“There were no survivors to tell the story, which was why I brought the footage.”
“I don’t have to tell you what a black eye this is going to give the place.”
“No. It’s pretty clear.” The second-in-command handed the flash drive to Luis, who slipped it into his computer. An icon popped up on the screen. He double-clicked it and then maximized the window as it loaded up.
The footage showed two views – inside the casino and inside the room. Luis watched in grim fascination as Tomás and his mystery companion entered, exchanged some words, and then pulled guns.
“What the fu–”
The shootout was over in thirty seconds, Tomás’ companion killing Javier and one of the other men almost instantly, the other two of Javier’s gunmen throwing themselves to the ground as they fired at Tomás and his friend.
“What a nightmare,” Luis murmured. His eyes narrowed as Matt appeared, firing at his men, killing the final two. “Who the hell is that?”
The second-in-command shook his head. “I have no idea. He just sort of showed up. But on the other view, you can see him attack Sergio and take him down. That’s where he got the gun.”
“So he didn’t arrive with a weapon?”
“Not that we could see.”
“And who’s the woman? She took out two guards in as many seconds.”
“Unknown at this time.”
Luis replayed the video again and, after studying the two minutes of relevant footage, played it yet again. “Damn. She’s a machine,” he muttered, watching her disable both guards with ease. He switched his attention back to the mystery man who had finished the fight. Something nagged at him, but didn’t register.
“How long until the police put this out to the public?” Luis asked.
“Probably not until tomorrow morning’s news at the earliest. Possibly not until tomorrow evening. We’ve delayed getting them the footage, claiming it would take a few hours to pull it up with only a skeleton night crew working. I figured that would buy us some time. But we can’t stall forever.”
“Drag your feet as long as possible so I can think this through and start running interference. I want a story in place. Our official line will be that we have no idea why anyone would come in and shoot up the casino. Probably a robbery gone wrong. We aren’t missing a dime, so our receipts will balance with the actuals when they check,” Luis said.
“Then that’s what we’ll go with.” He paused. “But what are we going to do about the ransom?”
“That’s an interesting question. We still have the little girl. But now we’re in the kidnapping business and whenever the mother tells the police, without her idiot husband to dissuade her, the stakes go up considerably. I don’t want to risk having a regional manhunt for the kid, especially since the husband was shot up in one of my establishments. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to put that one together.”
“So…what? Do we release her? Or do you want to…” The second-in-command ran his finger across his throat.
Luis appeared to think for a moment. “Do nothing for now. Let’s see how this plays. After all, if the mother still has the half million…” He trailed off, lost in thought, then stood and moved to his corkboard to retrieve the color printout of the photo he’d distributed to his network. “Damn. I knew it. I knew he looked familiar.”
He sat down in front of the monitor and played the footage one last time, freezing the screen when he had a decent shot of Matt’s face. He held up the picture and compared it to the image on the screen before lifting his telephone handset to make a call, smiling to himself as he listened to Maria’s line ring.
“Gotcha,” he muttered to himself, waiting for her to answer.
When he hung up, he eyed his subordinate, who was waiting for instructions. “She wants the feed delayed as long as possible. She feels it would complicate matters if there was a citywide search for the man – it would cause him to go to ground or change his appearance. Pay our contacts with the police to drag out getting the footage somehow. Perhaps we can cite technical difficulties that require a technician to come in tomorrow morning. With any serious effort, we should be able to kick this can down the road until tomorrow lunchtime. Which hopefully will be long enough.”
Luis’ second-in-command nodded and left to put the necessary pieces in motion. Luis sat back in his chair, looking at the image frozen on his display, and punched the playback. Whoever this man was, he was good – and the woman was even better. He wondered to himself what they’d done to draw the wrath of Maria and decided that what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
But the child was a potential wrinkle that he’d have to deal with soon. She was all liability at this point, unless he wanted to risk demanding the ransom again from the wife, who probably had no idea about her idiot husband’s disastrous stunt.
A definite possibility, he supposed, but one he needed to carefully consider. Kidnapping wasn’t his usual stock in trade and he didn’t need the heat it would bring down on him, even though the half million would be the easiest money he’d ever made, and he’d already done the hard work.
A big part of Luis was leaning toward having the troublesome child killed and buried in a shallow grave far from the city, although his business sense was saying to do the deal with the mother.
He’d have to think about it some more. If he decided to have her killed, he could always do it in the morning, he thought.
Death had collected enough tribute for one evening.
~ ~ ~
Jet was sipping tea with Sofia when the phone call from the police came in, advising her that her husband was in the hospital. Sofia gasped when she heard the news and nearly fainted, dropping the telephone as she clutched at the nearby wall to steady herself.
“What’s wrong?” Jet asked, retrieving the phone. Sofia collapsed onto the sofa, staring into the distance in incomprehension.
“It’s Tomás. He’s in the hospital. They…they said he’s been shot.”
“Shot! No! How?”
“I don’t know. That’s all they said.” Sofia looked around the room as though in it for the first time. “I need to get down there.”
“Of course. I’ll drive you. You’re in no condition to be driving, Sofia.”
