It’s getting close to the time I’m supposed to meet Murph, so I brush myself off and drive up to El Camino Real to the Red Fox Lounge. I see Murph’s truck, but no Murph, so I walk into the bar. The outside deck area is a wreck: beer bottles and glasses everywhere. Cookie, the bouncer, is clearing away all the empties from the afternoon crowd.
“Hey, Bobby.” he says. Cookie’s big, pierced and tattooed, the way a good bouncer should look.
“Evening, Cookie. It looks like it was a busy afternoon,” I say, grabbing a handful of empty bottles.
“Yeah, it was pretty crazy. Then around, five everyone started to drift out and by six it was quiet again. I have to get the place cleaned up before the night crowd gets here and trashes it all over again,” he says as I put the empties into the cardboard box beside him. I give him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder as he goes back to cleaning up the mess.
As I walk into the bar, I see Murph sitting at the far end. “Order me a beer,” I say, “I’m going to see what I can find while I have the chance.”
He nods and I slip into the bathroom and—again—start to search the wall tiles looking for something that sticks out. Nothing catches my eye. I sit down on the toilet trying to think like Micky. Nothing I ever really wanted to do, but I’m stuck. I lean forward like I might be reading the newspaper on the can and look around from my new angle. As I turn my head to the left, I noticed a tile that is not quite right. It’s a little out of square to the pattern that runs through the rest of the bathroom. Can this be it or just a bad tile job? I get up and try to remove the tile, but I can’t get my fingers under it. I get out a credit card and try to pop the tile with that, but no luck. I swear under my breath as a corner snaps off of my Visa card.
Damn it, now I have to go back to thinking like Micky again. If this was his spot, how would he get it open? He’d have made it tough for anyone else to do. Think. Micky always carried a Swiss army knife. One of the blades was a thin, heavy-duty, flat-head screwdriver. That’s it, I think. I walk out of the bathroom, go into the area where people order and pick up food. I take a knife out of the silverware container and go to back toward the bathroom. Murph raises one eyebrow and I look down at the butter knife in my hand. He gives me a barely perceptible nod as I slip back into the bathroom. I can’t believe my luck. This bathroom hasn’t stayed empty for this long in days. I get the knife under the tile and pop it loose. Museum putty. That’s why it was so hard to get the tile off the wall. The drywall had been hollowed out and Micky had inset a small cup into the wall so he could keep his stash hidden inside it. There, sitting in the cup, is a small baggie of coke and a note addressed to me. Someone’s knocking on the door. Shit! I grab the note, leaving Micky’s stash—I have no interest in that crap anymore—replace the tile and flush the toilet. I stuff the note in my pocket, walk out of the bathroom and over to sit next to Murph.
“I found a note,” I say as I pick up my beer.
“Not in here, Bobby. Let’s finish our beers and then head over to the boat.”
◆◆◆
He sits outside on the patio of the Del Agave Café, across the street from the bar, with his computer. He’s rented a different car. After resting most of the day, and taking a quick run on the beach, he’d showered and felt human again. He pulls up the GPS tracking program on his computer and sees the woman’s car is still at the Bowers Museum. He sees the cop’s ride and Paladin’s van parked across the street. He orders a couple of tacos and keeps an eye on the bar.
After about twenty minutes, Paladin and the cop walk out of the bar, climb into their vehicles and take off. Shit. He throws money down on the table, grabs his computer and quickly gets into his car to follow them. They look like they’re headed back to the harbor. He stays well back.
Chapter 25
Alexis is turning onto John G.’s street when she sees a new BMW pull out of the driveway, cut across coast highway, and head north. She doesn’t recognize the car or its female driver. She thought she knew everyone John dealt with, so who’s this? She walks into the house to her boss cursing.
“John, are you all right?”
He looks at her, surprised. “Yes. Of course.” He takes a moment to gather himself. She rarely sees him lose his cool and this is twice within the last couple of days, “Would you please grab broom, dustpan and a trash bag? I’ll be in the office.” He’s back to being all business.
