“I think Bird is definitely male. He’s always after you to ‘get the girls,’” Pete said, as they made their way over to the gate.
“I think so, too,” Tick added, before offering his arm to Bird. “When he says that, there’s an urgency to it. Almost as though he’s speaking about real people. You gettin’ that?”
Pete laughed. “Yeah, there is an urgency to his words, but they all sound urgent, if you ask me. Maybe he’s on a mission, and you just haven’t figured out what it is.”
“I don’t know. I was planning to research parrots on the Internet but never got around to it. I just might do that someday soon. And I still want to brush up on my Spanish. He says a lot of words in his native language.”
“You’re sure of this?” Pete asked.
“No, I’m not sure of anything where that ball of feathers is concerned. Bird has mentioned Cuba, and that makes me think. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Spanish wasn’t the language he used to communicate with whoever owned him before he took up residence at my place. He started using it the other day when I asked him in Spanish if he understood what I was saying.”
Amused, Pete offered, “A bilingual parrot.”
“Yeah, I know it sounds nuts. Now, let’s see if we can find a way inside this place and hope like hell no one sees us. Remember, stay behind me and do as I say.”
“Or you’ll kick my ass. I remember.”
“Smart man,” Tick said, grinning.
More than ready to finish what he’d started, Tick placed Bird on his shoulder and gave a slight push to the gate. When it offered no resistance, he was taken aback. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Someone must be inside for the gate to be open. At least he thought so, but reminded himself he’d never ventured this far, so the fact the gate was unlocked didn’t really mean anything. After he glanced over his shoulder to make sure Pete was behind him, they quietly made their way past the gate.
Inside, in the center of the compound, was an Olympic-size swimming pool that looked as if it hadn’t been used since it was built. Water covered the bottom. Algae skimmed the surface, the sides of the pool, and the steps leading down into it. Tick saw several frogs beneath its mucky surface and wondered how they managed to stay alive. Rainwater, no doubt.
Tick spotted an open door ahead. Touching the Glock he’d crammed in his shorts pocket at the last minute for reassurance, he walked slowly toward it. Using his foot, he pushed the door open, then out of habit jumped into a shooter’s stance, with Bird still perched on his shoulder. Carefully, he went completely inside, looked from left to right, then behind the door. The room—he guessed it was meant to be used as a bedroom given its size—was empty except for several thin mattresses on the dirty tile floor. Tick motioned for Pete to step inside.
“What the hell is this? Summer camp for slumming?” Pete nudged one of the mattresses with the tip of his bare foot. Dozens of cockroaches scurried out from beneath it, running every which way. “Oh, man, this is gross!”
Tick nodded but remained still.
“Let’s see what else this mansion has to offer,” Tick suggested.
Pete stayed close behind as they entered another room; though this room was much smaller than the other, there were more filthy thin mattresses scattered all over the floor. Two rooms across from them were identical. Dirty mattresses and bugs crawling everywhere.
“Get the girls! Get the girls!” Bird screeched.
“I thought something like this might be going on here, but I never took the time to check it out. Wasn’t any of my business. Now I think I understand what Bird’s been talking about.”
Motioning to the mattresses, Pete asked, “What does this mean?”
Tick stiffened and put his index finger to his lips. Pete nodded. Cautiously, Tick tiptoed out of the fourth bedroom into the hallway. His heart hammered when he spied two figures silhouetted outside the window in the room across from the one he and Pete had just vacated.
Signaling to Pete to stay put, Tick removed his gun from the waistband of his shorts. With both hands directly in front of him, a firm grip on the gun, the pad of his index finger on the trigger, he clicked off the safety. Slowly, he crossed the hall, one step at a time, then he was in the room where he’d seen the two shadows looming outside seconds ago. Wary, he peered into the darkened corners, searching for someone or something. Nothing. He inched over to the window, eyes peering just above the windowsill so that he could see outside without being spotted by whomever he’d seen lurking in the yard. Again nothing. He moved away from the window and spied a small door on the north side of the room. Must be a closet. He inched his way across the room, his finger ready to pull the trigger at the first sign of movement. In his peripheral vision, he saw Pete step into the hall. Tick removed his left hand from the gun and motioned for Pete to stay put. Step after step brought him within inches of the closet door. Heart slamming in his chest, blood rushing in his ears, Tick saw a small crack in the door. Bird chose that moment to fly away while squawking, “I’m outta here!”
