by Matt Lincoln
I didn’t share that opinion, but why argue? It was just one more thing we weren’t going to agree on. “Okay then, that night, what happened with Hemez to lead all this from non-payment over fake IDs to a double kidnapping? What have you been withholding this entire time?” I asked her point-blank.
Kippy thought back to that night. “I went to pay off Hemez, and he had two guys with him that Arik had never seen before. Knowing the kind of people that Hemez ran deals for, I suspected that they wanted more than a few hundred in US cash. The Judge did hire me to extract her son and fly him home. That’s what I had every intention of doing that night.”
She took a deep breath before continuing. “But I shot one of the guys when I saw that the threat was bigger than I’d prepared for, mostly as a way to even the odds. We got in the car, and Chorley drove us out of there. I tossed the phones because I knew that there was a tracker on Arik’s and that if we got caught, there would at least be a chance of getting located. I had set up all the intel to my informant prior to this, and he knew what to do if the contingencies were reached.”
“That’s a helluva gamble.” I offered, not overly impressed that she’d lied about all of this earlier. Or maybe this was the lie now? I couldn’t tell. That was and had been a problem from the get-go. I still didn’t know when to trust her words or if I ever could.
“Yes, it was. Because as it turned out, the car crash and the kidnapping weren’t even reported for anyone to find out about. So, my informant never moved or acted. Someone - one guess who - paid for the news to be buried and ignored.” Kippy was looking very self-satisfied at this part.
I took her meaning, but I wasn’t sure I could accept it. “You think that Judge Fu covered up her own son’s kidnapping? Why in the hell would…? You’ve lost me, Ozoa.” This was getting asinine.
“Eve,” Kippy turned to her, “What do you think? You know the Judge better than anyone else here. Has she ever manipulated the truth for her own gain?” We all turned and looked at her. That couldn’t have been a very comfortable feeling.
Eve was shaking her head, but not as a negative answer. More like she was trying to push away the thoughts coming too close to her. “I… until recently, I would have said no, never. But now… I can see how she could…” Eve didn’t finish. Instead, she nodded in grim, slow acceptance of the facts she herself knew. “She has. The Task Force has been her main focus, and I think she'd rather not have to worry about Arik at the same time.”
“Damn.” Doc didn’t mean for that to slip out. He cleared his throat and attempted to cover for his lack of discretion that I’m sure he felt was out of place. “Sorry, that’s just hard to hear. After everything.”
Yeah. Rosa turned away to collect her thoughts about it. She stared out at the water for a few moments, and I knew that she was coming to terms with this in her own way, just like she always did.
Xavier didn’t seem too surprised, but that might have been because he and Mia had been discussing Arik, along with whatever Arik had told her in private about his home life and mother. It hit me then that Xavier might have heard some very personal things about Arik and his mother from Mia’s perspective.
“Alright, there’s no proof, but let’s go with it.” I would humor her for a while. If only to draw out more information from her. “Let’s say that the Judge buries the news about her son being kidnapped in a foreign country. Why?”
“I already answered that, but okay.” Kippy started to number off things on her fingers. “Underage drug-addicted son. Rehab in a posh, private retreat. He’s a known theft. Her fancy, shiny new Task Force is based on taking down illegal drug dealers and will soon be going after the legal prescription drugs. Which, see point number one, her son was addicted to.”
“That might have given her a sympathetic angle, though,” I pointed out. “She knows about the problem firsthand. Her family has and is dealing with it. That’s good motivation and would probably make her look better and be more of an authority about the matter for the Task Force.” I felt Kippy was reading too much into the Judge’s behavior. “Nothing you’ve said makes sense in the real world, Ozoa.”
“Unless the Judge is hiding something else.” Kippy stopped, turned around, and challenged me with a look. “Something that her son’s circumstances could expose to the world and that she doesn’t want to get out.” She shook her head at me. “You’re still coming in from the premise that the Judge is the good guy here. I’m not. That’s why we can’t see the forest for the trees, copain.”
