes widened, evidently remembering Eve’s description of him as well. She eked out the briefest of nods.
“Wait. You saw him?”
“When he and Mrs. Parker came to the office and asked for you.” Marianne described the visit and Jake’s resistance to showing his ID to Brad. “But don’t worry. He’s in the Philippines awaiting trial now.”
“He was deported?”
“Last September. Brad represented the U.S. at the hearing.”
“He did what?” Eve slammed her coffee cup onto the breakroom table and stormed down the hall to Brad’s office. Her high heels clicked on the marble floor like the timer on a bomb set to explode. “Are you deliberately hiding information from me?” Her voice boomed against the four walls of his office.
Brad’s hair all but stood up. “What are you talking about?”
“Jake Chalmers’ deportation.” The three words sizzled.
“What about it?”
“You didn’t tell me about it, that’s what, much less your part in it.”
“What’s to tell?” His eyebrows punched downward in bewilderment. “It was a standard hearing, with the expected outcome.”
“So … you played a recording for me of Danny Romero ordering Jake Chalmers to kill someone—someone you said was me—but you didn’t think it was important for me to know that earlier there was evidence he murdered someone in the Philippines? Enough evidence, in fact, to substantiate his deportation.”
Brad’s face said Oh. “Honestly, Eve, once the man was no longer a threat to you, I moved on. I simply forgot about it.”
“That man was reportedly on an island for a year with my ward, Crystal Oakleigh, and you forgot to inform me he might have killed someone there?”
“I told you not to take her on.”
“Yes, without telling me Jake Chalmers was awaiting trial for murder.” Her eyes flung daggers at Brad.
“Both of us were hot under the collar with that conversation, Eve.”
“So why wasn’t a transcription of the deportation hearing in the file?”
“Because the file was personal, one I kept for you. You just happened to find it before I was ready to give it to you. The transcription of the hearing is filed under official business.”
So, Brad was looking out for her. Eve’s anger deflated like a balloon. He wasn’t trying to hide anything. Maybe she should have listened to him after all about Crystal.
She sank into one of his office chairs. “I have nightmares,” she whispered. “I’m in a jungle, hiding. He finds me.” She gulped. She could never get beyond that point. Terror always woke her up, erased what happened next.
“Have you and Crystal talked about the island?”
“A little.”
“Has she brought up Chalmers’ deportation?”
Eve shook her head. Did Crystal know about it?
“So she hasn’t asked for your help in exonerating him?”
Eve startled. “No.”
“Mrs. Parker, her great-aunt, came to our office, asking for you,”—a muscle in Brad’s jaw twitched—“in spite of the restraining order against her. She wanted you to go to the Correctional Center to testify on Chalmers’ behalf against deporting him.”
A shudder vibrated ice-cold waves over Eve’s shoulders and down her spine. That brute had been within walking distance of her office? And he’d wanted her to testify in his defense? What kind of power did he have over her to expect that?
She blinked. Was this why Betty Parker had made her Crystal’s guardian—their connection with Jake Chalmers? What had happened on that island that put him in control of their lives?
She stood, agitation fueling her like rocket propellant. “I’m sorry I doubted you, Brad. Maybe taking on Crystal was the wrong thing to do after all.” Her body quivered. “I’m picking her up in an hour, and we’re going to have a long talk.”
Chapter 50
It didn’t help that Crystal was bubbling with excitement over her day at summer camp. In the car and on into dinner, she shared minute-by-minute details of every event, and word-by-word conversations with every friend. Eve ate it up. Again it came home to her how much this girl filled an empty spot in her heart. A spot she never should have filled with so little thought and way too much emotion.
After dinner, instead of turning on the news, Eve started her unhappy inquisition. Crystal stretched out on the couch, unaware her life with Eve was at stake, while Eve camped stiffly in an overstuffed chair to the side. She got straight to the point. “You’ve told me a little about Jacob … Jake … Chalmers. Do you know where he is?”
The immediate change in Crystal was unsettling. She sat straight up, darted a glance at Eve, then stared down at the floor. Eve could all but hear Crystal’s heart pounding. It was a full minute before she answered. By then, Eve’s heartbeat was burning fuel in its own race.
“He’s in the Philippines.” Crystal’s throat bobbed in a hard swallow. “In prison.”
Well, that was straightforward. Eve’s shoulder muscles relaxed. “Why?”
“Because you didn’t testify at his hearing. Aunt Betty tried to get you to go.”
Eve inhaled sharply. Everything Marianne and Brad had told her, in a nutshell. “I meant, what is he accused of?”
“Killing a man.”
No cover-up from this kid. “Did he? Do you know?”
Crystal nodded her head.
“Can you tell me about it?”
Another nod. “He told me and Aunt Betty. And Detective Lee.”
“He told you. So you and your aunt didn’t see it happen?”
“No. You didn’t either.”
Eve’s eyebrows did a quick jump. “Then why did he want me to testify at his hearing?”
“Because you were with him when it all happened.”
The interview was like pulling teeth one at a time. “I’d like to hear everything, from beginning to end, okay?”
“Okay.” Crystal heaved a sigh and pulled herself into a crossed-leg position. “I was the first to the yacht. It sailed into our cove, and I yelled for Aunt Betty because you and Jake were gone. Aunty and I hid in the trench and then in the cave cuz Jake wanted to check people out first in case they were bad guys—and they were. Like, big time. Pirates. Only we didn’t know it till later.”
Already Eve had ten questions to ask. She shifted into a more comfortable position and hoped the floating story pieces would eventually come together.
“We hid for a long time until Jake and you finally came. That’s when we heard what happened.” Crystal paused to stare at Eve. When Eve said nothing, Crystal continued. “It was bad. Two guys from the boat found you and tried to take you wit
h them. Jake accidently killed one of them, and so did you. Then the two guys still on the boat came and caught you and sailed away.”
“I killed one of them?” Eve could hardly get the words out. No one had mentioned a word about that.
“Uh huh. You made him fall and break his neck.”
“I … on purpose?”
Crystal sucked in her bottom lip and chewed on it. “I don’t think you meant to break his neck. Just to make him fall so you could get away.”
The fist-like grip on Eve’s throat relaxed, and she gulped in a breath. “How did the other man die—the one Jake killed?”
“I don’t know, except it was an accident, and to protect you.”
“How did it protect me?”
“You were running away from the first guy, and Jake stopped the second guy from helping him. Then Jake found you and the first guy, dead, and then you and Jake went back to the second guy and found him dead.”
The explanation left Eve cross-eyed. “What happened with the other two pirates?”
“They caught you and beat up Jake and tied him to a tree, so you said you’d go with them if they didn’t kill Jake.”
“You witnessed all that?”
“Jake told us. But we came out of the cave in time to see the yacht leave. Jake was mad at you for going with them.”
Or mad because she had escaped him? Everything Jake said had no witness to corroborate his story—except, evidently, her. She shivered. Had he counted on her to be scared enough at the deposition to support him, no matter what the truth was?
“Mom, can you testify for him now?”
Eve quelled a nasty laugh. “I can’t testify to what I can’t remember, Crystal. I’d be of no help.” Nor did she want to help. If anything, quite the opposite.