Vickers was taken aback by Nyland’s appearance. It was as described. He was very tall and painfully thin. He wore plaid Bermuda shorts topped by a brightly printed Hawaiian shirt with his feet tucked into white socks and open-toed sandals. His head was bald in a circle on top surrounded by frizzy red hair that stuck out all over. His small sharp eyes perched above a nose that looked more like a bird’s beak. His Adam’s apple climbed and dropped up and down his scrawny neck every time he spoke or swallowed. The woman with him was the exact opposite. She wore a lovely little black dress that hugged her curves. She wore delicate diamond studs in her ears and a lovely diamond solitaire necklace on a gold chain around her neck. Her thick, glossy dark hair was piled up in an elegant updo the showed off her bare shoulder and graceful neck. The only other ornament on her was the very large diamond on the ring finger of her left hand. Just the way she carried it, Mr. Vickers deduced the ring was new.
As Vickers led them to the private room enclosing Table 18, he commented on the new diamond ring. “Is this perhaps the reason for the celebration tonight?” he asked them.
The woman blushed. “Please call me Jessica,” she said. “Soon to be Jessica Nyland.”
David Nyland stood a bit taller and threw what little chest he had out in pride. “Yes, she agreed to marry me this afternoon.”
Mr. Vickers congratulated the couple and made his exit as the Maître D’ came in with the champagne. He left the dining room shaking his head. “It takes all kinds,” rumbled around in his thoughts while he stifled a chuckle and tried to remain dignified until he could have some privacy for a good laugh. He couldn’t imagine what the police department in Denver, Colorado wanted with that clown in his dining room.
The Maître D’ seated a high-level executive with a major broadcasting network in New York and his wife at Table 7. They came to Nassau two or three times a year for a week to decompress. They always spent plenty of money at The Reef during their visits.
Earlier that afternoon, the tall man got a call on his new burner cell phone. “Yeah?” he answered. The voice on the other end spoke quickly. “He’s having dinner tonight at The Reef’s fine dining room, Table 7.” The caller clicked off.
The tall man found a restaurant supply house in Nassau and bought himself a wait-staff uniform to match those worn at The Reef. He told the clerk he’d ruined his and needed it because he was called in on his day off and couldn’t wait for his uniform to be cleaned. He paid for it in cash and went back to his hotel. He pulled on a pair of surgical gloves and did a little work at the desk in his hotel room. He finished up and put a black metal rectangle carefully in a plastic box. He attached a special tape around the box, so he could un-tape the ends and re-tape them. He put on the uniform and slipped the box into his pocket. He hailed a cab from the entrance of his hotel and got out a block from The Reef. He took the back alley to the rear kitchen door and waited. One of the regular staffers came out hauling a bag of garbage to the trash bin. The tall man slipped in the back door. He looked around for a few minutes watching the staff before stepping over and grabbing a pot of hot coffee. He pulled a fresh white dish towel over his arm and checked the table map on his way into the dining room. It was early so there were few diners in the room. He located Table 7 and fussed with the tablecloth for a minute. It only took him seconds to remove the plastic box from his pocket and tape it to the underside of the table. The timer was already set for 7:30 p.m. He added the extra time in case his target was a few minutes late. If he was on time, he should be in the middle of his main course at 7:30. He offered fresh coffee to a couple of diners before heading back to the kitchen. He dropped off the dish towel and the coffee pot on his way to the back door. He slipped out the door and down the alley, stripping off the gloves, coat and bow tie which he dropped in different dumpsters in the alley. He disappeared down the main street that ran past The Reef and walked several blocks before hailing a cab to get back to his hotel.