Using his foot to nudge the door all the way open, careful not to take his eyes off whatever lay beyond it, he gave the door a slight push with his foot. What he saw, cowering on the floor, almost knocked the breath out of him. He crammed the Glock in his waistband and stepped back.
“Pete, come in here.”
Pete entered the room to stand beside his brother. He was as surprised as Tick was at what they were seeing.
“Damn, Tick! What—”
“Shhh, she’s frightened.”
A small girl, seemingly no more than ten or eleven, huddled on the floor inside the closet. Long dark hair tangled around her face, and clothes that were little more than rags barely covered her stick-like arms and legs. Though it was dark, Tick could see the fear in her eyes, thick tears streaming down her face. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. When he saw the girl didn’t seem to comprehend a word he said, he spoke softly, using words he thought she might understand.
“No voy lastimas. No tenga miedo.”
Big brown eyes stared up at him. Tick offered his hand to the girl, but she backed farther into the corner, her eyes downcast.
“Mi nombre es Patrick. ¿Cuál es su nombre?”
“I thought you didn’t speak Spanish,” Pete said.
“I don’t. Not much anyway.”
Seeing the girl crouched on the floor reminded him of Emma, even though this girl appeared to be a few years older. Images of Emma and Ricky overwhelmed him. Tears stung his eyes. He knuckled his eyes before the tears even had a chance to pool. He sniffed, then reached out to the child again, repeating what he’d just said. “No voy lastimas. No tenga miedo.”
“Tick, what the hell are you saying to the kid? She looks like she’s scared out of her mind.”
“I’m telling her I’m not going to hurt her and not to be afraid.”
“I don’t think she understands.” Pete knelt on the floor just outside the closet’s small space. With her skittish behavior, the girl reminded him of the horses he used to ride in the rodeo. You had to earn their trust. Speaking in low, soft tones, Pete told the girl about his days with the ponies, and how he’d come to understand their every move. After several minutes, his soft words seemed to confirm to the child that he wouldn’t cause her any harm. She held out her hand to Pete, and he gently pulled her upright and led her out of the closet.
Chapter 14
“Itold you to stay down,” Kate whispered to Sandy, who was standing outside the bedroom window peering inside, where all the activity was taking place.
“They’re in there. And not only are they inside, they’ve found someone. I saw one of them carrying a body out of the room!” She gasped.
Squatting on her haunches, Kate managed to crab walk away from the window, dragging Sandy by her leg in order to keep her from peeping in the window. She didn’t know who was inside and wasn’t going to take any unnecessary chances.
Kate spoke sharply
. “Shhh, be quiet. We don’t know who’s in there or what they’re liable to do if they see us. Sit down! I need to think for a minute.”
Sandy squatted next to her on the pebbled ground beneath the window. “I think I know who our visitors are. From what I could see, I swear it looked like our neighbors.”
“It’s pitch-black, Sandy! How could you tell?” Kate hissed.
“Unlike you, I pay attention to things. Like the shape of a man’s ass, the width of his shoulders, the length of his hair. I’ll lay odds our competition is our sexy hunkified neighbors. As a matter of fact, I’m so sure that’s who’s in there that I’m going inside to see what the hell they’re up to.” Without waiting for Kate to respond, Sandy jumped and ran around to the front of the mansion. Kate raced to catch up with her.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? You can’t just walk in there like you want to borrow some sugar or something! This isn’t like you. We’re trained not to do this kind of thing without calling for backup. We’re off the book, remember? I guess the heat is getting to you.”
“For once, will you just trust me? Let me take the lead. If we weren’t off the book, neither of us would be here,” Sandy pleaded.
