by Nash, M. G.
“Let’s hope that sitting in jail has made him antsy. If he gets a free ticket back to the mainland in exchange for his testimony he’ll co-operate ‘cause there is no Plan B.”
They enjoyed their dinner while watching the sky move from orange to pink at the horizon.
Arm in arm Bob and Carrie strolled back into the motel to find Jose at the front desk. “Buenos noches,” Carrie greeted him. “We had a lovely time on the boat.”
“Yes, I can tell, you look like lovebirds,” Jose teased.
“Guess who I ran into at Rancho Murieta,” Bob challenged with a smile on his face.
“Eva Langoria,” Jose quipped, “She’s one hot chica.”
“No, Hugo Verdez, you remember him. He used to own Rancho Murieta.”
“Oh, yeah, the old guy with the white hair.”
“Right,” Bob nodded. “He’s coming here tomorrow for lunch. I believe he can help us get rid of Felix.”
“How would he do that?” interrupted Jose.
Bob put up his hand, “Just listen for a minute. Hugo knows the CEO at Royal Hacienda. He says he’d never condone sabotage. He thinks Felix is working with an underling. He agreed to interview Miguel. If his testimony is strong enough, he’ll call Royal Hacienda for us.” Bob studied Jose’s face for his reaction.
“That would be good if we could solve this without the police,” Jose agreed nodding his head.
“Have you heard from Alfredo?” Carrie asked.
“No, not yet, Saturday is his busy day at the dealership. He’ll call in the morning.”
“We need to get Miguel here tomorrow afternoon. Between his testimony and the emails that Juanita found, it should be enough evidence. See if Alfredo can bring Miguel here.”
“Okay. Juanita is watching Felix right now. I’ll talk to her in the morning.”
“Good night,” Carrie waved as they headed to their room.
Early the next morning Bob slid quietly out of the bed so Carrie could sleep. He pulled on shorts and left the room for a morning walk on the beach. It was always his best time to think when his head was clear. He knew that Miguel hearing Felix talk about someone at Royal Hacienda was merely circumstantial evidence. Did Miguel ever hear Felix on the phone with his contact or meet his contact at The Spa? He needed to study the emails Juanita had found on Mary’s computer. A direct email with a Royal Hacienda address would be more incriminating. He wandered toward Alfredo’s house hoping that Juanita was an early riser. He knocked on the door and Juanita soon appeared with a cup of coffee in her hand.
“Buenos dias, Roberto,” she greeted.
“I know it’s early but do you have a minute? I was very curious what happened with Felix last night.”
Juanita smiled waving him into the kitchen. “Would you like some coffee?” she offered as she began talking, “Our man Felix put the make on a waitress at The Spa. She just happens to be the older sister of one of the security guards here at Pescadero.”
Sipping his coffee, Bob sighed, “Yeah, sounds like Felix all right. He thinks he’ll get to us through the girl and her brother.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. I’m just getting ready to go give my report to Jose.”
“Before you go, do you think there could be anything else in Mary’s computer? Is there any chance that Miguel would have any other forwarded messages that might include Royal Hacienda’s contact in them?”
“That would be a long shot. Why do you ask?”
“We’re going to need your help, Juanita. Someone is coming today who has contacts at Royal Hacienda. If our evidence is strong enough, he’s willing to call the CEO for us.”
“Whoa, that would get somebody’s attention,” Juanita commented. “We definitely have the email communication between Royal Hacienda and Felix. That message got forwarded to Miguel.”
“Do you have the equipment to tape today’s interview with Miguel? I think it’s important that we show Hugo’s interview with Miguel. And, I’d rather Miguel not know we’re taping if that’s possible.”
“I can audio tape it by planting a microphone in Jose’s office, but videotaping would be harder. I only have a handheld camera with me.”
“What about the police? I wonder if the they would have something that Alfredo could bring with him.” He stood and set his coffee cup down. “Let’s go find Jose. The three of us need to talk so we’re ready for this afternoon.”
