Jack agreed with Claire. “Not a chance. Perhaps you should just talk to Graves about it. He’s your friend, isn’t he?”
“I thought so, but now I’m wondering?” Jeff said bitterly. “What kind of friend rips off your art? Huh?”
“Oh, for goodness sakes, this is getting way too big. Why don’t you just drive out there and nose around. Then you’ll know if Claire really saw copies of your frogs or not,” Kaye told them, exasperated.
“What, tonight?” Jeff reared back, alarmed at the idea.
“Yes, tonight! What’s the big deal? The pottery will be closed. I don’t think locked doors could stop Steve. He used to do this kind of reconnoiter for a living, didn’t you dear?”
“But, that’s breaking in...” Claire started to protest.
“It’s not like we’re going to steal anything. We just want to see if Jeff’s frog is being used without his permission. If it is, he can then confront Graves and have it stopped.” Kaye sounded very reasonable.
“Why can’t he just call Graves and ask him. He was just here a bit ago; chances are he’s still up.” Claire thought she was being very logical, but she could see from the looks on the other faces that they all liked the idea of a night mission.
“We have our Land Rover parked outside.” Steve glanced at his watch. “It’s one o’clock now. We could go out, look around and be back here before dawn breaks. I’m game. What do you think, Jeff?”
Jeff nodded. “I’m hoping Claire was mistaken about finding a copy of my frog, but I suspect she’s too smart to make that kind of error. I’d like to see with my own eyes what’s going on.”
“Well, I don’t think I can let you guys go without me. I have had some experience that might be helpful, and I admit I’m curious about that locked room, myself.” Jack nodded, already looking completely different than the man who had dragged himself back into the restaurant such a short time ago.
“Don’t even think you’re going without me,” Claire said.
“And me. I’m not the patient kind to sit home and pray. I did that for more years than I want to remember. I’m in,” Kaye said and they all knew she meant what she said.
“Will your Land Rover hold five?” Claire asked.
“Just. Drink up; we need to get going if we’re going to do this before the workers arrive to start a new day.” Steve reached for his wallet and signaled the waitress.
As the men all contributed to the check, Steve murmured, “We could use a few flashlights and perhaps a tool or two.”
“Let’s drive by my studio. I’ve got a lot of things that might be handy.”
Claire shivered as they piled into the Land Rover. She was having second thoughts, wondering if their decision to reconnoiter was due to the liquor they had consumed or if it was just a harmless adventure, something to remember and laugh about in the years to come. She was really surprised at Jack’s participation, but then she reasoned this kind of operation might just be in a day’s work for him; perfectly normal. But for her it seemed dangerous and very exciting.
CHAPTER 14
“What happened?”
Her face showed clearly that she was upset. She shook her head in frustration. “I don’t really know. They were right in front of me. The street was deserted, it was perfect. Yet, somehow, I missed them completely. I hit the wall which sent me into a spin, and when I got control of the truck again, the engine had stalled. After I got the truck started, I looked for their bodies but I couldn’t see them. I think they might have been on the sidewalk behind me. But by that time too much time had passed, so I just high-tailed it out of there before anyone came.” She heaved a sigh. “But a few blocks away I calmed down, circled around and drove down Mesones slowly, with my lights on, turned the corner and looked carefully. There was no sign of them, so I know I didn’t hit them. I was going so fast, if I had hit them, there is no way they would have been able to move away from that spot.
“Damn! I don’t know how they could have escaped. I combed the streets between there and the Pruitts’ but didn’t see them.”
“I told you they have uncanny luck. Well, I tried to be the nice guy to protect my safe house, but now I have to face the facts; San Miguel is no longer safe for me. I’m going to have to relocate, and we’re going to have to move our factory. Good thing you instructed Carlos to take the truck back tonight. That should keep your operation in Humble busy for a while. I’ll go out to the pottery and meet with Miguel tonight. Tomorrow we’ll start to disassemble the equipment and pack up the raw cocaine.”