Not wanting to give in, but knowing Sandy wasn’t dumb enough to do something totally stupid, she nodded. “If Jelly gives me any crap over this, it’s your ass on the line, okay?”
“Yep. Now come on. I want to see what those two are up to.” Sandy crawled in through the window they’d used earlier even though she knew there were doors that were unlocked. She never did anything the easy way. Without thinking, Kate followed her through the window. With Sandy in the lead, they sneaked down the long hallway where the four bedrooms were located without incident. So far so good, Kate thought. We can do this, she told herself over and over. Sandy was smart, plus Kate trusted her with her very life.
“Listen,” Sandy said, coming to a stop outside one of the bedroom doors.
Kate strained, trying to hear the muffled voices coming from the bedroom. A few seconds passed, and she let out a sigh of relief. Sandy was right on the money. She heard the one who called himself Tick speaking in low tones. Both women jumped when their neighbor’s parrot swooped through the doorway before them.
“I should’ve known that wacky bird had tagged along,” Sandy hissed.
“I think it’s a spy. Let’s go inside, Sandy. You were right on the money. I want to know just what those two think they’re doing, interfering in our investigation.” Kate stepped inside the room, ready to chew out the brothers, when she stopped dead in her tracks. The redheaded brother, Pete, was holding a little girl. Kate thought she might be eight or nine—she wasn’t sure of her age—but she was sure of one thing—the child was frightened, big-time. The parrot flew back into the room and sat on top of Tick’s head. If this weren’t a serious situation, Kate would’ve cracked up laughing at the sight.
“What are you guys doing here? This is private property,” Kate said, all the while taking in the child, who looked as though she hadn’t eaten a decent meal in forever and was scared out of her wits.
Tick took charge. “We could ask you two”—he motioned to Sandy standing in the doorway—“the same thing, but we know who you are and why you’re here. Something tells me this isn’t where we were supposed to meet for that late-night weenie roast.”
“You would be correct. No fires being built tonight. For the record, we’re here on official DEA business. Drug Enforcement Administration business,” Kate snapped.
“Then I would say you’re in the wrong place. There are no drugs here, or any to be found tonight,” Tick shot back.
“That you know about,” Kate shot back smartly.
She observed her temporary neighbor. Damn, he was a fine-looking specimen, she’d give him that. He was dressed in a rippedup T-shirt and khaki shorts that had seen better days, and the dark hair matted to his head and a smoky five-o’clock shadow didn’t distract from his good looks in the least. If anything, Kate thought the scruffy look made him appear sexier than ever. Add the parrot perched on top of his head, and he’d pass for a modern-day pirate. A slightly younger, sexier version of Johnny Depp. She did a quick mental run-through of her own dress, deciding it wasn’t any worse than his. She smiled at her private thoughts.
“Nothing funny about it either,” Tick offered in a low voice.
Kate looked at him as though he were one slice short of a loaf. “You’re right, this isn’t funny. Though I can’t imagine why you’d think such a thing.” Then she remembered her thoughts and how she’d smiled. Kate had the grace to blush, thankful no one could see, considering it was dark inside the abandoned mansion, the only light coming from the moon shining in through the window.
“I don’t know about you three, but I think we need to get this child out of here before someone comes looking for her,” Pete said.
“Of course,” Sandy replied.
“Absolutely,” Kate joined in. “I’ll need to report this.”
Sandy glanced at Pete, who was staring at Tick, who stared at Kate as though she were from another planet. One that hadn’t been discovered. Yet.
“You can’t report this now. We don’t know who she is, where she came from, or why she’s even here. For all you know, her parents could be out strolling the beach. What would they think if they returned, only to find their child had been carried off by . . . strangers?”
Kate thought he had a point, but the odds of that actually coming to pass were slim to none. “We all know that’s highly unlikely. Why don’t you ask her?”