Jose was finishing his breakfast as they walked into the bar. “Hola, Jose,” greeted Juanita. “We had a busy night last night.”
“You’re up early, Bob,” noticed Jose, “No breakfast in bed with Carrie today?”
“I woke up thinking about today. I think it’s important to get Miguel in front of Hugo so we can see if he’s willing to support our efforts. Juanita here tells me Felix hit on a waitress last night so he’s obviously looking for new informants.”
“Okay. Let’s go call Alfredo at home.” The three of them headed back to Jose’s office where they could talk in private.
Dialing the number, Jose sat behind his desk as Juanita and Bob gathered around the front. Alfredo picked up on the third ring. “Hola,” he began.
“Primo,” Jose greeted affectionately. “We need to talk. Do you have a few minutes now. Juanita and Bob are here with me.”
“Sure, what’s going on?”
Jose summarized the weekend activity about Felix, and Bob bumping into Hugo at Rancho Murieta. He ended with Juanita’s report of Felix’s nighttime activities.
“Well, at least we know he’s not going away as we hoped,” Alfredo said drily.
“Hugo is willing to come to Pleasure Cove today to meet with us. He’d like to interview Miguel himself. Is it possible that you could bring him down this afternoon?”
“Let me make some calls and check on that. I’ve been too busy at the dealership to worry about Miguel for a few days.”
“Bob has a special request. Ask your detective if he has a video camera we can use to tape Hugo’s interview. He wants a record of Miguel’s testimony in case he tries to change it later.”
“Okay. I’ll ask. Give me an hour or two and I’ll call you back. At least it’s a great day to drive to the beach.”
Bob turned to Juanita and asked, “Can you think of anything else we can do to collect evidence against Felix?”
“Well, what if he’s courting the waitress just to get info on The Spa? I’d like to hack into The Spa’s server and see if he’s trading emails with anyone this weekend.”
“Could you do that from here?” Jose asked curiously.
“Maybe,” she replied hesitantly. “It’s worth a try. We need to know what he’s up to, and that’s something I can do now.”
“Good enough for me, what do you think, Jose?”
“As long as we can do it here, and they will never know, let’s give it a try.” He gave her a long look. “So, someone could hack into our computers here?” he asked.
“No, I’ve set up security levels for you, Jose, and I may find the same thing at The Spa.”
Leaving the room, she returned to the front desk so she could start her research.
Bob filled up coffee cups and ordered food for him and Carrie. He wanted to surprise her with breakfast in bed. He stopped long enough to drop a fresh flower on the tray.
Slipping quietly into the room, he noticed the empty rumpled bed, and could just hear the shower running over Carrie’s humming. He set the tray on the bed silently.
Walking her coffee into the bathroom, she immediately picked up the smell. “Coffee,” she sighed. She stopped the shower grabbing a towel as she stepped out to give him a wet kiss. “Thanks,” she smiled taking the cup and sipping the black warmth.
“Anything for my lady. Your breakfast is waiting,” he guided her back to the bed.
“Ah-h, how nice, and a fresh flower, too.” She smiled and kissed him again.
“I thought we’d share a mushroom omelet,” Bob explained taking the lid off the plate and
cutting the steaming egg dish with a knife.
“So, tell me what you were doing up so early this morning. I turned to cuddle with you but you were gone.”
“My mind was racing about Miguel and getting him here so Hugo could interview him. We’re trying to make certain it gets videotaped.”
“My cell phone has a short video capability,” Carrie offered.
“Could we hide it on Jose’s desk so Miguel doesn’t know he’s being recorded?”
“Maybe, but you know that’s not admissible in court, Bob.”
“I’m thinking we have to serve our own justice here in Pleasure Cove. This would never hold up in a legal court. The best we can do is tip off the CEO that skullduggery is going on within his managers and leave him to clean it up.”
“Well, let’s go do a test in Jose’s office after breakfast. We’ll know within a few minutes if it’s going to work. If it does, I have to have the phone fully charged.”
Bob and Carrie walked into the lobby to hear Juanita say, “Gotcha.” while she clicked on her computer keyboard.