She walks into the kitchen, opens the pantry door, finds the broom and bag and returns to John’s office. The hardwood floor is covered with shards glass.
“What happened? I saw someone leaving as I arrived. Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Would you please help clean this up? I was careless and bumped into the Chihuly. It fell to the floor and broke.”
“I’m so sorry. That was an expensive vase.”
“More than a vase,” he says looking at the mess, “A piece of art. Not the end of the world. It’s just glass after all.”
After they finish picking up all of the pieces, John looks at her “I might need you to keep an eye on someone else, too. Here’s a picture of her. Her name is Jeannie Francis. She’s an expert in Japanese myth and religion, but is also well versed in most history and artifacts from that part of the world. She’s currently in charge of a major exhibit at the Bowers Museum.”
“Is she a threat to you?”
“No. She’s an old friend. We’ve had a parting of the ways, so to speak. That’s why I want you to keep an eye on her when she’s around Bobby and DJ.” He scribbles on a piece of paper and hands it to her. “Here’s her address in Corona Del Mar and the license plate number of the rental car she’s driving. Thank you.”
He sits down at his computer and she knows she’s been dismissed. She’d much rather be out in the field doing surveillance than stay here when he’s in this kind of a mood, but she has some work to finish up. She’s completed everything by late afternoon, but her boss hasn’t come out of his office. She leaves the house, gets into her car and heads south. She slips on her Bluetooth and taps one number on her phone.
“It’s me. I need you to find out all you can about a woman named Jeannie Francis. She lives in Hawaii, but she’s currently the curator of an exhibit of Japanese artifacts on display at the Bowers Museum. Call me back when you have something. Thanks.” She disconnects without waiting for a reply.
When she arrives at the harbor, she can see DJ working on his boat, but no sign of Bobby. She parks her car and walks into Harpoon Henry’s, where she asks the hostess for a window seat. Sitting down, she orders a diet Pepsi and asks her server to give her some time to look at the menu. She has a spectacular view of the harbor, looking right down on DJ’s boat. She realizes she’s hungry. From the window she watches DJ take out a stand-up paddle board, slide it in the water and paddle out into the main channel of the harbor. She orders and waits for him to come back or for Bobby to show up, hopefully with the woman.
Chapter 26
Murph and I pull into the parking lot in the harbor and walk down to DJ’s boat.
“Another beer?” I ask as I head down into the boat. I sure need one. I don’t see DJ but his car is here. I look around and notice one of the paddleboards is gone. That sounds so great. I wish I was with him.
“I’ll take one more, Bobby, thanks.”
Once we’re on board Murph says quietly, “Come on, let’s open that note.”
“Okay,” I take a deep breath, pull the note from my pocket, sit down on one of the deck chairs and start reading.
Bobby – here’s the answer that will open the puzzle box. You only get one chance. If you blow it, all the paperwork inside will be destroyed. I stole these from General Miguel Sandoval - he is a very powerful and merciless man. Good luck. If you’re still in touch with Jeannie, she might be able to read the directions and open the puzzle box. Find her if you can, but be careful. You may not be able to be trust her. I just don’t know, but she‘s the only person I can think of that might be able t
o help you. Thanks for all the fun, Bobby. You were my brother in life, and in death.
Aloha, Micky.
The rest of the page is in Japanese. I can't make hide nor hair out of it. “What do you think?” I ask Murph, who’s been reading over my shoulder.
“We need to get that puzzle box opened right now. My ass and career are on the line. Call Jeannie and get her over here,” I grab my phone and punch in Jeannie’s number. It goes right to voicemail.
“Jeannie, please call me when you get this message. I need to see you right away.” I sit down next to Murph and take a sip off of my beer. I swear I can feel him vibrating beside me.