At 7:30 p.m. The Reef dining room rocked from the explosion. People were thrown from their chairs, tables overturned, glasses and plates of food crashed to the floor and shattered. Windows blew out sending showers of glass out on the people on the patio by the pool. The concussion caused momentary deafness for people in the room who survived. The two guests seated there were thrown several feet away from the table. A gentleman walking past Table 7 on his way to the men’s room at the time of the blast was thrown ten feet away. Injuries were numerous. People screamed and scrambled to get out of the dining room. The hotel was complete pandemonium in seconds. Because of the blast, people racing to get away took the stairwells rather than elevators. People stumbled and fell. Others fell on top of them. Smoke from the explosion poured out the broken windows in the dining room and guests outside feared the hotel was on fire. David Nyland and Jessica rushed out of their private dining room. He pulled her through the kitchen to the rear alley because everyone else seemed to be going the other way.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
After the News Conference, everyone at Cold Water Creek Ranch finalized their plans for those leaving in the morning for California. The men and boys handled the extra livestock remaining on the ranch because of the evacuations from the fire. Many of the horses had already been picked up and taken home or relocated to more permanent housing elsewhere in the valley. The women prepared the last group meal they would share at the ranch with the help of the girls, some of which also helped entertain the younger children.
Late that afternoon, trailers were brought to the ranch and packed for departure with anything that had been taken out for use during their stay. Once the packing was completed and their evening meal cleaned up after, those who were staying in the ski lodges down the road left to get some much-needed sleep before departure in the morning.
The barn was quiet at last. Desperado’s stall was right next to Prince Ali’s. In fact, there was a chain holding Desperado’s stall door closed that was attached to the front bars on Ali’s stall with a padlock. Chris had finally found a device Desperado couldn’t unlock to keep him in his stall and safe at night.
“You asleep, Ali” Desperado whispered through the bars of his stall.
“Naw, just digesting my dinner and thinking about getting some shut-eye,” Ali answered.
“What’s going to happen now?” Desperado asked. “I know you guys from California are going home tomorrow. You have a long haul. I just worry about our brothers and sisters up in the northern territory. Hope they get that fire out soon. It sure burned up a lot of areas where the wild creatures live. I spent a lot of time when I was younger watching the wild things in the woods. I learned a lot from them. Now they don’t have a home if they even survived. I felt sorry for the mamma bear and her two cubs that nearly tripped me. Where is she going to go and feed her babies?”
“I was going to ask you about that. How did you know about the place you took us? That was quite a way off the usual trail we ride. Not that I’m complaining. It was fortunate you could get us all there and in one piece. And there was fresh water and some grass to eat.” Ali said.
“When I was young and lived at home with Jan and Hilda, I used to play tricks on Jan and get my stall door open at night. At first, I just wandered around the property until he found me and put me back in my paddock. It was lots of fun. As I got a little older I got a little bolder and started wandering out behind the fence. I found deer out there. I just watched them. I learned a lot from them. They will talk to you, but only if you don’t scare them away first,”
“Yes, I talked to some deer once myself,” Ali told him. “I was hungry and saw some of the females with their babies eating and asked if I could join them. They were wary but friendly when I assured them I am a grass eater like they are.”
“I met a young female in the woods. Her name is Blaze because she has an interesting white mark on her face. Deer don’t usually have white markings after they shed their baby coats, you know. Well, she was a tiny little thing, but she and I became friend
s and used to hang out and wander around together. I think she liked being with me because I was bigger than her and maybe it made her feel safer. You know the mountain lions eat deer, don’t you?” Desperado explained.
“That’s probably why they are so wary and suspicious of strangers,” Ali said. “I had a mountain lion jump on me in the woods. That scared the heck out of me and her fangs and her claws hurt bad. I still have scars from that. Fortunately, she met the wrong side of my back shoes and she didn’t hurt me so badly I couldn’t get away from her. I’m a full-grown horse. I can’t imagine how scary those big cats would be to a tiny little deer.”
“Yeah, I feel really bad because Blaze is the one that showed the canyon to me in the first place. She took me there and made me promise on my word of honor I would never tell anyone else about the place. The deer use it when they need refuge. There’s fresh water and some food for them and it’s their secret place to hide. I broke my promise to Blaze when I took the horses and the kids into that canyon. If any of the deer sought refuge in the canyon and found us there, they wouldn’t have come in. I may have cost lives, hopefully not Blaze or her children,” Desperado admitted sadly.