“What did you find, young lady?” Bob walked up behind her to look at her computer screen.
“I found a way into their email server so I could see the emails that guests have sent this weekend. She smiled up at Bob and Carrie who had joined them behind the desk. “Felix has been a busy boy. Sending emails to Jacada about The Spa remodel. Look here he says it will take him over six months to completely set up the spa. He sent an email to a Royal Hacienda address this morning stating that he’s back onto Pleasure Cove. He thinks he’s found a new mole.”
“That is good stuff. Can you print it off so we can show it to Hugo later today?”
“Sure. I’ll just add it to the file along with the other emails. We have to see if it’s going to the same address as before.”
Bob knocked on Jose’s door before entering. Jose was not inside so Bob asked Carrie to wait while he got Jose’s permission to use his office. “I’ll only be a minute,” he promised, and headed for the kitchen.
Carrie sat down and took in the office. She looked at his desk detailing each item. We might squeeze a plant on that desk where we could hide a phone. She moved the chairs and turned back to the desk placing the phone on the right edge to see if it captured enough images. She wasn’t pleased with the angle.
She looked at both side walls. “Is that a common wall?” she wondered tapping on it to confirm it was hollow. “Hum-m, I wonder if we could mount a fake control box on the wall here and put the phone inside so it records everything?”
Just as she was sitting back down, Bob returned to the room. “Okay, he knows what we’re doing. So, any ideas yet?”
“Look at this. She returned to the wall and held up her phone dead center of the chairs. “If we can mount a fake control box here, plant my phone inside, it could record everything for about ten minutes.”
“Well, let’s give it a try. I’ll get Jose. He can be Hugo and I’ll be Miguel. You try taping us from the wall.” He walked out calling Jose’s name and returned with him shortly.
Both men sat in the chairs while Carrie positioned the cell phone against the wall. She turned on the recorder and held her hand still to capture the images. After a minute or two, she brought the phone down, and hit play. The video was grainy but she could hear and see Bob and Jose as they chatted.
“It’s not as good as the police might do, but it will serve its purpose. Now, we just have to mount an empty AC temp box or control box onto the wall so I can hide my cell phone inside.” She turned to the men, “What do you think?”
“Very clever, Carrie,” smiled Jose. “Man, we don’t want to make these women angry at us, Bob. They are dangerous creatures.”
Carrie laughed, “We’re on your side, Jose. I want to nail this sucker to the wall. Maybe this video will help. I’m going to go charge my cell phone battery.” She and Bob stood up to head for the door.
“Let us know when Alfredo calls back, OK?” Bob added before opening the door.
“Will do, I’ll call maintenance now to come hang the fake box. Let me measure the height of your phone, Carrie, so we make sure it fits. It has to stand open inside, right?”
“Oh, right,” she passed the cell to Jose who laid it down and quickly traced around it on a blank sheet of paper.
“This should work as a pattern,” Jose returned her phone then turned to put tape on the wall right where the phone had been. “I’ll get this done so we can run one more test before Alfredo arrives.”
“Good idea. Juanita will be back here in a moment. She did get into the email server at The Spa. So, we have one more piece of evidence.” Bob rubbed his hands together. “We’re slowly making progress.”
“Like I said, these women are dangerous,” muttered Jose shaking his head.
Shortly after Carrie got her cell phone connected to the charger, Bob’s cell rang.
Looking at the phone, Bob recognized the international exchange, “It's Hugo calling.”
“Good morning, my friend,” Bob greeted.
“I’m just getting ready to head for Pleasure Cove, Bob. I thought I should make certain everything is ready.”
“Yes, we are getting everything for you right now, Hugo. We’re just waiting for a callback to confirm that the witness in Tijuana can arrive here by two.”
“Okay, I’ll see you just before noon.”
Bob sat staring at the phone and looked up to Carrie, “I don’t think I’ve ever had anything happen in this village so quickly before.” She laughed and took his hand.
“Trust me; it wouldn’t be now if you weren’t driving it.”