“She’s scared, and I don’t know if she understands English. Tick tried speaking to her in his limited Spanish, and she didn’t respond. As much as I hate to agree with the ol’ bro, I think he’s dead on the money this time.” Pete shifted the weight of the small girl to his opposite shoulder.
“Let’s get her out of here; then we can decide what to do. That fair enough?” Sandy suggested. In her native tongue, Sandy spoke in soft tones to the child, but the child didn’t respond. Later, when they had a plan of sorts, she would try to talk to the frightened little girl. For the moment, it was enough that she was safe.
Agreeing this was best for now, they hurried out of the compound and back to the beach. Tick grabbed the wet suits, along with the rest of their gear. As it was almost impossible to carry all the equipment without dropping it, Kate took one of the wet suits from him and handed Sandy the snorkels and masks. “I don’t even want to know why this stuff is here. I assume it belongs to you two?” Kate said, as they all walked away from the beach in front of the compound toward Tick’s place.
Tick explained. “We were snorkeling after the storm. Pete and I have been wondering what’s going on here. I’ve jogged in this area at night and heard . . . things. The Coast Guard does its nightly cruise-by regularly. They haven’t reported their suspicions to me, not that they’d have a reason to. Since you’re DEA, what’s your take on it? I assume you were sent here to observe that place.” Tick knew he sounded like a smart-ass whose turf had been invaded. Right now he didn’t care. He just wanted to get the kid to safety and let the hot-bodied DEA agents do their thing.
“You assume correctly,” Kate said, her voice firm and professional. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the details.”
Mockingly, Tick supplied, “Of course you aren’t.”
“And if I did, I’d have to kill you,” Kate said, as she rolled her eyes, glad for the darkness. When they finally arrived at the beach in front of the house on stilts, Pete shifted the girl to a more comfortable position before climbing the stairs. Looking over his shoulder, he called out, “Come inside, ladies. I think we’re going to need your help. This little one smells like she hasn’t had a good scrubbing in a while. I’m sure that you can make her bathing experience comfortable. If you’re up to it, that is.”
The last thing Kate wanted was another trip to her neighbor’s house, but Pete had a point. None of them knew what the child had
experienced. Being stripped down to her bare skin by two strange men was bound to cause the poor kid even more trauma.
Sandy acknowledged Kate’s reluctance with a raised brow.
Kate nodded. “We really don’t have much choice.”
“Well, I for one would bathe an alligator just to get close to the one named Pete. This has worked to our advantage for sure,” Sandy whispered.
“Sandy, that’s a terrible thought!” But Kate couldn’t stop herself from smiling. Leave it to Sandy to see the bright side of any situation. One more reason they were such good friends.
Sandy leaned close, whispering in her ear, “It’s true, and you know it. You shouldn’t be so snippy with Tick either. I think he’s interested in you. Don’t screw things up before you even get a chance to know the guy. He is hot, don’t you think?”
“Shhh,” Kate whispered.
When he reached the top of the stairs, Tick opened the door and stood aside so Pete could carry the girl in. Kate and Sandy trailed behind him.
With a gentleness that surprised Kate, Pete placed the child on the sofa, tucking a throw blanket over her bare legs. She flinched when he tucked the cover beneath her chin. Kate’s heart melted. Knowing that the child was beyond frightened and couldn’t or wouldn’t communicate with them, Kate sat next to her on the small sofa. Doelike eyes hesitantly gazed up at her. Kate smiled, wanting to reassure the child that she meant no harm.
“What’s your name?” Kate asked.
The girl looked at Pete, then back at Kate.
“Rosita.” She spoke clearly, though her voice was soft, quiet, as though she were used to whispering.
Tick, Pete, and Sandy looked at the child, then at Kate, all curious, wondering what it was about her that the girl trusted. She’d been the one to linger in the background, allowing Pete and Tick the full responsibility for the girl since they’d found her. She had no experience with kids but knew that if she were in the same situation, in a house full of strangers, Kate would want to be treated in a normal way.
Smiling, Kate said, “Rosita. That’s a beautiful name. It kinda rolls off your tongue.”
Southern Comfort Page 15