◆◆◆
Jeannie’s just finished up a meeting with the board of directors of the museum when her phone flashes. She glances at the number and sees it’s Bobby. She’ll call him back when she’s out of her meeting. She’s so happy. Meeting Bobby again is such an unexpected bonus and she’s not going to blow her second chance with him.
On her way to the museum, she had stopped at John G.’s house and told him it was over. She’s going to move into her own home, give up the car, everything. She’s done with him. She’s in love with Bobby and is not going to lose him again. She picks up her files, bows to this director, says a few words to that director and is finally able to get back to her office. She picks up the office phone and dials Bobby’s number.
“Hi, it’s me,” she’s feeling a little shy. Surely she’s too old for school-girl stuff, “I saw you called. I’m leaving the museum right now. I should be there in forty-five minutes or so. I have so much to tell you, and Bobby—I love you. See you soon. ‘Bye.” Oh, shit, maybe she shouldn’t have told him she loved him. After all, they had only been together one night. No, she’s sure he feels the same way. She can tell.
She’s free! Free of John Gomez and the strangle hold he’s held over her for years. When she first met him, she’d been entranced. He was good looking, smart, sexy, powerful and connected. At the time, he was running a drug crew on the island of Oahu selling ice, cocaine and weed. She was young and vulnerable. He told her he could protect her and keep her safe. He could send her to the best university so she could make something of herself. Slowly, carefully, he began to manipulate her. She started sleeping with him because she felt she owed him. After that, she was at his beck and call for sex: whenever he wanted it, any time day or night; doing whatever he told her to do, no matter what. He had paid for her college education, cars, and clothes, whatever she needed. When she traveled for work, she would be free of him for a while, but he always called her back, cashing in on her debt. He was the reason she couldn’t follow Bobby when he left Hawaii. It had been so many years, she’d forgotten how it felt to be free. Now she was done with John G. and everything he stood for. Now she could stand on her own two feet. She can move forward with her life, free to be with the man she’s loved all along.
She opens the bottom drawer of her desk and grabs her purse. She locks her office, waves goodbye to Vince, the security guard, and heads out the employee entrance to her car.
“Free at last,” she says aloud as she opens her car door, sits down and tosses her purse on the passenger seat. She can’t believe how joyful she feels. She leans forward and turns the key in the ignition.
Her car explodes into a huge ball of flame, killing Jeannie Francis, on the happiest day of her life.
◆◆◆
As his driver steers the limo away from the museum, The General rolls up his window. He smiles to himself, thinking, I will clean up this mess myself, once and for all.
Chapter 27
On the boat, I go below to grab a couple more beers and see my phone blinking a voice message waiting.
“Shit, Murph. Jeannie called and I missed it. I’ll call her back right now.” I hit redial and it goes to voicemail again, so I leave her another message. “Hey, girl, I saw that you called. I’ll check your message. Call me back when you get this. Mahalo, Jeannie.” I pull up my voice mail and listen to her message. I feel a stupid smile creep onto my face. I go above deck.
“She says she loves me.”
“What?” Murph looks up from Micky’s note. He’s been looking at it like it might somehow make sense to him if he stares at it long enough.
“Jeannie’s on her way here now and at the end of her message, she said she loves me. Wow.” I say, sitting down. I can’t seem to take it all in. Murph looks at me skeptically.
“That was pretty quick, don’t you think? You guys just reconnected?
I turn to him. I can’t seem to stop smiling. I must look like an idiot. “I’ve never stopped loving her, even after all this time, and now she told me she feels the same way.”
Murph shakes his head at me as his phone rings, “Murphy here.” He listens for a few minutes and gives me a sideways glance. “I’m leaving right now. I’ll get there as quickly as I can.” He stands up and puts his phone in his pocket, his voice tense and professional. “I have to go right now. Sorry, I can’t tell you any more than that, but right now I have to leave. Trust me; I’ll be in touch with you as soon as I have more information.”