She knew that I wasn’t going to see things her way, so she shifted gears with a new tactic. “You all know that I got Chorley’s phone and have been waiting for the data to come back, right? So, it has. And there’s some weird stuff on it.”
“Define weird?” This could go a lot of ways. But I’d be lying if I said that I hadn’t been interested in finding out what was on there. I just hoped that it wasn’t going to open up a whole new string of questions that would have to be answered later on.
“He took pictures of Arik’s bags here in Miami. Now, this other part makes sense because he took pictures of every receipt for every purchase. I figured that was so he could get reimbursed as that does happen a lot.” She laughed at that as though she herself had done it.
“But there are a few photos that I cannot figure out, like the ones of the bags. Just Arik’s, not his own. I have no clue why.” She stopped and looked at us. Like we were supposed to know what that meant. I shrugged it off and waited.
Eve had been listening to everything, though. Things appeared to be clicking in her mind and memory. That was a good sign for us. “Kippy, those pictures? Do you know if they were before or after the flights?” She must have found something of interest in her words.
“Before. Just here in Miami, though. I matched the floor tiles of the photos to all three airports that they flew in and out of that day. It’s definitely Miami.” Kippy got extremely interested in the questions. “Why? What am I missing?”
“The Judge mentioned in a text that she hadn’t gotten all of Arik’s luggage back from the Guerreiro da Graça Center, the rehab place,” Eve informed us. “I’ve been going through all my legal channels to find them, but they keep claiming that they have already sent everything back that he came in with.” Eve took out her phone, looking for the messages for more proof.
“Agent Nace even mentioned that today. Remember?” Doc nudged me. We all stopped speaking for a minute as a group of school kids meandered by, taking pictures and talking enthusiastically about everything around them. It was a nice break.
“I did think that was an odd thing to comment on, given the circumstances of the conversation we were having with him.” My mind started to make up scenarios where missing luggage was an important aspect of a kidnapping. But there was nothing happening there, not that I could see.
Eve piped up again. “Here! She says that Arik had a gym bag type of thing and that it was checked as carry-on luggage from Columbus but not from Miami. It wasn’t scanned as checked baggage, either.”
“So, there’s a missing bag somewhere that has… what to do with Arik’s abduction?” Then it hit me. “It disappeared in Miami, which is why everyone is converging here.” I slapped my forehead with my palm. “Maybe that car hit me harder than I thought.”
“What car?” Kippy asked, confused. It looked like maybe Ozoa didn’t have all the pieces aligned yet, either. I didn’t mean for it to, but it put a smile on my face to know that she was behind in some of our info.
The one that hit Header when he was chasing after that guy Mia saw on the beach. Rosa looked at her as if she were two steps behind the rest of us. She was enjoying this too, and that made me feel less guilty about feeling smug.
“Wow, really?” Kippy’s eyebrows shot up. “Props. I just thought you and Eve were into some wild stuff with all the scrapes and bruises.” Kippy held up her hands playfully. “I wasn’t trying to judge.” Eve blushed and looked away.
“Shu
t up, Kippy,” Doc reprimanded her. There was a time and place. This was never going to be it. At least I didn’t have to say it this time. I’d have to thank Doc later for letting me have a break at putting Kippy in her place.
“Back to the missing bag…” Eve snapped at all of us to get our attention back. “We need to find out what was in it and why it was left. Oh, it could have been stolen, too. I didn’t think of that.” Her excitement dropped. “Maybe that’s why it never made it to the Azores.”
“Maybe.” Kippy snorted. “That would be ironic. The thief got his bag stolen at the airport. But that doesn’t answer why the Judge wants it back so badly. Stolen, lost, or whatever. I mean, it was her son’s. It probably had gross teenage boy stuff in it. Or drugs.” Her face brightened up. “Maybe it was a drop-off?”