“Look, Desperado, you did what you knew would save us and our humans. We all need to thank Blaze for showing you that canyon. If we hadn’t gone there we might have ended up burned up like the forest around us did. Hopefully, you will see Blaze again and can explain it to her. I’m so grateful we could save my Becky and your Todd and all the others. If you do ever see her again, thank her for me. I will remember what you told me. I will always hold the deer in the highest regard because she saved our lives,” Ali told him.
“Thank you for keeping my secret. Some of the humans are saying I’m a hero for taking the group into that canyon. I wouldn’t have known about it except for my tiny deer friend named Blaze. She’s the real hero in this story, not me.”
Ali snorted. “Don’t discount yourself, my friend. If you had not made friends with Blaze, you wouldn’t have known there was a place of refuge to go. You are still a hero to me and the others. What other horse do you know of makes friends with the wild creatures, so they share their secrets with you? None that I’ve ever talked to. None I’ve ever heard about either.”
“I guess I’m really feeling bad because I broke my word to her and that may have cost the lives of other deer. There’s nothing I can do about it now except hope Blaze will forgive me and still be my friend.”
Ali shook his head. “Desperado, you saved the lives of nine other horses including your own mother. On top of that, you saved the lives of 10 humans. You saved Hilda and your best friend, Todd. What else were you to do? You need to stop worrying and get some sleep.”
“Yeah. Yeah. I know. But then I start thinking about that other problem I talked to you about before. I don’t want to get shipped off to some gosh-forsaken frozen barn in Michigan or some sweaty place in South Carolina and never see my family or Todd again. It would even be worse if Mr. Babcock, the bunny-kicker man bought me. He scares me if you want the truth. If anything happens to Hilda, that’s probably what will happen to me. Hilda’s children won’t want me around and they will want as much money for me as they can get. They won’t care I want to stay with Todd. They look at me and see dollar signs and that’s all. I’ve screwed up and made things worse by trying my best with Todd when we compete. If I goofed up a class on purpose that Todd was riding me in, I’d never be able to live with myself. But doing well in the class puts me out of his range. Chris and Sharon work really hard with other people’s horses on this ranch but they don’t have the money to buy a champion horse for their son. The whole situation just kind of sucks.”
“Desperado, you need to lighten up! You are going to worry yourself into an early grave,” Ali snorted again. “Please, believe me, you are in good hands. The people around you are good people and sometimes they do things that will surprise you. Look at Maryann and La Duquesa. Her grandparents showed up out of nowhere and ended up giving La Duquesa to Maryann as her very own horse. How’s that for a happy ending? People really do the right things sometimes. Everyone knows how much Todd loves you and they know how much you love Todd. Give ‘em some time! Now, I need to get some sleep. Stop worrying and get some yourself.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Detectives Padillo and Arias were on their flight to Miami when the explosion at The Reef in Nassau occurred. Their cell phones were turned off during the flight so they had no idea until they checked their phones in the Miami terminal while waiting for their flight to Nassau. It was nearing midnight when they arrived in Miami and they had a two-hour wait because of their international destination. They wouldn’t arrive until early the next morning.
Arias was the first one to see the message from their boss. Padillo was dialing his phone to return a call from Mr. Vickers at The Reef. Arias called the Detective Watch Commander back while Padillo looked serious, then in shock while he listed to Mr. Vickers on his phone.
“You called?” Arias said when his boss answered his cell phone in Denver.
“Yea. I did. Where are you and Padillo right now?” his boss asked sharply,
“We just got to Miami, sir. Is something wrong? Padillo is talking to someone who left him a message and he doesn’t look too happy.”
“I talked to Mr. Vickers myself. He was trying to reach you two but you were on the flight. There was an explosion at The Reef tonight. There were several people killed and many injured in the blast. Many more people were injured in the panic following the explosion. The scene is in chaos at the moment. I gave Mr. Vickers your flight details. He’s sending a car for you. You and your partner need to get to that hotel right away. Mr. Vickers thinks someone was trying to kill our David Nyland. He has personal knowledge he needs to share with you. Mr. Nyland and his new fiancé were not injured, at least not that anyone knows, but they have disappeared. We need to find them!”