She nodded like a child. “You’re probably right. Oh, God, I wonder what went wrong? Catalina…”
“Did they say anything about her?”
“No. Just that Tomás had been in surgery for the last hour and was in stable but guarded condition.”
“Which hospital?”
“Hospital Central. The big one.”
“I know where it is. I’ll take you as soon as you’re ready.”
“I…give me a few minutes to straighten up,” Sofia said absently, rising.
“Of course.”
“And thank you for staying with me. You’re a true friend.”
“I’m sure you’d do the same for me. Go get what you need. I’ll be waiting.”
As Jet watched Sofia shuffle off, like a woman twice her age, a part of her heart broke. Jet had tried to save her husband from himself, but he wouldn’t listen, regardless that she’d risked her own life – and Matt’s – to do so. To no avail. Now he was lying in a hospital with tubes sticking out of him for his reward, his daughter still missing and a room full of dead men who would tell no tales. A total loss, as far as she could see. And a totally unnecessary one, if he’d just listened to her.
Hannah pushed a small plastic train on the hardwood floor, but Jet knew from long experience that if she didn’t get home and fed fairly soon her daughter would have a meltdown. Isabella had brought some fruit and cookies, but those would only go so far and Hannah didn’t do well when you interrupted her routine. Jet checked the time and calculated that she’d need to be sensitive about that when she was at the hospital.
Sofia returned wearing slacks and a fresh blouse and seemed, if brittle, a little more together. Jet had Hannah gather up her things and pr
epare to leave, with Sofia supervising, while she used the bathroom. She studied her reflection in the mirror with the usual sense of disbelief – she’d been in a gun battle a short time earlier, had subdued two armed men and looked like she’d just taken a long, restful nap. Good genes, she supposed.
The drive to the hospital took fifteen minutes. Jet pulled into the emergency room parking area after slipping some pesos to the attendant and found an empty space. They entered the sliding glass doors and approached the desk, where a fatigued admissions clerk was processing paperwork. Jet inquired about Tomás. The woman made a phone call and told them that he was in the main hospital on the fifth floor. They made their way to the elevator, the harsh overhead fluorescent lights making everyone look slightly pale and ill. At the fifth floor they were greeted by a carbon copy of the downstairs clerk, who checked her sheet and announced that Tomás was in room five-twenty, down the hall on the right.
Jet remained behind while Sofia went to see her husband, holding Hannah’s hand as they took a seat in the waiting area. Half an hour later Sofia appeared at the door, her face tense, visibly shaken. Jet stood and went to her.
“How is he?”
“He…he looks dead. The nurse said he’s lost a lot of blood, but he’s stable and the prognosis is positive.”
“Well, that’s something, then.”
“Yes, but a police detective also stopped in while I was there and said he wants to talk to me. I…I don’t know if I can deal with that right now. And I don’t want to say anything about Catalina…”
“Sofia, I think the time has come to acknowledge that Tomás made a serious mistake somewhere in all of this by not telling the police. I really don’t recommend you continuing to make the same mistake.”
“I…I don’t know what to do…” she said. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she began sobbing. Jet hugged her as she cried, aware of Hannah staring at them both, and tried to offer what comfort she could.
“And I need to get home…what if the kidnappers call again?”
“You need to get the police involved.”
“I…they said they’d kill her if I did. Rebecca, I’m sorry, I know you think I should, but I…I just can’t take the risk. Please don’t hate me for that.”
Jet decided to forego arguing. Her friend was clearly not thinking rationally and the only thing any further insistence would achieve would be to alienate her at a time when she needed all the support she could get.
“I could never hate you, Sofia.”
She looked at Jet like a child, trusting and needy, and sniffed. “Would you stay with me while I talk to the police?”
Jet glanced at the time. “I need to get Hannah home.”
“You’re going to leave?” Sofia asked, fear in her voice.
Jet thought hard and offered a wan smile. “No, I just need to make a call. Go do what you need to do and I’ll see what I can manage.’
“Thank you, Rebecca. Thank you so much.”
Jet led Hannah back downstairs and called Matt. “Can you do me a huge favor?”
“Last time you asked me to do one I wound up in a gun battle.”
“This one’s a little easier.”
“That’s what they all say. How’s your friend?”
“Not so good. Tomás looks like he’ll live, but she refuses to bring the police into this.”
“That’s her choice to make, I suppose, even if it’s a dumb one.”
“Which it is. Just look how well doing it that way has worked so far.”
“You know, I was thinking, though. Tomás wasn’t carrying a bag or a briefcase. So it could be that was the problem – maybe he tried to get cute with the kidnappers.”
“Really? Then there might be hope. That means the money must still be in his car.”
“Makes me want to take up auto theft. Now that I’m broke.”
“Back to my favor…”
Matt sighed good-naturedly. “What is it this time?”
“I need you to come to the hospital and pick up Hannah. She needs to eat and be put to bed. I don’t know how long this is going to take and I can’t leave Sofia alone.”
“I thought you were going to ask for something hard. Sure thing. But can I use your car? It’s got the car seat…”
“Deal. We can take a cab back to the house, assuming she doesn’t want to spend all night here.”
“And where is here, again?”