“Kippy…” Doc shook his head at her. He was looking exasperated with her. “He was in treatment. And no one carries a duffle bag of drugs onto a plane with them these days.” He was reaching his limit of stupid comments from her for one day.
My conversation with LaShawn came back to me. “That’s right. Lately, in Miami, they transport it by boats. That’s why the DEA Task Force is upping their game here. Just like the Judge and Nace have been planning for and using their resources to focus on.” I thought back to what my buddy had told me. “The Yabut came in by the invitation of the Task Force. As a way to sway other dealers, runners, and shippers and to get inside information from them.”
Eve picked it up. “The DEA set-up the Yabut and the Yabut have turned the tables on them by, what, kidnapping Arik as blackmail? That would have to mean that there’s something to blackmail the Judge about.”
“Exactly.” I smiled to myself. “Her son gets abducted, and she hires two different crews to locate and retrieve him. We both fail, but the kid gets taken back to the States when it would be so much easier to disappear him anyplace else.”
They need him alive. Rosa stated what was becoming too clear. He has something or knows something that everyone that’s connected needs or wants. That’s the only explanation for the prolonged situation Arik’s in.
“She’s exactly right.” I had to agree. “That’s why the Judge was all of a sudden willing to negotiate with the ‘pirates’ who took her son.” I couldn’t believe this was really happening. “So, all we have to do is find whatever this is. And I would bet that missing bag is the key.”
“Or whatever’s in it,” Eve replied. She wanted to make sure that Kippy wasn’t losing sight of what we were here for. I also had a feeling that Kippy enjoyed going off on wild goose chases now and then. We all had to keep Ozoa on task.
“Yeah, I’m guessing that the smelly gym bag isn’t the actual prize here,” Kippy snidely remarked. “But good work, team. Break!” She stuck her hand out and then tossed it into the air. Without another word, she left to find George.
I turned to my crew. “This has been a… crazy day. How about we all meet up back at my place around six? I’ll order something in, have it delivered, and we’ll go over everything we’ve learned today. Or we’ll try, at least.”
“I think that’s a good idea. You and Eve enjoy the gardens and the museum here. I’m going to go look for some aspirin.” Doc waved to us as he headed off, rubbing his temples in an apparent headache relieving gesture.
Rosa was polite enough to get Xavier to follow her away from us, so Eve and I could have some privacy. A few minutes later, we were finally alone. She reached up to touch my face and draw me into a nice, long kiss.
“Now, show me some history, Header.”
Chapter 28
Eve
“I know that it isn’t exactly a fort or a castle by European standards, but I thought that you might like it anyway,” Jake teased in the sincerest fashion I thought he had ever mustered. It was adorable.
I curled myself into his arms as we stood on the terrace of the mansion, looking out onto the gardens that we had just toured and done a very lazy walk-about through. “I don’t mind. This is just beautiful. And it’s even better that we’re alone now.” Before the words were out of my mouth, a large group of photo happy Japanese tourists excitedly snapped a couple of pictures of us and went on with their day.
“I guess alone is a relative term these days.” I looked up into Jake’s green eyes. “Thank you for this. And despite the elevated chances of us both being injured when we’re together, I’m looking forward to the rest of the afternoon.”
“We attract a certain kind of danger and personal risk, don’t we?” He took my hand as we started to make our way into the interior of the mansion. “Maybe we’ve earned a break. Let’s not jinx it, eh?”
We stepped into a gilded room of exquisitely tiled floors, adorned ceilings, and grand images of the Italian and French Renaissance. It was very Baroque but magnificent. The floors were wonderfully colorful with their golds, blues, and grays. The fireplace had a beautiful herringbone pattern that looked a little out of place, but I allowed it. It was a nice contrast to everything that surrounded the view.
“You don’t really go in for all this stuff, do you?” I asked him. I could handle an honest answer, but I didn’t think he’d give me one.