He hustles up the gangway to the dock gate, runs to his truck, turns on the red light on his dash and races out of the parking lot.
This cannot be good.
◆◆◆
About ten minutes later, DJ paddles up to the boat, “Dude, that so was great,” he says. “I feel like a new man. Hey, what’s up, bro? You look - I don’t know, scared or something. Did the architect give you his bill?”
“Murph was here. He got a call and told me it was very, very bad, got into his truck and flew out of here. He wouldn’t tell me what was up. He drove out with the red light flashing.”
“Probably just cop stuff,” he says paddling up to the dock and stepping off the board. I come down off the boat and help him pull it out of the water.
“I finally found Micky’s hiding place at the Red Fox and the codex to open the puzzle box.”
“Cool. So we’re good, right? Puzzle solved?”
“Not so much,” I say, “The instructions are in Japanese, and now we’re stuck until Jeannie can get here and translate it. Then, maybe, we can open the puzzle box. She’s on her way.”
“Well, if anyone can open the box, it’ll be Jeannie,” DJ says as he washes the saltwater off the board and locks it back up in the rack next to the boat.
“Yeah, and guess what? She left me a voicemail telling me she loves me,” I can feel the stupid grin come back.
“No shit. That was fast. Are you good with that?”
“I really am. I’ve felt this way ever since we split up in Hawaii. I can’t wait until she gets here.” I don’t want to let him see me get too mushy, so I change the subject. “Have you heard from Maria? Is everything all right with her and the kids?”
“I talked with her today and she said all is good. We worked out a code phrase that will let me know if she and the kids are in any kind of trouble.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“So yeah, for right now, everything is good. But you know, we’ve stepped in a pile of shit and we need to find a way out of it before it gets deeper.”
“Yeah, I can see where this is getting way out of hand. If Jeannie can open the puzzle box, it will get us out from under and maybe even turn it around in our favor. We can give all the paperwork to Murph, and he can hand it over to his superiors. Then we can walk away safely and maybe not get killed ourselves.” I say as I pull a beer out of the cooler. “Want one?
“Sure, but first I need to clean up.” He picks up his towel and shorts, and heads off to the showers.
While he’s gone, I pick up my phone and punch in Jeannie’s phone number. It goes straight to voicemail again.
“Call me, Babe. I can’t wait to see you.” And before I hang up, “I love you too, Jeannie.”
I must have been daydreaming about Jeannie because suddenly DJ appears before me, wet from the shower, with his hair slicked back.
<
br /> “Let’s go get some something to eat. I’m starving. When Jeannie gets here, she can join us.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” I hesitate. I pick up my phone and wallet. I’d really rather wait until she gets here. “Where do you feel like eating?”
“How about Harpoon Henry’s? We’ll ask Gina if she can get us a window seat. That way we can keep an eye out for Jeannie.”
“Sounds good. I’ll leave her a quick text to let her know where we’ll be.”
“Hi Gina.” DJ says to his favorite server.
“Hi guys. DJ, I saw you paddle out of here a couple of hours ago. How was it?”
“Great. I even got pretty close to a pod of dolphins.”
“That must have been amazing!” She says.
“It was, but I was a little afraid one of the big ones was going to bump my board. Do you think you could wrangle us a window seat for dinner? We’re waiting for one more.”
“Anything for you,” Gina says with wink and a sweet smile, showing her perfect teeth. “Give me about twenty minutes. We have a couple of tables opening up shortly, and I’ll jump you to the head of the line.”
“Thanks. We’ll be sitting at the bar,” We walk into the bar, find two empty seats and sit down where we can watch golf on the TV.
“Hey, guys, long time, no see,” says Vicky, the bartender. “What’s your pleasure? The bartender?” she gives DJ a sultry smile. Why do they all flirt with him when I’m the single one? Well, maybe not for long.
“If I only wasn’t married, Vicky. But since I am, I’ll settle for a cold Pacifico with lime, please”
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