Kathleen nodded. She felt responsible for this turn of events. “This is my fault. Let me finish it. I can go over to the Pruitts’ house tonight and take care of them. Then I’ll head for the airport and fly back to Houston so I’ll be there when the truck arrives.”
Her uncle thought a moment. “It’s not really your fault. I told you how tricky Claire is; it’s just hard to grasp until you experience it. But I do agree they need to be eliminated. Given what you know about them now, be extremely careful when you break in. It would still be better if it looked like an accident, but just make sure you get rid of them this time.”
Kathleen nodded, already thinking about the logistics of the situation.
“Call me on my cell phone when the deed is done, and then I’ll let you know which alternative location we picked for the factory. All right?”
Graves went into his room to change his clothes and he realized as he donned the dark shirt and slacks and slipped into some rubber soled shoes, he was changing his persona. He grabbed a dark knitted watch cap to slip over his smooth skull and then finally buckled on the belt that held the holster fitted with his Glock. He removed the Glock and ejected the magazine. He checked to see the magazine was full then re-inserted it and shoved the gun back into his holster. He was no longer the American-expatriate-businessman, Graves; he was once more the dangerous, slippery Guiness.
He picked up a small duffle from his closet, which he kept packed and ready for Guiness’ use. Then he opened the wall safe in his office and removed two packages, one of alternative identities and credit cards to match, and one of cash. He added them to the contents of the duffle. Now he was ready for anything. He headed through the house to the five-car garage where he paused a moment, then chose a dark blue sedan for the anonymity of its design, knowing its powerful motor would be appreciated if he needed it.
Later when Miguel opened his door, bare-chested, wearing only boxer shorts, his eyes were still bleary with sleep. Seeing who was waiting outside woke him up fast. It didn’t take long for him to dress and be ready to go with Graves to the pottery. He was alarmed at the thought of moving their operation. They had planned for such a contingency, but he had never really expected it to happen. While the car moved through the dark night, Miguel’s forehead was damp with sweat as he thought about how this would affect his family.
* * *
“I hate this. How long have they been gone? How can you stand it? Aren’t you worried?” Claire’s whisper sounded loud in the dark silent interior of the Land Rover.
“Relax, it hasn’t been that long and, no, I’m not really worried. Steve needed this. I can tell he’s just been crawling with suppressed energy. When he was still in the service they would take the troops out for field maneuvers or war games when they got like that. Now he doesn’t have an outlet. This is just the kind of thing he needs.” Kaye’s whisper conveyed her satisfaction.
“What about Jeff? He’s an artist. What does he know about sneaking around in the dark?”
“Well, regardless of his sexual preference he’s a guy, isn’t he? All the guys like to play these adventure games. They go camping and fishing and play war. But actually, Jeff was a Commando, didn’t you know?”
“Jeff?” Claire couldn’t help her surprise. She had no idea the pleasant giant had another side.
“Yes, he did his time, and then I think he wanted to get as far away from that life as he could. I suppose it was even harder for
him, since he had to be careful to hide his sexual orientation. Big bad Commandos probably are even less accepting of alternative lifestyles than the normal branches of service.” Kaye sounded a little bitter. “Anyway, after he met Teddy, he seems very happy with his life in sleepy San Miguel.
“But I guess you might be a little worried about Jack. Don’t be. I’m sure Steve and Jeff will look after him. Actually, though, I think he was pretty brave to go along with them like that. What does he do for a living anyway? I don’t think he mentioned it.”
“Shh...what’s that?” A prickle of unease washed over Claire’s scalp.
She turned and looked out the window in time to see the lights of a powerful sounding car coming down the dirt road. Both women ducked down in the car, as if that would keep them invisible. Fortunately, parked as they were in the shadow of an out-building down the street from the pottery they weren’t noticed by the occupants of the car. The car swung into the lot behind the pottery and they heard the doors slam in the still night. They looked at each other with alarm.
“This doesn’t look good,” Kaye whispered.