“Hospital Central. I’m in the ER.”
“Give me fifteen minutes.”
Jet hung up and slipped her phone into her pocket, then smoothed Hannah’s hair. A woman came through the doors holding a bag of ice against a teenage boy’s head, blood caked on his face, followed by two uniformed police officers. Jet decided to get some fresh air rather than expose Hannah to a parade of horror. They stepped outside, where the weather was cooling. Jet explained that Matt would be taking her home and cautioned her to be a good girl and follow Matt’s instructions. Hannah assured her that she would with the sincerity of an angel.
A blond woman carrying a satchel strode purposefully up the walkway before moving through the entrance doors. Jet noted her posture automatically. A tingle of apprehension played through Jet – the woman had the gait of a professional that she would recognize anywhere. Probably part of the police assigned to the hospital, she supposed, the Hospital Central ER being the primary delivery point for those injured during the commission of violent crimes. Still, something about the woman bothered Jet, and she was uneasy for the remainder of her wait.
Matt strolled up five minutes later. Hannah ran to him and gave him a hug. Jet did the same, savoring the smell of his skin and hair as she held him for an extended moment, before disengaging and handing him the keys. She indicated the car at the far end of the parking area.
“It’s over by that SUV. You can just see it. If you hear something bouncing around in the trunk, it’s the guard’s gun I tossed back there.”
“Good to know. I’ve still got the other piece from the casino. We can start a collection at this rate.” He smiled. “How are you holding up?”
“All in a day’s work, I suppose. But I’ll be glad when today’s over.”
“I hear you.”
“When you get her home, she really wants mac and cheese. That was the request.”
“I’m sure I’ll hear all about it on the drive.” He looked down at Hannah. “Come on, kid. You ready to go eat?”
Hannah nodded, her eyes sleepy. Jet knelt and kissed her. “Okay, sweetie. Be good. I’ll be home soon.”
“O-tay,” Hannah said in a small voice and took Matt’s hand.
Jet watched them walk to the car, he so tall, she so tiny, and felt something shift inside her, as she always did when she had to leave Hannah with anyone. The Chevy’s headlights blinked on and Matt pulled out of the lot. Jet watched them go and then turned and reentered the ER and made her way back to the main hospital, resigned to supporting her friend through her ongoing ordeal.
Tara’s cell phone vibrated as she left the fifth-floor intensive care wing, too many police around for her to get into Tomás’ room to question him about Matt, and she answered as she moved back to the bank of elevators. It was Ken from his position outside the ER parking lot.
“Yes?”
“Abort. I just saw the target in the hospital parking lot.”
She pressed the down button and watched as the floor indicators for the four elevators blinked their positions. “You did?”
“Yes.”
“Where is he?”
“He got into a car with some kid and took off.”
“Shit. Wait – what did you say? He had a kid with him?”
“Correct. But don’t worry. Carl’s got him. He took the car and is tailing him.”
“Perfect.” She paused, thinking. “What was he doing here, with a child?”
“Looks like he just came to pick the kid up. He met some woman, gave her a hug, and took off in a car. He arrived on a motorcycle
.”
Tara recalled the mystery woman from the casino Luis had described on the security tape and nodded to herself. “Seems like our man has taken up with a local.”
“Could be.”
“I’ll be down in a minute. Tell Carl not to lose him under any circumstances.”
“Roger.”
Tara didn’t mind terminating her foray into the hospital – the whole point of slipping into Tomás’ room and interrogating him would have been to find out what he knew about Matt and the woman. But now that they had Matt in their sights, the only thing that mattered was keeping him there until they could take him and find the diamonds. Tara had no interest in the woman, Tomás, or any of the rest of it, and she was relieved she didn’t have to subject herself to any undue risk to learn Matt’s whereabouts.
The elevator arrived with a ping and the doors slid open. Tara stepped inside and pressed the ground floor button and disconnected. The doors closed just as another elevator arrived from the lobby and Jet stepped out. She moved down the hall to the wing and asked the nurse where Sofia had gone and was told that she was in a vacant room with one of the police detectives. Jet decided to avoid that part of the experience – there was nothing she’d be able to do to help Sofia lie to the police, and she wanted no part of it. She returned to the waiting area and settled in for what she hoped would be a short wait, her mind poring over the day’s events with a distinct sense of unease.
Chapter 12
Hannah was quiet on the way home as Matt wound through the streets toward the apartment. Aggressive drivers flew past him on both sides, the notion of defined lanes a laughable concept to most. When they arrived at the building, he punched the button on the garage door remote and waited for the iron gate to slide open. Hannah stirred when he parked in their slot and turned the engine off – she’d dozed off on the short ride home.
“Hey, Hannah. You ready for some mac and cheese?”
“Yeth…”
“All righty then. Let’s get you fed.”
They trudged up the stairs to the fifth floor. Matt fumbled with his keys, as he always did, before getting the lock open. He switched on the lights and moved into the kitchen, where Hannah had run and was standing, dutifully waiting for him to make her meal. Matt smiled at her look of concentration, as though without her oversight he might ruin the macaroni and cheese – which reminded him very much of her mother, who could get the same expression.
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