They left the room to stroll out to the palapa for a cool drink. The beach was quiet this morning as the guests headed back to the airport. “Do you really think we’ll get everything wrapped up today, Bob?”
“Alfredo and Jose will have to finish it. I’ve got to return the airplane or the doctor will have a search party out for me.”
“Oh, I forgot all about the plane. Of course, and I have to be ready for a new work assignment on Tuesday.”
“We’ll be fine, Carrie, we just need to get Hugo on board today. I’m sure he will do the right thing if he believes this evidence as we do.”
Jose found them in the palapa a few minutes later. “Alfredo is on his way to pick up Miguel. He should be here in a couple of hours.”
“That’s good news. Now, what are we going to feed Hugo for lunch? I’m thinking he had enough fish this weekend. Does the cook have any carnitas? Maybe we could have fajitas. We want you to join us for lunch, Jose.”
“I’ll go talk to the cook and see what she thinks. Come help yourself to a cold beer.”
Bob and Carrie drifted into the bar and opened Coronas. He looked at the chips and salsa and admitted, “I’ve had qualms about chips and salsa ever since Miguel’s little stunt.”
“This all has an emotional impact. You’ve got to be done with it for that reason alone,” reasoned Carrie. She rubbed Bob’s back while they sipped their beers.
“Fajitas it will be,” Jose reported as he returned to the bar. “Would you like to eat under the palapa to enjoy the day?”
“Great idea, Jose, Carrie and I will get the table ready so you can take care of things in here.” Bob touched her back as they rose to go set the table for lunch.
Within an hour, Hugo drove up to the motel. Jose walked out to meet him along with Bob and Carrie. “This is one terrific beach, Jose,” greeted Hugo.
As soon as they were comfortable under the palapa, steaming fajita skillets were served from the kitchen. Jose watched proudly as the cook catered to their special guest.
“Well, I can see why someone wants to steal your place,” admired Hugo. “This is muy bueno.” He brought his fingers to his lips in a kiss. “My compliments to the chef.”
Bob and Carrie excused themselves briefly so the two men could chat in Spanish. Bob knew Jose needed the bonding time with Hugo, and he and Carrie wanted
to test the cell phone one more time before Alfredo arrived.
Taping the phone inside the control box in Jose’s office, Carrie turned it to record. She and Bob sat in the chairs for the interview testing their voices for volume. When Carrie hit replay, they were pleased with the video image. It wasn’t perfect but it would get the job done.
Chapter 34
Alfredo arrived at the motel just as Bob and Carrie walked back to the palapa. Releasing Miguel from the handcuffs that had been necessary while he drove, Alfredo turned to greet Jose and Hugo.
Bob watched as the four men headed to Jose’s office. His lips touched Carrie’s, “I’m not staying long. I just want to watch the interview get started. Then, I’ll come find you.” He walked quickly to catch up as the men entered the room.
“Well, Miguel, I understand you are in some hot water with the family here,” Hugo began. “I wanted to hear your side of the story.” He stopped and looked Miguel in the eye. “We like to solve our own problems in this village and I’m a patriarch. Comprendre?” He looked at Miguel again and waited until he nodded. “I’ve known these men since they were young, and they trust me to make a decision on what to do with you. You can talk to me or take your chances with the police. There’s still a chance you can walk away, but only if I’m convinced you’re being honest with me.”
Hugo sat down in his chair and leaned forward so he was close to Miguel. “Now, tell me everything. I want the details.”
“I’ve already told them everything I know,” Miguel said sullenly with his head bowed.
“Yes, but I’m an outsider. I have a more objective mind and ear to listen. This is your last chance. Please, I want to hear what you have to say.”
Miguel shuffled in his chair and began his story. “I met Felix Jacada at The Spa and we talked about minor accidents at Pleasure Cove hurting their business so they would sell.”
“Was Felix Jacada your only contact or did you meet with other people as well?”
“My contact was Felix. But, he had contact with someone at Royal Hacienda. He told me about it, and he sent me a couple of emails proving that he had a serious buyer.”