Claire nodded. “I agree. What should we do?”
Kaye reached under the front seat and brought out a wicked-looking Billy club. “Reach in the back, Claire, and see if you can get that tire iron we keep there. I think we need to be armed, just in case.”
Claire frantically felt around in the luggage bay behind the second seat until finally her fingers grasped the metal rod. “Crawl over the seat so you can get out through the driver’s door, Claire. Steve disabled the light switch on this door. No sense in advertising our presence by flashing the interior lights.”
When Claire stood behind Kaye on the ground she noticed her knees were quivering and she suspected it had nothing to do with the effort it took to climb over the seats to get out.
Kaye started out boldly, silently, heading for the back end of the pottery. Claire followed closely, holding the back of Kaye’s blouse bunched in one fist, the tire iron clutched in the other, as she nervously made sure she didn’t lose her in the dark. It was hard to see, so they were apt to stumble over rocks and uneven ground, but a small light near the back door beckoned to them.
* * *
The men cautiously circled the pottery before deciding the door at the back was their best bet for a speedy entry. It was a very solid door, but secured only with a padlock connecting the hasp on the door to the metal frame attached to the wall.
“I think I can cut the padlock off with my bolt cutter,” Jeff whispered.
“No, that’s too obvious. They would see it had been cut. Let’s see if I can pick the lock. That way when we leave no one will even know we’ve been here.” Steve pulled a handful of key-like tools from his pocket and started to work on the lock.
“What? You just happen to carry a set of picks?” Jack whispered. “What are you, a cat burglar?”
Steve chuckled. “Good idea to bolster my income. But no, it’s a hobby. I practice whenever I can. You’d be surprised how many times Kaye and I have been locked out of the house or car. I got tired of calling a locksmith and decided I could learn to do it myself.” He was quickly trying one after the other of the little picks in the lock. “Aah, here it is.” He worked the pick a bit more and it opened with a soft click. He stood back and said proudly, “Gentlemen, we’re in.”
They cautiously entered what proved to be a roofed patio area. Jack recognized it from their visit earlier. One of the kilns was still glowing orange with heat. The door into the pottery from the patio was closed, but not even locked. They quickly spread out and using the flashlights Jeff supplied from his studio, went through all the rooms to check to make sure they were alone, meeting back in the packing room near the locked door.
“I didn’t see anything that looked like a copy of my work,” Jeff said, not bothering to whisper. “Did either of you?”
“I didn’t either,” Steve confirmed.
“Or me,” Jack said, looking carefully at the locked door. “What do you think, Steve? Can you get us in this one?”
He shrugged squatting down in front of the door, his picks in his hand. “This is a little more sophisticated a lock. Let me give it a try.” He worked for a while. Meanwhile Jeff and Jack aimed their flashlights at various parts of the room.
“Hey, I need some light here, guys,” Steve complained, and they both put their lights back on the door. “Thanks. It’s a little stubborn, but I think I’ve got it. There, that’s it.” He got up and cautiously opened the door.
The three beams of their flashlights skidded about the room.
“Close the door behind us and I think we can turn on the lights. I don’t see any other doors and there are no windows in here.” Jeff pushed the door shut behind them and Jack flipped the light switch. They blinked for a minute adjusting to the brightness of the lights.
“Whoa, what’s all this?” Steve moved over to a work area filled with basins, beakers, paper packages and a couple containers marked ‘ferric chloride’. “Are they cooking something?”
“I’d say so,” was Jack’s comment. “But I don’t think its bakery goods.” He picked up an opened package and stared at the label. “Cobalt? What do you suppose they’re using this for?”
“Glazes. They use cobalt in blue glazes. It’s a pretty normal ingredient, but this is the strangest glaze room I’ve ever seen.” Jeff had a puzzled look on his face.
“Hey guys, look at this.” Steve was standing near a group of shipping boxes. The top one was open showing it was partially filled with plastic bags. Steve had dipped a finger in one where the seal had been broken. “This must be what they’re cooking and it sure isn’t legal.”