Padillo tugged at Arias’s shoulder just as Arias hung up his cell phone. “Who were you talking to?” he asked.
“I was just talking to our boss. Apparently, Mr. Vickers talked to him not too long ago. We’re walking into a mess in the Bahamas.”
“Yeah, that’s what I got from Alice Smarte in the DA’s office. She told me the Bahamian Police Department is waiting for us in Nassau and will go with us to The Reef to help sort the mess there out. We’ve got to find Nyland and we need to find him fast. Someone is trying to eliminate him. The Police Department there is watching the airports closely for departures. They are detaining people who don’t check out like regular tourists or businessmen. Maybe their net will catch our fish too.”
“Did you get any other calls while we were on the flight?” Arias asked.
“Just the one from my very unhappy wife,” Padillo said with a frown. “She’s always wanted to go to the Bahamas. Now I’m on my way there but I’m taking you with me instead of her. She’s a bit grumpy about that. When we get this case solved, I may pull some money out of the credit union and buy two tickets for us. You know what they say…. Unhappy Wife – Unhappy Life.”
“Yeah. Pauline wasn’t too happy about it either,” Arias told him.
The two detectives strolled around the Miami terminal until they found a decent place for a meal. They finished up in time to board the flight to Nassau.
It was a short flight to the Bahamas, less than an hour. When they arrived, two members of the local police department stood holding signs with their names on them. They immediately talked to them and were hustled through customs ahead of the other passengers from Miami and whisked into a patrol car which sped them directly to The Reef Hotel as the sun came up. The Bahamian officers didn’t have much to say during the entire process. When they arrived at the hotel, the police cruiser was parked in front of the hotel and Padillo and Arias were escorted into Mr. Vickers office on the ground floor in the maze of offices behind the front desk of the hotel. The police escorts took up a position outside of the office on either si
de of the door.
Mr. Vickers immediately stood when Padillo and Arias were ushered into his office. “Detectives Padillo and Arias, I assume?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m Detective Padillo and this is my partner, Detective Arias,” Padillo answered as Mr. Vickers came around his desk and stuck out his right hand to shake with the new arrivals.
“I’m very happy to meet you. You’ve come at a bad time but we’re certainly glad you are here,” Mr. Vickers said to them as he vigorously shook their hands. “These other gentlemen are with the Bahamian government and,” pointing at the only man in uniform in the room, “this is our Chief of Police, Chief Oxley.”
Once the introductions were completed and Detective Padillo and Arias were seated around the conference table with the others, Detective Padillo asked, “Can you tell me what happened here in as much detail as you have right now?” Padillo and Arias took out their notebooks and pens ready to begin taking notes.
“At precisely 7:30 p.m., a bomb of significant force exploded under Table 7 in our fine dining room. There were several immediate fatalities from the explosion and numerous other injuries from moderate to severe caused by the explosion. The ceiling in the dining room may be falling in which will drop hotel rooms from the second floor into that room and may further damage the structure of this hotel. The resulting panic caused a number of other severe injuries in the stampede to evacuate that room and others nearby. There were additional moderate to severe injuries to guests on the patio by the pool area. The dining room windows overlooked that area and were blown out showering guests with flying glass. Currently, the Princess Margaret Hospital, Doctors Hospital, and the Bahamas Medical Center are treating patients to their capacity. Several critical patients were airlifted to Miami and are being treated at Mercy Hospital, the University of Miami Hospital and Jackson Memorial Hospital. The coroner has been here and removed several of the fatalities to our local morgue. I don’t believe we have a complete count of the injuries or fatalities yet. Our engineering department is looking at the structural soundness of the hotel right now. I should have their report within 30 minutes,” Mr. Vickers said as he checked his watch. “This has not been a good day.”
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