“I’m more of an outdoor, along-the-water type of grandeur guy.” He put his arms around me. “But this is nice, too. And as long as you enjoy it, I’ll muddle through.”
“The sacrifices of the great Jake Header shall be remembered… um, probably until the end of the day.” I kidded. “No, seriously. I appreciate the effort, and so I won’t bore you with all the crazy details and historical significance of the place. Let’s just pretend to be tourists and say things like, ‘Oh, how pretty!’ and ‘Doesn’t Aunt Beulah have one like that?’”
“Well, you are actually a tourist, Eve. I live here.” He kissed me on top of my head and let go of me to take my hand. “Ready? Let’s tour the crap out of this place, huh?”
We walked through halls and music rooms, bedrooms and sitting rooms, and a few other rooms that were probably there only to impress people. I viewed each marble statue, pool, and column as a thing of fine art and reverence. Jake did the best that he could to enjoy it, and I adored that about him. A few hours in, and the crowds started to thin out. We were gently reminded more than once that closing time was nearing, so we took our leave of the elegance.
Jake was anxious to get back to the responsibilities at hand and kept checking and sending texts on his cell. I figured that they were to his team, so I didn’t mind too much. However, I was so relieved to have had a few more hours without the weight of the Judge’s world on me.
On the walk back to the car, he let me know that he’d texted Doc, Rosa, and Xavier about us staying later, and they had all found alternative methods back to their hotels or wherever. I was grateful to have him to myself for even a little longer. As he zipped through traffic, I wanted to bring up something that I had noticed, though.
“Why didn’t you mention to Kippy that Nace and the Judge are trying to implicate her mercenary company into all of this?” I asked, looking over at him.
Jake took a second to answer me. He looked like he was mulling it over. “One, it could be a set-up for us to out her or turn against her or use her. But… It could be the other way around, too. Kippy’s people could be working a different position and using what they have or think they have against the Judge.” He glanced quickly at me. “There’s no love lost between these two groups. I’m not exempting either of them anymore.”
“What do you mean, anymore?” I didn’t understand.
He stole a glance in my direction. “I think I was far too willing to believe that Judge Fu was only out to get her son back home, so much so that I let everything else I saw cloud what I should have been attentive to.” He took a deep breath in and sighed it out. Maybe that was therapeutic for him.
“What do you mean, exactly?” It was bothering him. I could see that.
“There was so much I ignored,” he admitted, “and most of that came from Kip
py, that I should have factored into this as a whole. I let my dislike for her take over too much of my reasoning.” He looked over at me again and then back at the rearview mirror. “I swear, I’m usually more clear thinking than I have been lately.” He smiled to himself as he tried to drive without acting like there was too much on his mind.
I wished that I could help him somehow. I knew that he was doing all that he could, but none of this was easy to go through. “It’s me, isn’t it? I’m distracting you.” I reached over and played with his ear to prove my point.
“Yeah, you are, but that’s not it. Entirely.” He grinned.
“So, what’s going on then? I don’t have the hindsight of a Jake Header prior to meeting him in the Azores, but I do understand and read situations fairly well. I can listen if nothing else.” I leaned over and tried to put my head on his shoulder. This vehicle was working against me, though.
“I think, honestly, that I need a change,” he replied thoughtfully. “I’ve only been back in Miami for a few days, but it feels good to be here. Don’t get me wrong, I love Puerto Rico, and I’d love to take you there sometime to see it.” Jake was trying to explain things I had no frame of reference to, but I didn’t mind. I loved hearing his voice, especially when he was talking to me.
He continued, “My friend LaShawn, the one I got the good intel from about the Yabut and the DEA? I’ve been thinking about him since that night and about how he does what’s right for him and still helps out people who need something more. He’s got a much clearer definition of right and wrong and boundaries, but I wondered… Maybe he’s got this better figured out than I do.” He stopped himself and seemed unsure that he wanted to say any more out loud.