“Cocaine?” Jack pushed closer. “No wonder that man said it was secret.”
Jeff had wandered to the far side of the room to examine some plaster of Paris blocks he had noticed.
“Shit, will you look at this?” He had pulled the top off of one of the blocks and they could now see it was a mold. “Claire was right. This was made from one of my pieces.”
Steve and Jack moved over closer, watching as Jeff opened several of the dozen or more blocks to reveal the cavity inside which could form a replica of his frogs.
“I don’t understand this. The cocaine, the chemicals and knock-offs of my frogs. What are they doing here?”
“I think I can explain that for you guys.”
They froze, hearing the cold voice, and then they swung around to see Graves and another man standing behind them, pointing very intimidating guns directly at them.
“Graves. Man, what in the hell are you doing?” Steve started in his no-nonsense tone.
“Can it, Carter! I know just what I’m doing. Miguel and I are making cocoa negra and molding it into little statues which we then export to the States. It’s virtually undetectable cocaine at the border and while we have to process it again to purify it, it is going to be very popular.” He grinned evilly. “And it’s going to make us a lot of money.”
Jack didn’t like the confident way Graves held the gun. He looked far too capable of using it.
“So, Jack Hanford, you’re sticking your nose into things that don’t concern you again. Unfortunately for you, this will be the last time you’ll be upsetting my plans.”
“I’m sorry, have we met before?” Jack tried drawing him out, basically stalling for time.
“Oh, no you don’t. We don’t have time for long explanations like they do in the movies. We’re just going to kill you and move on. Suffice to say, you’ve managed to derail our little project here. We’ll be moving shop immediately. I hope you find that enough satisfaction for your foolhardy action.” He stretched his arm out, pointing his gun at Jack while the man beside him did the same in Steve and Jeff’s direction. Grave’s face was purposeful, while the other man’s face dripped with nervous sweat.
* * *
Claire and Kaye tiptoed toward the open door where the bright light illuminated the room as if i
t was a stage. And the drama they saw playing out in that room sent chills down their spines.
Jeff, Steve and Jack stood stock still, warily eyeing the men standing in front of them. While the two men had their backs to the door, the threatening guns they were holding were clearly visible to the women.
This was not good!
Claire looked at Kaye, put a finger in front of her lips and then indicated with a nod that Kaye should follow her quietly. They crept silently into the room to hide behind a stack of cartons only a few feet behind the men with the guns.
“I couldn’t believe it when someone told me you were copying my work. I didn’t want to think you’d take advantage of me, like that,” Jeff said bitterly to Graves.
“Get over it! We needed something and Kathleen thought it would be a lark to use your frog. We didn’t intend you to ever find out about it.”
The tension in the room sizzled and when the cell phone rang, sounding incongruously cheerful, everyone jerked with surprise. The taller man, reached into his pocket with his free hand, opening the phone deftly, he put it to his ear and listened.
“I know they’re not there.” He spoke, his voice identifying him as Graves. “They’re here; well at least Jack is, along with Jeff and Steve Carter. It seems they were coming out to investigate the frogs we were using. I don’t know where Claire is. Good point!
“Well, she’ll be near here, probably waiting outside somewhere, in the car. You head out using an alternate plan and I’ll take care of this.” He snapped the phone closed and put it back in his pocket, saying at the same time, “Kathleen was disappointed not to find you and Claire at the Pruitts’, Jack. She had plans...”
Claire and Kaye charged out from either side of the stack of boxes, club and tire iron held high. Kaye’s healthy thump on the head of the man closest to her caused him to sag into Graves knocking his gun hand aside just as he pulled the trigger. Still he managed to get two shots off before Claire’s tire iron hit him soundly across his back. She missed connecting with his head when the other man sagged into him, pushing his head out of range of the swing of the tire iron. Before Claire could swing again, Jack leaped for Graves’ gun hand while Jeff tackled his midsection.
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